My Mother and I

          There once was my mom who looked like Angelina Jolie with blonde hair.  If you don’t know who Angelina Jolie is she was basically a woman with big lips and she always looked like she had bitchy look on her face with those creepy green eyes.  She met a guy that was the sweetest guy you would ever meet and he came to be known as my father, but unfortunately I never met him.  She truly loved him and once he got her pregnant she killed him.  Just like a black widow spider.  She only did it because he tried to kill her saying the baby was a bad omen.  At first it was self-defense until her friends said the same thing, so she killed them.  Her ways of killing were usually a dagger.  She only conjured them for self-defense, but once I was born it was different.  Since I was old enough to handle a dagger, my mother taught me how to kill.  She told me that nobody was to be trusted and not to hesitate.  Sometimes she was my target, but she would disappear from my killer throw and reappear behind me every single time.  Once there was no danger she would tell me that she loved me.

          The only dangers I had were when I was in elementary school and middle school, but mom took care of all the dangers there.  Once the dangers were gone we moved to a quieter town where I am now eighteen and I don’t have any victims yet.  I am enrolled in Peace High School and my mother works where they preserve weapons.  While I have been here I have made a few friends since I started school.  One of them is a unique gothic and subtle person named Meg.  Another one is a beautiful and cheery person named Alice.  There also is a set of really kind twins, but one is strictly gothic and the other is strictly pink and they are Autumn and Kim.  I am also friends with a short and reserved guy named Tim, and I am friends with a cool and hilarious rock star named Jackson.  Another friend I have is gay and a surviving twin named Andy.  He unfortunately lost his twin sister since child birth.  My mother would never approve of having so many friends because she always feared they would find out the skeletons in my closet and one of them almost did, but that one person is not anyone of my friends.  He was closer than that.

          At this time it is spring break and mom has off for the week.  We are driving to a college in another city, but we are going to get me enrolled.  These are my first victims, but mom would always call them potential dangers.  I never believed that.

“Are you scared?” my mom asked with her hands on the wheel, but her eyes on me and I looked at her.

“Why can’t I just enroll here like normal students?” I asked with puppy dog eyes.

“Because they are all potential dangers to you just like those teachers at the elementary school and all those teachers and friends of yours at the middle school,” my mom said taking a turn.

“They knew me.  These people don’t even know me,” I said looking out the window.

“All the better to kill them before they know you.  You know you –

“Can’t trust anyone, I know,” I finished and I stopped talking.  It didn’t feel right killing innocent people and I was scared of becoming a killer.  What did they do wrong?  They never threatened me, but I would do what was necessary if it meant protecting me.  Once we got there we walked onto the campus empty handed and we walked into the large building.  Most people would be amazed like I was to be in such a large college and I even thought that as we walked into a dorm room.  I wasn’t even enrolled here and I already loved it.  It spoke of freedom and education, but I watched my mom kill every person in the room before I stepped into the next room.  I ran into a guy that looked like the actor Jeff Goldblum, but he was much younger and he was shirtless.  I hesitated.

“Hello there.  Did you make a wrong turn?  Lucky for me or are you the lucky one?  Don’t be shy,” he said with a flirtatious smile and I threw the dagger at him, but I missed.  I never missed.

“What are you doing?” he freaked standing against the wall.

“I don’t really know,” I said quietly and I jumped to the dagger.  I stabbed him in the gut and he slid to the floor.

“Why not let me go then.  Please don’t kill me,” he pleaded with fast breathes and I stopped.  I looked into his eyes and I began to cry.  I felt a foreign finger wipe a tear away as I felt my mom behind me with her other hand on my shoulder.

“Angelina, my daughter.  He does not love you and you don’t love him,” she said as I continued to look into his pleading eyes.  I mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ and I used the same dagger stabbing him in the heart.  When my dagger disappeared I noticed there was a dead horrorstruck look on his face.

“Let’s go,” my mom said squeezing my shoulder.  Nobody on that campus was left among the living.

