Spirit

Chapter 2

"You have to go now before anyone sees you." Sylvaine hurriedly pushed us down the path I was so reluctant to climb earlier. It felt like it had only been minutes since the start of this dreadful day, but the sun was already beginning to set.
"I have to see my mother. I need answers"
"Then you must hurry, I've made preparations for you Leon and my grandson to go into hiding. I will accompany you until you leave to ensure Eric doesn't try anything"
"Your grandson?"
"Yes, now lets go" Sylvaine took off her cloak and tossed it over me concealing my newfound powers. She shoved me towards Leon and he swiftly scooped me into his arms.
"You do know that I can run faster than both of you, why not just put me down."
"Because this is so much more entertaining." He chuckled. He took off with astounding speed away from the everyone waiting at the platform. With the chaos going on no one bothered to even look at us. We dashed down the mountain and I wasn't really sure if it was towards something or away from something. With every step Leon took I felt my heart drop. I wasn't ready for what was ahead. It's like I'm standing in front of a stage afraid to step on; Feeling like I don't belong but the spotlight is for me.
"What's got you so quiet?" Leon asked through huffs.
"How do people even get chosen for destiny? Supposedly it's already written. But what about our lives? The plans that we had, the futures we saw for ourselves are thrown out the window. We don't get a say in our lives anymore. Now we fight to stay alive because the universe said so." I rambled. Leon didn't reply and just kept running while Sylvaine came up behind us.
When we arrived at my house my mother was standing outside, her face unreadable. Leon slowed and carefully put me down but my legs were jelly from all my anxiety of this moment. I held on to his arms until I was confident my knees wouldn't buckle.
I stood there staring at my mother not knowing what to say. The atmosphere was heavy, and the silence between us didn't help. As we kept our eye contact I began to grow more frustrated with her lack of emotions.
"Was it easy for you? Lying to me all this time" I finally spat.
"You don't understand."
"I don't? Then please explain, please I'd love to know why you hid Victor from me." When I said his name she flinched and that angered me even more.
"When I lost your brother I lost myself, I forgot how to live, how to love. Burying a child is one of the hardest, most unfair things in life. When Victor died I closed my heart. I found it easier to shut off all my emotions. I didn't want to feel that pain anymore, much less have another child. But your father insisted that it would be good to see the joy and purity of another child to heal my wounds. And then he died leaving me alone, so I never spoke of it... it was just easier that way."
"So you didn't even want me?" I seethed. I balled my fists and stepped towards her. Leon grabbed my arm and I snapped,
"Let me go" I said flatly. He immediately released my arm and stepped back,"So you found it easy to shut out the child you never wanted. To never tell her she had a brother?"
"You don't understand-"
"No I don't, I can't fathom why you would try to love your child. It's outrageous to give your daughter a shot at feeling loved. " I said sarcastically. I advanced, closing the distance between us.
"I remember when dad died. I felt that pain too! You weren't alone in that mom! I lost more than you realize. I lost both of you that day. I was on my own thinking there was something wrong with me because my own mother couldn't speak to me or even be in the same room with me! But I never had a fucking chance. I could have understood but you wouldn't speak a word to me. You would just sit there and watch me have to figure shit out on my own, you watched me today knowing what would happen. That I would be killed for having no magic or being gifted like Victor." As I spoke the wind around me grew stronger lashing my hair around me wildly.
"I'm sorry Heidi" she spoke softly.
"You have to stop taking the easy way. Life isn't easy and it's not fair. Do you even love me? Or is it just easier to feel nothing for me?"
I searched her eyes and waited for some glimmer of anything that would prove me wrong. Anything to prove that my mother wasn't a complete stranger. That I was just delusional and she really did love me and this was all a joke. But it wasn't, she remained stoic.
I felt my heart break at the truth of her silence. I felt a lump in my throat and tried to swallow it as I spoke. "I love you mom, but I can't do this anymore. I can't fight for your love. I can't fight for a place in your heart. I have to go and fight for my own life." The air around me died down as I ran out of anger and the heartbreak settled in. I turned and walked towards Leon and Sylvaine, Leon looked as heartbroken as I was.
"Let's go, I have nothing left here."
As Sylvaine began to speak there was a sudden rumbling around us. Before I realized what was happening Leon tried to pull me away as a rock spear emerged from the ground and impaled me. I gasped and felt hot blood spill down my dress as white hot pain radiated from the left side of my body. The world slowed as the spear yanked itself out of me and back into the ground. Just like it had with Victor. We're my final thoughts as I lost consciousness, again.