When To Put Trust On The Line

Part 24

On Tuesday, I was unexpectedly woken up by a loud slam coming from downstairs. It sounded like the front door. The first thing that came to mind as I rubbed some of the sleep out of my eyes was that Adele had come back home from work. But I became concerned when I heard, "Oh my god!" I sat up and slowly got out of bed. Shuffling in the dark, I left my room and headed down the stairs slowly.

Nearing the bottom, I heard footsteps pacing around and low muttering. "Adele?" I called lightly, my heartbeat gradually starting to speed up.

"Ugh! What the fuck!" I felt my heart jump. Adele sounded like she was talking to herself and didn't hear me call out her name. Loud breathing filled my ears as I neared the last step. I thought it was coming from me, but as I lowered myself onto the wooden, creaky floor, I realized it was my sister.

In the dark, a figure emerged from the living room. "Adele!" I exclaimed. I could see her jump and spin around to see who was calling her. I got closer. "It's me, Susan." I searched for a nearby light switch and flicked it on. "What are you-" As the light illuminated the little hall we were standing in, I stopped and stared at my sister. She was fully clothed, but her face seemed to hold... fear? And, anger? "You're- you're shaking," I said softly.

Adele started to shake her head vigorously. "You wouldn't believe-" Instead of finishing her sentence, she paced back into the living room.

I stared in puzzlement, her behaviour scaring me. "I don't-" I looked around anxiously. "What time is-?" I headed into the kitchen, opening the light. The time displayed on the oven said, 5:08 A.M. What? I hurried into the living room where Adele was, flicking on the light near the entrance. "What is going on?" I needed to know.

Adele stopped pacing and spun around confrontationally in the middle of the living room, her eyes unrecognizable and full of fire. "That place. That job, could've gotten me killed!" she said, heatedly.

My eyes widened in confusion. "What are you talking about?" I barely whispered.

I suddenly jumped as I heard loud footsteps rushing down the stairs. "Girls!" Mom! I had forgotten about my parents!

Dad. "Susan? Adele?" They appeared with quick speed into the living room, confusion on both their faces. I could tell that they had just been woken up out of their sleep.

"What's with all the lights turned on?" Mom asked.

Dad. "What's goin' on?"

I looked at Adele. Her chest was heaving up and down, the flames gone from her eyes. After a few long seconds of only hearing her heavy breathing, she stepped forward aggressively and yelled angrily, "I fuckin' got a gun pulled on me tonight!"

Her response hit me immediately and I flew in front of her. "What?"

My parents reacted seconds later after they'd had their moment of shock. Dad. "A- a- a gun?" His stutter was bad. "From where?"

Mom. "When- when was this?"

The questions didn't seem to help Adele. It appeared to mix her anger with annoyance. "I-"

I interrupted, my thoughts suddenly clicking. "Oh my gosh! Was it a robbery?"

Adele shook her head quickly. "No." She gulped. "It was some guys. The manager knew 'em, but I never..." She appeared too out of breath to finish her sentence.

Feeling frightened, but in need to know the full story, I gently took her arm. "Come on, sit down," I said softly, leading her over to the small couch. I sat next to her, not too close as to give her space since she was clearly very anxious and jittery. "Tell us the full story. Take your time, we'll listen."