The Strength of the Heart Conquers All

The next morning brought a feeling of newfound confidence.  The track to reach the coast was dragging out longer than previously thought and while at the beginning, Meg was excited for the adventure and running and hiding scared, now she found herself gaining more confidence and determination.  She couldn't say it was impatience exactly but a feeling of wanting to get back at them.  Her eyes opened and the morning sky spilled in onto her.  Edward snored in the front seat of the car as she sat up and stretched.  She had some time now where she wasn't targeted and chose to take advantage of it.  Quietly she got out of the car and finished stretching the rest of her muscles.  There didn't seem to be any signs of homes, towns, or people for miles.  A very large billboard stood in the distance advertising corn from a farm some miles away.   New definition of middle of nowhere when corn is your big seller.  A breeze rolled by causing the grass to sway in waves around her, the leaves on the nearby trees rustled ripping her attention from the surrounding area.  She walked over into the trees and looked around.  Feeling a little safe, she walked up to one of the larger trees and kicked it.  A small piece of her pent up aggression was felt leaving her body.  It felt kind of good.  Mimicking a fight, she began punching the air in various poses as practice in combat.  Wasn't the best training as the tree just sat there but it was better than nothing.  She picked up a long stick and held it in front of her.
"I'm sick of running from you.  I want to start my life.  I want to be able to not sleep with one eye open."
She took a big swing and cracked the stick into the tree.  The vibrations of the strike were sent up the stick and into her arms.  Never having been a violent person or even getting into a fight, there was something about just getting out her frustrations that felt liberating.
Especially against this tree.
Screw this tree.
She aimed again.
"You aren't going to stop me from starting my new life with Edward."
Smack!
"You shot me in the damn arm!"
Smack!
"Followed me from town to town!"
Smack!
"I can't sleep without having nightmares!"
Smack!
"I am sick of running!!"
The stick broke in half and the power of the break stopped her thoughts.  She was breathing hard, staring at the broken piece of wood.  The world came back to her and her ears picked up the sounds of birds around her.  She dropped the other piece and felt the tree where she had been hitting it.  The bark had worn away slightly almost as if she had her metaphors backwards, her being the tree.  A butterfly landed on the lower branch.
"Enjoying some nature?"
She jumped at Edward's voice.  "Yeah, just beating up this tree."
"What did it do to you?"
"I think I needed it.  I feel a little better."
"You look positively beautiful."
"You think.....you think you could teach me how to defend myself better?  I' m not a fan of being shot again.  Hurt like hell."
He looked at her.  She was adorable.  Short, big brown eyes that complimented her brunette hair, and lips that tasted just as good as they looked.  She gave a smile and crinkled her nose that said please without even speaking any words.  His weakness.
"Yeah, sure I can do that.  You seem good with a stick, let's wee what else I can teach you."

The blip on the radar hadn't moved since Victoria last looked, they must've stopped for the night to sleep.  She hadn't gotten much sleep herself, the obsession with watching the tracker was becoming unhealthy but there was something about this couple that she couldn't just let go as just another job.  For the sake of the job and her own sanity, she put the receiver down and laid in her bed.  The curtains to her balcony blew over almost touching the bed and from her position she could see the clouds traveling past with the random crossing of birds.  There was a world out there she wasn't experiencing.  Was it even still possible to acclimate back into it?  She had thought many times about quitting and pursuing the 'normal' life.  The connections were there and more than enough money.  No reason why she wouldn't be able to do it.  Her eyelids were heavy and just before she fell asleep she fantasized herself gardening in a small home surrounded with a white fence, husband at work and baby asleep in its crib.  A tear rolled down her cheek and she fell asleep.

"Alright, so, when you aim, make sure both hands are on the weapon and using the small piece that's pointing out from the tip of the gun is what you want to line up with your target."
Meg stood in the middle of the woods, hair pulled up and one eye closed while she aimed a handgun at a makeshift target a yard from her.  Her hands were a little shaky and the weapon was a lot heavier than she thought it would be.
"There's going to be a kickback from the force of the shot so you want to make sure you have a really good grip."
Her eye-line was dead on down the sight and her target stared right back at her.  It was a shirt wrapped around a log with a target carved into the face of it.  Holding her breath, she focused on the carved portion and imagined it was Price.  All the time wasted and how this hasn't been resolved yet.  All the days and time that's passed being chased down.
"Once you get comfortable with the sights and aiming, we can work on moving because your target usually isn't going to be sitting still.  Or a log."
Her finger squeezed the trigger and the sound erupted through the trees and pieces of the log blew off in all directions.  She lowered the gun and opened the other eye to gauge where her shot landed.  The force of the bullet coming out did give her a startle but there was something therapeutic about being able to channel her anger that had built up into something tangible.  She walked over and saw that she hit the target quite well and felt the warm hole with her fingers.
"Not bad darlin, how do you feel?"
Her eyes were focused on the shot and had stopped blinking.  "I want to do it again."

The day had gone by with the sun starting to set after a few hours.  Victoria awoke unable to stay asleep.  Her mind was running too much and fears and thoughts she tried to push away were cropping up too much.  She sat up almost in tears.  She was going to be stuck in this forever wasn't she?  The radar was still unmoved.  How much longer could she keep doing this?  It was taking its toll on her physically and emotionally.  Picking up the receiver she stared at the dot.  She could no longer wait, the emotional toll on her was rising too much.  This would be her final job and then she would get out.  There was a photo in a frame by her bed that she didn't let anyone see.  It was her smiling with a man and they were on a trip.  She always looked at it longingly, the last pieces of her life before she took the dark road to the Royal Darkness.  She would never admit it to anyone but if she was honest, she was jealous of the couple.  They were pursuing the life she pined for.  That's why she didn't kill them that night.  Price was a nobody in the business, so what if he didn't get his precious case.
Maybe there was a way to help this situation for both her and the couple.  She set the photo down and looked at the sun.  This couple reminded her that she still had a heart that beat.


TO BE CONTINUED............
xoxoxoxoxgettingbetterandbetterxoxoxoxoxox