Tuesday, January 10th, 2017
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England
The man was greasier up close and there was a decidedly unsavoury smell about him.
As for his wife, she just seemed to be a well-dressed slut . . . at least Lara thought so. Lara knew what a slut was – she had seen many at the various schools she had attended over the years. However, of greater interest was the cabinet which the slutty cow was opening. Lara's mouth dropped open as she saw the large array of deadly weaponry which was revealed.
"Don't know if you've noticed or not, but, er, you can't be too careful 'cause the world has gone bloody mad."
"Yes, yes . . . thank you, Alan," the man's wife responded.
"Of course, Edith," Alan responded snarkily.
Lily watched as Lara studied the weapon's cache. Lily had swiftly identified, amongst others, an IMI Uzi sub-machine gun, a Heckler & Koch MP7A1 PDW, an H&K UMP sub-machine gun, an Austrian Steyr AUG assault rifle, an H&K HK416 assault rifle, and an H&K HK69A1 grenade launcher. Then had come the revolvers: two Chiappa Rhino revolvers (a 20DS and a 40DS) and a Webley Mark VI. The automatic pistols were scattered amongst the larger weapons: a Tokarev TT-33, a Walther PPK, an H&K VP9, a Smith & Wesson Model 500, two Browning Hi-Powers, a Glock 17 with extended magazine, a pair of H&K USP pistols, an FN Five-seveN, a Steyr M9A1, a Luger P08, SIG P210, and a Taurus Millennium Pro.
"Oh," Edith grinned as Lara selected a large-framed pistol from the display. "My personal favourite – an H and K USP in nine mill with extended mag . . . you like that?"
Lara examined the weapon.
"A USP Elite which combines the attributes of the USP Expert and the USP Match into a single weapon. A compensator has been fitted to counter muzzle lift during recoil," Lily explained, unable to keep her mouth shut.
"You know your weapons," Edith said in an approving tone. "You've been around guns?"
"Kind of," Lily replied as she took a closer look at the weapons. "Why don't you go for a matched pair?" she said as she passed Lara a twin pistol to the first.
"Perfect!" Edith commented.
"Not bad," Lara mused as she hefted both weapons, one in each hand.
Both weapons were unloaded, of course, and each weighed in at 920-grams with an extra 340-grams added onto the muzzle due to the steel compensator which also blunted off the extended barrel. Both pistols fired nine-millimetre rounds from their fifteen-round magazines. The grips, compensator, and frame were matte black while the slide was of polished stainless steel.
"We'll take 'em!" Lily grinned.
Twenty minutes later
After handing over a number of well-used fifty-pound notes, the two girls left the grubby little pawn shop and they returned to their motorcycles.
The pistols were stowed in a small black holdall which Lara carried under her right arm. Lily kept a weather eye open for trouble and police while Lara stowed the holdall in her pannier and pulled on her helmet. Lily was not comfortable hanging around the gang-controlled area while carrying illegal weaponry which could them in serious trouble with the police, the yardies . . . not to mention other unsavoury groups. With a roar, the two motorcycles accelerated away and joined the throng of traffic heading north out of the city.
Lara was very happy with her purchases. There was something about the two pistols which appealed to her. She did wonder what Hillary would say, but she figured that he would approve. The next problem was learning how to use them . . . for that, Lara was going to have to rely on Lily. Learning to handle her new pistols with assistance from a thirteen-year-old was a chilling thought when you considered that said thirteen-year-old was highly skilled when it came to handling and operating firearms. Lara had so many questions for Lily and she wanted to start firing her new pistols as soon as possible.
That burning desire had her twisting the throttle, just a tiny bit more . . . then a tiny bit more.
Reynholm Pawnbrokers
"Nice girls."
"Get your sordid mind out of the gutter, Alan!"
"I meant that they were very nice to buy those pistols from us," Alan Reynholm commented.
"And the bloody rest!" Edith Reynholm responded. "Typical bloody man, you are."
"Yes, my love."
"Go get the CCTV recording . . . just in case."
