Happy Hump Day! (I cannot wait for this week to be over...)
pervertedlemon: I agree lol like, who says what he said to his own daughter?!
Within the solace of her room, Blonda stared towards the ceiling, lying on her bed. Because her x-rays revealed no sign of a concussion or any other related brain injury, she had been released from the hospital earlier that morning. It hadn't occurred to her until after Piero and Carmine dropped her and Big Daddy off that Wanda wasn't with them. Not that it mattered, she was just curious as to where she ran off to. Big Daddy informed her of her whereabouts from the information he received from a call from Juandissimo's mother, but because Big Daddy had other priorities, he didn't seem too concerned.
Big Daddy spent his morning cooped in his office, organizing his wife's funeral with Piero and Carmine and talking with lawyers in pursuit of a hefty lawsuit against the drunk driver. Since Blonda was essentially left to her own devices, she spent her morning cooped in her room. She didn't want to go anywhere, she didn't want to eat, she didn't even want to watch TV or talk to anyone. The only person she wanted to talk to had been taken from her, and trying to wrap her head around such a tragic reality left her bitter and broken.
The buzzing of her phone stirred her from her thoughts, vibrating against her nightstand. Unless it was Ruby, Amethyst, or Sapphire, whoever was calling her had better be important or she swore on her mother's grave…
Griping as she rolled over to grab her phone, Blonda read 'Treveston' on her caller ID. What does he want?! Blonda thought to herself as she pressed the 'answer' button, regretting pushing that button at all. "…Hello?" She groaned, massaging her aching temples.
"…Blonda? Hey!"
"Hey…" Blonda really didn't want to talk to Treveston of all people. At this point it might as well have been Luther on the other line…
"Wussup?" Treveston asked innocently, seemingly tone deaf to Blonda's cynicism.
"My crappy life…" Blonda rolled back onto her back with her phone beside her ear.
She was met with silence on the other end before Treveston questioned "You okay?"
Blonda noted the compassion in his tone, figuring she might as well talk about her problems with someone apparently willing to listen. "I'm totally fine." Blonda answered sarcastically. "Just dealing with my mother dying from a car crash we were both involved in. Nothing too serious…"
"What?!" Treveston reacted, sincerely shocked. "You're joking!"
Blonda sighed irritably. "Does it sound like I'm joking?!"
"…well it sounded like you were being sarcastic-"
"Besides the point!" Blonda was completely over the whole conversation. "I'm not okay…"
Treveston exhaled. "I'm really sorry about all that Blonda…"
"Yeah, I bet you are…" Blonda expressed bitterly, skeptical if Treveston really cared.
"…do, you wanna come over?"
Blonda scoffed. "Why would I do that?"
"Ionno, hang out? Chill? Get ya out the house at least?"
"I don't even wanna leave my bed." Blonda complained. "What makes you think I'd wanna go to your house?"
"My parents aren't home." Treveston persuaded. "Annnnnnnnd they have a 'not so secret' secret stash of booze we could tap into."
Sure, they flirted, but all of their interactions were in public places. They'd hang out at parties with other fairies present, and they went over lines at places like the Diner or with Ruby at her house. Considering the circumstances, and the fact that she literally just left the hospital maybe four hours ago, accepting his offer didn't seem like the greatest idea.
Then again…there was alcohol. Not just alcohol…there was free alcohol. Not just free alcohol…expensive free alcohol. Y'know…the good stuff that'll make ya feel reeeeeeal good without a really bed hangover the next day. She felt like straight hot garbage, and she could really use the pick-me-up.
"Let me go ask my dad really quick…" Blonda muttered as she lifted herself off her bedspring, cursing herself for giving into the lure of intoxication.
Entering the hallway with phone in hand, Blonda floated passed the living room to her father's office, viewing her uncles conversing with him through the glass panel door. They seemed deep in conversation which almost made her feel guilty for interrupting, but, once she reached his office, she gave a couple of knocks before she opened the door.
"Hey, buttercup…" Big Daddy greeted wearily as his brothers turned in their chairs to give their own welcoming grins. "…you alright?"
"Yeah…" Blonda hesitated, wondering if it was truly okay for her to be doing this with hos frazzled her father looked. "…can I go to a friend's house?"
"What friend?"
"Just Treveston." Blonda admitted, seeing as how her father has met basically everyone she's ever come in contact with. "He asked if I could come over."
