Starry Night by Edgar Allan Poe

“How nice to see you again, Mr. Iero,” Mr. Stump said as he shook my hand. “Was your wife not able to make it?” He asked. I shook my head.

“No, she’s working quite a bit of overtime these days, so it’s just me and the girls,” I explained. He gave me what seemed to be a sympathetic smile.

“Sorry to hear about that. So, to get started, Cherry and Lily are amazing with their work. All the essays they’ve done are all very well written and, honestly, a lot of the words they use are much more advanced than they should be at their grade, but I’m very proud of them. Their recent essay on dissecting Frankenstein, was absolutely wonderful. They were able to see things the other kids weren’t able to,” he said proudly. I wanted to question what Mr. Stump was thinking when he decided that story should be told to young kids, but then again… I can stand behind that. Young children should be shown great literature, to help shape them and mold their minds.

“Is that so? Well, I can assure you they get those skills from their mother. She can pick up on the littlest detail and it’s really very fascinating.” He smiled and nodded along to my words. He reached around himself and pulled out a folder.

“Here is their work. I thought you’d appreciate reading them. Honestly, Mr. Iero, your girls are some of the best I’ve taught. They have a great future ahead of them,” he said sincerely. I smiled, because he was right. Especially because they were girls, their future would not be ruined. Our line of work would come to an end, and we could finally rest.

“Thank you. Girls, what do you say to Mr. Stump?” I asked, looking down at them. The girls beamed up at them. “Thank you, Mr. Stump!” They said in unison. Mr. Stump smiled sweetly.

“You’re very welcome, girls. I’ll see you both in class tomorrow.” We bid him goodbye and went to their next teacher.

“What’s next, babies?”

“Mrs. Ballato!” They said excitedly, moving me along faster. There weren’t too many other parents around. I guess they couldn’t be bothered. I smiled at their enthusiasm, but I couldn’t help but be nervous to see her husband. I thought back to his message; I hadn’t answered it. I did not know what to say. We were both married and it was obvious that he wanted something from me. As attracted as I am to him, I cannot do anything. I am faithful to my wife, even if I wasn’t in love with her.

“You both seem to like her a lot,” I noted. They giggled.

“Yeah, she’s really pretty!” Lily said as we slowly came to a stop in front of an opened door with the older woman’s name on it in big bold letters. She popped up into my face out of nowhere.

“Who’s really pretty?” She asked. Once again, that was just her personality and I found it rather refreshing. I chuckled and looked down at the girls, waiting for them to respond.

“You are, Mrs. Ballato!” Lily giggled. Their teacher giggled and kneeled down to give them a big hug, causing me to let go of their hands.

“Aw, thank you, girls! That makes me the happiest person ever!” She said. She let go of them and stood back up before holding her hand out to me. I took it and shook it. “It’s great seeing you again, Frank,” she said. I nodded.

“Pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Ballato,” I said. She led us into her room and gesture to the wall covered with a bunch of colorings. I assumed they were the kids from how sloppy some of them were.

“Call me Lindsey and here are the girls colorings right here,” she said, pointing out the first two that were stapled up. “It was just a simple assignment to color the states any color you wanted to decorate the class for tonight’s occasion. Well, your adorable little girls also named each state, correctly!” She said, her eyes bright, as if they were her children too and she was proud. I chuckled.

“They enjoy looking at maps. I like to think it’s because I have a really big one in the living room, all marked with the places I’ve been to,” I explained. The girls chimed in happily.

“Daddy’s been to a whole lotta places!” Lily said, Cherry nodding excitedly next to her.

“Yeah! We can’t wait till we are old enough to go with him and maybe mommy can come too,” Cherry said. I smiled sadly. The girls missed their mother and it was beginning to affect them. They’ve begun asking more about where she was and when she’ll be home. I’ll have to have a talk with Jamia when I next see her. Lindsey caught on to their hint of sadness and gave them the same type of smiled I had on.

“I’m sure that would make your mommy very happy,” he said, ruffling their hair. Lindsey then looked up to me like she just remembered something. “Oh, Frank, Mr. Way wanted me to tell you that he’s waiting for you in his office. He has a present for the girls!” I blinked, confused.

“Oh, um,” I said, looking down at the girls and struggling with the choice to take them with me or to ask Lindsey to watch them. I almost wanted them to go so I knew to stay composed but I also didn’t want them to see me flustered. They would catch onto something like that. Lindsey smiled.

“I’ll watch them. I enjoy their company,” she said. I struggled a little more before nodding my head, thanking her, and waving to the girls before heading up to the main office. The halls were now mostly empty, only a parent or two with their kids. When I reached the main office, the lights were on but no one was at the receptionists desk, which wasn’t surprising. I looked around for a moment before my eyes paused on a door that had ‘Principal Way’ on it. I stepped forward and knocked on the door with confidence.

