Marcello DeLuca

Chapter One

Safia

The Unthinkable

My father sat at the kitchen table. His eyes were glued to the screen of his laptop as his fingers danced across the keys. He scanned through files, seeming engrossed in his work.

At the other end of the table, my mother savored a pastry with a serene smile. “Do you have to work at the table, Stephen?” she asked, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

“Yes,” he replied without looking up. “I have a few more things to get in order before we leave for our trip.” He looked anxious, but he was always a busy man with something to do and somewhere to go.

“Are you still leaving your laptop here?” she pressed.

My father grunted in response. Wherever he went, his laptop seemed permanently attached to his hand or within arm’s reach. I couldn’t imagine him surviving a three-day weekend without it. If he were somehow able to do that, it would mean he’d rely heavily on his cell for sending and receiving messages.

“Stephen, you promised me that you would,” Mom reminded him, her voice softening to a persuasive tone.

“I will, baby,” he assured her, though the warmth of his words didn’t quite chase away the worry etched on his face. “You guys hurry up and finish your breakfast. We have to get out of here if we plan to be in Destin by three,” he reminded us, again without looking up from his screen.

My little sister, Stephanie, clapped her hands in glee. “Well, I’m finished!” she declared; her plate untouched. The mere mention of leaving for the beach had her bouncing with excitement.

She rushed to empty her plate, put it in the sink, and dashed toward the door, her laughter trailing behind her.

My mother chuckled, shaking her head. “I guess that means we’re leaving.”

“Dad, are we going to Grandma’s house before the beach house?” I asked, hoping to confirm our plans. A stop at Grandma’s meant I got to see Lucy, one of my best friends from Destin.

“What? Oh, yeah,” he replied absently, his eyes never leaving the screen. His body was here, but his mind was somewhere else, tangled in whatever work had him so preoccupied.

I left the kitchen to grab my bag from the living room, where it lay waiting by the door. My sister and I filed into the car, with Mom staying behind to give last-minute instructions to our maid and Dad staying behind to spend his last few moments on his laptop.

Once they got into the car, we settled into our seats. The anticipation of our trip filled the air. It was supposed to be a weekend of sun, sand, and family time—something we all desperately needed. Little did I know, this trip would change everything.

We had arrived in Destin when my father suddenly veered off the main road.

“Stephen, where are you going?” my mother asked, puzzled.

“I need to make a quick stop, Maria,” he replied. “It won’t take long.”

“Can’t it wait until we get to the beach? There are stores in that area. We’re almost there,” she protested.

My father sounded agitated when he responded, “This won’t take long. I told someone I would meet them at this location.”

“Okay,” she droned. “If you must stop, I guess this is the perfect stop to make. Look at this place. It has changed so much.”

I looked up from the video I was watching on my phone as we pulled into a small, quaint neighborhood that seemed plucked out of a storybook, complete with cobblestone streets lined with charming shops and cafés.

Dad parked the car near a local market and reached underneath his seat to grab a large yellow envelope. He then reached over and touched my mother’s hand before eying me and my sister in the rearview mirror. “This will only take a second.”

Stephanie’s oval brown eyes were wide with excitement as she took in the scenery. “Can we get out and look around?”

Dad hesitated, then nodded. “Alright but stay close to your mother. This will be a quick meeting, then I’ll be ready to go.”

As a business consultant, my father had clients all over the United States, so it wasn’t unusual for him to have an impromptu meeting with one of his clients while we were headed to our vacation home. We were used to it.

“Come on girls.” Mom ushered us out of the car and toward the market.

My father stayed behind, appearing to be engrossed in an intense phone call as he leaned against the hood of the car, gripping the yellow envelope.

As my mother, sister and I wandered through the huge market, a gush of excitement hit me when I spotted a familiar face. I felt like I would bubble over with joy when I confirmed that face belonged to Lucy, my best friend I hadn’t seen since we moved away from Destin.

“Mom, can I go say hi to Lucy?” I asked eagerly.

She glanced at her phone’s clock. “Alright but be quick. We don’t have much time. Your father is acting antsy today, and we don’t want to frustrate him if we can avoid it.”

Giddy beyond belief, I replied, “I’ll be quick. Thanks!” I ran over to Lucy, feeling a rush of joy at seeing her. We hugged and immediately started catching up. “It’s been too long, friend. I missed you.

“I miss you too, Safie. I’m so glad to see you.”

“How are you enjoying the Freshman life?” I asked, eager to know how she and the rest of our crew in Destin were doing.

