Chapter 1
Christina counts the missing bulbs on the crystal chandelier one more time before she writes it down on her list for Kandi. The smell of the house was much more crisp and richer than their old one, she immediately liked the woodiness of this particular suburb. Westgate Lake was the new up and coming suburb in Alistair, built just one year previous, it was home to all the very upper middle-class families that wanted a fresh start with a Stepford Wives vibe.
Christina rarely liked any place that involved living with Kandi and Rueben, but she had to admit, it was fresh and hopeful, unlike than the last four places they’d been throughout the last two years, and it helped that she would be eighteen next month. She had her plan already set in motion, she would wake up at 5AM , grab her pre-packed bags and drive off into the sunrise, the silhouette of the big beautiful home on fire in her rearview mirror. She would silently pray that Kandi and Rueben were too high off of Percocet’s to escape.
She closed her hazel eyes for ten seconds, shook the thought and finished unpacking the last of her designer bag collection. Admiring the color coordination climbing the length of the wall on glass display shelves before her, she purred in pure satisfaction. She loved her clothes and accessories, the only things that she actually had real love for in this life. God knew that she hadn’t loved her adopted parents since being adopted at twelve, and even before that she knew that she’d better not get attached to any of her fosters, she always knew in the back of her mind that it would only be a few months before she was shipped off to a new family. Each family proved her true, either the other kids would be jealous of her striking beauty and make up horrible lies to the foster parents, the father or older brother of the house would try to touch her at some point, or the least of her worries, the family only needed the check she came tethered with only for a few months of rent.
Her material things were hers and she loved them. She earned them, the things she had to do for them were traumatizing and immoral, but it kept her the head of the household to those bastards she had to call her parents, and that sense of reign made her feel the smallest bit of dignity. If she were being honest, she was the one who felt like the parent to Kandi and Rueben, not the other way around. Her housing, feeding and clothing them for these last five years was exhausting, a full-time job, even now, being here, was only a job, a routine that she had to stay mentally stable for or she would have crumbled and broke years ago.
Scurrying over the plush cream carpet into the private corridor, the closet and bathroom set isolated from the room, she loved it, thinking of it as a little hiding spot. She still wasn’t used to the icy marble floor under her bare feet of the hallway, a chill surging through her briefly, walking barely six paces ahead, she crossed into the side door of the bedroom. The black wooden floor slightly creaking as she headed to the sitting area, grabbing her notebook off the ottoman and quickly penciling in ‘glass cleaner’ on her list.
“I’m off to the store Christina, got your infamous list?”, Kandi peered her bobble head in the door, her blonde hair big and voluminous like a pageant contestant, every hair neatly in place, she looked serene and put together in her tweed Chanel dress, and Christina couldn’t help but to thank herself for that. Christina’s money, blood, sweat, tears, and most of all innocence, is what made Kandi into this Stepford wife. Tapping her manicured fingers and Mary Janes simultaneously as she waited.
“Don’t forget anything,” Christina muttered as she handed her the single page ripped from the notebook. Closing the door almost in Kandi’s face, she rolled her eyes, as she listened her heels echoing down the hall and onto the winding steps. Kandi was the runner of the house, she prepped the houses to make them feel like a home, she set up the cleaning ladies, the weekly catering for breakfast lunches and dinners, made the doctor’s appointments for Christina’s bi-weekly checkups for STI’s, and occasionally Rueben’s doctor’s visits if she suspected he’d stepped out on her. She was the glue, Christina knew that and sometimes, even if she hated to admit it, she liked that Kandi held everything together, anything she needed Kandi would accommodate. She stayed out of Christina’s way, she treated her like she was the Mega Star, and she was the full-time assistant, which in a way was very accurate.
She could actually see Kandi being a very productive person if she wasn’t so brainwashed by Rueben, and that is why she couldn’t bring herself to respect her, ever. She was beautiful, even before the glow up Christina funded, she was smart, reliable, and sometimes even compassionate, but Rueben had her under his thumb, making her think she wouldn’t get far in this world without him or without “being a snake in a game full of mice”, in his words. Rueben had been a condescending, manipulative narcissist since Christina could remember.
