Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
M other was going to die today.
It wasn't enough for her to torture me throughout childhood and into my 20s. No, she had to find a way to dig the knife deeper. Using a student to get to me was her most despicable manipulation yet. I am fucking done with her dictating my life. If there's one thing I learned from the treacherous Dr. Roads, it's if something in your life doesn't bring you happiness, then you should remove it.
Jax ran alongside me as we sprinted through the streets of Crimson Leaf. Rain slithered down the sidewalk in miniature streams, and lightning flashed overhead. It was a perfect night to end everyone who had wronged me.
I had already taken care of one threat, and now I would remove the final one. Our boots splashed through puddles as we rounded the corner and stopped in front of my family home. The gloom of the day making it appear just as sinister as the energy within.
I grinned wickedly, then kissed Jax and stomped up the front steps. The porch groaned as I walked across it, then kicked the front door open. The door slammed against the wall so hard it bounced back; Jax’s palm connected with the wood before it could rebound and hit me. A shriek sounded from within and I cackled. He winked at me, then smirked as we took in my mother cowering in the corner of the living room.
“Oh, good! You're home,” I said, my voice falsely cheerful. “It's about time we brushed my hair again, don't you think, Mother?”
She screamed, then buried her head into her violently shaking hands. My inky void purred as if it too relished her fear.
All the emotions compiled from years of neglect, manipulation, guilt, and just straight up abuse raged within me screaming for justice–and I was going to give them exactly that.
I stalked over to her, then yanked her to her feet by her hair. My skin glowed softly as lavender sparks danced all over my body.
Mother’s mouth dropped open as she took in the blood covering me. “Wha-what happened?” She stuttered. “Have you finally come home to me?”
I cackled and threw my head back, then turned to see Jax’s hands balled by his sides, glaring daggers at mother.
“Actually, yes. I thought to myself, it's been a long time since I caught up with Mother. I wonder how she’s fairing.” I threw her onto the floor with my magic, then slipped the athame dagger from her waist, always ready just in case I was stupid enough to come home.
“You're looking a little peaky mother. How long has it been since you've had my blood?”
She sneered, but whimpered as I pointed the weapon at her. “Unholy Shit! I think I see some wrinkles!” I gasped, then waved the dagger over her face and body. “Honestly, you're looking a bit old.”
Mother shrieked and she went to stand up, but Jax placed a boot on her chest. Fuck. I really do love him.
I channeled my inky void through the dagger, then gripped my hair. In one swift movement, I slashed through the golden mass cleanly, then dropped the heavy weight onto her stomach. My equilibrium shifted and I stumbled. So heavy was the literal weight of my thick, blonde hair that I had to learn how to balance without it.
Jax caught my waist before I could fall, then pressed his boot harder onto my mother’s chest. She coughed and wheezed as she fought to breathe.
“How could you Rapunzel?” she yelled, thrashing beneath Jax’s hold. “All of that magic going to waste! Why? You should've given it to me! Why did you waste it?”
“Given it to you?” I scoffed. “ You took everything from me, and all I did was give and give. Any morsel of love you thought you showed was just pure manipulation. I lived with guilt,” I poked a finger against my chest, “every damn day. And for what? So you could be young and beautiful.” I inhaled sharply. “Your fucking despicable, and now you’ll rot within these walls just as you deserve.
I leaned down, then whispered close to her ear, “Goodbye, Mother. I hope the King of Demons himself tortures you for all eternity.”
Blood sprayed against my face as I brought the anime dagger down, swiftly slicing it through her throat. The dagger was so sharp it nearly severed her head completely. Warm drops splattered against hands and arms. She had drunk so much of my blood over the years that I could taste my magic in it.
My lips pulled back and I growled deeply before stabbing the dagger into her chest over and over. I had to make sure the bitch was actually dead.
Jax gently gripped my shoulders and pulled me up, then backed us away from her rapidly decomposing corpse. I panted into his chest as we watched with morbid delight. The flesh of her face had already turned a mottled gray and wrinkles rapidly formed on her face before the skin sloughed off and plopped on the floor, revealing muscle and a yellowed skull beneath.
I laughed. “She rotted in this house just as I said she would,” I said, then beamed at Jax, and something within me screamed in victory.
“It's over,” he said, then kissed my bloody cheek. “Let's get the fuck out of here, pet.”
I walked through the door for the final time without a backward glance, then whipped my magic toward the stove, turned the gas burners on high, then ignited the flame.