Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 32429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Even though his words strike me as odd and make me feel like I'm not important to my parents at all, I know deep down he's right.
This is what I was made for.
Only after Xavier's death, I can start my life all over again. With my loving parents and my darling sister Mathilda who loves me no matter what, I have everything I need.
And yet... After today, I doubt I'm ever going to be able to love myself again.
My father takes a hold of my forearm, forcing out my palm and placing a gun in it.
"Today's task is simple, but after today, we'll be doing things that are much harder for you."
"How is this simple?" I whisper, my voice breaking over the few words I'm able to get out.
"How about this," Dad suggests. "We'll flip a coin. If it lands on tails, you don't have to do anything today and we can restart this training another day. But if it lands on heads, you know what you have to do, Tallulah."
Because I don't see a way out of my situation, I find myself nodding along with his words. There is nothing else left for me to do but watch him as he silently flips a gold coin he always keeps in his pocket. And when it lands, I'm too scared to look at the results.
"Tough luck, Tallulah," Dad says. "Looks like you have to go through with it, after all. I'm going to be watching from over there. Do what you need to and once you're done, we'll talk."
He pockets the coin before I have a chance to look at it, and with deep trepidation and fear, I approach Davide with the gun still in my hands. I'm looking at it as if it's going to kill me instead.
"I don't know why they're making me do this..." I say to Davide, who has been my childhood friend for the past few years. "I don't want to do this."
"It's okay," Davide replies, his voice shaking as he stumbles over the words. "I expected this. I knew when I came to work for your father that this is how my story was going to end eventually. I knew before you did."
My eyes widen in shock. I can't believe my parents told this kid he was going to die at my hands before he even came here.
The quiet resignation on his face tells me he's made peace with his death. Even though I know there is no escaping what I have to do, I find myself hoping for a miracle.
But nothing comes and I feel my father's silence in the corner weighing me down. His eyes are always watching and boring into my back.
I raise the gun.
I point the barrel right between Davide's eyes. My hands are shaking. I've never shot a gun before and I don't know what it'll feel like when I finally fired that bullet into Davide's head.
"I don't want to do this," I whisper but no one pays it any mind.
Davide just smiles sadly, before whispering, "Make it hurt as little as you can, please. Make it be over soon, so I don't have to feel it."
Tears roll down my cheeks as I slowly put my finger on the safety trigger of the gun, clicking it off. I realize that I'll have to shoot him at a close distance. Make sure his moment of suffering is over before it even begins.
There's only one way to kill a man, that's what my father always told me. Shoot them right between the eyes, and don't look back.
I fire a shot. When my body and face are sprayed with liquid I can only imagine Davide's blood mixed with the remnants of my friend's body. I start sobbing, my shoulders hunching over, as the gun falls from my hands.
My father approaches me, laying a hand on my shoulder as he says, "Lesson number one. Never leave the safety off."
He lifts up the gun and puts the safety trigger on before placing it back in my hands.
"I want this to be yours now. Not only so you can defend yourself, but so you can start to learn the importance of keeping a weapon close by at all times. And when that's impossible, you'll need to learn to use objects you wouldn't think of as a weapon, to deliver the kill that you must make eventually, Tallulah. Do you want to stay here? Do you want me to walk you out?"
I can't reply. I'm frozen to the spot, my lips pressed together tightly to prevent more sobs from escaping. My dad gently leads me away from the garden. I never look back to see Davide's unmoving body on the ground. From the fact that no sounds are escaping him, I know I did my job.
I did what was asked of me. I killed Davide.