Lost Soul

Chapter Three: Mommy Dearest

"Don't look so down," my mom coos. She's walking behind me, marching us through the streets of the city. Her dagger is pressed into my stomach.

She has another dagger strapped to her thigh.

I've been thinking about how to reach it without her stabbing me.

"Where are you taking me? This isn't towards your safehouse."

She sniffs, "no. We can't stay in the city."

"But you said-."

"That was before I knew he was here!"

"Thomas?" I ask.

She flinches. "You heard the damn creature. Thomas is behind this. He sent them here. If I can find him, if I can kill him, I can fix everything."

I blink. "Fix everything?" I ask, hating that she's got me hooked.

I can almost hear her smile.

"Ah, that's right. You like making things better for everyone, don't you? You like playing the hero."

"I wouldn't have to play the hero if you and the council weren't-."

She jabs the dagger deeper. "Don't blame me for your faults, Raven. Don't forget, you're my daughter. Everything you hate about me, you have it to. But, let's call a truce."

I scoff, "a truce? What would ever make you think I would call a truce with you?"

"You want to end this, don't you? You want to save the people, be the hero, you want to put everything back to the way it was. Killing Thomas is how we do that, Raven. If you help me find him, we can fix things. Isn't that what you want?"

"What I want is to be away from you."

She sighs, "don't be so cruel, daughter. I know what that damn red-head told you. Her parents fed her that to weaken me. They knew you'd blame me."

I hesitate. "So, it was a lie?" I ask.

"Of course! I never wanted to hurt you, Raven. All I want is to make you better. All I've done is to protect you, can't you see that? Becoming the councilwoman was because of you. Everything I've done is because of you."

"I- you think I wanted you to do these things, mother? You think I wanted-?"

"Oh, hush, dear. Stop pretending like you're better than me. Don't forget I saw you that night."

"What night?" I whisper.

She jabs the dagger deeper and firelight glints off a green gem set in the hilt.

I gulp. It's the other dagger, but I know the set she has on her. What I'd done with the other one.

"I saw you," she whispers, her breath warming my ear. "I know what you did to those innocent men."

I close my eyes and almost trip on the sidewalk. "They weren't-." But I falter.

Sure, they were innocent in the eyes of the law. He was an officer and his son was some punk. They couldn't do wrong.

But one of them was the least innocent.

I'd played judge, jury, and executioner. But was I wrong?

My mom coos in my ear. "You see, dear? We're the same. We make the wrong decisions for the right reasons."

"So, this is a wrong decision?" I ask.

"No. This is to keep you safe. If that man realizes who you are... he'll kill you."

"Why? I haven't done anything."

She hesitates. "Because I'm the councilwoman, obviously. He'll be searching the entire dome for me. He'll use you to hurt me."