Page 5 of The Lost Kings

Presley

I loved Halloween.

It was the only time we could go into town without using fake names or keeping our faces low. When I had asked once about why we did that, my mom had hugged me really tight and said we were just being cautious.

I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but my family was cautious anytime we were in public. They were careful when it came to me going to school, or even attending sporting events that my cousin Carter played. She had so much more freedom than I did, or even the twins and Alex.

But on Halloween, everyone dressed up. Even the parents.

We went into town and into all the neighborhoods, just like all the other kids, and we got to trick-or-treat.

My mom and dad went as Harley Quinn and The Joker.

I wasn’t sure why but the twins’ dad, Juan, got really mad at them for it.

Kept telling them they were being reckless, but I wasn’t sure why.

I was dressed like Kora, one of my favorite Avatar characters, and the twins dressed like Minecraft characters.

One was a zombie and the other was a villager.

Carter was dressed like a baseball player, just like her parents.

Dad said his older brother, Decker played baseball in college, so when he and aunt Mallory decided to dress up, it was supposed to be funny.

I hadn’t had so much fun in such a long time, and I didn’t want it to end.

Red leaves crunched under my feet as I ran down sidewalks, knowing other kids were living the same life I was.

For one night, we weren’t any different, and I wasn’t this bird caged in a manor, without friends except for the ones that lived under the same roof.

For one night, I was completely free. I didn’t even mind that the twins and Alex had left early.

Carter and I kept inspecting each other’s candy buckets, while our parents walked behind us.

Every now and then aunt Mallory would play with Carter’s hair and I would get mesmerized by how similar they looked with reddish brown hair and the same smile.

I looked back seeing Dad had his arm over Mom’s shoulder and she kept laughing into his neck. Scotty walked behind them, dressed like Alfred from Batman. It had been my idea and I knew he’d only done it to see me smile. “Can we go get ice cream?” I called from over my shoulder.

My dad’s laugh was the one he used with only me and Mom.

I once heard Scotty say that my dad diced up versions of himself and handed them out to different people, depending on what they needed from him.

I once asked him what my dad gave to me, and Scotty had pulled me into his arms and promised me that my dad only ever gave us the truest version of himself, or whatever was left of it.

I didn’t know what that meant, but it made me grateful for the times I saw him smile and laugh with us, knowing he didn’t do that with anyone else.

“All this candy isn’t enough for you?”

“No!” Carter yelled back and uncle Decker snagged her bucket from her in response.

“Carter Marie, your bucket is completely full.” His laugh reminded me of my dad’s. They looked similar but Uncle Decker had darker hair and he was taller. Aunt Mallory hedged closer to see inside the bucket and then let out a sigh.

“We should actually get back. I have an early call in the morning and then we have to get back to New York.”

I glanced over at my cousin, seeing her eyes drop to the ground.

Sometimes I wished she could live in the manor with me, like the twins did.

Even in their own wing, at least I’d see her more often than I did with her parents always going back to New York.

Anytime I got sad about it, my mom would remind me that they were doing important things that helped people.

I waved to my cousin as she walked off with her parents and tried not to feel sad over the loneliness.

Red leaves swirled around my ankles as the wind picked up and I smiled, almost feeling like it was a hug. Nature always seemed to find a way to remind me I wasn’t entirely alone, even if I felt like it.

“You still want some ice cream, Kiddo?” My dad called to me.

A black car sped past us, but I didn’t pay attention to it as I turned around with a smile, about to explain that I thought Ice Cream would be a great idea, but my dad had stopped walking.

“Dad?”

It was as if time stood still and completely froze in place.

“DOWN!” Scotty shouted and lunged for me right as my dad fell and red began ruining his white shirt. My uncle’s arm came up and covered my eyes, but I felt his other arm extend out, and then more shots rang out.

Tears streamed down my face as I screamed for my dad. I wanted to see him, but Scotty completely blocked my vision. I heard my mom screaming too, and then there were people running toward us, their voices washing out the echoes in my head.

“Call an ambulance!”

“Ma’am, are you hurt?”

“Wasn’t there a child here, is she okay?”

Then there was screaming, which is when Scotty finally moved off of me and I was able to see what had happened. There was a body lying a few feet from us; he had a hole in his head, his eyes were wide and staring right at me.