          When we were in the car again I was still crying, but now they were dry tears.  None of those people knew me and all those students could have been the future doctor or lawyer.  I believed that none of those who died on that campus were potential dangers and the first man that I killed was so handsome.  I cringed once my mom broke the silence.

“I know it is painful the first time, but it must be done.  You don’t want to die do you?” my mom asked as we went down the continuous road.

“No,” I sobbed threw my teeth and in my heart I knew I was lying, but in my soul it felt like the truth.  My mother didn’t know the difference.  She believed me.

“Good.  Well, I think it is time we move on from Peace High School and my job,” she said and I looked at her in horror.

“You can’t expect me to kill the people I know!  It was bad enough that you killed all the other people I knew.  It was easier to kill people I wasn’t close to, but I still was hurt doing it,” I said and looked out the window.

“You were specifically told not to make any friends at this school.  Do you remember me telling you what I did to protect you?” my mom asked glancing at me and then back on the endless road.

“Yes,” I growled through my teeth.

“I killed your father and I killed my friends to protect you,” mom said tightening her hands on the wheel till her knuckles were white.

“I never asked you to do that,” I said looking down into my lap.

“No, but I felt it was necessary to keep you safe,” she said and we were silent the rest of the way home.

          The next school day I had to do my job, but I didn’t have to enjoy it.  I walked into the school like any ordinary day and I went through all my classes.  Once school was over I stayed at the school.  I silently killed all the teachers and nobody heard a scream.  After I killed the librarian I was going to leave the library thinking it was empty, but I saw my friend Jackson’s girlfriend Ashley in the back of the library engrossed in a book.  She was so beautiful.  The next moment I was standing right in front of her where she was sitting on a couch in the reading area.

“Hi Angelina.  How was your day?” she asked looking up from her book and I conjured a dagger.

“Angelina?!  What’s going on?  Don’t!”  she squeaked and I threw the dagger at her heart.  After I pulled out the dagger I turned around and I was looking into Jackson’s face.  I stabbed him in the heart before he could react and I began to cry.

“I’m sorry friend,” I whispered as I sat him beside Ashley’s body and I moved on to the next room.

          After I was finished with everyone in the class rooms whether for detention or group sessions it didn’t matter, I saw my next victim at his locker.  The athletic and funny blonde guy Erich.  Suddenly I was interrupted by my friends Tim and Alice coming to my side causing my dagger to turn to dust.

“Hey Angelina.  What’s up?” Alice asked and Tim glared at me suspiciously.  Another dagger was conjured in my hand and Tim immediately knocked it out of my hand.  I froze.  I didn’t expect that.

“Alice, get out of here!” he yelled, but she was frozen in fear.  Tim picked up the dagger and stabbed me in the stomach.  I fell to my knees as he pulled it out and stabbed me in the heart . . .

          I fluttered my eyes and I could feel pain in my knees as I realized that my heels were in my back and my head was on the floor, but it felt softer rather than hard linoleum.  Once I let my legs move from under my back and I sat up I saw that I was surrounded by white puffy clouds.  After I got past the tingling in my legs, I stood up and I was face to face with a man who had a close resemblance to me.  I tried conjuring a dagger, but my hand just stayed empty.

“Your powers don’t work here,” the man said not taking his eyes off me.

“Where am I?” I asked angrily.

“You’re in between life and death Angel and I am your father,” he said and I relaxed a little bit, but only a little.

“Why did you try to kill mother and me?” I asked angrily putting my hands on my hips and pursing my lips like mom does when I did something wrong.  I flicked my eyebrows up waiting for an answer.

“I only did that because I saw what you were and what you were going to become.  Your mother made you a killer, but you have something within you that always helps you survive,” he said and looked into my eyes.  “You see.  You can never die as long as there is another female in the room.  Your soul will steal another body and force the other soul to you dying body.  Once you have taken over completely, your soul fully takes shape of the body you have corrupted.  You must kill your mother to save yourself otherwise you won’t be seeing me again.  You are not a killer Angel.  Your mother only makes it so.  Goodbye my daughter.”  Once he said all that to me everything disappeared.  There had to be a loop hole in there somewhere because everything he said about killing my mother would solve the problem sounded loony.