"Mmmmm, ionno, peach." Big Daddy wavered, leaning over his desk with folded arms. "You just gettin' discharged and all…"
"I won't stay long." Blonda assured, thought she wasn't sure herself exactly how long she'd stay. "Just a few hours. Promise."
She waited apprehensively, uneasy by her father's questioning stare. But eventually, he figured 'to heck with it.' "Alright, go ahead." Big Daddy groaned after rubbing his eyes with his palms. "Just a few hours, and you're back home. Capeesh?"
"Yep, thanks daddy." Blonda mustered a smile as she grabbed the door handle and shut the door behind her. She floated through the hallway back to her bedroom, entering inside to retrieve her purse. "Hey, Treveston?" She held her phone back to her ear. "I'll be over in a few."
"Sweet" came Treveston's reply. "See you soon."
Blonda said her own goodbye before ending the call, shaking her head. So much for sulking in her room all day…
Soaking the golden shimmers of early-afternoon sun, Blonda turned the corner on the sidewalk, floating straight to her destination. Treveston's family wasn't too far off from hers as far as income, so he didn't live far. She was surprised to learn his home was only three blocks from her when he texted the address. Lucky for her, he lived in the opposite direction of the stop sign where the accident happened, avoiding that painful reminder.
Floating along the stone pathway to his house, Blonda counted each stone along the way. She didn't know why she felt the need to count stones. Maybe it served as a distraction from thoughts of her mother.
Once she approached the ornamental rod iron doors of the upscale home, she rang the doorbell and folded her arms as she waited, casually rotating the foot of her white back strap sandals. She waited a few seconds before she heard chinks of unlock and lifted her gaze as the door opened to a smiling, silver-haired lad.
"Glad you could make it." Treveston grinned as he moved to allow Blonda to enter.
"I'm sure you are." Blonda rolled her eyes, watching Treveston relock the door.
Treveston hovered over to Blonda with outstretched arms, anticipating a hug. With a careless shrug, Blonda floated to him and circled her arms just below his wings as his circled around her shoulders. Blonda could feel his hands explore with casual massages on her back, which she expected. What she didn't expect was Treveston's lips to brush the nape of her neck…
"Treveston!" Blonda shoved Treveston away from her. Any other day, she might have welcomed the gesture, but today was not one of those days. "The heck was that for?!"
"C'mon Blonda…" Treveston charmed, floating back to her with a charismatic smile. "…Just tryinna make ya feel better."
"Make me feel better?!" Blonda backed away, catching on to what he was implying. "Is that why you invited me over?! To woo me for a quick fix?!"
"What? No!" Treveston replied as he cautiously advanced towards her, almost too innocently. "I would never! I just…" He brushed her arm with a tantalizing finger. "…wanna take your mind off things."
"What'll take my mind off things is that stash you promised!" Blonda flicked his hand from her, glaring him down. "It's the only reason I'm here, and I have no intensions of humoring you all day!"
"Alright, alright…fine." Treveston surrendered, flying passed Blonda further into the living room, fully aware of her glower glued on him. He briefly turned around, motioning for her to follow him "This way, madam."
Blonda held her glare, begrudgingly floating behind Treveston into the dining room, home to the hide-away wall of liquor galore.
One of Dr. Studwell's nurses adjusted Cosmo's IV, going through her usual ICU rounds, as Mama Cosma held her chin in her palms, resting her elbows on the side of Cosmo's bed lost in her thoughts. She didn't want to face the fact that Cosmo's condition had gotten worse overnight. His brain activity dropped, his kidneys were getting very close to completely failing, his liver was malfunctioning, and his heart rate dropped dangerously low. Dr. Studwell started him on hemodialysis and adjusted the drip solution in his IV to help strengthen his heart; however, it had been three hours, and his levels hadn't improved.
Mama Cosma kept thinking back to the brief conversation with Spike in regards to why Cosmo was in this condition. She sorted through her memories, picking them apart for evidence that she could have potentially attributed to the decline in her son's mental state. Was she too demanding? Too controlling? Too abusive? Since when?
How is asking her son to abide by her rules too demanding? How is protecting her son from a horrible influence too controlling? How is disciplining him for disobeying her too abusive? Before, he would always go back to his goofy, upbeat self, so why is her parenting tactics an issue now?
She dug deeper, thinking back to the tears in his eyes whenever she 'disciplined' him. She thought back to the gloom in his eyes when she criticized him for being too lazy. She thought back to the fear in his face whenever she yelled at him, or how his face would fall whenever she slapped him. All of those instances had little to do with that Fairywinkle…and everything to do with her…
She closed her eyes, fighting between her truth and the truth. She loved her son more than life itself; why would she ever hurt him?! She couldn't have been too harsh, could she? He never told her otherwise…
…unless…
"I can't help my love for Wanda…so do whatever you have to and get it over with."
