Before Josie could finish her sentence, my anger had boiled over. I moved so fast, it was like I blurred as I wrapped my hand tightly around Josie’s throat, slamming her into the stainless steel refrigerator. I hissed viciously in my ex bestie’s face, not caring that my fangs were showing or my eyes had faded to darkness. Josie had pushed me too far, and now she would pay for that mistake.
“You little bitch! I told you not to test me!” I screamed.
Josie was frantically scratching at the hand around her throat, desperate for me to release her. Her attempts were futile because I was much stronger. The other girl’s eyes bulged, her face was red, and her consciousness started to slip. I lifted her higher off the ground until her dangling feet almost kicked my knee.
“Now, I want something else from you.” I whispered, swallowing hard. My burst of anger had also triggered my thirst. The ache clawed its way from my pit to my throat. The blood pumping through Josie’s body almost had me salivating. Vampire instincts took over. I quickly yanked a now blue-faced Josie closer and sank my fangs into the bulging vein on the side of her neck. The blood rushed into my mouth, soothing the gnawing ache in my stomach. I drank down in gulps until Josie completely went limp.
I would have drained the girl dry, but a sudden tingle, distracted me. I instantly let Josie crash to the ground to stare at my palm, but nothing was there. The skin had completely healed. All signs of the link mark were gone.
“What the hell?” I asked myself, wondering if I actually felt a tingle or just imagined one.
After another moment of opening and closing my hand, I let it go as a trick of my mind. I turned my attention back to Josie who was slumped unconscious on the floor. I could still hear her faint heartbeat which meant I hadn’t killed her. It was luck really.
“Now, what am I going to do with you?” I asked, knowing the girl wouldn’t answer. Reluctantly, I picked Josie up and slung her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. In seconds, I was up the stairs, tossing Josie’s body onto her princess canopy bed. The heavily pink-decorated room made me remember all the sleepovers we had here. Just like before, I thought the pink room was nauseating.
I strolled into Josie’s walk-in closest and began packing up some of her clothes; mostly the ones that weren’t pink. After that, I grabbed Josie’s favorite shoe box where I knew Josie kept her emergency cash. Stealing didn’t bother me one bit. After cutting a man’s eyes out, stealing didn’t even feel wrong.
I stepped over to Josie’s vanity and began piling cosmetics into one of Josie’s bags. I didn’t know how far I had to go to get away from Raven, but it seemed a good idea to take anything I could think of. Going to My own house was completely out of the question so I had to take all I needed from Josie.
My reflection in the mirror caught my attention so I stopped. My eyes were black and my fangs were still out. Other than the night I turned, I hadn’t had time to really see myself as a vampire. Slowly, I sat at the stool, still staring at myself.
“Finally, I’m as beautiful as I always wanted to be.” I said, picking up a brush and stroking my short wild hair back.
But this beauty came at a price. Turning into a vampire hadn’t been the great ride I thought it would be. My hatred towards Ana seemed to only make my life more difficult. For the first time in a long time, I wished things were different. I wished I could go back to the days when Ana and I were actually close; when I was dumb enough to consider Ana as my sister.
“You know, Josie, I didn’t always hate Ana.” I said, as I continued to stroke her hair.
I knew Josie couldn’t hear a word of what I was about to say. It was why I wanted to say it. Just once. I wanted to talk about the day that made me who I was now.
“We used to be close. I loved her once. Ana looked up to me when we were kids, and having a little sister, was the best thing to me then, but that all changed on one bright sunny day.” I paused, letting the memory of that day come back to me slowly. “Ana and I always stayed after school to take piano lessons, but I hated it. So, one day, I decided not to go and walked home right after school. I was prepared for my mom to lecture me about ditching the lessons and for leaving my sister, but I knew I could explain it to my dad who would make her understand. I was always a daddy’s girl, and Ana was a mama’s girl. It worked then. Or so I thought. I walked into the house that day and was greeted with the truth about my perfect family. The yelling was the first thing I heard. My parents were arguing and that was something I’d never heard them do. My mother never yells. So I crept up the stairs to hear what they were saying; just hoping I wasn’t in trouble.” I paused again, remembering the fear coiling inside my stomach as I walked up the stairs that day. “I can still remember every word they said, Josie like it just happened. My parents were in their bedroom. The door wasn’t closed all the way so I peeked inside. My dad was packing his clothes, and my mother was crying and screaming.
