The Forgotten Child

Chapter 27

"That's very dramatic, you're going to scare the poor girl," An older voice cooed from inside the house. The next thing happened the door to the home flew open. An older woman, maybe in her 70s stood there. She had tanned skin with an eye colour that made Alyson freeze mid-step. Her eyes were stained more than anything else. Every colour Alyson could ever imagine swirled in those eyes. A chill ran through her, she looked so familiar.

Alyson took in the woman and didn't say anything. Her father put his hand gently on her back. The older woman looked at her slightly confused.

" I'm Siqiniq," the woman's name took the breath from Alyson, not for its beauty but for its power. Alyson watched as the woman's eyes shifted from red to blue in less than a blink. They changed at different intervals and the colour seemed to be random.

Siqiniq looked at her and smiled softly. Her ever-shifting eyes made Alyson tremble in fear.
"Are you alright my child?" Siqiniq asks her face becoming slack.

"Ye..yeah Ma'am. You're eyes they're shifting," Alyson said and instantly the shifting stopped on an unnerving teal colour, the colour of turquoise with black cracking in them.

"No child, Siqiniq's eyes are a deep pinecone brown," Another older voice says from inside the open window.

Their face pops into view and Alyson blinks in surprise as a person not much older than herself appears.

"No, Amaruq her eyes are a shade of the darkest chocolate money could buy," Another voice chirps. Alyson blinked in confusion as her voice switched from English to Tsalagi Gawonihisdi. Alyson felt so off-kilter, she never spoke Tsalagi Gawonihisdi nor did she even know what it was from. she just knew it was a language.

"Adsila, you know no one understands you when you speak like that," a fourth voice spoke. the very ground beneath Alyson seemed to rumble.

"They said her eyes are a shade of the darkest chocolate money could buy," Alyson blurted out before she could even process what was going on. Her voice had almost an eerie feel to it.

"Oh? You speak Tsalagi Gawonihisdi?" The voice of another woman spoke she was the only one who seemed normal in appearance. Alyson felt relieved at this.

"No," Alyson said her mouth not her own.

"Then how do you know what Adsila just said?" The male voice that makes the earth tremble spoke.

"I... I dunno, it's just kind of a feeling, I guess," Alyson said scratching the back of her neck.

"Hmm, interesting." Siqiniq's voice changed to a much harsher one her eyes still that unearthly turquoise colour the black was moving around as if it were snakes in the grass in pursuit of a field mouse.

Alyson moved closer to her father without thinking. He gave her a small head quirk. She ignored him and watched the group of elders. All of them were younger than her image of the elderly.

"Come in, girl," the unnamed woman spoke once more. Siqiniq walked back into the home. Alyson looked over at her father and saw the fear in her own eyes.

"They won't hurt you, Alyson," her father said gently guiding her into the house.

As they walked into the home the kitchen greeted them the unnamed woman sat at one end of a half-circled table. No, it wasn't half-circled it was crescent-shaped. Alyson stared at the table, it was most likely made from resin or something similar. But it looked exactly like the night sky.

"You seem interested in our table does it speak to you?" The unnamed woman asked.

"Yes, it feels powerful," Alyson said not thinking before she spoke.