One Last Hand

[Jackson]

"Oh! It looks like the man with the blue suit wins again! I repeat! The man in the blue suit has won it all!" The bustle, and energy of the casino was felt by everyone in it. The glowing lights, the sound of slot machines going, and coins falling. Hell it was nice looking too, the building looking elegant, yet imposing on the outside. Also very flashy with all of the neon lights on the outside, like good lord how are people not having seizures every six seconds?
Wait I am getting off subject, we are not here to talk about the hazard to public health known as the Golden Deck casino in Houston Texas. Nope! we are here to talk about a person inside of it, a woman who is Known as Zylith Figoura, a woman who's life is about the change forever.

Zylith Figoura, where do I even begin with her? Well I guess at the beginning.. Wait no that is way too long ago, why not who she is, and why she is here? Ya, let's do that instead. So Zylith Figoura, she is 5.7 woman, with light brown skin, fine black flowing hair, and golden eyes, a odd color indeed. Though in the end it just added to her joyous, and friendly output. So there is now the question of what was she doing is even doing in this type of place? Well every person has their guilty pleasures...... Well rather they have means of making sure their son is happy. That was why Zylith was here, dressed in her best white dress, and wearing the best makeup she had. She wanted to make sure her son did not have to worry about money like she did growing up, she didn't want him to feel hungry, or to feel disappointed like her. So here she was, throwing away what she had hoping she could make it big for her boy. Only for her high hopes to plummet back down to the ground as the winner was announced. The man in blue celebrating, though if there was one thing that was off about him it was his eyes. They were Golden too, and looking right to Zylith as she took in the fact that she lost again, oddly no one seeming to care about it. Almost as if it was some sort of spell.
"No, there has to be some sort of mistake right? He couldn't have won three times in a row!" She was right in a way, this should not have been possible, well or at the very least not normal. Though in the end the hand does not lie. So here we were, Zylith holding a straight flush, only to end up trumped by a royal flush. The man though, he was all smiles, simply looking at her, even ignoring the sheer amount of money he has earned. Just saying to Zylith.
"Sorry dear, but the hand never lies, though I must admit this is quite the sum to lose. Such a shame dear." He said in such a tsk, tsk sort of way. Which would have led to Zylith losing it right then, and there, but she then heard a voice, one that was really young, and didn't belong in this type of building.
"Mommy!" She couldn't even turn around in time before she suddenly felt arms wrap around her legs. A voice she knew so well ringing in her ears, normally it would bring her joy, make her feel proud, and happy. Not this time though, when she heard it her heart was breaking. Because she knew what she just lost. With a heavy heart, and pain, and anguish hidden in her voice she looked down at the tiny boy. His skin just a shade lighter than her's, a ruffled mess of blonde hair on his head, and bright brown eyes looking up at her. So it hurt all the more to say.
"Hey there Jack, what are you doing here swee-" She couldn't finish her sentence before another male voice pushed its way through the crowd, this one being older, more concerned, more angry.
"Zylith! Why did you go back?... I thought we talked about this hon-" When the man finally got through the crowd he stopped mid-sentence, he had a nice strong build, and had a mop of blonde hair on his head. Though his skin was much lighter than his family's. Nonetheless he knew his wife, so when he saw the pain in her eyes while holding their boy he just asked.
"How much did we lose..." Zylith looked up to him, not knowing that the man with golden eyes just like her was still watching. His lips starting to turn into a smirk, almost as if he planned this...
"Mommy, can we go back home now? Daddy, and I had to go looking for you, and I am getting tired." Oh poor innocent Jack, he didn't know why his mommy was so sad, he didn't know why she sneaked out, all that he knew was that he was tired, and so was daddy. That was why he was grumpy right? So when they get home him, and mommy could make up, and not fight like they did during the day.
"......Let's go home Zylith... We can talk in the car." His tone was firm, yet filled with worried, for both his family's well being, and his wife. Afraid what they might have lost, afraid of what his wife might have done, and for what she might do.
Zylith knew that in the end having a fight here would be a bad idea, so she followed him out with Jack's hand in her own's. Leading him out to the parking lot, hand in hand as Jack looked up to the bright flashing lights. Smiling up to his mommy as he pointed to them, not seeing the hidden pain in her eyes as she smiled back down to him. Using her face to lie once again, but not to survive, no, it was for her son. To make him happy one last time.

Eventually the trio made it to the car, her husband getting into the driver’s seat, as Zylith helped little Jack get into the back seat, buckling him in while shooting him an award winning smile. Him giggling, neither of them knowing this will be the last time Zylith lied to him, the last time they would smile to each other.

With her joy safe in the car Zylith got into the passenger seat, sitting next to her husband in silence as they pulled out of the parking lot. The tension in the air being felt, even by little Jack who shifted a bit. At least it was there till her husband finally spoke, saying as he drove.
“How much did we lose Zylith?” Nothing,
“Zylith?” Still nothing.
“Dammit Zylith, how much did we lose!” It looks like this might be a issue that has come up before, one that they thought was over.
“The savings…… I lost the savings Dave.” There was silence in the car as they drove, poor Dave being in shock, just not understanding what she had done. So he responded in the only way he could, he got angry.
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING ZYLITH! YOU KNOW WE NEED THAT MONEY.” He was angry, and loud, and poor Jack noticed it. A small whimper being heard from the back. If there was one thing the lovers could agree on no matter what was making sure Jack was happy, and safe. So Dave took a deep breath in, and out, still driving down a mostly empty road. Now calming asking, rage, and fear hidden in his voice.
“Why? Why did you lose that money?” Zylith, not able to look him in the eyes, looked away, saying.
“I wanted to make sure Jack was happy, that he didn’t have to worry about anything….” The anger that Dave felt suddenly melted away, since he knew how she felt. Because he felt the same way, but he also knew a certain problem she had, so he asked in a softer voice, a more sad one.
“Are you sure you’re not just telling yourself that?” A blink from Zylith, she wasn’t using it as an excuse, no, she was doing it for Jack. Though why couldn’t she look Dave in the eyes…
“Zylith… you know you could have talked to me…. We talked, we got help, why did you go back, and why did you use Jack as an excuse….” Zylith opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The usual smooth talking woman gone, now replaced by one who felt shame, and anger at herself for what she did.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t…. I wanted to help… I … I did it for Jack.” There was a gentle, sad sigh from Dave before he said, looking to Zylith, his wife for one last time.
“I still love you, I want you to know that, bu-“ That was all he could say before a blinding white light flooded in from the front of the car. A sudden, loud truck horn being the last thing they heard before Dave whipped around. He tried to steer out of the way as Jack in the back screamed, as Zylith moved her body in front of Jack. Though in the end the last thing all of them saw, and heard that night was the light, and horn. All expect for Zylith, the last thing she saw was her son bathed in the bright light, terror in his eyes as his mom tried to protect him. Golden eyes looking at her son, desperately pleading with some unforgiving god to save them. Unfortunately something did hear her plea, bright golden eyes being seen in the shadows by the rearview mirror watching the scene unfold. A cold cruel joy as he saw a family’s final moments. Before dark nothing took all of them over.