7 yrs, Gone and Forgotten

Chapter 21: Abel

     The clapping of his hands brought me out of my daydream while staring at the man in front of me that I knew but didn’t know. He cleared his throat and smirked, “You will pay for taking her away from me.” He spoke and it was like thunder rumbling through my body.

     It was enough though that I came back to my senses and pushed all those thoughts and emotions deep down. “She wasn’t yours to take. And neither are those people in there.” I pointed toward the steel door where I knew Lumen and they were.

    He stepped a few steps closer, and squinted his eyes at me, “You don’t know what you are getting into little girl. Just who do you think you are?”

    Something about his words struck a nerve and that over confidence I didn’t know I had reared its ugly head as I stood tall and held my head high dropping my hands to the side. I walked slowly toward him emphasizing each click of my heel against the tile beneath my feet. I stopped arm’s length away from him and lightly tapped his chest with a smile lacing my face, “I’m the security guard that’s going to stop you.” I whispered as I placed my hand back down to my side and stepped away slowly. For a brief second, I felt the scar in my palm start to burn and I instantly was rubbing it, when I realized he was mocking me by doing the same, I dropped my hands and stepped back a little further.

     “I don’t think so,” he taunted and in one swift movement he charged me with his fist.

    I laughed as I grabbed it and twisted him around quick enough that I was able to send him flying the other direction. “If that’s all you got, better go home now.” I laughed as I took my stance. I knew I was poking the bear, and I was pretty sure that whatever I had dealt with downstairs with all those men was nothing compared to what I was fixing to face.

    He turned slowly and began to roll his sleeves up with a smirk on his face, “Just remember you asked for this. And when I win, I am leaving here with those people in there, they are guilty.”

   “Fair enough.” I couldn’t let him win, guilty or not he wasn’t going to beat me.

   The punches came hard and fast, some I blocked, some I took with a grain of salt. He was powerful and with each punch I could feel my heart skip a beat. I never showed the pain and delivered my fair share of punches. Punch after punch, kick after kick we both matched each other, I felt like I was in the dance of death the way we moved with each other, our steps were perfect, and our bodies complimented each other’s moves perfectly.

    He managed to pin me to the wall and held my upper arms with both of his hands, “Who the hell are you?” He finally breathed out while trying to catch his breath.

    I twisted my arms around quickly breaking the hold and placing my hands on his chest. I pushed with all I had in me and sent him flying backwards into the other wall before wiggled my arms getting rid of the electrifying touch that seemed to be lingering where his hands were. “Someone who doesn’t go down so easy.”

     I didn’t give him time to say anything as I attacked, I punched his abdomen and brought and upper cut to his chin sending him flying to his back on the hard tile knocking the air out of him. I took a deep breath hoping that he didn’t get back up, as much as I wanted to defeat him, somewhere deep down in me had no interest in hurting him. It was almost like I couldn’t hurt him; my body wouldn’t let me. Sure a few punches, bruises, bloodied lips I could do, but to hurt him any worse, I just couldn’t. He was back on his feet in the blink of an eye and charged me like a linebacker after the quarter back. His shoulder made contact with me and sent me flying backwards only to feel the banister hit my back. I tried to catch myself and the next thing I knew I was sailing backwards to the ground on the main floor. I don’t know how I done it, but I managed to flip my body mid air and when I landed one leg was behind me with my knee barely touching the floor and my other leg in a sit position while I heaved a sigh of relief looking at the floor and sending thanks to whomever for not hitting that hard surface at that height.

    The ground shuttered beneath me, and I looked up to see him standing there like he had just jumped from that height. He grabbed me by the throat and hoisted me into the air. Looking into those eyes, I should have probably been afraid, but anger started to fuel me, all those emotions that I had bottled up in me were starting to boil into one emotion one emotion that I felt I couldn’t control, anger.

    “Tell me who you are!” He demanded.

     I laughed as I managed to break my hold and shove him backwards yet again, while watching as he toppled over one of the only tables left standing. “I told you, I am the security guard. And I am done playing with you.”

     He jumped to his feet and charged me, but I was quick enough this time I knelt down just in time to catch him on my back and sending him soaring through the air. He landed with a thump on the tile floor, and I ran over flipping him to his stomach. I pressed my knees into two different pressure points in his legs and dropped my elbow into the numbing pressure point in his back. He tried to break free, but he was becoming weak with the pressure I was applying.

     I slowly wrapped my tiny hand around his thick muscular neck and placed my mouth near his ear, “Until next time.” I whispered as I applied the pressure I needed to on his neck and his body went limp under me as he closed his eyes. I don’t know how I knew that would knock him out, but I was thankful to the teacher who taught me.

     I stood quickly and backed away from him as I tried to collect myself. The adrenaline was beginning to kick in and I could feel my body wanting to shake with it. I looked up and there were men standing around me, they weren’t ours and they weren’t Lumens, so I assumed they were with the guy I just put out.

     I held my hands up in mock surrender and stepped back slowly, “He asked for it, but I didn’t kill him.” I laughed at myself for the situation I was in, “Now you can either let me get the owners out of here safely or you can meet your ends like him. Your choice.”

     “Leave her be!” A voice shouted from behind the crowd. I watched as Jake made his way through and stood over the man looking at me with a goofy smile. “Déjà vu. Go get out of here, I will take care of him. And don’t worry about Lumen and them, they have already escaped.” He bent down to check the pulse of the man on the floor before looking up at me, “You better get out of here before he wakes up.”

    I knelt down in front of him and matched him eye for eye before leaning closer and whispering, “Who am I Jake?”

    He placed his hands on my shoulders and smiled, “I can’t tell you much, you have to find your own path, but I will tell you, your name is Sidney. Now go, we will meet again.” He winked and slightly pushed me away as they all crowded around the man and lifted him up.

     I slowly retreated down the corridor and out the door while his words played over and over in my head, my name, my name is Sidney. It felt right, my body felt alive at just the thought of knowing my name. No matter how bruised, battered, and sore I felt, it all washed away with knowing my real name was Sidney.

     Standing at the end of the driveway, next to the street I stared back toward the house. All of my answers were with those people, but they sent me away. I had been right all along, Jake knew me, which meant so did Eva and the others, they knew my story, they knew who I once was. I knew deep down I would never grace the steps of my flat again, I would never sit under the Eiffel tower and drink my coffee. All my answers lied in that land with those people, and it was time for me to find my home.

    Deciding I was tired and ready to reunite with my friends and family that I knew in the moment I began my walk down the street toward the safe house. I was lost in thought when a black SUV pulled up beside me and stopped, rolling down the window. I peered through the window and for the five thousandth time that night my heart skipped a beat at the black eyes peering back at me. His skin was dark and weathered, his dark hair left him looking like a mystery with all the other attributes of his appearance, but I felt like I had just come home.

     “Abel?” I finally spoke and he smiled. Why did I know his name? Why did he feel like home to me?

    He smiled and reached over opening the door, “At least you remember my name, that’s a start, now get in I will tell you more, we have a lot of work to do.”

    I didn’t even second guess myself as I climbed in and placed the buckle around me, I looked over at him as he pulled back out into traffic and began the journey down the road, “Who are you?” I whispered. I think I knew, but I didn’t know for sure.

    “Sidney I am your father, and we have a lot of work to do. Rest now, I am taking you to the safe house.”

     “Father?”