Chapter 3: Incidents
They got to Caitlin's apartment around 11:30, Ginny had to carry Drew upstairs and over to the couch where she laid him for the night. Draping a blanket over him, she brushed his hair aside again before settling their stuff at the base of the couch and turning to Caitlin.
"I have a sleeping bag you can use, I'm sorry I don't have much space for you guys." Caitlin said as she wandered into her bedroom.
"That's okay, I use a sleeping bag at home anyway so I'm used to it." Ginny said, taking the roll from her when she returned and setting it up beside the couch.
"You don't have a bed?" Caitlin said in surprise.
"I had to sell it for money last year when Drew's arm broke." She motioned to his obviously fake hand peeking out under the blanket.
"Oh, I didn't notice that! That must have been rough for you two…" She looked terribly concerned for them as she hurried and got her a pillow.
"Yeah, I had to cancel the electric for a month in order to afford it, they aren't cheap." Ginny sighed, sitting on her rolled out bed.
"That's terrible, you shouldn't have to live like that so young in your life!" Caitlin said, handing her a pillow.
"I've been through worse times, I'm just thankful for good health and free food at the arcade. The manager knows our situation and lets us eat there for free, she's really a nice lady. I don't know what I'd do if I had to pay for food too…"
"I know how you feel, being an actor isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I'm grateful for my loving family, they're always there for me when times are hard." Caitlin said with a sigh, sitting in a chair nearby. She curled up and hugged her knees to her chest, staring at Ginny seemingly in deep thought. Blinking in confusion, Ginny said, "What?"
"You're amazing, sacrificing your own happiness for another…there aren't many people like that in the world." Caitlin said, a note of admiration in her voice. Blushing, Ginny stared at her lap in embarrassment and muttered, "I told you, I didn't have a choice."
"You could have just gone into the child care system, they could have found you two a good family."
"Yeah right, I'd never make my brother go through something like that."
"When did your mother die, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Last year, she got really sick. She probably could have gotten better but she was too stubborn to admit it and refused to go to the hospital, she never did like doctors much." Ginny said, wandering over to a chair next to Caitlin and sitting down, far enough away from Drew to have a private conversation.
"That must have been tough to deal with alone." Caitlin looked sympathetic, tilting her head to the side on her knees.
"I never really had time to think about it, I had to take charge of everything. We couldn't afford to give mom a funeral so we ended up having her cremated, she's sitting on the table in our apartment now. Sometimes I hear Drew talking to her when I'm not in the room, he misses her a lot and I wish I could do something for him…but I'm too busy working to keep us alive. I'm not a mother and I'm a lousy sister, all I do is tell him not to do something or give him chores to keep him busy too. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't know how to comfort him…" She looked up at his silently sleeping form on the couch.
"Maybe you need to grieve in order to help him grieve, sometimes the pain we hide inside us keeps us from being able to help others in the way we need to be helped. We think that by pretending it's not there, the pain will go away by itself but it doesn't really work that way…"
"He's not even my blood brother, you know. He doesn't know because mom never wanted him to know the truth…about who his real father is…it's better that he doesn't know." Ginny returned her gaze to her lap where her hands were clutching her pants tightly.
"What do you mean? You said your mom didn't trust other men…" Suddenly, the realization hit Caitlin and she gasped, saying quietly in shock, "Was she…"
"I was only 7 at the time, I didn't understand what happened. She came home late, her clothes weren't on right and she had a vacant look in her eyes. I asked her what was wrong and she fell to the floor and just started crying, I didn't know what to do so I just closed the door behind her. Before I could say anything else, she grabbed me and told me to never trust men, to run away from them if they come near me. 9 months later, I had a little brother."