"Will do, my love."
A few minutes later, Alan pouted at his wife.
"What?" Edith demanded, raising an eyebrow.
"We have a problem, my love."
Edith pushed past her husband to where their expensive CCTV recording system resided. The screen was flashing a single memo box:
DATA NOT FOUND!
"What did you do?" Edith demanded as she rounded on her husband.
"Nothing, woman!" Alan insisted in his defence. "I did bloody nothing!"
"Everything's gone?"
"Every-fucking-thing!"
Edith was not happy. To protect themselves, they kept recordings of who bought what . . . just in case.
Her husband had to have done something stupid – again!
Forty minutes later
Cockburn Hall, Northumberland
"Welcome back!"
"Thanks, Hillary," Lara replied as she strode into the entrance hall.
"A successful shopping trip?" Hillary asked with a pointed look at the black holdall.
"Yes," came the cryptic reply.
"Hello, Lily. All went well?"
"Lara's difficult and fussy," Lily pointed out. "She's also a bitch!"
Hillary grinned.
"So, you've got Lara all figured out!"
"So, unfunny, Hillary!" Lara hissed.
"Dinner will be in one hour," Hillary grinned.
"Where are the kids?" Lily asked, scanning the entrance hall and the stairs above.
"In the kitchen preparing dinner," Hillary replied as he vanished into said kitchen.
Lily and Lara exchanged glances, unsure of how clever it was to have a five-year-old and a nine-year-old in the kitchen.
One hour later
Lara and Lily both sat down in the dining room as directed by a very bossy Mackenzie.
The table was laid neatly, but haphazardly enough to indicate that it had not been laid to Hillary's usual millimetric precision. Whatever it was that they were going to be eating, it definitely smelt really good. They did not have long to wait as little Isaac appeared. The boy was carrying a large plate of piping-hot garlic bread which he slid onto the table beside Lily.
"That looks good!" Lily said to the boy.
"I made it myself – I made the bread and cooked it," Isaac said happily.
"Wow!" Lara commented as Isaac grinned broadly before vanishing back in the direction of the kitchen.
Next came the actual food. Mackenzie came into the dining room putting all her attention onto carrying an enormous pan of steaming spaghetti. With guidance from Hillary, the young girl placed the pan on a thick mat at the head of the table. Hillary was lugging a large earthenware container which was filled with bolognaise. It smelt heavenly and both older girls could feel their stomach's rumbling in eager anticipation. Mackenzie – with Hillary's help – loaded up everybody's plates with copious amounts of wriggly spaghetti and lashings of gorgeous meaty bolognaise. Lily actually groaned as she waited impatiently. Lara grinned, observing the soft inner child eagerly bursting to get out past the hard-outer Predator shell. Finally, the food was on the plates and everyone was seated – even Hillary.
"Wait for it!" Isaac ordered as Lily picked up her fork.
"Come on!" Lily responded, unable to bear it any longer.
Isaac grinned cheekily.
"Eat!" the five-year-old directed and everyone dug in.
"This is . . . um . . . so good," Lara muttered as she shovelled the spaghetti bolognaise into her mouth.
"This is very good, Isaac," Lily said as she took a bite of the garlic bread, yelping happily as garlic butter ran down her hand.
Isaac did not respond as his mouth was crammed full of food.
"Isaac and Mackenzie did ninety per cent of the cooking," Hillary advised. "Isaac said that he wanted to do something nice for his Lara and his Lily."
Lily laughed as Isaac grinned, bolognaise sauce dripping down his chin and onto his T-shirt.
..._...
Pudding followed – a ginormous chocolate gateau with three layers of sponge and mousse.
Isaac's eyes were almost popping out as Hillary brought the cake through after the boy and his sister had cleared away the dirty dishes and plates from the main course. This time, it was Isaac who could not stop bobbing up and down on his seat – although his sister and Lily were not all that far behind, itching to dig in. Lara laughed which had Lily sitting back down again, looking a little sheepish. Hillary sliced the cake – of which Isaac designated about two-thirds as being his. The boy was grinning broadly as a giant slice fell into a bowl and Mackenzie passed the bowl down to the excited youngster.
