Chapter thirty-eight – Broken

~~

-Citria's Point of View-

My eyes widen, and the force I once used to try and prise the mystery person away from Michael dissolves into nothingness. Out of breath from the amount of effort I put in, I stare at the man – who has now locked Michael against the wall with his hand – and try to get my head around all this.

"Y-You're Marco?" I gasp, my eyes then averting to Michael, who looks terrified right about now. "The one who ... was on the phone ... "

Michael's eyes meet mine, and just from looking at him, I can tell he's furious with me. I told him Marco wouldn't find us – and here he is, pinning Michael against the wall by his neck. Michael was right; I feel so foolish.

"That's right. I came to pay Clover a little visit," he answers, his eyes finding Clover's at last. "Sweetheart, I've missed you. Living in England without you wasn't so fun." His tone is sly, which suggests he doesn't mean what he says.

"Why are you here, Marco?" Clover demands, backing up behind Reiss. Reiss places a protective arm in front of Clover, eyeing up his ex-best friend.

"I just told you!" Marco laughs, finally letting go of Michael. Michael immediately collapses to the floor, breathing heavily and coughing madly in attempt to get his breath back. "I came here to see you!" He walks over to Clover, but Reiss holds her safely behind him. "And Reiss ... how ya been, buddy?" He playfully punches Reiss' chest, before looking at his niece. "So, so lovely to see you again, Clover darling."

"Back off, Marco," Clover hisses, gripping tightly to the sleeve of Reiss' shirt. "Go back to England. Or better yet, go to Hell."

"And what have you been doing here the last two months, huh?" Marco smirks, gently caressing his niece's cheek. "Where have you been staying?"

"That's none of your concern," she answers, anger clear in her tone. She looks up at Reiss, tears in her eyes. "How did he find us, Reiss?"

Reiss shakes his head, looking Marco dead in the eye. His eyes hold many different emotions – they're glazed-over with anger; there are tears in them from fear; and they're half-lidded with fury. But yet, he doesn't speak a word.

"Well, now you've seen her Sir. You can go home or whatever, now," I burst in, hoping to rid the negative atmosphere between everyone right about now. My sudden words cause everyone to stare at me, Michael included. He must really hate me right now.

But then, I remember father is in the kitchen waiting for us. He's probably wondering what's happening! But I can't get to him; between me and father, there's Marco, Reiss, Clover and the kitchen door. There's no way I can get to him.

Marco laughs at me, turning on his heel from his niece, to me. Slowly, he paces over to me, the floorboards thudding underfoot. "Sweetheart, I'm not going to be leaving for a long time. Count on that."

Without warning, Michael jumps up from his kneeling position on the floor, and points accusingly at Marco. "You ... you killed all my family, didn't you? You told Astrix to do that, didn't you!" By now, his face is red and contorted in fury, and his nostrils flaring with anger. Part of me believes that some of that anger is for me, though.

Marco furrows his brows, confused, and smiles at Michael as he does so. "I ... killed your family? And what evidence do you have of that?"

"The letters Astrix sent!" Michael lowers his pointing finger, the same hand now balling into a fist.

"Letters?" Marco frowns, unsure on what Michael means. He walks straight by me, towards Michael, before squaring up to him. "And what if you're wrong?"

Michael swallows nervously, but tries to square up to Marco the same way Marco just did to him. Despite being at least half a foot shorter than Marco, he makes a lot of effort to appear dominant. "And what if the police knew you were here right now?"

Marco's serious expression grows quickly to one of amusement. He lets out a wheezy chuckle, nodding. He claps his hands slowly, as if impressed by Michael's confidence. "Then what could they do, huh? Arrest me without evidence that I did anything? Sure."

Michael inhales deeply, obviously trying to remain patient without exploding on the man in front of him. "There will be. And once there is, you're going down for life. I'm telling you. I know it was you. I know you made Astrix murder my entire family." He then makes eye contact with him. "I can see it in your eyes; you're an evil human being who deserves no mercy."

Whilst the two men are facing off, I subtly shuffle over to Clover and Reiss, before whispering to them. "Get dad and yourselves out of here. We'll get rid of Marco. Just go. Before he notices."

