DEATH OF CALEB

David was up to no good. Evie can't possibly go up against him on her own.

Caleb reached the far side of the bedroom and spun around, twisting his hands together while pacing back toward the other side.

He couldn't wait till Isabel asked permission from her part-time job and take a taxi down to the house even though she had assured him that it wouldn't take long. Tori had gone overseas a week ago to live with her mother and stepfather. Mike had long gone. And Joanna couldn't let David know she had regained her memories. He was the only person who could help her now.

Bracing himself up to face David, he walked to the door and opened it. David had just shown up at the door some minutes ago, and insisted to speak with Evie alone. She had asked him to call Isabel and he did but she was taking too long to come - which wasn't her fault.

He quickened his steps when he heard the sound of struggling in the living room. Immediately he got there, he was greeted by a horrific sight. Evie lay on the floor, struggling to get David - who was kneeling over her with one hand choking her throat and the other pinning her hands to the floor - off her. Her face had turned red and her movement slowed down each passing second.

Caleb ran to David and bit on his arm while scratching at his neck. David loosened his grip on Evie and pulled himself up using Caleb's hair. Needles of pain shot through his scalp and he bit harder on David's arm. David scowled as he tried to pull him away but Caleb didn't stop until he tasted blood.

He heard the sound something breaking but before he could look, David held his hair and pulled him away roughly. He slumped to the ground and David went after Evie who had smashed a flower vase on his head. He stood up and rushed to David who had held Evie by her neck up against the wall.

He threw himself at David - biting, scratching, kicking - as he tried to make him release Evie. David pushed him away - this time harder - and Caleb felt his legs fly out from under him. His head landed on the the cold, hard tile with a thud.

For a second, all he felt was numbness then his head exploded with pain. He couldn't stop himself from crying as his head vibrated with pain. He slowly reached for the spot and touched it. On feeling the warm stickiness of blood, he cried out to Evie.

She kneed David in the crotch the moment she heard his voice and ran to him afterward. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she put him in a sitting position while screaming for help. But no one came. She took off her shirt and pressed it on his head to stop the bleeding. But when he started coughing violently and even vomited blood, she panicked and so did he.

He didn't want to die yet. He still wanted to be a successful architect and build a big mansion for his sister. He still wanted to give out her hand in marriage - to hold her hand and walk her down the isle - to a man who was willing to do everything for her. He still wanted to play football with her and eat the meals she prepared. He still wanted to drink her smoothies and make her sing and read stories for him every night.

He wanted to win a gold medal for running and gift it to Joanna. He wanted to proudly call her his mother all his life. He wanted to live happily with Joanna and Isabel and Michael and Evie. And he wanted to grow up. But he couldn't. He had so many regrets.

As his breath slowed, he tried to think of his happy memories. He didn't have much but all of them had either Evie or Joanna or Mike or Isabel or all of them. He felt grateful to them for making his life happier.

Suddenly he felt the world go silent and dark. He wouldn't be able to protect Evie anymore. He wouldn't know anything that happened to her from now on. Because it was the end. It was his end. With that last thought, his mind went blank.

***** ***** *****

Evie whimpered as she placed her shaky hands on Caleb's cheeks. His body had grown pale and cold as he lay on the hospital bed. His breath had ceased and his heart had stopped. Caleb was dead.

Evie cried harder as she tried unsuccessfully to put him in a sitting position. She held his hands as she talked to him. She wished it was all a dream and would never happen once she was awake.

"Caleb, open your eyes. Evie's here. Let's go home. I promise this time we won't run away. We won't have to see Joanna or David or anyone else again. Just open your eyes and we'll go back home to our town. Nobody will hurt us anymore." She bent over and hugged him.

"Caleb, I'm sorry if I said or did something that angered you. You just have to stand up and I promise not to repeat it. I'll let you do anything you want." Evie said as her tears soaked his shirt and hair.

She felt the warmth of Isabel's body against her back as she hugged her from behind. She sat up and wrapped her arms around Isabel and cried. She wanted to say something but when she opened her mouth, her voice ceased. The only thing she could say was 'why'.

Why did Caleb have to die? It should have been her. Caleb was a good person. And he was just eleven years old. He hadn't lived his life yet. He didn't have enough memories yet. The little he had were filled with more bad memories than good.

She hated herself for running away. Veron may have starved her, overworked her and maltreated her but she treated Caleb kindly. If she didn't run away, Caleb would still be alive.

She had only thought of herself when she made the decision to run. Now Caleb had suffered for it instead. She was the one that chose to live with Joanna. She was the one that chose to help Isabel deceive everyone. Caleb only supported her decisions.

She was the one that chose to defy David and make him angry. She was the one he was supposed to kill, not Caleb. She was the one who should be lying there dead. Not Caleb.

She knew she was to blame. She had trusted Joanna and her lies. She should have known from the start. Joanna said she loved them but she chased them out. She made them vulnerable. And as if that were not enough, she prevented them from gaining access to the most important places in this era - banks, hospitals and markets. And even after she remembered them, she did nothing to lift the restrictions.

That was another reason why Caleb was dead. When Evie got to the nearest hospital, Caleb was still alive but they rejected her because they couldn't afford to offend Joanna. She had begged them to at least give him first aid and she would take him elsewhere.

But they still refused and she had to call Joanna. She didn't answer the call and when she used a nurse's phone to call, Joanna refused her pleas and hung up.

It was the head physician that had taken pity on her and decided to see Caleb. He concluded that Caleb had brain damage and went into surgery immediately but it was too late. Caleb was dead.

She hugged Isabel tighter and cried harder. Now that Caleb was dead, her life would never be the same. That was if she had a life anymore.