9 Chapter Nine: Taken away

Mother knows best!

I kept repeating it to myself exiting my front door, to prevent me from having a melt down. I had my backpack slung over my shoulder tears welling in my eyes. Nan and Grandpa were to stay behind while Mom takes me to the train station, how convenient. I didn't say a word because it will have absolutely zero effect, she's already made up her mind.

She had my suitcase with her dragging it along as she came beside me. I didn't want to look back to see Nan crying again or to see the house. I got into the cab first, it was like I was wanting to leave this city anyways. I sat with the view of my house in my peripheral with my grandparents waving at me. She got into the car after putting away my luggage in the back. I quickly pull out my earbuds from my bag and put them on. I wasn't in the mood for anything, not even a song. I pretended on listening to one resting my elbow on the car door.

"All set ma'am?" the cab driver asked, I don't understand why we took the cab while she could drive me there herself. That was it, leaving everything behind, life as I knew it. I had no any other chance to stop this but this one. I was about to speak when I remembered there was no talking her out of this, I better wallow in my pain silently.

She sighed and answered Yes.

I closed my eyes letting the river in then flow down my cheeks. I wasn't so sure for how long we drove to the station but my butt was starting to feel numb, I haven't even opened my eyes since after we started on the road. I may have slept off one or more times during the time, I don't know. Maybe I have reached shallow falls without knowing of it, actually that would have been better to see her imaginary town where she "supposedly grew up".

I peeled my eyes opened almost getting blinded by tail lights, I had to prevent myself from losing my sight for minutes. I blinked a few times to adjust to it, all I saw ahead were specks of red and yellow light from different cars speeding past us and an open road.

We were on the highway!

I looked to my window fast and the sky wasn't blue anymore but dark. How did that happened? How long have we been in the car? The train station was half an hour out from our house. I looked over to her, she was wide awake looking straight ahead

"Where are you taking me?" I asked with a little bit of fear. I mean I was supposed to be heading to her imaginary place using the train but now I'm on the highway going somewhere else, I didn't like the looks of it or the one plastered on her face. I know it's my mother but something's up with her.

"Oh! You're awake already" She said with a thin line smile straightening her hand to touch my face.

Oh no she isn't

I smacked the hand away, I wasn't going to let her act nothing was out of place. For the matter of fact everything had been wacked up since after dad passed and she's taking me somewhere without my knowledge or consent, In some dictionary that's called kidnapping.

"No! You. Are. Going. To tell me what's going on or I jump out of the car! " I said firmly, I wasn't going to let her wiggle her way out of this, she must tell me or the car stops. I could see in her eyes she understood I mean business because my hand was already on the door handle. I wasn't really going to do it but I got to intimidate her to tell me everything, it seemed that was the only way to get it out. Her eyes welled up with tears

"I'm sorry to take you like this, I wasn't taking you to shallow falls....not ever" yeah no kidding you weren't, the place doesn't even exists. She was sobbing some more and then gripped my hands in hers.

"I love you more than anything, I really do" she confessed putting her hand at the back of my head and pushing it forward so that our foreheads were put together. I felt hurt putting her in this kind of a situation but I needed to know and she was kind of doing same to me. She pulled away and placed her warm hand on my cheeks caressing it lovingly. I don't get why she needed to act like this just to tell me where I was forced to go this time, I mean I understand we left everyone behind without goodbye but her face was damped in tears, fear, agony and more. Something I cannot understand, something truly deep

"Gia, this will be hard to believe but-" our car was suddenly rammed from behind by a truck. It sent us forward hitting my head hard with the driver's head rest, I think I suffered a whiplash. Screams erupted from our mouths as the driver tried to steady the car, I managed to push my head up but nausea kicked in immediately. I was gasping and my heart was pounding

what the heck was that?!

Didn't they realize how rude it was to interrupt us or how crucial it was to know how to drive properly? I looked towards the rear windshield a bit wrapping my hand around my neck from the strain generated by the reckless action, I couldn't see a thing from the other car's headlights. I looked back to mom and she looked as dazed as I was. She was about to cuddle in closer when a stream of light poured right into my face, coming in from behind her completely dazzling me.

The scream in my throat wasn't even heard before the car crashed into us hard; that was how fast it ran into us. Thrusting backwards, my head connected to the window; in one crew contact sending waves of pain wrapping around my head and it felt my jaws had locked in each other. My eyes subsequently getting blurry with tears in them. The car was spinning or was it my head before it was sent into set of tumbles by another strike from the side. My whole body was being tossed around hitting it against several parts of the car. My mind was nearly blank for all the moments and barely concentrate on all the images forming, seeing the driver's arms waving around while fastened in his seat in one frame and next seeing myself, then the high way and the sharp edged shattered glasses cutting through my face as it came in contact in speed.

I heard my mother and the driver screaming in a comical way, while my vision swim. It finally stopped after few of those tumbles leaving the car on it's top. I felt like I was being drowned underwater, I could barely understand a thing. I felt warm blood making it's way down my face and ears ringing, everything else hurts just as much. I tried to blink several times to bring back the focus but I kept zoning out in fragments of seconds, my short breathes getting louder and the sensation on my right fingers were absent. I couldn't even move more like I didn't want to, I was afraid of making it worst. My mom says after an accident you should try stay still and calm, although this one wasn't much of an accident. It was full of intent, we were attacked?

why?