That cold day in January, at the group home, Mrs. Lees told Christina there was a couple interested in her, naturally a twelve-year-old Christina was so excited to be going somewhere for good. She had been praying every night that someone would come and give her the life she deserved, theloveshe so desperately longed for. Over the next two months she visited with the Junes’, and it was amazing, Rueben seemed like a masculine but gentle father figure, uplifting her spirits and being silly with her. Kandace was so loving, affectionate and talked to her about so many things no one ever cared to ask her about in the foster homes, she painted her nails, sang songs while dancing wildly, and told her fairy tales of a little princess who finally got the chance to have real mommy and daddy, who lived happily ever after. Christina couldn’t wait to live with them.
Everything was fine the first week, then came Rock, a big scary man that showed up and threatened Rueben all the time about money. Rock was a tan Italian that looked like a character out of the sopranos, he was always in black, hair always slicked, gun on his hip, and a toothpick in his mouth, he smelled of cigarettes and expensive cologne. They weren’t poor but they didn’t drive fancy cars like the ones Rock always had on rotation, his jewelry always polished and shiny, he made sure to put a big ring on his middle finger and she knew that if he punched someone it would leave a mark. He always had a different woman that waited in the car for him every time he visited, and the women always had a gun of her own on display, Christina figured the woman would take care of Kandi if she got any wise ideas.
It wasn’t even a full month and Christina had seen Rock come by eight times, he always had a wondering eye on her little body whether she was just playing in the living room, watching TV or simply passing by. This particular night Rock and Rueben were in the kitchen talking at the table in hushed tones, it was just shy of 3AM and Christina went downstairs to get a glass of milk, her remedy for nightmares.
“What are you doing up?”, Rueben asked calmly, his loving tone he normally used wasn’t so warm now, he sounded irritated and anxious.
“Can’t sleep…Gonna get a glass of milk.”, she pointed to the white refrigerator. He waved her on and she continued. Cautiously walking past Rock, she didn’t make eye contact.
“I need the money by Wednesday or Willies gonna be here to take care of you and your bitch wife!”, Rock spat, not caring if Christina was listening or not.
“Not in front of her, please man!” Rueben lowered his head and peered up at Rock terrified, rubbing his low haircut he shook his head, “I know you’re serious, but I told you I needed until next month, I can’t come up with fifty grand by Wednesday.”
“You told me Lamb would’ve been dead by now and I would’ve been collecting on his bounty! So now it’s your responsibility to repay the upfront they gave me to do the damn job! This is supposed to be our arrangement and you fucked it!” Rock pointed in Reubens face aggressively.
“Look man, I didn’t spend the money they gave you! You did! I was just getting a cut after the job was done! That’s how it’s always worked! I never skipped out on a job for you ever Rock! Cut me some slack this time! He didn’t show up at the spot I told’em so what was I supposed to do?” Rueben stood up and looked out into the backyard, deep in thought, hands massaging his temples. He must have instantly remembered Christina was there because he motioned her upstairs sharply. Christina swallowed the last gulps on milk and placed the plastic cup in the sink, she whisked past Rock, careful not to make herself too noticeable, and started up the stairs.
“You were supposed tomake surehe was there. You’re supposed to have something on him enticing enough that it was insurance he came! You know how this goes; we’ve done it hundreds of times! So now, I’m thinking, what if you never even arranged for Lamb to be there? What if you chickened out? What if you just said, “fuck it, I don’t wanna live this way anymore?”, I mean I see ya got a new kid in the house, you may have had a change of heart…wanna be a saint now…is that what happened? You usually make sure the job is done so what was it aboutthistime that it didn’t get done? The only change I can see is—”, his eyes pierced Christina’s back as she stood at the middle of the stairs.
