Divine Deception -- S4E24: Series Finale

[experience]

Great to hear! Thanks for returning guys!

[experience]

Divine Deception
"Alone"


I observe the redhead in the window of my mother's car. The last time I looked at myself was the day I ended up at the doorstep of Sadie Lawrence and Victor Solomon, when they took me in their open arms and allowed my to stay with them. I don't know if I should have been allowed after how I'd treated them, but my mother has told me how the last time we'd spoken adrenaline was running high and that the things we all had encountered was more than the average teenager should have been involved in. That was a week ago and I haven't looked at myself since. Every time I do, I see the cold day that felt like the end of the world. And when I see it at the back of my head forming, I always look away, run, try to bury it as if pretending it never happened would make it so. A lot can change in a week. I see a round face in the window, my mother's eyes and a nose I can only assume was similar to my father's, Nick Alto. Last week I only would have believed my father was a part of me and not Sadie. That Vita Alto was my real mother. But now, I see so much more. I see that hiding from what happened won't do anything about it. I have to be like my mother and Vic. I need to embrace it. Only then can I begin to understand it.

I turn away and head across the park to the water's edge. This is where it all happened. The last good memory Nathan and I shared... The moment that was destroyed in a snap of the fingers. The moment that man stepped into our lives and ruined everything. His name was Reginald Peters. I can still hear Nathan yelling at me to run and feel the blood in my veins turn to ice as the armed thug came to use me in an attempt to hurt my mother. He attacked me. He shot Nathan. Peters was ended via a bullet to the head by somebody out of sight. I thought it had been my mother who pulled the trigger, though from her reaction alone, I knew it wasn't her, and the fact that she was trying to get me out of harm's way was even more proof. I had been stubborn, though. I wasn't leaving Nathan's side, not after he stood by mine time and time again. Stubbornness is a streak that supposedly runs down the family line even when faced with certain death.

With the vivid image back in my mind, I head back to the car.

After Sadie had left that day, I passed out and found myself in the hospital. Nathan was there too. None of the doctors or nurses would tell me anything about his health, though, which, for obvious reasons, left me panicked. While groggy from whatever drug that had plugged into my bloodstream, and touching the edge of hysteria, of course I had started to become anxious. Add a douse of mental a physical drama from the park and you have yourself a full recipe for disaster. I am shocked that I am walking around like nothing's happened a week later. Maybe that's a bit of a stretch. I'm still coping which what happened, of course, but it's also only been seven days and here I am, on my own, trusted that I can make it from point A to point B. I have Sadie to thank for that. When I arrived at her doorstep that night, she knew of a cocktail of sorts that could alleviate my anxiety, my state. She was able to make it in less than five minutes. When I asked her where she learned such a thing, she told me somebody named Lee taught her. That he taught her everything she knew. She's brought it up on different occasions. I haven't let her elaborate. I haven't wanted to know exactly what she's been taught for fear that it will hurt me rather than help. I don't blame her, though I'd be an idiot to ignore the fact that it was Sadie's links to her past that drove Peters after us. I try to ignore it and thankfully Sadie never pushes the issue further.   

I check my phone. I should get going. The visiting hours for Nathan are strict and narrow and I'd hate to miss it. He's been in a coma and I don't want to skip out on any second, any chance that I'll be the first person he sees when he wakes up. I decide not to take my mother's car. I'll walk instead. It will give me time to think things over and figure out what I am going to do.

The hospital isn't far from the park, maybe a twenty minute walk on foot, if that. I had gotten lost so easily the first time I arrived here, once again, trying to escape my past, though now, having been here for a couple of months, I've learned that Riverview isn't really that large of a town. The roads are long and the fields between properties grow, sure, but if you know which intersections to cut through and how everything comes together, you can find your way around with ease as well on good time.

I make it to the hospital in just under fifteen minutes. The place isn't nearly as crowded as it usually is. That could be because of the time of day. It's four in the afternoon and I usually show up at lunchtime. Or it could be because it is Christmas Eve. Sadie and Vic are home getting ready for visitors. They've both told me that guests will begin arriving around six and that I shouldn't be late. Maybe I should have come here earlier. Even with the crowds, I might have had more time with Nathan. Tonight and tomorrow are two days I'd hate for him to be alone.

