Lockdown, p.4
Lockdown, page 4
"What do you mean?"
"When was the last time you had a woman?"
"I'm not you,"
"Right. I'm the hoe. And you're what? A rock?"
"I'm not interested in anyone,"
"Not even Priscilla," Brandon said carelessly. Ryan blinked.
"I know you like my sister. I've seen the way you look at her," Brandon said. Ryan remained quiet.
"When were you going to come clean?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Stop pretending already, Ryan. I know everything. I don't have proof, but I know,"
"I…I don't…I…,"
"You what? Do you like her? It's yes or no, Ryan,"
"I…I do,"
"Yes!" Brandon said, suddenly jumping from his seat. Ryan just watched Brandon do a happy jump.
"She doesn't like me," Ryan said.
"That's a lie. She must like you too. You just need to make a move,"
"Dude, you're asking me to make a move on your sister?"
"Why? You don't want to?"
"It's not that. It's just…well, friends don't usually like their siblings to date their friends. You’re supposed to play hard to get,"
Brandon laughed.
"I'd play hard to get if I didn't trust you, Ryan. But I trust you. I know I can trust you with my life. Priscilla is my life. I can trust you with her, right?"
"I like her. I don't know about love. I want to take care of her. I want to protect her like I want to protect you,"
"Ew, I don't do boys, sorry,"
"That's not what I mean, and you know it,"
"Whatever. What's the plan now?"
"Plan for what?"
"To confess your feelings to my sister?"
"Isn't that too early?"
"Yo! Open your eyes! The world's on pause right now. There's no time,"
"I want to tell her too, but I want to be sure too,"
"Awww, are you serious?"
"Trust me, Brandon, I'd rather take this slow,"
"Okay. Okay," Brandon said and returned to his phone. He jumped up suddenly.
"What is it?"
"Priscilla just sent me a message,"
"What is it?"
"They've started a lockdown here. We're going on lockdown. What the fuck?!"
"That's messed up. How's Jennifer going to get back?"
"I don't fucking get it. She says the cases in Europe have escalated. I watched the news in the morning! What did I miss?"
"Things are getting out of hand pretty fast. What's going to happen now?"
"My dad. He must be freaking out," Brandon said and got on his feet. He ran into the house, and Ryan followed him closely.
*
"Dad, have you heard the news," Brandon barged into his dad's study.
"What news?" James asked, slightly upset that Brandon entered that way.
"There's going to be a lockdown here and in Berlin," Brandon said. James' eyes widened.
"What?!"
"Dad, we need to get Jennifer out of there," Brandon said. James reached out and took the phone from Brandon. He saw the news for himself and frowned. He found his phone and dialed a number. He called the number three times, but there was no response.
“Dad, what’s going to happen now?” Brandon asked. Irene walked in at that moment. She had tears in her eyes.
“James, there’s a lockdown. My baby’s stuck there,” Irene said. James did not respond to any of them but continued to dial the number that they refused to pick.
“James! What are we going to do?!” Irene snapped. James ignored her and walked out of the room. Brandon held his mum back from going after James.
“Take it, easy mum. He must be trying to reach help,” Brandon said.
“Help? What I need is my daughter standing right in front of me now, not help!” Irene said and walked out. Brandon sighed. He knew his mother was just being unreasonable because she was scared. He knew there was nothing anyone could do to calm her down. He decided to look for Priscilla instead. He found her buried under her thick blanket. He understood that she must be trying to stay calm. He slid under the blanket and held her close. She was shaking.
“Sweety, I’m here. It’s alright now,” Brandon said. He knew she wouldn’t calm down immediately, but he would hold onto her until she did. He wondered where Ryan was and what he was doing. He wondered how Jennifer was. He had tried to call her while his parents were arguing, but she always refused to take his calls. He wanted to say it served her right, but he couldn’t. As much as Jennifer acted selfishly and abandoned the family, she was still family, and he knew she was just trying to do the right thing. Meanwhile, Priscilla had started to relax. Her breathing was returning to normal.
