C2 Chapter 2

Chapter Two: New Reality

Ding!! Dong!! Ding!! Dong!!

"Catherine dear, someone's knocking at the door. Could you go check it out?" Gabriella called from the kitchen.

"Yes, mommy." Catherine replied, standing up from the pile of toys she had been playing with and rushed over to the door. As soon as she opened it and saw the person standing in front of her, she screamed with joy and jumped to give him a big hug. It was none other than Mason Bennett, the best friend of Jay Wilson and Catherine's godfather.

"Oh my gosh, Cathy darling, it's been so many years since I last saw you. Back then, you were just a little girl and now, you're all grown up." Mason observed, giving her a princess twirl.

"I've missed you too, Uncle Mason. I always asked my dad why you never came to visit us anymore. He always told me that you were busy working in the city and you would come to visit us soon, but you never showed up. I started to think that you no longer cared about us." Catherine replied with a sad look on her face.

"Oh no, my angel, that isn't true. I am really sorry that I couldn't come and visit you or even call to hear your voice, but I promise that from now on, I'm going to try and make up for all the years that I couldn't spend with you." Mason said, trying to cheer her up.

"You pinky promise?" Catherine replied, stretching her pinky finger.

"I pinky promise." Mason said, crossing pinky fingers with hers.

"Alright then, but if you go back on your promise, the Grinchy monster will come and haunt you when night falls." Catherine replied, trying to sound scary.

"The Grinchy monster? What exactly is that?" Mason asked, trying to figure out where Catherine had gotten that kind of idea from.

"Well, it's a huge and scary monster which comes at night to torment those who don't keep the promise they made." Catherine replied, sounding very serious.

"Cathy dear." Mason called, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Yes, uncle?" She replied.

"Have you been watching too many cartoons again?" Mason asked, almost certain that it was the only way she could come up with something as hilarious as that.

"Uhm....no, not really." Catherine denied, rolling her eyes suspiciously.

"Catherine." Mason called her name again.

"Alright, fine....yes I've been watching cartoons, but only a little. But please don't tell mom and dad about it because they might scold me if they find out." Catherine blurted.

"Alright, then I won't tell them anything. But only on the condition that you won't let it affect your grades at school." Mason said after listening to Catherine's plea.

"Alright then, I promise." Catherine replied, her mood lightening up again.

"Catherine, who's at the door?" Gabriella asked as she came out of the kitchen and entered the living room.

"Hello there, Gabriella." Mason greeted Gabriella with a warm smile.

"Mason, you're back. It's so good to see you again." Gabriella replied happily, giving him a hug.

"I've really missed you all so much." Mason said as Gabriella ushered him to sit and Catherine left the room to continue playing with her toys.

"It's been two years since you left El Paso. After that, we didn't hear a single word from you... No calls, no texts, nothing at all. We began to wonder if anything bad happened to you." Gabriella speculated, still finding it hard to believe that Mason had returned after disappearing for years.

"Well, I won't deny that it has been really tough for me these past few years. Since I returned to the city, things haven't been easy. With the criminal record I have, it wasn't easy getting a job or even finding a place to live. No one wanted to associate with an ex-convict. After struggling for a while, I was able to find a decent job and a good neighborhood to live in." Mason explained.

"Oh Mason, you know you didn't have to do all this on your own. You could have always asked us for help. We would never have turned you down because you're like family to us." Gabriella queried, looking a little bit disappointed about Mason's decision.

"I know Gabriella, but you and Jay have done so much for me. I remember when I first met Jay. It was during the time I was serving my jail sentence for a crime that I didn't commit. The other inmates always took out their anger and frustrations on me. I was always beaten up and bullied. But that all changed when Jay arrived. He defended and protected me and taught me how to stand up for myself, even though he didn't really know me.

"After he finished his jail sentence, I spent two extra years in prison before I was finally released. I didn't have a home anymore. My parents disowned me and no one agreed to help me. But Jay offered me his home to stay at El Paso, and you were also very kind to me, not minding the fact that I was an ex-convict. You treated me with great generosity. After all the good deeds you've shown me, how could I possibly ask for more? I am forever indebted to your family, and I promise that one day, I will repay your kindness." Mason explained, filled with gratitude.

"It's our pleasure, I'm just glad we could help.

"Anyway, where's Jay? I haven't seen him since I arrived." Mason observed.

"Jay left early this morning. He received an urgent call from the office. I'm not sure when he will return, but you are more than welcome to wait for him." Gabriella suggested.

"No, it's fine. There's something urgent I need to take care of, so I can't stay long either. But I'll surely come back tomorrow." Mason said, getting ready to leave.