"Ah, Delilah, I was wondering if I would see you today." I make it to the front desk and spot Dr. Jesceps sitting behind it, his mouse clicking away incessantly. "A little later than your usual rounds, eh?"

I've grown close with Jesceps, more so than any of the other doctors or nurses. I think I grew a reputation after I lost my mind when I awoke the first time after the attack at the park. Then again after I escaped the hospital's hold on me without saying anything to anybody. I guess the nurses returning to my room to find an empty bed with a mess would be frowned down upon. I did, however, yank my IV needle out and left in a hurry. Jesceps didn't seem to mind. He was an old man who had seen far worse things happen during his years.

"I was just hoping to beat the rush," I tell him. "Quiet tonight."

He nods. "Are you here to see Nathan? Or..." He glances down at my stomach.

Another thing to add to the madness. Unplanned and unexpected. I had just learned about the new addition when I awoke last week. I still don't believe it. Yes, I don't feel like myself and, yes, it makes sense why I have had the cravings and not feeling very well. But it can't be happening. So once again, I pretend the problem's not there. I ignore it with some false sense that it's not even there.

"No, I'm just here to see Nathan, that's all," I say.

The doctor smirks slightly at me before he gets to his feet. "Okay, this way then."

He leads me down a long hallway that I have learned off by heart. It spins around, up and down stairs, though I have been down it so many times over the past week that I really don't need him to escort me. Still, it's nice that somebody like him feels he should. Maybe he has to because of reasons related to the law and security, but it's like he wants to take a walk with me. He wants me to make it to Nathan's side without any trouble.

Once we are there, he opens the glass door for me and motions for me to walk through. "If you have any concerns or need help, you know where the button is." Then he's gone.

Nathan looks like he always looks the days I come to see him. Calm, subtle, he could be sleeping, and in ways I guess he is. I think about the nights we spent together. I'd watch the sun rise, the light pouring between the blue curtains in his room, across the bed and onto his face that looked just like it does now. We haven't known each other for long. Months maybe. Still, there was something between us the first time we met. I thought at the time it was hatred, possibly even jealousy at the time, that he was the most arrogant, obnoxious man I had ever met. With his smug look on his face and the way he spoke to me. I guess in certain ways I deserved it. I hold my cards close to my chest and he knew that the moment he met me. He's very honest, I'm not. We clashed. Until the day that I opened up. Then we made headway.

I run my hand over his face, cupping his rounded jaw. "He's just sleeping," I tell myself, knowing that if he is, it will be just like those morning where he wakes up ten minutes after me. But right now, more than anything, I want him to be awake now. I don't want to wait any longer. I grab his hand, taking it in mine. It's cold. Not deathly, but to me it seems almost so. I try and warm it up with my own as I watch his chest rise and lower. Technically he's alive and for some reason, I begin squeezing his hand in rhythm to his breathing in hopes that the pressure will somehow alert him that I'm here. I know it sounds silly, but what alternatives do I have?

When I returned home from seeing Nathan the first time, I asked my mother if she knew of anything that could help him. The cocktail that had brought me to my senses maybe could help him. Sadie didn't seem to agree. She told me the best thing to do was wait it out. I wish she could understand that waiting is for the patient. Waiting is for those who aren't running against the clock.

I spend the next hour and a bit just sitting next to him, looking at him, loving him until I realize that he's once again not coming back to me today. I say goodbye to him and make my way out of the building. Before I head home, I take a seat on a bench just outside of the hospital.

The realization has just hit me that that man, Reginald Peters, is to blame for this. That instead of hurting my mother, he's hurt me and he's gone from the world now. How is it acceptable that Peters is the person who caused all this havoc and he's the one to get the free pass, not have to deal with anything? He didn't have to deal with loss or his consequences. And here we are trying to clean up this mess he brought on us.

Sadie had tried to tell me why things happened, yet I just wanted to pretend like none of it did. That was how I coped through it. Now seeing Nathan a full week later, it's made me realize that it's done nothing but stalled the inevitable. Whether he lives or dies is because of Reginald Peters and the people he worked for and I want to make sure they get what they deserve.

