Lena noticed they were short on food for tomorrow's breakfast.
As she approached the door, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of Elio and the day's tasks, the sudden sound of knocking jolted her from her reverie. It wasn't the gentle tap of a neighbor or her son's rhythmic knock. This was different: loud, insistent, almost threatening in its urgency.
She glanced towards the kitchen, where the younger children were still cleaning up after dinner.
The knocking ca for the third ti, so powerful it seed to shake the very foundations of their door. Lena's heart raced, but her hand remained steady as she reached for the doorknob.
♢♢♢♢
Lena opened the door to find two figures: a young man she vaguely recognized as Varick, the spoiled boy who used to bully her Elio at school, and an older man she didn't know.
Varick, with his usual arrogant bearing, seed to be in the middle of a complaint directed at Ivan.
"I'm telling you this is too much," Varick grumbled. "Why do I have to be…"
Ivan cut him off with a brusque gesture. "Because you're the only one who knows Elio's mother, his other friends are…" He stopped, his tone weary. "Lucien said you used to hang around the community school in this section just to bother him."
Varick's father and Elio's had never gotten along, and that animosity seed to have been passed down to the next generation.
"What... what's going on?" Lena asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The mory of that day when Farbe... Receiving visits like this was never a good sign.
Ivan opened his mouth to respond, but Varick stopped him with an abrupt gesture.
"I'll tell her," he said, his voice laden with an emotion Lena couldn't identify. "That day on the wall, I kept quiet. That day I couldn't do anything. So now I'll do what I must..."
Varick stepped forward, his face unusually serious. "Ma'am... uh, Elio's mother," he began, clearly uncomfortable. "We need to talk."
The older man, Ivan, intervened. "Varick, perhaps we should go inside. This isn't sothing to discuss at the door."
Lena, confused and increasingly worried, nodded and let them in. She led them to the living room, where the younger children were playing. Seeing the strangers, they froze, looking on with curiosity.
"Lola," Lena called to her oldest daughter, "take your siblings to the kitchen, please."
Once the children had left, Lena turned to the visitors. "What's happening? Is it about Elio?"
Varick took a deep breath, as if preparing to lift a great weight. "Ma'am," he began, his voice unusually soft, "I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but... Elio... Elio is dead."
The words fell like a hamr, and the world seed to stop for Lena. She felt as if the ground had opened beneath her feet, as if all the fresh air had been sucked from the room.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No, it can't be. Elio isn't..."
"I'm so sorry," Varick continued, his voice heavy with an emotion that surprised even Ivan. "He got into trouble with the leader of the families. I... I was there. I should have done sothing, but I kept quiet. And now..."
Lena collapsed into a chair, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, a heart-wrenching sob escaping her throat. "How? When?"
Ivan intervened, his voice soft but urgent. "Ma'am, I know this is a shock, but we don't have much ti. Lucien, Elio's father's friend, sent us to get you and your family to safety."
"Safety?" Lena looked up, confused. "From what?"
"From the leader of the families," Varick explained. "They fear he might try to harm you. We need to take you to the wall, to the section Lucien controls and hide you... We owe it to Elio."
At that mont, Lola entered the room, drawn by the sound of her mother's crying. "Mom, what's wrong?"
Lena looked at her daughter. "Lola," she began, her voice breaking, "it's... it's about Elio. He... he has..."
She couldn't finish the sentence. Lola, understanding imdiately, ran to her mother, hugging her tightly as they both cried.
The other children, attracted by the commotion, peeked into the room. Jeanne, the second oldest, was the first to speak:
"What happened to Elio?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Varick, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, looked to Ivan for help. The older man sighed and approached the children.
"Your brother," he began gently, "has had an accident. He's not coming ho."
The younger children didn't seem to fully understand, but Jeanne and Brenda, the oldest after Lola, began to cry silently.
"Ma'am," Ivan insisted, addressing Lena, "I know this is terrible, but we have to move. It's not safe to stay here."
Lena looked up, her eyes red and swollen. "How can I leave? This is our ho. Elio's mories are here."
Varick, surprising everyone, knelt in front of Lena. "Ma'am, I know I have no right to ask you anything. I was cruel to the fil... To Elio when we were children, and when he needed most, I failed him. But please, listen to now. If you stay here, you'll be in danger.
Elio... Elio would want you to be safe."
These words seed to penetrate the fog of grief surrounding Lena. She had promised she would accept her son's decision... Slowly, she nodded.
"Alright," she said, standing up with difficulty. "Children, gather what you can carry. We're leaving."
The next few minutes were a whirlwind of frantic activity and silent crying. The children, still in shock, packed so essential belongings. Lena moved as if in a dream.
♢♢♢♢
Finally, the family was ready. They left the house, Lena looking back one last ti.
Ivan and Varick guided them through the city streets, now shrouded in gloom. Lena walked like an automaton, holding Rian in her arms while tears continued to fall silently down her cheeks.
Lola and Jeanne comforted the younger ones as best they could, while struggling with their own grief.
Upon reaching the wall, Varick stopped. "Ivan," he said, "take them to Lucien's section. I have to go back."
Ivan frowned. "Go back? Why?"
"I need to talk to Lucien," Varick replied. "With things as they are, I need him to get permission once and for all."
Ivan nodded, though his expression showed so concern. "Be careful," he warned. "Things are tense."
♢♢♢♢
An explosion echoed in the distance...
Lena, holding Rian in her arms, looked at Ivan with eyes full of fear and confusion. "What was that?"
Ivan shook his head. "I don't know, ma'am. But we have to keep moving. Lucien's section isn't far."
As they moved away, Lena couldn't help but look back. Part of her wanted to run back to her house, to deny everything that had happened. But she knew she couldn't. For her children, for Elio's mory, she had to push forward.
"Co on, children," she said softly, adjusting Rian in her arms. "Elio... Elio would want us to be strong."
♢♢♢♢
Varick was running when an explosion shook the air. He stopped abruptly, turning towards the source of the sound. Without a second thought, he launched himself in that direction.
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