Chapter 6: The end of life
Chapter 6: The end of life
"Oh. Hello Beth. Just in time. Few more rats to go, then we can have our party, right Raul?" Councilor Bing smiled beautifully and answered Beth's question with delight.
"All dead?" Beth said coldly.
She frequently went to this house. She shared a meal with the Alma family, but she knew she was not a true part of them. She slept here a couple of times, but she discerned she will never be a part of the family. That is what Luke always tells her, that she is a family, a younger sister Luke never had.
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All these years, the unrequited love remained unrequited. The affection that once sprang in the heart of the reporter blossomed with hate and jealousy.
Beth did not realize when it all started. Maybe when Luke introduced Theresa to her as his girlfriend. Or when Luke chose to be with Theresa for their anniversary rather than her birthday, which usually only has Luke as her guest due to being an orphan at an early age.
Or that wedding that tore her heart to pieces when she heard the exchanges of vows of the man she loved and the woman who stole away her happiness but still smiled to show Luke how 'happy' she was.
Or maybe that period, after seeing the happy family celebrating the first birthday of their dear Martin. Maybe that happy moment for the couple crushed her own happy dreams.
While other people were singing Happy Birthday, Beth then realized that the possible 'union' with the man of her daydreams will never be a reality. Perhaps, just being with him is enough for Beth, she thought.
But later on, she felt that the full free time of Luke, which he usually spent together with Beth, slowly lessened into a few hours a week. She accepted that Luke has a family now. It would be enough for her just a few hours a week. She just wanted to feel the same as before Theresa entered their daily life—even a little.
Until one day, Luke has no time at all to spend with his childhood friend, Beth. While waiting for their usual spot behind the acacia tree beside the park, drops of rain suddenly fell on the well-groomed hair of the prepared Beth.
Her picnic basket was started to be drenched wet by the rain so she opened the pink picnic blanket that was gifted to him by Luke and tried to keep the favorite food her only guest always craved about.
She thought that for her birthday, maybe she could own him for a while. Just for a while.
She kept waiting and waiting, thinking that Luke could not possibly forget her birthday, without living their preferred spot afraid that she will not be easily noticed.
That her childhood friend, she calls Skywalker, will come, bringing her under his umbrella, as they celebrate her birthday under the gaze of the sky, which is their usual observer.
But on this year's birthday, the sky wept to pity her. She kept waiting, minutes turned to hours, and the breezy air turned icy as her heart succumbed with deeper in coldness and inhumaneness. For yet another reason, the sky and a human once again have a mutual understanding.
"My poor dear life," she muttered under her breath. Her completely soaked body shivering every surge of the wind.
Her hot blood frozen stiffed as hypothermia struck her body. Her dazed thoughts produced a blurry image of a person she wanted at that very moment. Beth tried to extend her hand to feel the warmth she was used to, but all she touched was the emotionless feeling of the void as sleepiness crept into her and mumbled before she fainted, "My Skywalker."
Luke just said sorry and could not even bother to visit her in the hospital saying that Martin is not feeling well and he needs to take care of him. Everything went back to normal.
After that incident, every meal that was once so happy became torture, and every holiday that she once looked forward to becoming a hassle. Beth was present on every occasion, smiling and laughing along, but no one realized her loneliness and anguish were eating her inside, not even the man she knew for the past twenty years—not even him.
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Councilor Bing was not frustrated by the response, "Not yet. But soon. However, I think they escaped. The window is open when we entered and we found no one here."
"Nonsense, that small window was just for the dog to escape. Look at the size of the gap. In short, it is a diversion. If your men are halfway as smart as a child, they could have known what to do. If not for Congressman Lazaro, I will not help you and your dimwitted goons. As I thought, you are just for governing small city, not fit enough to climb the ladder of fame and power." Councilor Bing's smiling face soured.
Then, Beth pointed at the thick curtain beside the bed and the big wardrobe. "That curtain is where Martin and young Luther usually hide and that big wardrobe has a secret compartment, possibly that wh*re Theresa and Annie. Now that you know where they are, I want you to wrap things up. I have something important to do. Something I dreamt for a very long time." Just before Beth could turn around and leave, the cabinet was opened by a trembling pale hands.
"How could you do this? To us! We let you into our family. We fed you when you were hungry, gave you a warm place to stay, and we treated you as one of us. Huh! After all these years, together, you never treated us as one of yours." Theresa could not help but outburst her long-suppressed emotion. Tears run down her pale cheeks, her knees too weak to support her grieving body, as she continues, "If only Luke is here. He will see how ingrate you are, biting the hands of the people who took care of you." Theresa wailed, her previous calm attitude was cracked by the death of his husband.
Beth looked spookily to Theresa and sharply said, "Before you entered Luke's life, I was his only woman. I was his world and he was mine. But, when you intruded into our relationship, those happy moments changed.
"How dare you speak as if you were there when he graduated when he failed his subjects, and when he fought with his father. But I am. I was always there helping him. You just intervened." Her eyes were so bloody red that it would not be a surprise if real blood oozes out from them. If words could kill, then Theresa might be a lump of meat full of holes already.