“Frank, please, you can’t leave your family!” Lucy cried as her husband exited the closet with an arm full of clothes.
“This isn’t a family! I am tired of pretending with you! Tell me who is her father? I know Ana is not my daughter!” Frank spat. Lucy trembled as she reached out for him, but he slapped her hand away.
“She is yours…”
“STOP LYING TO ME, LUCY! I always suspected Ana wasn’t mine with her weird blue eyes and creepy looking dark hair. So you know what I did? Last week, I took the kids and had them both DNA tested and guess what? Only Kim is a match as my child. So who the fuck have you been screwing?” He sneered, inching closer to his wife’s face.
The rage in him was frightening. Lucy cried harder and shook her head sadly. Her response only angered him more, and he picked up a lamp from the nightstand, throwing it across the room where it hit a wall and shattered. Kim had to cover her mouth to keep her from yelping at the sound of the crash. She didn’t want my parents to catch her listening.
Frank paced the room frequently, running his hands through his receding hair.
“You are nothing but a weak whore who isn’t even smart enough to get a decent job. I have no idea why I married you to begin with.” He said in disgust.
“I’m taking Kim with me when I go.” He added after a moment.
“No! You will not take my daughter anywhere. Nor will you leave this family. I have done too much to keep us together. Ana is our daughter. I love her and Kim, and we will make this work…”
“Are you delusional?! I’m divorcing you…”
“NO! YOU ARE NOT LEAVING US! I brought Ana home to save our family, not destroy it. She is a good girl, Frank. Ana is special. You’ve been her father for nine years. Please.” Lucy begged.
He threw his hands up. For nine years, he tolerated Ana, but actually be a father to her he did not. Then Lucy’s words settled in his mind. Slowly, he stepped into her face, grabbing her chin to force her to look him in the eye.
“You said you brought Ana to save our family. What did you mean by that?” Dad studied Lucy’s face, watching her eyes widened as he caught her slip the words. The pieces began to fall together faster then. “Oh my god! She isn’t your daughter either. Where the hell did she come from?” He asked.
“WHERE THE HELL DID SHE COME FROM, LUCY?!” Frank screamed so violently, bits of spit came out with his words, but his wife didn’t shutter. Not a single reply. She stood there with slumped shoulders and tears falling in waves.
The insanity of the situation was too much for Frank to handle. Lucy had brought home a child that didn’t belong to either of them. He should have figured it out sooner. After all the complications she went through to have Kim, he should have known she couldn’t get pregnant again. So she faked a pregnancy and bought or adopted a baby behind his back. That or kidnapped one. He wouldn’t put kidnapping past her in a time of desperation. At this point, it didn’t matter. He just needed to get far away from the woman he married.
Without another word, Frank grabbed his bag and headed for the door, but L
ucy’s next words froze him in his tracks.
“I’ll destroy you if you leave us, Frank. I’ll take everything you have and bury you.” Lucy calmly threatened.
He quickly turned to face her. “Are you threatening me?”
“Absolutely.” She replied instantly. Lucy wiped her tears and stood up straight. Frank never knew her to have a backbone so he assumed she was bluffing.
“You signed a pre-nup, dear. So you’ll get exactly what you came into this marriage with and that’s nothing.” Frank smiled, believing he had the upper hand, but Lucy wasn’t even fazed by his words.
“I was pregnant when I signed that pre-nup, dear. It’s called duress, and even the worse lawyer could get me out of that given the circumstances.” Lucy informed him.
