Melissa sighed for the umpteenth time as she peered through the curtains. Her mother was standing at the front of their house, interlocking her fingers and releasing them almost immediately — an action she always performed each time she was nervous, anxious or afraid. Her jet black hair which had been tied into a neat bun was now messy due to her constant pulling. 

It scared Melissa. What was going on and why was her mother looking all worked up? 

They had both been sharing breakfast that morning, addressing an issue, when her mother's phone beeped and a notification appeared on the screen.

Though Melissa had not read the text showing on the phone screen, she had known it couldn't be good, for her mother's face had fallen and her expression was darkened.

Suddenly, she was up on her feet and like some killer mode had been activated in her, she began shutting all the windows quickly, drawing curtains down and mumbling words to herself. 

It had been like she was mumbling something repeatedly but Melissa could not grasp what she was saying.

"Mom!" Melissa had called out, puzzled at her mother's action but the older woman had paid her no attention. Instead, she replied with just one sentence:

"Stay indoors and be quiet!"

With that, she had walked out of the house, locking the door after her and leaving a very confused Melissa behind. 

It was all too strange why her mother had suddenly locked her up but Melissa knew she couldn't find her reason for that if she remained in the dining so she immediately got up, rushing to the window to see things for herself.

But thirty minutes had gone past now, yet nothing and Melissa was already getting tired of staring at the window. Her neck was tired of craning and her back was weak from so much straining.

What was going on and why was her mother still outside, interlocking and releasing her fingers?  Why was there fear written plainly on her face and why was she shaking all over?

Melissa sighed again, tempted to draw the curtain up and open the window against her mother's will but before she could, she sighted two men on black horses galloping to where her mother stood. That piqued Melissa's interest. Raising a brow, she craned her neck to get a better view.  

If she had thought her mother had been shaking before, her mother was now vibrating this time. Melissa had never seen her mother look this scared before and a frown formed on her face when she noticed how her mother had taken a step backwards when the men finally pulled their horses to a stop. 

Squinting her eyes, Melissa took a good look at the strangers. They were both dressed in casual wear so it was difficult to tell where they were from and who they were but judging from the finesse of their horses, Melissa deemed them wealthy.

They were both powerfully built; she could tell from how tight their shirts looked on them. 

They looked tough too but she noticed one was much older than the other. He had dark brown curls and his chin was filled with bushy beards. His brows were thick, knitting together as he scowled darkly. On his neck was a python tattoo and by his left eye was a deep scar. He was so rough looking and he smelt dangerous.  It made Melissa shrink in fear.

Turning her gaze to the second man, she examined him. He was much younger in comparison to the other man but he looked more mysterious. His black curls fell over his left eye, shielding a part of his face and adding to his mystery. He had high cheekbones and a square jaw which was decorated with light stubble. 

Melissa watched as he brought out a packet of cigarettes, lighting one up and placing it between his lips: his full pink lips. It was appalling how his lips could still maintain such beauty when he openly smoked. 

In spite of herself, Melissa found her eyes lingering on his face and she watched him through the window as he scanned the surroundings slowly, the deadpan expression never leaving his face. Then he let out a sigh like he was disappointed at what he was seeing and wanted to get things over with as quickly as possible. 

The movement of the older man made Melissa tear her eyes off the younger man and her eyes widened as she watched the man approach her mother menacingly. Due to his strong build and height, her mother looked so small before him.  He made her mother look so small, like a kid, a kid that could be broken and tossed away.

From the way her mother was shaking all over, Melissa knew their coming couldn't be good. This realisation sent shivers down her spine and soon, she was shaking with great fear too. Numerous questions were filing her head yet she had no answer to any.

Melissa's heart pounded heavily in her chest at each step the older man took, sweat was already creasing her brows.

What was he going to do? Was he going to assault her mother? Why was no one attempting to stop them? 

Sure, about three people were walking down the street but everyone seemed to mind their business. Even McCartney, the old woman living next door, had shut her window tightly. Melissa had seen her doing so. She could sense the respect and fear these men commanded and it made her wonder even more who the hell they were and what power they held. 

A sigh of relief escaped her lips when the man finally came to a stop some feet away from where her mother stood. She watched as his lips moved but she sighed when she could not hear what he was saying due to the tightly shut window. She tried to read his lips but it was difficult because he was barely opening his mouth. 

Soon her mother was replying but she stopped when the man's face darkened, his eyes twitching with pure fury. It made her mother take another step back.

Meanwhile, the one who remained on the horse, the younger man with the black curls had his eyes hovering around as he scanned the environment once more with a bored look on his face. Melissa even caught him yawning once and he was yawning again this time. 

Nevertheless, the older man kept talking and with the way he was looking at her mother,  Melissa knew he was expecting some kind of reply from her mum but her mum remained quiet, slowly taking a step back. This seemed to aggravate the man's anger and he balled his knuckles.

Melissa, seeing this, knew she couldn't just sit and watch anymore so she immediately rushed to her room, picked up the bag she had returned home with and grabbed her personal key.

In all her frantic display, her mother had forgotten that she owned a spare key to the house. Good thing she had brought it along.  Locking her indoors was definitely not the best option.  She had her keys!

Tossing her bag to the bed, Melissa rushed back to the sitting room, almost stumbling but making her way to the door and pushing it open.

A gasp escaped her lips the moment she was outside and she let out a small sob when she saw her mother sprawled on the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks. It was clear the man had pushed her mother down and Melissa's hands balled into a fist. How dare he?

The younger one remained on his horse like nothing was happening and Melissa felt her heart boil with fury. These men were nothing but jerks and they were openly assaulting her mother. Melissa was convinced they had no right to treat her mother that way, regardless of any crime her poor mom would have committed — if there was any crime at all. 

Without another thought, Melissa immediately ran to her mother but when Lucy saw her daughter running to her, her eyes widened with great fear and she began to scream.

"Get back in! Get back in now!"

Melissa paused in her track, her brows furrowing in confusion as she tried to comprehend her mother's actions. Get back in for what?

"But — " She began to say but Lucy would not let her speak, instead she kept screaming hysterically.

"Get back in!" She jumped to her feet and pushed Melissa roughly, so hard that Melissa almost lost her footing. "Get back in, this instance!"

Melissa's jaw dropped, her dark brown eyes widening at the darkened expression on her mother's face. Lucy's eyes were wild with fear and her nose was flaring. 

This brought tears to Melissa's eyes. It had been so long since her mother screamed at her that way. It suddenly looked like her mother was someone else; someone she could not recognise anymore. This only added to Melissa's initial confusion and without another word, she turned around and walked back into the house. 

She could feel the men's eyes on her as she walked back, especially the man on the horse. She could feel his scrutinising gaze on her. 

"I want her!" She heard a deep gruff voice say and Melissa turned around immediately, her brows raised as she scanned the faces of the men to see who had just spoken. But before she could tell who it was, her mother was now pushing her roughly. 

"Get inside, you crazy girl, get inside!" 

"But mum - " 

"Get inside! Just listen to me, Goddamnit!" Lucy spat and Melissa's face fell.