Nodding, Reiss takes Clover's hand, guiding her into the kitchen where father is. I hear Reiss briefly explain to father what's happening as they exit out the back door, and once I can no longer hear their faint muttering, I heave a sigh of relief.

"I'm an evil human being, am I?" Marco repeats Michael's words, scoffing afterwards. "You're very prejudice, aren't you, Mr Jackson?"

"Mr Jackson was my father," Michael retorts through gritted teeth. It's clear to see that with every word spoken, he's losing his patience more and more. "But you wouldn't know; you made Astrix kill them all."

"I think ... you should leave," I pipe up, beginning to guide Marco towards the front door. He forces my grip away from him, causing me to wince in pain. "Marco, Sir, you're not welcome here. Now you better leave, before I do something I may regret."

Again, he laughs, clapping. "Do what? Call the police? They wouldn't know where I am."

"They know you're in America," I hiss. "Once they realise you're the true criminal, they'll track where your passport is. They'll know you've flown from England to here. They aren't stupid."

Marco walks closer to me, squaring me up as he did to Michael. "But you wouldn't do that, Miss Espinosa. You don't have the nerve."

"Watch ... me ... " I begin to run for the telephone, but Marco grabs my arm to stop me from going far. My head whips around to look at him, and our eyes meet properly for the first time. They're cold and hard, much like his stare.

"You're not going anywhere near that phone," Marco assures me, his grip tightening around my arm. The feeling causes me to cry out in pain, and as a result, I desperately flail my arm around to try and free it.

"Leave her alone!" Michael shouts, trying to prise him off me the way I did for Michael when he first got here. "You have no right to hurt my friends and family! No right! You already did enough! Stop it!" Finally, my arm comes free from Marco's grasp. A crying mess, I make a bee-line for the staircase, watching Michael and Marco from behind the banister.

"Get out of our house, Marco! I mean it!" Michael growls, opening the front door. He pushes Marco towards it, but Marco forces himself to a stop before he's past the doorway.

"Michael ... " he starts. "Why do you think I wanted Astrix to kill everyone?"

"Because you're a vile, cruel man who doesn't deserve the life he has." With those words, he pushes Marco further out the door.

But yet, he still doesn't leave. "What motive would I even have for killing your entire family, huh?"

"You don't need a motive. You're a sick, twisted human." Michael's tone then becomes calmer, but still holds anger – as if disgusted by the person in front of him. "I spit on the ground you walk on."

"I spit on the ground your mother and father existed on," Marco returns nastily.

Not even a second has passed before Michael balls his right hand into a fist, and violently smacks it across Marco's cheek. Marco jars a little from the impact, his head bowed as his fingers meet his nose. He lifts his head, allowing his hand to separate from his face, revealing blood. It seeps from his nose, as well as staining his fingers. With one look at his bloodied hand, he shoots Michael a death glare.

"I'll be coming back for you. Count on it," he vows, before spitting on the doorstep. He turns around to leave, so I take the time to get to the phone and call the police.

"Gary Police Department; what's your emergency?"

"I-It's Citria Espinosa calling about the case involving Mr Michael Jackson," I mutter, shaking all over from fright.

"Oh yes, hello. What can I do for you tonight?"

"Th-The criminal just came to our home, and threatened us. He said he's going to come back and get us ... "

"Do you know the name of this person, Miss Espinosa?"

"Yes. His name is Marco Espinosa."

"He's a relative of yours?" the Officer questions.

"Well ... I think he's my uncle. I never knew about him though. N-Not until recently."

I've just figured it out now. If Clover is my long-lost cousin, and also Marco's niece, then that makes him my uncle, too. My father's brother. But then ... how come father never mentioned him? Father must have known of Marco! Or maybe ... Marco is just as long-lost as Clover first was to me. I have no idea ...

"Okay. Do you know where he is now?"

"Well, he just left my home. He could still be in the area. But ... I don't know where he is now."

"Alright. We'll keep in touch. Thanks for letting us know."

"That's alright." By now, my heart is beating out my chest – almost literally. "Um ... bye for now, Officer." Hanging up, I look over at Michael, waiting for him to come over and hug me. When he just stands there staring at me, I speak up. "Michael—?"