Frank’s eyes widened, and his nostrils flared as he became angrier for a new reason now. “And I won’t stop there,” Lucy added, “I don’t think the big shot bosses at your grandfather’s company will be too pleased when they find out you’re a cheater…”
Before he could think, Frank advanced on Lucy, slapping her hard across the face. She yelped and fell back onto the king-sized bed.
“You lying manipulative bitch! Do you think anyone will believe a whore like you over me? I’m wealthy and an influential pillar in this community, not to mention you brought someone else’s child into our home and tried to force me to raise it! Do yourself a favor, Lucy, and skip town. Take that little freak with you.” Frank growled, towering over her.
Lucy laughed; not a chuckle but a full-blown hysterical laugh that had Frank backing away.
“You always thought I was so stupid. Doubting me will be your biggest downfall.” Lucy wiped the blood from her split lip and got off the bed.
He watched as she lifted the mattress and pulled out dozens of eight by ten photos and threw them at him. “There’s some proof for you. Hiding right under your damn nose. And I have electronic backups of them all set to be sent to your bosses and friends and your asshole father.”
Frank didn’t even look at the pictures. He was stunned by how much he’d severely underestimated his wife.
“I don’t think your boss is going to like those pictures especially the ones with you and his Harvard-bound son. This could also ruin that dream in politics you have considering the others are mostly prostitutes. Oh, and your dear dying grandfather will most certainly cut you out of his fortune.” Lucy pressed.
Frank finally looked down at the pictures littering the floor and gasped. They were intimate shots of him over the years with different people―mostly interns at his job and a few prostitutes. He reached down and picked up the photo of him and his boss’ son. In the photo, they were both shirtless and lip locked; no way to deny what was happening in it.
“Ho-how did y-you…” He couldn’t even finish his sentence. His heart was racing, and his head was pounding. A divorce he could handle even if she took everything, but his secrets exposed he could not. He came from a conservative wealthy family that had high expectations of him. Lucy was right to say she could ruin him with this.
“How did I do it? Simple. I followed you. I put a tracking device in your car and followed you every time I got suspicious you were cheating. And you always were. I should have known because you rarely touched me. At first, I was hurt because I loved you so much, but then I became disgusted by how little you cared for your family. So instead of crying over it, I kept proof just in case I needed it.” Lucy explained.
Frank looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time, and the woman he saw wasn’t the woman he married. This woman was willing to do the unthinkable to get what she wanted.
“You’re blackmailing me? This is unbelievable. Why do you even want to be with me after-after all of this?”
Lucy let out a long sigh.
“Children should be raised by a mother and a father. I wasn’t raised with either so I’m determined to make sure my children are raised with both. I don’t care how many women or men you have to screw Frank as long as you come home to your family every day and be a father to your kids. I may not be a good wife for this, but I love my children, and I’ll fight for their right to a family.” She stated with more determination shining in her eyes than he’d ever seen before. Lucy may not stick up for herself, but she was willing to do anything for her children.
“You. Are. Insane.” Frank whispered. He had no more words for her as he left the room. But he also didn’t pick up his bag because, no matter how crazy she sounded, she was smart enough to have proof of his infidelity, and that would destroy him if it left this house for good.
He stormed out of the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him, wishing briefly he could lock his insane wife inside forever. A small part of him even wanted her dead.
It took him a moment to notice his ten year old daughter standing in front of him crying. His resolve broke, and he engulfed his little girl in a hug.
“Don’t cry, honey. It’ll all be okay.” He tried his best to soothe her, but he didn’t even believe his words.
“Is-is it true daddy? Ana isn’t my sister?” Kim asked, voice quavering.
She didn’t understand all of what her parents said at the time, but the one thing she did understand was that Ana wasn’t her real sister. Frank pulled back and wiped her tears. He debated on what to say to her but thinking about it only brought back his anger.