"Oh, Ginny…"
"It's not his fault, he shouldn't have to suffer with the knowledge that his father was some psychopath she met on the street. He shouldn't even have to live without parents like this but I don't want to risk anything bad happening to him, I don't want to give him to anyone else. I promised mom that I'd take care of him and protect him no matter what…no matter how hard it is sometimes, his happiness is all that matters." Ginny suddenly laughed and surprised Caitlin a little, "You know, ever since Vic came into our lives, Drew's been so happy. I don't think I've seen him smile so much since mom died, he's grown so attached to Vic…I don't know what we'll do if anything happens to him too." She looked over at Caitlin, tears in her eyes as she whispered, "Caitlin, I don't want him to die…not Vic…"
Caitlin pulled her into her arms and hugged her close, muffling her sobs and soothing her fears with soft caresses, holding her long into the night until she cried herself to sleep. In the morning, Ginny found herself in the sleeping bag, staring blankly at the front of the couch with puffy eyes. Suddenly, the events of last night hit her like a brick and she moaned, slowly hiding her face in the folds of the sleeping bag.
"Yay, Ginny's up! She can come make boxes with us!" Drew's cheerful voice echoed from across the room.
"Let her rest if she wants, I'm sure she deserves a break." Caitlin said after him and they fell silent again save for the occasional comment about whatever they were doing. Finally, Ginny rolled over and looked up to see them at the dining room table folding paper into shapes, an array of finished objects strewn on the table beside them. Getting up, Ginny said groggily, "What are you two doing?"
"Making AAAAAAAAARRRRRigami!" Drew said, with a piratey tone to his voice.
"Huh?" Ginny looked confused in her stupor and Caitlin laughed, saying, "Origami, Japanese paper folding. Drew said he's never heard of it so I thought I'd show him how it's done!"
"We're making boxes, aren't they cool??" Drew showed her a sloppily made basket with flaps on the edges and she nodded.
"That's…lovely. Um, Caitlin…" Ginny muttered, rubbing her eye and trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Come make a box with us, here's some paper." Caitlin said, giving her a reassuring smile and holding out a piece of folding paper. Reluctantly, she took the paper and looked at it. Scribbled in the corner was, "Don't worry, it's our secret." Looking up again, she met Caitlin's gaze and they exchanged a mutual understanding before pretending nothing happened.
"So…how do I do this?" Ginny said, sitting next to her brother and folding the corners in so he couldn't see the message. They made a couple shapes before breaking for lunch, gathering in the kitchen as Caitlin rummaged in the refrigerator.
"I wanted to take you guys out to this park nearby the theatre for lunch, we can have a little picnic! There's trees and fields and playgrounds, tons of stuff to do for lively little boys." Caitlin winked, fixing some meals and filling a basket sitting on the counter.
"Yay! I love parks!" Drew cheered, taking the basket when it was filled and heading out the door with the others. A little while later, they wandered through the park and found a nice shady area by a playground to set up lunch. After eating, Drew ran off to the playground to expend his pent up energy while the girls watched and chatted.
"You sure it's safe out here in the open like this?" Ginny asked Caitlin quietly.
"Vic worries about things more than he probably should, there's not much of a chance that any of us will be in any danger. After all, I know his secret and nothing has ever happened to me, or to Travis! He just gets worried because you two are alone and doesn't want anything bad to happen to you in general." Caitlin said with a smile.
"He is pretty protective, he's scared off the gang that usually hangs around the arcade. I don't know what he did but they ran so fast, their feet couldn't carry them and they kept tripping over each other. You should have seen it, I was rolling on the floor." Ginny laughed, recalling the time and laughing even harder.
"I can imagine! He is pretty intimidating with those muscles, if it weren't for his kind demeanor…"
"No kidding, he just makes you feel safe with his warmth. Not quite like the real thing but it's pretty darn close." Ginny sighed, calming her laughing fit.
"You knew Vic?" Caitlin leaned on the table to be closer to Ginny as she got a distant look in her eyes.
"I'd met him before, if that's what you mean. 2 years ago, I was in the area of a con and saw all the cosplayers. It made me curious so I followed them into the convention and was blown away by all the people there, I wanted to stay but I didn't have any money. Just then, I saw Vic signing some autographs and went to ask him what was going on. He was surprised that I didn't know where I was but gladly enlightened me about anything and everything anime. Then he did something I didn't expect of him."
"What'd he do?" Caitlin asked excitedly.
