"What do you remember?""Not much…" I slowly began, relating everything I had remembered from the photographs I had seen on his computer.
Once I was finished, Julian let out a long sigh. "So you"re missing most of it, huh?" I looked at him quizzically. He continued: "What you remember is only from the beginning of that trip. We were gone for almost two weeks."
My brain reeled. I knew I was missing a large chunk of that trip, obviously, but almost two whole weeks? I tried to contain my inner turmoil as I stared at Julian, asking him to continue with my eyes. I wasn"t going to interrupt him if he was going to share the truth.
"After Eric… a.s.saulted you," Julian ground out. "You didn"t want to leave the room the next day. I finally managed to get you to the beach, but you wouldn"t go near my family. I didn"t understand, until…"
----
"Julian, be a dear and join me for tea?"
I paused my steps to turn to look at my mother. I had just been on my way to see Alice. She claimed she was down with constant headaches. I was worried, because she didn"t usually get sick. Ever since the night she had drunk a bit too much, she wasn"t doing well. Maybe there was something in the drinks? But everyone else seemed to be fine. I hadn"t felt any different, either.
"Just for a bit?" My mother had seen my hesitation and smiled at me benevolently. I knew if I said no, she"d lose her temper.
"Of course, mom." I followed her to her the outdoor seating for the tea room. We sat across from each other as the tea selection was brought out and my mother selected our teas for the afternoon. Small snacks were brought out for us while we waited for the tea to steep.
Silence. The only noise was the distant sound of waves crashing onto the beach. My mother wasn"t one for making small talk, even when she was with one of her own children. But I also knew she didn"t simply invite people "for tea". Whatever this was about, my mom wanted to talk about something. If I lost my patience and asked outright, I would lose. I tapped idly on my knee. I was anxious to see my fiance, but I could wait. I was used to my mother"s games.
"Do you know who this is?"
My mother finally slid a photo across the table towards me. It was of a dark hallway brightened by a camera flash. Against one wall were two people crushed against each other. It wasn"t a very clear photo, probably taken with a cellphone. I squinted at the picture before recognizing the two people. I struggled to keep my expression neutral. This was Alice and Eric. But whatever the reason they were photographed in a hallway like this, I knew it wasn"t a good one.
"I haven"t a clue."
My mother lifted her teacup delicately and took a sip, taking her time as always. She wouldn"t respond until she was sure how she wanted to lay her cards.
"It"s your lying cousin and that s.l.u.t you call a fiance."
Even while saying such disgusting words, my mother"s tone did not change. She still sounded as if she were discussing the weather and not insulting the woman I wanted to marry. I clenched one of my hands into a fist on my thigh under the table, even while I reached out and took a sip of my own tea with the other. I could only show my frustration at the insult out of sight. If I let her know how disgusting I found her language, I would definitely lose whatever game she was playing.
"Do you mean Eric?" I asked. Rather than talk specifically about the person I actually cared about, I pretended to be interested in the family drama.
My mother smiled at me in the way she always did when she thought I was being stupid. "Of course, who else?"
I took a moment. Control yourself. If she knew how offended I was, it would be a weakness. I can be just as cold as her. "What do you want me to do about it?"
"That b.i.t.c.h will throw a fit if we punish your cousin." My mother waved her hand dismissively. She was of course talking about my aunt. My mother never spoke kindly of anyone. Most of my relatives were "s.l.u.ts" or "s.k.a.n.ks" or "b.i.t.c.hes". If they were males, my mother would call them "liars" or "manwh.o.r.es". She always talked about them like this with the same casual air as if the insults were their real names. "You don"t need to do a thing. I"ve already taken care of the s.l.u.t."
The smile on my face froze. I could feel a rising panic. I forced myself to not speak until I was certian I wouldn"t say something stupid.
"Alice isn"t twenty-two yet."
My mother"s smile collapsed into the slightest frown.
"I haven"t "taken care" of her like that." She took a sip from her tea. "I"m only teaching her a lesson."
I couldn"t contain myself any longer. "What did you do?" I blurted. The panic remained, if only a little less strong. My mother was still harming Alice, but at least my fiance would be alive.
My mother"s frown deepened at the emotion in my voice. "Jules, I thought we had reached an understanding."
I ignored my mother"s warning tone. She would be upset with me over this outburst, but Alice was already in danger. She couldn"t do worse than she already had.
"Mom, tell me."
"Jules…"
I jumped from my seat and slapped the tea off the table with a loud crash. I slammed my hands onto the table and leaned across at my mother. My mother was above me in status, in wealth, in almost every way except height. I was a much larger individual and at the present moment, I was not above using my size to get my mother to listen.
"What. Did. You. Do."