“Come in,” I heard his smooth voice say. The way it was muffled reminded me of talking to someone on the phone. His voice sounded very familiar, but I still couldn’t place it. I opened the door and walked in, making sure I didn’t close it behind him. His back was to me as he was stacking papers briefly before turning to me. His eyes got the glint of mischievousness. “Oh, Frank, I was hoping you’d show up soon,” he said with a smirk. I kept my confident posture.

“Yes, Lindsey said you had something for the girls,” I answered as coolly as I could. The suit he was wearing was very distracting, but I kept my eyes solely on his staring back at me.

“Yes, I will get to that. But, first, either I got your number down wrong or you’ve decided ignoring me would be the best route,” he chuckled. “And I’m positive I got your number correct.” That fucking smirk.

“I’ve decided to ignore you unless you come to me about my kids,” I answered truthfully. I had been thinking about accepting his invitation, but he could kiss that opportunity goodbye for being an asshole.

“That’s quite a shame. I was hoping we could be… friends,” he said after much hesitation on the last word. I nodded.

“I would have liked that as well, but it’s very discernible that you’d like more than just a simple companionship.” Gerard scoffed.

“Frank, darling, if I truly wanted you, you’d already be on your knees begging for me to have my nasty way with you,” he said petulantly, practically glaring at me. I smirked at him because I was now under his skin.

“I think you’re only saying that to make yourself feel a little bit better about being rejected,” I retorted. “So about what you wanted to give my daughters?” He huffed a little and shoved an envelope at me. I took it and nodded. “Goodbye, Gerard.” I turned to walk away.

“I’ll break you one day,” he said as I approached the door. I turned back to face him.

“As long as I am married, you will not.” Then I turned and left. I no longer wanted to be here. I’d just use the envelope as an excuse to leave. When I got back to Lindsey’s classroom, the girls tackled me in a hug. “Aww, I missed you, too, my little babies!” I uttered. They giggled happily and the tight knit in my chest Gerard had given me was now gone. “So I have what looks to be good news for the two of you. What do you say daddy takes you out for dinner and we celebrate whatever it is together?” I asked them, smiling lovingly at the two. They eagerly nodded their heads.

“We just wanna be with daddy!” They said all together. I blushed, my heart melting a little at their cute faces and the love I felt coming from them. I heard Lindsey giggling and that quickly brought my attention back to her.

“Your family is the cutest,” she said, almost a hint of lugubriousness in her voice. “Thank you. And thank you for watching them. We’ll be going now, but it was wonderful seeing you again,” I said, shaking her hand waving as we started towards the door.

“Bye, Mrs. Ballato!” Cherry and Lily yelled out happily. We left the room and made our way back to the car. “Did daddy have fun with us tonight?” Lily asked as I opened the door for them; the enjoying getting in the car and getting out the same door, so they could hold hands easier.

“Of course! But the night’s not over, because we still have dinner,” I said, watching them buckle themselves in. I liked to watch them do it and only help them if I see they made a small mistake. If I always did it for them, they would get used to that. But I wasn’t always going to be around to buckle them in, I could only teach them.

“Where are we going, Daddy?” Cherry asked quietly, yawning a little bit. I smiled.

“Uh-oh, is someone sleepy already?” I asked. She nodded tiredly, rubbing at her eyes and slowly trying to keep them open. I chuckled. “Okay. Change of plans. We’ll go pick something up and take it home.”

***

By the time we got home, it was dark out. I carried in our food and drinks while the girls turned on the lights to the living room and kitchen. “Cherry Baby, if you’re too sleepy to eat, you can go to bed. We’ll save your food for tomorrow,” I said. She nodded and laid down on the couch. That meant she wanted me to carry her to her bed and tuck her in. After setting everything down on the table and getting Lily’s food out, I looked back over at Cherry. She was out. I chuckled and looked down when I heard Lily giggling at her too. “So school was good today then?” I asked her quiet as I got out my own food. She nodded a little.

“We are learning to add and subtract and multiply and divide,” she said, stumbling over her words and looking confused. “Did I say that wrong, daddy?” I shook my head.

“No, baby. It wasn’t wrong, but there is another way to say it. Would you like me teach you that?” I asked. She nodded instantly; they definitely love learning. “Okay. Another way to explain what you learned today is: ‘We began learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division,’” I explained. I’m sure something was wrong in there, but I’m trying my best. I need to read the dictionary again.