          I reappeared through new eyes and I was looking down at my body through Alice’s eyes.  I bent down and pulled out the dagger.  Tim was staring at me.

“Alice what are you doing?” he said looking at my face and noticing the face was no longer hers his face turned from cautiousness to shock.  “Oh my goodness!”  I stabbed him in the heart crying a little.

“Sorry Tim.  Alice is dead,” I said to his face and he fell to the floor.  I walked over their bodies after the dagger had disappeared and I saw that Erich was gone. 

          After I noticed that the hallways were clear I walked out into the courtyard that separated the west and east sides of the school.  There I saw a bunch of loving couples and I silently killed them all including Andy and his boyfriend.  I was going to kill the last, but they seemed so intriguing.  A gothic couple.  They were hands all over each other kissing.

“Are you going to just stand there and watch or what?” the gothic guy asked pulling away from her vicious kiss and I conjured a dagger.

“Ooo.  We have a conjurer!” exclaimed the gothic girl jumping out of his lap and she started dancing around me.

“Are you going to kill us like the other couples?” she giggled as I watched her dance and I started seeing doubles of her dancing around me.

“Good luck with that,” he said behind me and suddenly a chain appeared around my neck.  He pulled it tight as my dagger disappeared and my hands tried to pull at the chain.

“We are killers too,” she cheered along with her clone and I glared at them as I tried to pull away.

“Please,” I pleaded because I was against a team.  A conjurer and a multiplier.  I couldn’t breathe as I fell to my knees.

“We are not merciful,” he said as he pulled harder and I began seeing stars.  I was still trying to pull away which only made him pull harder.  After a while I was not only seeing doubles of her I was seeing blurry triples of her and his blurry evil smile.  As the chain constricted my air flow and I couldn’t breathe at all, I started pulling less and I could feel the coldness in my hands.

“Is she dead yet?” she asked just as I went limp sitting on my legs.  He pulled on the chain and my body followed.  The chain was cutting into my skin, but I am still hanging on.  I felt no oxygen going through me, but I felt enough oxygen in my lungs to keep my heart pumping.

“She is now,” he said smiling wider and she giggled evilly clapping her multiple hands as she became one.  She jumped into his arms and he let go of the chain as my head rolled to look at them.

“Now she can watch,” he said and she pulled his lips to hers.  They started making out as he ran his hands down her body and she pulled his hair.  My goodness they were all over each other.    She began pulling his shirt off and she ran her fingers down his six pack.

“You are so hot baby,” she cooed and he pulled her shirt over her head once he set her on her feet.

“Give it to me sweetheart,” he said as she pulled his pants off kneeling to the ground and kissed his penis.  I basically watched her give him a blow job and then once she stood up she pushed him to the ground lifting her skirt and lay on top of him.  I watched himself put it within her and she began to ride him as he held her hips.

“Ride me harder sweetheart.  Oh yes,” he said as he voice shook with passion and they both started shaking.

All I heard was moaning and slapping and do I have to continue?  They were having sex in the middle of the courtyard and I was dead here with almost a broken neck watching my killers going at it.  Didn’t they get enough of each other?  I’m surprised she wasn’t pregnant.  Thank goodness for birth control.  Was it ever going to end?  I watched his arms move up her body and he ripped her bra off.  She slid her hands up his six pack and slithered her hands behind his neck while she laid her breasts on his chest and they began savagely kissing again.  I watched them French kiss and bite each other’s lips while they held each other closer and almost make each other one.  Then they rolled closer to me and he was on top instead of her.

“Ride me baby,” she cooed and he pushed harder into her making her cry while she scratched his back with both hands.

“No baby.  Ride me harder,” she said and wrapped her legs around him as he made her bleed. 

          Then I watched as he kissed her on her lips to her neck and on her breasts while she pushed his head down to her vagina.  I had enough once I saw him eat out of her lunch box, so I decided to conjure another dagger.  Once I felt the cool metal on my hand I felt like I could stop what my eyes were seeing.

