16. Darlene & Russell
Chapter 16
Darlene & Russell
B ellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada
April 17, 2018
(4 Days Before Death)
Russell eyes stretched. His sisters knew each other again. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and nodded. “We should leave. We should go home. Right now. Today! Something is… wrong here, right?”
Dolly looked over to Lucio, who watched them all in silence. She felt Darlene inside of her, wanting to be heard. However, her sister did not force her wants. Darlene waited. Dolly smiled at her patience. She hugged Russell. “I had an accident. That’s all. I’m sorry for scaring you?—”
“Darlene is back. Am I right?” Russell asked.
“She never left,” smiled Dolly.
“And he knows it!” Russell pointed at Lucio. “What is going on? What is he doing to you?”
“Hey. Lucio isn’t the enemy. He hasn’t done anything to me. I had an episode with him, and he protected me…” She looked over at Charmaine. She wasn’t ready to reveal everything. Especially to Charmaine and Sonya. Both of them thought she was crazy in the head.
“Let’s talk in private,” Dolly suggested to Russell.
“No! I’m done with this shit!” Russell snatched the large, jeweled medallion and chain and ripped it from his neck. He threw it at Lucio. “We’re leaving. I mean it!”
“Lucio, Charmaine, can you give us some privacy? I need to talk to my brother. Please,” Dolly said.
Lucio looked concerned, but he was the first to leave. Charmaine winked at her and followed Lucio out. She closed the bedroom door. Russell was nearly hysterical with outrage and fear for her. She could see him shake. The stress would trigger his condition.
“ Let me talk to him, ” Darlene said.
“No, I…” Dolly stopped herself.
“ I won’t stay. I promise. Give me control again. Trust me ,” Darlene said.
Dolly stared at her brother, whose eyes shimmered with repressed tears and hurt. She didn’t know his relationship with Darlene, but it was clear that their bond saved her once again. It pulled them through the darkness.
She closed her eyes and gave Darlene control.
“Stop being such a big baby!” Darlene said.
Russell frowned. Darlene walked over to her brother and hugged him. Russell was slow to return the hug, but he then did. He knew her, he could always see her. He hugged her tight.
“You really are a bigger drama queen when you are upset than Dolly,” Darlene chuckled.
“You’re scaring me. Tyrone and—,” Russell said.
“I’m not losing control, and Lucio is not Tyrone,” said Darlene.
“Isn’t he? He has you trapped here. Watches everything, we do. Won’t let us leave.” Russell said.
Darlene pressed a finger to his lips.
“You saved me.” Darlene cupped Russell’s face. “I promised you I wouldn’t hurt people, and I haven’t. Not since the beginning. Okay?”
Russell nodded. “I didn’t know if you would come back. I just had this sinking feeling ever since Dolly went to New Orleans to meet him. A feeling that I needed to bring her with me, just in case.”
Darlene glanced over at the bed. She let go of Russell and went to the bed and picked up the doll. She rubbed her hair. “Sharlene. My best friend. This was supposed to be my sister since Dolly wasn’t.”
Russell nodded in agreement.
“Hey! Do you know that when our real mother carried me in her belly, she wanted to name Dolly, Sharlene? My name was going to be Darlene, and Dolly was going to be Sharlene. Darlene and Sharlene. Did you know that?” Darlene grinned.
“How do you know that?” Russell asked.
“Mama used to talk to us when we were inside her. Dolly forgets everything, but not me. I never forget. I remember her. I remember being born. I saw her face. I saw her! I saw new mommy, too. The doctor handed us to new mommy. They were both so happy, smiling, even though there was only one baby. Not two. I think real mommy’s name was Wanda. Maybe Lucio... never mind. It might’ve been Shonda. I remember her, though.”
Darlene kissed the doll. “She gave this to Mama. Told her to give it to me. There was one for Dolly too, but only one baby came out. Just us, together.”
“I don’t understand. Can we just go?” Russell sighed.
“Oh! I know something else!” Darlene perked up. “Why Dolly couldn’t see. Why her eyes were so bad. I should tell her. I forgot.”
Russell winced, trying to be patient as she rambled. When freed, Darlene liked to talk—to prove she was smart, to prove she was real. Despite his pain, he forced a smile and nodded.
“She couldn’t see because they took her powers. The harder she worked to keep me locked away, the weaker she got, physically and mentally. Get it? That’s why she was nearly blind before Lucio let me out. When you hold things in, it’s like cancer—it eats at you. She lost her youth, her beauty, her sight, her fucking mind, because she needed me. I’m real!” Darlene declared.