I take a deep breath. When hatred cuts so deep through my skin, I'm no longer going to step down and force some false sense of security on myself that everything will go back the way things were. I will no longer be a fool. I can't be. Sadie told me the best thing to do is forgive and move on. The chance to bring the truly guilty to justice will be stolen away if I agree. Good things may come to those who wait, yet I know my reward is but a spark in the wettest of lands. I want those who have hurt me to pay.

[Magz from Oz]

Yeah experience.   I've stayed up late to catch your update and I'm glad I did.

Poor Delilah.  She lives in a tough world but is she tough enough to go down that path?  I wonder how long it'll take her to realise that she may get trapped on the same treadmill that Sadie did?  Time will tell.

[experience]

Aww, thanks Magz. That's so very kind of you! I hope you enjoyed it. *Hugs*

Deli is a wandering soul, the poor girl. I hope I've slung enough mud at her that she feels she has nothing left to lose. Gah, that's terrible lol.

Another thing: On my blog, I post the pictures I don't use for the story on a page called deleted scenes. I just uploaded the photos from season 2 when Deli arrives in Riverview. I just realized how strange she looks in comparison to now. Who knew adding some eye bags and giving her some retextures could make her look so much better? hahahahaha!

[chetanhaobijam]

Excellent chapter/episode. A great start of the new season. Like to see the new Delilah. And hoping Nathan woke up from the coma. Looking forward for next episode.

[experience]

Thanks for returning, @chetanhaobijam! I should have the next episode up in the next couple of days.

[Magpie2012]

Next please ;-D as always, I am a fan!

[experience]

Divine Deception
"Flicker"


When I was young, Christmas Eve was a night full of love, friends and of course excitement. Waiting for Santa Claus to drop down our chimney and unload piles of presents for under the Christmas tree. Tables lined through our cozy kitchen with plates of expensive crackers and cheeses and even just-out-of-the-oven cookies while guests mingled in the living room with holiday anthems like Jingle Bell Rock playing through that old vintage record player Vita refused to get rid of. Vita would usher me to bed once the night grew old, telling me if I didn't get to sleep that Santa wouldn't show up. He always did, though, even on the nights when my insomnia kept me wide awake. When my eyes refused to close and it felt as if the time was running backwards. Does this ever change? The want for something to come to our doorstep, yet it feels like an eternity away?

The apartment above the garage is my new living space. Last week when I arrived so unexpectedly, Vic was already piling out boxes from the apartment as if they knew I was coming. He shoved them where they could fit. The basement, the garage itself, even in the shed in the backyard. Sadie and Vic's property isn't a big one. I always believed my childhood home, the one I lived in before coming to here to Riverview, was small, but there are times I feel like I am living in London here. I travelled there when I was twelve once. There is little space for everything that the people use what they have to get by. Washers and dryers are stacked on top of one another. Houses feel like flats and unless you want to live in Surrey, out in the rural part of town so to speak, compactness is something one must get accustomed to. Sadie and Vic's place is no different. Still, they took me in and I should ever be so grateful for it.

I head to my apartment to shower and change. When I return, I take a seat on the sofa in the living room and wait. Wait for Sadie to appear to tell her about Nathan. I can't tell if she really wants to know about Nathan's health or if she just wants to make up for lost time. I know I should care, but I don't. I really don't. Sadie's effort in wanting to hear about my boyfriend's status has surpassed anything I had expected from her. She doesn't know this boy I have grown close with. Heck, she barely knows me. Yet, there she is, always asking about Nathan's recovery. I've come to wonder if it is because she feels guilty, that it was her history with Peters that led to Nathan's injury. I haven't had the guts to ask her.

Guests begin to arrive. Most are friends he met in Riverview and some have travelled through the thick snow from Sunset Valley. Vic is a very popular person from what I can gather. I haven't spoken to him much, however from the amount of people he pulls to a party, he knows a thing or two about staying connected. Sadie told me that they met back when she was first activated to destroy the Altos, mainly my father. I usually tell her to stop when she begins storytelling about our family, yet this one day I decided to let her roll with it. Supposedly she met Vic at a party. Vita had just left for the hospital to give birth to Alecia, and when they returned, Vic was calling cabs for all the party goers to make sure they made it home safe. That was the moment she felt something for him. They had seen one another as time went on and Sadie told me how much she hated the fact that she had to follow through with her mission. My first instinct was to tell her that nobody can force anything, but I know better. I saw exactly what happened in the park a week ago when people try to cut through a path of superiors. Peters coming after me and Sadie was one thing. What his agency did to stop him was another.

