Chapter Eight
"Hello darling," my mother said smiling. She was standing over Maxine with what looked like a butcher's knife. The metal glinted in the light. Maxine moaned in terror
"Shut up, you old hag," Mama hissed.
"What are you doing here Mama?" I asked, my voice shaking. Derek was standing close behind me. His presence reassured me a little.
"Oh, tying up some loose ends," she said grinning. She was wearing a blue and white-checkered gown that had two ties at the back and a pair of blue jeans that were too big. On her feel were purple flip-flops with red socks that were soaking wet. Her dark hair that I used to love was tangled and greasy. She didn't look like the loving mother I remembered. The mother I remembered would never have held an old helpless woman hostage with a butcher's knife.
"Please give me the knife," I said, taking a step toward her. She lowered the knife closer to Maxine's throat and laughed.
"I don't think so," she said in a singsong voice.
"Mrs. Jamieson, please don't hurt her," Derek said from behind me.
Mama looked up at the new voice. She narrowed her eyes and grinned with glee.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked.
"He's my husband, Derek," I answered.
She just stood there in shock for a minute, "Husband? You had a wedding and you didn't invite me?" she screamed in fury. She came charging at me with the knife pointed at my chest. I dove out of the way just as she made a screaming leap. I hit the floor hard on my elbow and cried out in pain.
Mama stopped and looked back at me. She was smiling again.
"You didn't actually think I would kill my own daughter did you?" she asked.
No one answered.
She looked over at Tyler who was standing very still by the door trying not to be noticed.
"Is that my little Tyler?" she asked no one in particular.
"Yes, I am Tyler," he answered.
"Well then," she said jumping up, "We'll just have to get to know each other now won't we?" she got up and stuck the knife under Tyler's chin. I could literally see him shaking in fear.
"No!" I cried as she started to lead him out of the room.
She pushed the knife deeper into his neck and glared at me, "I need someone to calm down the screaming kid," she said quietly. She watched me for a reaction.
"Hope," I whispered, "Just bring Hope back and leave us alone!" I yelled at her.
She just laughed and left the room taking Tyler with her.
Derek came over and helped me to my feet. My legs wobbled and tears were streaming down my face. What were we going to do? I hadn't seen my mother in twenty years. I didn't even know where she had been that whole time. Why had she come back to La Vie? Did she know I was going to be here with my family?
Derek sat me down on the bed. Maxine was lying back, staring at the ceiling, not blinking. I stared at her a moment. Her chest wasn't rising and falling.
"Derek!" I cried. He ran to her and checked her pulse.
"She's dead," he said.
"No, no, no, no, no, this can't be happening," I wailed.
"We have to call the police," Derek said. He went to the phone on the bedside table.
"It's dead," he said. His face was scrunched up and I could tell he was trying for my sake not to lose control.
Suddenly there was a loud thunderclap and it started to pour. I could hear the loud drops on the roof and on the railing of the balcony. And then, when I thought things couldn't have possible gotten any worse, the lights went out. The room was pitch black until a lightning strike lit up the room. I caught a glimpse of Derek with his head in his hands.
"We have to find Hope and Tyler," I said, standing up straight. I was not going to let my mother get to me. I was going to beat her. She had already ruined my life years ago by leaving me; I wouldn't let her ruin my new life.
My eyes started to adjust to the life and I felt my way over to Derek. He stiffened when I touched him. I put my arms around him and didn't let go until he hugged me back. I knew I couldn't do this alone. I needed Derek's help.
"Where could see have taken them?" he asked.
I didn't know. I barely knew my mother. I didn't know what she would do.
"No need to look for little old me," my mother said, coming back into the dark room. Her face looked calm and in control. She had a small smile on her face that made me want to lash out and punch her.
"Where did you take them?" I demanded. I noticed the light glint off the knife when the lightening struck again. This time it had dark red blood on it.
I struggled not to break down into hysterics. I pushed any thought of Tyler or Hope hurt and just glared at my mother.
I decided to talk calmly to her, "Where have you been all these years Mama?" I asked. I was holding onto Derek's hand so tightly I thought I might cut off the circulation.
"Oh, prissy Maxine didn't tell you?" she asked, "Of course she didn't, she wouldn't want to disgrace her family," she sneered at Maxine's still body on the bed.
"I've been in a mental hospital, if you can believe that," she answered. She looked genuinely confused about why in the world she would be sent there.
"I came here after I left your idiot father and they sent me away," she said.
"I know Fred isn't my father," I told her quietly. I wasn't sure how she would react to me knowing one of her big secrets. She had left the box for me to find, but she wasn't thinking straight now. What if she was angry?