“She’s still alive!” she squealed and he reached for the chain with wetness on his mouth crawling away from her.  I felt the cold metal on my neck as he pulled the chain again once he got a hold of it.  My neck snapped while he knelt holding the end of it.

“Not anymore,” he said and she jumped onto his kneeling form while he forced himself into her once more and the moaning continued with his hands on her hips and her arms wrapped around him.

          I reappeared through new eyes again and I was riding the gothic guy who was still kneeling on the ground.  Her fingers or my fingers were through his hair and I looked over at my dead body with a broken neck caused by the chain still around it lying beside us.  I felt his hands move up my back and back down my breasts to my hips.  I slowly turned to look at him.

“What’s the matter sweetheart?” he said noticing that his girlfriend’s heart wasn’t into the sex anymore and looked into my angry eyes.

“I am not your sweetheart!” I growled conjuring a dagger and stabbing him in the heart.

“What the hell?!” he freaked and he went limp underneath me still in the kneeling position as his head hit the ground.

I clothed myself while I remembered the rage I was in when I killed those two.  For all the other people I killed I cried and they were not potential dangers.  The conjurer and the multiplier were potential dangers and I hated them for making me feel this rage.  I never wanted to feel that rage again.  I was afraid that the rage that I experienced killing the gothic couple was the same rage that would help me kill my mother.  I did not hate my mother, but who was going to stop her?  I didn’t want to do it. 

Once I went out of the courtyard panty less and in gothic black clothing I headed back into the building.  I would have worn Alice’s thong but my dead body soaked it through.  Dead bodies are gross.  Nothing stays in.  Anyway, I passed the bathroom and I heard voices in there.  I silently walked in and I saw Meg’s friend Steph standing outside of a stall.  Then I heard someone puking.  Meg.

“What’s going on?” I asked casually as I cleaned myself up.  I looked filthy.  When I looked in the mirror I touched my neck.  The chain had left an imprint on my soul.  I felt my stomach where Tim stabbed me and there was a scar.

“I’m coming down with something, I think,” said Meg and bent over the toilet again.

“Did you hear what’s happening?  All the teachers are dead and there is a serial killer among us,” Steph said looking at me with suspicion and then I remembered what my dad said.

“Yeah,” I said and pulled the gothic jacket off.  It was getting very warm in the room.  I was only a killer because of my mother and I couldn’t die as long as there was a girl in the room.  “You guys take care of yourselves.  I hope you feel better Meg.  I have to get going.”

“Alright.  See you tomorrow,” I heard her say within the stall.

“See you tomorrow,” Steph said as I turned out of the bathroom.

“Don’t count on it,” I whispered to myself as I stood against the wall outside the bathroom.  I unbuttoned my shirt and felt my chest.  There was scar right in the spot where Tim stabbed me the second time.  I couldn’t kill myself, so I would have someone else do it for me.

          I forgot to mention that I have an ex-boyfriend and he knows only the good side of me.  I broke up with him because I didn’t want to tell him the truth.  He almost found out.  We never considered each other friends, but he was really close to me like a brother.  I loved him.  Eventually I couldn’t lie to him when I killed people to prevent other potential dangers from killing me.  So I left him.  His name is . . . Erich.  Yes the athletic and funny blonde guy.   I searched for him by his locker and I looked in the parking lot for his car.  He was still here. 

          As I was leaving the parking lot I got confronted by Autumn and Kim.

“Hey Angelina!” exclaimed Kim holding her hands out like she wanted a hug.  She was always the huggy type.  “Did you hear what’s going on?”

“Yeah I did,” I said trying to get away.

“Isn’t it weird?” Autumn smiled and frowned once she glanced down at my body back up into my eyes.  “What is around your neck?”

“I just had a necklace too tight and it left a scar,” I lied trying to get passed them.

“It’s shaped like a chain,” Kim pointed out.

“I am kinda looking for someone and I don’t want to miss them,” I said and waved goodbye with confused looks on their faces.

