Agony

5

After Hayley had announced that Ace would be arriving soon, I waited until Stacy went to her room before pulling her to the side.

"How can you be a 'big fan' of Ace and whatnot if you murdered his mother?" I hissed. 

It had slipped my mind to ask her why earlier.

Hayley's eyes widened and her mouth fell open, she dropped her voice into a whisper. "I killed his mother?"

"Yes!" I nodded frantically. "You did! It's part of the reason Ace nearly killed me! Why would you do that?"

She shook her head. "I...I didn't know it was his mother. The men in black... I heard them say her name a couple times when they took me to that basement place. They said she ordered the killing and I wanted revenge. And...I...I don't know. I looked her up in the phonebook and found where she lived." She paused, looking at me. "I'm guessing you know what happens next."

I was in disbelief that my own sister would go and kill someone, unprovoked. But as I watched her eyes fill with tears, I could tell she regretted it. She probably couldn't sleep at night. Before I knew it, she was sobbing.

Instinctively, I pulled her in for a hug. I hushed her, "Listen. I'm not going to judge you for what you did when you were thirteen."

"You won't?" She cried out.

I shook my head. "I told you, I killed that man. I know how you feel."

Aw, just look at us. Two murderous sisters bonding over their kills. Cute.

Hayley sobbed harder, her tears falling onto my apron. I rubbed her back comfortingly.

"So I'm taking it that you won't be going to his match?" I asked once she pulled away, sounding a little too hopeful.

Hayley frowned, wiping under her eyes. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Uh...because you killed his mother?" 

Not to mention, if he notices her in the crowd he'll kill her.

"Too late, I already bought myself a front-row ticket, and like you've been going on and on, we can't waste money." She smirked. "It doesn't grow on trees, right?"

There went our bonding-over-murdering-people-who-hurt-us moment. I shoved her out of the kitchen to make my pie in peace.

As I chopped up the apples, I tried to convince myself that I had nothing to worry about.

There were no wrestling stadiums around where we lived, so as long as I stayed in my usual place, there would be no interaction with Ace.

Perfect.

* * *

"Alright, today we're starting off with some self-defence," Kyle told me as I stepped into the room we were assigned in. It was larger than the one we'd met in, practically the length of an Olympic-sized swimming pool and just as wide. In the centre of the room, where Kyle stood, there was a circle of grey matting. 

Like a wrestling ring.

"Great," I replied, placing my water bottle to one side.

My mind flashed to Ace and Dallas. The guns they'd held to my head. The lies they'd spoken. Ace's hand pressing against my neck. Dallas's look of conviction.

I couldn't wait to learn how to keep myself protected. 

I approached the matted area and without warning, Kyle stepped forward and threw an arm around my shoulders.