"Oh, you found the box then did you?" she asked smiling. She walked over to the glass balcony doors and looked out into the storm. She looked content for a minute looking out into the chaos. She liked chaos, it seemed, since she had created all that had been on my life since I was born.
"I bet you didn't know that Tyler and Erin were adopted," she said, turning around and smiling cruelly.
"I did," I said.
"What?" she asked, "Don't I get to tell any of my own secrets?" she screamed in a rage again. She wanted to tell me her secrets to hurt me. Why did she want to hurt her only child. Erin, Tyler and Anthony were not related to her in any way and yet she didn't try to hurt them.
"I know all your secrets, I know you kidnapped Anthony," I said.
Her face turned beet red.
"You are an awful person who only thinks of herself and you should have been locked in a padded room so you could never hurt anyone again," I yelled at her. I was vaguely aware of how angry I was making her, but I didn't care. I wanted her to hurt like I had.
"You ungrateful little bitch!" she screamed at me.
"What do I have to be grateful for that you ever gave me?" I asked, "Should I thank you for lying to me my whole life? Should I thank you for leaving me with a father who you knew was abusive and who you knew would never protect me like a real father would?"
Her face was changing into a look of surprise.
"I'll never thank you for anything, Mother," I said, "You aren't even a mother to me, you might as well be dead for all I care!"
"Skye I-" she didn't get to finish her sentence before Derek dove at her. They crashed through the glass doors in a tangled heap. Derek screamed out in pain as her knife slashed across his forearm. Blood dripped from to cut and was washed away from the pounding rain. They were both soaked through in seconds.
I ran to the broken doors and screamed in terror as they rolled too close to the edge. "Derek!" I screamed.
He pulled away from my mother and stood up. He kicked her knife through the holes in the railing. I knew we still weren't safe. Mama stood up and lightening flashed, showing her face in an angry snarl. She laughed and pushed Derek hard into the railing. He yelped in surprise at her strength. She kicked pushed him again against the railing and I heard a cracking sound. I ran out on to the balcony. The railing cracked and tumbled away from Derek. He dropped out of sight and I screamed in terror.
Then suddenly my mother fell too. I could see her fingers holding onto the edge of the balcony. I ran to the edge. Lightening flashed and I saw Derek holding onto my mother's legs. She stared up at me with an inhuman grin.
"Now I can hurt you more than you could ever hurt me with words," she said.
I grabbed at her fingers but I was too late.
She let go.
"Hello darling," my mother said smiling. She was standing over Maxine with what looked like a butcher's knife. The metal glinted in the light. Maxine moaned in terror
"Shut up, you old hag," Mama hissed.
"What are you doing here Mama?" I asked, my voice shaking. Derek was standing close behind me. His presence reassured me a little.
"Oh, tying up some loose ends," she said grinning. She was wearing a blue and white-checkered gown that had two ties at the back and a pair of blue jeans that were too big. On her feel were purple flip-flops with red socks that were soaking wet. Her dark hair that I used to love was tangled and greasy. She didn't look like the loving mother I remembered. The mother I remembered would never have held an old helpless woman hostage with a butcher's knife.
"Please give me the knife," I said, taking a step toward her. She lowered the knife closer to Maxine's throat and laughed.
"I don't think so," she said in a singsong voice.
"Mrs. Jamieson, please don't hurt her," Derek said from behind me.
Mama looked up at the new voice. She narrowed her eyes and grinned with glee.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked.
"He's my husband, Derek," I answered.
She just stood there in shock for a minute, "Husband? You had a wedding and you didn't invite me?" she screamed in fury. She came charging at me with the knife pointed at my chest. I dove out of the way just as she made a screaming leap. I hit the floor hard on my elbow and cried out in pain.
Mama stopped and looked back at me. She was smiling again.
"You didn't actually think I would kill my own daughter did you?" she asked.
No one answered.
She looked over at Tyler who was standing very still by the door trying not to be noticed.
"Is that my little Tyler?" she asked no one in particular.
"Yes, I am Tyler," he answered.
"Well then," she said jumping up, "We'll just have to get to know each other now won't we?" she got up and stuck the knife under Tyler's chin. I could literally see him shaking in fear.
"No!" I cried as she started to lead him out of the room.
She pushed the knife deeper into his neck and glared at me, "I need someone to calm down the screaming kid," she said quietly. She watched me for a reaction.
"Hope," I whispered, "Just bring Hope back and leave us alone!" I yelled at her.
She just laughed and left the room taking Tyler with her.
Derek came over and helped me to my feet. My legs wobbled and tears were streaming down my face. What were we going to do? I hadn't seen my mother in twenty years. I didn't even know where she had been that whole time. Why had she come back to La Vie? Did she know I was going to be here with my family?
