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This story is rated M for violence and mature themes.

(Not Enough)

"She doesn't smoke!" Jenny blurted out as she stared wide-eyed at Anna. "She's was just trying it for the first time..." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked down at the cat in her arms, her eyes averting Nina's probing glare.

Nina turned to Anna. "Yes, I'm sure."

Anna shook her head. "Don't bother, Jen."

As the wind unexpectedly picked up, Nina used both hands to stop her long, blonde hair from flying in every direction. "It's so cold, I should have worn long sleeves. I've been in Barcelona for so long, I got used to the warmer weather."

Anna didn't know if it was true that she been in Barcelona, but she had noticed a slight tan when Nina returned. It gave her flawless skin a slightly darker tint that made her look like a golden goddess.

Anna ran her hands through her hair and held it tightly to the side. "What do you want, Nina?"

"I thought I'd take you out to dinner after you were done with youth group." She gave Jenny a reproachful look.

Jenny shrugged, "I'm not in youth group, my father says that volunteering at the church once a month is enough, he wants me to concentrate on academics."

Anna stood from the bench. "Youth group is done, so dinner it is." She didn't know what Nina was up to but she doubted that it had anything to do with dinner.

Nina moved her hair to the side. "Why don't we give Jennifer a lift home, no restaurant will admit a cat, unfortunately."

"That's a good idea," Jenny smiled as her hair flew in every direction, "I should really get Petunia home."

Nina took the lead. "Let's go then, I'm freezing."

The two younger girls followed her quietly, they soon stopped next to a white BMW M3 parked on the side of the street. Nina unlocked it then sat in the driver's seat and closed the door.

Jenny's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Anna. "Maybe she won't tell your father you left youth group...or that you smoke."

Anna shrugged. "I don't care, twenty-nine more days and I'm gone." She opened the passenger's side and stepped inside. She reclined comfortably in the leather seat as she heard Jenny open the rear door and enter the vehicle.

"Don't let the cat scratch my seats or piss in my car." Nina looked sternly at Jenny through the rear-view mirror before starting the drive.

Anna watched the darkened storefronts as they traveled further and further away from the bustle of the pubs, as they distanced themselves from the promise of freedom and fun at a night club, and drove closer to the suburbs. Her night was ruined. Possibly her entire weekend. She looked at Nina and saw the clenched jaw and pursed lips. Her weekend was definitely ruined.

Too soon, they arrived at Jenny's street, the last thing Anna wanted was to be alone with Nina without Jenny as a buffer for her lectures. The car stopped in front of a white house, one of many that looked almost identical with its brick facade and immaculately manicured hedges.

"I'll ring you tomorrow," Jenny told Anna as she opened the door, "We still need to finish our homework."

Anna turned in her seat to face her friend. "Better yet, get out of having breakfast with your family and let's meet at Patty's at nine."

Jenny lifted Petunia's paw and waved it to Anna. "We'll do our best." She said quietly as she exited the vehicle.

Anna called after her. "No cats."

Jenny waved Petunia's paw again and Anna couldn't help but laugh.

"Why did you leave youth group?" Nina asked as soon as the door was closed.

"Because it's mind-numbing and meaningless. But you wouldn't know that since no one ever made you go."

Nina turned her head to look at her sister then sighed and fixed her eyes on the street ahead as raindrops began to pelt the windshield. "We both have our parts to play, I'm the well-traveled one who studies abroad...and you're the pious one."

Anna laughed despite her dark mood, it was such a ridiculous statement, surely even Nina could see the humor in it.

"In what universe am I the pious one?"

"In the universe where your grades are shit and you don't join any school activities so Father has to choose them for you." Nina turned on the windshield wipers then gave Anna a quick glance. "You should be studying instead of wasting your afternoon."

"I didn't want to waste my afternoon, that's why I didn't go to youth group."

"I meant, instead of wasting it with Jennifer."

Anna exhaled slowly. "She's the only person I actually enjoy being around, the only person I actually trust and you want me to stop spending time with her?"

Nina was silent for a few moments then spoke as she looked straight ahead. "...How much do you trust her, exactly?"

"I'm not stupid, I'm not going to tell her anything about our upstanding family. Do you think I want wake up one day and hear that the Sullivans have mysteriously disappeared along with all their fucking cats?" Nina continued to drive in silence, she didn't spare her sister a glance. "...Jesus Christ…" Anna whispered as a heavy feeling settled in her stomach, she wanted Nina to tell her that it would never happen but her silence said it all.

"You need to join an after-school study group." There was urgency in Nina's voice as she quickly changed the subject. She was trying to make her father happy by steering Anna in the direction that he wanted and hoping that Anna wouldn't put up too much of a fight. It was nothing that she hadn't tried before. "You are barely passing your classes and you're doing it by getting nearly perfect scores on exams but failing almost every other assignment. How are you doing that?"

