At all cost

At all cost

J.L.Kamina

Copyright 2011 J.L.Kamina

Smashwords Edition

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Chapter 1

Chris couldn’t get out from his bedroom that afternoon because he had a lot in mind by recalling what happened to them some years ago. He thought about it and decided that they have to do something about it with his young sister Laura. Still lying on his bed in his bedroom recalling that they have tried a lot to tell the father to do something about what they always requested, but the father always gave empty promises. He told them that everything will be alright soon, but nothing happened as years pass by.

Now Chris perceived that the father will never do something about it if they don’t do something about it with his young sister Laura that December holiday, and then he decided that they have to take matter in their hands and do it themselves by leaving the house the next morning to go to King Lake city to their mother.

It had been six years since their mother left the house, and since then, they never saw her again.

Chris recalled that when their mum left they were still very young, he was six years old and his sister Laura was three years old at the time, and now he turned up to be twelve years old and Laura, nine years old.

A lot of things went on in his mind that afternoon. He recalled very well that he was not in Lepoville (their village) when the mother left; he was at Cankunee at their Uncle Sam (the elder brother of the father) for a holiday. When he came back – he found that the mother was gone and left Laura with the father. It hurt him so much to see the mother left Laura who was very young; only three years old at the time. He asked himself in thoughts how could the mother do that terrible thing without carrying Laura who was very young? What really happened?

Chris did not know the reason why the mother left at that time. He recalled how happy he was when he came from Cankunee and had high hopes that he will find his mother and tell her the most interesting things that happened to him that holiday at Cankunee, but to his disappointment he found that the mother was gone. And as days passed by without knowing why the mother left – he had a determination to ask the father what happened. But when he asked the father, the father told him that the mother was gone for a while and will come back soon, but that was not true.

Chris became at ease and believed the father, but after three months, he found out that what the father told him about the mother’s coming back home was not the truth. That made him and his sister Laura goes back to the father repeatedly and asked him if it’s true that the mother will come back home. Mr. Max, their father became annoyed and forbidden them to ask him about the mother again and told them that the mother will come back home as he said.

The father kept on hiding the truth until after a year Chris heard it from other people in their village that the father split with the mother and forbidden the mother to come back for them or she will be sorry if she try to do so and he also forbidden the mother to carry Laura with her who was three years old at the time.

Chris and Laura were told also by people that their parents had many conflicts and misunderstandings and they shouldn’t hope that things will get better for their mother to come back home, the mother went for good.

When Chris heard all these, he also realized that that’s why the father always becomes annoyed when he’s ever asked about the mother’s coming back because he knows that their mother will never come back home.

Chris became angry and hurt so much and never went back to the father again to ask him about the mother, he just kept it to himself and started thinking what to do about it in the future. He acknowledged that what ever the father tells them about the mother’s coming won’t be true again. And also he realized that the father wants to prevent them from going to the mother so that he could punish the mother by not seeing them because of their split.

When Chris thought about this in his bedroom that afternoon and reminded himself what happened starting from six years ago up to now – he made up his mind and decided that it’s time to do something, he has to tell Laura about what he thinks about seeing the mother and convince her to escape with him from the father’s house to go to King Lake City to see their mother by themselves. Chris saw that the best time to leave the house was very early in the morning while everybody asleep. At the time he thought all these that afternoon, his young sister Laura was in the living room with the other two girls they lived together in the house. The two girls, Tina and Anna; Tina was their young aunt, the father’s youngest sister and Anna was their cousin, Uncle Sam’s daughter where Chris went for a holiday when the mother left.

The girls were chatting and playing in the living room at the time and they thought that perhaps Chris went out from the house to play with his friends.

But then while they were still chatting and playing in the living room, they heard Chris calling Laura in the corridor. Laura answered as soon as she heard the call, and then Chris told her to go to him.

Laura left the other girls quickly and went to meet Chris in the corridor next to his bedroom door. When she reached next to Chris bedroom door she found Chris went back inside the bedroom, and then Laura followed him in there. She found Chris sitting at the edge of his bed, and then Chris asked her if Tina and Anna are still in the living room.

Yes, they are in there, is there something wrong? Asked Laura without knowing why Chris asking about Tina and Anna.

Yeah there’s something, I want us to talk about something very important in here. said Chris. What’s it? asked Laura anxiously. It’s about mum. I want us to go to King Lake city tomorrow morning to see mum. Said Chris and went on telling her how he thinks and how he planned to leave the house to King Lake city the following morning.

When Laura heard all that and figured out what Chris had decided, she moved and sat on the chair next to Chris’ bed and kept on listening to Chris talking about leaving the house the next morning.

