Chapter 7

Author's Note: Warning, there is a scene that describes the aftermath of a violent crime at the beginning of this chapter....

"Your family's murder?" Xavier whispered.

Nikki nodded, "Yes. I was there when they were all murdered, I saw it all. Last night, I dreamed of it again."

"You've dreamed of this often?"

"Not lately. I thought I'd gotten rid of the dreams, but last night it came back." she sighed, "It's been almost six years since I last dreamed of them."

Xavier looked at Nikki, watching her facial expressions as she told him how long it had been. He could see it in her eyes, she was still reliving the deaths in her mind as she sat there next to him.

Gently he asked, "how old were you when they died?"

Nikki flinched before looking up at him, "I was 9." She swallowed before going on, "I was gonna be 10 in less than a week."

Xavier closed his eyes in sympathy. He could smell her sadness, her pain. Swallowing, he opened his eyes, placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face so he could look into her eyes.

"I understand that this is painful, but I really would like to know what happened. Do you think you could tell me? If it's too hard, I'll understand, I can wait..."

Nikki shook her head, "No, it's okay, I think I should try to get this out. Maybe the dreams will stop if I just let them go..."

Xavier nodded, "Dreams are usually a way of the subconscious mind trying to tell you something. You've been keeping all this inside. It's still in there after all these years...haunting you."

Nikki gave him a hesitant smile, then nodded, "Yes. I...I think you may be right."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to his side. Once he was certain she was feeling comfortable, he whispered against her temple, "Tell me."

Nikki was silent for a few moments, gathering her courage and willing her voice to work. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes. As the images appeared behind her lids, she began to tell the story...

Nikki sat in the middle of her bed flipping through the magazine she held in her lap. She grinned as she tried to think of what her parents had gotten her for her tenth birthday. She knew they had something planned, but they wouldn't tell her what it was or what they had gotten for her. She was beginning to get impatient. Her tenth birthday was only four days away and she was already wishing it was today.


She was so impatient that she had tried to enlist the help of her younger sister, Anne. Since Anne was only seven, and she looked up to her big sister, Nikki had thought to get the truth out of her. However, her parents had known that and had not even confided in their youngest daughter about the birthday plans.


So, Nikki flipped through the magazine looking for hints about what she could have gotten when she suddenly heard shouting coming from downstairs. She scrambled off of her bed, heading towards her doorway, but her mother suddenly appeared.


"Nikki, honey, go to your special place."

Nikki frowned, "What? But mom..."


"Nikki! Just do it!" Her mother frantically added, "Hurry!" Then she was gone.


Nikki could hear her mother's running steps rapidly fading away. Then she heard her father's angry voice booming through the house, "You can't come in! Stay away from my property, you bastards!"


Her eyes went wide as she heard the sound of glass breaking downstairs, then the sound of wood splintering, accompanied by her mother's scream. "Henry!"


"Lindsey, get Anne and go!" She heard her father yell.


Nikki didn't waste anymore time. She quickly dashed into her closet, pushing past all of her clothes to the back. Kneeling down, she found the indention by memory and dug the heel of her hand against it. A trap door lifted slightly from the floor and Nikki lifted it up enough to slip through it. As soon as she crawled into the space that was only large enough to fit her lying down on her stomach, the door quietly shut itself above her. She lay there silently listening to the sounds coming from below.


There was the sound of more glass breaking, and the pounding of feet, rushing up the stairs. Her father's voice boomed once more, "Get away from them!"

"Let go of her! No! Not my baby!" her mother screamed.


Nikki heard the crying of her little sister and someone laughing. "Aw, don't cry little girl. I'm not gonna hurt you."


Her father growled, "Let go of her you bastard."


More laughter, "Now, now Henry. Why should I? She's such a precious little thing ain't she guys? Look at all that shiny blonde hair. Like a little doll. Think we should take her for ourselves?"


"No! Get your slimy hands off of my daughter! I'll rip you apart if you touch her!" her father roared.


"Too late, see, I'm touching her." he laughed, "Wow! It feels as soft as it looks!"


"Stop it you beast!" her mother sobbed.


"Stay where you are lady or I'll do something you won't like."

"Lindsey! Do as he says!"


"No! Let go of her!" Sounds of feet shuffling, then her sister's scream, followed by her mother's, "Anne! Oh God, nooooo!"


Nikki heard something rolling down the stairs, then sudden silence.


It was broken by her father's roar, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!"


"Don't come any closer! I'll do her too!"


"Henry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..." her mother sobbed.


A pair of feet, running up the stairs, then "No! Lindsey, no!"


"You asked for it, man! You won't listen to my warning. Now both your women are gone."


"Fucking asshole!"

"Guys....waste him."


Gunshots sounded, making Nikki jump in her space.


"Enough" a voice boomed. And all went silent. A few seconds later she heard something heavy hitting the floor. Then, "You should have listened, man. Maybe you all would still be alive then."


A pause, "I heard you had two girls. Where's the other one?"


Another pause, "We'll find her. Guys, she's gotta be around somewhere, find her and bring her here."