And there she is. Sadie walks down the stairs, waving, smiling and greeting people she's never met before. This is her first party with Vic since that night many years ago. She goes by a different name now, though. Just for these people she is Sandra. Sadie Lawrence seems to gather a lot of a attention and why wouldn't it? Sadie Lawrence was the homewrecker who stole Vita Alto's husband from her and later killed him, one of the most powerful men of Sunset Valley. Vic doesn't call her Sandra and neither do I. I don't even call her Mom, Ma or Mother. She'd Sadie to me. For now, anyway. To call her something else feels wrong right now and maybe it's a bit too early, and, oh, all right, I am still keeping my internal wall up, my shield, in case she hurts me again. I don't think she will, she's trying everything in her power to make up for the eighteen missed years, but what if she does? I've had so much mud thrown at me this last little while I'd be stupid if I lowered my gates just to be hit again. That's not to say I haven't lowered some barriers. I allow Sadie to do little things for me. She tags along when I go to the doctors for my checkups regarding my belly situation, we'll go to the grocery store together and we even help each other make dinner. They are little things, of course, but it's a start.

The place is becoming a bit too crowded for my liking so I decide to head outside. I take a seat at the table on the back deck. Seconds later, I hear the door close.

"You all right?"

I turn and see Vic walking towards me. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting a little crowded in there for my liking, that's all."

From the look on his face, he doesn't seem to believe me. He takes a seat next to me. "How's Nathan?"

I shrug my shoulders. "The same." I take a deep breath. "I was just hoping... Forget it, it's stupid."

"You were hoping that you'd go there and he'd wake up. That you wanted to be there for him today of all days?"

"Stupid, right?" I snort.

"No... I don't think so." He leans in towards me. "We need to hope for better or else what's the point?"

"You think so?" My lack of faith lends an edge to my tone.

Vic nods. "It will get better, Delilah, you'll see. We just need to be patient."

The way he says we makes me warm inside. He's saying that this isn't just my battle, that Sadie's with me and he is too. I can't fathom it for a moment. I felt the same way when I arrived a week ago, seeing him carrying out boxes from the apartment so that I had a place to stay. He's doing exactly what he did back at that party when Sadie met him. He's making sure everybody gets home happy and safe.

I smile weakly at him. I want to hug him, that would define exactly what I am feeling for him, but my upbringing stops me. I barely know this man and to do so would be an intruding act. Instead I say, "Thanks, Vic."

He pats me on the shoulder as he gets to his feet. "Anytime, little one. I'm always here if you need me."

Vic returns to the party and I stay a little while longer outside, watching the guests through the windows. Laughing, warm, surrounded by friends and family. It's not only this house. Houses all around town are decorated and buzzing with Christmas music and cheer. I really wish Nathan was here with me. I ponder what Vic had said, that we need to be patient, and I am just reminded of what I decided hours ago. That waiting is for the patient and that I need to act. I get up on my feet and make my way inside.

I spot Sadie right away. She's just finishing up a story with Hunter Cottoneye. He actually cleans up well. I've seen him pop by every so often, though he's usually decked out in camouflage this, that and everything. I won't say I'm not shocked not to see at least a camouflage tie or belt. He even got rid of his Aviators for the night. Colour me impressed.

"Delilah," Sadie says as she places an arm around my shoulders. "How was your walk?"

I raise my eyebrows and lower them again. She knows what that means: A waste of time to put it bluntly. Her lips set grimly as if she understands. And I know what that means: She's sorry to hear it. "It was the same as it's always been. I shouldn't have gone."

"No, you should have," Sadie tells me. "I told you, it's going to get better. You just need to be patient." It feels as if she's recited this conversation with Vic all day while I've been gone. I know it's silly. Still, it's the same words almost, the same words I've heard day in and day out.

"I want to destroy them."

"Why don't we talk about this later?" she insists.

I don't hear her. "I need you to teach me."

