The Venatrix

Chapter Twenty-Two -Malkai

My mate Nora Bleau is shrouded in mystery. Nora hasn't lied to me. Everything she told me about herself was true but she omitted so much. It's like putting together a puzzle. I have the pieces  but I can't figure out where they go. They have to go somewhere but where?

One, Nora lost her humanity. I have speculated as to why it happened but at this point I don't know. I have never seen Nora bow down to anyone. If she could fight she would and there was no evidence that a fight occurred. She left her gun behind. Which she never would have done. Maddox obtained her laptop from the police station that had a vague note on it. Three people can give us the answers. Two are missing. One is dead.

What am I missing? 

There might not be anything on the laptop or there could be everything. She said she wasn't allowed to have any technology in her house which Lilliana confirmed. If it was in the house where did she hide it? How did she update it?  If we can't figure out the password the laptop is just a big useless clue.

Just like her gun. She's said more than once that this gun is like her child. It's the first thing she was able to buy for herself. She left it for me to protect. Why? 

I look down at the gun. It feels heavy in my hand. It sends pain through my chest. I miss her. I've held this gun in my hand many times now. I run my thumb over the barrel and feel the engravings on it.  I finally looked at it. It's neither the model nor the serial number. The writing is below it. 

A gasp escapes my lips. How could I have been so blind. The key has been right in front of me the whole time. Nora knew I would do everything I could to find her. She knew we would get ahold of this laptop. Even after four years she has carried the key around.

"Maddox, bring me the laptop!" I yell knowing he is doing whatever Kings do in the other room.

"Why? We don't have the key. We don't want to risk wiping the hard drive." He said as he crossed his arms across his chest. 

"The key is engraved on her gun Look!" I said, showing  him the barrel of Nora's gun. 

"It could be. that is clearly Japanese. So, it's worth a shot." I'll go get Lilliana and the laptop." He said, rushing out of the room. 

A few minutes later they both appeared and sat down on the couch. One on each side of me. I look at the moving psychedelic background before looking at the keyboard. It's intimidating. It uses the Hiragana alphabet. 

Many hours later, the writing that is displayed on the screen matches the engraving on the gun. Before I hit the enter key Maddox pulls out his phone and snaps a picture. I look at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Revenge is mine." He said.

"What?" Lilliana asked. 

"It means revenge is mine." He said pointing to the weapon. 

I take a deep breath and hit the enter key. A picture of Nora holding a guitar surrounded by some young men appeared on the screen. A toothy grin is on her face. Her eyes are glittering. The man standing to her left is holding a guitar of his own. He has a huge smile on his face. His eyes are wide and full of pride. 

"That is Shouta." Lilliana said, pointing at the man beside Nora. Now that she has pointed that out. I can see the resemblance. Lillian said that his mother is an American. Shouta has the typical Asian markers minus his red hair, green eyes and olive skin tone. If I hadn't seen Nora first hand I would say that the red color was hair dye. 

"Who are the other guys?" Maddox asked. 

"They are his band mates. The guy on the left with the dyed blue hair is Kazumi. The guy in the middle with bleach blonde hair is Kuroyuki. Then the guy standing beside Shouta with the reddish brown hair is Hanzo. They all loved and adored Nora." She said smiling. 

"Is there a chance any of them would have killed Shouta?" Maddox asked. 

"No, none of them were in the country when it happened. They all flew in for his funeral though." She said. 

I look at the video files that littered the screen. None of them are labeled. How do I know where to start? Do I just pick one?

"Are you sure that you want to do this? You might not like what you find." Maddox asked, eyeing me wearily . 

"Yeah I'm sure." I said after taking a deep breath. I click on the video file at the very bottom of the screen. The second Nora's face appeared on the screen I let out a hiss. The background behind her is dark but nothing is hidden. Her already wild curls look disheveled. Her evergreen eyes are bloodshot. It looks like some blood vessels had been ruptured. Both of her eyes have been blackened. Deep  bruises cover the right side of her face. Bruises shaped like hand prints cover her throat. 

Lilliana uses both of her hands to cover her mouth. Her eyes are filled with tears. She witnessed the atrocity first hand and couldn't do anything about it. I know she blames herself for not protecting her child. Seeing it again has to be hard for her. 

"Kore o mite iru hito ni. Watashi ni nanika warui koto ga okatta koto o shitte kudasai." She starts looking down. 

"To anyone that is watching this please know that something bad has happened to me." Maddox said reading from I'm assuming is a translating app on his phone.

"My father has always been a cruel man. I'm the alpha's daughter. I have to be perfect. Knowing three languages isn't enough. Knowing how to play the piano isn't enough. Being the top of my class isn't enough. Why couldn't I have somewhat of a normal childhood? I would have loved to have friends that I didn't have to hide. I would have loved to have been able to perform music with everyone else. Why can't I just have a normal life?" She said, wiping the tears out of her eyes. 

"Doshite kon'nani fuchuidatta no?" She cried. 

"How could I have been so careless." Maddox repeated.

"My life is over. I screwed up. He has no reason to keep me here. I know too much. He can't risk me blabbing. He can risk me ruining his image. I know he is planning something. If I don't run, I know he will kill me." She said, her voice didn't hide her fear but her eyes showed determination. 

"I trust Mizu with this laptop! She knows what to do. This laptop is not to be turned over to anyone but my destined partner. If they meet me and something happens to me afterwards. They can use this information to save me or to avenge me. Make sure Shouta and I don't die in vain." She said her eyes blazing with anger. 

"If something happens and Mizu isn't able to obtain this computer, just know a failsafe is in place. No one who isn't willing to stick by me doesn't deserve to know my secrets." She said looking over her shoulder. You can hear a faint knock on the window. 

"I have one thing left to do before I disappear." She said. 

"Anata ga watashi o sukuu ka, watashi o fukushu dekiru koto o negatta imasu." She said. 

"I hope you can save me before it's too late." Maddox read.

"Ichika Kobayashi out." She said slamming the laptop closed. 

We all looked at each other with wide eyes. Nora was clearly in pain, but she was determined to finish whatever she started.

"Moon goddess, what did Edgar do?" Lillian cried, looking at the screen. 

"I don't know but we are going to find out." I said clicking on the next video.