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P4 - Chapter Thirty-three

February 25th, 2021:

Roses are red, violets are blue, I can't believe it, and neither can you. Qibli's mother, the one who mercilessly kills people, comes back and expects to just... take Qibli?

But... what if he lets her?

"*"

"Mom?"

"I never liked it when you called me that," she said thoughtfully. "Anyway, I'm here to take you back, so hurry up."

"Hurry up?" Qibli asked.

"Go pack your things," the woman reworded. "I thought you were the smart one. Also, I prefer that you call me Cobra."

"No!" Kinkajou cried. "You can't just take him! He isn't yours!" Cobra transferred her gaze to Kinkajou with boredom.

"Are you going to let her speak for you?" She demanded, before waving it off. "Whatever. Are you three going to come in or what?"

"You're horrible," I finally blurted, which I did not mean to say. That caught Cobra's attention, but she didn't seem angry. More like... amused?

"Ha," she said, grinning softly. "You're right about that. You should be afraid of me, little girl. Who are you, anyway? And who's the overly confident, talks-too-much one?"

"I don't talk too much," Kinkajou snapped. "And you are horrible! You kill people! For fun! Why aren't you in jail?"

Cobra chuckled, looking her nose down at Kinkajou. "I was in solitary confinement for the past fourteen years," she said. "They let me out. I'm no longer a criminal."

Damn.

"But you still are a criminal," Turtle objected, frowning. "Once a murderer, always a murderer."

"Ouch," Cobra said in mock agony. "Who are you? Listen here, children, that's not how the world works. Sure, I killed a few people, get over it. It's not like you knew any of them."

"You killed my first friend," Qibli said, finally speaking. His voice was low and slightly wavered, and I could see sadness but also a slimmer of hope in his eyes.

He still loves her. Despite what she did, he want her to love him back. He wants to give her a second chance.

But he won't.

...Will he?

"She got on my nerves," Cobra said dismissively. "So what? Gosh, you guys talk so much. Come on, Son." She turned around and walked inside the house.

"No."

Cobra froze before slowly turning back around.

"What was that?"

"I said no," Qibli repeatedly, and I heard Kinkajou let out a relieved sigh. In an instant, Cobra grabbed Qibli by the arm and dragged him inside.

"Hey!" Kinkajou and I cried simultaneously. All three of us hurried into the house after Qibli.

When we went in, I noticed that Sunny and Deathbringer were already standing in the living room, one frowning in anger and the other frowning in confusion. Ostrich sat on the couch near them, using her tablet one second before looking up to see what was going on.

Thorn thudded down the stairs, angry.

"I told you to get out of my house," Thorn snapped, stepping in front of Cobra.

"And I will," Cobra replied cooly. "With my son. If you want to fight me for him, then let's hustle, sweetheart."

Thorn narrowed her eyes. Her bravery was what I admired her for. Sunny's frown deepened as she took a step forward.

"Fine," Thorn replied, and Cobra's smile only grew.

"Thorn, stop," Qibli immediately said, pulling away from Cobra's grip. "She'll kill you–she isn't afraid to."

"See?" Cobra asked smugly. "He can't even bother to call you mom." She turned back to Qibli, who winced. "Go pack your stuff. You're leaving and you don't have a choice, so don't argue with me."

"Actually," Turtle said calmly. "Qibli's eighteen now, but you wouldn't know that, would you? He doesn't have to leave if he doesn't want to, and you legally can't make him."

The silence that dropped into the air was enough to murder someone.

"So, in other words," Kinkajou said, the smile returning to her face, "it's up to Qibli, not you."

"Fine," Cobra said, slowly turning to face Qibli. "Are you coming... or not?"

Oh, no.

She's making him choose.

He's definitely feeling all that pressure. I know how you feel, Qibli. Don't let it overwhelm you.

He has to choose between the person who's cared for and loved him for years... and his own mother. The person who he so desperately wanted to be loved by.

I could tell he's been dreaming of this day for years. The day Cobra would come back and beg for forgiveness, promising to be better and to give him the love and nurture he deserves.

But this isn't that day.

Thorn now seemed rather anxious as she transferred her soft gaze to Qibli, who was trapped in indecision. Kinkajou, Turtle, and I all exchanged a nervous glance, and I turned to look at Deathbringer, who seemed interested to hear Qibli's answer.

I could see fear in Ostrich's eyes as she stared at the new woman, clearly wondering who she was.

Sunny pinned her gaze onto Qibli, her confident expression faulting as she noticed the doubt and hesitation in Qibli's eyes.

I reached forward and slipped my hand into his, giving him a reassuring squeeze. He lifted his gaze to meet mine, and I could see him coming back to reality. Cobra eyed our hands with an expression that suggested she figured out we were dating.

Qibli looked back up at his mother and said, "No."

Cobra lifted her gaze to meet Qibli's determined one. "Oh, really? Are you sure about that?" She walked forward and leaned down, whispering something into Qibli's ear. Qibli's determination was demolished in an instant.

"Still sure?" Cobra asked as she pulled away. Qibli stared up at her in horror, searching her face to see if she was lying, but he knew she wasn't.

She chuckled quietly, pushing through our arms to get past. "Call me when you change your mind. If not, you should watch your back. It's not every day someone rejects me, and you know I don't take rejections well."

Cobra walked out of the house, slid into her car, and threw us all one more grin before finally driving away. The second she was gone, Thorn pulled Qibli in a bone-crushing hug.

"What did she tell you?" Thorn whispered, pulling away from him but keeping her hands on his shoulders.

"You guys might not be safe," Qibli said, a little quietly.

"What do you mean?" Sunny asked, frowning again. "Why?"

"Is she going to go full psycho mode and go on a killing spree?" Deathbringer asked skeptically.

"Probably," Qibli murmured, which caught all of us off guard.

What have we gotten ourselves into now?

<3