• Audrey called back the blade and it sailed through the air, the handle landing in her right palm with a light smacking sound. She wouldn’t let the hurt that she felt in her heart show on her face because she knew that it would give Titan satisfaction. She trusted Tristan. She wanted to be with that boy. She had loved him. And now he sat on the floor, dead from the betrayal that he gave to her.

    “Interesting. Why choose to kill him instead of me? I’m sure it would have been just as easy.” Titan remarked, a smile still plastered on his face.

    Audrey let a low growl escape through her lips. Oh she knew she could have, but not only did those last words Tristan thought up make Audrey lose control, but she knew that Titan needed to be alive if she ever wanted to see her family again. That is, living.

    “I think you know why she didn’t kill you Titan.” Mr. Roberts spat out. “Why don’t you just leave this poor girl alone.”

    The brawny man turned his attention away from Audrey and glared at Abram. “You know, you are probably going to die tonight. To think I trusted you when you were a part of the Syndicate. I thought you could actually become second in command. But when I found out who you actually were, I knew you had to die. To bad you left, you could have seen a great many things that we have accomplished.”

    There was silence in the once abandoned mill. Until finally, Audrey broke the eeriness with her voice. “How did you find me?” she asked, stalling for time until she could think of a way to get her family to safety.
    Titan sniggered as he turned back to Audrey. “It was hard at first. Going through all those girls that showed potential for being you. Being born around the time you were supposed to be born. I was actually going to move west until I saw the news that one day about those three men being killed. At first I thought it was nothing. Just another murder of people that probably mean nothing in this world, but then I heard the description of your birthmarks from those two whores. It’s a shame that they couldn’t tell me where you lived. It would have saved me time and your precious hubby over here would still be alive. Unless you had the ability to kill him when you got angry. Tell me, my dear, did you ever want to kill someone that was close to you? Did you lose control ever and think to yourself of what kind of monster you really were?”

    Audrey didn’t answer. She glanced at the television screen to her left and held the knife that was in her palm even tighter. What could she say? That it was true? No, she would have to just ignore those questions lest it give him another reason to want her in his possession.

    “You know, I wanted to kill you when I first heard you were going to be born. When your precious mother was pregnant with you. But I couldn’t find you anywhere. I tore all through that barn and nothing of your presence was in sight. Thank fully I didn’t find you. I would have cut your pretty little throat right then and there.

    “After I found out the potential you had and what you actually were, I set out to find you. Knowing that your father had safely hidden you among an unsuspecting family, I knew I had some time in front of me. I tried to get you before you matured, but I guess we see now that I was too late. Shame really. I could have gotten you ready.

    “It is also amusing that your uncle here thought he could help you get away. Didn’t you Abram? You thought that you could persuade your precious niece into running away didn’t you? But you didn’t get the chance. You know, your brother was quite the sight when I killed him, personally. He didn’t look all that handsome anymore. If only poor Rose could see him for what he was, then you my dear would be my daughter in stead.” He ended off with a flick of his chin towards Audrey.

    She looked over at her uncle with a questioning look on her face. The way that Titan had spoken about her biological parents gave her the impression that something else had gone on between them all. It made Audrey shiver knowing that there was a possibility that Titan could have been her father.

    “Do it Mason.” Titan said.

    Audrey looked back and noticed that he was talking into the walkie talkie that he had before. She didn’t even notice her uncle shudder at the name that Titan call out. Do what? But she didn’t need to ask. A second later, a scream alarmed from the television set. She looked down and noticed that her mother was missing from the spot that they were once in. Her father and brother were both squirming with uncontrollable rage and from how it sounded, they were attempting to yell through the gags that were around their mouths.
    Audrey’s mouth gaped open. She could do nothing for her family right now. Being miles away, there was no possibility for her to do anything. Or could she?

    “I’ll do anything if you just stop hurting my family!” She screamed at Titan.

    A sneer appeared on the man’s burly face. He had gotten what he had come here for.

    “Just come and work for me and you wont be sorry.” He said.

