The girl awoke to a crashing that sounded like it came from the living room. She was instantly alert because she knew that the Sorceress and her entourage were in town and that several people had disappeared mysteriously, especially those who were outspoken about the Sorceress or were strong fighters. Just the other day, the man who had been training her in the use of a bo stick since before she could remember, had vanished without a trace. She had gone to his house for a lesson yesterday and he was gone.
Another crash sounded, followed this time by a high pitched scream that she recognized as her mother. She jumped out of bed, her body barely registering the freezing cold floor under her bare feet. She grabbed her bo and ran from the room, her heart pumping so hard she could hear it pounding in her ears. As she raced to the other room, all she could think was "Why us?"
She burst from the hall and nearly tripped over her father. He was laying just inside the doorway and she could tell that he was already dead. Blood covered his midsection and there was a pool still spreading underneath him. She fought back tears as she skirted her father's body and ventured deeper into the living, clutching her bo in her hands. The room was dark and she figured that one of the crashes she had heard was the huge lamp that usually sat on a table just inside the room. Barely any light came through the windows but she could make out a figure standing in front of the huge bay window across the room. She could tell it was a man by his stature and height and he obviously hadn't seen or heard her enter because he kept his back to her. She watched in horror as he thrust some kind of sword down at the ground and she heard her mother scream again. She hadn't seen her, but her mother was crumpled at the man's feet.
With a furious cry, she rushed the man, preparing to bash his brains out with her bo. He spun around quickly and viciously blocked her and then swung at her with his sword. She managed to dodge and came at him again. He easily blocked and smacked her bo away. The man swung with such force that she fell to the ground beside her weapon. She knew that he was going to kill her and she tensed, waiting for the deathblow. She was shocked when she heard glass shatter. She looked up and saw that the man had jumped out the window. When he hit the ground, he turned towards her and she caught a glimpse of evil green eyes that to her, looked serpentine, and then the man disappeared into the night.
She wanted to go after his so bad and probably would have if her mother hadn't moaned, letting her know she was still alive. She looked over and saw with surprise that her mother was slowly pulling herself across the room to the huge safe that sat hidden behind a hanging tapestry. The girl jumped up and ran to her.
"Mom," she cried and dropped down next to her mother. The woman didn't seem to hear her and continued to crawl a few more inches until she collapsed onto the carpet. The girl could see the blood trail left by the older woman and she tried but failed to hold back her tears.
"Mom, you've gotta stop moving," the girl insisted and put her hands on her mom's shoulders, carefully easing her to the ground.
"N...no," the woman protested weakly, "I have to get to the safe...have to..."
"Why?" the girl asked, "It doesn't matter now. He's gone." She paused. "Mom, I think Dad's dead."
"I know," the woman breathed, "that's why I have to get to the safe...Have to get letter and necklace."
"Mom!" the girl cried as the woman seemed to slip away. Suddenly, her eyes popped wide and she seemed to see her daughter for the first time.
"Sweetheart," she whispered, "you have to get into the safe..."
"Mom, don't talk," the girl begged, "You need to save your strength."
"Too late...for me," the woman told her, "but you...need to...open the safe. The combination is your b-birthday..." The woman fell into a fit of coughing and bright red blood bubbled from her mouth.
"Mom!"
"Go now!" her mother ordered sternly, "you have to know..."
The tears were flowing freely now and the girl crawled over to the safe. She pushed aside the wall hanging and carefully entered her birth date into the keypad. The safe beeped and then she pulled open the door. Inside were several bundles of cash, an envelope and a gold locket. The girl looked back to her mother.
"What did you want out of here?"
"The lock...et and th-the letter..."
The girl grabbed the gold necklace and the envelope, then hurried back to her mother. She tried to hand the items to her but the older woman shook her head weakly.
"No, they're...yours."
She looked down at her mother in confusion. "Mom, I don't understand..."
"Open...the...locket..."
The girl slipped her nail into the groove of the locket and popped it open. Inside was a picture of a couple she had never seen before.
"They are...your real...parents..."
"What? Mom, what are you talking about? You and Dad are my parents."
"No," the woman shook her head again. "Should have told you...but I...couldn't do it..."
"Mom, you're not making any sense," the girl told her, still crying, "Please Mom, just hang on, I'll get some help."
"Too late," the older woman insisted, "just promise me..."
"Promise you what?"
"That some day you'll...forgive us..."
Suddenly, the older woman went limp and her eyes rolled up in her head. The girl leaned down and shook her.
"Mom? NO! Come on Mom, wake up! Please! Please Mom!" Tears began to pour down her face as she realized that her mother was dead. She collapsed next to the dead woman and wailed like a small child. She didn't know how long she sat there crying but eventually she exhausted herself and fell asleep.
When she woke up, the sun was just rising over the mountains out the shattered window. She sat up and looked at her mother, but she didn't cry. She couldn't cry anymore. All she felt was an intense sadness and a feeling of being alone. She started to get up when she saw the white envelope laying next to her. It was smudged with blood and looked as if she might have been laying on it. She picked it up and with a brief hesitation, she tore it open. Inside was a hand written letter that she recognized as her mother's handwriting. She began to read.
My Darling Daughter,
If you are reading this, then something terrible must have happened because I didn't think I'd ever give this to you unless it did. I don't know if I got to tell you anything, but here goes. Your father and I aren't really your parents. If you have the locket, you will see a picture of a couple inside, they are your true parents. When your father and I were younger, we were unable to have children. We tried everything and then a man approached us and told us that he could get us a baby for a certain price. We were so desperate that we paid the man his gil and he brought you to us. We found out later that you had been stolen from a couple in Centra but by that time, we already loved you and couldn't bear to turn you over. It was a terrible thing that we did, I know, but we tried to do the best for you that we could...
The girl couldn't believe what she was reading. So they weren't her parents. But who were? She continued reading and saw that her mother knew her real parents and even where they lived and worked. She gave all of this information in the letter and when she finished it, she folded it up and put it back in the envelope, then picked up the locket. It was still open and she stared at the couple inside. Her real parents. She looked around her now broken home and knew there was nothing left for her here. With a new determination, she hooked the locket around her neck and then hurried to her room, where she changed and packed up a few of her belongings into a knapsack she usually used for school. She then went back out into the living room and after covering her parents' bodies with a sheet, took all of the gil out of the safe. There was no sense in leaving it, it would only fall into the hands of the Sorceress. She stuffed the gil into her knapsack and then put the letter in as well. The last thing she did was pick up her bo. She clutched it tightly and then left the house, determined to find her real parents but also to get revenge on the man who had slaughtered the only family she had ever known.