          I looked for him at the school pool and of course he was there all by himself doing laps.  His breaststroke was so professional and he could almost pass as a fish in water.  He stopped once he saw me and pushed the water aside as he swam to where I was.

“Hey Angel.  What’s up?  Did you hear there’s a serial killer around the school?” he asked using his nickname for me.  I hesitated.  Gosh word travels fast.

“Yeah.  Can I talk to you in the locker room?” I asked and he looked at me.

“This sounds serious.  You’re not the killer are you?” he asked sarcastically and he saw me tense up while I bit my lip.

“Erich it would be easier to talk to you out of the pool,” I said and he got out grabbing his towel.

“Ok.  You’re serious.  What’s wrong?” he asked as he dried his hair leaving it a mess, patted his face dry, and put the towel around his neck as he looked into my eyes.

“Read my mind it’s easier that way,” I said motioning for him to come closer.

“You know you’re the only one I can’t read unless I am holding you,” he said crossing his arms and I showed him my hands.

“Please.  I need you to understand because it is more words than I can say,” I said and he grabbed my extended hands.  There was a flash of my mother killing my father and her friends even though that was not my memory we still saw it.  We saw all those deaths at my elementary school and my junior high school even though that was told to me.  I showed him my mom and me at that college.  I relived killing all the teachers through his eyes.  He saw me killing Jackson and Ashley in the library and all the other children in the classrooms.  He watched Tim defend Alice and himself.  After viewing me die the first time and confronting with my dead father, he saw me become Alice and kill Tim.  The next vision showed me killing the couples including Andy in the courtyard and going against the gothic couple becoming the gothic girl after being filled with so much rage and hatred rather than sadness with all the other deaths.  I showed him Meg and Steph while I was marveling at my scars and told him my thoughts after that before I confronted Autumn and Kim.  My last memory that he saw was my search for him to do the job I couldn’t do.

          Suddenly he pulled away.  I let him get his bearings back and I hoped he would be stronger than me.  I couldn’t kill my mother so the next thing in the equation that needed to disappear was me.  There was no girl in the room.  It was just him and me.  My death needed to happen and was sure that suicide wouldn’t work.

“Wow,” he said and I looked at him again after looking at the clear blue water of the pool.

“Now you understand that you have to kill me,” I said conjuring a dagger holding it out to him.

“You know I can’t do that,” he breathed out.

“But you saw –

“I know what I saw, but I am not a killer just as you are not,” he said and he looked me in the eyes.

“It will save us all,” I said and I put the dagger in his hand.  I raised the blade to my chest as I brushed my free hand down his cheek.

“I can’t Angel,” he said trying to pull the dagger away, but I held the blade in place.

“Please,” I pleaded, but he didn’t do it.

“I love you Angel,” he whispered in my ear and I began to cry.  “I don’t care what you are and what you have become, but I still love you.”

          Everything would have worked and I would have been with the one that truly loved me if I hadn’t heard that one voice that slowly filled me with rage.

“What’s going on?” my mother said behind me and I ripped the dagger out of his hand pointing it at my mother.  “Why was he holding the dagger?”

“You made me a killer,” I said with spit flying out of my mouth.

“I only did that to protect you,” my mom said conjuring her own dagger.

“Dad should have killed us when he had a chance,” I said glaring at her and Erich grabbed my free arm.

“Don’t,” he whispered, but I ignored him.

“Why?” she asked holding her hands out with confusion.

“I’m a killer to survive, but I hate killing people.  You will be the last.  Killing innocent people fills me with sadness, but killing potential dangers like the gothic conjurer or the gothic multiplier or you mother fills me with such rage and hatred that I want it to end.  You may have loved me, but it wasn’t real,” I said pulling away from Erich, and I threw my dagger.  Unfortunately she disappeared like always.

“Where’d she go?” Erich asked and I turned to face him just as I saw her reappear behind him.

“NO!” I screamed as I saw the tip of the dagger come out of his chest.  His knees hit the ground first and I heard the smack of his chest hit the linoleum while the dagger still stuck out of his back.

