Sweeter Than Wine

24 Hours

I don't even notice when the boys arrive behind me, until George and Paul step in front of me.

I go to step around them but John grabs my wrist, pulling my body to his. Ritchie flanks my other side bending to whisper in my ear, "do not go any closer. We are not in the ward's protection right now..."

I feel my blood run cold, but my will stays strong. I poke my head between Paul and George, locking eyes with the brute man-handling my cat, "it'd be in your best interest to let her go. Now."

The goon drops Nadya and she comes sprinting to my side, meowing angrily. She sits at my feet, aggressively cleaning herself of the man's touch.

"Take your bloody cat back, she's not the one we're after." The man spits, eyes warily flicking between the boys.

"And I suppose I am." I sass back, earning myself a squeeze from John, who looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

My mother clears her throat, drawing our eyes to her. The look on her face sends chills up my spine.

"______...my sweet child...you..need to come with us..."

I push between George and Paul, "mother....you must know I won't do that...."

She remains silent, eyes cast to the ground. "Oh, you're coming with us. Whether you like it or not." A man growls, stepping next to my mother, roughly grabbing her by the hair.

My lip twitches in anger as I go to step forward, but George holds me back by my arm. "Let me go." I hiss back at him.

"No. You're not getting hurt again. I couldn't bear to see it..." He whispers soothingly into my ear. I growl, fighting the primal urge to rip that man's throat out.

"The clock is ticking, love." The man says, sneering at me, sending a new wave of rage splashing over me.

I rip my arm from George's hold with a strength I didn't know I possessed. The man chuckles, drawing a blade from behind his back.

Mother whines in fear, eyes staring into mine, silently pleading for help. I step closer again, George grabbing my arm once more, pulling me back.

I struggle against him, as Paul grabs my other arm, "you can't, love. Remember what the book said? You can't bring another's life to an end...and judging by that look in your eyes, that's exactly what you plan to do."

I sigh, closing my eyes, trying to gather my senses. I start to calm down until my mother shrieks in pain. My eyes fly open, greeted with the sight of crimson flowing down from my mother's neck, staining the collar of her dress.

Suddenly a man from the the pack of goons charges us while we're distracted. Before George can step in front of me, the man tackles me to the ground, my exposed back grinding painfully into the gravel of the drive.

George rips the man off of me, tossing him to the side like he was nothing. Paul helps me stand, my back screaming in agony.

John scoops me into his arms, and runs back to the ward's protection. "John! Let me go! We can't leave George out there!"

John sets me on my feet, but keeps a strong hold on me. "You can't help him, sweetheart, Paul and Ringo can. They can't take you again."

I struggle in John's arms, watching the chaos of the fight happening in front of me, feeling helpless.

Soon, the goons have Paul and Ritchie on their knees, knives to their backs. "We haven't eaten in so long....we're too weak...I'm sorry ______." Paul says hanging his head in shame.