Chapter 3

The Deal

The pain coursed through me as silver carved words into my chest. I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to see what I knew was there. Though some unknown force refused to obey me. Black faded and shapes took form. There he was. His tongue was like sandpaper as he licked the blood away from my chest as to see his handy work. His blade had dug into my skin. Deep enough to leave those horrid words visible to anyone who looked upon my chest. Though not deep enough to kill me and let me slip from my shame into sweet bliss of death. No, the pleasure of ending my life would be his and his alone. Then something snapped within me as his lusty eyes met mine. Before I knew it he was done on the ground watching as the life slipped from him and formed a puddle around him. Something was wrong with me. It felt good to kill. To good. It felt as if I was holding Dana in my arms and tasting her sweet lips. But the sweet taste was not her lips. It was the blood on my hands. My body walked away from me. Eyes cold and devoid of and emotion. Any life. That had once filled me. No. This couldn't be. It couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible. No. No. No!

I jerked up in bed as the last of my screaming plea escaped my lips. I could feel the cold sweat as it mixed with the tears flowing from my eyes. My chest burned, I could barely breathe. My eyes were tight shut fearing what I might see if I opened them.

"Terry?"

Faye. I opened my eyes to see her next to me. God it was good to see her face. The face of someone who didn't know the horror or the pain. My tension waned a little as my mind processed that she was there.

"Terry, are you He stood there at the edge of my bed with concern written plainly on his face. Bruce stood next to him. I must have woken up the whole damn house.

I chuckled though my laugh held no amusement. "Am I ok? Does it look like I'm ok?" I asked him coldly.

"No you look like hell. Come with me."

I stood up to follow him but grabbed the edge of my bed. Waiting for the dizziness to pass. I felt a hand on my arm and looked to see Faye concern written in her emerald eyes. It amazed me how a girl I just met earlier that night could be so concerned for me. I smiled at her weakly before I followed He stopped outside my door waiting me to follow. I stepped outside seeing Johnny leaning against the railing. He was about to say something when interrupted him.

"Johnny. Faye. Go to bed."

"No," I said quickly grabbing Faye's hand. "I want her to come."

I wanted her with me. I didn't know why but it made me relax a little seeing her there next to merely nodded his head and led the way downstairs. I followed him down the stairs to the living room with Faye right behind me. I hadn't let go of her hand. The fireplace was bright as the fire within set a glowing warmth over the room. My eyes never saw and my ears didn't hear leave the room.

Faye pulled me towards the couch and I blindly followed. My mind was too hazy to think. All I could do was follow. I felt her push on my shoulder gently as if to tell me to sit down. I guess some how she understood what my mind was going through. How it was in a state of shock so I couldn't really think. Yet, somewhere in the back of my mind I knew every detail of everything around me.

She sat there next to me softly stroking my hand with her fingers. Making little circles and figure eights every so lightly. It had become my only focus. She stopped and reached up for something before placing a warm mug in my hand.

My fingers curled around the mug trying to capture the heat and fight some of the cold within me. I took a sip of the warm brown liquid and felt it slip down my throat and down threw my chest. It tasted like potpourri. Its spicy scent filled my senses as I breathed in deeply.

"Terry."

I looked up to see a very serious looking sitting in the soft arm chair to my left. Oh lord here it comes.

"Terry what happened in your dream?"

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. My mouth was dry and my throat was sore. So I just sat there starring into the fire.

"Terry, I can't help you if you don't let me."

Silence reigned.

He sighed deeply but said nothing.

There were footsteps on the stairs and the faint sound of a phone ringing. Johnny appeared in the doorway with my cell phone ringing in his hand. He handed it to me and I stood to take it from him.

"Hello?" I said answering it.

"Hello Terry."

Oh God. I threw the phone as if it burned. It hit the wall across the room and fell to the floor in pieces.

"Terry! What's wrong?"

"It was him. Dear God it was him." My voice was barely audible. My legs could no longer hold me and I sank to the floor. My body shook in voluntarily.

Faye took me in her arms and held me close. I could tell it was her because she smelled like vanilla. It seemed odd that she was holding me and not me holding her. Though at the moment I didn't care. She held me till I calmed enough so that I wasn't shaking. She loosened her hold on me as I leaned back but didn't let go. I leaned against the couch my mind reeling. He found me. He knew where I was. He was going to come after me. He would kill me the first chance he got. Then something in me sparked. Then I wouldn't give him that chance.

"I'll make you a deal." I said to suddenly finding my voice. "You bring me someone and I'll talk."

"Who?" asked quizzically.

"Do we have a deal?"

He eyed me for a minute as if judging whether I had gone insane or not.

"Yes."

I jumped about three feet in the air and hit my knee on the coffee table. Hard. I turned around to see who had spoken.

"Damn it old man. Don't do that."

Mr.Wayne just laughed.

"It seems you have a deal, Terry" glared at Bruce. "Who?"

"Felipe Rodriguez."

"Who is he to you?"

"He's my older brother."

"What?!"

A smile crept up on my lips. "I guess you missed the part in my background that said Paul McGinnis was my step-father."

"Guess I did but if McGinnis wasn't your father who is?"

"Gabriel Rodriguez."

The Doc's jaw dropped at this.

