Femme Fatale

5 - The True Beginning

"Another murder case has been discovered in the outskirts of London. The wave of killings is escalating, all linked to one person: A.C. It is not known for sure who A.C. is, but it is believed to be connected to the Italian mafia. The murders, which began about a week ago, have no apparent connection in terms of method, except for the location, which is always in the peripheral zone, and the fact that there is always the mark A.C. at the crime scene or on the body of the victim. With this latest victim, the total number of murders reaches twenty-one, including methods such as dismemberment, carbonization, stabbing, hemorrhage, beating, and asphyxiation. It is recommended that the population stay away from the dangerous zone," the reporter says on TV before I change the channel.

I don't like to dwell on the violence that exists in the world. People are capable of committing atrocities for no reason.

After a cold shower, I went downstairs to the living room and turned on the TV. We're all here, although I believe only Zayn and I are actually paying attention to it. Vacation periods can be so boring.

And then, surprisingly, Arabella sits on the empty couch to the left of mine. She's focused on her phone, furiously tapping her fingers on it. She seems too occupied to notice that Zayn is shamelessly staring at her breasts. She's wearing a moss-green dress that is loose on the top, providing a perfect view of the top of her breasts and a glimpse of her black lace bra.

Arabella sees something that makes her furrow her brow. I observe the changes in her face, from a tan complexion to red, then a slight paleness, and back to red.

What did she see?

She quickly stands up and puts the phone to her ear. Her sudden movement catches everyone's attention. As she walks towards the kitchen, I can hear bits of the conversation.

"Did you see? What the hell was he doing there? I'm leaving tomorrow, Ashton. Fuck it. Tell Audrey, Antony, and Matthew to be on the plane at ten in the morning. Notify the team. I couldn't care less!"

Then her voice fades away.

Is she leaving?

Am I a bad person for feeling relieved?

She's leaving. And everything will go back to normal. I won't fight with Liam anymore, and I won't lose control over my own body. That's how it should be.

Liam, on the other hand, seems disappointed.

Arabella returns seconds later and speaks to Liam with a cold and almost distant voice.

"There's been a setback. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Will I see you again?" Liam asks, a hint of hope in his voice. She looks at him for a few seconds.

"Never again," she murmurs slowly and cruelly, seemingly enjoying the pain on Payne's face. Then she quickly goes upstairs without saying anything. Liam seems disappointed and follows the same path as his cousin.

"She's leaving? I didn't even get to fuck her," Zayn grumbles.

Louis slaps his head.

"Liam is upset, you idiot," Louis scolds him.

Zayn rolls his eyes.

"Just making a comment."

I roll my eyes at their foolishness.

"But Liam likes her," Niall reminds us. I shrug. That girl was bound to hurt him. The sooner she does it, the sooner he can move on.

Arabella is wearing a long black coat and sheer tights. She carries a small black suitcase and has a cigarette in her mouth. It's nine-thirty in the morning, and Liam is sitting at the table with tears in his eyes. She takes the cigarette out of her mouth and exhales slowly, nodding her head at us.

"Goodbye, Liam. Goodbye, assholes," she says in the same cold and distant tone.

Then she walks away without looking back.

Liam's eyes well up as the door closes, and he buries his head in his hands. I have no idea how long we've been staring at Liam. He remains motionless, which is really starting to worry me.

Until the sound of the door is heard.

He lifts his head from his hands quickly and shouts hopefully, "Arabella?"

Male laughter is heard. Two men appear at the door, each holding two guns.

The first one is tall, slightly skinny, covered in tattoos, and holds the gun firmly. The second one is a bit shorter but much more muscular than his companion, with a completely shaved head.

What is happening?

"Well, looks like we're in for a good payday killing these little kids," the skinny one says disdainfully.

Killing?

Damn, there's no one else at home. It's Sunday, and we usually let the staff go.

"Hey, calm down," Louis begins hesitantly. "If you want money, we can give it to you."

The bald one laughs.

"Raise your hands," he orders. We comply immediately. "Kneel," he commands. As I feel my knees touch the ground, I hear the sound of both guns being cocked. "Now close your eyes and pray to God to take your souls to heaven," he adds jokingly as he aims the gun. I squeeze my eyes shut.

So, this is it.

This is how I'm going to die. With a home invasion. I'm going to die at the age of twenty-two. I'll never see my mother again. I'll never see my sister. Or Lux. Or Lou. Or any of my friends. Or Megan. Or the London Eye. Or another fan. No one.

A tear rolls down my cheek and falls to the ground as I refuse to face my future killers. As humans, we always know that death is inevitable and sudden, but nothing prepares us for this moment. The seconds that pass before life is forcibly sucked out of your body.

The seconds I'm experiencing right now.

Two sudden cries of pain make me open my eyes abruptly, even though I don't want to. The scene shocks me, completely unexpected.

Two pairs of hands, each holding a gun, are on the ground. Blood splatters everywhere from the wrists of the two men. A knife emerges from the chest of the bald one and disappears as he falls to the ground. The skinny one is whimpering in pain.

Arabella is standing behind him, holding a machete in each hand. Her coat is open, revealing a short black dress with a holster and a gun at the end of the dress on her right thigh. With the agility of someone who has done this for years, she takes the machete and stabs it into the skinny one's thigh, causing him to immediately collapse to the ground. He turns to her and widens his eyes.

I'm in a kind of paralysis. I can't move or say anything at all.

Numb.

"Arabella Capellotti?" I say with a cold smile, nodding her head.

Wasn't her name Barberini?

Jeff starts shaking his head frantically.

"Don't kill me, please! Come on, you don't even need the money!" he exclaims desperately. Arabella nods affirmatively, and her eyes gleam with amusement.

Is this fun for her? Is she sick?

"Because it's normal. This wasn't the first, and it's far from the last. Now you have two minutes and forty-fiveseconds to get up and pack your most important belongings. After that, we're leaving this place."

And just like magic, I snap out of my frozen state.

"What? You just killed a man and tortured another in front of me, not to mention the other twenty-one people! Do you really think I'm going to leave here and go anywhere with you?!" I shout. Huge mistake.

Arabella stands up straight, and her gaze carries a hint of menace.

"I don't think I was clear. You have two options: either you come with me or I'll make what I did to Jeff seem like child's play."

"How can you? Don't you even feel remorse? You treat this as if it's normal!" Liam questions between sobs. Arabella doesn't flinch at all.

"Because it is normal. This wasn't the first, and it's far from the last. Now you have two minutes and forty-five seconds. You decide. Either you come with me or you stay and die."