~Chapter 15~
Irina walked up the steps to Sydney and Vaughn’s house. She rang the doorbell, hoping someone was home. After a few minutes the door opened.
“Hello, Sydney.”
Sydney glared at her mother. “Mom.”
There was an awkward silence as Irina thought of what to say.
“Well?” said Sydney. “Is there something you want to tell me? Or are we just going to stand here?”
Irina sighed. “I know what I need to tell you. I’m just thinking of a way to say it.” She paused. “Sydney, I’m so sorry. I’m sorrier than I’ve ever been in my whole life.”
Sydney stared at Irina. “Are you really?”
“Yes.”
“If you were truly sorry,” she continued, her voice rising a little, “you wouldn’t have murdered my daughter. And you almost killed me in the process!”
“Sydney,” Irina started, “I didn’t come here to ask your forgiveness. I just wanted you to know. I know how it feels.”
“How what feels? To have your child die so young? To go through the weeks and months where you ask yourself, ‘Why not me?’ You think you know how it feels? You don’t. You are cold-hearted and merciless and you will never be able to understand the pain.”
Irina flinched at Sydney’s icy words. “I’ve been trained to be merciless and cold-hearted in my profession. But I love my family, more than anything. For weeks I tried to decide whether to go through with the murder. I knew how much it would hurt you and Vaughn. But it would save so many others. As for understanding the pain of losing a child…”
She took a small blue bottle from her purse. She handed it to Sydney.
“What’s this?” Sydney said.
“Your sister.”
Sydney gasped. “Cecilia…s-she’s…dead?”
Irina nodded slowly, tears forming in her eyes. “Shot by a marshal who was aiming for me. The bullet went straight through her heart.”
Tears were running down Sydney’s face. “Oh, Mom…I didn’t know.”
Irina nodded. “It’s alright. I just thought I should tell you.”
They were quiet for a moment. Sydney studied the bottle. How could her bright, fun-loving teenage sister be dead?
“I ought to get going,” Irina said. “The trial is in a few hours.”
“You’re going to court?”
“Yes. I don’t doubt that they’ll find me guilty…”she shook her head. “Well, I just wanted to see you and say I was sorry. I’m going to miss you.”
Sydney wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She sobbed.
Irina put her hand to Sydney’s cheek. “Don’t cry anymore, Sydney. Everything will turn out alright in the end.”
Irina turned to leave. Sydney watched her walk down the stairs and back to her car. She got in and sped away.
Sydney felt so bad for her mother. Why, she wasn’t quite sure. Irina had killed her own granddaughter. Now she was going to court, and most certainly to prison. Or worse. Cecilia had died trying to save Irina. Sydney surely did not want to meet that same fate.
Sydney sighed. She went back into the house. She knew what she had to do.
Ok...tell me what you think...
I'm not quite sure about it....
OMG that was so brilliant but sad....:sniffle: I feel tears....