BOOK THREE - promised series
Espheros is inhabited by more than just the human species. Shifters and Immortals walk the earth amongst them, hiding in the shadows.
There are some humans, however, who are very much aware of what moves through the dar...
Disclaimer: This chapter may be triggering since it contains abuse, violence and later a sexual scene. Feel free to skip whenever needed.
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Caught up in trying to keep myself in drowning in the scenes that replayed in my mind, I drifted away from the courtyard, the weeping willow next to me, and Kendra who knelt in front of me. Instead, I was back in Everett Valley.
A small, fragile figure knelt on the floorboards of the largest room in the house, her knees raw from having to kneel into the rough edge of a piece of cut lumber. Her body moved in robotic motion, rocking back and forth as her small hands held a sponge between her slender fingers. Small bubbles of soap glistened in the sun that shone into the room, the water darkening the floorboards as she scrubbed at them. A metal bucket with orange stains stood next to her, filled with lukewarm water mixed with lightly perfumed soap. Foam lined its edges. I could smell the sweet, flowery fragrance sting in my nose as I watched the girl from behind. Her back was strained, her movements stiff.
When I walked around and saw her face, I saw her wincing with every bend forward. I flinched when the house door flew open and banged against the wall, making the clattering sound reverberate through the walls. The girl before me didn't move a muscle and stopped moving altogether. A sense of dread filled the room.
"No," I whispered, my hands covering my mouth. Footsteps sounded, vibrating lightly across the floor. They stepped into the kitchen first. A bang sounded, like something being thrown into the sink. And then, the footsteps slowly made their way to the room the little girl was in. When the door opened, I saw the fear in the girl's green eyes. She was too afraid to look back and instead continued scrubbing, hoping that her mother would leave the room without saying anything. But her mother slowly, tantalizingly, terrifyingly, moved to the other side of the room.
Her figure blocked the sun rays that previously provided light and stood in front of the girl with her hands propped on her hips. I moved to the side and watched what enfolded in front of me. The woman's auburn hair was outlined, shining golden as the sun illuminated her silhouette. My mother. She stared down at my younger self, a small, fearful girl who barely held onto the sponge in her trembling hands. She was anticipating what would come next.
"I told you to be done in here when I came home," my mother's voice cut through the silence. Her expression was cold, her lips a thin line. Her arched brows were pulled together, making small wrinkles appear between them. The girl on the floor nodded wordlessly.
My mother scoffed. "You don't even have anything to say? No pathetic excuse to explain your incapability of doing as I say?"
The girl shook her head, not a sound coming from her as she waited for her punishment. My mother didn't wait long to hand it out.
"You're nine years old, Catherine. I expect someone your age to know what it means to stick to their word. You disappoint me, again. Your good for nothing gift only makes you weak. You ought to have decided more wisely when you had the chance."
