To Fall So Deep

Nina's eyes opened, her eyebrows furrowed in blurred confusion. Her entire body ached from pressure and soreness. A rhythmic and constant beeping filled her ears first, before hearing the sound of shuffling on linoleum. This sensation was a little to familiar, and it genuinely scared her. Nina slowly sat up on the bed she was lying in, and sitting next to her was Corrine.

"Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Corrine held Nina's hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Kathleen, where is she?" her sister was the first thing that popped into her mind.

"She's okay. Kathleen has been out of surgery for the past hour and is resting now," Corrine informed.

Past hour? Nina looked past Corrine to the window behind her. No natural light entered, only from the outside lampposts.

"How long have I been out?" Nina asked.

"About three hours," Corrine spoke. "They had to sedate you because of your outbursts."

"What exactly happened to Kathleen?" Nina asked.

"She got jumped," Corrine's voice trembled. She kept calm, but Nina knew that Corrine wanted to burst from the inside out. "She was waiting for her dad to pick her up from downtown after spending time with friends. He asked me to do so instead because he was working on campaign stuff. I took too long to get there, and I called her cell. I walked around, and that's when I found her."

Corrine bursted into tears, feeling the guilt take over. Nina reached over and held her hand. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to even put a scratch on Kathleen, let alone put her in the hospital. Kathleen had no enemies, at least none that Nina knew of. All her sister was capable of was love and compassion, which is why the thought of someone hurting Kathleen bewildered Nina.

"I don't understand. Why?"

"The last thing Kathleen said before she lost consciousness was, 'for my family'," Corrine swallowed, looking at Nina with tender eyes. "I think it has something to do with the election."

If Nina's head wasn't spinning, she would tear the whole room apart. The election? Kathleen took a beating to defend her family, and the idea made Nina cringe with anger. This was typical Kathleen-- she would do anything for the family, even if it meant getting seriously hurt.

"I want to see her," Nina demanded, pushing the sheet on top of her off to the side, and sliding her legs off the bed.

"Wait," Corrine, held Nina's arm, "first, tell me where were you this weekend. After the party. I know you weren't sleeping at Leina's, nor were you on a nature hike… I called Leina's mom when you weren't answering your cell. So please explain to me where you got your scrapes from."

Nina turned her head to look at Corrine, "Robbie is not a decent guy."

"Did he do that to you?" Corrine questioned.

Nina didn't want to admit to Corrine exactly what happened the night of Niall's party, but she didn't want to lie. She just nodded in reply to Corrine's question, "I was spending the night at Harry Styles' house."

"You were what?" Corrine's expression morphed to one of worry, to concern. She rubbed her temples, "Nina, what were you thinking? If your father found out… do you understand how upset he would be?"

"I know, I know," Nina tried to diffuse the tension. "It won't happen again okay? Just, please take me to Kathleen."

"As far as your father's concern, he still believes you were with Leina. So just stick to that story when you see him," Corrine stood from the chair. Nina nodded. "Let's go see your sister."

Corrine led Nina out of the hospital room, to another down the hall. It was a pretty empty area of the hospital, as oppose to the chaos of the emergency unit. Corrine turned the knob of the door, and pushed it open wide enough for Nina to walk through. There was a curtain that hid the bed away from Nina, and next to that bed was a window where Leo stood staring outside.

"Tay?" Nina spoke. Leo turned around. There were dark circles around his sunken eyes, and his usually groomed hair was spiked in different directions. His well-pressed blazer was draped across a chair, and his white button up shirt was untucked with his sleeves folded to his elbows.

"Nina," he whispered, holding his arms out wide. He embraced his daughter in a tight hug, stroking the back of her head. "You had me so worried," Leo pulled away from Nina, touching the tender spots on her face with his thumb.

"I'm okay now. Leina took care of me," Nina lied. Leo smiled, and gave his daughter another tight hug.

"Your sister isn't awake yet," Leo looked over to the curtain, and back to Nina.

"I want to see her anyway," Nina began walking around the curtain and to the side of the bed.

There, lying helpless and fast asleep was her beautiful little sister. Nina's nostrils flared out, and she could feel her cheeks flush-- this was her body's way of telling her that crying was imminent. White bandages were wrapped around Kathleen's head, her left arm in a sling. Her eye was dark purple, and her lip was bright red and swollen. Thick bandages, coated with redness, peaked out of her hospital gown-- Kathleen's surgical wound. Seeing her like this made Nina's blood boil, and was glad that Kathleen was sleeping.

Nina wanted so bad to yell at her sister; to ask what the fuck was going on her head. Why she'd willingly be someone's punching bag to protect the family. Nina was the oldest, and since the day she was graced with the gift of Kathleen, it was in her merit to take care of her. But she failed, and has failed since their mother's death. It was Kathleen who had to grow up, who had to be strong, who had to be the backbone for both herself, and for Nina. And it was this truth, that made Nina wince with and utmost guilt.

"Do you know when she'll be able to come home?" Nina asked Leo, not taking her eyes off of her fragile sister.