"Yep, the Angel of Death himself. One of the largest drug lords out there."

I could see the questioning looks they were all giving me. They didn't understand. They needed me to explain.

I sighed my shoulders slumping slightly. "Alright , sit down. This is going to take awhile."

The Doc sat down in the rocking chair. While Mr.Wayne eased himself into the soft cushions of the recliner. Johnny hopped over the back of the couch and landed easily on the bouncy cushions. Faye crawled up on the couch behind me.

"Gabriel and my mother met in college. They started dating and eventually fell in love and got married. Later on they had me and my brother. As we grew our father began to train us. He trained us in everything. Fighting, hunting, weaponry. Everything. We would train for hours, for days with no end. We had become cold and ruthless. Just as he wanted us. Then one day our father told us to rest up. Something he never told us to do. Our final test was coming. My mother found out that our father was going to have us kill a man. I would never leave my mother but for some reason my brother chose to stay with our father. My mother and I escaped that night leaving my brother behind. I didn't want to leave him. He was my brother and we were very close. It wasn't until I was 15 that I saw him again." I paused letting them absorb what I had just said. "He can help me. Help me get back to who I used to be. Even if it scares me to death." I whispered that last part so that no one would hear.

It was silent for what seemed like an eternity. That is until Johnny yawned and announced he was going to bed.

"That sounds like a good idea." Said

"I'm staying here." I told opened his mouth to protest but seemed to think better of it and merely nodded.

Faye didn't move to go with them but I didn't care. We sat in silence just watching the fire as it danced in the fire place. My neck had begun to ache. I rubbed it with my hand trying, if possible, to relieve some of the tension. Then I felt Faye remove my hand from my neck. I was about to ask why when she started to massage my neck. The words died in my mouth. Oh God, that felt good. She slowly worked the muscles in my neck. Easing the tension and strain. She worked her way down to the base of my neck and out to my shoulders. She pushed the heel of her hand on my shoulder near my neck. It hurt like hell for a moment but then I felt the muscles in my shoulders relax considerably. After she finished with my shoulders and my neck she moved to work on my back. She rubbed her knuckles down my spine. Then worked the area between my shoulder blades and spine. When she finished with my back. She moved up to run her hands through my hair and started one of those "deep conditioning" moves on my scalp. I leaned my head back against the couch and she moved her fingers to rub my temples. The throbbing in my head lessened and then finally stopped. I sighed deeply as she finished.

"That better?" she asked smiling.

"Much." I replied. My eyes slid shut as I sighed again.

"Terry."

"Yea?"

"Why are you so afraid to be who you used to be?"

My eyes shot open and widened. She had heard me!

"Terry you can tell me. I'm not the Doc and I'm not going to say anything to him. I promise you that. Hell I might even be able to help you. I don't forget I'm here for a reason too."

Why is she here? I would have to remember to ask her later.

"I lied."

"What?"

I sighed. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. I climbed onto the couch opposite of her before I explained. "My mother didn't leave because she found out what was to come. She left because of what happened during the final test." I paused for a moment trying to gather my thoughts. "My brother and I sat in our rooms waiting for when our father would call to each of us and our final test would begin. I waited for what seemed to be an eternity in an hour, as my brother went. Then finally the door to my room opened and my father said it was time. Our weapons were of our own choosing. I carried my knifes and a gun. My father led me to the edge of the forest that was on one side of our home and told me that I was to hunt a man who had gone in five minutes before. My mission was to bring him back alive. There was no time limit. Before I knew it I was deep into the forest following what little trail there was. Whoever it was, wasn't new to this game. I couldn't find any footprints and it was so quite I thought my ears would explode. I looked for anything, any clue that would help me. Then I saw it. A twig hung from a bush fallen from a low branch on a leafy tree behind it. I walked soundlessly up to the tree, trying to see if my prey had left me any more clues. He had left me one more. I could smell him. The stench of sweat mingled with the foul essence of cigar smoke. He was in the tree! I leaped back just he tried to jump on top of me. My knife sliced through the air as it flew straight towards the man whose face I couldn't see. He barely dogged and my knife embedded itself in the tree behind him. We fought hand to hand combat. Each landing a fair amount of blows. He kicked me in the small of my back and I tumbled to the ground. I tried to roll away but he jumped on my stomach knocking the wind out of me and effectively breaking a few of my ribs. His hands were on my neck in a second, keeping the air from my lungs. Then something within me snapped. I was told later that my eyes had turned read. With a strength I didn't know I had I threw him off me. Some how dislocating his shoulder in the process. He hit a tree and gave an agonizing cry. I could see everything that was happening but I couldn't control my body. I screamed for my body to stop as it advanced towards the man, pulling out my other knife and holding it as if to kill. The man looked up at me in horror and barely whispered 'Mercy Keaira' while clutching his shoulder. 'No rest. No mercy. No matter what.' The words were not of my choosing nor were they from my voice yet they cam from my mouth. I brought my knife down to slash his throat but was tackled by my brother who had been watching the whole time. My head hit a rock and everything went black.

She didn't say anything but merely wiped away the tears I didn't know I had shed.

"I'm afraid because I don't want to become him. I don't want to be Keaira. I'm afraid because I don't know whether I'll be able to lock him away again."