"Delilah, please," she tells me, glancing around the room with her eyes only. "We'll talk about this later."

"Later?" I ask impatiently. "I want them to pay now. They shot at me, they got Nathan and now he's alone in that hospital for who knows how long, Sadie!" The moment the words come out of my mouth, I regret them. The room gasps all at once, taking the last bit of noise with it. It becomes eerily silent afterwards and all eyes are on us.

"Sadie?" Hunter says from behind her, taking a step back. He chuckles to himself. "Sadie Lawr--"

It's that quick. The flames from the fireplace shooting up Hunter's pants to his blazer, covering him in fire. He screams as tendrils of panic, real panic, begin to wrap around the other guests in the room. Hunter cries out again. His fear is contagious and I stare horror-struck, watching him slam into another guest. I can't tell exactly who it is, but milliseconds later, they've been ignited too.

Sadie's a quick thinker. She's grabbed the fire extinguisher from the kitchen and has already removed the pin and aimed before I've even realized that she's left my side. She squeezes the trigger and starts covering the men with white foam. She turns to me as she's doing it. "Delilah, grab the one in the hallway!"

I don't hesitate. I've seen it before and instantly head for it, pushing past men and women until I have it in my hands. I'm in front of the other man on fire now where the fire is beginning to expand. "This side?" I don't know why I bother asking. I've already set everything up and spewing foam at this man as well.

The next few moments leave me with a thundering heart and a sweat that I can't decide if it's come from the panic inside the house or from the heat coming from the fire. Smoldering the fire takes a lot of work, teamwork between Sadie and me. I think it could go even better if Flo Broke would actually help instead of pointing and laughing at me, constantly calling me the cursed child of Nick and Sadie Alto. A year ago I would have broken into tears. Now, I am contemplating smacking her upside the head with my fire extinguisher. One of the other guests, I think it's her husband, pulls her back before I get a chance to.

The flames are no more after a few more minutes and both our extinguishers spit empty. I glance over at Sadie and she catches my eye. "Like mother like daughter," I mumble to myself as we both drop our things and help Hunter and the other man. Well, at least Hunter got his sunglasses back on.

[Magz from Oz]

So their cover is now blown.  Perhaps Delilah may have just learned the first rule of being a baddie - maintain your cover.  Given that she couldn't even be bothered to use Sadie's alias, I say she'd suck at any attempt to destroy Peter's superiors or whoever is calling the shots.  Learn fast Delilah, yours is a dangerous ambition.

[chetanhaobijam]

Awesome chapter. Thanks to the great teamwork of Sadie and Deli, no one was hurt except getting singed. Now that Sadie's cover is blown, thanks to Deli, I wonder what will happen next. And it is high time for Delilah to learn some manners. Looking forward for next chapter.

[Katala]

Yay, it's back , I'm so happy to see everyone again

Two amazing chapters:)

[experience]

Welcome back, Magpie and Katala!

It's great to hear your thoughts, guys. You're right, Deli has a lot to learn. She's letting her emotions affect her judgment.

[experience]

Divine Deception
"Perfect Illusion"


Years ago, a friend of mine had a father who practiced in the art of magic: wild card tricks, sawing people in half, pulling bunnies out of hats. But it was the illusions that intrigued me most. Taking a paper bill and having it float in what seemed like thin air. He'd always tell his audience, always looked at me specifically, that if one could see things as they really were, there would be no need for magic. But as human beings, we thrive to find an escape of reality. That deep down we want to believe there is something much mightier than logic with the ability to answer to our burning questions that keep us as prisoners in our own life.

Experiences and expectations have wormed their way into what I once classified as my logical scope, the pieces I know are true and aren't altered because of my tainted beliefs. I was so sure when I left Sunset Valley that it was the right thing to do. Yet, here I am, dreaming of Nathan, imagining that he's right here with me because I can't bear to think of the alternative. If I had confronted my monsters back then, none of what happened would have. My judgement has clouded and I am blinded by this illusion that magic will take care of everything, allowing my escape. 