    Audrey continued to hear the piercing screams of her mother yelling to stop. “Just stop them and I’ll come!” She yelled.

    “Alright Mason, you can stop.” Titan spoke to the walkie talkie.

    She attempted not to sigh a breath of relief because her family was not out of the death zone just yet. She had to physically get them out of there by herself and see them to safety. No word but her own could be trusted right now.

    “Now, you have to do something else for me if you want your family’s safety.” Titan told Audrey, folding his arms across his chest.

    “What would that be?”

    Audrey didn’t think a smile could ever spread to wide across a person’s face. “Kill him.” He told her, pointing towards her uncle.

    The breath that she was about to exhale caught in her throat. It was difficult for her to kill someone when she was angry, nonetheless when she was aware of herself. There was no way she was going to be able to kill the uncle she just found out she had.

    “If you don’t, I’ll tell my officer to cut one finger off of your pretty little mothers’ hands for every minute that you falter. Don’t think I’m not joking my dear. I have done much worse to get what I want. And let me tell you, I always get what I want.”

    Maybe not this time. Audrey thought to herself.

    “How do you expect me to kill an innocent man?” Audrey breathed.

    Titan coughed a laugh. “Do you really think that your precious uncle is all that innocent? You really don’t know what he has done do you?”

    “I just met him you oaf.” Audrey retorted.

    “Exactly like your father.” Titan muttered under his breath, and added more clearly “He’s the reason why your parents are dead.”






    --------------------------------------------








    “It’s going to be a girl.” Adam told his younger brother.

    Abram smiled and clasped hands with his sibling. “Congratulations dear brother! But why do you look so glum?”

    A sigh escaped Adam’s lips. How could he possibly explain it without it sounding preposterous? He himself could barely stand to take all of the information in. Rose had tried to warn him. Before they started dating even, but he wasn’t thinking about it then and certainly not now.

    “Father always said that if I had a boy, his fortune would be mine and if I had a girl, the girl would be the luckiest child in the world. He never met Rose before he died. It was a shame really. I was going to take her to meet him the day after he died in his sleep. I had just found out that morning. She was looking forward to meeting at least one of my parents.

    “It’s a shame mother had to die so young. At least she would have been here to give me some proper advice. She was always good at it.”

    He was staring into the fire that blazed before him. He didn’t want to have to look at his brother. Not when he finally confessed what had been keeping him so preoccupied the last fortnight.

    “Adam, you know I hate these mind games. Just tell me what is upsetting you. I got mother’s ability to give advice and you know that. Who told you that day you killed the biggest moose in the woods to shoot at the neck? You would have hit his leg just to injure it enough to take a picture. But then it would have suffered. It was me. And for the next week your family and mine combined ate comfortably.” Abram said, placing a firm grip on his brothers shoulder.

    “It is just hard to get all of it out.” Adam finally told him after a minute of no response.

    He sighed again and finally turned his head to look at Abram. “I’m just worried about everything.”

    There was a couple seconds of silence to which upon Abram broke with his laughter. He definitely didn’t understand what Adam was trying to say. “Dear brother, having a child isn’t as hard as it seems. How do you think I felt when I heard for the second time my wife was having another boy? At least Rose will be able to keep your little youngster happy with lessons on how to braid hair and apply makeup to her face. Don’t worry about it as much as you are right now.”

    “The child I’m about to have is going to be a monster.” Adam finally got out.

    The younger brother was at a loss for words. He knew that Adam loved children. Why would he all of a sudden speak of his own child being a monster? Was it not a girl the man had wanted for a first child?

    “What is this that you speak about? How could you say something so horrid? If Rose heard you say that then she wou-”

    “Rose it the one that told me about the baby. She wasn’t as ecstatic as you would think of a woman when she finds her baby is going to be a girl. It was her that told me it wasn’t going to be a normal child.” Adam explained.

    Abram stood in shock, looking away from his older and nervous brother. Although it was he who was usually the more laid back brother, Adam had never lost his head this bad.