Russell’s body tensed, his arm stiffening. Sensing his silence, Darlene turned and saw his suffering. She went to him, soothing his spasming joints. She hummed, just like when he was a baby, using her magic to ease his pain.
Russell relaxed.
Darlene repeated this until she felt the fear in her brother ease.
“Lucio is not our enemy. It is very complicated. First, he was Dolly’s boyfriend and then he was mine, and now he’s Dolly’s boyfriend again. He likes drinking from me the most, though. I can tell. The relationship we share is different. Trust us, Russ. And trust me. We can never go home.”
"You said he drinks from you. What does that mean?" Russell frowned.
"He’s a vampire, silly. Don’t you know that by now? Remember the vampires I told you about? They’re real," Darlene replied.
Russell glanced at the door, then back at her. "Does Dolly know? Did she know?"
"No. She does now, and she’s in love with him. I used to be, until I met his brother. He’s finer than Lucio—and he tried to save my life!" Darlene bragged.
"Stop! Darlene, what are you talking about? You sound crazy," Russell shook his head.
Darlene laughed. "I think I might break up with Lucio. He’s a big baby, like Dolly—always moping. I need a warrior. A mean, badass mean vampire I can practice my powers on. Tame him and make him my slave, so I can kill the Supreme?—."
"Darlene, we need to go home. We need Dolly back, and we should just leave," Russell reasoned.
Darlene rolled her eyes. "I’m not staying. I’m looking for a cure, so we don’t have to share this body anymore."
"That makes no sense. You two are the same," Russell said.
"We are NOT!" Darlene shouted, and the force in her voice made the lamp explode.
Russell jumped in his chair.
That’s enough, Darlene! Control your anger, Dolly warned.
"I’m sorry," she mumbled to both Dolly and Russell. “I can’t help it sometimes.”
"I think we should leave," Russell whispered, clearly terrified.
Darlene smiled. "Hey?"
He avoided looking at her. She walked over and picked up his chain, holding it up. "This is nice. Did Lucio give it to you?"
Russell looked up briefly, then lowered his gaze.
Darlene knelt beside him. "Tell me your dreams haven’t come true in the past two days. Tell me you aren’t happier than you’ve been since Mama and Daddy died. Go on, tell me."
"You told me never to trust vampires. That they wanted to kill you and Dolly. You always said?—"
"And I was right," Darlene interrupted. "Never trust them. But Lucio’s different. All he’s done is protect us. Without him, we’re in trouble, Russ. That’s the truth. We need to stay and figure this out with him, not against him. Does that make sense? Please say it does."
Russell nodded.
“Me and Dolly are good now. We get along. You don’t believe me?” Darlene giggled.
Russell shrugged.
“Watch this.” Darlene kissed his cheek, then stepped back and closed her eyes. When she opened them, it was Dolly who smiled at him. Russell knew it instinctively. “I’m sorry we scared you.”
“Dolly?" Russell asked, wide-eyed.
She nodded. "See? No more secrets between us."
“I’m sorry, Dolly,” Russell said. “You never really wanted to hear me when I told you about Darlene. You just wouldn’t listen, so I stopped talking about her.”
“I’m sorry I made you do that. We are a family. The three of us. I see that now, Russ.”
She sat on the bed. She reached over and touched his hand. “Hey, look at me. I know this is strange, and I know you’re scared for me. There is a lot you don’t know. And there is still a lot that me and Darlene don’t agree on. But know this. We are a family. And we agree with Lucio. He is not like them. Okay?”
“Charmaine’s here, Sonya too. Should we bring them to the hotel?” Russell asked. “Until we decide to go home?”
“Whatever you want,” she said.
“Can Lucio move out? He gives me the creeps,” said Russell.
Dolly smiled. “I think this suite is big enough for all of us.”
Russell shrugged. He stared down at the diamond chain and medallion. He shook his head. “I thought my dream was this shit. Being a number one streamer, having girls, and money. Being popular.”
“There is nothing wrong with that dream.”
“I was wrong. My dream was to have you both together with me, always. Not in secret. The both of you as my sisters. Now I can see Darlene whenever I want.”
Dolly nodded.
“I guess I got Lucio to thank for that.”
“No,” Dolly said. “That’s all, you little brother. You are still the number one man in our life.”
Russell was slow to smile, but when he did, Dolly’s heart melted. Inside of her, Darlene was laughing with happiness.