I could barely process any thoughts, let alone words. I'm not even entirely sure if I had spoken out loud or in my head. If there was ever a moment in my life where I was completely and utterly bewildered, this was it. I stare at my mum's long, dark hair. Her lipstick-red lips curl into a smile and I cock my head to one side, bemused. It's her alright. I manage to think. Her face was expressionless, her dark brown eyes giving me no hint as to whether she was aware or not of what was happening, if she knew who Thorn and Spike. She had the same type of hoodie and dark pants as the two men, and I couldn't seem to put two and two together. I just couldn't. Finally, after what seems like forever, my train of thought returns and I can't get my questions out fast enough.

"How... I... Mum... They..." I stammer, not sure how to start my question. Does she realise who she's with? What's she doing here? Why is she wearing all black? She can't possibly be with Thorn and the other assassins right? I wipe the last thought from my head. I can't just jump to drastic conclusions like that. I scold myself, but intelligence training with Erik had taught me to pick up on words and conversations that could be of importance. I recall Thorn's profound voice as he had pointed to the vehicle and stated "The boss is here."

A sudden chill fills me completely and I gaze at my mum hopefully. "Mum?" I squeak, my voice pathetically high.

She cocks her head at me, her fine eyebrows puckered at me. "Yes I am your mum Sweetie, I think we established this when you were born," she says with a slightly mock tone of voice that I didn't recognise.

Spike sneers, wiping away at some more blood.

I try again. "No... Mum..." I continue to stare at her with frustration and confusion.

"Audrey dear, please do stop repeating yourself, it gets quite tiresome."

Something in her voice made me want to shrink back down onto the ground. Her voice was... different. She seemed different.

"Mum... they're assassins." I gesture to the two men, dreadfully hoping that Thorn's words were not true, that she was clueless in the whole matter. It can't be.

She laughs and shakes her head, her glossy hair falling messily on her shoulders. "Don't be absurd. That's a bit far-fetched isn't it?"

A twig of hope reaches into me. Maybe she doesn't realise who they are... if I could just warn her...

"Well, I suppose they sort of are," she admits, holding my gaze steadily.

I feel my heart sink and a sudden coldness grip me, despite the night being quite warm.

"They're trained in a variety of things I suppose you could say," my mother looks thoughtfully between Spike and Thorn.

"Erik's on his way I trust?" she asks Thorn, who nods his head vigorously.

"They'll be here," he answers gleefully.

"Good," she nods, and I wonder if what I'm hearing is for real.

"What happened to you?" she nods her head towards Spike's bloody neck who turns his attention to me.

"That one happened," he growls, pointing at me.

My mother tuts and walks towards me, pinching my cheeks. "Audrey! If you treat all of my people like that, there won't be any left! Silly girl."

I stare at my mum in horror, trying to think of when she had adapted that patronising voice. As if only noticing the blade pressed against my back, she places a hand to her mouth.

"Thorn! I thought you might treat my guest with a little more respect!" in a swift movement, she grabs the blade from his hand and points it towards his chest. "You weren't thinking of making a move without my consent were you? I would just hate for you to... go..." she leans in close to his ear and I just manage to make out the words. "Personally, you were always my favourite." She shoots a quick glance at Spike, who tries wiping away at the blood with his already bloody hands, making even more of a mess. "Some of the others have always been a little... stupid. Don't you think?"

For the first time, I could see a slight hint of fear in Thorn's face, something I never thought would scare me to my core. I glance at my mother nervously. Tell me this is a dream. A really, really bad dream...

She presses the blade a little harder into Thorn's chest. "It'd be a real shame, you know?"

"Come on Boss," Thorn mutters. "I wouldn't have done it. I was only tryna scare her a little."

My mother nods her head and smiles smugly. "Okay." She withdraws the knife and steps back, twirling it in her fingers with such profession, you'd think she'd done it all her life. Maybe she has. I shudder at the thought.

"So how are we going to do it?" Mum stops twirling the blade and places one hand on her hip. "So many ways, so many ways!" she paces in front of me. "There's the C4 or..."

"What are you talking about?" I speak up, my voice seemingly distant. What is she on about? I shake my head. This can't be happening... tell me it's not real.

"Your so called 'friends' of course!" my mother sighs exasperatedly. "They really are getting on my nerves."

I step forward. "What do you mean...?"

"Now Audrey," my mother says sharply, stopping in front of me. "No need for that tone young lady."

"What..." I cry out, growing frustrated. Is this some kind of a joke?

"I need to get rid of them, capish?" she rolls her eyes.

I shake my head at her in disbelief. "You're not my mother," I mutter in denial. Though her appearance said otherwise.

"Oh Audrey must we go through this?"

"My mother wouldn't try to kill my friends!" I say, louder than intended. But my frustration was growing. This isn't possible. I grit my teeth. I know my mum. I clench my hand into a ball. Then again, I thought I knew my dad too. A little voice adds in my head. I wash the thought away. No. That's different. Dad's job was meant to help people but... but Mum...

