The Untouchables(128)

“AVIELA!”

I wasn’t going to stop screaming. I was going to keep yelling until I woke the fucking dead. I hoped her house burned; I hoped she burned with it. I wouldn’t stop until one of us was in the ground.

“Mother!”

Hearing something behind me, I turned, and there she stood, dressed in a white, but covered in smoke and ash, her hair and eyes just as wild as mine. She held a gun to my face.

“You really know how to piss a mother off,” she said throwing her gun to the ground.

Pulling back the safety, I raised the gun and tried to ignore the spotting in my vision. She stared at me emotionlessly, almost as though she was unsure of where she was. It was borderline insane how dead she already looked.

“Really, a gun? That’s how you’re going to do this? Where’s your spine, sweetheart? Did your father make you fear a fight? He was always such a pussy—”

I pulled the trigger. I didn’t want to stop pulling, but one bullet in her arm was more than enough to prove my point. She stumbled back and grabbed on to her arm.

“I was going to shoot you in the head but I still need to figure out who Ivan is,” I told her, walking closer.

She turned, throwing a pieces of broken marble, dust, and glass into my face before sweeping me off my feet.

“You ungrateful little bitch. Io sono tua madre!” she roared kicking, me over and over again. “Tua madre!”

Her fist connected with my face as the gun was ripped from my hands. Grabbing her foot, I twisted and brought her down, fighting until I was on top of her. “How many times do I have to tell you? Just because you carried me in your womb does not mean you are my mother!”

With the little space between us, she pulled her fist back and punched me square in the nose before kicking me off of her. Rolling closer to the flames, I spit out the fresh blood in my mouth before trying to get up. My eyes locked onto the gun as I stood.

“I didn’t want to kill you, Mel. I really didn’t.”

“Cut your bullshit, Aviela. You want to fight me, then do it.”

Circling the gun and each other, she just shook her head. I jumped at her, but she grabbed my arm and flipped me onto the ground.

“Ah…” I held back a scream, trying in vain to push down the pain.

I got back on my feet and kicked the back of her legs, bringing her to her knees. She retaliated by kicking and punching, even with her blood flowing from her arm to stain her once pure white dress. With each hit I felt myself stumbling backwards, trying to block her until my body was pressed up against one of burning walls. Its heat seared into my back.

She raised her fist and brought it to my face, this time I ducked and her hand got stuck into the wall of the green. Using that to my advantage, I punched her in her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and driving her backwards.

“Who is Ivan, Aviela?”

Wiping her lips didn’t stop the blood, it only stained her other sleeve.

“Someone you and I can’t touch! I’m trying to save you! You cannot go back!”

“You thought I couldn’t touch you, and yet, here we are.”

“I never thought that.”

She grabbed my fallen knife, and thrust it towards my head. Dropping down, she came towards me and kicked me once in stomach before taking a fistful of my hair.

“You strong-headed little fool. You can burn down my house, you can kill my men, but you cannot take down my father. No one can take down my father because everyone works for him, sweetheart.”

“Who is everyone?”

“You never give up, do you?” she asked with the knife at my neck. “When will you get it? You are me. We fight the same, we bleed the same. I know Father, and I know you. I’ve been watching you for years. He will destroy everything, and this is your chance to escape. I’m saving you. So run Melody, and never look back.”

“Would you still love me if I did, Mommy?” The moment I said that, her arm dropped and I grabbed her, twisting around and pulling her arm back with me. I kept applying pressure until I heard it pop.

She screamed, and grabbed her dislocated arm while fighting against my grip. But I only took hold of her neck and squeezed.

“Well do it,” she didn’t struggle against my hands. “You don’t love me, right? You think I’m crazy, but killing me won’t save your son or your husband.”

“No, but it’s a start,” I whispered through my own tears as I gripped on tighter and tighter.

Tears poured down the side of her face as I looked down at her.

“Lo...ve…yo...u” Was the last thing she said to me, but I couldn’t let go of her neck.

I strangled my mother.