Hollywood Arts: A Beacon of Hope
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N:
Chapter 36 (The Truth of the Matter)
En route back, Clint drove much slower and Trina was okay with holding on and ensuring she wasn't going to fall off. She slept easier at the motel, which was amazing considering her situation. "Why the hell are beds at hotels so comfortable and soft?" She inquired. Clint chuckled as she shook her head. "Also, how come I couldn't ride a motorcycle."
"You know how many times I've flipped over this thing? Not only is it dangerous, but your mother always swore she wasn't going to let her kids ride one of these. The closest you're getting is shotgun." She rolled her eyes and smirked. Trina had been surprised by him, but was still conflicted over what to think.
The night before while at the motel, they watched True Lies with Arnold Swarzeneggar. After that, the movie which played was Taken. Both times Trina wound up feeling emotional, though more to the end of the movies. Most movies centered around a father's relationship with their child did this to her, and usually she was able to conceal it.
When they finished with the movies they played a few card games before going to bed. She didn't know why Clint had been so willing to spend that time with her, or even why she had willingly let that happen.
"So you're clean now? Truly clean?"
"Yes." A lot of her anger was now directed at this Seth person, but she trusted the police handled the mansion last night. The motel had a phone in the room, so she was able to get in touch with DB as well as Tori and let them know she was fine and that Clint was bringing her home. "I simply have not tried to contact your mother because I'm sure she hates me-as you have said."
"She's afraid of you." She felt his shoulders fall. Clint looked to a passing car and Trina could see the frown on his face before he whisked his gaze back to the road. "You became a monster, and to be honest, I still have nightmares. Things I don't even tell Tori about. Whether or not that woman back there, Gemma, is responsible…there are so many things that mom probably can't forget about you."
"I know." If it hadn't been for his saving her life where Ralph had been concerned, she would never have given him a chance to give his story. "She'd rather me stay away, and that's what I'll do."
"I think she'd rather you stay away from her daughters too." He laughed openly and Trina curved her lips up into a smile. She cleared her throat and sank her lips to a frown. "Mom's terrified to meet us because she thinks you'll hurt her-I know I've already said that, but yeah…" He bowed his head for a moment, then shrugged.
"She has every right to fear that. I was high on drugs when I made that threat, but when she gave you girls up I stayed away. Minding my own business and one day the police come in and arrest me because that brat attacked your mother at her work-and used my name so she would finger me as responsible. You wonder why she's afraid of me? She's so afraid of me, wants nothing to do with me, that she never even filed for a divorce."
That was surprising news, but she could see how filing for divorce-a long arduous process-would be too hard on someone. It was likely that their mother put it aside so she could heal and forget him, then forgot about the need to file. It didn't make sense, though. One doesn't just forget divorce papers. "Wow." She set her head on his back and exhaled softly. It was still difficult to think their entire lives had been skewed because of some fucked up gang members. "So Gemma gets you hooked on drugs, Seth attacks mom…She won't even tell us her identity because she doesn't want us to look for her, thinking you'll show up if we find and contact her, but I think I already know who she is."
"You do?"
"Yeah, I knew since camp. When I saw my letter in her hand." She lifted her head up with a heavy sigh and shrugged. "I'm just waiting for her to feel secure enough."
"Alexis. Alexis Ortiz is your mother. I know she goes by her maiden name now, that much I do know." Trina's eyebrows lifted and her mouth turned up to a tiny smile. The confirmation wasn't all that surprising now, but there was still a strong sense of admiration and pride that she felt. Who else could say their idol was their mom all along? "I've never even challenged the fact that the divorce papers were never filed."
"Why didn't you file, then?" Aside from the fact that he probably did legitimately still care about their mom, enough to stay away from her, she could think of nothing else "Did you just not want to remind her or something?"
"Essentially. Your mother wants to live her life away from me, to forget me, and I agree that it's best. Even if I cleaned up my act, that woman doesn't trust me one bit."
She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, the question that had been on her mind all this time was one she had been pushing away. Now she needed to know, if anything for herself. "What happened? The day she gave us up, what happened?" Clint's face hardened and Trina felt the muscles in his arm grow tense. "I mean, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"You asked, I'll answer. Give me a minute." He pulled over to the shoulder and stopped the bike. Trina watched closely as Clint got off and leaned over a guardrail. "It's harder for me to remember everything, but I can tell you what I do recall. It really isn't something that I think either your mother or I would like to remember or for you girls to know."
Trina threw her leg over the motorcycle and pulled her helmet from her head. "Well considering the career field I'm going into." She walked up beside him and gazed out at the scene ahead. The rail kept cars from flying down the steep grassy hill and into the expansive lake. She turned her head up into the cool breeze striking her cheeks and whistling through her hair. "I just want to know for my own thoughts."
"Fair enough."
Early '96, Clint hung over an iron rail, holding his stomach and throwing up the drugs in his system. His eyes burned onto the tall woman standing before him with a syringe in her hand. She had a cold smirk and dark eyes. "You are a vindictive bitch, Gemma. Are you trying to ruin my family?"
