The Ghostlight Girls | Part Four | Hana

Chapter Twenty

The moment I wake up, I'm aware of a feeling of emptiness. I open my eyes, see that I'm lying on my side in my own bed. Umma sits primly on a stool she's brought to the center of my room, her eyes fixed on me, scrutinizing. Mei stands just behind her, looking worried.

"Where is it?" I snarl. "Where is my starlight?"

Umma holds up a hand, palm up, showing me a faint glimmer of light.

"Give it back!" I scream, desperately trying to rise, only to realize I am bound tight with a chain made of iron that sears my flesh as I strain against it. "Give it to me now!"

"You've consumed meat," Umma states matter-of-factly.

At first I wonder what she's talking about, but then I remember the protein drink and Darian's comment. I had assumed Ryone was the one who left the drink on top of my locker. In that case, Darian got what he deserved, feeding a kumiho meat without her consent.

"So what if I did?" I growl. "Why should I have to hide my true self anyway? Let the mortals tremble in fear before our might. They are insignificant little worms." I see Mei blink several times in succession but I feel nothing for her. She's just as useless as the rest of them. And my Umma is a fool for thinking a human is worthy of affection.

"This is not your true self," says Umma, shaking her head. "You will go nowhere until you have come back to us."

I laugh, mocking her."So, what? You plan to keep me restrained? Lock me away in a cage, forever?"

"No," says Umma and she gives me a look filled with so much sympathy that now I am afraid. "Only until the taint of the meat passes."

# # #

Did you know, on average, it takes food between twenty-four to seventy-two hours to complete its journey through the human digestive system? And that it can even take longer if a person is experiencing digestive issues?

So yeah, I spend the weekend raging and cursing at my parents, thrashing against the cold iron chains so long I'm left with painful welts and bruises all over my body, screaming until my voice goes raw. Throughout it all, I feel weaker, and weaker, and more and more desperate to get my starlight back.

On the few occasions where I'm quiet, when I'm too tired to carry on anymore, I try to convince Mei to have pity on me, knowing that she is easier to manipulate than Umma. Look at me, I'm so helpless, and it hurts. Just loosen these chains a little. But Umma is always a step ahead of me, sending Mei away before I can get to her.

They don't even release me to use the bathroom, but I do become acquainted with a bedpan. My humiliation and rage make me want to throw it at them but it is pointless, Umma only restrains me with her powers.

Finally, after who knows how long, the rage begins to subside, the hunger for flesh and blood dwindles and dies out, and I'm left with a hunger for human food and a weakness so profound I can barely even open my eyes anymore. "What day is it?" I rasp, not even sure if anyone is still in the room with me.

"It's Sunday," comes Mei's reply.

What day was the incident at practice? Thursday? So I've been out of my mind for three whole days. "I think I'm done," I croak.

"I'll go fetch Umma."

A few moments pass, and I sense Umma's presence in the room. It's hard to miss when she's holding my starlight. She finally returns it to me, passing it from her hand into my mouth. It's not really something you eat, but that's how it comes and goes—through the mouth. Instantly, strength surges through my body. I notice, however, that she still keeps the chains tightly bound.