“Y-yeah.

Everyone’s down the hall,” I choked out as I pointed a pallid finger in the
direction of the dining room. “Thank you. I’ve been dying to see them. It’s been such a
long time.” I timidly followed behind David as he proceeded to reunite with the rest of the
family. I was in complete shock. Questions ricocheted in my brain like ping-pong balls.
How long has David been free? Who took him? How the hell was any of this possible?
Some of the same questions that had plagued me for years flooded back, along with a
plethora of new ones. But I’d receive my answers soon enough. The family was
chattering away with Lauren sneaking morsels off her plate when no one was paying
attention. The second David and I stepped into the room, everyone fell completely silent.
Carrie and Dad looked as if they’d seen a ghost, their faces mirroring my own. I glanced
at Dad. Tears began to well in his eyes. “David? Is it actually you?” My older brother
smiled warmly back at him, his lower lip trembling as he replied. “Yes, Dad. It’s really
me.” Dad began to sob, tears openly flowing down his cheeks. It felt strange witnessing
that. I’d only seen Dad cry one other time in my life, and that was at Mom’s funeral. David
rushed over to him, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. I took the opportunity to shuffle
over to my daughter and reclaim my seat. I was afraid that I was going to faint if I didn’t.
“Dad, I’m okay. You don’t have to cry over me. I’m back now. Everything is alright.” Dad
continued to sob before he glanced up at David with teary eyes. “All those years. All
those lost, precious years. I weep not only for what we cannot get back, but for what has
been returned to us. David, we have all missed you so incredibly much. I hope you know
that. Now, the day that we’ve been waiting for is finally here. I’m so glad to see you
again, son.” David’s expression suddenly shifted. His warm visage melted into one of
disgust. My breath caught in my throat as he reached into his waistband. Adrenaline
surged through my veins like venom when I laid eyes upon what he was hiding. David
had pointed a stainless steel revolver at my father’s skull. “H-hey! What’s going on here?”
Carrie demanded. “Why don’t you ask Daddy dearest?” he growled. “Unless you already
know. In that case, I should end every one of you,” David snarled, wildly aiming the
firearm at each of us. His eyes were manic, frantically darting around the room. Dad
sighed, tears again sliding down his cheeks. “David, they had no idea. No one did, not
even your mother. Leave them out of this. I’m the one you came for.” “No, it’s too late for
that. You need to tell them what you did you did to me. What you did to our family.” Dad
shamefully surveyed the room. Carrie was squeezing Derrick’s hand so hard that I
thought she’d snap a bone, Lauren was pale as a sheet, hands placed neatly in her lap,
and I was on the edge of my seat, mortified. Dad reluctantly answered the question that
lingered in the air. “Okay. You’re right. They deserve to know.” He took a moment to
compose himself before continuing. “When you kids were little, your mother and I… we
fell on hard times. She was laid off, and I had to take a sharp pay cut just to stay on at my
own job. Money was tight, and eventually, we realized that we were going to lose the
house if things kept going the way they were. And your mother, oh, she loved that house.
I knew we’d never been able to afford anything like it again. I couldn’t just rip out her
dream home right from under her like that. So, I had to get creative. In the end, I… made
an agreement with someone to have David go live with them. At least until-” David
suddenly slapped my father hard across the face with his free hand. Derrick instinctively
shot up from his chair. David shifted the gun to him. “Sit down,” he barked as Derrick
hurriedly obeyed. “Now, you. Tell them what you really did.” “Okay! I’m sorry,” Dad
squeaked, cowering under the threat of a second slap. “I did make an agreement, but not
the kind I was leading you to believe. I-I was paid. Your brother wasn’t kidnapped. It was
all a front to get us out of debt. I had full control over the joint account, so I told your
mother that I got a promotion at work, and she was too distraught to question it. I’m sorry.
I’m so sorry,” Dad wailed, covering his face with his hands.