A Number, Not a Name

Child of Pain

5 years earlier:

Liana quietly made her way down the hall, careful not to alert anyone of her presence. Her eyes rested on her bedroom door at the end of the hall yet the images that flashed before her were of earlier that day - when the love of her life was taken from her. She stared down at her dress. The blood splattered across the yellow fabric had now darkened from a bright red to a reddish-brown hue. She bit her lip as she struggled to hold back her sobs. Just this morning she had been filled with so much hope and joy for the future and now it felt as though her heart had been ripped out and torn into a million pieces. There were no words that could capture and describe her anguish and despair. As she came closer to her room Liana heard a voice coming from one of the rooms off the hallway. She stopped and realized that it was her Father's voice coming from his office. She inched closer to the door and silently peered into the room. She saw him sitting at his desk, talking in a rather hushed tone on the phone.

"It's been taken care of" Norvan spoke into the phone. He listened to the response from the man on the other end of the line. Once he was finished responding, Norvan spoke again. "It's a shame Erik couldn't be persuaded to join our cause. He had all the makings of a remarkable leader. Tsk tsk. Such a waste...Until later....Goodbye Dalmar."

Liana stood there in shock, her face ashen white. Try as she might, she couldn't comprehend what she'd just heard. She hardly dared dwell on the thought yet it couldn't escape her, Her father's words echoed in her mind. It's a shame Erik couldn't be persuaded to join our cause. He had all the makings of a remarkable leader...Such a waste. Had her father been behind his death, him and this "Dalmar" person. Even though she was scared to learn the answer she knew she had to find out no matter what it took.

.....

Present-day - Hours Earlier:

Milena sat in her Father's office chair holding the photograph of him and her that graced the desk. This evening her thoughts had been on a multitude of things. Her father. Her life. But especially on tomorrow night. Everything she had worked for had led to this moment. If things went according to plan her goal would be within reach. Only a few months ago she thought her dream would never be a possibility, now it was nearly reality. She glanced from the photo to the gun and knife strapped to her hip. Her life, who she had become, in some weird way, captured in a single frame. Before such a sight would have frightened her. But now her heart did not even race slightly at the image. If she was honest to herself this was not how she imagined her life but the one thing it gave her, that she wanted more than anything, was control. Growing up she never had any. Over her mother dying. Over her sister leaving. Over her father being taken from her. But now she did. She was the one who dealt out the cards. Who held the fate of not only herself but for others as well.

Milena heard a knock come from the front door. She sat up and made her way to the entrance of her family home. She opened the door and found Elias standing there. "Well, this is a surprise. Not sure which type though." She sassed.

"Nice to see you're in a good mood" he responded sarcastically.

She held the door open for him. "Come in." Elias walked into the house into the parlor and Milena shut the door behind him. She turned to him and crossed her arms "What's up?"

Elias feigned confusion. "What's up?" He repeated.

"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "You're forgetting how much we've worked together over the past couple of months. I know that look you get when you want to talk. So get to it."

He sighed. "I've been thinking about this plan and I don't know if we should go through with it. I recognize the opportunity that this is but in my experience I've found it best to carefully consider every step I take."