"Wait for it!" Lily called out as Isaac grabbed his spoon.
Isaac scowled as Lily turned the tables on him. There were an agonizingly long three minutes before Isaac could dig in, and dig in, he did. While Lara and Mackenzie added single cream to their gateau, Lily, Isaac, and Hillary kept their gateau virgin.
"You seen the state of him?" Lily asked Lara.
Lara looked over at the contented five-year-old – his face and T-shirt were both liberally covered in bolognaise sauce, garlic butter, and chocolate.
"He'll wash," Lara grinned as she also studied Mackenzie who almost matched her brother. "Her too."
..._...
After dinner, the sleepy youngsters soon fell asleep in the sitting room where a raging fire kept the room cosy and warm.
"Thank the Lord!" Hillary exclaimed. "I never thought peace would reign."
"Isaac wore you down, Hillary?" Lara asked in surprise.
"Not a chance, Miss Lara – although the little lad can talk . . . a bit like a young lady who used to bug me continuously.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Lara grinned.
"Thank you for looking after them," Lily said.
"Not a problem, Miss Lily. Now, if you don't mind, I have some tidying up to do. I will see you ladies later."
"Knock yourself out, Hillary," Lara replied.
Once Hillary had gone, Lily turned to Lara.
"Go get that card table and a covering for it that can get stained."
Lara scowled at being ordered around in her own home, but she complied nonetheless, pulling out a folding card table and covering it with a thick tablecloth which already had plenty of stains – courtesy of a younger Lara Cockburn.
"Go get your pistols," Lara directed.
Lily returned with the black holdall and she placed both pistols on the card table.
"Make them safe," Lily ordered.
Without hesitation, Lara cleared each pistol in turn, removing the magazine and checking that the breech was clear before clearing the action. Lily nodded approvingly.
"Now we take each pistol down and clean each component," Lily lectured.
The next forty minutes were spent taking down both pistols to their field-stripped state. Lily was impressed by the cleanliness and general state of the weapons. Both had been looked after meticulously and the nine-millimetre diameter barrel was in pristine condition. Once the weapons were both reassembled, Lily made Lara disassemble and reassemble both weapons twice more to ensure that she knew what she was doing.
"You will keep those weapons clean and you will fire them at least once per week. You have a secure location to store them?"
"Yes," Lara replied. "There is a gun safe in a cupboard in my bedroom."
"Good. You need to ensure that those weapons are secure at all times and that neither Isaac nor Mackenzie can get to them, understand."
"Yes, I understand," Lara replied, still unused to being ordered around by a girl four years her junior.
"Go stow them and then we can get these two up to bed."
The next morning
Wednesday, January 11th
Lily ensured that both Isaac and Mackenzie showered to clean off the remnants of the previous evening's dinner before heading downstairs for breakfast.
Naturally, both children were full of energy having fully recharged their reactors for the day. Lara had a plan to use up a good amount of that stored energy. Once breakfast was over, she sent the children out into the garden for an hour to play. That went well as Mackenzie soon reappeared in tears after Isaac had caught her in the back with a stick. After Lily had proven to Mackenzie that she was not dying, the nine-year-old ran back outside to gain revenge on her little brother. Eventually, Lara and Lily had to intervene when they found Mackenzie trying to plant her brother in a flowerbed. Why Isaac was going along with being planted – his bare feet were buried up to his ankles in soil - no one could fathom. After telling Mackenzie off, Lara sent both children inside the house to clean up and change into their swimsuits.
When Mackenzie and Isaac appeared at the swimming pool, they found Lily and Lara standing beside the pool. Lara was wearing a two-piece bikini while Lily retained the red one-piece swimsuit Mindy had given her. Isaac was wearing his Kick-Ass armbands and he promptly jumped into the water with very little hesitation. Lily followed, burying her hatred of water deep as she dived in, coming up beside the bobbing Isaac. Lara grabbed the reluctant Mackenzie and jumped in, Mackenzie screaming as she resurfaced.
