THE PLAYGROUND

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

After a couple of hours, Alexa arrived alone and Josie smiled, excitement written all over her face. "Welcome dear, we have been expecting you."

Alexa ignored her comment and shifted her gaze to me. I couldn't tell what it was but something felt... different about Lexi. She didn't look scared, instead she looked bold, tough, confident. Her gaze drifted from me to her family and she frowned slightly.

"Why is my family here?" Her voice was bold when she spoke but I could that she was scared, her hands were shaking and she was sweating. She glanced in my direction and not knowing how to reassure her, I slightly nodded and she did the same.

She shut her eyes, heaved a deep breath then slowly opened them. "This is between you and I Josie, let my family go."

"I'm afraid that's not how it works darling. If I let your family go now, what's to say you won't run away too?"

"I won't."

"Not enough."

"Why?" Josie stared at her, not understanding her question. "I loved you. We all loved you. Jenny loved you. Why do all these?" I could tell that she was trying her best not to cry. She curled her fingers to a fist and gritted her teeth while she spoke. "We were happy as a family, our lives were perfect."

"No!, your lives were perfect!. I wanted more. I wanted what should have been mine all along. I waited fifty years, fifty good years!, and when I was supposed to be rewarded for my patience and hard work, the power was given to an undeserving mortal like you." She looked at Alexa with disgust then she forced herself to smile. "You know, powers like that would be much too strong for you. You wouldn't be able to control them and you'll end up hurting everyone you love with it. So I'm actually doing you a favor by taking it from you now."

Alexa stood for a moment pondering Josie's words before she finally spoke. "Before you kill me, can you at least grant me my final wish?"

Josie's lips slowly curved into the most sinister smile I had ever seen. Her blue eyes turned dark and she had dark circles round her eyes, her thin lips curved upwards, making it look like it had grown longer than before. "Very well."

Alexa asked for the chance to embrace her family one last time and Josie agreed. She slowly made her way to her family and hugged them one at a time, then she came to me. She knelt so we would be on the same level and she put her arms around my neck. I wish I was able to hold her but it wasn't possible. I buried my face in her hair, and she held on to me before slowly letting go.

She approached Josie who backed away from her. "You said you'll grant me my final wish." Josie eyed her cautiously but didn't stop Lexi. She hugged her for a few seconds before letting go.

I don't know how or why she did it but Lexi somehow managed to remove Josie's dagger without her knowledge. " Are you done?" Josie simply said after Lexi had backed away from her. "Well, now that you seem to have come to your senses and offered your soul to me, I don't need your dad's anymore."

"So let them go!." Lexi's voice quivered a bit as she spoke.

"Calm down, no harm will come to your family. I just think it would be much more interesting if they were here to witness your death, don't you think?"

"Mistress, she has your dagger. " Larry announced from behind Lexi. Alexa tried to run but Josie launched herself at her and the two struggled for the dagger. Josie began chanting rapidly but it didn't seem to have any effect on Lexi.

Her face turned red with rage as she slapped Lexi hard across the face. She raised her hand in the air and her eyes turned completely black, she resumed her chanting and Lexi started couching. She let go of the dagger and clutched her throat, gasping for air.

There was nothing any of them could do because they were all restrained, Josie smiled, enjoying the way Alexa suffered. She stop and put her hand down and Alexa was relieved.

She walked slowly to Alexa who was still on her knees, coughing violently in a desperate attempt to regain the oxygen she had lost. "You can't defeat me, I'm much too powerful for you." She pulled Alexa up and drove the dagger into her side.

"Noooooo!!!" Alexa's mother let out a devastating cry. I felt tears streaming down my face as I helplessly watched my Lexi fall to the ground. She looked at me, tears in her eyes and I swore that if by some miracle I escaped from here, I would kill Larry with my bare hands.

She placed her hand on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding with little success. Josie watched with pleasure as the thick red liquid oozed out of Alexa's body and soon she was lying in her own pool of blood.

As Alexa laid there, fighting for her life, Josie and her cohorts began chanting but they stopped abruptly when one of them spoke. "I thought you said you weren't going to kill her!." He was obviously angry. "You said you were going to take her powers, and then you would hand her over to me!." His voice was bold and sharp.

"You dare to question me?" She asked almost silently but the look in her eyes showed that she was upset. "You seem to be forgetting something, I AM YOUR LEADER!!. You have NO right to question my authority!."

She didn't say anything else and she turned to face Alexa who was already starting to look pale but the man spoke up again. "You can't keep doing this Josie, it is just unfair." He walked towards and she turned to face him.

"Did you just call my name?" He seemed to realize his mistake then because he apologized immediately. He bowed to Josie but she just frowned at him, when he stood up straight, she slit his throat with the dagger.

The man gripped his throat, a mixture of shock and anger plastered on his face. He choked on his own blood as he fell to his knees, he stretched out a hand and held Josie's garment but she shoved him away. "Does anyone else have something to say?" She asked after the man had died and the whole room was silent. "That's what I thought."