Anna honestly didn't know how or why she was passing her classes. She had been expecting the principal or the teachers to tell her that she owed them a favor, but so far they all carried on as normal. She could tell Nina just that, but it was the perfect opportunity to have some fun with her.

"How am I passing my classes?" Anna chuckled. "I could tell you, Sis," she lowered her voice, "but what happens under the principal's desk stays under the principal's desk." She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Nina steered the car hard to the left, the tire hit the curb before she stopped. "Don't say things like that," she pointed her finger as she chided Anna. "That is how rumors start, there are enough of those about you going around as it is."

Anna gave her sister a look of smug satisfaction. "Who says they're rumors?"

Nina's jaw grew tight. "Right now they're just rumors, you can stop them by going to mass, by joining school and church activities and getting better grades, but if you end up getting...pregnant, it will ruin our family's good name."

Anna shook her head in disbelief. "A pregnancy is what would ruin our family's good name?" She scoffed. "And I'm not an idiot, I know how to use a condom."

"You have to stop doing those...things."

Anna shrugged. "I'm not going to stop doing those things," she said casually and leaned back in her seat. "So where are you taking me to dinner?"

Nina inhaled slowly then turned to fully face her sister. "Anna...Father is angry with you."

Anna's face turned blank as she looked straight ahead and gazed at the quiet suburbs through the rain splattered window. In the dark, the houses were invisible and the streetlamps and occasional vehicle reminded her of pale, lifeless Christmas lights. She didn't fear her father's anger, but the thought of him exhibiting anything other than indifference toward her made her heart race and the ghost of a smile appear slowly on her face.

Nina sighed deeply. "Are you listening to me?"

"I'm listening, what did I do?"

"He spoke to Father O'Malley on the phone, he says you haven't been to youth group in almost two weeks. Dad told him that I would take you to the church so you can give him a proper apology. He told Father O'Malley that you would go to youth group all three days and volunteer at the church on weekends." Anna slowly turned to face her as she felt her muscles tense and the heat rise in her face. "We're going now, and when we get home, you need to tell Dad that you smoke. It will help-"

"No."

Nina sighed again. "Can you please, just this once make things easy for me?"

"No," Anna spoke firmly even though guilt wormed itself into her heart at the weary look on her sister's face. Nina was trying to be a good daughter and a good sister, she was trying to please her father and lead Anna in the right direction at the same time. Every day, every time she even thought of her father, Anna's resentment grew. It felt like pressure that was building in her chest, in her very being, and she didn't know how much longer she could bear it. Richard had never let Nina live the life of a normal child or teenager, there was so much that her sister had not experienced and it wasn't fair. "Take me home." Anna crossed her arms tightly and looked straight ahead.

Nina shook her head. "That's not what he wants."

Anna shrugged. "I don't care, take me home."

"Are you trying to make me look bad?"

Anna slammed her fist on the dashboard. "This isn't about you!" She twisted her body in the seat to turn toward Nina. "This is about him. He needs to act like a father at least once in his lifetime! I want him to scream at me, I want him to tell me that I'm not allowed to leave the house until my grades pick up, I want to feel like I have a goddamned father!" She turned to face forward in her seat, fists clenched at her sides. "So take me the fuck home or I'm getting out and walking there."

Nina looked straight ahead as she put the car into drive. "If he blames me for this," she said as she pulled back into traffic, "if he's angry with me... I'm going to make you pay."

"Oh, I'm not worried. We both know you can do no wrong."

Anna could feel her sister's anger as they drove home, it was like heat radiating from her, attempting to suffocate her. Anna's heart was racing, she clenched her teeth to keep from saying anything she would regret later. She was glad that Aunt Christina was away for the week, Anna did not want her to be involved or to even witness the confrontation she was about to have with her father. Christina was someone else who had been tasked with doing her father's job and it wasn't fair to her either.

"I don't even know if he's home." Nina said as their house came into view. "Frederick was there when I left, I think they were going to a meeting."

To a meeting on a Friday night. Anna knew exactly what that meant. Frederick was his driver and bodyguard, if he was there it meant that they were going to scout an area for a job or meet with people that Richard didn't know or trusted.

It had stopped raining when they arrived. The red, brick Victorian home that was the envy of most, loomed overhead. She had loved living in it once, playing in its garden full of fragrant flowers and manicured hedges, resting under the shade of the willow trees. But it had been years since it had felt comforting or even luxurious; year by year, it grew to feel like a prison. Twenty-nine days. Anna reminded herself as Nina pushed the button on the sun visor to open the wrought iron gate. Nina drove slowly in, too slow, Anna opened the door before the vehicle had come to a full stop.

Nina slammed on the breaks. "What the hell are you doing?"