Derek sat me down on the bed. Maxine was lying back, staring at the ceiling, not blinking. I stared at her a moment. Her chest wasn't rising and falling.
"Derek!" I cried. He ran to her and checked her pulse.
"She's dead," he said.
"No, no, no, no, no, this can't be happening," I wailed.
"We have to call the police," Derek said. He went to the phone on the bedside table.
"It's dead," he said. His face was scrunched up and I could tell he was trying for my sake not to lose control.
Suddenly there was a loud thunderclap and it started to pour. I could hear the loud drops on the roof and on the railing of the balcony. And then, when I thought things couldn't have possible gotten any worse, the lights went out. The room was pitch black until a lightning strike lit up the room. I caught a glimpse of Derek with his head in his hands.
"We have to find Hope and Tyler," I said, standing up straight. I was not going to let my mother get to me. I was going to beat her. She had already ruined my life years ago by leaving me; I wouldn't let her ruin my new life.
My eyes started to adjust to the life and I felt my way over to Derek. He stiffened when I touched him. I put my arms around him and didn't let go until he hugged me back. I knew I couldn't do this alone. I needed Derek's help.
"Where could see have taken them?" he asked.
I didn't know. I barely knew my mother. I didn't know what she would do.
"No need to look for little old me," my mother said, coming back into the dark room. Her face looked calm and in control. She had a small smile on her face that made me want to lash out and punch her.
"Where did you take them?" I demanded. I noticed the light glint off the knife when the lightening struck again. This time it had dark red blood on it.
I struggled not to break down into hysterics. I pushed any thought of Tyler or Hope hurt and just glared at my mother.
I decided to talk calmly to her, "Where have you been all these years Mama?" I asked. I was holding onto Derek's hand so tightly I thought I might cut off the circulation.
"Oh, prissy Maxine didn't tell you?" she asked, "Of course she didn't, she wouldn't want to disgrace her family," she sneered at Maxine's still body on the bed.
"I've been in a mental hospital, if you can believe that," she answered. She looked genuinely confused about why in the world she would be sent there.
"I came here after I left your idiot father and they sent me away," she said.
"I know Fred isn't my father," I told her quietly. I wasn't sure how she would react to me knowing one of her big secrets. She had left the box for me to find, but she wasn't thinking straight now. What if she was angry?
"Oh, you found the box then did you?" she asked smiling. She walked over to the glass balcony doors and looked out into the storm. She looked content for a minute looking out into the chaos. She liked chaos, it seemed, since she had created all that had been on my life since I was born.
"I bet you didn't know that Tyler and Erin were adopted," she said, turning around and smiling cruelly.
"I did," I said.
"What?" she asked, "Don't I get to tell any of my own secrets?" she screamed in a rage again. She wanted to tell me her secrets to hurt me. Why did she want to hurt her only child. Erin, Tyler and Anthony were not related to her in any way and yet she didn't try to hurt them.
"I know all your secrets, I know you kidnapped Anthony," I said.
Her face turned beet red.
"You are an awful person who only thinks of herself and you should have been locked in a padded room so you could never hurt anyone again," I yelled at her. I was vaguely aware of how angry I was making her, but I didn't care. I wanted her to hurt like I had.
"You ungrateful little bitch!" she screamed at me.
"What do I have to be grateful for that you ever gave me?" I asked, "Should I thank you for lying to me my whole life? Should I thank you for leaving me with a father who you knew was abusive and who you knew would never protect me like a real father would?"
Her face was changing into a look of surprise.
"I'll never thank you for anything, Mother," I said, "You aren't even a mother to me, you might as well be dead for all I care!"
"Skye I-" she didn't get to finish her sentence before Derek dove at her. They crashed through the glass doors in a tangled heap. Derek screamed out in pain as her knife slashed across his forearm. Blood dripped from to cut and was washed away from the pounding rain. They were both soaked through in seconds.
I ran to the broken doors and screamed in terror as they rolled too close to the edge. "Derek!" I screamed.
He pulled away from my mother and stood up. He kicked her knife through the holes in the railing. I knew we still weren't safe. Mama stood up and lightening flashed, showing her face in an angry snarl. She laughed and pushed Derek hard into the railing. He yelped in surprise at her strength. She kicked pushed him again against the railing and I heard a cracking sound. I ran out on to the balcony. The railing cracked and tumbled away from Derek. He dropped out of sight and I screamed in terror.
Then suddenly my mother fell too. I could see her fingers holding onto the edge of the balcony. I ran to the edge. Lightening flashed and I saw Derek holding onto my mother's legs. She stared up at me with an inhuman grin.
"Now I can hurt you more than you could ever hurt me with words," she said.
I grabbed at her fingers but I was too late.
She let go.