…I hope that you also know very well that dad won’t take us to mum unless we do it ourselves. Dad doesn’t like us to go to mum and if we wait for him thinking that mum will come back home by herself or dad will take us to her one of the good days as he said – it will never happen. I have decided now to get us prepared and leave this house to go to mum tomorrow morning and I think the perfect time to do it is very early in the morning because everybody is asleep at that time; nobody will see us moving out. I hope you also know that we can’t stay like this without doing something about it, isn’t it? said Chris convincingly while looking at Laura to see if Laura agreed.

Laura did not reply. She knew that it was indeed a good idea to her too but Chris rushed to conclusion without thinking it over, she thought. She decided to reject the idea and thought that if they will do that they will be in trouble when the father finds out about it, and he will probably lash them to hell after finding out, she thought.

And then she turned to Chris after figuring these out, Chris you know how dad’s, if he catches us doing these, he’ll lash us to hell, don’t you know that? she said anxiously still looking at Chris.

Chris shook his head, No, Laura, I told you that we’ll leave very early in the morning, nobody will notice it in the house. said Chris anxiously by figuring out that the whole house will be a sleep at the time they will leave the house, it have to be very early in the morning.

Laura kept quiet, she knew that what Chris saying was the truth; if it will be very early in the morning, there could be nobody seeing them getting out from the house. She figured it out that if they won’t escape, they won’t see their mother as Chris said, but she was uncertain about the father and she thought that things might go wrong and get caught in the act and be in trouble again.

Chris still watched at Laura. He saw that Laura was still scared and she was still thinking about it without saying something, and then Chris reminded her that the mother she always cried for will never be seen if they won’t escape tomorrow morning. I don’t know how you expect to see mum if we don’t do something now and this is the only chance we have got. said Chris and got annoyed by Laura’ fear of escaping from the house and then he turned his head and looked away from Laura feeling disappointed.

Chris started thinking about the other way to convince Laura so that she can take away the fear she has inside and accepted the move.

They all got silence for few seconds; everybody was preoccupied at the time. After a little while, Laura realized that Chris got annoyed for her rejection while they all needed the move very much, and then she made up her mind and thought that they have to try it, maybe they will succeed and see their mother that holiday. She heard from Chris that it’s the only way to go to their mother and it’s the only chance they have got that holiday, then they have to do it.

She turned her head to Chris and saw that Chris was still thinking about it and looked sad. Alright, she said and continued speaking, I have made up my mind, let’s try it. Said Laura and then added that what she was uncertain of was their dad, she was really afraid of him. You know how he’s, we have to be very careful otherwise we’ll be in a big trouble, that’s what I don’t want to happen. She said again.

Chris shook his head and told her that she has to believe him; they are going to get out from the house safely.

Chris was very happy to see Laura made up her mind and accepted the move.

He told her that they have to keep it a secret not tell anybody about it. Don’t tell even your friends from other houses so that we can leave the house peacefully without anybody getting suspicious. said Chris anxiously again.

They all agreed and decided to leave the house the next morning.

After a little while, Laura left Chris in the bedroom and went back in the living room to join the other girls.

Just after few minutes Laura left Chris’s bedroom; Chris saw that he has forgotten to tell her that they have to pack their belongings before the evening because it will be hard for them to do it in the evening when everybody will be inside the bedrooms at that time. It will be very difficult for them to do that especially Laura who sleeps the same room with the other girls, and then Chris decided that he has to call Laura back to him to tell her that she has to pack her belongings that afternoon and bring them in his bedroom so that they leave the house the next morning without any rustlings in the rooms.

Chris thought they have no time to waste again, he got up from his bed and headed the door to call Laura and tell her what came up in his mind, but then without reaching the door he saw Laura opening his bedroom door to come in bedroom.

Oh Laura? said Chris astonishingly when he saw Laura came back in the room. I’m thinking of calling you in here too, now it’s good you came back in here too, but what happened? said Chris by seeing Laura not looking well; she looked sad, she was not like that when she left the room. Chris perceived that there is something wrong.

What’s wrong Laura? Chris asked her quickly again. Laura moved and sat on the chair she sat the last time she was there, and then she told Chris what happened when she went back to other girls in the living room, Tina attacked me…. She said and continued, …she forced me to tell her what we have discussed here when you called me.

And then what did you say? Chris asked her quickly thinking that perhaps Laura revealed everything they have discussed to Tina. "I just told her that there’s nothing important, but she insisted that I have to tell her about it because she saw me when I got in the living room that there’s something serious we talk about in here. She insisted so annoyingly and said that perhaps there’s something we want to steal in the