My Dearest Sofia (Completed)

It is normal for dreams to be shattered.  Reality does it everyday.  It does not matter if you are rich, poor, orphaned or well loved by a complete, happy family.  Life will deal you cards that you will never expect.  You can wish all you want; pray with eyes and fists closed tight. And yet, when you are done and all prayed out, you will open your eyes and without a choice, welcome tragedy and sorrow... "Jonathon, please be quiet. It's not safe.” His father's voice was hushed up and with the house deprived of electricity, it suddenly became very quiet and eerie for a ten year old boy. He whimpered against his father's palm which was slapped across his quivering mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and allowed his father to drag him across the hallway and into the master bedroom. Once inside the room, Jonathon felt his mother's arms go around him as his father locked the doors. His parent's bedroom is huge and sprawling, with bay windows that let out a stream of moonlight which pierced through the darkness.  He felt a little less scared. He snuggled closer into his mother's arms as his father went into the huge walk in closet. Minutes later, Jonathon watched as his father emerged with a shotgun. His eyes widened as his father knelt in front of him and his mother. He tried to read his father's face in the dim light. Jonathon was surprised he caught a hint of smile from him. He reached out to touch Jonathon's face and whispered. "Jon, you're ten now. You have to be brave, son. Remember all those times I taught you how to respond to emergency situations?"  The boy nodded, straightening away from his mother's embrace. He wanted to make his father proud.  "Well, tonight happens to be the night where we get to test out what you've learned. Stay here with your mother, protect her at all cost and do not let anybody get into those doors.” "Jason!" He heard his mother gasp and reach forward. He is suddenly sandwiched between their hugging bodies. She is now crying, Jonathon despised it when women cried, except of course if it was his mother. He did not want her to be sad. "It's going to be all right, sweetheart. The alarm has been set off before they cut the power off. The police will be here any minute. I just need you to stay here and be safe, okay?" He whispered and Jonathan maintained his false bravery. He would never let his father down. He is the best father any boy could ask for. "I'll be right back. Lock the doors and stay hidden in the closet!“ Without waiting for their response, Jason Elliot moved to the door with the stealthiness of a cat and slowly opened it. He gave one last look to his mother and son and then disappeared into the darkness. Jonathon was about to call out but his mother clamped on his mouth, muffling the sound. He looked at her, his eyes wide with fear but then he remembered what his father said. He quickly pulled out of his mother's grasp and went to lock the door. There was a soft click and he ran back into his mother's arms.  It was strange to see the little boy comforting his mother but Jonathon was trying his best to soothe his mother's soft cries. He could not really understand what was happening except that there was a loud crash somewhere downstairs and then as the alarm rang out, the lights suddenly went off. That was when his father had plucked him out of bed and dragged him to their bedroom. He quickly assumed that there were burglars or bad guys in their house. He was not surprised, they were always getting threats and troubles from other people. People who wanted to take over their empire and oil company.  Jonathon had understood it ever since his father started teaching him the ways of doing and dealing business at the age of seven. Jonathon never went to school. He was home schooled and only relied on the Internet and books for any outside learning. As the heir to the multi-billion dollar oil company, this made him a good candidate for kidnap and ransom. His family did not want to risk his welfare. Although, he got everything a little boy could ever want. A loud crash echoed from below, somewhere in the ballroom. Jonathon looked up and saw his mother's face etched in fear. He started feeling a little braver and whispered. "Mother, we should go down and help father!” "Shush, Jonathon. There's nothing we can do and he told us to stay here!” "But mother, what if something bad happens to him? I'm his son. I need to help him!"  Another loud crash and couple of gunshots were heard from below. Without thinking of anything but aiding his father, the young Jonathon Elliot ripped himself from his mother's arms and ran to the door.  He quickly unlocked it despite his mother's soft protest and he ran down the dark hallway, down to the spiral staircase that would lead him to the ballroom. He heard his mother's footsteps going after him but he continued down the steps. He reached the marbled foyer and stopped to catch his breath in time for another crash to echo through the tomb-like mansion. This renewed his energy and he dashed inside the open ballroom door.  He stopped short as he saw two men in masks, circling his father. None were holding guns but he could see that his father was bleeding on his side. He almost paled and fainted but determination and fear kept his blood pumping. Before he could stop himself, he shouted  “Father!" Jason Elliot looked at the doorway with fear as he saw his pajama clad son standing there. He only had a second before one of the attackers swung at him. He dodged and delivered a severe blow to the guy's midsection. He did not feel anymore pain in his gunshot wound. His only thought was to get to his son before any of the mysterious men could.  He roared like a lion.  That was the thought that Jonathon was thinking when he watched in fascination as his father barrelled through his attackers, leaving them sprawling on the ground.  He rushed to his son and hugged him. "I told you to stay upstairs with your mother!” He whispered gruffly but nonetheless, relieved nothing happened to him. "I wanted to help you! I know I can -I” "Hold it right there, Elliot!"  Father and son turned around just in time to hear the click of a gun as it loaded the barrel. Jonathon saw his mother in the arms of an armed man, a pistol trained to her head. He blinked with fear and grabbed his father's hand. Jason felt his world shake with terror as he watched his wife struggling in the arms of the masked man. He slowly got up and felt Jonathon's hand grip his. He raised one hand and tried to calm his voice.  "What do you want? My money? Jewelry? You can loot the house, just don't harm my wife. " He pleaded, slowly putting Jonathon behind him. The man laughed, his voice muffled by the ski mask he was wearing. "No, nothing from this house. I want your company. I want Elliot Enterprises! “ "Who sent you?" He asked inching a little closer. The guy snarled and pointed the gun closer to Jane Elliot's temple.  "You are not in any position to put forth questions, Elliot.” Jonathon half listened as he scanned the nearby floor for anything that he could hand to his dad. They were Elliot's and they never give up. He saw something glint against the moonlight and found another pistol, it's handle jutting out from under the seat near him. He quickly stretched out his foot and tried to kick it towards him. "I cannot turn over Elliot Enterprises to you! I don't even know you! Besides, all my contracts and paper works are in the office. I don't keep them here.” Jonathon let go of his father's hand and slowly took a peek at the assailant. He was too busy keeping his hostage still and getting Jason to cooperate that he forgot about the boy. Jonathon slowly returned to hiding behind his dad and with utmost care, he slowly began to crouch down.  "Then, you'll just have to drive us to your office tonight!" Jonathon listened as his father told the man that the office was locked up and that his brother was the only person who could open up the office at this time of night. The man did not believe him and was again threatening to blow his wife's head if he did not cooperate. In the heat of the moment, Jonathon was able to crouch low enough to grab the gun. He was breathing heavily out of fear, excitement and nervousness. He straightened up and faced his father's back. He pressed the weapon against it and felt his father stiffen. "Hey! Why don't you push you son over to me, Elliot and maybe I'll think about not blowing your wife's head into oblivion. Come on! Give me the boy!” Jonathon waited for his father to reach out behind him and he slowly slipped the gun on his hand as he bravely stepped away and faced the masked man. He heard his mother whimper but he was no longer afraid. His father had a weapon and he would not fail. He walked as calmly as he could towards the man and his mother. Already, his mind was formulating tactics. He is a smart kid and all he needed to do was find a way for the man to release his mother so that his father could take aim. He stopped in front of the man and spoke. "Please let go of my mother. I am the heir to Elliot Enterprises and if you want to own it, you'll have to have me.” He heard his father gasp and his mother whimper again. The man looked at the young boy in front of him and considered for a minute. Soon, Jonathon saw his mother being pushed away and he was now roughly pulled by a strong arm. "Well, well- I see you have a smart kid here, Elliot. I think I'll just shoot both of you and keep him. He is after all the heir…" "No!" Jason cried out, holding his wife close to him. "I have not yet signed the papers. He only gets to work and own the company if he is of age. Besides, do you think I'm stupid enough to risk the life of my child? You forget I have a brother, sir.” This made the man stop to think and Jonathon could feel the tremors of anger in his body. He looked up and saw that the man had a scratch on his neck. "I am tired of the bullshit, Elliot! You do as I say or I'll kill all of you!" "That will not amount to anything! You'll still lose in the end-“ He was cut off by the sound of sirens. In that moment of distraction, Jonathon did what he thought was the only way to get away from the grip of the attacker. He bit down on the arm that was holding him hard. He felt and tasted blood as he bit down even harder. He stepped back and stomped on the guy's foot, hooked his other foot on the wobbly leg and pushed.  Jonathon found himself sprawling on the floor and as the man in the mask landed just a few feet away from him. He heard his father shout and he quickly scrambled on to his feet, slipping and spitting the blood from his mouth.  He stood up and ran to his father but not before the man grabbed him by the ankle and he fell forward on the marble floor. He felt a searing pain on his shoulder and his neck. He looked down in a daze and saw shattered glass with blood. He understood, only vaguely, that he must have cut himself. He struggled and heard the front door burst open. The police were here, they were saved! He looked up, kicking the man's arm, ready to run back to his father then he stopped. He saw his father in slow motion raising the gun and firing. But, there were two shots. He watched in slow motion as his father was thrown back as a bullet hit him squarely on the chest. Jonathon saw his father looked shocked then he quickly looked down at his son and managed a small smile and a nod. He heard his mother scream but it was like she was far, far away.  He could only see his father's body on the floor and feel that the tugging in his foot, cease. Apparently, the attacker was able to retrieve his weapon and shoot Jason Elliot as he was about to shoot him. Both were excellent marksmen. Time seemed suspended as he watched and waited on the floor for his father to get up. He could hear himself shouting Get up Dad! Get up!  But his father remained motionless, with his mother crying over his body. Jonathon felt hands carrying him away and then he started to struggle. He wanted to go to his father and shake him awake. "No giving up! Get up Dad! Father please get up! " These words were all that was echoing in his head as he kicked and screamed, never knowing that it was the police pulling him away from the scene. "Mom!" He shouted, trying to get her to help him but his mother did not look up from Jason Elliot's unmoving body. "Mom! I'm here- Help me get to dad! Let go of me! Let go!” The scene before him began to melt away and everything seemed to be moving at a normal speed now. He found himself on a stretcher, the paramedics tending to his neck which had a slit that was deep enough to worry the medics.  He waited and waited for his mother to come to him. He strained to see if his father would come out and walk over to him and congratulate him for being brave and for fighting. He waited...  And waited… Nobody came out of the house.  He struggled against the the paramedics, shouting that he had to see his father. He was worked up to a frenzy that he did not feel the prick of the needle that sent him into a deep sleep. The last thing that he saw was his father's face, smiling then everything faded to black.