"Not fair!" the girl groused at Lara.
"You're fine – go have fun," Lara laughed.
Mackenzie was a competent swimmer and she was soon paddling around the pool studiously avoiding her brother who kept trying to splash the girl. Lily found it therapeutic to lie on her back and gently scull around the pool, also choosing to avoid the little terror. Lara was enjoying being back in the pool where she had learnt to swim, years before. For a few moments, she remembered her father teaching her to swim. She visualised herself at five-years-old with orange armbands on her upper arms. Her father would teach her to swim while her mother watched . . . then the memories vanished as Lara found herself being splashed by Isaac.
"You alright, Lara?" Lily asked.
"Yes, just some old memories," Lara replied. "Hello, Isaac."
"I splashed you!" Isaac laughed as he paddled away to target Lily.
Lara grinned.
It was nice for the house to be full of laughter, Lara thought as she watched Mackenzie, Lara, and Isaac engaging in a water fight. To be brutally honest, there had not been a lot of laughter in the house ever since her mother had died, nine years before. She had been a difficult child in her formative years and there had been a lot of shouting and disagreeable behaviour on her part while a teenager. The trip to America was supposed to have been a new start for her and her father. She so wanted to make up with her father and apologise for her behaviour . . . she had done so much to upset him – mostly on purpose – and she regretted everything.
Such was life.
The following afternoon
Thursday, January 12th
Cockburn Hall
They had visitors arriving in the next few minutes.
Lily was nervous and so was Lara. They had been informed, only that morning, via a phone call from Mindy that they would be receiving a visit from some very important people – and two girls called Charlotte and Olivia. At two P.M., on the dot, a Corinthian grey Range Rover pulled up outside the front door. Hillary had the front door open in a flash as five people – a young man, a young woman, and three girls – exited the vehicle and made their way towards where Lara and Lily were waiting just inside the door with Mackenzie and Isaac.
"Welcome to Cockburn Hall," Hillary announced.
"Hello," the young man said as she studied Lara and Lily. "I am Cameron King and the young lady with me is Cassie Perrin. Beside her is..."
"Harper Sharp," the youngest visitor announced. "These are my friends..."
"Charlotte Perrin."
"Olivia Kensington."
"Welcome, I am Lara Cockburn and this is my butler, Hillary. This is Lily O'Brien, Mackenzie and Isaac Morley."
"Hi!" Isaac announced.
Once all the pleasantries were completed, everyone retreated to the drawing room at the southeast corner of Cockburn Hall.
..._...
"Lara, Lily," Cameron began, "we are here to discuss important matters pertaining to your current situation. Olivia has volunteered to look after Mackenzie and Isaac while we talk."
Lily caught on instantly as did Lara. Hillary raised an eyebrow from the doorway as he watched the new arrivals like a hawk. Lara turned to Mackenzie and Isaac.
"Mackenzie, would you take your brother and go spend some time with Olivia, please?" she asked.
"Okay."
"Do anything she asks and answer any of her questions, please," Lara added.
"This way, Miss Kensington," Hillary offered as he waved Olivia, Mackenzie, and Isaac out of the room and across the reception hall to the sitting room where Olivia sat down on a sofa with the two youngsters sitting side-by-side on the opposite sofa.
Hillary closed the double doors to the sitting room, leaving Olivia alone with Mackenzie and Isaac.
The Drawing Room
"Lara, Lily," Cameron announced, "I, along with my sister, run Vengeance."
No fanfare, a simple announcement.
"I am Vengeance's second-in-command," Cassie said. "Harper here is a Vengeance Operator and a Predator."
Lily raised an eyebrow at that, examining the young girl with her eyes.
"Charlotte is also a Predator and a member of Vengeance, as is Olivia, although she is not a Predator as such," Cassie finished.
"We understand that you have been targeted since your return to the UK," Cameron said. "We are also aware that Mindy – yes, we know Mindy – has sent over a cache of equipment for Lily to use in protection of Lara and the children. We are also aware that you visited a certain seedy pawn shop in Newcastle – their CCTV was wiped, by the way – and that you purchased a pair of pistols for Lara."
