Confrontation

“Mother, I know what you did.” I began. I want to see if she’ll catch on right away. Then I’ll know to be afraid.

It looks to me like she understands.

Her eyes were wary, “And what do you mean by that, missy?”

She tapped her fingers on the end table. The sound distracted me.

“You killed them. Don’t play dumb.” I said. I made Damien hide in the other room. That way he’ll be safe even if I’m not.

“Killed who?” she replied smugly. She smiled, and I lost my nerve.

“Uh, I don’t know,” I said nervously. This was a mistake.

“The Callaway’s, dear? Marcus, Suzette, and Riley?”

Its like she was reading my mind. She must have done it. And now I felt death creeping closer to me.

Clarissa laughed maniacally. “Oh Lillian, you finally figured it out. How many years has it been? Ten? Twelve? Did someone tell you?”

“No, no one told me,” I said. I can’t let her know about Tony. He’s innocent, and he deserves to live.

“Are you sure about that? I can always tell when you’re lying to me. And there’s only one person in the world that knows what I did.” She stood up and walked over to the doorway I was standing under. She slid her icy fingertips along my cheekbone.

“I was your daddy, wasn’t it? Oh I knew he would find a way. Did he write a letter? An email? Or did he actually escape?”

I wouldn’t tell her. She would have to kill me.

“He got out didn’t he? Of course he did. And then he ran away here to tell his precious little baby the truth. How wonderful.” She walked around me, and jerked her head to the hallway. Damien was only two rooms away from us. If she found him, I would never forgive myself.

“Do you want to know how I did it? It was quite simple, really. I just snuck to Marcus’s house while they were away, slipped through the kitchen window and found the child in her parent’s bedroom. She was the easiest to kill off. I hid the body, and waited for Suzette, and I took her next. I stuffed her in the closet with her beloved daughter, and moved on to Marcus. He was tougher, but not tough enough. He tried to reason with me! He always was a fool.” Then she walked behind me and wrapped one arm around my neck.

“All I had to do was slit his throat.” And she ran her fingernail along my neck. I shivered, and she laughed once more.

I cleared my throat. “Why did you do it?” I asked. Curiosity always gets the best of me.

“Well it was mainly for fun. But it took a lot of planning. You see I never liked your father. He had a temper that I wasn’t fond of. So I decided to get rid of him. I figured I could say that he snapped, and killed his brother. But I went into detail, to make it more realistic. He never saw it coming.” She giggled. I couldn’t believe that I lived with this woman for sixteen years.

“I- I don’t understand.” I whispered. I felt like I was already dying. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too painful.

Clarissa “tsked” at me. “I wouldn’t expect you to, dear. You’ve always been thick headed.” And she knocked her fist against my skull playfully. I knew it would eventually get worse; at least she didn’t punch me.

“So now what,” I asked. “Are you going to kill me?”

She glared at me. “Well I don’t know. It would be a waste, but if I see you as a threat, I just might have to. Are you planning to tell my secret?”

I was. I had to. She killed the people I loved.

“Yes.” I said honestly. I knew it was a stupid mistake, but at least Damien and Tony would live.

“Oh what a shame,” she said. “You could’ve lived a long, happy life.”

And then I got mad. “A long, happy life filled with lies!”

I thrust my hand against the side of her face and smacked her. Then I ran down the hall to find Damien hiding in the pantry.

“Damien,” I whispered, “you’ve got to get out of here!”

He shook his head, “I’m not leaving without you.”

“Go! Call the police!” I said, and I pulled him out the door. I ran over to the kitchen and searched for a weapon. Self-defense was all that could help me now. I knew something that Damien didn’t, that the police would never make it.

I heard stumbling down the hall.

“Oh Lillian! Where are you?” Clarissa screamed angrily. I found a long knife, and that’s all I had time to get. Clarissa came around the corner of the kitchen.

“Sweetie, there is not point in fighting me. Really, you should just let me kill you. I promise not to make it too painful.” She added a smirk at the end, and lunged at me. I found an opportunity to attack, and I cut her arm with the knife. I heard her scream in rage as I bolted from the room and down the hallway. I glanced at the pantry door and saw that Damien must have already left. I silently prayed that he would be safe.

I heard Clarissa running down the hall, so I picked up my pace. I got out the front door and jumped off the porch.

“You can run, darling, but mommy always knows where you are.” Clarissa taunted me as I ran out into the street. There was about 10 blocks till I reached the nearest police station. I knew there was no way I would make it.

I sprinted and turned around the corner, my shoes sliding against the hard pavement, the footsteps of my mother were growing louder. I had to get away.

Run, just keep running, I repeated in my thoughts. I heard a door slam several feet behind me, and then footsteps approaching me. I was becoming breathless; I knew I wasn’t going to make it. And although I feared for my life, I could not forget that sacrificing myself would save Tony and Damien. "As long as they're okay, that’s all that really matters," I said to myself. Reassuring words that kept me going until my very last breath.

Just then, I saw a shape in the trees. Tony stepped out and motioned for me to move out of the way. He had a gun pointed to me.

I gasped, and I felt a sharp blow to the back of my skull. Clarissa had managed to stab me in the back of the head before Tony shot her down. I turned back just to see her body on the ground behind me. Then I saw my life flash before my eyes, and everything went black.