Anna stepped out of the vehicle and did not bother closing the door. She immediately walked toward the front entrance, the sharp sound or her clacking heels on the brick-paved driveway echoing in the night. Walking up the steps, she fished her keys out of her purse and unlocked the wooden, double doors. Pushing the door closed behind her, she began to make her way down the entrance hall putting the keys back inside her bag. A heavy feeling settled in her chest as she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

She gasped and covered her own mouth realizing that the last thing she should do was make a sound. A long, red streak marred the polished, wood floor. Someone was face down on the living room floor, near the bottom of the stairs. She took a small step back to avoid stepping on the blood.

Years of training kicked in and she steadied her breathing and set her purse slowly on the floor. She left the foyer, advancing slowly trying to be as quiet as possible while walking with high-heeled boots on the hardwood floor. She reached the fireplace in the living room and pulled a false, corner brick just beneath the mantel, and quickly took the gun that was concealed inside.

She pulled back the hammer and held it in front of her, barrel pointed down. She walked slowly toward the body and recognized the victim as Frederick, her father's bodyguard.

She inhaled sharply as she heard a noise coming from upstairs. A soft thud. She almost started for the front entrance as a fleeting thought of going back to tell Nina crossed her mind. But what if this was her chance to prove herself to both her father and her sister? Her steps were already guiding her toward the stairs before she even gave it a second thought. This was the field test coming to her, the one her father had never believed she was worthy of.

Quiet steps, gun ready.

She made her way to the bottom of the stairs.

Up one step.

Alert, gun ready.

Up the next step.

The intruder was halfway down the stairs, quiet as a shadow when Anna pointed her weapon and in turn, found herself staring up at the barrel of a gun.

Anna's grip on her weapon was steady and tight, finger on the trigger as she looked up at the woman. She was dressed in black and she was young. Her coppery-red hair was tied behind her head, her face was familiar, but her eyes were the feature that struck Anna. Green and wide, cold as ice.

The intruder's icy glare softened, her brow furrowed. "You're not supposed to be here..." She said with a shake of her head.

Anna's breath hitched in her throat. The intruder's voice had changed somewhat but she recognized instantly.

"Margaret?" She uttered the name of the friend she had not seen since she was eleven years old. It was as if her limbs had turned to lead as the image of the dead bodyguard came rushing back, as she looked from the barrel of the gun pointing to her head to the eyes of the young woman holding the weapon.

"This should have stayed between our fathers, but I-"

"Where is my father?" Anna's voice came out in a whisper.

Margaret lowered the gun and spoke with regret in her voice. "You weren't supposed to be here," she said again.

"Where is he?" Anna felt a tightening in her chest as her hands began to shake.

Margaret's voice was almost inaudible. "The library."

It hurt to breathe. She had to go to him, but that would mean letting Margaret go... Should she shoot? Pull the trigger. She heard voice inside her own head. But she couldn't do it. What if he was alive?

Sensing her hesitation, Margaret pushed past her and ran down the stairs.

Anna lowered her gun and ran up the steps, then into the hallway. Her footsteps becoming heavier as she neared the library, when she reached the door, she looked inside and saw Richard near the entrance. He was on his back on the floor, his hands over his chest, his light-gray shirt stained with dark red. She rushed to him and fell to her knees. He was breathing too slowly and blood had leaked out of the corner of his mouth and seeped onto his beard. He looked up at her with vacant eyes.

"Daddy…" Anna set the gun on the floor and put her hands over the wound, "...what do I do?" Her voice was strange in her ears, too shaky and high-pitched. "What do I do?"

"...Nina?" Her father's feeble voice was barely audible.

"It's Anna, daddy, please tell me what to do."

"...Nina…"

He stopped breathing and was still.

Anna couldn't move, could not utter any words. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. She looked down at her hands as she felt the warm, thick fluid coating them, covering them like gloves, staining her sleeves and her skirt. She watched the stains grow and seep deeper into the fabric while she heard footsteps in the hallway.

She couldn't move.

"Is he...gone?" She heard Nina's strained voice behind her.

She couldn't speak.

For a few moments, everything was quiet, unnaturally still in the room.

Nina's voice broke the silence, it was different, harsh. "Did you see who did it?"

"No." The word escaped Anna's lips before she could think about it.

"You were here five full minutes before I was and you saw nothing?" Nina had never spoken to her in such a hateful and condescending tone. "You should have gone back outside as soon as you noticed something was wrong."

Anger sparked inside Anna. Nina's voice was so cold and accusatory, so reminiscent of her father. It was exactly what he would have said to her.

She stood up and wiped her hands on her ruined coat. She turned to look at Nina, she was glaring at her, her jaw tight and a gun in her hand, she was rage personified as she stormed out of the room. Anna realized that she had made the right choice. If she told her that Margaret had been the one responsible, she would kill her, no questions asked. And she needed answers.

Anna stood alone with her father, rooted to the spot and looked down at her bloodstained hands. Her father's blood.

Nina.

He had spoken Nina's name with his last breath. The one who could do no wrong. The one he loved.

"But I was here..."

And it had not been enough.