“As far as the freshman life...it’s just wonderful. You know, drama, boyfriend stealing, jealousy, all the things that make high school delightful.” She rolled her eyes heavenward, letting me know that she wasn’t enjoying her first year at Destin High.

I chuckled. “I hate that I’m not there with you, but at least, we get to lay our eyes on some mature boys now.”

“Ew, and most of them are just as gross as the boys our age,” Lucy said, pretending to stick her finger down her throat to gag.

I bubbled over with laughter, trying to catch my breath. “I hate to admit it, but you’re so right! It’s like they’ve all taken a class on how to be walking disasters,” I chuckled. “Speaking of disasters, did I ever tell you about the time I was asked out on a date by a guy wearing Crocs? And I don’t mean just any Crocs, but those hideous ones with the little charm things sticking out of every hole. He looked like a walking craft project gone wrong!”

Lucy’s eyes widened in horror and amusement. “No way! Please tell me you said no to the date.”

“Oh, I did,” I replied, laughing. “I thought, okay, maybe he’s got a good personality to make up for it. But then, as we stood there talking, he started comparing the different types of Crocs he owned and explaining which ones were best for different occasions. Like, he had Crocs for hiking, Crocs for swimming, and—get this—Crocs for formal events. I didn’t even know Crocs came in ”formal”!”

Lucy burst out laughing, clutching her sides. “He told you all of this before the date? Please tell me you ran after that, honey.”

“I was tempted,” I grinned, “but I actually stuck it out ‘til the bell rang. It was too bizarre to walk away from. He even offered to buy me a matching pair, so we could be ‘Crocs twins’ if I allowed him to take me on a date. I mean, who could say no to that kind of charm?”

She howled with laughter, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “That’s the best worst asking out story I’ve ever heard! What did you tell him to get out of it?”

“Well, I had to think quickly because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings,” I grinned, “so I told him I had a rare condition called ‘Croc-ophobia’—a debilitating fear of rubbery footwear with holes in it. I think I used words like ‘tragic’ and ‘incurable’ to really sell it.”

She burst out laughing, clutching her sides. “Did he buy it?”

“Sort of,” I laughed. “He looked really confused for a moment and then said, ‘Oh, I guess we can skip the matching Crocs on our second date.’ I almost felt bad for the poor guy, but I had to stick to my story. He did seem genuinely relieved when I told him it wasn’t contagious.”

Lucy giggled uncontrollably, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “That’s brilliant! And to think, I thought my date who lost track of time because he was ‘in a deep meditation’ was bad.”

I raised an eyebrow, still giggling. “Meditation, huh? That’s a new one. Did he lose track of time or was he just exploring the inner workings of his couch cushions? I bet he was actually in a deep trance watching Netflix and lost all sense of reality.”

Lucy laughed again, shaking her head. “Oh, it gets better. He tried to convince me that he was ‘aligning his chakras’ and didn’t notice the time passing. I’m pretty sure his chakras were just stuck on the latest episode of ‘Epic Gamer Fails.’”

I shook my head, still laughing. “You’ve got to give him points for creativity, though. Maybe next time he can align his chakras with a watch. We should start carrying little trophies for these guys. ‘Congratulations, you’ve mastered the art of being fashionably late, or a fashion disaster, or spiritually absent!’”

Lucy snorted, almost doubling over with laughter. “I’d definitely keep one in my purse for emergencies. ‘Best Improvised Excuse’ goes to the guy who got lost in his own aura. Well done, sir!”

We both burst into another fit of laughter, enjoying the absurdity of it all and the joy of turning our dating mishaps into comedy gold.

I nodded, still giggling. “Trust me, Lucy, we have to set the bar higher. Something has to give to where guys wearing anything less than normal footwear know not to approach. We deserve better than walking fashion disasters! And if they lose track of time, they should be sure to lose our numbers too.”

Grinning, she wiped away a tear. “Exactly! And the next guy who shows up in Crocs or pretends he was ‘meditating’ instead of being on time? Automatic disqualification. We should have a checklist or something.”

I raised my hand, giving her a mock serious look. “Agreed. Step one: No Crocs unless they”re gardening. Step two: No losing track of time unless they”re rescuing puppies or stopping a meteor from hitting the Earth.”

Lucy laughed and offered her hand for a high five. “Deal! And maybe step three: If you can”t dress yourself, at least hire a stylist. We’re not asking for a runway model, just... normal human clothes!”

We high-fived, the sound of our laughter ringing out. Just then, my mom and Stephanie caught up to us, and Lucy quickly straightened up, still grinning from our jokes.