“Okay! Today, we began learning addi...addition! Um, subtrac-tion, multaplication, and division. The last one was easier,” she giggled. I ruffled her hair as she went back to eating.

“I’m so proud of you both. Now, let me open up this letter to see what Mr. Way was so excited to give you.” I cut open the envelope and pull out the paper inside. I unfold it and begin reading.

“To the parents of Cherry and Lily Iero,

We are pleased to announce you that Cherry and Lily Iero have been accepted into the Gifted Program. Their classes will be available to start within the month. Please contact our Gifted Program school to set up an appointment where you and your children will be given a tour of the school and shown a PowerPoint of what classes they would be taking. Please call us at 555-3690 ext#: 904.

Congratulations to Cherry and Lily Iero!,
Principal of Belleville Elementary, Gerard Way & Headmaster of Gifted Program of New Jersey, Michael Way”

“Whoa,” I say aloud, causing Lily to move closer.

“What’s it say, daddy?” She asked. I looked down at her with the proudest smile I’ve ever given anyone in my life.

“It says that you and your sister were accepted into the Gifted Program!” I said happily. She looked confused.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you both are very smart and the school you’re going to now doesn’t have the tools necessary to teach you,” I answered before realizing what that meant. They’d be switching school. “It means that you girls will have to attend a different school that does have the necessities.” Lily looked absolutely horrified.

“But I don’t wanna leave our school! I like Mr. Stump, and Mrs. Ballato, and the principal and… and my friends are there!” She sobbed, her face turning head and hiccuping. I pulled her onto my lap and rocked her, hoping to calm her down before she woke her sister.

“There, there, Little Lily. Don’t worry. You don’t have to attend that school if that isn’t something you would like. No one is going to force you,” I said soothingly. Part of me was really disappointed because that school would open more doors for them, but I couldn’t force them to do something they didn’t want to do or they’d resent me.

“Do you promise, daddy?” She asked, her voice nasally and her face wet and red. I nodded instantly.

“I promise, Lily Bear, and you know daddy would never lie to you,” I assured her. “Finish your dinner and then start getting ready for bed.”

“Okay, daddy,” she said as she got back on her own seat and began eating her food again. I put the letter away and tossed it with the other pile on the table. I went back to eating my own food. The rest of the night was spent getting the girls bathed, dressed in their pajamas, and tucked into bed. Their eyes were drooping by the time I closed door and bid them good night. Jamia wasn’t home yet so I figured I’d just sit in the living room and read a book. I enjoyed having time to myself. Twenty minutes into reading, my work phone rang and I sprang up to attention, rushing over to get it. I picked it up.

“1170 Lowry Drive, three bodies. The back door is open and your pay is under a broken tile in the back of the kitchen. Thank you for your services,” he said just before hanging up. I instantly perked up just by hearing his voice. I now had a bring smile on my face as I rushed to get ready. I hated having to leave the girls unsupervised but I had my house on lockdown and everyone in the neighborhood would protect my children when they see me leaving at night. At least one person would be watching. I made sure everything was locked, especially the window and the back doors before making my way outside and locking the door behind me. I got into my work car and started it up. I typed the address in my phone and followed the route for almost ten minutes before coming to a stop at a two story house in a nice neighborhood. This one might be a little tough.

I grabbed my equipment and headed in through the back. I was excited to see what he recreated. I was taken back in horror as I stepped inside. This wasn’t a simple hit from Artista. This was a massacre. There was no painting of blood on the walls, just the splatter and bloody hand prints. I looked around at the three unrecognizable bodies. Their faces were caked heavily with now drying blood, some bones were sticking out of their bodies and I knew then. This was a personal hit. Artista was angry; fuming, even. There was much overkill and the hitman never did more than what was needed for the painting. I managed to shake myself out of it and start cleaning, which took nearly three hours. Thankfully this was a night call and no one should be expecting anyone this late. I grabbed my pay from the kitchen and looked at it. It was too much. Even a day cleaning wouldn’t have this kind of raise to it. But I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

On the drive out to the woods, I couldn’t stop thinking about the anger I felt from what Artista left for me. I wasn’t sure if those people had done anything to the hitman personally or not, but the kill itself was personal.

Even as I was digging a hole for the bodies and then burying them, I was still thinking about the unknown man who had my heart. I was thinking about his previous hits and how great they had affected me, but seeing a normal hit just sent me right back to where I was before I met him.

Even as my wife climbed into the bed at six in the morning, I was still thinking about what could be making him so upset. I wanted to help him, but the only thing I could do was hope for it to pass.

Notes

Here’s a new chapter! I hope y’all will enjoy it! I had a burst of motivation last night and ended up finishing this chapter! Let me know what you think !

much love,
-OAIF <3