The adrenaline kicked in higher when I heard faint footsteps coming towards us. My mom was scrunched up into a ball against the door while I was on my side against the cracked rare windshield. Afraid, I tried to speak to my unconscious mother, in such a hurry and in such state, my voice was nothing but a whisper

"Mom get up!" I pleaded

Hearing a crunching sound, my ears sharpened to listen and I muted. Was the car going to explode?

But the sound was different more like a metal was suddenly immersed in a negative thousand degrees or like that of a metal being compressed with mighty force, while my brain was busy calculating the possible source of it the door my mother was leaning against flew open like it was nothing and thrown with a thud revealing a pair of leg in black slacks and polished leathered black shoe. I flinched

What the hell was that?!

I was nothing but calm, everything was coming to surface again. I could feel the pain in my body sharper and my heavy breathing even though I tried to keep calm because my chest hurts pretty bad. I tried to speak again through the imminent panic attack I would have, my voice came out raspy but louder,

"Mom, mom!" I yelled helplessly

She was still unconscious, grabbed by hair and was pulled out ever so carelessly that was when she screamed yelling my name while being dragged out.

"No! Leave her alone!" I yelled trying to jolt forward through the sharp pain spreading around my torso. Seconds later the window behind me gave way making a cracking sound and then I fall back unto the glass covered cool night tar. I looked up to see a tall bulky man towering over me. I couldn't even make a sound until he grabbed me by the hair pulling me, my hand wrap around his wrist as he forcefully yank on it.

He dragged me across the street, squirming and kicking while he did effortlessly. I could see my mom now crying and begging while a woman hit her across the face. He let me go just after aligning us leaving enough distance in-between so I could only see but couldn't hear much, just their hushed conversation. I couldn't stand watching her continuously hurt my mom, hitting and hitting her across the face. I immediately try to stand when I had enough but his snarl made me stay still; shaking. The hazel haired woman moved covering my view of my mom completely.

"Please let us go!" I pleaded sobbing not so quiet too. He grabbed a fist full of my hair again pulling my head back . I scream in pain and fear of getting my hair yanked out. I couldn't even see a bit of his features. The headlights shining directly at me wouldn't let me.

"Don't say a word!" He warned firmly in a demonic voice. I regret ever speaking because even if they succeeded in killing us tonight, not even in hell will I forget his voice. He let go again and I was back to crying, my mother was getting a bit of interrogation by the woman partially blocking her from my view. My heart was cramping even worse because I caught a glimpse of her all bloodied, gash on her head and tears flowing uncontrollably. We shouldn't have left home, currently getting harassed and possibly getting killed by some lunatics in the middle of the highway was no way of a thing better than my rash.

I heard my mom scream—"No, please!"— just before she was completely brought to sight. My heart knotted and my stomach churned as I could only be pessimistic. Mom was on her knees and her eyes held nothing but agony and regret, and her eyes looked like that of a person having a lot to say but time wasn't on our side. Some tall, dark haired man was standing behind her holding her by the nape of her neck, I saw his other hand move handing over something to the lady with brown hair. My eyes went wide with it my pulse haywire, I caught the glint of the gun in her hands.

she wasn't trying to fight it, her eyes were sorrowful; she was giving up. I shook my head at her, not to dare do that after dad left us like that; without goodbyes. Tears made narrow paths down my face as she painfully smiled towards me; I stopped breathing

"Mom!" I yelled getting to my feet but stopped by a tight grip around my arm and then his arm went around my neck. I was kicking and clawing at his hand but he wasn't fazed. They cannot kill my mother not for anything. I kept struggling to free myself from his death grip when a loud bang filled the air as I watch my mother's eyes went blank blood trailing down from the middle of her head before she hit the ground face down with a thud. The air in my lungs cut off not because his arm was partially choking me but my mom was no more. He dropped me to the floor as I tried to wheeze some air into my lungs combined with screams and tears. the magnitude of it was so high that I heard it vibrate in my head, the veins on my head every so in pressure that they could almost burst and the corners of my mouth burnt.

never that fast, I was on my feet facing the man; fist clenched and I could barely restrain myself from the thought of murder that instant.

"You killed her!" I yelled throat full feeling something form the deepest of my chest crackle before heat spread constantly through it, a flow of energy sparked in it like a blow.

Then, I was pulled up by my neck, hanging in the air by the figure holding me seconds ago and my weight acting against me; I tried to maintain the firm gaze I held with the help of my rage. I was kicking and struggling to get air down my lungs as his hand wrap around my neck tighter. His touch was cold and sending shivers into me just like his red glowing eyes fixed on me menacingly. His over all form was the scariest I had seen. Pale skin, dark hair, sharp jaw, plumb lips with his crystal white incisors pressing down on his bottom lip(fangs). I grabbed his wrist in fear of my wind pipe forced shut, being strangled and what I thought I saw. I tried to pry them off but it was effortless the corners of my eyes were starting to go dark and the rest of my vision was swimming.

"We've got her now....let's deliver" I heard faintly before everything went dark pulling me away from all the pain but taking with me his dark facial expressions.