…Was that his way of saying she was abusive? That was the same day she took him to the hospital…because after she 'disciplined' him, he needed medical attention from throwing him around and beating him senseless…
…Why on earth did she do that to her own son?
The solid beep of Cosmo's heart monitor droned through her ears, and when she turned to the heart monitor, she felt the color drain from her face…
His heart stopped.
"Code Blue!" The nurse called out, leaning out the door and motioning other nurses on the floor to enter the room. "I repeat, code blue!"
Mama Cosma panicked, floating over to her son to shake him awake. Two other nurses entered the room, one of them floating over to restrain Mama Cosma.
"You have to leave the room, ma'am!" The nurse urged, wrestling as she led Mama Cosma closer to the exit. "We need to do our job!"
"NOOOOOOO!" Mama Cosma screamed, fighting the nurse. "COSMO! WAKE UP!"
"You have to LEAVE, Mrs. Cosma! NOW!"
Spike had just left the elevator when saw Dr. Studwell with three other nurses swarm into Cosmo's room. He saw nothing but chaos; Dr. Studwell and a few nurses administering Vasopullsin in his arm as two other nurses attempt to drag Mama Cosma out the room. Spike rushed over to Cosmo's mother as she shouted at the nurses to let her back inside.
"Ma'am, you have to stay out here!" One of the nurses advised while the other flew back into the room to assist one of the respiratory nurses with EI.
"AED, STAT!" Dr. Studwell ordered, pumping Cosmo's chest in attempts to get his heart beating again. "We're losin' him!"
Another nurse hurried with the AED machine and rolled passed Mama Cosma into the room, Spike questioning her one what happened.
"He…h-he was okay and t-then….and then…" Mama Cosma couldn't find her words, using most of her concentration just to keep from shaking.
Spike looked on in horror as Dr. Studwell buffed the defibrillator paddles together and placed them on both sides of Cosmo's chest after they charged. He could see his friend through the frenzy of medical personal. He looked so…lifeless.
"CLEAR!" Dr. Studwell administered the first charge, Cosmo's motionless chest rising and falling from the shock. The monitor simply beeped once before flat lining again.
"Increase to 400!" Dr. Studwell instructed, the same nurse returning to CPR as the defibrillator charged again. Mama Cosma was in hysterics, Spike helping her from falling on her knees to the ground.
"CLEAR!"
The second shock surged through Cosmo's body, medical personal standing by. The heart monitor beeped momentarily, but after the third bleep, they were met with another solid drone.
"600!" The sweat pooled from Dr. Studwell's forehead, silently praying to the gods that this third try would do the trick. As the nurse continued her CPR, another nurse continued with EI. When the defibrillator fully charged, Dr. Studwell advised the staff to stand back as he placed the paddles back on to Cosmo's chest pads.
"CLEAR!"
Mama Cosma bawled in distress as the third attempted resulted in a straight line on the heart monitor.
Getting frustrated, Dr. Studwell was left with no choice. "Set the charge to 800!"
"Dr., procedure is to not go above 700!" One of the nurses warned. "If we set the charge too high, we could risk further heart failure!"
"We have to take that chance!" Dr. Studwell countered, rubbing the paddles together. "It's all we have left to save his life!"
Spike held his arm around Mama Cosma, letting her lean on him as she could no longer keep herself afloat from the anxiety of losing her son. "Cosmo…don't do this…" Spike whispered to himself, watching nurses do all they could to bring Cosmo back to life. "…not like this…"
Once the defibrillator reached full charge, Dr. Studwell set the paddles back onto the chest pads as nurses looked on in anticipation.
"CLEAR!"
Cosmo's body jolted from the shock, and everyone's eyes were glued to the heart monitor.
…One bleep flashed across the screen…then another…and another…
Soon there was a consistent spike of cardiac rhythm, and everyone in the room exhaled a sigh of relief as Dr. Studwell proclaimed "We have a pulse!"
Mama Cosma fell to her knees, her back wrecked with the force of her sobs, and Spike kneeled down to rub her back, pressing a hand to his own heart as it fluttered madly against his chest. She thought she had lost her son, and he thought he had lost his best friend…
Cosmo may have wanted to give up, but he still had some fight in him.