“Yes, it’s true. Ana isn’t your sister. Now, stop crying and be tough. You are my daughter, and I will always protect you. So, don’t worry about Ana. She’s nothing but the thing that ruined our family and made your mother crazy. I wish your mother never brought her here. Things would have been different. I would have left her a long time ago.” Frank said, more to himself than to his daughter, but it didn’t matter, Kim soaked in every word he said and held on to it with all her might. Frank shook himself from his thoughts and kissed her on her forehead.
“Daddy has to leave for a while, but I’ll be back I promise.” He said and stood up. He began walking towards the stairs when Kim spoke.
“I hate her.” She whispered.
“I hate her too.” Her father replied before speeding down the stairs and out the door. She never knew if her father meant he hated Ana or her mother, but she didn’t care. From that moment on, she decided she was going to make Ana pay for destroying their family.
“When Ana came home from school that day, she burst into my room gushing about the new boy; how cute he was and how much she liked him. When I saw the happiness inside her, I wanted to crush it like a tiny bug beneath my shoe. I wanted to make her feel as bad as I felt. No, I wanted to make her feel worse. And I did. Everyday, I teased her until she cried. Then she got fat, and that made it even easier for me. I took Jace and all her friends from her, but it wasn’t enough. I tried to get my mother to turn on her, but she never would. She always loved Ana so much, it made me sick.” I paused, picking up a red tube of lipstick from the vanity table and applying it. “I was a good sister to her Josie until I found out what she did to my family. My dad spent more time with whores than at home. My mother became more pathetic. So it was up to me to fix this mess, and the only solution was to get rid of her. I wanted her dead, Josie. The girl I thought of as my sister was someone I wanted to die. So, when we pranked her, and she ran away, I was so happy because I thought I was finally getting my family back.” I ceased again, setting down the lipstick and staring at my blank reflection through the mirror. “But I didn’t. If anything, it got worse. And now, I’m in such deep shit, I don’t think I can find my way out of this. I’m all alone.”
That was all the truth I could handle for the day. Or ever. I had to think ahead; think of where to go, but my thoughts led to Talon. I was mad at him for leaving me the way he did, but I couldn’t fight the need to want to be with him. It didn’t make sense even after finding out about the major-minor bond.
The sound of slow clapping had me swiftly spinning on the stool. I thought Josie had awoken and decided to moc
k me, in which case I’d make sure I killed her this time. But Josie lay still in her bed, taking shallow breaths.
“Such a touching story, really. Families, we don’t get to pick them, right?” A voice spoke out in the silence. I froze on the stool, still staring at Josie’s body, hoping it was her talking, but I knew it wasn’t her. That menacing voice belonged to one woman only; the very woman I was running away from. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how she even found me so quickly with the mark being gone.
“It’s impolite to have your back turned when someone is speaking to you. So turn around before you make me angrier than I already am.” Though the words were spoken calmly, I knew that every one of them was meant to be taken seriously. Feeling like I had no other choice, slowly, I spun to face the person I attempted to flee from. To my surprise, Raven wasn’t standing behind her like I’d assumed. Raven was in the mirror where my own reflection should be. Shock and fear hit me at the same time, and I choked on her words.
“Wondering how I found you?” Raven asked, reading my expression.
I wanted to say yes, but the words were lost to me.
“Your hand…” The witch added when I didn’t reply.
I immediately looked to my palm, and the site had me springing from my seat, knocking the stool down behind me. In the center of my hand, as if it’d never left, was the link mark.
“What the fuck!” I panicked, not able to take my eyes off of it. I was sure I’d gotten rid of it, but, apparently, I hadn’t. Not at all, and now, I knew I never would.
“I’m not upset you tried to cut it off. I’m not even upset you struck me.” Raven spoke, drawing my attention back to the mirror. “But I am really upset that you disobeyed me, Kim.” She continued; her voice slow and even. “And disobedience must be punished.”
Raven slowly began pulling back the black veil that hid her face. I was caught in a trance. I couldn’t stop watching her. When Raven’s true face came into view, a terrified scream escaped my lips. The witch was horrendous. She had a face that I wished I’d never seen but would now never forget. It was a face that turned dreams into nightmares.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 62
