“I know. I promise, I’ll be good,” Matthew says. “I’ll hang back until Hermon can figure out when the time is right. And, Alannah, Brennan, thank you for all your help with this. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate you both so much.”
“Don’t mention it,” Alannah says. “She murdered my family, too. I want justice for my sisters and those children back where they belong, with me.”
Turning back to the window, Matthew sees the people in other cars staring and pointing at the sky, looking equally as bewildered by the ever-changing colour of the clouds. Peering back up at the clouds himself, he sees the black element taking over the purity of each cloud, one fragment at a time. Shaking his head, Matthew hopes they’re not too late.
“Please, God. Help us,” he whispers.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“He’s here.”
Seated in the rocking chair inside her room, Eve is wrapped up in a warm fuzzy blanket and is cradling Honey. Singing her a little song, she rocks back and forth in a rhythmic fashion. Her eyes are welling up. Fearful about what will happen over the course of the next eight hours, Eve is savouring the moment with her daughter. Unsure of their fate, but aware that Jezebel is confident of her plan and her successful reign over the universe, Eve feels a deep internal sadness. This outcome will seal Honey’s fate and it’s one she never wanted for her precious baby. Just the thought of handing over her own daughter’s soul eats Eve up inside.
“My baby, I am so sorry I got us into this mess.” Eve sobs. “I didn’t know. I really didn’t know. She had me fooled like everyone else, and now I don’t know what to do. The sky is already transforming and the clock is ticking.” Wiping her tears, Eve continues. “One thing I am certain of, my darling, my precious baby girl, is that I want you to know that no matter what, I will always love you, and I tried to fight for you and your purity for as long as I could.”
“You’ve really taken to this role, haven’t you?” Thomas says as he appears at her side.
“Goodness. Can’t you knock or something?”
“Knock? Really?” He laughs.
“Well, you know what I mean. Warn me before you show up, or don’t just show up behind me or at the side of me. I keep thinking it’s you-know-who.”
“Okay, I promise I will whisper your name before I appear next time, okay?”
“Okay.” Eve says as she looks back at her daughter to admire her cuteness.
“Look at how gorgeous my niece is…” In a giggly tone, he continues. “Aren’t you, aren’t you just gorgeous and you know it. Yes, you do.”
Smiling, Eve’s body warms at the sight of her daughter’s gummy grin at her uncle.
“Wait, she can see you?” Eve says, stunned.
“Yes, of course she can. Children are susceptible to different frequencies. They haven’t been programmed yet to believe or disbelieve what is in front of them. And so anything they see, they believe.” Returning to his giggly girlie tone, he leans in and strokes Honey’s cheek as he says, “Don’t you, my little chunky butt.”
“It’s over, Thomas,” Eve blurts out. “There’s nothing more I can do. She’s going to win this war, and I have to accept that I’ve played a huge part in this destruction, and now I am powerless to stop it.” Eve’s eyes are bright red as she tries to hold back the tears. “I can’t even save my own daughter, Thomas. I mean, what kind of mother am I?”
“Hey, you’re the best mother there is, let me tell you. Honestly, Eve, that little girl is lucky to have you as a mummy. You’re an inspiration.”
“I’d hardly go that far. I’ve destroyed families, including my own.” Standing, Eve walks across to Honey’s crib and places her inside.
“Eve, it’s not about what you have done wrong, it’s about what you do to make it right.”
“I can’t do anything to make it right,” Eve says as she marches across to the window. “Have you not seen the sky? She’s already in transition. And I tried to reach out to my father, but I got too scared that she’d somehow hear me, or pick up the cell frequency radiating from my room, so I slammed the phone down and broke it into a million pieces.”
“Did you hear what he said as you ended the call?”
“No. Just something about him never stopping looking for me.”
“He said that he was on his way to get you. Father’s here.”
“What!” Eve exclaims.
“Yes, he landed in New York a few hours ago.”
“How… I mean, what… where is he?” Eve seats herself in the rocking chair. Her legs feel weak.
“He’ll be arriving at a local B&B any minute now.”
Sobbing into her hands, Eve’s overwhelmed.
“We might be able to win this thing, Eve. I just need you to work with me.”
“Have you seen him?”
“Who… father?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen him. He’s a bit beaten up, but he’s ready for the battle, and he seems to have a rather good team alongside him.”
Wiping her face, Eve sniffles, “Team?”
Thomas makes his way towards Eve and kneels beside her. “Yeah, there’s a few others who are helping him – you know, gather information, stay strong, all the usual stuff you need when you’re about to fight the most dangerous and powerful demon ever known in existence.”
“So, he knows how to defeat her?” Eve looks to Thomas, her eyes now puffy.
“Well, that’s why I’m here. Father has a theory on how she is defeated and he’s right about the majority of it. However, there are certain missing fundamentals that I need to discuss with you, as if all bridges are not burned correctly, then father will stand no chance, and she will be successful in her takeover. It’s going to take a cunning combination of you and father for this to go to plan.”
“I’m in,” Eve replies.
“Wait, hang on a minute, you don’t even know what’s expected of you yet,” Thomas protests.