"I knew it!" he explodes, hitting the banister harshly with his hand, holding onto it afterwards. "I told you he'd find us once you told him we're in America! I told you it was foolish! But did you believe me? No! "It'll be okay," you said. "He won't be able to find the state we're in, let alone the town!". Well, that wasn't true was it? No!"

"I'm sorry!" I shriek guiltily. "I really am sorry! I'm sorry with all my heart! I just ... I didn't know he'd find us! I didn't know!"

"Apologising won't stop the endless threats we're going to get now, will it!" he argues. "Marco knows where we live! He knows, okay? He knows! And it's all your fault!" He barges past me on the staircase, causing me to trip a little.

"Michael! I'm really sorry!" I cry, tears slipping down my cheeks. Knowing that he comes before me right now, I follow him upstairs, finding him in our room. "Michael please!"

"Keep away from me!" he yells, pointing a finger at me with one hand, and a fist forming with his other. "I mean it! I don't want to see your face again tonight!"

"Michael, how many more times can I say I'm sorry?" I plead, entering the room and approaching him. My hands rest on his face to try and win him over, but he sharply slaps them away. "Michael, please! ... "

"I said I don't want to see your face again tonight. I meant that!" He lifts his glass of water from his bedside table, drinking it despite it being a day old. The sweat covering his face is easily visible. "Now get out of my face, Citria! I mean it! Don't make me do something I'll regret!"

"B-But Michael ... " I sob, attempting to take his hands in mine. Again, he forces them away. "I-I didn't know he would find us! ... "

"Well he did." He seems to be more calm now, which relaxes me a little. Perhaps we can make amends now he's a little calmer.

"Please ... please forgive me ... " I beg, taking his hand again. My legs give way, causing me to fall to my knees, and my head rests against our hands as tears spill from my eyes. "Please ... "

Silence lingers around us for a few moments, until once again, he forces my hands away from his. "Not tonight," he answers, walking away from me; towards the window. All that can be heard is his slow, wheezy breaths as I watch him look outside at the fields behind the house.

Still on the floor, I draw my knees to my chest, embracing them as I rock gently back and forth. Tears won't stop falling from my eyes; I've made such a mistake, and the guilt will consume me for life. I've put everyone I know in danger. It's understandable that he doesn't want to forgive me for this. I'll be surprised if he ever does.

"I hope you'll forgive me tomorrow," I state, my voice broken from the amount of crying I've been doing.

"That's if we make it to tomorrow with Marco around," he retorts, fury still evident in his tone.

"Marco is causing you and I to drift apart ... " I frown, burying my head into my embrace along with my legs.

"No. Your foolishness is causing you and I to drift apart," he snaps.

"Can't you see how much this mistake is killing me!" I suddenly shout, lifting my head up as he turns to look at me. "It's the biggest mistake I ever made!"

"Killing you? No, Citria. It's going to end up killing Clover and Reiss! You aren't in danger; they are! Your father is in danger! And you're thinking of yourself?"

"How come I can never think of the right person first!" Standing up, I walk over to the window next to Michael, to face him properly. "When I think of others, I'm lectured because I'm not thinking of myself; when I actually think about myself, suddenly everyone else is more important like I always thought! I ... I can't win." My eyes close in emotional agony, as a tear falls down each cheek. "I can't win!"

"No. You can never win. Life ain't that fair!" In a rage, he turns around and flips over the tiny table next to him, causing the vase which was standing on it to smash horribly against the floor.

It breaks into multiple pieces, but nowhere near as many pieces as my heart breaks into.

"Michael!" I shriek, falling to my knees by the broken pieces of pottery. He looks down at me, waiting for me to speak again. And when I do, I make sure to make it clear as possible.

"That was the vase my mom got for me before she died!"

Overcome with pain, I bow my head so that it touches the floor, and I grab shards of pottery with my fingers, not caring that it'll cause cuts. When I look up, I see that Michael, realising what he's done, is staring at me, his eyes widened and full of tears.

Without saying anything, he dashes away from the windowsill, slamming the bedroom door behind him as he goes; leaving me alone in the large, empty room to cry.

~~

So ... that was pretty dramatic, don't you think? Will they forgive one another for this? They both made pretty bad mistakes ... right?

Quick question: Team Michael or Team Citria?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)