"Oh, Junkie." Gemma put her hand to her chest and walked towards him. Every fiber in his blood told him to attack, but he opted not to. "I do believe you're doing that yourself. Whoever knew you could get so angry and violent?"
"You injected drugs in my sleep, you spiked my drink with LCD, PCP, Heroin and god knows what else…" He pushed himself up, his body trembling and his nostrils flaring out. "But when you start targeting my kids, that's where I draw the line."
"I hoped you would have killed them yourself." He narrowed his eyes as Gemma walked around to his backside and leaned over, whispering into his ear. "Your little bitch already knows the truth about John. The fact that you haven't overdosed or killed your family yet is…remarkable."
Anger coursed through his veins and he quickly reached around to grab at her. She stepped back as he stumbled forward and dropped to his knees. His entire body was burning from whatever fluid she injected into him this time. "She's leaving me, Gemma. She's giving up the children because she can't take care of them, she's scared. It's all your fault." Gemma's eyes widened briefly and her hand lowered.
"It doesn't matter, I'll find them. Of course, if they are split up like that, then I've done my job in ripping apart your family. If they were all together, well…" She laughed once and Clint's eyes widened. "Then I'd go ahead and kill them, and I'd make you watch too."
"Fuck you!" He shot up, using his energy for one more decisive blow. His vision was blurred and body weak, so when he felt her heel jamming into his abdomen, he fell back into unconsciousness.
When he woke up, he was covered in vomit and blood. He'd been moved to an alley behind his house. He grabbed one of the plastic trash bins, using it for leverage to pull himself up. His hand moved to his stomach and he stumbled to move forward, groaning as pain and adrenaline coursed through him.
Lights flashed in his eyes, and continued to blur his vision. "Alex! Alexis!" He had to get to her before Gemma did. The woman would kill her, or at the very least attack the children.
His foot latched onto a heavy stone, causing him to stumble forward. Clint shot his hand out and grabbed the nearby drainage pipe to stop his fall. Alexis was leaving him and giving the children up for their safety, he had to make sure Gemma didn't get to them.
Clint's vision adjusted in time for him to poke his head into the front window and look inside. The house was empty except for Gemma sitting on the couch with her arms outstretched over the top. His heart stopped and he stumbled backwards, cursing wildly.
"Clinton?" Alexis's voice stopped him and he snapped his gaze over. What was she doing here? Didn't she leave? Alexis was tense, her lips pressed in a then line and her body was trembling. "Where have you been?"
"I should ask you the same? Where are the girls?"
Alexis bowed her head and he watched in horror as a tear ran down her face. She moved her hands up to her chest and started to tremble. "I can't take care of them myself and you…you're a demon. You'd hurt them, I know you would."
"You-You gave them up?" His heart broke and he slowly closed his eyes. At the very least the girls were safe, Gemma could never find them. Alexis likely would be safe too, but only if she got out of this town. "Then you better leave. Leave and don't ever come back, don't make any attempts to find the girls either. Just…don't." Alexis's eyes widened and she took a small step back.
"What are you saying?"
He heard a sound in the house and turned his head over his shoulder, growling softly. Gemma was getting up from the couch and turning towards the window. "I'm saying get the fuck away, now!" He didn't want to snap at her, to scare her, but it was the only way. "If you stay here, if you try to find the girls, they're going to get killed!"
"You wouldn't-"
"Just go, damn it!" He took a step forward and Alexis ran off. Just as she vanished over the hill, he heard the front door open and turned to see Gemma staring at him. Her eyes were wide with shock, as though she'd not expected to see him. The corners of her lips sank into a frown and her eyes drifted to the empty street.
"So you woke up, but who were you talking to?"
Trina held her breath and bowed her head, trembling as Clint's stony expression softened. "When you're in a gang, you don't have much choice. Your mother didn't have any options, there was no way she could have taken care of you both on her own, and she was already adamant about leaving me."
"Ever wonder why she went back to the house?"
"Probably to gather some of her things, but Gemma was waiting for her. I don't think I was supposed to wake up either." Considering he woke up with blood on him, it was likely that Gemma tried to have him killed. If that was the case, the only reason Gemma would be at the house waiting on Alexis would have been to attack her.
"I can see why you both hate gangs."
"Obviously. It's rare you can escape because people usually come after you or find you. The bad thing was Gemma was here last night, but I didn't have a choice-there was nowhere to run that we could have gotten away from Ralph's people."
"Yeah, I got it. I think I understand..." She straightened her back and gripped the guardrail firmly. The anger and hatred she felt for that woman was powerful, but she did her best to push it down. It wouldn't be good for her to let it overtake her.
So Clint has confirmed their mother is Alexis. Now knowing the past, if that doesn't make ya want to kill Gemma. The next chapter's actually split off from this because it focuses on a slightly different point, but I'm not double posting this time because the posted count is catching up with the written count. Anyway, tell me what your thoughts and observations are, certainly Gemma won't crush all your hopes and dreams