Inheritance

Every Choice Has Its Consequences

It's been an hour since Alex left me with a choice and I don't have any time left. He'll be here any moment and I still haven't decided. I don't want to kill but... I don't want to die either. I don't know what to do. I dropped my head into my hands. Did Jake have such a hard time with this choice, too? My body felt rigid. Jake... Jake was killed. How had I forgotten that? How had I...? Tears came to my eyes at the mere thought. I brushed them away. Realisation dawned on me. Those ... Those... Those soul sucking evil beings killed my cousin! Anger surged through me. I set my mind. It doesn't matter if I have to kill. I can do it. For Jake. And then a wayward thought appeared. How many innocent people were killed because of those monsters? This strengthened my resolve even more. My fists clenched. I'll kill to protect all those innocents who can't protect themselves.

The door banged open and I started. A tall woman in her late 30's, I think,  stepped in. She wore a crop top and skinny jeans along with a pair of dark gray stilettos and her sandy brown hair was pushed to one side while the other side was shelved and tattooed. Her posture radiated confidence and her body language screamed 'Mess with me, and I'll gut you and feed you to a shark'. She looked strikingly familiar, but I just couldn't place it.  Behind her was Alex. He had changed into a pair of baggy black jeans and a tee. The lady looked at me, with her piercing grey eyes and it clicked.

"Aunt Anna?" I asked shakily. A shiver went down my spine, and I knew the color had drained from my face. I'm pretty sure I looked like I had seen a ghost. How could I not? My dad told me she was dead. He told me he saw her body. That he was the one who carried it from the pond. That the scruff marks around her neck proved that it was an intentional murder.

Her eyes softened and she looked at me with a small smile. She pulled me into a hug and I could smell that scent again. The soft smell of lavender I desperately wanted every time I time longed for comfort. Aunt Anna was the mother I never had. Johanna Ardwick was the glue that held the family together. Once she died, the family just drifted. We all had originally met at least once a year, but after her death, we met some four-five years and it was never intentional. Just pure coincidence, bumping into each other and what not. I could feel her shirt getting wet. I pulled away and wiped my eyes.

I looked at her, my face expressionless and asked, "Why?"

She looked into my eyes, as though searching for something. A moment later, she seemed to have found whatever she was searching for as she looked down and sighed. She sat on the bed, shoulders slouched and her back, hunched. She took my hands in hers and looked at me with pained eyes.

"I'm sorry. I... I had to protect you. I had already joined the organization a long time back, as you recall. I always told you I was a journalist for the Predator, that much was true. But I never wanted you to become a part of this organization. Never wanted you to have to kill for survival. I noticed that you and Jake had the potential to be hunters. Before joining Predator, I made my own weapons and every hunter knew my name, my reputation. I was the best of the best and everyone knew that. I vowed to protect you and Jake. However, when I was protecting you once, I got hurt very badly and Predator took me into custody. I agreed to join them on the condition that you and Jake be left alone, unless you are at the sight of an Exuro's known location. The organisation arranged for a fake body that had scruff marks around the neck And had it put in the pond near our house. that was my fake death. I tried my best to protect both of you. But I wasn't able to. Jake was somehow roped into this and now, you. I'm so sorry."

Her entire frame shook as she tried to compose herself. I realised that, as much as I felt betrayed, she must have felt even worse, having to just leave me and the rest of the family behind. I looked her in the eyes, those which held such untold grief, so much that I couldn't help not forgive her. "It's okay. You did what you could and that was more than anything anyone had done for me." I smiled at her and she gave a waning smile back. I knew then that everything was just fine between the two of us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Alex, with his eyes wide and mouth hung open. I raise an eyebrow at him. He quickly composed himself but still looked distinctly uncomfortable. Aunt Anna just looked at him with twinkling eyes.

She turned to me, her eyes hard and she asked me, "You don't have to join the organisation just because I'm here. Don't force yourself to do anything you don't want to." I looked at her, my eyes mirroring hers. "I already decided, even before I knew you were here, that I'm going to join Predator. I want to avenge Jake. He was one of the only people who actually loved me and those... Those monsters took home away from me. And I want to protect those people who can't protect themselves. Just like you protected us." My aunt smiled but her eyes were grim. "I'm proud of you. It's going to be harsh. You'll have to take lives. But if you want to survive in this life, you need training." At this statement, she grinned maniacally. "We'll start tomorrow. "

A/n: ahhhh!! I'm sooo sorry for the late update, y'all. There was just sooo much to do and the Internet chose the worst possible time to go haywire. I hope you can forgive me. Moving on, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Leave a comment below on your opinion. I'm open to suggestions people. (I have no idea where I'm going with this story.) also, I'm revising everything an I just changed a few things. I have also decided on a schedule for each chapter. I'll be posting on the 31st of every month unless something big has happened. So until then, y'all!!
Bye-bye!
Thia