Diamonds in the Dark

𝓓.𝓲.𝓽.𝓓 ▰Chapter 24▰

 ▰SALLY'S POV▰

Kane doesn't come anywhere near me, strangely enough, he delivers me straight back home to my own family. I'm sitting on my bed, holding a pillow to my chest, as Dale stalks the room, hands held behind his back, Ace is walking over with a heated up hot chocolate and Jose is trying to calm down Lightning in the living room, where I can hear him screaming and throwing a fit about my first attempt at.... sigh... suicide.

"Where's mum?" I ask lightly.

"Searching for your sister," Ace hands me the cup and I take it and sniff it, suspicious that it might have some kind of drug. However, I smile and blow on it, pretending not to care.

"Ariel is crazier than me," I throw her under the bus just for one moment, so I can get the attention off me.

Ace reclines on the end of my bed, while Dale has stopped pacing to look up at me with a stern and evil expression of intense love coupled with absolute hatred and disappointment in my emotional state.

I don't smile as his stupid leopard eyes focus on me like a pathetic thing he simply has to deal with.

"Go on, spit it out," I encourage Dale to just fire away.

"I don't know why I thought having daughters would be easy," Dale begins, "You were on a date with soldiers hired to help secure the city from the latest threat of an unknown enemy, working for an unknown city – with unknown intentions. Romance. Isn't allowed."

"Define romance," I roll my eyes, and Ace chuckles, while Dale just grits his teeth.

BANG.

We all flinch when the door gets smashed open.

"LET ME IN YOU FUCKING IDIOTS," Serge shoves off Jose and storms into the room, practically launching himself at me and scooping me up off the bed into a protective hug where I cannot breathe, "What the hell is wrong with you, Sally?" Serge whispers over my head while dragging me around the room in the hug. I've had to throw away the hot chocolate and it's currently soaking into all my sheets, "Your life is precious–" my father's voice cracks and I try my best to pull out of his destructive hug, but he refuses to release me, "Talk to me, lil' lightning," he hisses.

"I'm fine," I hiss back. Serge abruptly unhands me and I stumble back, breathing heavily to get my breath back and holding up my hands in defence, in case he tries to squeeze me to death again, "I'm perfectly fine."

"Romance arises from inequality which disturbs our perfect status quo. Romance is death, Sally," Dale tries to explain himself, seriously, while Ace overtakes.

"Romance is love that is given and returned – and no one can dictate who someone else loves, boss, but nice try," Ace shrugs, and Dale cracks it.

"Then I fucking disown all my fucking children," Dale snarls, his hand cutting through the air, while Jose tries to lighten things up my clasping Dale in a hug from behind, crushing him between his tattooed veined out arms.

"Calm down now, boss, I got you," Jose smiles past Dale's red cheeks, to my entertained smile.

"I'm free – I'm disowned!" I try to dance my way to the door, but they aren't having it.

"No way," Serge jumps ahead of me and shoves me back towards my bed, "Everyone out!" he screams at the others, "NOW! IDIOTS!"

I watch as they obey him, as he has the commanding lead in STRIKE for this moment.

Jose has to half drag Dale out and Ace helps, to leave me alone with my biological father.

Serge takes a seat on a spare chair, kicking up his feet, crossing his ankles and sighing in contentment.

"Bliss while alone," he whispers at the ceiling, "Am I right, Sally?"

"Thanks for making them leave, dad, you're the best, as always," I sit cross legged on the floor, gripping my ankles as I relax with his composure.

Which is quite suddenly broken.

Serge has been closing his eyes, breathing deeply for a few peaceful seconds – but then, not so long after, he opens one eye and glares right at me.

"I can't lie to you, baby doll, someone's going to die for this –"

"For what?" I snap.

"You fell out of a fucking window, Sally," Serge can't make himself say I did it myself.

"I just want my lovers back," I hiss, "Mine."

"Lovers?" Serge freezes.

"I'm a woman, you idiot, I grew up two decades ago, for fucks sake -?" Lightning holds up a hand and shakes his head, unable to look me in the eye as he looks away – and I see multiple tears squeeze out of his grey red eyes, "Dad," I growl in a warning, "Don't start crying."

"You're too good for lousy soldiers, my darling," Serge whispers and I try not to cringe at his broken tone, "...you need to fall in love with being your best you – and fuck every loser out there."

"So... every man isn't good enough?" I grumble out.

"No man ever fucking can be, Sally," Serge shakes his head, "You don't understand."

"I think I do – and it would help if the ones that I loved weren't tortured and disfigured and then changed into monstrous army dogs because of their initial crushes on me, it's not fair," I shake my head, "It's not fucking fair. You murdered them originally –"

"Okay, let's hypothetically say you have them in your life, then what?" Serge changes his tone, "Then what the fuck, Sally? Babies? No. I don't think so. Playing house? I don't think so either."

"Why not?" I whisper, "Why the fuck not?"

"We're fucking royalty and we rule this fucking planet, we stop this planet from dying, and we don't have time for house. Baby doll, we have to remain soldiers, we have to teach, fight and survive. Love is fickle, it's great for one second, but it doesn't stop the bleeding when you're full of bullets – head to toe gushing with blood, every nerve on fire from the fighting. We're all fighting, all the time. It's what we do."

"Fighting to fight more, or fighting for peace? Which then allows time... for loving..." I try to explain my side.

"The women in this family don't get to –" Serge stops himself and looks away, "Never mind."

"Say it," I dare him too.

"Hmmm, no."

"Say it, dad, tell me. The women in this family...?"

"You don't get to love," Serge gulps, "You just don't – you're warriors, not lovers."

"While I love my friends anyway –"

"Friends," Serge slaps his hands down on the arm rests and finally makes eye contact with me, his eyes are on fire, sparking with passion, "Friends...s... plural..." his tone goes low and I hear the disapproval there.

"Like mother like daughter," I murmur.

"No," Serge stands, "NO!" I can't get another word in as he heads for my bedroom door, "NO!" he repeats, for good measure, and one more time before he slams the door shut from the other side, "NO!"

My father locks me in my room, and he stalks off swearing as loudly as he possibly can.

I text Ariel, since I have to vent my frustration somehow, where the hell are you?

I'm going to stop the trouble.

She's quick at replying.

How? I ask her.

Manipulation. One word. Ariel was good at summarising herself when she needed to.

How? I send again.

Sex. Blood.

My eyes light up.

It's that fucking simple, and I have respect for her answer.

Good luck, Ari, I send it through with a grin.

Her timely response is golden.

Thanks, the dogs will need it.