    “What do you mean a monster?” Abram asked, walking to go sit on the couch.

    Adam closed his eyes. “You know how I don’t believe in folklore, legends or anything that people say could possibly be a myth, right?


    “That is why I have come to talk to you tonight Abe. I need to know what I should do? It might sound pathetic but I’m really scared about this. She seemed so serious and dead certain that our child was going to become this sort of monster.”

    Abram’s mouth hung open, dropped with both fascination and disgust. His brother, never said he was scared. If Abram was the level headed one, Adam was definitely the sibling with the most courage. He was the one who had stood up to bullies when they were younger even though he was smaller. Older but smaller and all the more deadly. That is the reason why he excelled at sports such as Jujitsu and Sparring.

    “You must believe me dear brother.” Adam pleaded, clasping his hands in front of his face.

    This time, it was Abrams turn to sigh. “What will she turn into?”

    Adam bit his lip. He was happy that his brother was at least interested in hearing what he had to say. He knew that if he went to his advisor at work, the man would definitely send a psychiatrist after him and that was one of the last things he wanted.

    “Rose told me that in her family, in the blood line dating thousands of years ago, her people created a being that was meant to help take care of all the evils in this world. Every time one of these beings dies, another one is created. They were all made into females because these people thought only this gender would be able to cope with the powers they would be given. They thought that men would be too power hungry to be able to exist. As soon as they realized that these creatures were too powerful they were going to turn against them and try to run everything their way, it was too late.

    “They don’t die. They can’t at least until they do it themselves. The only thing that can kill them is they themselves. Ironic right? That’s what I thought. Apparently, she found out six months ago, just before she got pregnant, that the last one had died. She had kept on hiatus so that there wouldn’t be a mutiny or slaughter, not against the people that would attempt it, but against herself. They do have the ability to love and she had a family behind her. But it wasn’t enough. Rose told me that the ancestors of our people had found out where she lived. They were the last ones left and when they started torturing her whole family and the only way she could save them was to kill herself and as well as the ancestors.

    “She died, and unfortunately, so did her whole family. You remember the story in six months ago in the news paper about the woman who massacred half of her town?” Adam asked.

    Abram nodded. How could he not forget? Along with being the owner of the town newspaper, he was the writer for the history section. He remembered having to write the story, devilling into the past of the woman. Her name was unknown for some reason but the video in the convenience store where she was seen killing three masked men showed her face full on. Those who had survived the horrendous event were asked over and over if they knew who she was. No one could. He had to attempt to dig into her past but when he couldn’t find anything, he had to lie. He said that she was a psychopath who had escaped the local psychiatric hospital. But he now knew the truth. Although he didn’t believe it, the truth was now being set free.

    “Do you really think that this story can at all be possibly true?” Abram asked, his face turned towards the fire still.

    Adam gritted his teeth. He knew his brother didn’t believe him. “I’m not sure to tell you the honest to God truth. I didn’t want to believe it at first but she showed me passages in books and pictures that were over a hundred years old of information to do with what these beings are. I thought they were just imitations of other manuscripts just made to look real. But when I took them to a historian of art, they said the pages were one hundred percent real.”

    Adam looked down at his feet in shame with this story. “What I’m trying to get at here, is that Rose is completely freaked out right now. I always thought that the reason why she wanted a girl was because she was always into sports and such. But I realised that this is a real fear of hers. But I think it’s more on the part where she’ll be scared that she will not be able to have an influence on how well our daughter will act when she is older. She thought at first that she would be able to raise her differently and to be able to teach her how to harness her abilities and such but now she is becoming doubtful.

    “I just need to know what am I supposed to do? I’m losing my mind worrying about it.” Adam pleaded, rubbing his hands through his hair. “I definitely do not want to lose the baby, but I don’t want Rose thinking that she has to kill herself to get us out of the pregnancy.”

    Abram looked up at his brother and twisted his mouth, thinking. “I’ll talk to her if you want me to.”

    For the first time that night that Abram had seen his older brother, relief and happiness washed over his face. “Thank you. If there is anything that I could ever do to you, just ask.”






