Chapter Fourteen
R aven
Nine years ago...
It was eerie outside. Too eerie. The sky was a mix of black, gray, and yellow. The clouds were low to the ground, low enough that it seemed I could almost reach out and touch them. The knot in my stomach twisted tighter. I couldn’t shake this feeling that something bad was about to happen. I didn’t know what it was. A storm was coming, but there was something else there. Something bad.
I rubbed my lips together and then broke the silence. “Do you know what the weather forecast is for today?”
“I’m not sure, darling. Why don’t you come away from the window and sit with me?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and walked away from the French doors. We were in the library, Mother’s favorite part of the estate. It was a lot like Belle’s library in Beauty and the Beast. Books everywhere, wide windows, a fireplace and hardwood floors. There were two couches sitting across from each other, as well as a bay window. I was never into reading like she was, so I didn’t fully understand the draw to this room.
Another crash of thunder rattled through the house. I flinched and moved closer to her. She wrapped me in a hug and whispered in my ear. “Everything will be okay. No need to worry.”
I moved back and met Mother’s gaze. My eyes roamed over her. Her blue eyes were downcast and subdued, and the dark circles that used to be easily covered with concealer were more detectable. Her body was slouched slightly, which was unusual for her because she always noted how a princess/queen should be sitting up straight like a lady. She seemed sad today and I couldn’t figure out why. “What’s wrong?”
She grimaced, but it was gone in an instant. “Nothing darling, just a little tired today. Are you ready for your lesson?”
My shoulders lifted. “No.” She was teaching me proper etiquette and certain things I would need to know for when I became Queen, but to me it was tedious and pointless.
She rolled her eyes. A very un-Queen thing to do, according to her. “You need to learn this stuff, Raven.”
My shoulders tensed. “What if I’m not ready to learn? I’m seventeen. I still have college, which you and Father both promised I could attend!”
She stood up and sighed. “Yes, but you also need to learn now, so you have some of this traveling with you to college. I don’t want you to come back fully unprepared. Your father insists.”
“So just because Father says we have to, that means we have to?”
She shook her head. “Please don’t be difficult. Not today.”
My eyebrows scrunched together. “I’m difficult everyday. What’s really going on? You’ve been jittery all day.”
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck. After, a harsh rumble of thunder pierced the still. My body jolted back. I’ve never been a huge fan of thunderstorms. They always creeped me out. When we were younger, Slade would huddle with me and watch movies while they happened. When the lights went out, he would recite poetry. He always created some type of distraction so I wouldn’t have to think about the storm, but he was currently on vacation with his family while I was stuck here learning how to be a “Queen.”
The library door swung open to reveal one of the younger security guards, Harris. “My Queen, we need to get you and the Princess to shelter. There’s been a tornado warning in the area.”
She nodded and grabbed my hand. We hurried out of the library and several other staff members were flying past us to get to the shelter as quickly as they could. My hand flew around my neck to make sure my necklace was there/ When I realized it wasn't, I stopped. My safety net is gone. I needed it.
Mother turned to look at me, a frown etching her features. “We have to go.”
I frantically shook my head. “I forgot something in the library.”
She released a heavy sigh. “Go on, I’ll be here waiting. Hurry.”
The wind howled outside as I turned around and rushed back to the library. The door was still ajar, as I quickly looked around the room. Finally, my eyes landed on the gold chain. There, sitting on the tan leather couch we just vacated, was Mother’s angel. She gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday, and ever since, I haven’t taken it off.
I walked over to pick it up and noticed the chain was broken. What sounded like a tree snapping outside jolted me out of my daze. I quickly stuffed the necklace in my pocket to fix on another day and rushed out of the library.
When I ran out into the narrow hall, it was as if everything went still. The thunder, the lightning strikes, the storm that was about to threaten our safety just vanished. There was nobody around, not even Mother, who said she would wait for me.
My face tightened. I was gone for less than two minutes/ How did everyone vacate so quickly?
I made my way down the hall but stopped when I heard a blood curdling scream. My heart hammered inside of my chest. What...what was that?
My body moved in the direction of the scream. My breathing grew heavier and my pulse raced. Suddenly, the hallway turned pitch black. I bit my lip and moved closer to the wall. The power couldn’t have gone out at a worse time. I placed my hands on the walls so I didn’t fall and bust my ass, but as I got closer to the den, the voices got louder.
“Please, don’t do this!”
Wait...that was Mother’s voice.
My walk turned into a run. Once I reached the den door, there were two figures. One was Mother whose eyes were wide and her body was still, and the other was a man with his back to me. That man was holding a gun pointed straight at her.
“I’m sorry. You know the world we live in. This has to happen.” I tried to make out the man’s voice but couldn't, and when I moved forward, my presence became known. Mother glanced at me quickly and gave me a silent warning to stay put. Fuck that, I never did what I was told.
Everything happened in slow motion. A sharp breath escaped my lips when a pop pop sound rang through my ears. My heart dropped to my stomach as I watched her fall to the ground. When the man placed the gun in his pocket, he made a move to turn. I quickly rushed back out of the den and into the dark hallway. I hid behind one of Father’s many statues, this one a soldier who was holding a rifle over his shoulder. My body trembled as I covered my mouth with my hands so he wouldn’t hear my panting.
He strode down the hall, taking his time, not caring that he just hurt Mother or that we were under a tornado warning. The wind howled outside, and then time stopped. His phone rang right in front of the statue I was hiding behind. He stopped walking and answered. My heart was pounding so fast I was afraid he could hear it. I bit my lip and stood stock still.
“Yeah,” he barked through the phone. “It’s done. I’m getting the fuck out of here.” I couldn’t hear the person on the other end of the line, but the man’s foot was tapping on the ground and I could tell he was getting more agitated the longer he was on the phone. “Her body is in the library. It’s about to be wiped away by a tornado, anyway. No one will know she was murdered. It’ll be marked down as the cause of the tornado.”
My hands clenched into fists. While I had previously feared he would catch me, something sparked behind the pain I felt when he shot Mother. I wanted him to know I saw his face. I wanted him to know he wouldn’t get off scot=free. He would pay, and even though physically I couldn’t outman him, I knew Father could.
Sucking in a breath, I revealed myself from behind the statue. The man’s brown eyes that were so dark they were almost black, widened. The momentary shock vanished in an instant. The man’s features darkened and matched his midnight long hair. Everything about him screamed evil.
He took a step forward, and I took several steps back. The pain of watching Mother die before my eyes was crushing my chest, but I couldn’t focus on that currently. Instead, I had to find a way to make the man pay for his crimes, and if that meant leading him out into the middle of a chaotic tornado, so be it.
I turned around and bolted. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Through the halls and down the stairs, ignoring the howling winds and the pouring rain.