"It doesn't have to be this way".

I feel persuaded after Auntie Alexandra owned a record label called Unleashed Entertainment. Lord must be proud of her. She has a lot of artists, from pop, to R&B, to soul, to hip hop, to every other genre you could ever think of.

I'm using all my pressure for this. With the heat between my arms and my legs. I don't wanna take the blame. I could think of a hunch.

I was talking with my FaceTime friend Colleen, and tell her that my auntie's record label was in Baton Rouge. On holidays, she would only take the bus.

"How you holdin' up, girl?" asked Colleen

"I'm feeling fine". I replied, "Everything has changed since...y'know, auntie".

"So gullible. I think you must be proud of your aunt".

"Yeah. But this is not good for me. I wonder what I'm making for my new song".

The conversation went on until mom told me to grab Vanessa, my sister, to her fiancé's house. His name is Isaac and is engaged to a woman, a friend named Annaliese.

I told her I can count on her, and I did.

I drove my car to Isaac's house to collect Vannesa.

I opened the door to Isaac and Annaliese's house. 

"Vanessa". I whispered to myself, stunned.

I walked to the house, opened the door, and it was empty on the inside the house. There was no sound, no Issac, no nothing. Did Vanessa killed herself? I don't know why whether Vanessa is dead or alive. The point is that I gotta find her.

I went up stairs to find out which bedroom Vanessa went. As soon as I looked at the first room, I heard some bed creaks in Issac's room. The moment was too unexpected. I went to Issac's room and shocked, that Issac is sexually abusing and raping Vanessa. He was on top, moving his arms and doing there things like that scene from Waiting to Exhale. He wore nothing but a tank top, underwear, socks and a tattoo on his right arm that says "MY DICK RICH AS MUTHAFUCKIN' DEEPTHROATS", 

I looked at Vanessa, and she looked at me, with a pale face, as if she was going to heaven with him. I stammered quietly and gives Vanessa a "shhhh" gesture. 

I solemnly walked backwards, panting for air. I lean on the balcony of the stairs, my arm shaking like a bee and ran downstairs to the kitchen. 

I searched for a knife to kill that damn man to his knees. I looked at the kitchen sink and grabbed the knife at breakneck speed. Stressed, I stabbed and made marks on the kitchen counter, feeling that I was about to cry. 

Take deep breaths, girl. Don't let your dreams be dreams. You can't lose. Control your anger. And you can't lose.

Aunt Alexandra told me those words when I was a baby girl. I can't take it. I went upstairs uncontrollably. 

"This ends now", I said, quietly.

I rushed to Isaac's room where he is raping Vanessa. While crying hysterically, I stabbed him on the back, six times, four on the sides and two on his stomach. 

Vanessa, clutching her waist, was mortified when I stabbed him. After I was done stabbing him, I pushed him off the side on the bed and grabbed Vanessa. Vanessa was sobbing uncontrollably after the aftermath. 

"You...You've killed him!", yelled Vanessa, "you---you...I--I want my auntie---I want my family---". I grabbed by the shoulders and turned to me. "Our auntie's gone! Our family is still at home!" I yelled at her back. Vanessa, still crying, hugged me, disheveled and distraught that Isaac is dead. I consoled her. I rubbed her hair gently and said. "Shh, shh, shh. It's going to be okay. I'm just fine that you're okay". 

"Thank you. Thank you for killing that SOB."

"Shh. Dry away those tears". Vanessa does so. 

Vanessa sat down on the bed, rubbing her forehead.

"Let's get to the car. You'll be safe in the house. It doesn't have to be this way, just get to the car. Just take my keys, and you'll be fine".

"Okay...okay". Vanessa hugged me for the second time and walked out of Isaac's room after she stopped crying.

I walked up to Isaac's murdered body. "The last time you see a damn woman, you gonna get a gross-ass body if you need it, cause imma gonna make you die alone", I said to Isaac's dead body. 

Before I walked out of the room, I walked to the phone, called 911, and said to them:

Hello, 911?

Yeah...someone is dying in someone else's bedroom. 

A black figure stabbed a man, a fiancé of Annaliese Hodgson.

Oh, his name?

His name is Isaac Hodgson. 

And he's losing a lot of blood.

You want the address to his house?

His address is 2447 SW Avenue. His pin code is 80106. 

Oh, you don't wanna know.

Can you please save him and take him to the hospital to heal him?

Thanks.

Oh, my name. My name is Jude Carmichael.

Thank you for understanding.

I ended the phone call with 911, looked at Isaac's body for the last time, and put the knife on his hand, looking like he committed suicide as a crime scene.

"Good luck, Isaac. You're gonna need it".

I walked up to Isaac's body and looked at it one last time. I walked out of the door without leaving a trace and went out the door to get to the car to get Vanessa and me home.

While driving home, I feel guilt-ridden with a deadpan expression. 

"I feel worried about you and Isaac", I said to Vanessa.

Vanessa turned to me slowly. 

"What do you mean by that?" asked Vanessa.

"Well, you know...I...that shattered feeling that you've been raped by Isaac?"

"You don't wanna know".

"Look, I'm worried about you. Our family is worried about you. Even Annaliese is worried by Isaac or you".

"Nobody's perfect. Isaac is dead, and there's nothing to worry about".

"Touché".

There was a moment of silence. Until Vanessa breaks the vow.

"Jude, I feel scared. I think something is coming for me. Auntie's is the owner of her record label, you killed Isaac, and...and...I just feel scared. What about our family? What about our lives, our future? You?"

"I don't know why our lives would be like. Annaliese is not that important. Her demons control him. That can't escalate that. I don't have a choice, my hands are tied. I can't confront Annaliese and controlled demons to Isaac. I don't know what she is". 

Upon what Vanessa heard, I can't resolve the conflict. Annaliese becomes crazy about something and it didn't go that well.

The damn mind about Issac is plagued against me. My doubt, my anger, my sadness. It won't help.

Whatever the problem is, things are coming for us. And then, our future would be different.

This will never be same.

After the aftermath, we collect our family, and Colleen and go to auntie's label.

Everything is changed. 

And it's only gonna get better and better.

xoxo, Jude