Rewriting History [a Ghostbird Fanfic]- on hiatus

Chapter 2

A gunshot echoed in the abandoned warehouse, filling the air once again with the smell of gun powder. Grey eyes started to dim as I fought against my bindings. Warm liquid ran down my body from the deep cuts that Volto had inflicted on me. I was forced to watch him torture them before he started to stab and slash me with his knife. He enjoyed the looks on their faces as they were powerless to stop him from harming me. After he was done with me, he shot them one by one. Owen was the last one to be shot, but his life was draining quickly. I watched as Owen moved his mouth silently before his head slumped onto his chest.

A scream tore through the air as my heart completely shattered. My scream turned into sobs and my chest heaved when I tried to catch a breath. Menacing laughter mixed with my sobbing. A large figure wearing a white mask stepped into my darkening vision. Volto walked behind the row of my boys until he came to Kota. He yanked Kota's head back with a hand. Dull green eyes stared at me, cold and empty. A trail of red ran between his ungazing eyes. His skin was losing color and his lips were slowly turning blue.

"Such a shame, little bird," Volto's voice was distorted and monotone behind his mask. "If only you had taken my advice about staying away from the Academy, they would have been still alive. They were such good boys, too. Such a shame."

His laugh was monotone while he walked to North and ran his finger over one of many bullet wounds in his chest. His gloved hand came wet with North's blood. He came towards me until he stood between me and my boys. Tenderly, he ran the same hand covered with blood down my swollen and bloody cheek.

"W-why?" My voice cracked.

Volto sharply drew his finger away from me. "Why? Because the Academy took my daughter away from me. She took a mission that they should have sent someone else and came back home differently. I found out that she was raped by a man and she became a shell of herself. When she had a child, she started to get better, but the man that raped her came back and killed her. The Academy didn't help.

"I saw the girls that were being recruited into the Academy and vowed that I would protect them so that what happened to my daughter would not happen again. Then you had to appear. Despite my warnings, you still stayed with them. It's a pity because you remind me so much of her."

He walked away after he spoke, leaving me to bleed out. The beating he gave me did some internal damage and I knew I was not going to live much longer. The pain that was excruciating had numbed. I looked at the men I had known for almost a year. They helped me and made me whole. I grew to love them before I knew that I had feelings for them. My eyes closed as I thought to when I met my boys. A green-eyed boy when he helped me after he ordered Max to tackle me. A boy with fire eyes as he jumped on me, thinking I was Kota. An apartment door opening to reveal a Greek giant. A redhead telling me to trust him to catch me before I jumped from the tree. A boy with two blonde strands among rich brown hair jumping up the last few steps to meet me. A boy with blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes surprising me as I sat in the playground of a church. A boy who I would not want to meet in an alley at nighttime catching me as I fell. A certain green-eyed doctor saving me from Mr. McCoy, and a man with steel eyes staring at me with a calculating glaze as we talked about a violin melody.

A tear ran town my cheek as I remembered the memories we made with each other. I closed my eyes, remembering the words Owen mouthed before he died. With a smile on my face, the darkness washed over me, luring me into the deep sleep.

Bright light surrounded me, forcing me to close my eyes. Behind my eyelids, I saw the light dim. The scent of wood reached my nose, making me open my eyes. I was not in the warehouse anymore but in a towering forest. Sitting up, I saw a brook running through the thick trees. Near the brook were rocks and sitting on the top of a rock was a woman. Her back was to me, but I knew that she was aware I was awake when her back straightened slightly. Her blonde hair hung to her waist in soft curls and she was dressed in a plain but white dress. The gown gathered around her ankles, not concealing her bare feet. When I took a step towards her, the figure turned, and I froze.

"Who are you?"

She nodded and stood up. She wore a small smile, sad yet happy. "A messenger."

I looked at her. "Where am I? Heaven?"

Her eyes held many secrets. "No, not heaven, but not hell either. You are in the Between, a place where only a few can come." She reached out. Her hand softly grazed my cheek. I expected to flinch yet when she touched me, it was comforting. "Your life has not been kind to you."

I shook my head. "It hasn't but then I had the boys. They were helping me. They loved me, and I love them."

The stranger stepped back. Something about her was so familiar. "True. You had the boys and you loved each of them."

I looked at her. "Do I know you? You seem familiar."

The stranger smiled again. "I'm your mother."

My legs almost collapsed underneath me. "My mother?"

She nodded. "I have been looking over you for all your life, Sang. I'm sad that I wasn't able to be there for you." My mother cupped my face with her hands. "You have grown into such a beautiful woman, Sang. You were taken from the earth too soon by a man bent on useless revenge. I am here to offer you a second chance at life or you can come with me."

I stared at her in shock. "A second chance? Would it be like my previous life?"

My mom shook her head softly. "No, if you should choose to take the chance, you will have your memories of your previous life. You will be able to make your life whatever you want."

"What about Sean and Gabriel and the others? Will they remember me?" My heart quickened at the fact of me not being with them.

She looked sad. "You will have to make the choice whether to meet them or find new people to love. You have to make a decision soon."

I looked at her with indecision. "Would you regret offering this chance if I took it?"

Tears streamed down her face. "No, of course not. You are a strong woman who will protect herself and people she loves. You are courageous and confident. No, I will not regret offering you this chance."

I smiled, and she mirrored me. "Okay. I love you, mom."

She shined with happiness. "I love you, too, baby. I will see you when it is your time." She bent down a couple of inches to kiss my forehead.

***

I woke with a gasp. The cold air bit at my tender skin, bringing me out of shock. I looked around to see a familiar room. Outside my window was the tree that I had saved me for years before I moved to South Carolina. I climbed to my feet to see a few rice grains still imbedded in the fresh wounds on my knees. With pain flaring with every movement I took, I opened my door to investigate the empty hallway. I silently made my way to the bathroom across from my room. Turning the light on, I almost screamed at what I saw in the mirror. Staring at me in the mirror was the ten-year-old version of me, not the seventeen -year-old who had witnessed the men she loved die.

I felt a smile grow on my face. With the skills I already know, I don't have to be the weak, defenseless girl in my previous life. Running back to my room, I saw the sun already ascending into the sky. I opened the window and climbed down the tree. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I ran towards the library to get to the nearest computer.