Hidden Gifts

Eight

Why would Natalie do that to herself? Talia asks herself as she heads to the toilet in the hospital.

After emptying her bladder she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Her brown eyes were baggy and a little bit bloodshot. She tied her brown hair in a messy bun but thought about braiding it into two later.

Thinking about the things Natalie says she feels infuriated but the frustration turns into tears and they just slide down against her will.

When she looks at her reflection once again her hair is black with streaks of red.

What the fuck?

She slaps herself hard and splashes water on her face before looking at her reflection once more. It finally returns back to it's brown color.

Sighing she exits the bathroom to see Carter laying on her bed.

"That bed is for the sick." Talia says. "Get up."

"Whatever. I don't think I can get up, it's too comfortable." He returns back to his phone and is violently taping on his screen.

"What are you doing?" She sits facing him and crosses her legs.

"Playing piano tiles. It's harder that in looks. Fuck!" He says when he loses.

Talia looks at his face for some time and that's when she notices a bandage on his nose and his purple cheek. He winces when she touches his nose.

"Ow! Are you aware that I feel pain?"

"What happened to you?" She said plainly.

"It's nothing." He says still playing with his phone. "I got into a fight with someone." He shrugs.

"Let me guess, you lost."

"Very funny but... Yeah, I did lose but it was only because I'm a man of peace. If I was in my element it would have been over for that bitch." He says.

"Sure. If you hadn't stopped you would be in the same predicament as me."

He gets a message on his phone. "Ah shit. I've got to go. See you later, I guess." He hurries of the bed and waves at her and she waves back before lying back down.

"You ill mannered bitch!" A woman yells at Talia accompanied by a man and the FBI agents that had come earlier.

"You killed my daughter! My only daughter! How fucking dare you?" The woman yells at her.

"Mrs Ross, please be calm. This is a hospital." The officer says.

"Calm? My wife has every right to be angry and as for you, murderer, I will make sure you will regret the day you decided to take our daughter from us. You will rot in jail and I will make sure of it. Do you think harming yourself as well would set you free? Do you really think we're just going to believe she just started hitting her head for no reason? You probably hit her head on the locker and the only reason you were hurt was because our brave little girl fought back. You're a monster and you deserve to die." Mr Ross says angrily.

"How many times do I have to say this? I'm innocent!" Talia loses her temper and doesn't even consider counting her breaths or considers her words.

It's so infuriating being called a killer when she didn't even hurt her in any way but instead tried to stop her. Natalie was a bully and everyone in school wouldn't even care because like Natalia said: no one mourns their problems. Natalie hurt people both emotionally and physically. She made people hate themselves and even pushed people to do drastic things the same way she wanted Talia to die.

Natalie had made one girl commit suicide before but no one wanted to accept the fact and talk about it. Natalie had reduced her down to nothing so everyone stayed clear of her because they didn't want to be the next person Natalie crossed off her list.

The police and her God forsaken family still came to her in the hospital to question and insult her. She was below middle class and unfortunately she could understand why the police were so pressured on solving this case. Natalie's parents didn't have power, they had something better; influence. And it was that influence that they used to their advantage.

They would hurt her and hurt Damie too.

"You know what? I'm fucking happy Natalie's died and I don't give a fuck if you still think it's me because I know I'm innocent. I know I've told you the truth and if the truth isn't enough for then just die. Leave me alone! I didn't do anything so. Stop. Bothering me!" Talia could feel something like electricity in her body and she felt... Powerful.

Carter had called her ballsy and he wasn't wrong.

Her body was on fire but she liked it. She couldn't breathe but she craved more of it.

Suddenly, the female officer pulls out her gun and points it at Talia before doing something drastic.

She suddenly turned to Mr Ross and blows his brains out. Talia looks at them in shock as the electricity in her body loses it's power and she feels normal again.

Mrs Ross goes to the female officer and twists her neck, making it bend at an angle that would leave any regular person dead. She slumps to the ground as Mrs Ross takes her gun in hand and shots her partner.

The worst thing about all of this is not the sound of gunshots or the blood but it's how calm they all are. They make no sound or protest and move as if it has all been choreographed.

Mrs Ross points the gun in her hand directly at her head. Tears stream down her face and Talia's sees Natalie in her. They have the same features as if Natalie was just a younger version of her.

The images in Talia's head switch from Natalie to Mrs Ross until she finally pulls the trigger.

For some reason, it sounds louder than the other shots and Talia panics.

She couldn't stay there with four dead bodies but she couldn't leave because she would implicate herself wrongly. She was panicking too much to count her breaths and the only thing in her head was to run.

She was in way more trouble than she had hoped for.