8 The past that cannot be undone

Bang!

Kristofer's eyes instantly snapped open, and he was drenched in sweat. He got himself in a sitting position as he ran his hands through his hair. 

Getting out of bed, he made his way towards the kitchen and grabbed a can of beer from the fridge. 

Without hesitation, he opened the can and took a long sip of the alcoholic drink that burned down his throat and slowly slid through his belly.

After he had finished the can of beer, Kristofer crumpled it with his bare hands and tossed it in the trash bin. He then got himself a glass of water and settled on his couch.

Throwing back his head, he allowed himself to swim inside his swirling thoughts. He had never told anyone of his tragic past. 

It was never discussed inside their house, either. Though, sometimes, it would be brought up by some relative or two during family gatherings. However, before things could get out of hand, his father always took the matter into his own hands, and immediately, the topic would take a different route.

Bang!

The sound of the gun echoed through his head once more, but this time he was no longer stuck inside his dream. Instead, he watched it before his mind's eye, as if the scene were unfolding before him. 

The sound of the gun was followed by red infiltrating his vision as blood spooled from the lifeless body in front of him. 

Kristofer pulled himself out of the memory. He had not realized that his breathing had become ragged. He shut his eyes once more, covering them with his hands.

It has been years, and yet the memory still haunts him. He continued having nightmares about that tragic incident and would constantly be reminded of his fear. 

Ever since he had gone home from that dreadful experience in his past, Kristofer had hated seeing anything red. 

Every time he did, he could almost feel his throat clogging up, and he needed to get away from it as much as possible. 

It took him quite a while before he was able to stay still and control his panic attacks regarding anything red that caught his eye. 

But then, that was when he started hating the color itself.

He found himself no longer fearing it, but instead, he began to dislike it. 

Reopening his eyes, Kristofer was left to stare at his ceiling, his thoughts going back toward the mysterious woman in red. 

He hated the color, but despite that, he couldn't help but appreciate how it seemed to suit her.

Kristofer shook his head. He wanted to stop being curious about her mysteriousness. Unfortunately, no matter how much he had tried to convince himself, his mind appeared to be having a life of its own. His thoughts went back to her.

Sighing, Kristofer got off his couch and began his way back to his bedroom, contemplating how he could fall asleep with the image of the woman seared in his memory.

--

Bang!

Anna opened her eyes. The wind gently caressed her hair as she stood before her parent's grave. 

"I'm sorry. It took me a while to come back," she murmured, slowly tracing a hand on her mother's name, which was engraved on the tombstone. She did the same with her father's grave.

The sound of the gun rang inside her head. Anna refused to let her mind delve into that part of her memory. 

She refused to have that scene play in her mind's eye. 

She refused to make herself feel suffocated. She refused to remember that fateful night that scarred her forever.

"Yeah?" Anna gently swerved her head to where the voice had come from and instantly rolled her eyes playfully as she saw her brother coming toward her.

"I think they aren't just the only ones that you need to apologize to," Anna let out a gentle laugh, meeting Elijah halfway and crushing him in a tight hug.

Anna felt more at home now that she was in her brother's embrace.

Over the years, Elijah watched as his sister overcame the trauma of their past. Losing their parents in such a way was not something children could take likely, especially for someone as sensitive as Anna. 

But he watched her brave through it and stood by him more than Elijah did for her. He couldn't be more proud of who his sister had chosen to become despite everything, and he was grateful for her courage.

Elijah knew that his sister was very fragile. Yet he also knew that this was a source of great strength for her.

Anna finally let Elijah go and gave him a once-over. She narrowed her eyes, realizing that he was alone.

"Did you and Isabella fight?"

Isabella Torre was Elijah's long-time girlfriend. Anna did not quite understand her brother's logic. They could have been married already if not for Elijah's insistence that it was not yet time.

Isabella had been there for her brother, and Anna loved Isabella. The two loved each other, and Anna did not see why her brother seemed to be delaying making the proposal.

She might have stopped believing in love and everything that came with it, but for Anna, it did not entail the same thing for her brother. 

Anna might no longer hope for love, but the people around her deserve all the love that the world has to offer. 

Anna watched her brother shake his head.

"No, we're fine. She just had something to take care of. She'd be here later in the evening." Anna stared at her brother for a while before letting the issue go.

Elijah and Isabella's fights were often about petty things. Anna found it a little ridiculous, but she adored both of them nonetheless. 

Elijah was lucky to have Isabella, and vice versa. 

They were total opposites, but somehow they seemed perfect for each other, and Anna would not have it any other way.

"My two favorite grandchildren!" Anna and Elijah chuckled as they heard their grandmother approach. They each helped her get closer to their parent's grave. 

It was inevitable that Anna and Elijah were their grandmother's favorites. Their father was an only child.

"You still haven't changed, mama," Elijah said, greeting their grandmother warmly while Lucille excused herself, leaving the three of them standing in front of the tombstones.

"Of course, my dear. I'm as healthy as a horse." 

Elijah smiled, feeling glad that their grandmother was not sick today, unlike the year before. She had fallen ill, and with Anna undergoing something, he was the only one who came to their parent's grave to pay a visit.

"And you should always be," Anna stated, smiling at her grandmother and her brother. It made her heart swell, wishing she could freeze that moment and just stay there forever—just the three of them.

However, she knew that a day would come when her grandmother would leave them too. 

Her health was failing, and Anna knew that time was beginning to tick down for her grandmother. 

All she could hope was that when the time came, she would be strong enough to hold back her tears, just as she had after losing both of her parents.