Her eyes parted groggily as Wanda awoke to the sight of her phone settled on top of Juandissimo's nightstand, remembering she was in his room. She waited for the haze to dissipate from her mind before using what was left of her strength to sit up in his bed. With one hand over her eye to stop her head from spinning, Wanda used the other to grab her phone, opening her phone to her home screen when she realized it was fully charged. She scrubbed the sleep from her eyes as she looked at the time: 5:35pm.
Did she really sleep for almost ten hours?
She scrolled through her phone screen, checking to see if she'd miss any messages or phone calls.
Three text messages from Susie. No inbound calls.
Wow, her dad really couldn't be bothered.
Setting her phone back on the nightstand, Wanda heard the twist of a doorknob, followed by the creak of a door opening gently. She drowsily turned towards the door to see Juandissimo peering into the room before he entered, fully clothed. She mustered a small grin as he greeted her with a warm smile.
"How are you feeling?" Juandissimo asked, floating over to Wanda's side of the bed.
Wanda dragged her hands down her face as she drowsily muttered "Like I've been run over by a bus. Twice."
"I can imagine." Juandissimo sympathized, sitting next to Wanda's feet. "Mi mamá told me everything…so…I figured you needed the rest."
"I was so exhausted…" Wanda expressed, bringing her knees to her chest underneath the covers. "Didn't even realize I was out until right before I woke up…"
"Extremely exhausted." Juandissimo chuckled. "I did not realize you had fallen asleep until I asked you a question and you did not answer."
Wanda smirked weakly as a Juandissimo further remarked "…This has not been a good week for you, has it?"
"Understatement of the century…" Wanda muffled. "…but…this week hasn't been good for you either."
"True…" Juandissimo shrugged. "…pero…I am no longer grounded, so I have that going for me."
Ravenous growling gurgled from Wanda's stomach, Wanda holding her stomach in embarrassment.
"Also…" Juandissimo smirked, pointing towards her mid-section. "…I am not as hungry as you definitely are."
Wanda grinned timidly, wishing that never happened.
"Mi mamá y papá would like for you to stay for dinner." Juandissimo informed. "They figured it was the least they could do."
"That's really sweet of them." Wanda replied, then her smile fell. "…but I've already been enough of a burden."
"Are you serious?" Juandissimo smirked. "No one thinks of you as a burden."
Wanda's stomach responded with more rumbling starvation.
"Come." Juandissimo rose from his seat, offering his hand with a joking smile. "Let us soothe the savage beast of your hunger."
With a small giggle, Wanda took his hand, rubbing excess crust from her eyes as he helped her to her feet. He led her from the bed to the door and kissed her on the cheek before leading her into the hallway.
"Why did my mommy have to die?!" Blonda groaned in her drunken stupor, sprawled on one side of Treveston's living room couch. "Why does life suck?!"
Treveston, though not as intoxicated as the flaxen girl beside him, leaned his head back against the back cushion as a wave tipsy swirled through his mind. The once full bottles of Sprite and Apple Ciroc sat a tenth of the way full atop the coffee table in front of them, the sole factor to Blonda's gradual inebriation. Blonda was originally going to stick around for a drink or two, so Treveston mixed their drinks to be quite strong. However, one drink turned into three, and that third drink added to the alcohol equivalent of six double shots.
Because Blonda indulged in more drinks than she originally intended, Blonda's 'just a few hours' quickly turned into 'Treveston's parents would be home any minute,' followed by three missed calls from her father.
Once Treveston was able to lift his head without it spinning, he turned to Blonda and maneuvered over to where he sat on his knees in between her legs, sitting upright above her. She stared at him with woozy eyes as he leaned over to prop his arms on either side of her torso to support his weight. She didn't fight him off, but she did question "Wha…the heck…are you doing?"
"Ooooohh nothiiiiiing." Treveston teased, leaning to where his pelvis sat just below her navel as he smiled sensually. "Just admiring your beauty."
That's when Blonda did push him away. He leaned backwards on the couch as Blonda propped herself against the armrest. "My mommy…is dead!" Blonda whined, blinking back the vertigo. "…an…and all y-you can think about is sex?!"
"Who said anything about that?" Treveston questioned as if he were innocent. "Besides, not my fault you're just so sexy-"
"If you think…I'm doin' anything with you…" Blonda slurred, mustering a glare. "…you gotta 'nother thing…comin'!"
"Again, I never made a gesture." Treveston smiled, reaching for the drink he never finished. "Your words, not mine."
"Imma total mess!" Blonda held her face in her hands. Treveston watched her as she suddenly started crying. "W-why…did she leave m-me…."
