The 6-year-old child tried her best to keep silent as she sat hiding in a closet.

"Where'd she go?" A man barged into the room next to her.

 "I swear I locked her up here boss, could she have escaped outside already?" 

She heard a loud thud, "You better find her. The buyer will be here any minute. If she's not found before they have arrived, I'll make this your last day on earth"

She heard footsteps fade away. 

Did they leave? She was about to peek through the lock when suddenly a bloodshot eye appeared through the hole "Found you, you little rat."

The man threw open the doors and dragged her out. She tried to hang on to the closet door "No! No! Let me go, let me go!" She yelled and kicked at the man's hand. 

"Why are you so strong?" He let go of her leg to try and release her grasp on the door, she bit his arm "Ah! You're going to regret that you little-"  

"RELEASE HER THIS INSTANT" a calm yet alluring voice demanded.

A beautiful woman walked in, her beauty was captivating. Her long black hair reached her waist, she had a delicate figure. Every step she took towards them was graceful. Was she perhaps an angel? Suddenly it felt like the room had turned colder, a shiver went down her spine. 

"You." She turned to look at the man who was holding her hair. "Did you just threaten my daughter?"

The man instantly let go of her and fell to his knees "Forgive me, Duchess Rue, I did not know she was your child" He bowed his head to the floor, his voice trembling. "I deserve death."  

Her gaze softened as she glanced at her, the woman approached her,                                                                         "Hello my lovely Neri" Her voice was very warm.

 Nerissa crawled closer "Who are you?" she said in a hoarse quiet voice. 

She smiled "Beautiful Nerissa, I'm your mother. I came to take you from these animals."

Her mother? This angel is her mother? What about her mother who left her here?

"Are you really my mom?"

"Yes love, a bad woman took you from me. Mommy looked everywhere for you." 

She looked at her mother with curiosity. "Neri?"

 Her Mom's eyes looked like the midnight starry sky, their color a midnight purple. "It's your nickname."

Akana reached to caress her small child's hair, as soon as she raised her hand Neri flinched. Her eyes darkened as she clenched her jaw. The poor child, she'll make sure to punish those men herself.

A scary expression briefly flashed across her mother's face. Did she make her Mom angry? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Neri." She slowly looked up, her mom gazed at her with a gentle expression 

"It's ok, no need to say sorry. It's not your fault. I'm sorry I scared you, I'll be more careful next time. Mommy only wants to protect you." Her mother opened her arms. "Come, Neri, let's go home." 

Home. She heard many mothers tell their children that. Tears began to stream down her cheeks, she ran into her mother's arms. 

After seeing the child shed tears she became angry again. How dare those bastards cause her daughter to be like this. They deprived her almost 5 years of her daughter's childhood.

She stood up with her daughter in her arms "Joel." Her assistant who had been waiting at the entrance walked in. " Yes, your grace?"  She sent a glare at the men who were now on their knees. "Watch them, I'll be back shortly."

Neri felt safe in her Mother's arms. Once they were out of the house, she lifted her head from her mother's shoulder. "Momma?" the foreign word felt odd, but she liked it. 

Her mother's eyes gleamed with joy. "Yes, that's right Neri, I'm your momma" she hugged her. 

She then remembered something, and she looked at her mom again. "Mommy?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Are you an angel?"

She chuckled "Only you would ask me such a thing..."

"But Mommy looks like a beautiful angel." 

"My baby, it is you who is an angel." Her mother walked up to a carriage. 

"Wait here darling, I have to thank those men for returning you to me." She reluctantly released her mother and watched her walk away from the window.

Akana walked towards the room where the men were, it took her all her might to hold in her anger. "I have to thank you gentlemen for returning my daughter to me," she said as she walked into the room. She glanced at Joel who nodded his head and untied the men. " Your grace, please have mercy. We- we didn't know she was your daughter." She said nothing but stared at them "Please forgive us, We deserve death!" She bent down to their eye level.

"I agree..." The men bowed their heads to the floor "Thank-" 

"You do deserve death. Since we both agree, you can just die." She began to walk away. 

The men looked up in horror "N- no please, D-duche-" she threw a dagger at the man's neck directly hitting his vocal cords. 

The man choked as he held his neck "So noisy, wasn't it you who said you deserve death?"

 The man opened his mouth, silently screaming in pain. She turned to the man next to him who was now trembling with fear. He crawled towards her "Y-your Grace i-" 

"Silence." The man trembled, she knelt and lifted his chin. "I want you to suffer until you wish you were dead."

"P- please " he cried

She stood up.

"Joel." 

"Yes, My lady?"

"Burn them"

"Understood"

As Akana walked out she realized the window where the men were was in Neri's line of view. Did Neri see what she did? What if it caused her child to be afraid of her? She walked toward Neri hoping she hadn't seen anything. No child would be calm if they witnessed such a gruesome scene. She spotted Neri calmly gazing at the sky, seeing Neri's calm expression she was filled with relief. 

Neri watched as her mother approached the carriage. So beautiful "Did you wait long, darling?"

"No, it's ok mommy. Neri is patient." Her mother smiled gently and patted her head "My Neri has grown up." 

As the carriage began to move she glanced back one last time, "Mommy look at the house! It's on fire!"

 Her mother stared at the house, the reflection of the fire in her mother's eyes made her seem like an unknown person. "Oh my, you're right."  

"Mommy?" "

Yes, Neri?"

 "What happened to Mr. Boss and his friend?" 

"I sent them to a place they deserved."

She stared at her mother, knowing that they were probably in hell.

This woman, her mother, brought emotions she thought she no longer had. 'Home' she truly had a place to call home and a Mom who loved her and wanted to protect her. She even had a nickname. She smiled, she wondered if she had more family awaiting her. Finally feeling safe Neri drifted to sleep.

Half an hour later...

"Neri?" She heard a faint voice call to her. She tried to open her eyes but failed.

People began to shout as everything around her became unknown.