Lily scowled at that news – she had forgotten to check on the CCTV. She was also annoyed that this man knew so much about what she had been doing.
"We are not here to interfere," Cassie said, noticing Lily's expression. "We are here to offer you support and help should you need it. We will be monitoring your situation, Lara, and if we detect anything, we will notify you."
"Thank you," Lara said before a thought occurred to her. "Will I ever be safe? I have the kids. . ."
"We're working on finding the people who want to do you harm, Lara," Cassie replied. That is why we are here."
Lara felt a little better knowing that there were people looking out for her and kids . . . but she hated that she was putting others at risk.
A week or so previously
"Good morning, Mrs Lizewski, I have been expecting your call."
"Hello, Hillary," Mindy replied. "I wanted to speak to you about Lara and Lily."
"Am I about to learn something which I might not want to know?"
"Probably," Mindy admitted.
"Go ahead."
"Lara has been through a lot in the weeks she was abused. I hate to sound callous, but Lily has been through much worse."
"That somehow seems improbable."
"Lily Rose O'Brien was born in County Cork, Ireland, April 3rd, 2003. On August 8th, 2011, the eight-year-old Lily was seized and taken as a participant for a CIA program called Urban Predator. Lily suffered, badly, during her time as she was taught to fight and to kill. She became an assassin during her five years of training. Believe me when I say that she could kill you in any of over a hundred ways and hide the body so it would not be found – ever. Lily is skilled at interrogation and torture amongst many other skills. When we recovered her in Atlanta, she suffered the loss of her half-brother, Lucas, to those who had taken Lara. Do not underestimate Lily, however, she is incredibly loyal, and she would readily put herself in front of Lara, Mackenzie, and Isaac should danger come calling."
"Not so improbable, it seems."
"You will have a lot on your hands, and not just with Lara. Isaac is . . . how should I put this – trouble. Mackenzie loves her brother to bits, despite him being annoying as hell. I promise to provide any assistance which you might need."
"I am up to the task, Mindy," Hillary replied. "I have spent many years bringing up the most objectionable young girl I have ever known. Lara has been the biggest challenge of my life, but I would never abandon her. I will continue to support Lara until she has no further use for me. That will apply, just as equally, to Lily, Mackenzie, and Isaac."
"I am very pleased to hear that, Hillary."
..._...
Hillary thought back to that phone call which had come just days after he had discovered that his Lara was still alive.
He was very sad to understand that Lord Cockburn would not be returning to the Hall, but at least his progeny was safe, if a little scarred. Indeed, Lara had brought back a new family. The Irish girl, Lily, was very intelligent and very aware of her surroundings. She appeared to be very protective of the two American youngsters whom she appeared to have taken under her wing. There had to be a story there, but Hillary knew better than to ask. His job was to look after those who lived under the roof of Cockburn Hall and he would do that job to the very best of his ability.
No harm would come to anyone under that roof without going through him and, it seemed, Lily.
The Drawing Room
"Lily," Harper said. "We owe you our lives and, in no small part, we thank you for unwittingly kick-starting the downfall of Urban Predator."
"Huh?" Lily replied, totally confused.
"I have a very good friend in Chicago," Harper replied. "Her name is Stephanie. Well, Stephanie told me all about an older Predator who taught a younger Predator how to fight . . . and how to fight back. You gave Stephanie the willpower to stay alive. Without that act . . . well, I'd rather not think about it."
Lily was genuinely gobsmacked by Harper's comment.
The Sitting Room
"What do you think of Lily?" Olivia asked the two youngsters.
"She's cool!" Isaac announced.
"She cares for us," Mackenzie replied.
"Lily is not a normal girl," Olivia continued.
"We know that," Mackenzie said. "She likes guns and she likes to fight . . . without her, we'd probably be dead. She saved us when our Daddy died."
Olivia took a deep breath before continuing.