Blonda simply couldn't help it. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't feel better. She was so tired of crying, yet here she was, sobbing yet again. She longed for the comfort of her mother's arms, her kisses on the cheek, her words of assurance. But all of that was gone, in the blink of an eye.
Treveston had no idea how to react; Blonda was all over the place. Once moment she was laughing, the next she was yelling, the next she was smiling, the next she was glaring, and now she was crying. He sighed as he set his drink back on the coffee table; this was not what he had in mind. At all.
He did, however, have something else in mind. Perhaps, Blonda assumed right about him.
Taking his chances, Treveston crawled on the couch and stopped few inches away from Blonda. He reached for her wrists and tugged them gently, Blonda stopping mid-sob as he lowered her palms. She stared through her tears at the handsome young man in front of her, lost in the sparkling pool of his silver eyes. The setting sun gleaming through the high-rise windows provided light as there weren't many lights on in the house, and yet his eyes shined amidst the darkness, staring straight into her soul.
He used a gentle thumb to brush away her tears, cupping her cheek as he did so. She sniffed as he tucked a loose strand of blonde behind her ear, his gaze locked on her rosy pink orbs. He was lost in the trance of her beauty, a magnet to the plush of her lips. He leaned closer, longing for her lips to kiss his. She too leaned closer, hypnotized by his subtle seduction. She allowed his lips to smash into hers, and from that point, they both let their bodies do the talking.
Blonda leaned back against the armrest from the force of Treveston's kiss, parting her lips to allow his tongue entry. His fingers tangled within her curls, supporting his pelvis against hers. Their kiss became more feverish as Treveston pressed his weight against Blonda's skirt, rocking his hips in a rhythmic manner. She moaned as his lips nibbled just below her neck, and her hands roamed the muscles of his skintight T-shirt. He paused for moment for Blonda to ravenously remove his shirt over his head before continuing his erogenous nibbles within the nape of her neck. The warmth of his skin brushed her torso, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer.
It wasn't long before Treveston escaped her arms to tug at her bralette, and Blonda allowed him to remove her top, exposing her breast plumped by her lace bra. He took her erotic gaze as a cue to keep going, wasting no time unzipping her skirt. He tore off her skirt to reveal the matching G-string underneath, smiling as if he had accomplished a goal.
As he planted open kisses just above the cleft of her chest, she reached below the belt to feel for his zipper…
Wanda slowly opened her eyes to the sheen of early Sunday morning, blinking as the rising sun peered through the curtains of the bedroom window. Groggily, she reached for her phone atop the nightstand and opened the screen to read '6:12am' flash across her screen. She propped herself to an upright position underneath the duvet of Juandissimo's bed, leaning against one of his pillows. She saw a missed phone call from her father along with a voicemail. He had called around ten the night before, but Wanda was dead to the world by the time he called.
Wanda helped herself to quite a few servings of Mrs. Magnifico's fine cuisine, which, of course, resulted in a strong bout of food coma. By eight-thirty, Wanda was so drowsy she could barely keep her eyes open. Mrs. Magnifico suggested she spend the night, and Juandissimo, in plain Juandissimo fashion, gave up his bed for the couch pullout. Part of Wanda didn't want Juandissimo to sleep on the couch because of her; at that point, she could have slept on that rigid bridge again. But part of her was too tired to argue otherwise, so she took his offer.
Making a mental note to listen to her father's voicemail later, Wanda pulled back the covers and rose from the mattress. She pulled the covers back over the mattress, ironing out any wrinkles with her palms. Floating to the door, she paused at the floor mirror next to Juandissimo's closet, remembering she was given one of Juandissimo's white T-shirts to sleep in. His T-shirt was practically a dress on her, so it worked for a temporary nightgown over her underwear. She attempted to fix the mess that was her hair, taming some serious bedhead, before floating over to the door and exiting the bedroom.
She looked both ways down the hallway and closed Juandissimo's door slowly as it had a tendency to squeak. When she reached the living room, she saw Juandissimo asleep on the pullout mattress, partially covered by blankets as he lay on his side facing the kitchen. She observed him as he slept, watching the faint rise and fall of his shoulders, and she smiled softly at the peaceful scene.
"Considerando lo que sucedió la semana pasada" [Considering what has happened last week,] Wanda heard Mrs. Magnifico asked her husband from across the kitchen table, keeping her voice low. "Todavía siento que ver a su padre no era bueno para ellos." [I still feel seeing their father wasn't good for them.]