“Now I am the only one who loves you,” my mom said and I conjured another dagger.  I ran at her and she disappeared again.  I stopped right by Erich’s feet when she reappeared in front of me and she put a dagger in my stomach.

“I’m sorry my daughter, but I am only teaching you a lesson,” she said as my knees hit the floor and I tried pulling myself to Erich’s body.  He couldn’t die.  Not him.

“He is dead my daughter.  Come back with me and finish the job,” my mom said as I was parallel with his body.  He was barely alive and he was looking at me.

“Angel,” he said with no sound.

“I will NEVER kill again,” I said and I looked into Erich’s eyes.  My mother pulled me up to my feet and looked me in the eyes before she stabbed me in the heart.

          I reappeared through new eyes, but I wasn’t alone.  I could feel another soul beside me, but I still could do simple things.  I looked over at my body and it was right beside Erich.  I tried to go to him, but I couldn’t move.  It was like my feet were not my own yet.

“You will not go to him as long as I’m alive,” my mom growled through our mouth and she conjured a chain around her own neck.

“DON’T do that!” I growled through our teeth and the chain disappeared.  I tried to go to him again, but just as I took a step forward I also took a step back.  That’s when the rage returned.  “You finally get to taste my powers mother!”

“I refuse to let you take over my body!” screamed my mother conjuring a dagger in our hand.

“You’ll kill us both!” I screamed.

“I thought you wanted to die with the rest of them!” screamed my mom pointing the dagger to our chest, but I held it back.

“I would rather you die than I die more than once and survive!” I screamed and I chucked the dagger away into the pool.

“I can’t kill you.  You’re too strong.  I always loved you my daughter,” my mother said and I didn’t hear her anymore.  There was complete silence as I fell to my knees.  I couldn’t feel her and I was no longer claustrophobic.  I was alone.

          Remembering that I was not alone I crawled to Erich’s side and his eyes were staring at my dead body.  It was a dead glassy stare.  I noticed how beautiful his blue eyes were even in death.  I pulled the dagger out and rolled him on his back putting the dagger down.  I began to cry and lay on his cold body.  I just laid there and cried.  In most situations people would be full of rage against the person that killed their lover, but of course in my case the killer was already dead.  I was no longer full of rage, but rather peace and happiness.  No let me correct that.  Sadness.

“I’m so sorry Erich,” I cried as tears fell onto his body and I felt his smooth stomach.  He was gone.  Who was going to stop me from becoming a killer?  There was one person in the world that could stop me from becoming a murderer besides myself and he was dead.  “I couldn’t protect you like I thought I could.  I’m so so sorry.”  Once I was dry of tears and still lying on him I noticed the dagger lying beside him.  I picked it up and stared at it.  The last person was me.  I didn’t think that suicide would work, but all I saw was the dagger.  I gripped the dagger in my hand and I closed my eyes as I put the blade to my chest.  I raised the dagger and waited for it to pierce my heart, but I felt a resistance on my arms.

“You don’t want to do that,” a dead voice soothing voice said and I opened my eyes.  I was looking into Erich’s blue eyes and he was holding my hands from continuing what I had planned to do.  The dagger dropped out of my hand and I stared at a dead man who was holding my hands from hurting myself or anyone else.

“How?” I choked out.

“Angel –

“No no no.  I saw you die!  The knife went through your heart!  Your eyes were like glass!” I stammered and he blinked his eyes as he lowered my hands to my lap.

“Angel.  I’m alive because when you killed your mother your evil power died and you inherited a healing power.  I also talked to your father and he loves you just as much as I do,” he said smiling and I began sobbing.

“I have healing tears,” I sobbed and I tried to pull away.  “I need to save all the people I killed!”

“It’s too late for them.  They were all beside your father.  The teachers, Jackson, Ashley, Tim, Alice, and Andy.  They understood and they knew you weren’t yourself.  You were only doing as you were told by the true murderer,” he said and I continued to sob.  He pulled me closer to him and held me while I cried into his shoulder.

“Don’t worry.  You still have me,” he said consoling me and I continued to sob.

