fallin' out of love (stemxstud)

24

Anaela

Pulling up, it was a small house, almost no bigger than a cabin with a sleek car out front and random squirrels milling around the freshly cut lawn. A down power line further down the road of small homes with large acres of land. Tall trees looking down on us like angry adults, the sky a shady color with plump clouds.

Valentine slowed behind me in her car and I grabbed my gun.

I got out of the car, nodding for her to park behind me on the narrow street. We crossed over the deep ditch separating the land from the yard, a crackly driveway with little sprouts of green veining over it.

"You stay close to me and don't let her or her people overtake you. Stay near me."

"Reassuring," she said almost numbly.

So she hadn't forgotten what I had said.

"I'm sorry," I stopped walking, turning to look at Valentine. "And if we don't both make it out of this mess together...I want you to know that I still love you...and honestly my hurt was the love that I never stopped having for you Valentine."

"Even if that means we're killing each other," she added softly.

"Yeah," I agreed, staring up into her eyes.

We both heard the sound of a bullet grazing the air.

Valentine and I dropped to the ground, then started crawling towards the house, trying to locate the shooter as the bullet hit the car in the driveway, my mother's, I'm assuming.

"They could be anywhere in the tree line," Valentine huffed, covering me with her body. "We need to get to the house and see if they're inside. Are you sure this is the place?"

"I think this is where she might be...or where Teece is," I repeated, staring into her eyes. We got to the house, and I carefully walked towards the house, my gun trained towards the unseen of the open front door and closed porch area.

"Stay close by," I repeated roughly.

"I'm here," she sighed.

I kicked open the porch area, a small metal door leading way into the open house. I peeked my head around the first hall I saw, gun trained upwards.

"Teece? Kenasha?" I called out.

All I saw was a foot flying and the gun was kicked out of my hand, quickly disarming me as my mother came around the corner. "Haven't you learned your manners, dear?"

"Hard to when you don't have your parent around," I said, my eyes hard. Valentine trained her own gun at my mother, nervously glancing back behind us at the open door way. I didn't see a weapon on my mother in sight. Any of us could be shot at any moment if my mother had people outside. Which was highly likely.

"If you didn't want me to really take over, you coulda just said that," I crossed my arms.

"I'm sure you've realized what I want...and what you'll get in return?"

"And why would I want Teece? Why would I trade Valentine in for Teece?"

A little smile played on her lips.

"Because you're a smart girl," my mother took a step towards me, her presence threatening.

I spotted where the gun had flew to. Through a spider web underneath a giant, early 2000s styled television set. "Oh...I am," I let my gaze quickly train back on her.

"Teece is your sister."

I scoffed.

My mother rose a hand up. "From your father...not me, Anaela," she added gently.