The Marked

Chapter 8

The cold, frigid air swarmed around her, the days of winter finally starting.

Although the past few days had been an absolute drag, she was determined to make this a better day. As Starr opened her front door to escape from the cold, she looked up then stopped dead in her tracks. A woman, maybe in her late 30s, sat at the barstool beside the kitchen island and had obviously been watching the door, waiting. Half her instincts told her-run, while the other half said- stay, here her out. Or that might have actually been the woman inside her brain. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to run; not yet.

She cleared her throat and the woman, amused, looked to her and waited.

"Who are you?" Starr asked. She knew this woman, had seen her somewhere before, but a name nor a place never showed up to identify her.

The woman seemed to glow with pride, and her intimidating eyes pierced through Starr- just daring her to try something. She still hadn't stepped in the door, and for some reason she didn't want to. The cold seemed to converge into numbness and her hands began to tingle slightly, from the cold, possibly, or from this mysterious woman.

"You know who I am," the woman said and grinned an ear to ear grin.

Starr backtracked her whole life. Flipping the pages of her memories was pointless because no matter how many times she did it she couldn't place a name on her. In her heart, she knew this woman all to well, but the feeling it gave her became colder by the second.

Now, the woman stood up, claiming her own. This was her territory now- try to mess with anything and there will be consequences. Starr didn't hide herself or turn away. Whatever the situation, she would face it.

She wanted to ask again, but thankfully the woman finally told her.

"I can't believe you don't remember. I thought for sure I hadn't taken all that away," she said pausing to maybe see a shocked or confused reaction from Starr, but instead got a blank emotionless face. "I'm your mother, Starr."

Suddenly, she knew that this woman, her mother, was being perfectly honest. She'd wanted to throw her arms around her but at the same time be angry at her for leaving her.

So that's what she asked.

"Why'd you leave?" she wanted so badly to say Mom after that last word but just couldn't. If her mother didn't have a good reason for leaving her, well, she'd never be able to call her mom.

"Oh honey," she started with an act so blissful only Starr could realize that all it was, was an act. An act of deceiving, trickery, something her mother must've been very good at.

"I left you because I wanted to protect you. You see you're the most powerful of the Marked and you need to be protected."

Starr wasn't buying it. "Protected from what?" she snapped. Her mother seemed taken back by her tone and even sweetened her own voice more.

"Protect you from Xander, darling. The man who wanted to use your powers."

Starr snorted at this. Did her mother actually believe herself? Or maybe her whole life was a play, and she was the lead actress.

"Well, as I recall, I saved my own butt from Xander, and he now lies shriveling up in a cell; all my doing."

Her mother persisted though, a new excuse for Starr's comebacks.

Terra would be home any minute now, Starr knew.

"I really should get going," her mom said. "But one last thing."

One last thing? This again, really?

"I want you to meet me out of your training facility tonight at 8:00. Don't tell anyone," she narrowed her eyes, but then returned to her energized, fake self. "Really, I wouldn't bother.

You'll know more about your own world, your family, even your own self. Just please come." And with that she hurried out the door, slowly fading away as Starr watched her disappear down the sidewalk.

Would she go? She wasn't sure let herself but wasn't even going to think about not telling anyone. A few minutes later Terra came home, immediately noticing Starr's worried expression plastered across her face.

She showed it too. Fidgeting around and her hands seeming to drip with sweat. She looked at the floor, avoiding Terra's gaze not knowing if she should trust her, but after all, what had Terra ever done but try to protect her? The curfew that, at the time, seemed ridiculous now proved useful since she knew that staying out to late was risky. People use other people like a dish rag, and they just don't care. So she would tell her. Every single bit.

When she finished Terra bit her lip nervously.

"Dad always talked about Mom being loving and kind. This woman.." Starr said, wondering what kinds of things would make a woman once described as loving now deceitful.

"Your Dad never saw your mother after Xander got a hold of her and brainwashed her," Terra replied as she remembered everything. She went on.

"I saw your mom once. She came up to me, threatened to use the draining cup on me if I didn't break it off with Barnett."

"I told her nothing could make me do that, and she went on and I never saw her since."

Small tears started to build up in Starr's eyes. She'd clung on to the hope that maybe, just maybe, her mother still loved her and was still kind and the wonderful woman her dad had always talked about, but now that hope had been shattered and left with the broken pieces.

Starr walked over to Terra and enveloped her in a hug. She choked out small sobs inbetween breaths. She wasn't sure exactly the reason she was crying, was it because she loved her mother? Or was it because she hated her?

***

Should she go, or stay? The question tossed around her brain franticly. Did she want to no more about herself? She already knew she didn't care to know a single thing about her mother, but if somehow she could find out more about who she was, would it be worth the risk? The hours prolonged themselves until finally it was exactly 7:25 and to get there e'd have to leave at 8:30. Hesitantly, she cautiously tip-toed over to her closet and slipped on some shoes. For the normal average teenager, sneaking out of your window in a two story building would require skill, or either result in injury. But Starr opened her window and, not knowing if it would work, jumped out, arms outstretched and she started falling. Within seconds her mind focused and the air resisted her fall as she began to slow down to a comforatable falling speed. She seemed to float in the air ,and it was almost as if she'd been her own parachute. What the heck was she doing? She was going to see her mom, who'd been a liar, a deceiver, and not even a mother t all. She was going to risk it all just so she could find out about herself. That made absolutely no sense, not even to Starr. Was that even the real reason? Had her shattered hope been picked up fragment by fragment until it was partially back together again? Maybe her mom had changed since Terra had seen her, Whether the hope was false or true, there's no turning back now.

On foot or in her car? Foot. With a little extra help from her trusty powers she'd just now mastered. It's all about focus, she told herself. Then she took off zooming through the freezing night air. Everything she passed by was a blur, every tree, building, car, looked like a blob of nothingness. So then, what would have been an hour walk turned out to be a mintue run. She was there, waiting outside for this woman, her mother, who she sincerely hoped would have some good in her. She checked her phone for the time. 8:00. Right on time.

Someone, perhaps her mother was emerging out of the shadows. But she wasn't alone. Starr tried to turn back, away from the stupid, ignorant decision she'd made but it was too late. She'd realized her mom didn't love her, that she was a lost cause, and that there was no turning back now. She'd have to fight.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Sorry if this chapter is suckish! I really really wanted to update so I kinda did this in a rush!! Anyways, hope you enjoyed and don't forget to vote and comment!!! Thanks!!!!! :)