Devil’s Daughter

C R U S H E D

Lorraine Lebedev

Day 1

"Mother!" I screamed.

I quickly rushed towards her and placed her head on my thighs.

My chest tightened when I saw tears streaming down her face.

"Mom, mom, no, no don't worry you will be okay..." I sobbed. "You'll be okay." Nodding my head rapidly, I convinced myself that this was a dream. That I should pinch myself awake.

She grabbed my hands and kissed it. "Don't worry baby." She whispered, smiling wickedly. "You did this to me, you killed me."

Blood rushed out of the open wound as the warmth of life was slowly fading away.

I woke up with a gasp. My sweat drenched in the sheets as it slid off my body. I looked around widely, certain to find an intruder but nothing except deep shadows skulled the corners of my room.

The pale blue hues of twilight, filtered through the white lace curtains, the wind fluttering the windows.

It was just a nightmare.

It was just a nightmare.

It was the first time I've ever had a nightmare of my mother, especially since her death. This was something new.

My heart rate slowed down and I took deep breaths as I pulled myself up. Both my arms chained to the bed.

I couldn't move or do anything to protect myself. I was basically useless which made me angry. I hate feeling pathetic. I feel weak.

I glanced at the digital clock beside me, the huge numbers written in bold text read 2:25 a.m.

I used all my strength and tried to break the wooden bed frame but it was too strong, instead the more I fought in the chains the more I bruised myself. After what felt like forever of trying, blood was trickling down my arm.

I let out a sigh and pressed my head against the headboard.

I'm stuck. There is no hope.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Day 4

The howling of the wind brought my eyes to open. Where was I? Focusing in the dark of night, confusion washed over me as I came to realize I was in an empty room.

"Lorraine." A woman's voice called out from a distance.

Shivers ran down my spine when I stared in horror – that wall was stained with gruesome blood stains. What the smell was became all too obvious and I felt the need to vomit... that motion put away and forgotten in an instant when the shuffling of feet rustled behind me. Panic. I turned around in a blur, my eyes huge and watering.

I took a few steps back and tripped on something.

My body fell to the ground, my chest crushing my heart. I suddenly saw blood all over my hands. The colour in me drained when I lifted my gaze and saw the body of my mother. She wore her wedding dress, but it was covered in her blood, suddenly a loud gunshot rippled within the air.

My body jerks back when her head splits into two,

No, no, noooooooooooooo

I gasped when my body jerked up.

My chest heaving up and down, terror overtook my face as my lower lip trembled, sweat beaded my forehead.

I squeezed my eyes shut as counted to ten. I haven't been sleeping for the past 4 days.

All I ever got was nightmares of my mother.

I wanted to cry my lungs out begging for the nightmares to stop but it only got worse as if I was being haunted by my own mother.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Day 16

A lamp?

A tall standing lamp radiated a warm light only a few meters in front of me. Was it real or a figment of my abused? Curiosity would get the best of me, lending me a tiny spurt of energy to boost me on my feet. Teetering footsteps led me forward cautiously, random tremors reminding me of my weakness. The lamp was close enough to touch, its friendly warmth the only hope in the world to me. Basking in it for some slow seconds. Turning sharp on my heel, I let out a blood curdling screech as I came face to face with the most horrific thing I had ever seen.

Huge fly-like eyes took in my paling complexion, and a lopsided smile of stinking razor sharp teeth mocked me. Rancid skin that looked like the algae layer that sat upon a swamp bubbled and oozed, trickling down a sharply shaped.

"You did this to me Lorraine." she cried.

' Flight or fight reaction chose the obvious option and I turned back again to run. Where, I did not.

"NO!" I yelled, my eyes wide open as I stared widely at the blank ceiling.

There is it again, the nightmares.

They haven't stopped, they just kept getting worse and worse.

I was tired and mentally drained. Why is this happening?

Why?

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Day 21

I was too scared to hear anything, but there was only silence. All around me screeches and squeals. The echoes and shadows of voices broke through my muted musings, my brain was having trouble processing.

I hear a click, followed by the door being pushed open.

I slowly lifted my gaze and saw one of the maids bringing in a tray of food. The woman avoids my gaze the whole time.

"Where is my father?" I question, my voice rough and low.

She sets the tray of food on the night stands and turns on her heel, walking away.

"Please tell him I'd like to see him now." I blurt out. She paused for a moment before heading to the door. "Please." I added as she shut the door and locked it.

Anger rippled through me as I let out a frustrated breath. I looked at my tray of food and shoved it off the shelf as the food messed on the floor and the plates shattered into pieces.

A soft cry escaped my lips, as my eyes welled up with tears.

Moments later my head shot up when I heard the door open and shut.

Father stood by the door as he wore his signature white shirt and black pants combo.

"You asked for me," he says.

I swallowed hard as I glared at him. "What do you want from me?" I questioned.