"Lily is special. She is what we call, a Predator."
"A predator?" Mackenzie responded.
"Yes. Lily was trained to be something special – since she was about eight. What Lily is, is a secret, and you cannot tell anybody . . . do you both understand?"
"I think so," Isaac replied. "We mustn't tell anybody about what Lily can do."
"That's right," Olivia confirmed.
"I understand," Mackenzie replied. "Are you a Predator?"
"No, but I aspire to be," Olivia replied. "Kind of."
The Drawing Room
"It isn't often that something useful comes out of Harper's mouth but she's bang on," Cassie commented ignoring Harper's annoyed glare.
"Thanks – I think," Lily responded. "I remember you both, I think."
"I have a vague image of a girl with black hair," Harper replied. "But it's not clear."
"I probably wasn't the nicest, to be honest," Lily admitted. "I'm really pleased to see so many of you still alive."
"We went through a lot," Charlotte said, speaking for the first time. "It wasn't pretty, but we survived – just."
"Yes, we did," Lily stated.
"Anybody hungry?" Lara asked. "I think we need a break from this stuff."
Everybody agreed and, as if by magic, Hillary appeared carrying a tray loaded with tea and coffee. He vanished and reappeared with another tray decked with cakes and freshly cooked crumpets. Olivia came back in with the youngsters and everybody dug into the food. The atmosphere improved dramatically as the Predators began to tell jokes – crude jokes, but still jokes. Isaac was not amused by some of the cruder words being spoken, but he still laughed at the jokes, nonetheless. For Lily, it felt great to be back amongst her own kind.
Lara had noticed and she decided that Lily needed to spend time with her own kind even if that meant a trip up to Scotland on a regular basis – or even inviting her friends down to stay.
The Garden
After everyone had eaten their early afternoon tea, Cassie, Charlotte, and Lily went for a walk in the expansive gardens surrounding Cockburn Hall.
"If you need anything, Lily, you give us a call. Mindy left you a mobile, right?" Cassie asked.
"Yes, it was in with the kit she sent," Lily confirmed.
"Good. Anything, okay, just call. You are always welcome to visit us in Scotland and I would recommend a visit soon."
"Thank you for your support," Lily replied. "It makes me feel a lot happier to know that I am not alone."
"You will never be alone, Lily," Charlotte said. "We need people. We need support from others. I learnt that the hard way. You need somebody to talk to, give me a call."
"Thanks, Charlotte."
The three females turned at the sound of a scream and they saw Harper running down the garden with Mackenzie and Isaac in hot pursuit. Olivia was not far behind as she moved to intercept Harper. Isaac was yelling as he tried to catch Harper, but Harper was too fast, even though the young girl was still not capable of running as fast as she once could. It was the first time in a long time that Harper had pushed herself and it felt good; she enjoyed the pain that went with pushing herself – to a point. Charlotte scowled as she watched the visible pain on Harper's face, and she knew that the girl was pushing herself way too far. However, Olivia had also noticed and when she did intercept Harper, Olivia put the younger girl down softly, both girls rolling on the soft grass as they came to a stop. Isaac yelled out happily as Harper went down – what the chase had been all about, Charlotte had no idea, but Isaac appeared very happy, as did Mackenzie. Then it became very clear as Isaac approached Charlotte and the little boy stuck his hand out, touching Charlotte's stomach.
"You're it!"
The boy bolted off into the garden leaving Charlotte hesitating. She had not played the game for many years, but the basic principle soon came back to the youngster and the almost thirteen-year-old quickly bolted after the little five-year-old as the boy sprinted away. Charlotte veered off in the direction of Mackenzie who screamed and ran, leaving Olivia wide open. Olivia's eyes went wide as she bolted from Charlotte, giggling wildly. While the chase continued, Harper joined Lily and Cassie.
"You okay, Harper?" Cassie asked.
"I think so," Harper grimaced. "Might have gone a bit overboard."
"You think!" Cassie chuckled. "Keira is going to make you regret going overboard."
