Damaged part 1

I slowly slid the cold blade across my skin. Somehow it relieved me from my stress and anxiety.
I heard someone walk in the front door and sit down on the other side of the wall.
“Kate.”
“Ezio.”
I quickly wrapped my towel around my arm and sat my knife down beside me.
“What are you doing here?,” I asked stretching out the question longer then it should be.
She sighed. “Ms. Clare told me what happened.”
Now it was my turn to sigh. “The soldiers came today around 11:30, ‘Ms. Clare? I am sorry to say but your sister Sophie Ilawn Antúnez went missing two weeks ago.’”
“I – I’m sorry Ezio….. I know it’s hard but I’m sure they’ll find her.”
I stood up and looked at her through the hole in the wall. “Kate! I lost my father the same way! I was 5 years old when he too went MIA, and now 12 years later my mother is MIA as well!.”
She stood up as well. She eyed my wrapped up arm. “Ezio Antúnez!! I thought you had stopped that crap!.” She quickly walked over to the nearest hole that she could fit in and squeezed through.
“I know bu-.”
She slapped me before I could finish.
“Ouch! That hurt!.”
“Yes well it hurts me to see you go back to your old habits!.” She cooled down a bit then looked at my new cut.
“Well…. It’s not deep, at least you didn’t cut yourself that bad.” She sighed.
“I couldn’t help it…. I just didn’t know how to relieve the anxiety and stress… and pain.” I slumped down back onto my spot on the floor.
“You could’ve taken an ax to a log, you could’ve gone to the gym and lifted some weights, you could’ve punched a hallow wall! Just don’t cut yourself!.” She sat down in front of me.
I half smiled. “Yes, I could’ve done one of those things….”
“Listen, I can’t stay long, I got a date with Fran-.”
“Frank Spooner!? The football player? That guys name alone sounds so crazy!.”
She punched my shoulder. “Forget Frank, you go home, invite one of your friends over and do something, but don’t stay here alone! Or I’ll slap you even harder next time I see you!.”
“Okay okay, I’ll go home! Just don’t stay out to late with serial killer Frank Spooner!.”
She punched me again and then winked at me and left.
I quickly picked up my knife and started walking home. I really didn’t want to be alone, and I knew Aunt Clare was feeling pretty down too, and maybe I could invite Keith over and we could play a video game so I could get my mind off of everything.
As I walked I began to pray, “Jesus, please forgive me for cutting myself… I didn’t know how to cope with the pain and stress and I let myself fall back into that old habit, please forgive me Savior, and please, protect my mother and comfort us… comfort me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
I turned down the street of my house when I heard someone behind me. I quickly turned around.
“Jeffrey? What on earth are you doing here!?.”
Jeffrey was one of the smallest football players but he was still very good at it, and he was also known for his lack of self control…. especially around the girls.
“I-uh…” I quickly pushed him up against one of the trees.
“ You were following Kate weren't you?!.”
Even though he was a football player I was still a better boxer, I was in fact the schools second best. And I also knew self defense.
“Uh…”
“Why were you following her!?.” I reached in his pocket and took out his phone and read the last txt message sent, ‘she’s on her way and she’s alone, have the boys ready.’ I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
I quickly turned around and put my hands on his shoulders, “What is Frank and his boys planning!? Tell me!.” I started to shake him.
“There planning to ra-ra……”
I felt a surge of anger and I quickly punched him in the face knocking him out instantly.
“Jesus please don’t let this happen to her!."

