Alejandro stood there, and the look on his face said it all: You crossed a line, bitch.
Bree froze. Her heart thundered - not out of fear of him, but of the situation. Of the way this moment threatened to shatter whatever fragile understanding they'd started to build.
He didn't move. His hands were shoved into his jacket pockets, fists clenched. His body, stiff - inhumanly so. Jaw locked. Eyes burning. Bree knew that look.
Like a rat fleeing the claws of a starving cat, she jogged forward, head low, face flushed with shame.
Unsure, she looked up at him when she finally reached him, biting her lower lip.
Her face was burning - with shame, with nerves, with too many feelings at once.
Still, she forced the words out.
"I'm sorry. I.... I got carried away and I...." She gave a small shrug. "Well, I was...."
Alejandro cut her off.
Not with words.
Just a turn.
He walked away, his silence louder than any outburst. And Bree had no choice but to follow.
She was lost. Lost for what to do.
Regret clawed at her - deep and sharp.
"Why did I forget Alejandro doesn't play around?"
He slipped into the car. Bree didn't think. She slid into the back seat quickly, breath shallow.
Her heart was screaming, but her thoughts screamed louder.
★★★
★★★
"Bree, apologize. Now. And thank him for everything today. Maybe... maybe that'll melt him."
As the engine hummed and the silence went on, Bree leaned her head slightly against the window. The careless and digital world outside blurred.
Red lights, flashy cars, stores, the city. But her mind was spiraling somewhere else.
Her ninth birthday.
The soft pink icing at 9am on Saturday. Her second-hand Barbie gown and the sparkly hairbrush from her mom, wrapped in newspaper.
No guests. Dad was yet to be home. And she wished mom would allow her to wait for him.
Mom had given her a roll of cash and Bree had felt it was the happiest day of her life and she'd screamed in shock. Mom had cried also and that was a strange reaction for a nine year old to behold.
Bree had felt something. Something too new yet tangible for her to understand. Her mother was really really upset about something.
But that had stopped fast because mom was soon back to singing a joyful hymn and cutting her cake.
That then vanished later on by evening when mom was forced to confess to her daughter that dad had to....
Bree blinked hard and bit the inside of her cheek.
No, she wouldn't cry. Not at all. Not here. Not now.
But, oh, it was just the way mom was such a good woman who didn't deserve the pains she got....
Then, from nowhere, Alejandro said,
"I'll get you ice cream."
Bree's head snapped toward him. She flew back to the present day.
He kept his eyes on the road.
"Cry."
Bree was shocked yet cautious and when she opened her mouth, her voice squeaked. She gave a long sniff and swallowed the spittle that had gathered in her throat.
"No, thank you."
Alejandro, of course did not mind her.
Silent as he was, he was already in front of an ice cream palace.
Bree watched him go in and what she felt, she couldn't understand.
What was going on?
★★★
★★★
Yes, the car was quiet. Too quiet. And he was beginning to have this eager feeling to turn and look at her.
In this silence, he could hear it. Her breathing was tight and broken - the kind of inhale people took when they were trying not to fall apart.
He didn't look at her. Not directly. He knew she was sad. Girls like Bree kept memories on the edge of their throats, waiting for a kind word to make them spill.
But then, he didn't have those to give to her. But his actions had pushed something out.
Alejandro caught her reflection in the mirror. The way her eyes were glossy, her cheek getting sucked in every now and then.
Bree was somewhere else and he knew better than to interrupt people in the middle of their problems.
Alejandro hated the feeling in his chest.
That tight burning feeling in his chest that made him eagerly want to do something. Fix something.
And that was someone he wasn't.
But he let out the one thing that was on his mind.
"I'll get you ice cream."
Bree was looking at him like he had grown horns and he didn't mind.
"Cry."
He knew what it felt like to hold a scream for so long it started to rot your insides.
Of course, Bree'd refuse. Anyone would always add pride to the pain.
Alejandro parked.
No more words. He got out, mind calculating.
He didn't know why he was doing this.
Only that her emotions reminded him of what pain needed at a point.
★★★
★★★
Bree was humming a song as she checked her list, reading from a crumpled budget sheet and tossing items into the cart. Alejandro was there, quietly helping Bree push the cart - and every now and then, telling her to add more.
"Fifteen.... three more.... Twelve...."
Bree kept looking at him, puzzled and eventually, she had to stop in her tracks. "Alejandro, I.... You shouldn't pay for me. You've done a lot.... I just...."
"Add some more yoghurt."
"Alejandro...."
"I'll pay."
Bree was afraid of pissing him off now but she hesitated, her fingers curling around the side of the cart. She stood her ground and met his gaze.
"No."
Alejandro sent her that extra unsmiling expression - the one with unreadable firmness.
She blushed and shrugged.
And without any more statement, Alejandro walked off and returned with the yoghurt anyway.
At the counter, everything was automatic. The total blinked on the screen and instantly, Alejandro handed his card over.
Bree looked at him.
And she didn't know what to say. Or what this was anymore.
★★★
★★★
Alejandro went to the booth and pulled out a foldable cart and soon he was filling it up with the groceries they'd gotten. He could see Bree momentarily looking at him as they worked together but he wouldn't look at her. He was all about focusing and getting out of sight.
Unload, disappear, done.
Bree grabbed the bag of flour and carried it into the house. With an elbow, she opened the kitchen door then went and placed the flour on the counter.
Bree was happily going for the door when she heard a noise in her room. So, she paused and quickly made her way toward the sound. She pushed the door open.
There was no one there and she sighed and stared about in case.
Before leaving, Bree playfully raised her hand and watched the fireflies drift apart. Then, something else happened and it instantly put her in fear. At the other end of the bed, the fireflies violently parted. Like someone – something else had hurried through them. Or so her brain calculated. Immediately, Bree turned to flee.
Her head had gone heavy. Her stomach flipped. Her breath caught. All at once.
Something had to be there.
And that was when she saw it.
Someone else's shadow showed up. Stretched long on the wall with arms in the air and she screamed very hard and ran. '
"Oh my God. Alejandro!" She cried and bolted for the porch.
But there Alejandro was, already coming in with the cart.
At first , Alejandro looked unaware and then his countenance snapped – alert. And he froze. Bree was shaking and suddenly turned her back to him. She seemed to be losing her mind.
Immediately, he sprinted forward, grabbed her arm then spinned her to look at him.
Her pupils were wide with fear now....
"Alejandro, something's in the house! Look at that shadow...."
Her hands were trembling.
"Sshh...."
His voice was low but firm. Very calming.
He could see that she was trying to stay composed and speak without her lips quivering. But she couldn't surpress it.
"Oh my God...." Her whisper came out in sheer fright and it quivered some more. "What did you see?"
"I.... I...." Her eyes shut tight while she tried dearly to remember something but what she'd seen was fighting to stay hidden....
Fragmented images swirled behind her lids, flashes filled her mind and her head began to ache. She grabbed her head like it was tearing apart.
"What's happening to me?! I need help. Jan, what's happening to me?!" Brielle began to panic and pull at her hair.
Alejandro acted instantly!