"Yes, she is," Harper groaned. "But I think it was worth it to find out what I could do."
"Your funeral!" Cassie informed Harper.
..._...
Lara considered the scene before her.
Three of the six children running around, laughing and giggling, were trained child assassins but somehow, despite everything, they were also able to behave like normal children as they played together. Olivia was the eldest of those running around, with Lily close behind. It was sad to think that the slight nine-year-old had also had her childhood tainted by the same training. Lily had mentioned that there were even eight-year-old children out there, all victims of Urban Predator. Despite what she herself had suffered, she felt for them all.
"Despite their outward happiness – and it is genuine happiness, believe me – there is a darkness deep inside which may never be purged," Cassie commented. "But we're doing everything that we can to give them all a normal life. Some, like Olivia, found themselves drafted into this life without any say in the matter. She, and others, did well to pull through with only a fraction of the training the others had endured. Lara, you have a very similar outlook to Olivia and, as such, I think you will succeed in tracking down those who are trying to take you out. We will, of course, support you, but I am sure that you will want to know that it was you who terminated that person."
"That was very candid of you, Cassie," Lara replied.
"I can also tell that you are headstrong . . . so am I, so I know the type," Cassie went on. "Listen to Lily. Listen to what she has to say. Listen to her training. She may only be thirteen, but she is worldly-wise, and you can learn an awful lot from her. She will keep you and the children alive."
"Do you have children?"
"Yes, I do – three; a boy and two girls."
"Is it difficult, bringing up children?" Lara asked. "I was a little bitch – still am."
Cassie laughed.
"My father loves to tell people about how nasty I was when I turned twelve. I tended to make his life hell. I just hope that my girls are not as bad as me when they grow up."
"Mackenzie is wild, but I suppose I can tame her and ensure that she doesn't make the same mistakes I did. As for Isaac, I have no idea about boys – at least not boys his age."
"If I can help, do not hesitate to call me," Cassie offered. "I'm learning too."
That evening
After their guests had departed, Hillary served the evening meal.
Both Lara and Lily thought it was very funny that the two youngest members of their little family were struggling to stay awake long enough to eat. However, the two youngsters managed it – just. Forty minutes later, after being sent upstairs to get into their pyjamas, Mackenzie and Isaac lay on the sofa in the sitting room and they both stared into the raring fire. Within another five minutes, both children were fast asleep, cuddled up together on the sofa. They were exhausted by the day's activities – which was a welcome blessing for both Lara and Hillary.
"I haven't heard so much laughter in that garden since your ninth birthday," Hillary commented as he cleared up the empty glasses of milk which the children had drunk for their supper before falling asleep.
"That was my last birthday party with my mother," Lara remembered. "I never felt like being happy after that.
"I can understand that, Miss Lara."
Later that night
Lily was just slipping under her duvet when she received a knock on her bedroom door.
"Can I come in?"
"Of course, Lara – it's your home."
"Yours too, Lily," Lara corrected. "I know it's been barely a week, but I want this to be your home as much as mine . . . the children too."
"It feels strange," Lily admitted. "A month ago, I was living on the streets of America – had been for about six months. I was in Atlanta. I was trying to use my skills to survive, to stay alive. Then I made a big mistake . . . I . . . I'm the reason that those two children are orphans."
Lara looked appalled by what she was hearing as Lara continued speaking, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I caused the death of their parents. I ruined their lives . . . I . . . I looked after them . . . they think I saved them – well, I did . . . but . . . if they ever find out . . ."
Lara struggled with what she was hearing, but seeing the tears running down Lily's face demonstrated that it was all very true, and that Lily was truly devastated by whatever it was that she had done. As Lara understood it, Predators tended not to feel much in the way of remorse, but Cassie had explained that once free of their mind-bending drugs, Predators began to recover certain aspects of their former minds. That included the ability to begin feeling remorse for their actions and also to begin behaving like the children they truly were.
"I'm sure that you had no choice, Lily," Lara offered.