She heard several pairs of footsteps moving around the house. They were upstairs and downstairs. She heard a pair in her room and the sounds of things being moved around.


Nikki never moved, she never made a sound as she listened to them searching for her. Eventually the footsteps all made their way back downstairs to where she'd heard the voice.


Silence followed, then he spoke, "Little girl? I know you're here. Come out, come out wherever you are."


Fear gripped Nikki. Her body trembled and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Her mother had told her never to say a word, never to let anybody know she was in her special place, not even her own parents should know she was there.


They had practiced with her many times. And when Nikki had given herself away, she'd been punished for it. She had learned the hard way to keep silent no matter how hard it was. Keep silent, or she would be punished. Nikki didn't want to be punished like that ever again.


A second voice spoke, "Dude, maybe he's right. Maybe she's not here at all."


The first voice growled, "Where would she be then?"


"Maybe he was telling the truth. He doesn't have another daughter. He hasn't had one in years."

"My father said he had two!"


"Maybe he did have two. But the second is no longer with them, just like he said. His daughter died last year."


"Then my father should have known this."


"Not really man. When was the last time you saw them all together, huh?"


A pause, "You're right. Fine. We're leaving guys. Our work is done. Even if the girl is alive somewhere, what can she do? And if we ever find her, we can finish the job then."


Nikki remained where she was long after she heard the voices and footsteps fade away. Long after the sounds of car doors slamming and the squeal of tires fading into the distance. She remained in her special place until the silence began to annoy her.


Slowly emerging from her place, she crawled out of the closet warily looking around. Afraid that her parents would be waiting there to punish her for failing again. But no one was waiting for her in her room. She hesitantly made her way out of her room and down the hallway towards the stairs. As she drew closer to the stairway, her eyes landed on the body that lay sprawled on its back on the other side of the stairway.


It was her mother.


Nikki slowly walked up to her mother and peered down at her. Her mother lay on her back, eyes wide open in terror and staring at the ceiling. A knife protruded from her torso. One hand rested limply against the knife, the other curled around the banister.


"Mommy?" Nikki whispered. "Mommy, can you hear me?"


A scraping sound from downstairs caught Nikki's attention. She turned her head and saw her father dragging himself across the floor, a trail of blood in his wake.


"Daddy!" she screamed and ran down the stairs.

She came to a stumbling halt as she noticed her little sister's body lying in a heap at the foot of the stairs. Nikki's eyes went wide as she noticed the odd angle of Anne's neck and the trickle of blood from her nose. Anne's eyes were closed and her blonde hair was a mess of curls spilling over half of her face.


Nikki looked up at her father, her lips trembling, "Daddy, what's happening?" She looked down at her sister, "What's wrong with Anne? With mommy?"


Her father lifted his hand towards her, "Nikki...honey, come here."


Nikki hesitantly stepped around her sister's body and made her way to her father's side. He rolled over onto his back with a groan. Nikki saw the blood soaking his shirt. "Daddy! You're hurt!"


"It's okay baby." he swallowed, "Nikki, you have to listen to me okay?"


As Nikki nodded he went on, "Go upstairs and pack a suitcase...like your mother taught you...then go to Amy's house...tell her I said to give me justice..." he groaned, "Can you remember that Nikki?...Tell Amy that...okay?"

"What about you daddy?"


"Don't...don't worry about me...baby... I'll be fine...go Nikki."


"But daddy..."


"Nikki...go."


She quickly scrambled to her feet at her father's command and rushed upstairs. She packed a suitcase just like her mother had taught her and ran back downstairs with it.


She knelt at her father's side again and leaned over him, "Daddy? I'm all packed. Are you coming with me?"


Silence was her answer. She frowned and reached for her father's shoulder, shaking him.


"Daddy?" She shook him harder, "Daddy wake up! Wake up daddy!"

When there was still no answer, Nikki sat back on her heels and stared at her father. Slowly she lifted her head and let her eyes take in the entire view. She saw the broken glass littering the floor from the windows. The front door had been torn from it's hinges, splintered in two. Blood was smeared on the floor around her father. Her sister lay at the foot of the stairs. More broken glass from the mirror that once hung on the wall near the stairs. Her mothers feet dangled over the top stair. Nikki closed her eyes against the view and lowered her head.


The silence was finally broken by the soft sobbing of a little brunette girl.

Xavier became aware of Nikki's sobbing, her tears had already soaked his shirt before that. He simply sat there holding her in his arms, letting one hand softly caress her back to soothe her. He could feel her fingers digging into his sides, as if she were holding on for dear life. He tightened his arms around her and lowered his lips to her hair.

Tenderly kissing the top of her head, he whispered, "That's it, nu'halla, let it go."

Nikki could feel his lips in her hair and his hands caressing her back. It felt comforting to her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt that warm and safe. His whispered words were soothing to her. He was like a soothing balm for all the emotional wounds she'd been carrying inside her after all these years. Now, those wounds seemed to finally begin to heal.

Xavier held her for a long time as she trembled and cried, but when she seemed to just be lying still in his arms, he lifted her face with his hand so that he could see her. Her face was red, her eyes glassy, and yet she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

He gave her a tender smile, "Feeling better?"

