Lucky and the Killer ✔

On Fate and Free Will

Bella stood alone in the night air. The wind hit her face gently—like an old friend. The stars studded the inky void above her, and though everything around her told her to live, she wanted to die.

"Dad...," Bella sighed. She knew his face better than Sarah did. She could see the tiny crows feet on each side of his electric eyes. She could see his smile. "What have you done?"

She sat down on the cold ground. She'd tucked Sarah into bed. King and Felix were talking. Lucky was clearing the scattered remains of their once-enjoyable dinner. She'd gone out alone. She had to. She wondered if he would come out for her. If he did, she wouldn't know what to say or do anyways. So, she gave up looking.

Bella knew full-well what Sarah meant by Dalmatian spots. When they were little, to mask the horror that he was doing, he'd tell them he was giving people Dalmatian spots. In reality, they were curses: tracking curses. How could he do that to Sarah? Why would he was the better question.

Her dad had a myriad of abilities and supernatural powers. He'd gotten them after his death and resurrection as an immortal. Some things Bella knew. Some things she didn't. One thing she didn't know was how to get rid of them. She'd decided not to tell the others for the time being. She definitely didn't trust Liz, either. What was King thinking letting her stay in there like that? Liz knew about the spots because of that. What if she knew more about the spots than Bella?

Bella stood up. Her curls waved in the air, and the quiet night and creaking of crickets made her want to scream. She'd only felt the gnaw of hopelessness a few other times in her life. She never handled it well. It was always his fault. All of them were his fault. He was an evil person, but some of her still loved him. He was her dad.

"I hate you!" Bella screamed into the empty air. "I know you're out there! I know you can hear me!"

She sniffed as a tear fell down her face. She quickly wiped it away, but she didn't know that he was out there. She was acting like a dumb kid. She'd just decided to get it together and go back inside when the door opened.

Her cheeks flushed when she turned around. She didn't expect anyone to hear her—let alone Zee. All of the screaming must have woken him up, but if she were honest with herself, it was obvious he hadn't been asleep. Resting maybe, but the dark creases under his eyes gave him all away.

"I'm sorry, Zee," she whispered.

Zee shook his head, closed the door behind him and walked out towards her. It was strange to see him without a cape and some sort of formal attire. He'd adopted Lucky's look, and she couldn't help but stare. It suited him. The dark blue jeans ran down to his bare feet. A solid-black, long-sleeved t-shirt ran down to his wrists. His messy blond hair was actually kind of comforting to see. Even royalty could be messes. She smiled.

"Don't be," he sighed. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

Bella looked down towards her brown boots. She didn't feel like standing. In fact, she couldn't believe she hadn't already collapsed. She was sure Zee didn't feel like standing either, though. It was stand or sit on the ground, and she thought if she sat, she couldn't get up again. So, she stood as she tried to find the words.

"My...," she tried to start, but her voice fell flat. If she spoke another word she was going to cry, and her tears rarely came around company.

"C'mon, Bella," Zee said. "In times like this, you don't have the luxury of being upset."

She looked away towards the trees. There it was: the stone-cold rationale of the leader who helped train her. They were almost the same age and yet Zee always looked down on her—like she was a child. He couldn't possibly say something like that without actually having lived her life. He wasn't Helix's child, after all.