Crossfire ~ {Book 2 in the Emerald of Annihilation Trilogy} #Wattys2017

Chapter 26 ~ Apologies and Forgiveness

Lily's POV

I watched in regret and sorry as my mother, My mom. The one I had confided and had so much respect in, ran at me, a knife in her hand. Her eyes gleamed with pure evil and hatred. But I caught something else I hadn't seen there before. 

Confusion. 

"Mom!" I shouted. Not caring if the other recruits heard me. They were just viper wannabes. Kids. That what they were murderers-in-training. They had a lot to learn before they reached the level of my Uncle and mother, or even, Marcus Houston, the Psychopath himself.

Mom hesitated but only for a split second. She took one look at Uncle Jack who lay groaning on the ground and rushed at me, knife raised and aimed at my throat. I dodged the gleaming blade and turned, kicking her in the back of the knees. 

She stumbled and fell to one knee. Only one knee. She placed her right palm on the grassy ground and reeled around, her foot connecting with my jaw. I stumbled back, tripping over a tree root, and falling on my back. 

A small gasp left my lips as mom jumped up with the knife still in her hand. She stabbed at me violently. I rolled out of the way. I pushed myself up, focusing my eyes on my mother as soon as I could. 

Something red and freshly wet stained her knife blade. Where did that- "Gah!" Pain shot through my left shoulder. I risked a glance to my bicep, where my black t-shirt was sliced, and a deep gash was menacingly staring back at me. dark, red blood oozed from the wound. 

I hissed in pain and turned my attention to my mother once more. Her fingers stretched and wrapped around the knife, gripping the handle tightly. Realisation struck me like a brick to the head. 

'My mother cut me.'

She had mercilessly slashed a knife into my shoulder. She had intended to kill me. Tears brimmed in my eyes. Never in all my life had I-

'Whack'

White light blinded me temporarily. I slumped to the ground, rolling onto my back. The pain in my shoulder spread down my arm and to my neck. I groaned. Now I fought to stay awake and conscious as I observed through blurred vision. 

Uncle Jack smirked down at me and dropped the ak47 he had struck across the back of my head. 

"Mr. Houston wants her alive, Alex." He warned to mom who had raised the knife above my chest. Over my heart. "But-" "No 'but's' Alex! Do you want Houston to kill us?!" Mom growled lowly in her throat. "Does it look like I care? Look at us, Jack! We are unstoppable! Who cares if Houston doesn't want us to kill the girl!" 

Ouch...

That hurt.

'The girl?' Is that what I was to her now? 'The girl?' That hurt. Like "HURT." To the bone marrow. My own mother. And nothing I did to look her in the eyes. Make her realise I was her daughter. Her first born. Her little girl....

I growled softly. This was not what I wanted. I ignored the excruciating pain in my arm and pushed myself up, swinging up my leg, tripping both my mom and Uncle Jack. A groan left them both as I punched them both square in the face. 

I hissed and shook my hand. Uncle Jack had a tough jaw. And he needed to shave. The two siblings lay out cold in the damp grass. I sighed softly and in relief. I pulled them to a tree and tied them tightly to it with a rope I had found near the camp fire. 

I hoped Mark had gotten Jay and himself out of the forest safely. Quinton and the two other viper rookies were pretty tough. But Mark was a strong guy, so I trusted him. The morning was nearing and watching my Uncle and mother sleep unconsciously was pretty boring. But I couldn't let them alone just yet. Why should I? How could I?