Repressed emotions came out and seething anger exploded.
The bad men speedily captured the crying mother and dragged viciously the poor Annie out of the hidden compartment of the wardrobe. The innocent one looked puzzled, but the dried tears on her cheeks signified how bad she felt.
The toddler wanted to run to her mommy, however, when she saw her aunt she wailed resembling a child befitting her age, like finding someone she knew who could help her, "Auntie! They killed daddy. That woman... huhuhu, she killed daddy," cried the poor sweet Annie as she pointed Councilor Bing.
Upon hearing the voice of their youngest sister, both Martin and Luther ran out of their hiding spot without a second thought and immediately went to the side of their princess, protecting her from danger.
"No Annie. Do not go to her. She killed daddy," Theresa got hysterical and lost the gripping hands on her as she abruptly held her children's hands and told them what she knew of the truth. Her motherly instinct kept them in her warm embrace.
Beth looked at the crying children and their mother. Her icy-cold face twitched a little.
Memories of the past flooded her deranged mind. The happy face of Annie whenever Beth had candies for her and the child would run to her and hug her as her thank you. And the shy look of Luther when he abashedly accepted the car toy his Aunt gave him. Or the smile to ears of Martin when he held in his arms the latest manga of Naruto as Beth's present when she had an interview in Japan.
Beth was their aunt as well as the person who knew their favorites more than their parents did. Even if busy, she would call them one by one every week to have a chat. If her time was hectic, she would still find a few minutes to hear their voices.
They were the closest to a family she never had.
In those maddening times, their words kept her sane and their wishes and blessings kept her going. When she was so sad of being alone and no one to talk to, the sweet voice of Annie comforted her, the terse words of Luther soothed her, and the mature advice of Martin lighted her decisions.
She was thankful that when she lost her Skywalker, she got three more angels who rebuilt her sky and walked her land.
Perhaps, she was not angry with the whole family. Maybe it was all Theresa's fault. Beth suddenly felt remorse and guilt. Her arctic aura was gradually thawing, as the usual friendly smile of the kids used to, was seen once again. "Come. We can be a family. Me, Luke, and you three, we will be happy," the family was speechless, their mind a mess.
'What? Hadn't they shot dead, my daddy? What is Auntie Beth talking about?' Seeing the bemused and perplexed faces, the reporter told them.
"He is not dead. He is just there..." as Beth turned her head and pointed towards the living room, she saw a silhouette of a tied man holding something shiny and hopping fast towards them with muffled noises.
Before she could finish her sentence, a fountain of blood gushed out, painting her view. Suddenly, she felt weak, mouth agape, and could not help but to look down. Then she saw a six-inch knife punctured her body. At the fifth intercostal space, right at the position of her heart.
Though feeling tired, she lifted her pained face and saw the person who stabbed her. From the illumination given by the lightning that is being reflected on the knife, albeit unclean and full of blood, she can still clearly see the chiseled face of the man she always saw in her dreams, the man who was with her from their childhood till now, her Skywalker and source of strength, and that man currently possesses eyes she never saw before. Eyes that are capable of killing. Eyes she never knew could appear in the man she loves.
Bing and her goons were so shocked. It went so fast they were not able to stop Luke.
Her hands found their ways and removed the gag in Luke's mouth. She feebly caressed the face and looked directly into his eyes as her weight leaned into his body.
Her lips were now smiling, for she saw the face of the man she wanted to see for the last time. She took this moment to paint the face she wishes she will never forget into her soul. Even though she tasted the flavor of saltiness in her mouth, her smile was truly genuine.
For those few moments, Luke realized what he had done to his 'younger sister.' The weakened Beth could no longer support her weight, as the gravity pulled her down and Luke with it. The bloodshed eyes reverted to normal as tears flowed endlessly and his now unblocked mouth said, "I am... I am sorry Beth. I'm truly sorry," Luke tried to embrace his childhood friend and put pressure on the wound. But he could not.
His hands and feet are tied and only able to hold the knife in place.
He tried so hard to remove the ties but no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't.
Beth kept quiet for a few seconds before her quivering lips spoke, "It's okay. I should apologize to you and...huh huh... to the kids." Her eyes are clouding her view, but she did not care as the only person she wanted in the world was just right before her eyes. She inhaled deeply as pain scrunched her smiling face and continued after a forced swallow, "Now go. Rescue your... huh huh... family, my Skywalker." her voice thinned out as blood trickled the side of her mouth and one last tear escaped her eyes.
"NO!!!" the thunder could not defeat the sound of anguish.
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"Come on Beth. Faster or we're gonna lose this last chance. Today is your birthday and I want to see the movie Star Wars especially Luke Skywalker," an excited young boy motivated her friend but upon seeing her gasping for air, he smilingly said and extended his right hand, "Hold my hand for the force is with us."
The young girl immediately grasped the helping hand. "Yes, my Skywalker," she muttered under her breath as they run along.
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