"I wasn't thinking straight, and I made mistakes. My mind . . . I was . . . confused and I missed things . . . they murdered them by burning down their house with them in it. The children . . . I was able to rescue them . . . I looked after them . . . I protected them."
"You did everything that you could, Lily, and you kept those children alive. You and they have a home. They need never know until they are older, and they can process the information properly."
Lily simply nodded as she sobbed into Lara's shoulder.
December 2016
Atlanta
The moment Lily had heard that Bedivere was seeking to use Frank Morley and his family as an example against screwing with his drugs, she had flagged down a taxi.
By the time she had reached the family home, there was smoke pouring out of the downstairs windows. A small crowd of neighbours had gathered, and Lily could hear somebody on the phone to 9-1-1.
"Has anybody got out?" Lily asked urgently.
"Nobody," someone responded.
Lily bolted through the growing crowd of watches, many of whom had smart phones raised, recording video of the house in flame. Lily was appalled that nobody was making any effort to help those trapped inside the house. As she got closer, she could hear the crackle of the flames . . . and she could hear the screams coming from beyond the swirling choking smoke. Without conscious thought, Lily bounded up the front steps and she raced around to the back of the house. More smoke billowed out of the windows of the lower and upper floors as Lily leapt up onto the rear porch. The heat was barely bearable as Lily fought her way along the tiles towards the closest window. The smoke was choking her, even as she held her sleeve up against her mouth and nose, but that was not about to prevent her from trying to rescue the family whom she had endangered.
Lily smashed the wooden frame of the first window, and she yanked it open. Diving through, she found herself in a bedroom which was fitted out to be that of a small boy. After a brief search, Lily found that the bedroom was empty. She crawled along the ground, doing her best to keep her face below the chocking black smoke which hovered leaving just a few inches of clear air between it and the floor. Crawling out onto the landing outside the bedroom, Lily turned to the left and she felt for another doorway with her hands. There it was, she pulled herself around the door jam and crawled inside the bedroom. Lily saw pink – a little girl's bedroom – then she saw movement and she heard coughing.
"Over. . .," Lily coughed as smoke entered her lungs ". . .here!"
A small hand reached out from the smoky gloom and Lily seized it, heaving and a young girl appeared. Gripping tightly onto the young girl was a small boy who was choking on the smoke. However, that was all which matched up with reality as Lily found herself lost in the swirling black smoke and she could feel the intense heat beneath her feet and all around. She could not remember which direction led to the door or the window. The smoke grew thicker and then the floor beneath her began to buckle as bright orange flickers of flame forced their way through and then the girl screamed as her clothing caught fire.
The floor collapsed completely and all three of them fell to a fiery death below.
January 2017
Cockburn Hall
Northumbria, UK
Lily O'Brien sat bolt upright in the bed.
The thirteen-year-old girl was dripping with sweat and tears streamed down her face. The nightmare had scared her badly. It was pitch dark as Lily looked around in a blind panic before catching her breath and calming down. Lily threw back the duvet and she fumbled for the bedside light, illuminating her bedroom. Lily stepped into the bathroom and she used toilet paper to wipe away the tears. She felt badly shaken. The nightmares came in a similar fashion every few days – each time, she and the children died a hideous death.
Lily felt the heavy burden of guilt associated with what she had done to the family a pair of children who had had a happy family life. Yes, their father had been a drug trafficker, but that was not their fault. Their father had simply provided for his family in the only way he could. It was sickening for Lily to think about that fateful day when she had intercepted that drugs shipment simply to make a few dollars to live on herself. Actually, she had made eight thousand dollars, despite the retail value having been a lot higher . . . only, Lily would have given it all back, and more, just for Mackenzie and Isaac to have their lives back. Now, the two children were not even in the same country as their birth.
She had never stopped to think about the lives of anyone else. She had simply done what was needed to keep herself alive – her safety had been the number one priority. Then she had taken custody of the two children when she had rescued them and kept them hidden from the vengeance of Bedivere. At least the bastard was dead, but the children's lives had been irrevocably changed and Lily's along with them.
All she could really do was keep them alive to the very best of her ability.