My mom smiled warmly at Lucy, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Hey, Lucy! It’s been too long. How have you been?”

Lucy gave her a hug, and for a moment, it felt like old times. “I’ve been good, Mrs. Kent. It’s great to see you both.”

Stephanie chimed in, “Lucy! You haven’t changed a bit. Have you been keeping Saffie out of trouble like Mom always says about you?”

“Always,” Lucy replied, winking at me. “We were just discussing our high standards for dates.”

Mom chuckled. “Well, it’s good to see you two together, clowning around again. We’re about to head to the car, but it was really good to see you again, Lucy.”

“You too, Mrs. Kent,” Lucy said, giving her another quick hug.

“Come along, Stephanie. Saffie, meet us at the car. We are headed that way.” Mom added, gently steering my sister toward the front of the store.

“I guess we’re about to go. See you soon, and remember our new checklist!” I reminded Lucy.

She laughed. “Absolutely! No more Crocs or lost chakras!”

Mom and Stephanie purchased the colorful beach towels and sandals they’d picked up, while Lucy and I followed them, still talking, laughing, and playing catch up.

Whenever I was with her, it felt like old times and good vibes, so I was in no hurry to end our conversation. Once my mother and sister were done checking out, I knew I had to go. Lucy and I reached the front door and stood there, talking as my family loaded into the car.

“Well, I guess I have to go. I’ll call you when we get to my grandmother’s house so that we can make a plan to hook back up and talk more.”

Lucy smiled and extended her arms for a hug. “If you don’t call me, I’ll call you. I have so much more to tell you. Just been busy lately with school and since you’re not around I forget that I can just call you for a good laugh.”

“Yes, call me anytime, and I’ll have a joke handy!” I gave her a hug. It felt good to reconnect. I trailed slowly out of the market’s door, waving to my friend. “See you soon, Lucy.”

“See you when you come back from the beach.” Lucy waved goodbye.

As I turned away from her, I realized the area was bustling with people. I smiled at a woman walking toward me with a cute baby in a stroller. I heard a loud noise and saw that it had been an elderly woman closing her trunk after loading her groceries in a red van across the parking lot. A black SUV crept by the elderly woman and drove past my family’s car.

I took another step toward our car, noticing the driver of the SUV scowl menacingly before speeding out of the parking lot. Before I could process the meaning of the man’s expression, an explosion rocked the market. The force of it destabilized the ground causing me to fall, and a deafening roar filled my ears.

The last thing I remembered was waving goodbye to Lucy, scanning the parking lot, and turning to my mother to see her huge smile. Stephanie had gazed longingly out of the window, undoubtedly with thoughts of the beach on her mind. My father tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, anxiously waiting for me to get into the car so we could leave. And then chaos ensued as our car was engulfed in flames and people around me screamed in horror.

I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest. “Mom! Dad! Stephanie! No!” I cried; my voice lost in the panic around me.

The world seemed to spin as I watched the inferno that had moments ago been our car. My vision blurred with tears, and my legs felt like jelly. People were shouting, rushing to help, but it was all a surreal blur.

Strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me back. “You can’t go near it!” a voice said urgently.

“No! My family!” I screamed, struggling against the grip.

“It’s too dangerous!” the voice insisted, but it felt like a distant echo.

Hours felt like seconds, or maybe it was the other way around. Time lost all meaning as I sat on the ground, Lucy kneeling beside me, her lips moving but no words coming out. Tears rolled down her cheeks, further cementing the reality that my family’s car had been bombed. My father, mother and sister had been taken away from me in the blink of an eye.

Paramedics and firefighters swarmed the scene, but it was too late.

In the haze of smoke and sirens, I heard snippets of conversation—something about a man fleeing the scene, whispers of foul play or an act of terrorism.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of police questions, sympathetic voices, and the sterile white walls of a hospital room. They said I was in shock, that I needed to rest, but how could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the explosion, heard Stephanie’s laughter turning into deafening silence, felt the heat of the flames.

I curled up on the hospital bed, clutching the blanket tighter around me, wishing desperately that it could all be a nightmare. But I knew it wasn’t. I was wide awake. And my family was dead.

I was only fourteen years old, and my entire family was gone. Gone. I was alone. Nothing would ever be the same again. As I lay there, numb with grief, I couldn’t shake the image of the man who driven by in the black SUV. Who was he? And why had he done this to my family?

The questions swirled in my mind, mingling with the unbearable loss. My family’s lives had been stolen from me. I was all alone.