I was tired, I gave up a long time ago and these nightmares I kept having for the past 21 days have been getting worse. I can't keep waking up being feared and weak of nothing but my subconscious that keeps playing mind games with me.

I just want all of it to end and the only one who could grant me that wish is him.

"If you are planning on killing me just do it, instead of leaving me here to rot." I snarled.

Semion's jaw clenched. He took slow cautious steps towards my bed and I shuffled back, making sure that I am as far away from him as possible.

"I'm not going to kill you Lorraine." he drawled. I gave him a dirty look. "Then why am I here?"

Semion's hand tightened into a fist as he met my cold stare. "You are a splitting image of your mother." he leered.

A wave of fury crushed into me. "You have no right to speak about my mother after what you have done to her." I spat. Semion unclenched his fist and his shoulders fell. "You might hate me now but one day you are going to thank me Lorraine."

Thank him, that will happen when hell freezes over which is never. I would never thank him for taking the one thing that kept me moving in this God forsaken earth.

I laughed and shook my head. "I will never thank you."

"You took the one thing I loved away from me, I cried to you, I needed you yet the very same person who I thought was my only family left in this world, f*****g betrayed me and for what? Why did you-just why!" I did not know I was crying until I felt warm liquid falling onto my cheek.

Semion drew in a long breath.

"I did it for you, for us. Your mother was just in the way. You have so much potential Lorraine I see the fire in your eyes. You could be so much out there in the world especially with my name that you carry in your blood. For years I've always wanted a splitting image of myself so that they can carry on my legacy but I was cursed with a girl. I secretly despise your mother for that yet I am a man of honour. I will never abandon something that belongs to me, your mother made me promise that I shouldn't let you be exposed to my work and I agreed but I knew one day, one day that I will turn you into something great. Something where all men will fear." he says. "Your mother made you into a softy and something like that would never allow you to survive in a world as cruel as ours. So that made me understand that to break something as pure as you I should take away something that turned you into that. Which was your mother. The moment you acted out of rage after your mothers death I knew that I finally unlocked the monster in you. The monster that my family has carried in their blood for generations to continue the legacy of the Bratva, and you my dear child..." he paused leaning dangerously close as he placed his thumb on my cheek. "You are the next generation to carry on the Bratva. There is so much I want to teach you so that you can become the best of the best so that you can be by my side and we rule the world together. Father and daughter."

"I can give you the power, the fear, I can turn you into something more stronger, more powerful, all you have to do is take my hand and trust me Lorraine." he preached, my face twisted in disgust.

All of this pain caused me, All this suffering...

Was it for power?

For me to join him and become another monster, just like him. Killing, torturing, stealing...

For power and wealth.

He did not see me as his daughter, he never saw me as a daughter, he saw me as a pawn to continue his sickening legacy of the bratva and the best way to do it was take everything away from me and turn me into a monster. A personally killing machine.

Turning me into my worst nightmare.

Turning me into him...

I force myself out of his grasp and look him dead in the eye.

"No matter how much you take from me. I. Will. Never. Be. Like you, Simeon." I stated bitterly, pure hatred for this man standing in front of me seethed in my veins.

I wanted to kill him, I wanted him to die under my hands.

Simeon, pulled back, disbelief and rage clouded his eyes.

"I was afraid you might say that." he lets out bluntly. His expression was calm and collected yet fury burned in his eyes. "Privesti yeye." he says aloud. {Translation: Bring her.}

Moments later Dante walks in with a body sleeping in a bed transport. My brows pulled together when he removed the sheet covering their face.

My eyes went wide when I noticed that it was Katina, consciously sleeping in the bed.

She is still in her Coma.

I turned to Simeon, terror clouding my vison.

"No matter how much I take from you, you will never join me." he quotes my previous words. "Let us test that." He turns to Dante and signaled him a curt nod. Dante pulls out his gun and pulls the trigger, the bullet piercing through Katina's flesh.

"Noooo!" I yell.

I try to free myself from the chains that are holding me down but it only burned into my flesh as the old wound re-opens and warm liquid pools out of my flesh.

"You monster!" I cried out to Simeon who only watched me with amusement. "Still not budging?"

"How about I kill Raphaël next, maybe that will change your mind." he asserts.

Tears spilled out my eyes, my chest tightened as it became hard to breathe. I swallowed hard and shook my head. "No, you dare touch him, I will kill you in my sleep." I threatened and he laughed.

He snaps his fingers and Dante hands him a tablet. Siemon turned the tablet to face me and I panic when I see a Raphaël in an Airplane as he talks to Abree and Rhett.

He looked worried, and stressed.

"He is on his way here to Moscow from Italy. You know what's nice about being the head of the Bratva, a lot of people fear you and when someone fears you, you have the power to control them. So I would hate to see a report about a plane being blown mid-air all over the news." he confirmed.

"So, tell me Lorraine, join me or say bye bye to Raphaël." I stated.

Join him and become something I have been running from for years or get the love of my life killed?

I lowered my head in defeat.

"I'll join you."