"I'm sorry, my intention was not to kill your mother in front of you, but believe me, your mother had it coming. But if you still feel bad about it…I'll be waiting,"

I remembered those words clearly even when the face of my mother's killer faded with the passing years. My name is Nikki Bell and Beatrice Kiddo killed my mother. There was a lot of damage to the house but when the cops came and dusted for fingerprints and any evidence, well there just was not enough. I hated Beatrice, of course at that time I knew nothing of her, I did not at that time know of the deadly vipers or of Bill and his snakes, Jeannie Bell aka Vernita Green my mother. Elle Driver aka California Mountain Snake, O-Ren Ishi aka Cottonmouth and Budd Sidewinder the only male of the murders club.

My father was a good and wise man, he loved me and had loved my mother. I know she had lied to him now, and I could have died but revenge was on my mind for years. My father moved us to New York state to his home town of Ithaca. There I was able to grow up as normal as possible. My father remarried a wonderful woman and had several more children. My step-mother did all she could to be a mother to me, I let her to a point and mercifully she never tried to press the issue. I went to church, got top grades in school and was so smart by the age of sixteen I was graduated from junior college and on to a University.

It was at this time, along with the martial arts classes, the colleges courses and the fire arms training I started to look for Beatrice. I started in my mother's and found a journal written in code. I found it easy to crack the code and learned what my mother had done before she married and had me. I found out that Elle Driver was still alive and not far away from where I lived. So one day I headed out to the mental hospital she had been assigned to. I was not prepared for what I found. Elle Driver was still a pretty woman despite the fact she had no eyes, she had glass ones to keep up looks but she was completely blind. She sat in her chair like a throne and though blind knew exactly where I was despite her blindness.

"So you are Nikki Bell." Elle said lighting up yet another cigarette, I was grateful we were outside. "How charming, you saw mommy die did you not?"

"Yes, I know what my mother did." I said already not liking this woman. "Before I was married, seems she shot up a wedding Beatrice Kiddo was suppose to get married in. You tried to kill her and failed."

"My greatest regret." Elle said coolly. "But you will kill her now for mommy?"

"Yea I will." I said getting up. "She took your eyes right?"

"One of them, lost the other years before, no matter let me know when you kill her."

"I gotta go." I said.

I went home and took several showers, but did not feel clean after seeing Elle. I continued my research and found out with careful study how many deaths the vipers caused. So many families ripped apart and for what? Money? Yes that is what it had to be. Two years passed and I got a letter from a woman named Sophie, she wanted to meet with me and I chose the college campus. It was a cold snowy day when I met up with her, she was pretty in an exotic way. But I could sense she was not a good person.

"You wanted to speak with me?" I asked calmly.

"Yes, you know what that bitch did to me?" Sophie said hitting the bench with her left hand, it made a sharp sound. "It's not real, she cut my arm off, and when I would not answer her she threatened to take my other arm."

"You were at the wedding and tried to kill her." I said.

"Well she deserved it didn't she?" Sophie said. "You will get your revenge on her won't you?"

"Yes, when I find her." I said.

That time came quicker than I could have thought. I was nineteen when we met, and I hated her, I hated her more than anyone at that time. We started to fight, I was in top form, well trained in many forms of fighting, I had my mother's katana and the fight was brutal. I wounded the bride as I called her just as everyone else seemed to. She was on the ground before me and I could feel the anger through my body. Then the horror of what I was about to do came to me, I could not do this, not this way. I lowered my sword and the wounded bride looked up at me.

"Why don't you kill me?" She said gasping in pain.

"No, I will not be like you." I said shaking my head. "I will not kill you, you are not worth it."

"Not worth it?" She said puzzled. "Not worth it I killed your mother!"

"And she was trying to leave all that behind! If I kill you she fails, I will not do it." I said. "However listen well, where ever your kind is to hurt and harm others, to kill for the trill I will be there, you will not win, you have not won I have. Goodbye Beatrice Kiddo, by my not killing you I have won and you have lost. I am far greater than you ever will be."

I walked away, many did not understand why. Some of my so-called friends said I was a coward for refusing to kill her. But my father understood as did my true friends. I had broke the cycle, I had created a new life for myself and my family. One day I will marry, have children and tell the tale of Bill and his vipers and of the time I chose to walk away and be the better person. That was my revenge, to walk away and do the right thing…

The End.