I lay curled on the thick branch of the old oak tree, my body trembling with exhaustion and a guilt so heavy it felt like it would crush my ribs. The night air was cold against my tear-streaked face, but nothing compared to the ice inside my chest.
This was all my fault.
The realization kept slamming into me like waves that never stopped crashing. I could have protected her better.
I should have screamed louder when Father warned me.
"Humans who know must die… I've always known that."
"So why does it hurt like this?"
"Why her?"
My stomach twisted violently as the images flashed again and again: the deep, jagged knife wounds across Maria's stomach, the way her blood had oozed slowly, darkening the sheets like a cruel painting.
"This is what we do… so why does it feel like murder?" but then my thoughts drifted to her grandmother… that poor, fragile woman who had already buried her own daughter after that tragic boat cruise.
Maria's parents had gone for a romantic getaway, laughing and waving goodbye, never to return. Now the old woman had lost her granddaughter too — the only light left in her broken life.
She had always welcomed me with warm hugs and fresh cookies whenever I came over to help Maria with projects. "You're family too, Ivy," she used to say with that gentle smile that made me feel wanted for once.
And now she was alone in that blood-soaked room, head buried in Maria's sheets, her white robe stained crimson, sobbing like her soul was being torn apart piece by piece.
I couldn't bear it anymore.
A violent heave rose in my throat. I leaned over the branch and threw up until my stomach was empty and my eyes burned. The bitter taste lingered, but it was nothing compared to the bitterness in my heart.
For several long minutes I just sat there, shaking, gasping, tears falling silently onto the leaves below. Eventually, with legs that felt like lead, I dragged myself down from the tree and stumbled away into the night.
By the time I reached the mansion, something inside me had snapped. I didn't want to control myself anymore.
I didn't care what they would do to me. They had taken Maria, my only real friend, the one person who never looked at me like I was a mistake or a monster.
Rage and grief boiled together until I couldn't think straight.
I stormed straight into the kitchen, yanked open a drawer with shaking hands, and grabbed the largest knife I could find. The cold steel felt heavy in my trembling fingers. Fresh tears blurred my vision as I turned.
I bumped straight into Seraphina.
She was leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, watching me with those calm, unreadable eyes.
"Don't do something you'd end up regretting," she said softly.
I froze for a moment, chest heaving with sobs I couldn't hold back. "What are you doing here?" I struggled to ask, my voice cracking.
"I came for water," she replied casually, stepping toward the cabinet to grab a glass cup. She glanced at the knife in my hand. "I should be asking what you're doing with a knife in the middle of the night."
I couldn't answer. The lump in my throat was too thick, too painful.
She stepped closer, her voice dropping to something almost gentle. "You know, Ivy… I let my prey think they are hunting me when really it's the other way around." She reached out and tapped my wet cheek lightly with her fingers.
"Think about that."
Then she walked away, leaving me standing there alone with the knife and my breaking heart.
I didn't understand what she meant, and I didn't care. All I could feel was the crushing weight of loss and the burning need to kill Marcus.
With heavy, dragging steps, I climbed the stairs, each one feeling like a march toward my own execution. My hand shook violently as I quietly pushed open Marcus's door.
The room was dark, but I could smell him, that faint metallic scent mixed with the lingering trace of Maria's blood. He was there, under the sheets, pretending to sleep like the monster he was.
Tears poured down my face uncontrollably now.
"You bastard…" My voice broke into a raw, guttural sob. "I would kill you… and then kill myself"!
I lunged forward and stabbed the sheets violently, over and over, the knife plunging deep into the mattress with wet, furious sounds. Fabric tore. Feathers flew.
My screams mixed with my sobs.
"I hate you! I hate all of you! She was innocent! She was my only friend! Why did you have to take her?!"
A calm voice suddenly called my name from behind.
"Ivy."
I turned very, very gently, knife still gripped tightly in my bloodless fingers, tears streaming down my face like rivers.
It was Marcus who stood there.
The moment I saw him, something feral exploded inside me. I attacked furiously, swinging the knife with all the grief and rage in my broken heart. Marcus didn't fight back.
He only dodged, moving with cold precision, letting my wild slashes cut through empty air.
But one desperate swing connected. The blade sliced deep across his shoulder, tearing flesh. Blood welled up instantly.
Marcus hissed in pain, his eyes flashing with sudden fury. In a blur, he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me hard against the wall. His grip was iron-tight, fingers digging into my skin as he lifted me slightly off the ground.
"I should kill you right now, you stupid little half-breed," he growled, fangs partially extended. "If only Father didn't want you alive… I would snap your neck and be done with it."
Hot tears kept streaming down my cheeks, mixing with the snot and saliva from my broken sobs. My legs kicked weakly against the wall.
I looked straight into his eyes, voice cracking with raw, unbearable pain.
"Yes… kill me too, Marcus," I choked out, my words trembling with desperate longing. "That is exactly what I want. Kill me. End it. I don't want to live in this nightmare anymore. Not after I failed her. Just… kill me. Please."
My voice broke completely on the last word, turning into a shattered whisper. My body went limp in his grip as fresh waves of grief crashed over me. I could still see Maria's pale, lifeless face. I could still hear her grandmother's heart-wrenching wails.
The guilt was suffocating, a living thing eating me alive from the inside.
His grip tightened around my neck.
This was it.
But then heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway, i could feel the air shift.
A powerful voice suddenly roared from the hallway, cutting through the tension like thunder.
"Leave her." Marcus froze, his head snapped toward the sound. His grip loosened instantly, and he dropped me to the floor.
I collapsed in a heap, coughing violently, my hands flying to my bruised throat as I gasped for air. Each ragged breath burned like fire. Tears continued to stream down my face, mixing with the sweat and snot. My whole body shook uncontrollably from the adrenaline, the grief, and the overwhelming despair that refused to let go.
I raised my eyes in fury as Father walked in. He tapped Marcus on the shoulder like he had just made him proud, then grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs.
I kept yelling Marcus's name angrily, my voice hoarse and broken. "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you for what you did to her!"
Father finally stopped in front of the iron door. "How dare you disrespect me, Ivy!" he yelled as he backhanded me heavily across the face. The force sent me crashing into the iron door, pain exploding across my cheek.
I wanted to rip his heart out, but I couldn't. Instead, I ran toward him in blind desperation, grabbing his hands with all the anger and pain inside me and pressing them hard against my own neck.
"This whole life is wrong father" I whispered tears pouring down my face. ""You didn't even look at me… when you gave the order".
He looked into my eyes for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he gently lifted me off the ground, my feet dangling in the air.
"I don't want this world anymore!" I yelled through my sobs. "End me! I want to die!"
But he simply dropped me.
"Get a hold of yourself," he said coldly, dusting his hands like I was some kind of dirt.
As I lay on the ground, the words left my lips before I could stop them.
"Do you know why mother cheated"? He turned instantly. …"its because we are monsters"! My voice cracked with raw pain.
"I finally understand my mother… why she chose a human over you..over me and over all of us… because even death was kinder."
"Shut up," he yelled, walking towards me, as fury blazed in his eyes..