Fallen For the Devil

“Kyle! Kyle!… hurry up, you’re getting late for the airport. I’m sure Sofia’s plane is about to land!” Queen Meghan’s voice echoed through the palace hallway, sharp and urgent. Her son, already simmering with irritation, stiffened at the sound. “If you don’t stop yelling,” Kyle muttered through clenched teeth, “I swear I’ll change my mind about picking her up. And you know I’m not interested in doing it in the first place.” That shut her up instantly. Meghan watched him stride toward the door, jaw tight, shoulders tense. “Won’t you at least go with protection, son?” she tried again, voice softening into a plea. “No.” He didn’t even look at her. “But Kyle, you’re a pri...” “Mom, do you really want us to have this conversation right now?” His voice dipped into that dangerous tone she knew too well. Meghan exhaled and backed off. She had learned long ago when not to push her son. She simply watched as he stormed out, slid into his car, shoved his earphones in, and pulled out of the gates with a growl of the engine. * * * “Alisha, please… less staring at your phone and more watching the road,” Ket warned, tugging at her sister’s wrist as they crossed the street. “Ket, please. Less elder-sister nagging and more....ah!” Her sentence snapped in half as a sleek, expensive car slammed into her and sent her crashing onto the pavement. Her groceries scattered, her phone skidded across the asphalt, and pain shot up her ankle. “Alisha!” Ket screamed, dropping beside her. “Are you okay? Oh my God...” The car door flung open. Out stepped a tall, perfectly built man with an aura of arrogance so thick it almost had weight. He yanked out his earphones, irritation written all over his face. “What’s wrong with people these days? Do you not have eyes?” he snapped. “Hey! clumsy! Don’t you know how to cross a road?” Alisha’s pain quickly mixed with anger. “Excuse me, mister? If you were paying attention, you wouldn’t have knocked me down.” She tried to stand but winced sharply. “Ket… it hurts. I can’t move.” “Hey!” Ket shouted at him. “At least help her. You caused this!” Kyle glanced at them cold, distant, uninterested then turned his back, climbed into his car, and drove off as if nothing had happened. Alisha’s eyes burned with fury. She snatched up the bag of groceries, ready to hurl it at the car’s retreating silhouette, but Ket held her back. “If you throw our food, what will we eat tonight?” Ket whispered anxiously. “Please, calm down.” “He is so rude,” Alisha spat, still boiling inside. Ket helped her limp all the way home. As soon as the door opened, their mother, Alison, rushed over. “Alisha! What happened to your leg?” Her voice shook with worry. “I’m fine, Mom,” Alisha said, brushing past her. “It’s just a sprain, that’s all.” She limped to her room without another word, shutting the door behind her. Alison stood frozen, heart twisting. She had tried so hard to keep her daughters safe after their father died but life had been cruel, and Alisha had built walls so high no one could climb them. She didn’t cry anymore. She didn’t complain. She didn’t share her pain. She simply shut down. And watching her daughter limp away, Alison finally broke. Quiet tears slipped down her cheeks. Ket wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “It’s okay, Mom. I’m here.” But both of them knew it wasn’t okay. Not anymore.