“Is it going to save my daughter from being tainted by evil?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m in. I don’t need to even think about it. Just tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do it.”
A desperate mother, Eve is willing to sacrifice anything she can to save her daughter from the clutches of evil. Standing from the chair she marches her way to the crib, reaching in she collects Honey and holds her tight.
“Mummy is going to make this right. I promise I will protect you.”
It’s time to make things right! Aware she must step up and remove Jezebel from her reign of terror, Eve’s prepared to pay the price for her mistakes and misjudgements. She is ready and willing to do whatever Thomas requests of her to put an end to this destructive behaviour.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“The Terrible Twosome!”
Holding the bag with presents inside it firmly in one hand, Alannah links arms with her husband with the other as they walk up the long pathway leading to Lisa and William’s house, which looks more like an English manor. In absolute awe, Alannah can’t believe just one family lives inside this ginormous home.
Surrounded by the winter wonderland on the lawn, Alannah’s eyes light up. All that’s missing from this magical creation is a real-life Santa, and some Elves tapping away making toys. Clearly Lisa and William have incredible taste and a love for Christmas.
Impressed by their efforts, Alannah says, “I can’t wait for us to have a proper home, so we can dress it up like this.”
“What’s wrong with the apartment?” Brennan says sarcastically.
She rolls her eyes. They finally reach the door and Brennan rings the bell. Straightening her blouse and fluffing her hair, Alannah anxiously waits for Lisa or William to answer. Biting her bottom lip, she looks to Brennan.
“Just be calm. It’s going to be alright,” he says to her.
<
br /> “I know.”
Before she can say anything else, the front door is opened by a slender woman wearing a plum-coloured jumper, a black skirt and thick black tights, complimented by a reindeer antler headband.
“Merry Christmas, you two,” she says, beaming. “Welcome to our home.”
Noticing a gash across her face, Alannah is instantly taken aback.
Brennan gently nudges Alannah’s arm before leaning in and giving the woman a hug. “Hey, Merry Christmas, Lisa. This is my wife, Alannah. I know you guys haven’t met yet.”
“Aww, Merry Christmas, Alannah, it’s so great to finally meet you.”
Deciding not to say anything about the laceration to her face, Alannah hugs her. “Merry Christmas to you and your family. And thank you so much for letting us call over on Christmas Day at such short notice. Here, it’s not much but we got you all some gifts.”
Taking the bag from Alannah, Lisa says, “That’s too kind of you. You honestly didn’t have to, but thanks, guys.”
“Did I hear an Irish accent…?” William appears from behind Lisa wearing a rather embarrassing Christmas jumper with a flashing Rudolph nose.
“Hey, Merry Christmas, man,” Brennan says, putting out his hand. Sharing a long overdue fraternity palm clasp and manly hug with his friend, Brennan continues, “Yeah, so this is Alannah, my super cool wife.”
“Alannah, great to meet you,” William says as he hugs her. “I mean, we were starting to think that this one had made you up from his fantasy list or something…”
“Aw, come on, man.” Brennan smirks, his face going red. “We’re not even in the house yet and you’re already starting.”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I’m just fooling around. Alannah, I apologise. It’s just been a while since we’ve seen each other, and I’ve had a few beers.” Stepping outside, he says, “Come in, come in.”
“Thank you,” Alannah replies as she steps into the house.
Looking up, William shouts, “Ew, look at that ugly fucking sky. What’s going on with that?”
“Dude, I think you’ve had a few too many eggnogs.” Brennan laughs. “It’s early afternoon and you can’t even stand up right.”
“Eggnogs. Eggnogs.” William laughs. “Not me, I’m on the beers and alcohol.”
Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Brennan chuckles. “Come, let’s pour me one of whatever it is you’re drinking.”
“Yes, let’s do that,” William replies as he sets off swaying back inside the house.
Taking off her shoes, Alannah feels the warmth from the heated flooring. The house might be oversized, but it certainly is toasty. Alannah notices a black hair tie on her wrist and decides to fix her hair up high. Brushing the loose strands of her hair off her face, she tugs at her blouse to straighten it once more before following Lisa into the kitchen.
“Them two lunatics have gone into the living room. I think William wanted to show Brennan his baseball card collection. He’s got it all laid out on the table. Driving me crazy, he is.” Waving a bottle of red wine, Lisa asks, “Wine okay?”
“Erm, yeah, sure, why not. Just a small glass should be fine. We’ve got kind of a busy schedule, so I don’t want a fuzzy head.” Alannah laughs awkwardly. “You know, I never drank until recently, and now I always seem to make bad choices when I’ve had a few too many.”
Laughing, Lisa replies, “Oh, I know that feeling all too well.”
Scanning the kitchen, Alannah cannot believe how big it is. In fact, she’s sure it’s bigger than the kitchen they had in the nunnery and that was used to cater for every person living inside the convent. Organisation is clearly Lisa’s speciality as there is not a single sign of Christmas chaos to be seen. In fact, Alannah spots that she’s even prepped all the food for their Christmas dinner. Colourful vegetables have already been chopped perfectly and layered in the steamer on the side. The turkey has been basted and is resting on top of the oven. Neatly placed side by side are around five other silver tin dishes on the side, covered and ready to go in the oven. In awe of her ability to put all of this together and still look fabulous, Alannah smiles as she seats herself at the island in the centre.
