Two Worlds (18+)

Thirteen | Now or never

WARNING: EXCESSIVE BLOOD & VIOLENCE

Flashback: January 11,2005

A I S L I N G

(10 years old)

I had just finished up reading Artemis Fowl for the millionth time. When my dad first gave it to me years before, I was hesitant, but it had easily become my favorite book. I was re-reading the whole series in order before the short story came out in the next few months. I shut the book and poked my head out of the blanket to grab the next book while adjusting my reading light to it.

"GET HER NOW. DERRY AND THE KID WILL BE BACK ANY MINUTE." I heard a booming voice with a strong russian accent yell. It sounds intimidating like my dad's.

"Alright. alright. Calm down." A younger man's voice called out. He held a foreign accent too, it wasn't Russian but I couldn't quite place it. It was very faint.

The next thing I heard were her screams. Mommy.

There was some inaudible yelling between the two men as my mom yelled out for help. I grabbed the knife that I was instructed to keep in my nightstand.

I opened the door slightly peeking through the tiny crack in the doorway with just one eye.

A man ran straight past my door, I wasn't able to get a good look at his face, but his body was smaller than I had expected.

A few moments later, I snuck straight to my father's office down the hall.

My mom's screams still echoed throughout the house, haunting me with every last one.

I couldn't lose my mom, she was my everything.

I stepped out and rushed to my parents room.

The sight of a gigantic man straddling my mom and strangling her with his huge bare hands had inflamed a fire in me. I gripped the knife tighter as I crept up slowly behind them.

Neither had noticed me coming as they were both completely engrossed in their struggle with one another.

I knew I couldn't fight this huge man but basic human anatomy had taught me that I could kill him from behind by slitting his throat, if I did it just correctly.

Otherwise mom and I would be done for.

I wouldn't be able to hold him so I would have to use the element of surprise until the very last second.

It was now or never.

My mind flitted back to the other man, who could come back at any second.

I'd lose my mom if I didn't do what I did next, though maybe that's just how I try to justify it.

My mom had noticed me by the time I came up behind him. Her eyes widened with fear, she tried to shake her head and yell but the man was choking her to death.

It was already too late anyways, I had made up my mind.

I needed to do this while his hands were occupied or else I'd have no chance. I didn't even think about my next movement, I couldn't allow myself to. I stabbed the knife into the side of the mans throat and used all of the strength in my tiny body to puncture it deeper.

I rapidly slid it across his throat, successfully slicing through his trachea, carotid artery , and jugular veins. All in one jagged slice. I forced my arm with a strength I hadn't even used to train. I screamed as I did it, terrified of this man, yet also terrified of myself and my actions.

The next sight was the most horrendous thing I'd ever seen in my life.

He tried to grab at my hands but it was far too late, dark red sprayed everywhere, out of his throat, as he choked on his own blood.

His body collapsed to the floor.

I dropped the knife in an instant, freezing in that spot, drenched in this mans blood, in shock.

I noticed my mom looked at me with both pure terror, and sadness in her eyes. She pulled me into a tight hug, hiding my face from the horrible sight of the man in front of us.

He fell unconscious quickly but the sound of blood squirting didn't stop for almost a full minute. He laid there, bleeding out until the life finally left him.

My mom quickly ushered me into another room, hiding me as she went to take care of the man in the next room.

I snuck out of the room and went to my parents room, holding back tears at the sight of his body in a pool of his own blood.

I patted down the mans body until I found his bloodied wallet. I wasn't intending to rob him but I needed to know who I just killed.

My dad always said I'd had a mind that was too curious.

Curiosity killed the cat.

I took it and ran back to my room, hiding the wallet in my nightstand.

I hid myself in the closet as my tears had let themselves loose.

I shake with horror not at the men who broke in, not at what I thought my mom was going to do, but at what I had just done. I killed a person, a man.

No matter the reason, I still killed him.

Nothing that I had ever read, seen, or heard of could prepare me for that moment. My breathing was rough and I eventually started wheezing as I rocked myself back and forth, my head laid on my knees as I held them against my chest. My heart rate was rapid as I struggled to focus my mind on anything else, but all I could see was the blood, it felt like I could go unconscious at any minute.

I was having a panic attack, only my first of many to come.

"WHERE IS SHE?" I heard what I assumed to be my dad's deep voice shout out. The next thing I know, the closet door flung open and my dad looked down at me with horror in his eyes. I had never seen him look even sad or scared. He tried to hide his emotions but his eyes gave him up. He was terrified, this was not at all what he wanted for me but we all know things rarely ever go as planned.

My dad's first kill was at the age of 13. Aedan was 15 at the time and had never killed anyone, though he was sure to at some point since dad had plans for him to take over the business later on in life. He definitely didn't want his daughter's anywhere near the business, let alone to kill someone at 10 years old. I didn't understand it exactly in that moment but over time, no matter how much I tried to forget it, the memories of this night would always return to haunt me.

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Author's Note

I've been writing this chapter for a while. A little harder because of the blood and gore. Im not particularly fond of or good at writing it but this event is crucial to the story;)

So now we know a little more about Aisling's backstory.

Who do you think the two invaders were?

Why do you think they were targeting her mom?

What do you think happened to the other man in the house?

As always, Thank you so much for reading this book!

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