CHAPTER EIGHT - ONCE WAS ENOUGH
Jeff walked quietly through the door and into the house. He paused to listen but heard just silence. With one hand reaching to touch the wall, as a guide, he continued stealthily through the house. As he entered what he knew was the kitchen he heard a noise. He listened. It was coming from the yard.
The girl was suddenly aware of the back door opening. Slowly she turned and came face to face with him. She screamed.
"Uncle Jeffy" Jeff smiled at the little girl's scream of delight.
"Hey Mollie, is your Mom around?"
"Sure,"
Jeff eventually found Chloe upstairs, painting. "I heard they arrested you too." Chloe spoke quietly; her world was falling apart and she knew it.
"They had nothing on me. They had to let me go." Jeff replied in a matching solemn voice.
"But Matt's still there?" Jeff just nodded in response; there were no words that could comfort either of them. "Is it all happening again?"
"I hope not. Once was enough for any lifetime"
"It's why you're here though isn't it. You want to know if I know where she is." Once again Jeff nodded unable to say anything to reassure her and abate her fears.
"I need to find her, we need to find her. She's the only one who can end this."
"Because she was the one who started it," Chloe shouted her feelings raging inside. "She should never have got involved, she shouldn't have dragged Matt into it and she should have finished it when she could."
Jeff spoke in a whisper, "If she hadn't started this and dragged us into it, then things would have been different and I might never have had you or Mollie."
"Maybe that would have been better for all of us." Chloe spoke bitterly, shocking Jeff and bringing to the surface unwanted memories. His instincts turned him away from her; he felt he could no bear to look at her and despite his blindness his body reacted accordingly as the pain burnt from deep within. Chloe watched as she was rejected once again by the man she loved. Tears began to fill her eyes and she reached for him, filled with regret. As she touched Jeff, his body was overwhelmed with an instinctive shudder causing the tears to spill down her cheeks as despair filled her heart. "I'm sorry Jeff. I didn't mean it." She whispered croakily as the tears continued their journey down her face.
There was silence for a second as Chloe waited for Jeff's response. "You said it though, why did you say it if you didn't mean it?" He spoke so quietly that Chloe wondered if she had really heard him. She reached for him again, this time he gave no reaction. "I always said that I never wanted to see her again. I'm not sure this was what I meant." Jeff bean to both laugh and cry at the same time as he turned and collapsed into Chloe's welcoming hug.
"You still love her." Chloe spoke bluntly but not without kindness.
"Yet I still hate her too. I once loved her like I now love you, and I still love her a little, yet I hate her with al my soul. She poisons everything she touches, nothing means anything to her. She just destroys."
"She loved you, little one. She loved Matt like a brother."
"But she destroyed Matt. She loved him and killed his world."
"It wasn't intentional, but it was necessary. Matt knew it deep down; we all knew she had to die."
"And Ava? Did she have to die?"
Jeff walked quietly through the door and into the house. He paused to listen but heard just silence. With one hand reaching to touch the wall, as a guide, he continued stealthily through the house. As he entered what he knew was the kitchen he heard a noise. He listened. It was coming from the yard.
The girl was suddenly aware of the back door opening. Slowly she turned and came face to face with him. She screamed.
"Uncle Jeffy" Jeff smiled at the little girl's scream of delight.
"Hey Mollie, is your Mom around?"
"Sure,"
Jeff eventually found Chloe upstairs, painting. "I heard they arrested you too." Chloe spoke quietly; her world was falling apart and she knew it.
"They had nothing on me. They had to let me go." Jeff replied in a matching solemn voice.
"But Matt's still there?" Jeff just nodded in response; there were no words that could comfort either of them. "Is it all happening again?"
"I hope not. Once was enough for any lifetime"
"It's why you're here though isn't it. You want to know if I know where she is." Once again Jeff nodded unable to say anything to reassure her and abate her fears.
"I need to find her, we need to find her. She's the only one who can end this."
"Because she was the one who started it," Chloe shouted her feelings raging inside. "She should never have got involved, she shouldn't have dragged Matt into it and she should have finished it when she could."
Jeff spoke in a whisper, "If she hadn't started this and dragged us into it, then things would have been different and I might never have had you or Mollie."
"Maybe that would have been better for all of us." Chloe spoke bitterly, shocking Jeff and bringing to the surface unwanted memories. His instincts turned him away from her; he felt he could no bear to look at her and despite his blindness his body reacted accordingly as the pain burnt from deep within. Chloe watched as she was rejected once again by the man she loved. Tears began to fill her eyes and she reached for him, filled with regret. As she touched Jeff, his body was overwhelmed with an instinctive shudder causing the tears to spill down her cheeks as despair filled her heart. "I'm sorry Jeff. I didn't mean it." She whispered croakily as the tears continued their journey down her face.
There was silence for a second as Chloe waited for Jeff's response. "You said it though, why did you say it if you didn't mean it?" He spoke so quietly that Chloe wondered if she had really heard him. She reached for him again, this time he gave no reaction. "I always said that I never wanted to see her again. I'm not sure this was what I meant." Jeff bean to both laugh and cry at the same time as he turned and collapsed into Chloe's welcoming hug.
"You still love her." Chloe spoke bluntly but not without kindness.
"Yet I still hate her too. I once loved her like I now love you, and I still love her a little, yet I hate her with al my soul. She poisons everything she touches, nothing means anything to her. She just destroys."
"She loved you, little one. She loved Matt like a brother."
"But she destroyed Matt. She loved him and killed his world."
"It wasn't intentional, but it was necessary. Matt knew it deep down; we all knew she had to die."
"And Ava? Did she have to die?"