"Uncle Mason, Uncle Mason." Catherine called as she rushed out of the room and sat next to Mason.

"Yes, my little angel." Mason said, holding Catherine in his arms.

"My birthday is coming up soon, and Mom and Dad promised to throw me a big party. Are you going to come?" Catherine asked excitedly.

"Of course, baby girl. I will definitely attend your party. I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world. And you know what? I'm also going to get you a really special gift, and I'm sure you're going to love it a lot." Mason said, making Catherine very happy.

"Yippee!" Catherine replied, happily jumping around the house.

"Alright now, Catherine, your Uncle Mason has somewhere important he needs to be. Now say goodbye to him." Gabriella said.

"Goodbye, Uncle Mason." Catherine waved after him.

*****************************

The Next Day

Ding!! Dong!! Ding !!Dong. The doorbell rang.

My heart raced as I opened the door to find Mason standing there, a somber expression etched on my face. Memories of my past flooded back, and I instantly felt a mix of worry and anxiety.

"Mason," I greeted him cautiously, stepping aside to invite him into the house. "It's been so long, old friend. What brings you here after all these years?"

Mason stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room as if to make sure we were alone. "It's good to see you, Jay," he said, his voice low and serious. "But I'm afraid I bring troubling news."

I exchanged a worried glance with Gabriela, who quickly left the living room along with Catherina. I motioned for Mason to continue.

"It's about Vandel," Mason finally revealed. "He's been released from prison and is returning to the island."

The name sent chills down my spine. Vandel had been my boss growing up, but everything changed when my brother . I had distanced himself from Vandel, but the scars from that time still ran deep.

"Jay, you just have to calm down, all this anger and Panic won't change anything". Mason said, trying to keep me from getting worked up over the issue at hand.

"I know that, but what can I do? I am worried that something bad might happen to my family, especially my little daughter,but you're right, panicking won't solve anything. I just have to calm down and think about what to do next". I replied, finally trying to calm myself.

"Breakfast is ready, are you guys hungry". Gabriella called from the kitchen.

"Am sorry Gabriella, but i won't be able to stay for breakfast today,i have somewhere important i need to be right now,but not to worry,i will definitely drop by tomorrow". Mason said after checking his wristwatch and standing up to leave.

"You all should stay safe, bye". Mason said as i escorted him out of the house.

After a few minutes, I returned home. I sat silently on the chair and sank into a very deep thought.

"Jay". Gabriella called but i couldn't hear her, I was too deep in thoughts to hear her call my name.

"Jay". she called again but this time more loudly which startled me.

"Am sorry, i didn't mean to startle you,but ever since Mason left, you've been really absent minded". Gabriella asked looking a bit worried about my sudden change of attitude

"No, it's nothing, I'm fine, no need to worry". I said, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"Alright then, it's time to eat". Gabriella concluded, finally dropping the issue.

"Sure, let's go". I said standing up as we headed for the dining table".

Throughout the day, I wasn't myself anymore, now that vandel was back on the island,I wasn't ready to just sit around and wait for Vandel to come after me, so I started looking for ways to prevent the danger I sensed was going to befall my family soon. I tried reaching out to Ryan, my friend from the DEA, but the call wasn't going through either. The last time I spoke to Ryan was years ago, and ever since then, we've never spoken again. Could something bad have happened to him and if so, was it related to Vandel". I thought to myself again.

But that couldn't have happened and if it did, I would have already heard of it already. But I couldn't have happened and if it did, i would have already heard of it already. But I couldn't have happened and if it did, i would have already heard of it already. But I couldn't just sit here waiting for vandel to find me. Then i thought of an idea, what if i left El Paso for now, that wouldn't be a good idea either.

Catherine wouldn't be able to understand the sudden change of environment, she was born and spent basically all her life in El Paso and taking her away so suddenly from her home town wouldn't be a good idea, and how was i supposed to tell Gabriella that our lives were in great danger, it will surely cause her to Panic. Another big obstacle to this idea was that Vandel wasn't going to just sit back and allow me leave the island, probably by now,he already had men stationed at the every exit road to El Paso, so there was no escape for me, but i wasn't going to back down or let him have his way.

That night, when I went to bed,I had a very bad nightmare. In my dream, I was standing outside the doorstep of my house. When I opened the door and entered, I saw Vandel sitting on one of the couches in my house. Gabriella and Catherine were lying in a pool of blood on the floor. As soon as I saw their dead bodies, I woke up immediately, sweating and shaking. I couldn't sleep after the nightmare so I left the bedroom to get some air.