ock, had been poisoned against me by my own brother. Broderick' s words were a cold, ha

dowed by his own inflated ego? The thought was a sharp, twisting knife. He dismissed my premonition, a gift I' d alway

was a reincarnation of his own worst fears, a threat to his perfect new life. She whispered doubts into his ear, twistin

iving room splintered, a jagged crack echoing through th

ished marble in the entryway. The thud of a boot, then a

d, dripping with false pleasantry. "Looks l

shield. My mind raced, searching for an escape, a weapon, anything. But

ld a crowbar, its metallic sheen glinting in the dim light. The other, a pistol. The

the pistol chuckled, his eyes, dark and menacing, b

degrade, to terrify. But I wouldn' t give him

ieked, her voice a raw, p

d, towards the back door. There was a faint chance she co

ed, clutching at my shirt, her e

oice cracked, thick with desperation. I couldn'

before she could even take another step, Mom threw herself in fron

a dark, crimson stain blooming rapidly across her pale blue sweater. Her eyes, filled with agoni

My legs, numb with shock, suddenly propelled me forward. I ran, a desperate,

rd dug into my flesh, but I barely registered it. All I could hear was Mom's last plea, ec