"He bought me a ticket for the day! I couldn't believe it, he didn't even know who I was and he was buying me a pass. I was shocked and didn't really know what to say so I just kept asking him about the con and anime while we waited in the registration line. I'd never met such a sweet and generous person before, he made me want to know him, even though I had no clue about anything going on at that place." Ginny said fondly in a tone that expressed her wish to have him around again.
"He was an amazing man, wasn't he? Edward's done a fine job in his place, he's very smart." Caitlin noted.
"Yes…but it's just not quite the same…I miss him. Do you suppose Ed ever gets tired of being someone he's not?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Constantly, he has to look to his friends for support when he's feeling overwhelmed. He calls Mandy a lot cause she's been there for him ever since Vic's passing, she knew him pretty well so whenever he has a question about what Vic would do in any particular situation, he calls her. She's a godsend, that woman."
"I bet." Ginny watched her brother flying on the swings and couldn't help but smile, "You're quite the godsend yourself, Caitlin. Giving my brother so many opportunities for new things to enjoy doing, to feel like a kid after so long…"
"It's nothing, really. I know how he must feel and wanted to give him something to do while you guys were here. Little boys have active imaginations that if left to their own devices, may result in bad situations. It's always best to keep them entertained, as I've learned." Caitlin winked and they both chuckled. Just then Caitlin's cell phone rang and she answered it. Watching her expressions change from that of joy to utter horror caused Ginny's heart to skip a beat in fear of what was being said to her over the phone, staring anxiously at Caitlin until she hung up.
"What is it?" Ginny asked immediately as Caitlin stood and gathered their things.
"We need to go." Caitlin said bluntly.
"Go where?" Ginny asked, rising as well and grabbing her bag.
"To Vic's house, we'll be safe there. Get your brother and head to the truck." Caitlin said, starting down the sidewalk toward the parking lot. Ginny collected her brother from the playground and they hurried after her, Drew asking questions all the way to the truck.
"What's going on? Are we late for Caitlin's play?" Drew asked curiously, doing his best to keep up with his sister's long strides.
"No, we're going to Vic's house." Ginny replied shortly.
"Vic's house? How come?" Drew frowned in confusion.
"Just cause, don't ask so many questions."
"You don't know either, do you?"
"…that's not the point, just be quiet and behave yourself when we get there." Ginny scolded as she opened the door to let him in.
"What about the play?" Drew looked over at Caitlin as she got in and started the truck.
"I'll get someone to substitute for me, it's okay." Caitlin replied, already dialing her phone to call for an understudy.
"But I wanted to see the play…I've never seen one before." Drew sighed before falling silent and sulking in between the girls. They hurried to Vic's home as fast as they could, forgetting any form of driving courtesies and breaking the speed limit as often as possible. Pulling into the driveway, they piled out and hurried to the front door. Caitlin already had a set of keys out and was unlocking the door before they reached the doorstep. Ushering them in, she kept a watchful eye of the surrounding neighborhood before entering after them and locking the door.
"Alright, Vic won't be home for another hour so…I guess you can watch whatever anime he has." Caitlin said with a sigh, looking around the house as if she hadn't seen it in a long time.
"What's in here? WOAH, look at all the toys!" Drew peeked into one of the rooms with its door ajar.
"Drew, don't go poking around, it's not your house!" Ginny scolded.
"That's Vic's toy room, it's where he puts everything people have given to him over the years." Caitlin smiled as she peeked in over his head at the walls wallpapered with posters and scrolls.
"Cooool, can I look?" Drew bounced eagerly.
"Sure, let's see what he's got in there!" She said cheerfully, trying to mask the severity of the situation. While Caitlin gave Drew a tour of the room, Ginny wandered into the living room to look around. Random pictures were placed here and there around the room of Vic's family and friends, all looking happy to be trapped in their little frames. Staring at one of him and his mother, she muttered to herself, "I wonder how you feel about him now…do you hate him for being the reason your son died? Do you hate him for taking his place? It must be hard pretending to love a stranger…"
"She has always supported him no matter what, even to this day." Caitlin appeared behind her and startled her from her musing.