"In about two days. The stab wound didn't go too far deep, but it did puncture nerves. She may not feel anything underneath her left clavicle for a few months, or ever," Leo informed. This was all too much for Nina to take in, and the last of her father's words got lost with the resonance of the monitors.

Nina sank in the empty chair next to the bed. The door opened. It was Corrine holding a tray of coffee and tea.

"Are they still there?" Corrine asked Leo, handing him a cup from the tray. He took a sip from the warm liquid, savoring the taste like it was the only optimistic thing in the room.

"There's still a few out there," Leo answered.

"This is ridiculous," Corrine grunted.

"A few of what? What's ridiculous?" Nina glared at her dad and at Corrine with confusion on her face. She held the warm cup of tea tightly in her cold hands.

"Reporters," Leo gestured for the window. Nina furrowed her eyebrows and started for the window. She peaked out the glass, and just like her father said, four reporters fully equipped with cameras and microphones stood outside the main entrance.

"You've got to be kidding me? Word got out that Kathleen was in here? Why is it any of their business?" Nina couldn't grasp the concept.

"Styles is really pushing the idea that I'm an unfit father, which will supposedly translate if I become mayor," Leo sighed. He took another sip. The coffee seemed to calm him down.

"People can't actually believe that, can they?" Nina protested.

"How can they not? There's 'evidence' everywhere," Leo explained. "I'm not exactly sure who's feeding him all this information about the family, but he has so many people on his side. I'm guessing a nurse, or one of the doctors let it slip to his campaign party of Kathleen."

It was like big brother. But worse. Instead of a society as a whole being watched, it was just the Dela Veras who were under scrutiny, and Nina was waiting for Ashford's own Thoughtpolice to take her away.

A melody escaped from Leo's pocket, and all eyes turned towards it. Corrine and Nina watched Leo answer his cellphone, "yes Henley, what is it? I'm sorry, can you repeat that? My daughter. A party." The sound of Henley's deep, loud voice echoed from the phone speakers, causing a stir in Corrine and in Nina. "Your words are slurring together! Okay, okay, I will. Thank you."

"What did Henley want?" Corrine asked.

"To watch the news," Leo answered, grabbing a white remote that was attached to Kathleen's bed. He pressed the button, and the television on the wall turned on. He flipped through the channels, passing Doctor Who and The Voice, before stopping on the local news station.

It seemed like all the oxygen in Nina's body suddenly disintegrated, leaving her to pant in desperation for air. As much as her mind told her to turn away, her eyes stayed glued to the television screen and the ludicrous clip the news was playing for all of Ashford to see. Taken with a phone, from someone at Niall's party last Friday, the amateur video showed a montage of Nina. Smiles and all, drinking from red cups, playing beer pong, and interacting with several males including the wolf pack. It wasn't just the clips that depicted Nina as some party girl who loved the attention from boys, but the voice over that accompanied it that forced her to cry from embarrassment.

"Candidate Dela Vera's daughter, Nina Joyce Dela Vera, is a spawn of delinquency. As shown in the video that we received from an anonymous supporter," the intimidating voice of Des Styles echoed from the TV with an autocratic thunder, "we see Nina participating in heavy drinking, wearing clothes that do not fit a conservative standard, and is willing to throw her body among the several males that surround her."

"He's making up bullshit," Nina screamed through the tears. She shook Leo's shoulders, "Tay, please believe me! I wasn't even drinking that much alcohol. I made those drinks myself with more juice. Those boys are my friends, and I was with Elissia and Leina and more girls."

"Shhh, anak, calm down," Leo cooed, trying to ebb the hurt as he hugged Nina tightly. "I believe you anak, I believe you."

"It is obvious that Mister Dela Vera cannot tame his family, and this is a scary truth. If mayor, Mister Dela Vera will run Ashford into ultimate shambles. His eldest daughter is a criminal in the making, who will try to influence our children with her devious ways. And his youngest daughter, Kathleen Francis Dela Vera is no different. She has just been admitted into the Ashford Hospital after engaging in a physical brawl that is suspected to be associated with gang activity. Candidate--"

Corrine shut the television off before Nina and Leo could listen to anymore of Styles' vile defamation. She turned back to look at her family-- one was lying unconscious in a hospital bed, the other was on the floor crying, and the other, the love of her life, was only trying to save Ashford, and in return was receiving antagonism.

The Dela Veras didn't know it yet, but this was war.

Notes

Hola beautiful ladies!

Happy Wednesday! Hope all is well with you <3 Here's chapter 22, and I hope you guys liked it. If you do, vote up, leave feedback, and tell all your friends about it! Also, if any of you are from (or have family/friends in) Chile, I'd like to send my thoughts and prayers out to you and your loved ones who may be suffering from the large earthquake the hit yesterday. Stay safe out there guys, and all your Californians-- get your emergency kits ready. A big one is coming. Whether it's tomorrow, or in two years, I want all of you to be prepped for a 6+ quake!

Love & Thanks,

-Erica Jaine <3