(A/N) This is very different from what I usually write. So, I don't know if this would be considered OOC but it seems plausible to me…
She walked into the house with her other flock members hot on her heels. "Mom! We're home!" Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail. She glanced at Fang and her eyes softened just the slightest. "Tired?" He nodded. "Well, saving the world is hard work!" She laughed.
Of course saving the world is hard work. Was she totally unaware of me standing here? Did she even care? "Oh. Hey Ella, where's Mom?" She gave me a brief hug and I wanted nothing more than to push her away.
I blinked. "I don't know."
"Oh alright. Are you feeling okay? You've been acting weird lately." Ugh. So critical.
"I'm perfectly fine, thanks." I half snapped at her.
Max rolled her eyes. "Okay, geez." Then she muttered under her breath, "Someone's PMSing…"
I stood up abruptly and walked out of the room. I was dashing up the stairs to my room when I bumped into someone. I fell backward falling down a few steps. "Oh, Ella, I wish you would watch where you're going." Mom offered me a hand and helped me up.
"Mom?" Max's voice drifted up the stairs.
Immediately a smile lit my mom's face. A smile that I used to bring. "You'll be okay, right? I want to go see Max and her flock."
She pounded down the stairs. "Max! Oh, I've missed you so much!" A slight pause. "Iggy? Did you get even taller?" My mother laughed. "Soon you won't be able to walk through the door."
I walked down the steps as more meaningless pleasantries were exchanged. "So what's your next mission?" I asked, trying to be friendly.
Max barely spared me a glance. "Sorry Ella, I can't tell you. Maybe next time. But you should watch out for people, don't be easy to trust others. Remember where that got you last time?" She sounded like she was scolding Magnolia.
She was referring to the last time she had to save me. If a bunch of creepy robots surrounded you and tried to capture you, would you be able to escape? Probably not. I just wanted to fit in; I just wanted to have a boyfriend. I never thought Shaw was on their side.
I downcast my eyes so she wouldn't see the anger flaring in my eyes. Her eyes. The only thing we shared in common. "Mom, can I talk to you?"
"Sure, hang on, let me put in a batch of cookies for Max. I know how much you love them," She said offering Max a fond smile. The smile I used to get.
"I wanna help! Angel should help to. There's just something entertaining about mixing in little chocolate chip things, don't you think? Or maybe that's just me being weird. Am I weird? I don't think I'm weird. Who thinks I'm weird? Do you guys think I'm weird?" Nudge blinked her eyes at the other members of the flock.
"Yep. You're a freak." Iggy teased, ruffling her curls.
Mom laughed and said, "Come on, let's go make those cookies."
I walked away, up to my room. I locked the door and just cried. I was losing my mom. I was losing everything that matters to me. I lost the guy, now I lost my mom. Is there no hope?
I sat there, hoping my mom would open the door and talk to me. She promised she would.
But she never did. She never opened the door. She never held me the way she used to; she never soothed me or comforted me. She was just so wrapped up with everyone else.
********* A YEAR LATER *********
"Mom. We need to talk. Please, can we just talk like we used to?" I begged my mom, tugging on her shirt sleeves like a little girl.
"Can it wait?"
I sucked in a breath, losing patience, despair settling over me like a dark blanket that I couldn't shake off. "No. I've wanted to talk to you for over a year. Please?"
"Fine. What's wrong?" Mom ran a hand through her now-graying hair.
I tried to calm my racing heart. This was it. "Mom, I feel like I'm losing you."
She blinked. "What on earth do you mean?"
"Mom, you're always with them. With Max and her flock. You don't have time for me." I started to choke on my tears.
She looked shocked. Yes. Now she would tell me that it would be okay, and that she still loved me, and that I was still her princess. But those weren't the words spilling out of her mouth. "Ella… I understand that as a teenager you get sadder quicker and everything, but it's not all about you. Look at Max! She's older than you and far less dramatic. I think you need to just think about what you're saying." She patted my shoulder before rising and leaving.
My shoulders were shaking, but now with anger. My tears dried, and I reached for my phone. I remembered what Brigid told me. My mom would pay. She would pay for all this pain she caused me. And Max and her little flock.
"Hello?"
"Brigid. It's me. Ella."
"Ah. Yes, is there anything I can do for you?" I could practically hear her smiling.
"I'm gonna take you up on your deal."
"Excellent." She purred. "Meet me at the deli in five minutes."
"See you then." I smiled as I hung up the phone. I grabbed my coat and walked downstairs and out the door trying to shake the guilt I felt.
********* A WEEK LATER **********
I walked over to the crates. I sneered at Max. "Who wants to die?"
Max growled. "Why would you do this, Ella?"
"Ask her!" I jerked my thumb toward my mom.
Mom looked at me. "We can work this out, Ella. Please, don't do this."
"It's too late. I tried talking and it didn't work. You hurt me. You deserve to die." My voice was almost unrecognizable because of the icicles dripping off my words.
My mom started to cry. I waited for her to stop. "So what'll it be? Who's going to die?"
"Me. Don't kill Max. She has her whole-"
"I don't want to hear her being showered with praises!" I screamed kicking my mom's crate hard.
Max glared at me. "When I get out of here…"
"But you won't. You won't get out. Keep your nose out of this. Unless you want me to kill your pretty bird boy. Trust me, I have no issue killing him either." I laughed without humor.
She stopped talking and I grinned, relishing the power. For once, fate was in my hands. "Oh mommy." I spat. "Really, why didn't you think I was serious?"
Mom glanced down. "I just thought…"
"No. You didn't think at all. Now I will let you go. You just need to do two things. Surrender to Mr. Chu and Brigid." My voice dropped to a whisper. "And just tell me you love me. Tell me you're proud of me."
"Ella. You're going to kill me, and you think I'm going to be proud? No. I'd rather take a bullet."
I barked out, "Someone get me a gun."
Max muttered something that sounded like, "She's really going to do it. She's really going to kill us."
"Damn straight." I snarled at her.
The placed the gun in my hands. I walked over to my mom's crate. "So, are you going to give in? Last chance."
Her chin quivered, but her voice came out strong. "No."
"Oh, mom. You should have listened to me." I pulled the trigger and watched in cold satisfaction as the blood blossomed in a beautiful scarlet stain across her shirt.
I smiled at Max angelically. I lifted the gun to my head. "She should have listened." I whispered before I shot myself, never to hurt again.
(A/N) So… how was that?! Man, that was dark.