"Oh Darling," she raises her eyes towards the sky. "I told you, they're in the way. Just like your father was."

The statement was like another blow in the chest. "What did you do?" I glare at my mum, not believing my ears, hot tears streaming down my face. She shrugs, twirling the knife once more in boredom.

"No. You would never... he." I struggle to find the words as I hold back a sob. "They did it!" I point an accusing finger at Thorn and Spike.

"Yeah, you're right," my mum says slowly, and for a split second, I find myself wondering if I had misunderstood this whole conversation.

"Thorn here did it. I gave him the instruction to do so. To crash into Michael. How do you think he got that scar Sweetie?" my mother replies, nonchalant.

I look between Thorn's blank face to my mother's sweet smile. That sweet smile that I had grown up to love. That smile I had found comfort in so many times. Now that smile just was just a reminder of all those twisted lies she told me. How could I be so stupid? I glance at Thorn's deep scar before returning my attention back to my mum.

"You... you ordered Dad to be killed?" I couldn't believe the words escaping my mouth, and I wiped an angry tear away.

"Oh Sweetie..." she begins.

I shake my head violently. "No! Don't 'Sweetie' me! You killed my father! You killed your husband!" I shout angrily, not bothering anymore to wipe away at the constant stream of tears cascading down my cheeks.

"Oh stop being so drastic!" My mother goes to roll her eyes when I take a step towards her.

I feel Thorn immediately at my back and my mother whom I barely recognise raises her eyebrows, amused.

"No. You wouldn't do that, you..." I stop, trying to form a sentence, my feelings conflicting each other. She wouldn't. She didn't. It doesn't make sense.

"Look. If your father didn't go snooping around in places he shouldn't have, it never would have happened! You think I wanted to kill him? He earned a lot of money doing what he did and I also got a lot of info thanks to him," she steps towards me and I take a step back, mortified.

"No, you loved him... when he died..."

"Ugh," she places a hand to her face. "I've never had to act so pathetically in my whole life."

I shake my head again, my mother's face a blur as the tears continued to come.

"No... you had me... you and dad must have loved each other..." my hands start to tremble at my sides. Please let this be a nightmare.

She waves her hand in the air carelessly. "You were a mistake."

The words stung and I dig my fingernails into my palms.

"When your father found out I was pregnant he thought it was great news. I had no reason to think otherwise, I didn't want your father suspecting me of anything..." my mother explains blandly.

"This organisation started before I was born?" I stifle a sob, as I try to extract as much information as possible, like Erik would've wanted me to.

"Of course it was!" she tuts. "It had only just started though. Over the years I collected more and more people. It's blossomed quite a bit." She states proudly.

"But Erik..." I start.

"Oh don't even get me started on him!" she chuckles. "No matter how madly in love he was with me, he never once slipped up on where he was taking you or how much he knew. He was useless."

I glared angrily at my mother in utter disgust. How could she?

"But you on the other hand..." she places a hand on my shoulder. "You could come of use."

I glare at my mother, my tears finally stopping. It's all been a lie. She doesn't care. She wants to kill my friends. She killed my dad.

I slap her hand away. "I am not an object that you can just use and throw away!" I spit. "Come on, mum. This isn't you..." I try to search deep into her eyes I thought I knew so well, but found not a trace of that warmness that there once was. Just a cold, hard stare that pierced my heart. It was all a lie.

"Listen child, you want to be on the right team here. You're friends are nothing..." she begins.

"How can you say that?" I cut off.

"Because they are nothing to my army of men! Together we can be invincible! I'm giving you a chance here Audrey," She bends to my height. "Take it while you still can."

I clench my teeth as I think of all the pain and misery my own mother caused. All those deaths.

"You're crazy." I say quietly, shaking my head sadly, my body numb. My mother's words echo in my head. I gave him the instruction to do so. I bitterly think of my father's kind, smiling face. He could've still been here. What did he do to deserve this? I try to control my trembling hands. You were a mistake. Her words repeated over and over in my head.

My mother sighs. "Oh, Dear. You always have been a little stubborn. Perhaps I know just the person to convince you."

She places two fingers to her mouth and lets out a loud whistle. I don't know what I expected. I didn't think I could've felt any lower than I already was. All I know is that I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. I wanted to go back in time, when everything at least seemed all right. Ignorance is bliss after all. Following my mother's gaze back to the truck she had emerged from, I notice a second figure from the passenger seat exiting the vehicle and slowly heading this way. I recognise the person immediately and my eyes widen in hurt and shock.

"No... no please," I shake my head in denial and my eyes begin to water once again.

My mother beams at me, oblivious or not caring of my mortified reaction. "Audrey, I believe you've met Kol?"

So the big secret is revealed! But it seems that one lie uncovers another.

Thoughts on Kol and Audrey's mum?

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