Chapter 3

Calliope

"WELL?!" I yell a bit more forcefully than I mean to. My mother turns to look at me, tears welling in her bright green eyes, making them look even more striking against her white complexion. Her messy red hair falling out of her tightly wound bun giving away the fact that she had clearly been pulling at it for some time before we left. My heart begins to thud so loudly I think everyone in the car must hear it. It feels like ages before she speaks, im praying that whatever comes out of her mouth next will make this all so much clearer.

"....Cali sweetheart I am so sorry, we thought we had more time, we didn't think they would come today, we though we could protect you, if we had more time maybe we could have–-", she didn't get the chance to finish her sentence before our car was rear-ended by a large black SUV causing my mother to jerk forward. Our car spun out of control and smashed against the guard rail before being t-boned by a second vehicle and coming to an abrupt stop. My head collided with the seat in front of me, the seabelt stopping me from flying out of the window, costing me what im assuming to be broken ribs. As blood drips down my face and into my eye I can feel pain radiating from both my head and chest. The loud crunch of our car colliding with another still echoing in my head as it throbbed. I frantically look around to see my father has been knocked unconscious as has my brother next to me. My ears are ringing and my vision is blurry, but I can still make out the scene unfolding in front of me. Black vans and SUVs are scattered across the dark highway, starting file in all around us with men in tactical gear pouring out and surrounding our vehicle with guns drawn. As the ringing in my ears subsides I can hear my mother yelling at them, begging and pleading with them not to shoot us.

"Mom, what is going on?" My voice cracks. The look of sadness is the last thing I see on her face before the men rush to either side of the car and rip her and I out with little care for our obvious wounds. She grabs what looks like my brother's metal water bottle from the front seat and begins hitting as many people as she can with it before one of them comes up behind her and punchs her in the back of the head sending her to the ground. Pain in my head and neck causes my head to sag as they drag me, a hand under each arm, to what looks like a large armored truck. Once we stop I hear a sound click as the doors swing open and what I see does nothing but add to the confusion of the situation. Large chains holding what I can barely make out in the dark as a large metal looking box suspended inside an otherwise empty, refridgerated truck.

"Please," I hear my mother pleading with a tall broad man in a dark suit. There was something about him that just seems off, but I can't quite put my finger on it, but truthfully, nothing about this situation is normal.

"Your words mean nothing Clara. You knew this day was coming and you thought you could run. Begging holds no value coming from the mouth of a pathetic traitor, and my patience has run as thin as my pity." The man sneers with disgust practically spitting as he speaks mear inches from her face. "You know better than to disrespect him and yet you thought you could outrun the destiny that was given to you. You really thought we wouldn't find you. Blood calls Clara, you should know that, but maybe after all of this time hiding you forgot, let me remind you". Who was this guy, and why did he talk like some weird medevil villan and who the hell is Clara? He stalked closer to her and a sense of dread hit me as I saw a sinister look flash acrossed his face. As he smiled I swear I saw fangs?! No, i'm just delirious from the impact and how exhausted I am. All of a sudden I heard my mother let out a muffled groan as the man plunged a large dagger looking blade through her chest and she crumpled to the ground with a loud thud.