"Caitlin! Where's-" Ginny looked flushed as she faced her suddenly.
"He's playing with some of Vic's toys, I wanted to check on you." Caitlin stood next to her and softly touched the photo where Vic stood smiling eternally.
"Oh…well…I was just thinking about stuff…" Ginny looked away nervously.
"About Vic's sacrifice?" Caitlin glanced over at her curiously.
"If everyone misses him so much, didn't he know he'd be doing more harm than good?"
"Sometimes…things happen for reasons we may never understand, but believe me when I say it wasn't in vain. Maybe he had to die in order to show us all how serious the threat is, or even to bring you to us."
"Me? What can I do?" Ginny looked confused and slightly disbelieving of her theory.
"You have taught Vic some things he has forgotten over the years, things about life and love that none of us could show him. Right now, you're more important than anything in the world and he'd die protecting you if he had to."
"Die? I don't want him to die!" Ginny shouted in frustration, "I don't want anymore people leaving or dying because of me!"
"Ginny, it's not your fault, what happened-"
"It is! If I had been a better daughter or got a job sooner, maybe…maybe…" Ginny clenched her fists in front of her as if ready to defend her claims with all her might.
"There's nothing you could have done, Gin, mom gave up on us a long time before she died." They both turned to see Drew standing in the room staring at the floor with an Ed plushy clutched in his arms.
"Drew!" Ginny stared at him in shock.
"She died because she didn't want to live like this anymore, like us. I know you thought she loved us but do you really think that a real mom would force us to live like abandoned animals? Huddling together when it's cold, begging for scraps, mending our clothes within an inch of their lives? A real mom would have gotten help and not pushed everyone away!"
"She did her best, you don't know what she's been through!" Ginny said arguably.
"How am I suppose to know, you always hid everything from me! I'm sick of all these stupid secrets and taboos, I want to know the truth about everything!" Drew glared at his sister, his voice in a low growl colder than the chilliest winter night.
"Ginny bit her tongue and muttered, "Drew, this is not the time nor the place…"
"When will it be? When I'm 18 and resenting you for sheltering me from the truth? Don't give me that, I want to know the truth NOW! Not tomorrow, not 'later', right now!"
"Fine, you really want to know?" Ginny shouted bitterly.
"Ginny, wait, don't say something you'll regret." Caitlin urged her to stop but it was too late.
"No, he wants to know the truth so I'll tell him. Mom was raped, Drew, by a complete stranger. 9 months later, you were born."
"What…are you saying?" Drew stared at her blankly, all the fire in him blown out.
"You're a child of rape, don't you understand?" Ginny exclaimed, tears in her eyes.
"But…mom said-" Drew was trembling with shock.
"She didn't want you to know, she thought that it was better than feeling like an unwanted product of sin, like some kind of abomination."
"A little late for that, Gin." Drew said, raising his prosthetic dully.
"So what does that make me?" Vic suddenly staggered in from the kitchen, his shirt half ripped off and the skin on his upper right arm ripped roughly off to reveal his automail. Drew gawked as Caitlin ran to him just in time to break his fall as he stumbled into the room.
"Vic! Oh no, what happened??" Caitlin asked, helping him to a chair, trying not to leave many strains on the carpet as he bled from his side.
"They found me…it was all I could do to keep the convention safe by leading them away. But now…" Vic gasped, out of breath after most likely some sort of battle. Suddenly, a loud thump of something hitting the roof was heard and everyone jumped in surprise, staring up at the ceiling as if expecting something to come through at any minute.
"Ginny, what's going on?" Drew ran to his sister and clung to her side in fear, staring around as footsteps echoed on the roof.
"Caitlin, make sure they don't leave the house, no matter what! You'll be safe here!" Vic said, getting up and startling for the door.
"But what about you!" Caitlin yelled after him. Pausing, he threw her a half smile before saying, "I have a date with destiny, and she's getting impatient."
"Vic, NO!" Ginny screamed but it was too late, he was already out the door.