Justice had had enough.
First, she was interrupted rather rudely while she was recording her track. Then, from what she could recollect (and from what Iris filled her in on about what happened after she passed out) she was punched on her face and injected with something. As if that weren't enough, two Nazis had kidnapped her and Iris, tied their hands so they couldn't try to escape, jailed them, and another one even had the nerve to threaten her.
Because of course, the universe had to be an absolute bloody jerk to her.
What was even worse, their ruthless captivators were, well... ruthless. She had barely gotten out of the cage when she saw a girl get murdered. It was a trigger for an old memory that she had been trying to forget.
"What have you got there, sweetie?" asked a loving, angelic voice. Natalie Revelia picked up her little daughter, who appeared to be holding something in her hand. "Mummy, look what I found in our garden!" she exclaimed, and held out a little gecko that had curled up in Justice's warm palm. "I'm going to name him Mr. Mud, since it looks like he rolled over some of it and got it all over his skin" giggled the little girl. "That's a lovely name, Justice. But if you want to keep Mr. Mud, you'll have to take care of him- and that is a very important responsibility. Do you know what responsibility means?" "Yes mummy! I promise I'll take care of him!" she squealed. Natalie chuckled. "Alright then, Jus-" suddenly, a horn blared. She put her daughter down, who ran to hide behind her mother's legs. "Go inside, Justice. And don't come out until I tell you to."
"Why mummy? What was that noise?"
"Somebody's here. And they're not very nice people." She bent down and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Listen. I think I might've left some cookies on the table. They're your favourite- chocolate chip. Now, hurry along before ants eat them away. Remember to give some to Mr. Mud." Justice ran towards the house. She didn't want to leave her mother, and she didn't want the cookies- not now. Although she was just seven, she could sense that something was wrong. She went upstairs to the attic, which had a small window facing their front yard where her mother was. As she looked through it, a big jeep with a weird red flag attached to the front pulled up a few feet outside their fence. Her mother stood as still as a statue, while two men got off the jeep and walked up toward her. They began talking with her about something, and soon the conversation turned into an argument. Even from up here, Justice could see her mother's face turn red with anger. Finally, after a few minutes of heated discussion, her mother came back to the house.
"Mummy, what happened? Who were they?" asked Justice as she came running down the stairs. Then she noticed something that made her go still.
"Why are you crying, mum?" she quietly asked.
"Oh, it's... it's nothing dear..." she said, in a slightly raspy voice. "I just... got something in my eyes." She bent down, her eyes at level with her daughter's. "Justice, my sweet angel, my lovely buttercup, we're going out for a vacation... pack up some of your clothes, and whatever else you need. Remember Mrs. Kay? The nice grandma next door?" Justice nodded. Mrs. Kay was an 80-something year old woman, and she came in every Saturday to babysit Justice while her mother went to town to get groceries. She always made the best brownies for her, too. Her mother picked up a pen and paper and scribbled something on it, then folded it and gave it to Justice. "Listen closely honey- I want you to give this note to her, okay? I'll help you pack your stuff. Go to her, quickly." Justice reluctantly went, but her mother made sure she used the back door to avoid the men out in the front yard. Within ten minutes, her mother arrived at Mrs. Kay's with a suitcase.
Upon seeing Natalie, Mrs. Kay burst into tears and started muttering "Oh dear, oh dear my sweet one..." as she slowly limped toward her. They talked in hushed voices, too quiet for Justice to hear properly, but she caught a sentence as it was passed from her mum to the old lady, which sounded something like "...I'm afraid it has to happen..."
YOU ARE READING
Alpha Paradise: Book 1
Adventure|I Pulvis et umbra sumus I| |I We are but dust and shadows I| The Nazis have risen once again- and this time, they're more powerful and influential than ever. And they possess a secret- a secret capable of immense destruction. But every secret will...