The house emptied the moment Hunter and the other singed man left in an uproar. I can't say that I blame them. They'd both been involved in near death experience and that was after the my big mouth opened up about who Sadie really is. Whether Vic wants it or not, to say that this party isn't going to be the talk of the town would be a complete lie. Everybody who's anybody will be talking about it for the weeks to come and as bad as it is, something tells me the talk isn't going to be about how great dinner was or the lovely decorations.

"Have a good night, George. Yes, I'll see you Monday morning at work."

I can hear Vic and Sadie saying goodbye as the rest of the guests leave the house. They're on the front porch, waving, smiles nailed on their faces, bolted down as if to make it seem like everything is okay. It isn't until the final guest gets into their car that I know for a fact that Vic and Sadie have been faking happiness.

"Well, that could have gone better," Vic mumbles, still looking out at the street, waving at the guests as they venture down the road and out of sight. "What in the world happened?"

Sadie rubs her head as if to ward off a headache. "Delilah had some questions and it just got out of hand."

"Out of hand?" he scoffs. "Sadie, that was disastrous."

"I know. I said I would handle it, did I not?"

Vic nods. "I have to make some phone calls. You know how quick word travels in this small town."

I can hear Sadie walking around the house. Her footsteps hit the surface of the wood deck in rhythmical strides, interrupted by the occasional creak. I'm still in the snow, looking up at the clear sky when I hear her speak out.

"Delilah, would you come inside, please?" Her tone is so motherly that all I can see in my mind is her dressed in an old, ragged dress with stains that had miss the discoloured apron around her waist. My mother is no Mother of the Year, but seeing her on the prairie, calling out to her children is so vivid in my mind now. When I look up to meet her and catch sight of the Louis Vuitton blue dress that cost a fortune, I am reminded of how wrong my mind can be sometimes. I get up without any fuss and follow my mother into the living room.

Sadie takes a seat on the sofa first, patting the cushion next to her for me to join her. I do without hesitation. And then we sit, staring into the flames of the fire in silence. I know what I want to say to her, I had it all worked out in my mind when I left the hospital. Now, I can't for the life of me, figure out where to start. Jumping out and saying that I want to destroy the people who hurt me and Nathan is hardly something I want to spit out without any build up. I want to tell Sadie how I can sit patiently and hope that everything will get better because it never does. I need to act, but I can't see Sadie giving me any notion to go as I please. Whether I believe it or not, Sadie still thinks she has better judgment than I do, that she can foresee the problems that I will inevitably face. Isn't that what a mother does?

"Okay," Sadie says as she exhales deeply. "Go."

I shoot her a look of confusion. "Go where?"

"Start." She pauses for a moment and then continues, "You couldn't wait to tell me whatever was on your mind, so start now."

"I..." The words aren't coming to me. It doesn't matter how hard I try, I can't remember what I came up with earlier. All I can think about is destruction. Destruction, destruction, destruction. The word keeps repeating in my head like a broken record. So I just say it. "I want to destroy them."

Sadie's eyebrows raise. "Destroy who?"

"Whoever did this to Nathan and me."

Sadie's lips press against each other until they form a thin, straight line. "You have no idea how many holes are in what you just said."

"Like what?" I said snappishly. "Because I seem to be the only person who wants to do something."

"To begin with, you want to take down an organization. That is, if I am hearing you correctly."

"That's exactly what I want!"

"I envy your determination, Delilah, I do. And I understand it more than anybody. But how do you plan on taking down a company when you barely know anything yourself?"

I barely know anything myself? The way she says it is like a slap across my face. It makes my cheeks burn with anger, flashing a red glow down my neck. "I know--"

"Delilah, you're a child. You don't know what your asking for. I know you think you can take on the world right now but you can't."

"I could if I had your help--"

"You couldn't keep to the simple task of keeping my alias. You blew my cover if front of a few dozen people we are to classify as friends. These people you want to go up against are strong, stronger than the people here tonight most definitely, and we haven't even discussed torture and manipulation." Sadie holds me in her disconcertingly frank gaze. "I don't think you know what exactly you're trying to get into, honey."

"But you did?" I bite my lip immediately afterwards to stop myself from lashing out any farther. I've got Sadie hooked, but I know if I push any more that I could lose her once and for all. I don't want Sadie to toss her hands in the air and walk away from this. I need her help. She's been through this. She knows more than I do and if I have any chance of doing what I want to set out to do, I need her by my side.