    --------------------------------------------







    “Rose, you must listen to me. I do think that you and Adam would be able to raise this child differently. If I have seen my brother accomplish any impossible task then you and him would be able to raise a child. Please, he is worrying himself sick over all of this.” Abram pleaded to the blonde petite woman sitting at the vanity.

    “I thought about that as well. I really have Abram. But I don’t think that I would be able to change her nature. Can you tame a cat to not want to play with string? Can you stop a fish from swimming?” Rose asked, her face staring at her brother in law through the mirror.

    Abram sighed. She looked so beautiful and delicate, but he knew otherwise. There was a spark in her that was visible in her eyes. She wouldn’t let anyone bring her down, being the reason why she was with Adam. But should she have married him instead?

    “Rose, what is it do you plan on doing then?” Abram asked, walking up toward the vanity and placed a hand tenderly on her shoulder.

    Rose closed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t bear the thought of killing my unborn child and I can’t possibly know what to do when she comes into the world and quite possibly kills those around her.”

    Does it really have anything to do with you, what this child will be? Abram thought. He didn’t voice the question. He didn’t want her to hate him for asking it, but it is definitely something that he wanted to ask.

    “Would you be able to kill your sons? Would you have let your wife have an abortion?” She asked him again, this time her piercing eyes were looking into his.

    Abram paused. He didn’t know how to answer that. Of course he wouldn’t have been able to kill his sons, but then where would have the conversation have led to?

    “I’m scared, Abram. I don’t want her being a monster. I don’t want her doing something that was against humanity.” Rose said, standing up and walking towards her bedroom.

    Abram watched as she walked away, the nightgown she was wearing was flowing softly behind her and he couldn’t help but become captivated by her movement. The truth was, he had always been captivated by her presence. The way her blonde hair flowed behind her and the way that her eyes sparkled when she was happy made him want to grab her and never let her go. Adam would never be able to know about this, it would break his heart.

    “Rose wait. I believe you. I really do. But you can’t beat yourself up like this. I know that you will be able to keep this child from raising havoc. I have faith that you will be able to. Shouldn’t you be able to trust me?”

    He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, gripping them with subtle affection. Before, he would never touch her. How would he be able to control himself? How would he be able to control his feelings? It was hard just being in a room with her let alone coming in contact with her beautifully soft and creamy ivory skin.

    “Rose…” His voice whispered, pulling her body to face him.

    She looked back with her sullen eyes, on the verge of tears. He just realised now, he had never seen her cry. Even Adam said he had never seen her shed a tear. Thinking about it now, if she cried, she would have shared something with that Adam has never witnessed. He would be more close to her then her own husband. It made his heart pound. Abram could hear the pulse in his ear quicken and his hands on her arms started to grip harder.

    “Abram…” Rose whispered in turn.

    But he didn’t realise her tone.

    His mouth enveloped hers before she could do more then fidget in his grasp. When she was finally able to break free, her hand came up and forcefully slapped the side of her brother in laws face. A mark was left where her hand made contact and he would most surely receive a bruise.

    “I’m going to do Adam a favour. He looks up to you, you know. I used to revel the fact and think to myself, I wish I had an older sibling that I could have to help me along in life. Jealousy is not my forte. Now I don’t even know why.” Rose quietly told him, with great determination. “If you leave now, I promise that Adam will never find out about this. I’ll pretend this never happened. But if you ever try that again, I will make sure you never step foot in this house again. You will never see my daughter and you will never ever in our lives again. Am I clear?”

    Abram was still nursing his red cheek when he answered. He let his hand drop to his side and glared at Rose. He loved her yes, that was still true, but she would never again be in his good graces. He now knew what he was to do with her child.

    “Crystal.”

    Rose was standing near the door to exit the room, which she soon moved away from so that Abram could exit. It wasn’t a gesture of kindness, but was a gesture of pure hate. If he could not have her, no one could.

    You’ll pay for this. Those were the last unspoken words Abram ever gave to Rose.