05 // Bedtime Stories

How could a person be so heartless? How could someone who was once so sweet be so cruel? Logan wondered, but the warning bells went off in his head; he knew why, it was the same reason he was walking around like a zombie.

He did not know what was worse; that she was raped, that she hated him, or the fact that she had no sympathy. Logan knew her too well to know that she would never lower down to his level and comfort him for his loss; MJ Billings was proud, heartless, and unsympathetic – she was cruel, and that was the first thing one saw in her the first time.

Logan had known MJ since she was little, after all, he was four when she was born. His father and Jorge's father were the best of friends, and that was how he met Jorge who was seven at the time and they became the best of friends.

Most of the time when he visited, Jorge was either spending time with his baby sister, or he was reading since he was home-schooled. Logan did not understand why until a few years later when MJ started school, and only then did Jorge go to school like other children his age. That was when Logan learnt that Jorge was practically MJ's primary caregiver.

Their father was never around and he hated MJ, and up until this day, Logan did not understand why. His own sister, Montana, messed up a great deal since she was little, and even after she lost her marbles, their father's love for her only grew stronger.

However, the Billings household was nothing like the Parker's. They did not have a mother and their father was never around. They changed nannies like nappies, until eventually, they were alone. Jorge had to play an even bigger role then, and from time to time, he went crazy because he could not control his sister.

After MJ started school, there were reports after reports each day and complaints from teachers and parents; MJ would hurt other kids and torture them, and to top it off, her father made sure that she got away with it for the sake of his son.

MJ was sweet to people who returned the gesture, but she was evil to those who hurt her, and Logan made sure to steer clear of her until she ceased to exist in his world. She was trouble, but as she grew older, she changed and Jorge could finally breathe without thinking about who his sister was going to hurt next.

But maybe she had not completely changed, she had all this bitterness buried deep somewhere within. She was still cruel, and while she used her hands to send a message in the past, she now used words, and to Logan, her words were sticks and stones.

Logan sauntered through the dark night, completely oblivious of his surroundings as he headed to Antonina's place. He had not seen her since her last accident and he needed one of her special hugs tonight, and perhaps one of her stories.

He arrived at her place after midnight and snuck into the house, thankfully, she had given him back the spare key a few days ago. He skimmed through the darkness until he found her room and peeked his head in, only to find that her side lamp was on and she was awake.

She quickly sat up on the bed when she saw him, worry lines plastered on her aging face. "You look like shit." She referred to his messed clothes, and he chuckled. "Want to talk about it?" She asked, and Logan gulped audibly.

Antonina smiled and patted on the spot next to her. Logan dragged himself and sat at the edge of her bed to take off his shoes, and he thew his jacket and tie on the chair in the room, and then he climbed on the bed and lied next to her.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked her as she lied down, laying her head on her elbow.

"It was great, I took the kids to school today, and they were safe when I fetched them later." Logan's heart sank, she was not herself tonight. A sad expression masked her face and she looked at Logan with lost, dull eyes. It was as if she was stuck in two places at the same time. "Do you want to hear my story?" She asked, and Logan nodded.

"You said you would tell me one day." He whispered, "Please tell me a bedtime story."

Antonina's eyes lit up with excitement, and Logan smiled. "Okay, okay!" She sighed. "My birth name is Antonina Sandoval, I was born and raised all the way in Puerto Rico by my parents, and then I moved to Mexico when I was 18 and worked at a restaurant as a dishwasher, then a waiter till I was 26." She said looking past Logan. "After that, I found a job at the Montero's house, I was a babysitter to their two children; Xavier and Rafaela. Xavier was 14, and obviously did not need a babysitter as much as his 4-year-old sister." She chuckled. "I stayed with them and helped take care of the kids when they were out. The Monteros were nice people and they loved their children dearly." She always repeated this story, the names were engraved in his memories. But for the first time today, there was a new detail to the story, and it really caught Logan's attention. "I met Xavier at a supermarket. He was all grown and powerful, and he had so much anger that it scared me; his parents' death had scarred him.

He asked me what happened, and I told him everything. He was going to help me, he was going to rescue me, but Rodrigo was two steps ahead of him. Someone told him about my meeting with Xavier, he was so mad, he nearly killed me. The very next day, we flee from Mexico, and I lost my children in the process." She said quietly, staring into space.

"What happened to your children?" Logan asked.

"I don't know; I lost them at the border in Mozambique when we crossed over to South Africa." She whimpered, tears spilling at the corner of her eyes. "I don't know what happened; one moment they were there, and then they were gone!" She sobbed, and Logan pulled her into a comforting hug. "I swear I would have gone back to look for them if I could; but Reina and Rodrigo stopped me." She muffled into his chest.

"Shhh, it's okay." Logan soothed, rubbing her back. "I'm sure wherever they are; your children love you." He whispered and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Antonina pushed away from Logan and sat up straight, taking him by surprise. "We have to go and look for your sister; Alejandra is here." She said, and there and then, Logan knew she had slipped again. "Come on, Luis Miguel!" She tried to drag him out of bed, but he restricted her.

"Mãe, calm down, please. We will go and look for Alejandra in the morning. For now, you need to rest." He held her arm and helped her to lie back down.

She looked hesitant, but obliged and laid back. "But Alejandra is your older sister, and she always looked out for you; she would never sleep without knowing where you are." She reprimanded him, trying to get up from bed again. "But now you think you are too grown up and you don't want to be there for her." She pushed his hands away and shifted to face the other way.

Logan sighed and sat against the headboard. "Mãe, I'll go and look for her okay, but you take a rest, and when you wake up in the morning, she will be here, okay?" Antonina nodded like a little baby, and Logan took a breath of relief. "Good."

He climbed out of bed, pulled the sheets over her body before switching off the side lamp, and then he left the bedroom and stayed in the sitting room until he was sure she was asleep.

He did not understand what was happening with her. She was a kind woman who had no enemies and treated everyone equally no matter who they were. She was fine, he had never spotted anything out of place about her, but she suddenly snapped. It was as if the shooting at La Café snapped something in her, and she just lost her marbles.

One minute she was herself, living in the moment, and then she just changed and started reliving her past. She would start speaking about her children, or how bad the Dos Santos were. At times, she would act as if her children, Alejandra and Luis Miguel, were there with her and that they were at school.

Luis Miguel.

That had become his new name whenever he was around her and she somehow lost it, but he did not mind her at all.

She would leave the café in the middle of the day and walk to the nearest school to fetch the kids. Looking after her had become his main priority, he made sure to attend to her when he was not busy with his company, and he had gone as far as moving all his meetings to La Café to keep a close eye on her. At one point he had to leave in the middle of an important meeting to follow her.

No one took note of the changes, if they did, then they did not show it. No one wondered why Logan spent more time outside the office, they thought it was his way of healing after everything he went through with Carmen, but the staff at La Café noticed some changes when he became more hands on at the café instead of Antonina.

He spent more time at her place too, especially after finding out that his siblings betrayed him. Although Antonina was a bit chaotic most of the time, he found peace when he was with her.

When he was sure she was fast asleep, he snuck back into the room and laid beside her, hoping that tomorrow, they would find a way forward.

But deep down, he knew everything was going to go up in smoke soon.