Damaged part 2

I quickly grabbed Jeff by his shirt and picked him up.
“Wake up! Come on!.” I shook Jeff vigorously but to no avail. “I guess I hit you too hard.” I carelessly let go of him and let him fall to the ground.
I started pacing. “Where was she going? Where is Frank planning on…?” I couldn’t even bare to think the word.
“Please Jesus tell me where to go!.” I dropped Jeff’s phone and took off towards the old abandoned house where Kate and I were just a little while earlier.
“She said she was going on a date?..... it’s only-,” I looked at my watch, “ 4:17, it’s not very dark…..” I stopped at the front door. “Stupid me!.” I quickly pulled my phone out and started calling Kate.
“Pick up! Please Jesus let her pick up!.
“No!.” No answer. “Where would she go!.”
“She went towards Liberty street…. Aha! Of course! Frank lives near Liberty street! Stupid me!.” I quickly started running in the direction I assumed her to be.
It was now 4:34 and I was just now getting to the street.
I slowed down and quietly started walking down the street. It was extremely dark, especially down one of the alleys I passed.
“Jesus, be with her please if I can’t find her!” I quietly whispered.
Suddenly I heard a loud high pitched scream come from one of the near by alleys.
I slowly pulled my knife out of its sheath and started walking towards the alley.
“Shut her up before someone hears her!,” I could hear Frank say.
There was 4 of them, two of them were watching and one of them was holding her mouth shut while Frank started to try and get her pants off.
I stayed in the shadows and started making my way towards the group.
“Come on idiot! You can’t even get her belt undone!,” the one holding Kate’s mouth shut said.
“Shut up! I got this!.”
“Sure you do!” I thought.
I slowly snuck up to the ones watching.
I felt like slitting his throat but I knew that wouldn’t be right with God, that and I knew I’d regret it.
Without anymore thought on the subject I quickly turned one of them around and kneed him in the stomach and punched him in the face making him fall backwards.
“Ezio!”
The other three turned there dark gazes on me.
“Kill him!” Frank yelled as he stood up and pulled out a butterfly knife.
The other 2 followed suit.
I switched my knife from my left hand to my right.
They all quickly rushed towards me.
It was all a blur of blades. One came for my stomach, one came for my legs and another came for my throat. I dodged the one coming for my stomach, I deflected the one coming for my legs and I grabbed the arm wielding the one aimed for my throat. Without much thought I sliced him from his lower left side up towards his right shoulder.
He yelled out in pain.
“Fools! Kill him!.” He stepped back so the other two could try and get me. One of them sliced my arm but it wasn’t very deep. I quickly ripped the knife out of his hand and threw it on the ground.
With obvious defeat the third guy helped the one who I knocked out first and ran off, quickly followed by the 2nd guy.
“Fools! Come back!.”
“Frank, you’d better get that cut seen, it looks pretty deep, and my knife isn’t really sanitary. And you better not get to settled, the police will be coming to visit you very soon.”
He growled. “This isn’t the end Ezio Antúnez! I swear I’ll see you again! And next time only one of us will live to see the light of day again!.”
“What? Your going to go live in a cave or something?.”
He said nothing more as he left but before he was totally gone he said, “And you’d better keep a close eye on your friend there, I just might come for her again!.” And then he was gone.
I knelt down by Kate. “Hey, are you alright? Can you stand?.”
“I think so.”
I quickly helped her up. “I’m sorry, I should’ve been here sooner.”
She hugged me and started sobbing.
“It’s okay, I’m here now, and Jesus protected you, that guy couldn’t even get your belt off.”
She looked at me. “But Ezio, I’m not even wearing a belt.”
I stared at her dumbfounded. “But, I heard them, he couldn’t get your belt off!.” I stood back. Sure enough, no belt.
“It-it must’ve been Jesus, protecting me.”
“Yes…. It must’ve been….”

94. Reality

“Reality….. oh such a scary word”, I thought to myself as I closed my bedroom door behind me. I carelessly threw my phone on my bed. I slumped down in my desk chair, letting my tears roll down my cheeks. “I did it again I did! Why did I do that to myself! Every time I try to talk to her about God she just starts cussing at me!”.
I had tried for years to get through to my girlfriend….. I loved her, honestly I did, and I think she loved me, and we had been dating for almost 2 years and I really wanted to marry her, but when I was younger I had made a vow to God that I’d never marry someone outside of my religion….. but she just refused to listen to me talk about God.
“why God? Why can’t I get through to her!? I love her! And I want to marry her! But I can’t if she doesn’t honestly believe in You….. I guess in reality I should just break up with her and move on.
“But why? Why can’t I get through to her! Jesus help her please to see the truth!....”
That night I fell asleep weeping for my loves salvation, I prayed so hard that she would change, but I was afraid that it just wasn’t meant to be…
1 week later.
“Hey hony, watcha doin?”. I smiled at my girlfriend.
“Just reading, I’m surprised you actually came, I thought you were mad at me?”. I quickly closed my book and quickly took a sip of my Starbucks coffe. The café was fairly empty, making it so I could get my favorite table by the window.
“Well you said it was important, so here I am”. She sat down in the chair across from me. “It is. You see, we’ve been dating for like 2 years now, and, I love you, I truly do, and I want to marry you b-“. “Yes! Oh yes! I want to marry you too!”. She said smiling. I smiled, “let me finish please”. She nodded. “But when I was younger I made a vow to God that I’d never marry someone outside of my religion, so if you don’t truly love God and want to know Him better then I cannot marry you”. At this point her smile had vanished and she seemed to be ready to cry.
“So in reality if you don’t want Him then you don’t want me….. I would be a terrible husband if you didn’t love Him, I would always try to teach you of Him, and I know you hate that…… please, don’t be mad……” Somehow she managed to smile, “I guess your rite, you wouldn’t be a good husband, you idiota!”. She stormed out in a rage. That was the worst…. She always cursed at me in her native language….. Italian.
I slowly walked back to my apartment, I felt as if I had made a massive mistake. “Lord? Did I do the correct thing? Was I rite in breaking up with her? Lord, I- I love her….. so much…….” As I turned the corner at the top of the steps at my apartment building I saw her sitting in front of my door, not crying, but she wasn’t really smiling either.
She stood up when she saw me. “I – I’m sorry, I always shut you out when you started talking about God, and, I do love you, and if He’s your God, then He’s my God too”. My face lit up with a massive smile. I quickly embraced her. “You know what?”. “What?”. “I love you, and, actually, realty isn’t so bad after all”.