A Mess of Things

Chapter Four

     "MARCUS? MORRIGAN? What on EARTH are you doing in my house?!" My mother screamed in disgust as she suddenly squeezed the stick of butter in her hand. She didn't notice the runny substance dripping down the fingers of her clenched fist, and onto the carpeted kitchen floor. Her dark eyes were narrowly focused on my father and his harlot, and her whole body began to tremble with anger.

     Cain stood up from the table and rushed into the living room, "Mother! What are you doing here? You can't be here!" He questioned her in a scolding tone, like a mother would scold their child for throwing food out of their high-chair or pulling a cats tail.

     Morrigan stayed still and silent, clutching to my fathers arm with her head down, slightly against his shoulder. Her eyes were looking up, right at my mom with an awful look on her face. But she didn't look afraid, she was putting on a show for my mom, giving her an evil smirk. She wanted my mother to burn with jealousy, and, by the looks of my mother at that particular moment, it seemed like she was getting her way.

     My father put his hands up into a defensive position, "Look, I'm sorry, we didn't think anyone was here. I just came by to look for some papers," he paused then, noticing the almost-bare living room and kitchen, and the boxes piled up in the corners of the rooms. "Wow, looks like you're doing some renovating." He stated, throwing out an awkward chuckle.

     "We're moving!" Lilith chimed excitedly, running into the living room. She ran straight into dad and hugged his legs tightly.

     "Moving?" My dad questioned, looking to my mom with a raised eyebrow and patting Lilith on her back as she clung to his legs.

     "It's not any of your business what I'm doing, Marcus." My mother spat, slowly stepping into the living room. Her arm was still slightly extended forward, she continued to not acknowledge her own fist squishing the stick of butter. It continued to drip from her hand onto the floor, making a small trail as she walked.

     My mother had a wild look in her eyes, I started to feel a bit more nervous about what was going on in front of me, but I was glued to my seat at the table. "You really had no idea anyone was home? The parked van outside somehow indicated that nobody was here? Are you kidding me right now?" She spat at them. Mom turned her attention to Morrigan, "And you, home-wrecker, ought to learn a thing or two about inviting yourself into a grieving wife's home. You ruined my life, and our family! I have nothing to explain to anyone, and I want both of you out of my life. The kids are coming with me." She turned to Marcus again, "And you can make arrangements to see them, at your own expense, after we are settled in, if they still want to see you." She said, flatly.

     "She's trying to take your children from you, Marcus." Morrigan slyly hissed into my fathers ear, loud enough for us to hear, and continued to smirk at my mother.

     "No, nobody is trying to take anything from anyone," Cain butted in, stepping between my mother and the two night-ruiners. "Why don't the two of you just leave before you cause anymore trouble, huh?" Cain suggested to them, cautiously extending his arms out to his sides.

     "Really? Then why are you at their house eating dinner with them, Cain? You're my son, you have no business being here with the likes of this crowd." Morrigan bit at him, "I don't want my boy associated with low-life trash, goodness knows what garbage old Zenna here has put into your head." She hissed at him dramatically, gesturing to my mother.

     That's when my mother finally snapped.

     Zenna lunged forward screaming, frantically clawing at the air with her bare stubby nails until they made contact with Morrigan's face. The tan flesh of her cheeks ripped open under my mothers' dull fingernails. Marcus pulled away from Morrigan in shock, who was shrieking in utter terror, holding her arms up toward my mom in an attempt to shield herself. But my mother continued to rip into Morrigan's skin with her bare hands until Morrigan fell to the floor. Zenna grabbed ahold of Morrigan's flashy red dress and tore away pieces of it in an absolute frenzy, blood was splattering everywhere and it was getting harder to tell the difference between the blood and her shredded red clothing.