"No estas equivocado." [You're not wrong.] Wanda entered the quietly entered the kitchen as Mr. Magnifico replied to his wife, sipping his coffee. "Pero, quizás ahora deje de intentar alcanzarlos." [But, maybe now he will stop trying to reach them.]
Mrs. Magnifico noticed Wanda out the corner of her eye and turned to greet her with a welcoming smile, motioning for her to sit in the seat next to her. "Buenos días, Wanda."
"Good Morning." Wanda returned, floating over to the table.
"How are you feeling?" Mr. Magnifico asked as Wanda took her seat.
"A lot better." Wanda admitted, resting her elbows on the tabletop. "Thank you for letting me stay over. And for dinner last night. And for…well…everything."
"It is no problem, Wanda." Mrs. Magnifico chuckled after a drink from her coffee cup. "We are just happy to help."
"I feel kind of guilty for making Juandissimo sleep on the couch." Wanda also admitted, glancing back to her sleeping boyfriend.
"He was quite adamant about giving you his bed." Mr. Magnifico smirked. "And you know him; when his mind is made up, there is no convincing otherwise."
Wanda smiled at his humor, then letting her smile fade in hesitation of her burning question. "So…I couldn't help but hear you guys talking just now…" She twiddled her fingers; she had listened to the Magnificos long enough to understand the word 'padre.' "…w-was it about Juandissimo and Juanita's dad?"
Mr. Magnifico looked to his wife, and his wife looked to him. Wanda observed their apprehensive stares, wondering if she shouldn't have asked. Mrs. Magnifico held her coffee cup in both hands, tapping her fingers in thought. She turned to Wanda after a moment, posing the question "Do you know much about their father?"
"Not really, no." Wanda replied. "His dad isn't exactly a popular subject."
"So…" Mrs. Magnifico continued. "…he never explained why his father is in Abracatraz?"
"He told me what happened." Wanda confessed. "But…he never told me how."
Mr. Magnifico exhaled his nerves, remembering the events of his sister's murder that were repeated in court. Wanda hugged her arms over the table as Mr. Magnifico seemed…tense; maybe she shouldn't have brought it up.
Mrs. Magnifico reached across the table to rest a reassuring hand on his, knowing the subject matter was a difficult topic for her husband as well. He lifted his eyes to his wife and smiled faintly, appreciative of her support.
Mr. Magnifico then turned to Wanda, taking a deep breath. "If you would really like to know…" Mr. Magnifico began, lowering his gaze before meeting her eyes. "…please do not tell Juandissimo I told you what I am about to tell you."
Wanda nodded in understanding, assuming the reason for Mr. Magnifico's request. "I promise."
Running a hand through his lilac hair, Mr. Magnifico gathered his words, and after a somber sigh, he explained what he could. "…Just…some context…my sister, Estrella…she loved Alejo with all of her heart, though she only married him because she felt obligated to marry the father of her children…this would turn out to be a mistake…as overtime…Alejo became an alcoholic. When he would drink…he would drink to the point of belligerence…and that belligerence transformed into abuse towards her…in front of the children…"
Mrs. Magnifico rose from her seat to get more coffee, offering Wanda a cup. Wanda respectfully declined, and Mrs. Magnifico took her husband's empty cup for a second fill.
"…She and the children kept this secret because he had threatened to kill them if anyone outside of family knew… so she would often make excuses for his abuse to us and other family members…blaming his Depression….Juandissimo was never as strong as he is now….so when he would try to protect his mother….his father overpowered him…"
Mrs. Magnifico returned with a second cup of coffee, Mr. Magnifico thanking her before he continued as she took her seat. Wanda listened intently, observing Mr. Magnifico as he spoke.
"It had gotten to a breaking point when Juandissimo first entered 11th grade…Alejo did not go a day without becoming heavily inebriated….she came to me…and told me she was finally ready to take her chances and divorce him…so I helped her find a lawyer, and when Alejo was served divorce papers…he was not happy…"
Wanda noticed Mr. Magnifico pause, assuming the worst was to come. "…what did he do?"
Mr. Magnifico rubbed his eyes with his palm, keeping his composure. "…the evening he received the papers…he was already home…and he was already drunk…they entered the home… and all hell broke loose…"
"¡Cómo te atreves!"[How DARE you!] Alejo bellowed, shaking his wife by the strap of her scarlet sundress. "Si crees que puedes dejarme así, ¡ciertamente te has equivocado!" [If you think you can just leave me like this, then you have certainly been mistaken!]
