We drove for something akin to eternity. Nearly falling asleep, we slowed down to a stop and the engines silenced. I looked around and saw we arrived at a small motel. The man I was riding with motioned for me to get off. I dismounted the vehicle and he sped away. Now, it was just the three of us and this woman.
"So how'd you find us, Elena?" asked Nate.
So THIS is Elena! I knew she looked familiar! I thought.
"I put a tracker on your phone after we left that island a few months back. I thought it might be a good idea to make sure you didn't get into trouble. I noticed you had gone over a waterfall and stopped at a dock. I did a little research and found out our "friends" own it. I got in touch with one of my contacts down here who has access to some small armaments - his name is Randy. It was pretty easy finding you after that," Elena explained.
"I would be mad about you tracking my phone, buuut I guess it did save our lives, so… thanks," Nate said.
"So, who's this you've got with ya?" Elena queried.
"Elena, come on, you've met Sully before! I mean, I know he's not all that memorable, but come on!"
"No, smartass, I meant the kid," she said, motioning towards me.
"Oh, that's Lillian. Lily, if you prefer. We met over in the city when she tried to steal my wallet. She almost got away, but Sully caught her. I figured I should help her hone her skills a bit."
"I hadn't trusted her at first, but she's proving herself to be somewhat useful," Sully noted.
It was still weird hearing Sully say anything nice about me, but I do enjoy hearing Nate call me Lily.
"Well, Lily, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Elena, as I'm sure you've heard," smiled Elena, extending her hand for a handshake.
I shook her hand. "Likewise. I've actually read some of your articles; pretty interesting!"
"Oh, really? I'm glad you keep yourself educated!"
I can see why Nate loves this chick - she's pretty great.
"Come on, let's head inside. I'm sure you guys are beat after what you've been through," Elena said, motioning us to follow her inside.
After walking through the lobby and up a small flight of stairs, we arrived at the motel room door. Elena unlocked it and walked inside, with us following after. The room was a mess, the furniture covered in maps and news clippings. There were water stains on the ceiling and tears in the carpet. Not exactly what I'd call luxury, but I was glad to be inside.
"I've been doing a little research myself. Randy happens to know quite a lot about what goes on around here, so he got me some leads on where Andromeda might be - that's the army we've been fighting against. Their leader is Leonardo Correa. He's had a hold here for a long time, and he's been building an army to try and find the Head of Kutu, just like we are, except he wants to use it for world domination."
"We were able to get the head out of a cave near the top of the waterfall we went over, but Andromeda probably has it now, and I'd imagine they're taking it to their boss. Where's their headquarters?" asked Nate.
"It's just outside the town of Chicoasén, which is about an hour's drive from here. We should leave as soon as possible if we want to beat them there," Elena responded.
"Elena, I've seen the power that thing possesses. We're all exhausted, and we need to prepare for a fight. Let's rest here for the night and we can head out first thing in the morning," Nate explained.
"... fine, but if this goes bad, don't say I didn't warn you," sassed Elena.
"If you guys don't mind, I'm gonna go smoke a cigar. I haven't had one of these in hours, and I'm startin' to crave one," said Sully as he left the room.
None of us showered that night due to the broken faucet, so the most we could do was wash off the dirt and blood using sink water, which didn't smell all that great, although it was better than nothing.
I helped Elena clear off the furniture for us to rest. While moving some papers I noticed a picture. It was one of a woman and her baby. The woman was wearing a necklace identical to mine, and the child was playing with it.
"... Elena, who is this?"
"That's the wife of Leonardo's boss. I haven't been able to find out anything about him - he's the most secretive person I've ever encountered. She was murdered a few years ago. I'm pretty sure she's the reason why he's trying to get the Head."
"She's wearing the same necklace as me, and we look nearly identical. Elena, I've never met my mom… you don't think this could be her, do you?"
"Wow, you two do look alike, and this picture is the only place I've seen this necklace before. You said your name is Lily, right?" Elena asked.
"Yeah, that's right," I answered.
"Well, it says here on the back of the photo 'Lillian and Mary.' Lily… I think this really is your mother."
My face went blank.
"… are you okay?" Elena questioned concernedly.
My hands suddenly got weak, causing the other papers to slip from my hands.
"I… I need to sit down," I responded. I fell onto the couch, the room spinning around me. The woman I had spent so long searching for… dead. Hot tears ran down my cheeks, dripping on the polaroid picture I held in my hand.
Elena placed her hand on my knee.
"I'm sure she loved you very much, Lily."
"Then why did she abandon me at that orphanage?!" I blurted.
Before Elena could respond, "Lily, are you okay?" Nate asked, who had been in the bathroom washing the blood off his face.
He quickly walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong?"
I showed him the picture.
"This is my mom, Nate. She's dead. I've been searching for her all these years, and it's been for nothing!"
"Oh, crap… I'm sorry you had to find out like this Lily. At least one good thing came out of your search, though. It brought you to us."
I broke down and sobbed, Elena and Nate enveloping me in a hug.
I heard Sully come into the room.
"What the hell?" he swore.
Elena shot him a sharp glance. He looked down and noticed me crying. He walked behind the couch and patted my back a few times.
I didn't sleep well that night; the image was burned into my mind. I couldn't get over the fact that my mother was gone, and nothing is going to bring her back. I avowed to find her murderer and make them pay.