She laughed softly, "Yes."

"Good," his voice turned serious, "I'm glad you talked about it. I hope this helps you to heal." He brushed his fingers over her cheek, "Something like that shouldn't be kept inside, but I understand why you wouldn't want to be close to anyone now. I understand your pain."

She nodded, "It's just so hard. And I keep thinking that they'll come for me some day. They'll recognize me and try to finish what they started all those years ago. And they'll go after the others that I care about."

He hugged her close to him, "No Nikki, they won't harm you. I promise you I won't let them have you. I'll keep you safe."

Looking into his eyes, Nikki knew he meant it. He promised to keep her safe, but she was still worried that he didn't really understand what he was up against. She couldn't understand how he could protect her from them. She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.

Xavier spoke again, "Nikki, could you tell me about your family."

She lifted her eyes to his, "What?"

"What were they like?"

She sat up then and stared at a spot over his shoulder, thinking. She suddenly smiled.

"They were great. My father was really tall, and Anne and I loved it when he would pick us up and swing us around. We would feel like we were flying." She laughed, "My mom used to tell my father to stop because I was getting older and bigger, and she'd complain that he'd hurt his back. But dad never stopped and I always felt so weightless in his arms."

Xavier nodded, but kept silent, he wanted her to go on.

"Anne was two years younger than I and we did almost everything together. I think I took after my dad, because I was always trying to get into things and causing mischief, while Anne would just follow along. I know she looked up to me and mom always said that too. Especially when I'd done something to get into trouble, she'd tell me to stop because all I was doing was being a bad influence on my little sister."

Nikki was grinning now as she remembered all the times she'd do something and then get caught. Her father would try to be serious and stern because her mother was there trying to scold her, but she always saw the sparkle of laughter and pride in his eyes. And Anne, Anne never saw what Nikki did as being wrong. She too saw that her father wasn't really angry, so she continued to follow Nikki everywhere.

Xavier smiled, "You all were close."

Nikki nodded, "Yeah. Anne and I basically had each other. So, we were close. I know mom was just being a mother, and I never resented her for her discipline. She wasn't mean, just stern. But we all knew she loved us. She could have fun with us too."

He nodded, "Yeah, my mother can be that way too."

She stared at him for a moment. "Your mother is stern?"

He chuckled, "Yes. Not like my father though. Mom is subtle. I don't think I'll ever be able to describe how she does it, but she's really good at handling my sister and I. She's also great at dealing with my father's outbursts."

Nikki smiled, "You have a sister too?"

"Yes, Evelyn is my younger sister. Like you, I'm the oldest. But Zachary, is more like a brother to me than just a friend. We all grew up together. There's also Charles and Kegan."

"Evelyn is the only sibling?"

He nodded, "Blood sibling yes." He chuckled, "But like I said, we all grew up together, so all of them seem like brothers to me. I know Evelyn feels the same."

"Wow. You are so lucky to have grown up with all of those people to care about you."

"I know." He looked into her eyes. "But you've always had people who care about you Nikki. I know they aren't your real parents, but I bet Kristine's parents care about you, just like she does."

Nikki nodded with a sigh, "You're right. They do. Amy and Felix have always been kind to me. They took me in and raised me along with their own daughter. And Kris is more like a sister to me too. I really am lucky that they had enough room in their lives to take me in."

Xavier chuckled, "How could they not? You're irresistible."

That earned a laugh from Nikki. They continued to sit and trade stories about their families until Zachary and Kristine entered the barn. The moment Kristine saw Nikki smiling and talking to Xavier, she came to a sudden halt. Zachary, whose hand was in hers, stopped walking to look at her.

"Kris?" he asked. His question caused Xavier and Nikki to look up at them.

Kristine walked over to Nikki and sank down to her knees, "Do you know, this is the first time since before you came to live with us that I've seen you smile like that." She turned to Xavier, "What did you do to her?"

Xavier shrugged as Nikki chuckled, "We were just talking about our families and how similar they seem to be to each other."

Kristine raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

Nikki grinned, "Yes. Xavier was telling me about his younger sister who is sort of like Anne was. And his mother is like my mom." She turned and gave Xavier a mock frown, "But his dad seems to be a tyrant, unlike my dad was."

Zachary laughed as he sat next to Kristine. "I don't think anyone is gonna ever be as much of a tyrant as Marcus is."

Kristine looked at Zachary, "Oh you know him do you?"

At Zachary's nod, Liz filled her in, "Zach grew up with Xavier and Evelyn. As did Kegan and Charles."

Kristine gaped, "Wow! You know more than I do!"

Zachary chuckled, "We can fill you in if you want, it's not really a big deal."

"Oh yeah?" retorted Xavier, "As I recall, who was the one always sneaking into my house in the middle of the night when his dad was out during the night shift?"

Zachary growled, "Hey! I'm not the one who's wrapped around my little sister's finger now am I?"

As the guys started playfully bickering, Nikki and Kristine made themselves comfortable so that they could listen to and participate in the telling of family stories.