Estrella attempted to grab his wrists to let go of her, but in her fight to do so, he used one of his backhands to smack her across the face, Estrella plummeting to the ground. As she cupped her reddening cheek, struggling to get back on her feet, Alejo kicked her just beneath the jaw, knocking her backwards to the floor.
Just when Alejo was about to kick her again, an 11th grade Juandissimo tackled him and thrusted his full weight in knocking his father to the ground. As Juandissimo wrestled with Alejo, a 9th grade Juanita rushed over to her mother, worried about the blood trickling from her mother's mouth.
"¿Estás bien, mamá?" [Are you okay, mama?!] Juanita asked frantically, helping her mother sit up from the floor.
Estrella wiped the blood from her lips as she watched Alejo punch Juandissimo in the side of his head, rolling over to squeeze his son by the base of his neck. "¡Juanita, escúchame!" [Juanita, listen to me!] Estrella urged to her daughter, trying to distract her daughter's attention from the disturbing scene unfolding in front of them. "¡Necesito que cojas el teléfono y llames al 9-1-1! Haz lo que diga el despachador, ¿de acuerdo?"[I need you to get the phone and call 9-1-1! Do whatever the dispatcher says, okay?!]
"Si!" Juanita left her mother and did as told, running to the phone on the kitchen wall.
Estrella mustered her strength to lift herself to a floating position, watching Alejo tighten his grip around Juandissimo's neck. Her son thrashed in resistance, clawing at her husband's arms in attempts to lift them to release the pressure, but Alejo maintained his strong hold, almost smiling ominously down at his son's struggle.
"Hi, operator?!" Juanita anxiously answered, watching helplessly as her father strangled her brother. "I-I need the police!"
"Alejo!" Estrella called out, seeing her son's strength dwindle under the compression of her husband's strangulation. "¡Detener!"
Alejo was deaf to his wife's cries. Juandissimo became weaker, and his hold grew stronger…
"¡Déjalo en paz, Alejo!"[Leave him alone, Alejo!] Estrella begged. "¡POR FAVOR!"
Her last plea led to Alejo darting his dark blue orbs into her lilacs. If looks could kill, Estrella might as well have died right then and there.
"¡Él no es parte de esto!" [He is not a part of this!] Estrella cried out through her tears, fearing her husband would kill her son. "¡Es conmiga con quien estás enojada, no con él! ¡No se merece esto!" [It is me you are angry with, not him! He doesn't deserve this!]
With a grunt of agitation, he released his hold and hovered into the air. Juandissimo rolled over to his stomach, attempting to lift himself off the floor in coughing gasps for air. As Alejo slowly approached his distressed wife, Juanita took the opportunity to hurry over to her brother's aid, phone in hand to stay on the line with the dispatcher as officers were called to their home.
Estrella backed away from her husband, terrified by the sheer evil in his glare. Her path was halted by the kitchen wall, cornered by her husband. Alejo grabbed her by her black silk waves and smashed her face first into the sharp edge of the kitchen island, waiting for her to drop before he straddled on top of her and proceeded to beat his fists into her, showing little mercy to her screams for him to stop.
Alejo soon clutched his wife's throat with his bear grip, shaking her for means of disorientation. She begged and pleaded for her life, failing her legs to try and break free. Ignoring her cries, he used one hand to slap her once more, lifting himself from on top of her as she writhed on the floor in pain. "Mi estúpida esposa ..." [My stupid wife…]Alejo spat as he used his magic to turn his wand into a butcher knife, fuming in rage. "… ¡Sólo hay una forma en que NUNCA me dejarás!" […There is only one way you will EVER leave me!]
Estrella shrieked in agony as he yanked her by the hair upon lifting to her knees. She scratched at his fingers around her hair, tears flowing down her face. She saw her children, her two heart beats, panicked as the cold of a metal blade pushed against her larynx, petrified by the inevitable…
With all his might, Alejo dragged the knife deep across his wife's throat, and Juanita's horrified screams echoed throughout the walls.
As her arms fell lifeless beside her, Alejo threw Estrella's body to the ground. Juandissimo looked on in horror as a crimson torrent oozed from her wound, her hair becoming drenched in the pool of her own blood. Her eyes stared back at him, lilac soon glossed in the fog of death. Alejo gripped his knife tighter and flew over his wife's body, approaching his children.