“That’s not it, Rock, this...”, he looked towards the steps where Christina had already ascended to make sure she was gone, “this is Kandi’s idea, you know she can’t have babies, I gotta keep my wife happy man, this shit wasn’t me, I don’t even like kids…I told you he. Just didn’t show.”, Rueben pleaded, his tan flushing hot.
“Yeah, I am trying to do right in my life, make Kandi happy so she won’t run to the damn cops about all this shit we got going on! But I would’ve told you I was out the game, Rock, I don’t roll like that, I’m not a lil bitch. I still have a few more jobs in me, we need the money anyway.”
At the top of the step, Christina, listened for a while, she wanted more information. She was genuinely scared for Rueben, scared for Kandi, and even scared for herself. The words Rueben spewed about not wanting her burned in her throat, but she wondered if he was just saying that to get the heat off of himself and protect all of them. She quickly convinced herself what he was saying wasn’t true, he did love her, he did want her to complete their family. She had spent all that time with him, and it was the sweet that she had been missing, she couldfeelhis love for her. She was exhausted, she told herself that Rueben would talk it out with Rock and make it better. In her room, she melted into her little twin bed, reluctantly drifting off to sleep.
She woke to someone tugging at her feet, a tall stocky figure, breathing choppy, heavy breaths. The figure was pulling something off of her, she stirred out of the grogginess and realized her pajama pants and pink underwear were at her feet, slipping off. Christina tensed, she snatched her legs towards her chest and started screaming, Rueben’s figure came out of the dark corner of the room. “It’s okay Christina, it’s okay,” Rueben said in a calming voice. Christina cried out louder, hoping Kandi would come in and save her, but she also knew that Kandi had a small problem that she tried to hide from her, she was addicted to pills. The pills made her sluggish and blissful, Christina had learned about prescription drug abuse in her D.A.R.E. class at a school she went to when she was still in foster care. Kandi thought she could tell Christina the pills were for her back, but she knew better, she saw the difference it made in Kandi and the amount and frequency she took them couldn’t be right. Kandi was out cold for the night. She was alone in this.
“No! Tell him to leave me alone!” She had experienced this at a few foster homes but when she started screaming the perp would usually scramble. She would then start sleeping with a knife under her pillow and when they tried again, she would show it, causing them to back down and never come back.
“Rock is a nice friend of mine, you know that, a-a-and he’s offered us a deal, I r-really need you to help the family Chris, I—I need you more than ever right now baby girl.” Rueben’s voice shook and he made praying hands pleading to her.
“What?”, Christina sat all the way up and positioned herself tightly clutching her legs to herself against the small rod bedframe.
You like having a family, don’t you? I need you to make a sacrifice for the family baby girl, everyone in this family had to make a sacrifice for you to come here, come on Chris, please, I don’t wanna die, you want me and Kandi to die?Youdon’t wanna die do you?”, Rueben continued.
Rock palmed his gun and flashed it in the moonlight for Christina to see.
“I just wanna play with you for a little while, Christina, we can be good friends”, he chuckled faintly. “Youcan save your family, and after this you can live happily ever after with them.” He flashed his crooked smile. “If not, we can do it the hard way, and I can splatter ALL of you’s brains on this ugly fuckin carpet now!” He growled angrily.
Christina whimpered and looked at Rueben, who was shaking uncontrollably, and mouthing “Please.”, she nodded her head slowly, she didn’t know what this man was capable of, but she knew he wouldn’t have a problem killing all of them, she knew he was the type to do what he said he would do and never think twice about it. All the times she’s seen him at the house, spitting venomous words at Rueben, warning him about what would come if he kept up his charade, she knew his patience was thin and had run out.
She wanted to save her family, make it right, get back to when she visited them, she wanted this to be over and never see this demon of a man again. She relaxed a bit and said “Okay.”, her voice nearly a whisper. Rueben backed out the room slowly, closing the door behind him. Rock quickly locked the door and started to undress.
