Clandestine

eighty one

-diane-

Marcia Quintana's chest blooms red. She gasps and makes a horrible gurgling noise. No scream. She just collapses into the smoldering mess.

Julia is the one who screams. Tears stream down her face and she runs forward. I follow after her, worried about what her mother still might be able to do, even after she's been shot. Her mother might have handgun she is able to use or a knife that just might be able to do some damage.

Julia reaches her mother's side. I'm about to pull her away before I realize that it is too late.

Marcia Quintana is already dead.

Her empty eyes stare at the stars, her mouth still twisted into that horrible scowl. Parts of her clothes are catching on fire. Julia desperately tries to put them out, slapping the fire with her bare hands.

I gently grab her hands to stop her from burning herself. "Julia, take a deep breath."

She sobs, "I killed her. I killed my own mother. What kind of person does that? Who is able to kill their mother? We were family. We were...we were supposed to be loyal and strong and stick together forever. If you can't trust family, who can you trust?"

I say, "Family isn't some binding thing. Yes, some families care for each other and are able to support each other. But other families aren't perfect. You shouldn't be obligated to trust your family members. There are relatives that you should never be loyal to, because they are only going to hurt you in the end. Your mother was dangerous. There was no reason that you should have had to protect her, just because you were related."

Julia just sobs and chokes and blubbers. She grabs her mother's hand and apologizes.

I say, "Why don't we get away from here? We will call the police." But I don't know if we can. Will the police believe our story? The files were deleted from her computer. They might have been proof, but now...

Julia says, "Nobody will believe us. We will be charged with murder. I can't go to jail..."

I shake my head, "You aren't going to go to jail. You are a Quintana. No one would ever dare crossing your family."

"Why not? Everyone was afraid of my mother. Now that she's...she's...she's...do I even have any power anymore? I'm just...helpless."

"You are not. Do not let your mother define you. We need to decide what to do when the authorities come and find your mother's body."

Julia raises her red rimmed eyes. "We will tell the truth. I think that everyone deserves that, including us."