Sadie takes a deep breath and leans into the back of the sofa to gather her bearings. "I have done a lot in the past that I am not proud of, Delilah. I destroyed a lot of people which slowly destroyed me. And the more I did it, the more obsessed I became of it. The want to make everything perfectly correct and right that there is no evil in the world. That's why I did it, however. But the thing is, for there to be good, there needs to be bad. And yes, I did remove a lot of bad apples from the world, but the more you deal with rotting personalities, the more you become the very thing you set out to destroy. I don't want that for you."

"I get that, Sadie--"

"Do you?" The way she looks at me makes me think that she's not convinced.

"I do, and forgive me for speaking so freely, but the way I see it is that it seems a little contradictory coming from you."

Sadie cocks an eyebrow. "Contradictory? How so?"

"Why did you agree to work with Peters again after everything you knew about him and his group? After everything they did to you, to us. They ruined this whole family, had you slip into the centre of it and pull it apart from the insides and then after it all, had you locked up and threw away the key for so many years. Why would you, the woman who got stung by them time and time again, agree to help them once again when they asked for it?"

"Because of you!" Sadie says aggressively, almost to the point of yelling. "I was trying to save you!"

"Exactly," I say. "How is what I am doing any different?"

Sadie goes to open her mouth to defend herself and then closes it again.

"I get that I need to know more than I do, I get that. But, as crazy as it sounds, and I am sorry if I am being forthcoming, I am doing this with or without your help. I am not going to stick my head in the sand and hope that things get better because they're not. We're targeted and only used when somebody higher up in the hierarchy decides we could be of some use. I don't like that and it's only because of who we are. Just because I am an Alto I am pulled into this sick game, and if I'm going to play, I want to play by my own rules."

"Delilah, these people are bad."

"As I said, I'm going to do this with or without your help. Unfortunately, we both know without, it's going to take longer."

We stare at one another for what feels like hours. I know what's going through my mother's head. She's trying to find some hole in my way of thinking that will deter me from this outlandish plan that I have concocted. I don't blame her. Since I left the hospital earlier, actually since I left the hospital myself a week ago, I've been trying to find an alternative. I haven't come up with anything. Either I engage or evade. There's nothing in between.

"There's a lot wrong with how you're thinking," Sadie begins. She's not looking at me. She's crossed her right leg over her left and is running the nail of her thumb along the stitching of the arm of the sofa. For a moment, I don't think I've made my point and that she's going to continue to disregard everything I say. As a matter of fact, from her inability to look at me I have to wonder if she's about to throw me out. "You're being ignorant and not listening to what I am saying. You're being arrogant in thinking that you can accomplish such an absurd goal without any training behind you. You've been rude, foolish, and deep down frustrating."

She finally meets my eyes. "You're just like me and the reason why I know you're never going to let this go. You are my daughter, after all."

"Do you think I am out of my mind for wanting to do this?" I ask her.

"Yup, but so was I." She looks down at her nails again. "I'm not lying when I say there are a lot of holes in your plan, and I know that you're not going to let this go. Hopefully your a fast learner."

A smile tickles the corners of my lips, yet I force myself to keep a straight face. "Sadie, I just want to take back what's mine."

"Don't we all." She smirks at me. "Buckle up... it's about to get rough."

Illusions are battles of what one wants to believe is truth. It's what we're prepared to confront. As of late, I've found myself hungry for such an escape. To run free in a time when nothing else matters, where I am unable to feel pain, to feel loss. To stop the acidic bile from splashing up against the back of my throat, worrying about what my next steps need to be. A perfect illusion is Utopia and if there's anything I've learned from running for it, away from my past, it's that I am never able to find it. I'm just somewhere different. It's wearing a different face, but I know it's the same. Parallel lines blur and I am once again staring at the very thing I've been running from. Just this time, I'm ready to take it down.

[Magz from Oz]

And so the cycle of revenge begins again.  But two lone women against a well funded, well armed organisation... that can't end pretty.

[chetanhaobijam]

Excellent chapter. Good to see nothing goes wrong between the mother and daughter. Hoping the bond between them becomes stronger while training. It looks hard but if they are together they can absolutely defeat the organization. Looking forward for next update.