Juanita hugged her brother as he scooted backwards away from their father, watching the knife in his hand. Just as Juandissimo and Juanita scooted against a wall, nowhere else to escape their father's rampage, the sound of sirens blared in their ears. Alejo turned to the front door upon the sound and was met by a swarm of officers storming into the home, bursting through the door. Alejo attempted to run, but three officers caught him and thrusted him face first to the ground, ordering him to drop his weapon. Alejo did as told and was immediately handcuffed by the officer…
Wanda looked on in shock upon hearing the gruesome details of Juandissimo's mother's murder. Mr. Magnifico took a drink of his coffee, hoping the heat of the russet liquid would soothe the dry in his throat. "Oh my gosh…" Wanda breathed, practically speechless. "That's…awful…"
"His defense team tried arguing an acquittal on grounds of intoxication, so they idiotically convinced him to plead 'Not Guilty'…" Mrs. Magnifico spoke for her husband, noting the gloom in his eyes. "Pero… when the case went to trial, the Fairy Council dismissed this as voluntary intoxication is completely different from involuntarily intoxication… and given his track record of alcohol and physical abuse…the jury wanted to sentence him to death…but then lessened his sentence to life in Abracatraz…believing spending the rest of eternity in prison is the best way to for the kids to have justice for their mother…"
Silence befell the trio as Wanda became lost in her thoughts. She couldn't possibly imagine the pain of trying to save her mother, just to watch her die. She turned back to the sight of her boyfriend as he rolled over onto his other side in his sleep, knowing one thing for certain…
She wouldn't know what to do if she saw her mother die at all let alone such a gruesome way…
Mama Cosma softly scratched Cosmo's hair, gazing upon him with weary eyes. The hospital provided a sleeper sofa when Mama Cosma began spending her nights in the hospital with her son. Spike, after yesterday's scare, wanted to be nowhere else but with his friend, so he spent the night on the sleeper sofa. While Spike slept, however, Mama Cosma spent the night next to Cosmo, watching him as her mind raced. It was now seven in the morning, and she could not bring herself to rest.
She was still in shock that she had almost lost her only child. When nurses brought Cosmo to a stable state after shocking his heart back to life, Mama Cosma kept telling herself that when Cosmo woke up, if he woke up…she would try to be kinder, more understanding towards him. She would try to show him more love than hate…she would try to comfort him in his time of need instead of dismiss his pain.
She would treat him like her son, instead of her obligation.
"Oh, Cosmo…." Mama Cosma whispered, speaking with the imagination that her son was listening. "…I love you….so much…."
Her eyes swelled with tears, having become accustomed to the noises of the ventilator and the bleeps of his heart monitor, but the sting of her son fighting for his life never stung less. "…All I want…." Her whispers began to shake with emotion, reaching for his lifeless hand to hold. "….is to see your smile again…to hear your contagious laugh...to see your bright, beautiful green eyes…"
She lifted his hand to her lips with a tearstained smooch, closing her eyes from the burn of her tear ducts. She allowed her tears to stream down her cheeks, dropping as pellets onto his cotton sheets. She held his hand in hers and pressed her forehead against the back of his hand, leaning over his bed as she cried silently. Her heart felt as if it were breaking; she couldn't imagine a life without her son. She drove her husband to the grave…please…not her son too…
Suddenly, she felt pressure on the palm of her hand…
She slowly lifted her head towards her son, feeling his fingers squeeze hers. "Spike…" Mama Cosma called, watching her son's fingers curl onto her hand. "…SPIKE!"
"Wha?" Spike jolted up straight, deliriously looking around the room at the sudden call of his name. "…Wha happened?"
"Cosmo…" Mama Cosma saw her son grab onto her hand with more of a grip. "…I think…I-I think he's…"
Spike sprung from the sofa bed and rushed over to the other side of his friend's bed, rubbing his eyes as if to make sure he wasn't still dreaming. Mama Cosma cupped her hands around Cosmo's, her breaths shallow from disbelief.
Within a moment's glance, Cosmo's eyelids fluttered open.
AN: Ha! Y'all thought I was gonna kill off ol' Cozzie boy? Did ya? Did ya? Did ya?! lol tell me why my own heart was pounding when I wrote that section...
Since I gave Cosmo and Wanda their own flashbacks at the beginning of the story, I decided to give Juandissimo his own flashback, and Blonda's is coming later. Pretty much gives more clarity to Juandissimo's mother's death that absolutely no one asked for but I wrote it anyway because I wouldn't be me if I didn't lol
Also...who predicted Treveston and Blonda would eventually do tha do? I mean...it was pretty obvious from the very beginning but...yeah. That happened.