Princess Consort Ai Li Sha

4. Hopeless Feeling

Clarissa sped in her truck until she reached downtown, there she entered a seedy rundown tavern. Before she had entered she had donned a white coughing mask. Only her clear dark eyes were clearly visible, the rest of her beautiful face was obscured by the ordinary mask.

She looked around the restaurant and found a group of bikers. She locked eyes with one of the leather clad men and walked toward the group. Taking a seat, she extended an envelope toward the man. "What did you find out?" She asked in a husky voice, clearly trying to cover up her natural tone.

The man took the thick envelope and peeked inside. Hundreds of 100 dollars bills were clearly visible. He took the money into his pocket, and opening a zipper on the inside of his leather jacket he produced an equally thick envelope.

Clarissa took it and promptly walked away. The bikers stayed behind ordering a new round of drinks. Loud laughter could be heard up until the moment Clarissa entered the confines of her truck.

Driving away Clarissa found the nearest rest stop and opened the envelope. The first page was short and to the point.

'Organization: Scorpion Brothers

Payment: gold bars in the amount of three million dollars

Targets: Daniel Allen, Serena Allen, John Allen, Clarissa Allen.

Order placed by: Timothy Allen

Preferred Method: 'Accidental' means'

The pristine white paper began to shake in Clarissa's hands and was dirtied by crystal like tears, each word on that paper caused her heart to freeze as disappointment welled up from the deepest recesses of her heart. Slowly she removed the other papers and found pictures from CCTV taken at the moments when her so called 'step-uncle' had been meeting with members from the Scorpion Brother's organization.

"So many pictures, so much proof." For a long time Clarissa just went through the evidence and tried to digest it. There were so many people she had thought were responsible for her family's murders, but she never thought her so kind step-uncle was the one responsible. But the evidence was clear.

"Good. Very good. Uncle this is unforgiveable! If I do not seek vengeance for my parents I would no longer be their child! A life for a life, uncle you better be prepared!" Clarissa crushed the papers and drove away.

That night thoughts of revenge circled in Lyretta's head until the wee hours of the morning before her eyes involuntarily closed from tiredness.

--------------------

'Ugh!' The little girl held her stomach as she grunted in pain. Even though her face and legs hurt greatly her stomach had been kicked multiple times more. Even is she wanted to fight back, how could she win against the three older kids surrounding her? Instead she could only protect her head and hold her stomach every time the pain became worse.

The three older kids laughed and berated the little girl. "You are so useless, Master should never have picked you up! You don't have what it takes to cultivate beside us!" They said as they took turns kicking out again. One kick hit the little girl squarely in the jaw, causing her to see stars, her stomach wanting to empty out at the next second.

"Please senior brothers and sisters, please stop this." The little girl pleaded and begged through coughing fits, but the other children's hearts were not moved. They continued to hit and kick the girl.

The girl had known this would be the result when her master turned his back to her, but even knowing it the pain did not diminish any.

"We should get going back to class before master send for us." One of the students said worriedly, partly because class really was starting soon and partly because she was tired of the game now.

The other three disciples stopped their movement. The oldest finally replied after thinking about it for a moment. "Alright then. She's no fun anyway, she's too much of a weak little worm, now that I think about it, it might lower our prestige if anyone finds out we did this to her." Agreeing the other disciples quickly left, behind them the little girl remained immobile with budding bruises and swelling skin.

Finally, alone, the girl looked up into the sky with her limbs spread wide apart. The sunlight hit her directly and caused a soft glow to surround her. Her pale skin looked even paler, her bruises stood out even more, and her unshed tears glistened even more brightly the more the sun shone on her.

The halo of light seemed to intensify around her as two tear trails fell down the contour of her small face.

'I'm sorry, Mother, Father, elder brother.' The little girl though of the people she had lost and still mourned. Her heart hurt as her breathing slowed and her body began to shut down.

----------

*gasp* Clarissa woke up startled and heavily sweating. Every pain and ache the little girl had felt she had felt too. A miss like her who had been taken care of in the same way as fine china had never felt such life shattering pain! Short of breath and heartbeat racing, Clarissa struggled out of bed and fell on the floor. She could not stop her tears from falling incessantly as she huddled into a ball on the plushily carpeted floor. She cried not because of the pain she had felt in the dream but rather because of the heartfelt ache she had felt in the young child's deepest heart. She knew that pain too, it resonated within her and echoed deeply.

She had once felt the hopelessness the little girl felt before. The desire to live for herself and for her loved ones, she understood that too. More than anything she understood the overwhelming desire to seek revenge for those she loved and the utter hopelessness the little girl felt at being unable to pursue that justice.