“So, how are you finding living in America?” Lisa asks as she pours Alannah her drink. “You came over straight from Ireland, right?”
“Yeah, I did, that’s correct. Oh, I love it here. It’s a big transition, but I mean who doesn’t love America, right?”
“Oh, for sure. Certainly is the land of dreams,” Lisa replies as she raises her hands in a look-at-what-I’ve-got kind of way.
“Yeah, exactly. Well, you know first-hand with this beautiful home you live in.”
“Aww, thank you so much. We designed the house ourselves. It took a while for completion, but honestly, don’t tell my husband this because I drove him insane over it, but it was so worth the wait.”
Looking around, Alannah jokes, “So how many butlers do you have?”
“Oh no, there’s no butlers. I have a cleaning lady who comes twice a week and that’s it. It’s just me, William and the twins.”
“That’s nice. So, where are these handsome boys I’ve heard so much about?” Alannah asks.
“They’re in their toy room.”
“Aw, that’s super sweet. I bet they’ve been excited all morning, what with Santa’s arrival.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Well, I’d love to meet them.”
Stopping dead in her tracks, Lisa doesn’t respond to Alannah’s request.
Alarmed by Lisa’s reaction, Alannah says, “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”
Taking a deep breath in and passing Alannah her wine, Lisa remains silent.
Confused by the dramatic change in her energy, Alannah asks, “Erm, is everything okay?”
Again, no response.
“Oh dear, they haven’t been naughty boys this morning, have they?”
Without turning her head, Lisa gives her a glancing look of fear. Now Alannah knows something isn’t right.
“Lisa, you can talk to me, you know.” She reaches her hand out to hold Lisa’s. “Is everything okay with the boys?”
“I…” Lisa shakes her head. “I’m being silly, it’s nothing, just forget it.”
“Okay, but please just let me say one thing.” Stretching out and placing her hands on Lisa’s shoulders, Alannah looks her dead in the eye. “I’m not sure if Brennan told you, but I have been a loyal sister to a convent all my life. I trust unto God, and right now I’m getting all sorts of signals telling me that something isn’t right with you.”
Breaking eye contact, Lisa throws back the remainder of the wine in her glass and then immediately refills it. “Oh no, don’t be silly,” she says in her unconvincing tone, watching the wine splashing into the glass. “Everything is perfect.”
Sceptical, Alannah plays along. “Perfect. Well, that’s a relief. So, can I go and meet the boys? I’d like to give them their Christmas present.”
Twiddling her fingers, Lisa reverts to staying quiet.
“I’d love to meet them.”
“They’re napping,” Lisa says as she takes another huge gulp of wine from her glass. Turning her back to Alannah, Lisa walks away and stands by the kitchen sink. Looking out of the kitchen window, wine in hand, she says nothing further.
“You just said they were in their toy room.”
“Oh no, I was wrong, that was earlier. They were playing just before you came.”
“Oh, okay,” Alannah says as she perches herself back up onto her seat by the kitchen island. Deciding to get off the subject, she says, “It’s real nice having children around at this time of year. I’m sure you’ve all had a lot of fun this morning and that’s why they’re wiped out.”
“You have children?”
“No, not biologically anyway. At the conve
nt, we housed fifty orphaned children who I like to think of as close to my own. I’d do anything to protect them.”
“How kind and unselfish of you all.”
“Yes, I miss them all terribly. Tell me to shut up, it’s none of my business, but that’s one heck of a gash upon your face there. How did you get it?”
Closing her eyes, Lisa breathes deeply and says, “I… erm…” Struggling to speak, she again gulps her wine.
Becoming really concerned for this woman’s safety, Alannah notices the wine in the glass sloshing around. Her hand is trembling.
Putting the wine glass on the side, Lisa says, “Oh, it was nothing, really. I tripped.”
“You tripped.”
“Yeah. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, that’s fine. We don’t have to talk about it, but you should know I could help you.”
“I just….” Lisa cups her head in her hands. “Argh, I’m just being paranoid, for sure. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be speaking to you about this.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Alannah says as she hops off the chair and rushes back to Lisa’s side.
Alannah guides her to the nearest chair. Kneeling beside her, Alannah says, “Please, just tell me what’s wrong. It’s Christmas, for goodness sake, you shouldn’t be shaking, you should be smiling, singing and playing with your family.”
“I know, it’s just so sad.”
“What’s sad? Please, tell me. Let me see if I can help you.”
“So… the boys…”
“Yeah.”
“They have been acting standoffish for a while now.”
“Okay, what do you mean by standoffish?”
With sadness in her eyes, Lisa says, “I don’t know, maybe it’s just me they can’t bear to be around.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
Fidgeting in her chair, Lisa continues, “Well, they’ve been very aggressive recently at home. Hitting out. Spitting. Saying they no longer want to live with me or their dad. It’s like they’re filled with nothing but hate for us both and I don’t know what we did wrong.”
The Broken IV: Vengeance Page 22