I got to my feet and moved over to where my dad was and found my mother with her hands holding something to his side. Her makeup had begun to run from how hard she was crying.

I held my father’s gaze, his green eyes that I loved so much locked on me. His hand covered my own and he smiled.

“You know how we live separate from the rest of the world and we use fake names in public?”

I nodded, pressing my hands into my daddy’s chest, doing what my mom told me. She had taken the extra fabric from my costume and slid it over his wound then told me to hold down as hard as I could.

Dad smiled again, this time blood smeared his lips. “This is our secret, honey. People want to hurt us.”

“Why?” My voice felt strange, like I hadn’t spoken a word in hours, and yet it felt like I’d been screaming for just as long.

“We ruin empires.”

Red and white lights lit up the darkened neighborhood as the ambulance pulled up and two people in uniforms ran toward my dad.

Scotty pulled my hand, so I was leaving my dad’s side.

I watched as they hovered over him and then loaded him into the back of the ambulance.

Mom ran over to me, kissing my forehead.

“Stay with Scotty, Presley.”

I nodded but noticed Scotty tug her hand. “Don’t.”

Mom shook her head as her lip wobbled. “I can’t leave him.”

“You think I can?” Scotty argued, pulling me closer to his side. “Do not make your daughter an orphan tonight. They’re going to follow him to the hospital.”

“Then do what you’ve always done, Scotty, and protect us.”

She turned back toward the ambulance with a sob, which had her hands up and covering her mouth.

I glanced up at my uncle and saw the way his jaw moved, realizing this was the closest to crying I’d ever seen him. He held my hand and finally glanced down at me with a smile.

“I need you to be brave, Presley. Can you be brave with me?”

I nodded.

Scotty guided me toward our car and told me to get in next to him in the passenger seat, which wasn’t where I’d been allowed to sit yet.

“I used to take your father on trips like this with me, and he learned how to be brave by being with me. You’re going to as well, okay?”

Pulling the belt over my chest, I nodded and sank down into the seat as he drove off.

“I’m going to tell you a story, Presley, and I need you to remember this story and promise me that you won’t share it with anyone, even the twins.”

“I promise.”

“Okay then, I’m going to tell you a story about how your father once protected the twins’ mother, and in order to do that, he had to kill a bad man. This bad man was the boss of a very bad group, and after he killed him, all of that man’s men and employees wanted to hurt your dad.”

I thought that over, and asked, “Is that who those men were, in the black car?”

Scotty glanced at me and nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly who they were…they’ve been after your dad for a very long time, and now they’re after you and your mom. It’s my job to help keep the family safe. It’s why we live in the manor, and why we work so hard to keep everyone together."

As we drove, Scotty pulled out a gun that had a long barrel on the end and laid it in his lap.

“Presley, you’re going to see something you don’t want to see. I tried to protect you from it, but it’s going to happen, and I could use your help.”

“Me? What am I supposed to do? ”

He kept his eyes on the road in front of us. I realized we were following the ambulance, but there were a few cars in front of us.

“You’re going to do something that will scare you, and I know you’re afraid, but I promise you that nothing will happen to you. You’re going to help me keep your mom and dad safe, okay?”

I nodded, trying not to be scared.

“This car is protected with armor. They can’t shoot us in here, but I need to stop them before they get to the hospital.”

“Okay.” My voice was shaky, and so were my hands, but there wasn’t anything I could do but be brave like he’d said because I didn’t want anything to happen to my parents.

“You need to do exactly as I say.” He opened the moon roof until the cold air began blowing inside.

“Unbuckle, Presley.”

I quickly did as he said and unlatched the metal.

“Do you remember when we rode down that road that had the trees you loved so much and your dad and mom asked if you wanted to fly?”

I had placed my feet on the leather compartment in the middle and poked my head through the moon roof, flinging my arms wide.

“Yes.” My stomach tilted as understanding dawned.

“You’re going to do that but instead of flying, you’re going to protect your mom and dad.”

His eyes remained on the road as he trailed them close. “You’re going to pull the trigger on this gun I’m about to hand you, and you’re going to make their car stop. Do you understand me?”