“Hey, I’m here. You’re incredibly strong. You know that?” Brandon said as he relaxed his embrace around her. She turned to face him, and he saw she was crying. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs and helped her out of the blanket. They found Ryan standing at the door. Priscilla was startled.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know if I should come in or not,” Ryan said when he saw their shocked faces.
“It’s okay, man. I’ll come see you later,” Brandon said, hinting that Ryan should leave. However, Priscilla stopped him.
“No, it’s okay. I’m okay now,” she said and hugged Brandon.
“Will dad be able to get her back? I heard mum talking,” Priscilla said.
“I don’t know. He’ll do his best,” Brandon said. He didn’t know what else to say to her. He didn’t want to give her false assurances when he didn’t know the reality of the situation. He lay there with her until she fell asleep. Ryan had left earlier and was watching the news when Brandon entered his room. The number of infected people in their country was small compared to the others since it was only discovered the previous day, but it was spreading fast. A whole community had tested positive because one man had gone into a supermarket with the infection. Ryan turned off the television as soon as he saw Brandon.
“What’s up?” Ryan asked him. Brandon sighed and collapsed into the sofa opposite Ryan.
“I don’t know where my dad is. I hate the fact that I don’t have anyone to call right now,” Brandon said.
“Chill, man. You know your dad is the one with the connections,” Ryan said
“I know. I do all the work, and he’s the one with the name,”
“Seriously, man, are you thinking about that bullshit right now?”
“I can’t help it. I’m tired,” Brandon said. He thought of the time machine and wondered why his father had not said anything about it again. He was sure he would soon bring it up, and Brandon didn’t know how he would react when he did. What was the point when it didn’t work last time. There was something inside of him that was sure they could get Jennifer out of there if they just made the right calls. The government would certainly move mountains for the Demarcos now there was a possibility of a vaccine. He was sure they wouldn’t need the time machine.
Brandon was looking forward to the results from the latest vaccine test. The calculations and hypothesis had been too perfect to fail. He would not stop until he succeeded in getting a vaccine. He’d feel much better if his dad was able to get Jennifer out of Europe, and he could concentrate on the vaccine. Besides, he was not so sure of the time machine. Going back hadn’t changed anything, and who knows if he’d survive another trip back anyway. Suddenly, he heard the sound of ceramics breaking. He and Ryan looked at each other and rushed downstairs.
Brandon found his mother in tears in the middle of some broken ceramic pots and his dad watching from the corner. Ryan helped get his mom out of the mess and cleaned up the wound on her hand. Brandon wanted to ask her what happened, but he could already guess. Whoever his dad was trying to call about Jennifer must have been unable to help, and his mum had freaked out after hearing that. He turned to Ryan. He was so scared. Ryan understood him instantly. He took the bandages from Brandon and urged him to go to his father. Brandon felt incredibly grateful to Ryan at that moment. He did not know how he would handle the whole situation by himself.
When Brandon found his father in his study, he was in tears. Brandon felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was the first time he had seen his father cry, and it broke his heart. He walked to his side, ready for whatever his father suggested, even if it involved the time machine.
Other Books By This Author
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About This Author
Olivia Walker was born and raised in the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio. The youngest of three, Olivia always found the idea of true romance alluring. She watched the love her parents shared and how her siblings found the person of their dreams. Armed with this longing, and an English degree from Ohio State University, Olivia soon turned her attentions to writing. She has written several romance books and wants her readers to be filled with the same warmth she puts into each word. Passionate in all she does, Olivia hopes readers will find the same sensations in reading her books as she experienced writing them.
Olivia is an avid outdoors woman. She enjoys hiking, camping, and has been known to visit a few fishing holes from time to time. After a long day at work, Olivia likes nothing more than throwing on her nicest clothes and heading to the local symphony for a little inspiration. She has dedicated herself to discovering the depths of passion through literature and music to transform them into unique stories that get the heart racing and prove that anything is possible with the right motivation.
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