“I have nowhere to go,” I said whipping my nose with my hand.  “I’m the guilty one.”

“No you’re not, well, technically you are, but your mother did all this and we protected ourselves.  It was all self-defense.  You would be free,” he said pulling my chin up so I was looking at him.  “There is still my place.”  I looked down and I saw something on his chest.  I felt it and it was a knife mark.

“It left a scar,” I whispered and he put his hand there.

“Yeah, but now we match right?” he said and I smiled as my sobs became less and less.

“You know what Erich?” I asked silently.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered.

“You’re getting me all wet,” I said mockingly and I laughed.  He laughed his unique laugh that gave me butterflies in my stomach.

“I know.  I wanted you to join me, but we your mother distracted us,” he said and smiled his half smile.

“I love you,” I said and we kissed while he held the back of my head and I ran my hand down his chest.

          He pulled away slightly ruining my mood and looked me in the eyes.  There was panic in his eyes, but he covered it up with courage.  I knew what he was going to say.

“The police are here,” he whispered and I began to shake from fear.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll do the talking.”

“What if they suspect me or what if –

“Stop.  They won’t,” he said and he held my face.  “Did you leave any daggers behind?”

“No.  They disappear once I will them to and my scars.  Your scars,” I said and he smiled.

“They won’t notice.  They will think it is from something else,” he said.

“It took them long enough to come, actually.  Who called them?” I asked and Erich smiled.

“Autumn did.  Once she saw your scar on your neck she felt it was necessary,” he said and I looked at him seeing the slight fear in his eyes again.

“They are just around the corner, aren’t they?” I whispered and he nodded.  He held me tightly.  We both watched them come around the corner with their guns raised.

“It’s clear.  One dead body and two unarmed victims,” one officer said.

“Would you by any chance know where the killer is?” the other officer asked.

“She would be lying dead over there sir,” Erich said and I took a short breath.  It wasn’t really a lie, but it felt like one to me.  “We had no choice, but to protect ourselves.”

“Good.  Less of a mess,” said the first officer.  “Looks like we are done here.  Call them in.”

“Do you two have a ride home?” the second officer asked lowering his gun.

“Yeah,” Erich said and we stood up to go to the locker room.

 He walked me in and sat me on a bench.  I was still shaking and breathing very fast.  My mom was dead and the police would eventually find out that I was related to her, but right now I was with Erich.

“Are you going to be alright?” he asked putting his hands on my shoulders and I looked into his eyes.  His touch and the peace in his eyes calmed me.

“As long as I’m with you I will be.  I will never try to get rid of you again,” I said and he kissed me.

“I will always be here,” he said and he went to go shower.  I walked to the full length mirror in the bathroom.  I looked at myself in my mother’s clothes and the scar of a chain on my neck.  I felt the two scars on my stomach and the two on my chest.  Now that power was dead and I have healing tears like Fawkes the phoenix in Harry Potter and I am not a killer.  My dad was right.  I killed my mother and saved myself.  I will get to see my father again, but right now I have Erich and we were in love again.  Except this was too good to be true.  If I was a true phoenix with healing tears my power could not be dead.  Eventually I was going to be someone else, but right now I believed if I stayed with Erich and only him there was no girl that would be taken away.  I felt his arms wrap around me and all my worries were forgotten. 

“Are you ready to go?” he asked and I looked at him in the mirror.

“Yes.  Yes I am,” I said and he took my hand.

“Let’s go home,” he said and I smiled.

“Home,” I whispered happily and we left together.  His parents let me stay with open arms. 

Later that night I am lying on my head on his chest in his bed.  I am thinking of earlier today and my eighteen years.

“What am I going to do now Erich?” I asked running my hand up and down his stomach.

“What do you mean?” he asked putting his hand on my head.

“For eighteen years my mother trained me to kill and now I won’t even conjure a weapon anymore.  It has always been my mother and I,” I said turning to face him.

“Well now it is you and me.  You can first start with that and we will go on from there,” he said and he smiled resting his hand on my hand.

“You and me.  I like that,” I said and we started the him and me together.

The End