Malaykah tried to  regain composure, but still felt very hostile. “Alejandro, you’d best cool it.” She removed her sandal again and held it firmly in the air. “I advise you zip your lips, and keep your head on your body before you lose it,” she retorted.

Dro became infuriated that everyone was against him without understanding his side of the argument. It did not matter to anyone that Shannon purposefully made him jealous by flirting with one of his friends in his presence. They did not know she agreed to go with the friend to the movies, without inviting him. All everyone saw was that he lost his temper in the heat of the moment. All they cared about was that he’d hit her and tried to choke her into silence. This caused him snap. He abruptly shoved Roy out of the way and knocked the cellphone out of J’aime’s hand. He stood in front of Malaykah with the devil in his eyes.

“That’s a whole lot a tough talk for a little bitch like you. I see where Shannon gets the idea to run her mouth so freely. I dare you to come at me,” he said in a smug tone.

Malaykah’s mind went blank for a moment. The absence of fear is what struck her. She looked at her family and J’aime, who all seemed to be frozen in the moment. Her thoughts drifted to Alëxios, and pondered what it meant to be a God of War. Without thinking, she kneed Dro in the groin as hard as she could. When he dropped to his knees, she head-butted him so hard that it caused a loud ringing in her ears.

She watched him fall on his face before she closed her eyes. She opened them to feel a stream of warm liquid drift down her forehead. Her family rushed over to her in panic. She could hear the children screaming at each other and J’aime call for help. A thick drop of blood clung to her eyelash as Roy laid her down on her back. The moon was a fluorescent blue color for some reason. She closed her eyes again to make sense of it all.

~Ch. 7, Somewhere Beyond the Stars and Sea~