Some Thing Called Myself (Complete)

V: something great

Ch. 5: Something Great

Mara arched her eyebrows and staggered a step forward. From her right, a one-meter-long parrot flew by and landed on a perch beside the older woman.

"G...Granny?" Mara said.

The old lady raised her gentle eyes and smiled. More than anything in her appearance, something in the way she carried herself felt ancient. She seemed to be beyond patient, her movements slow and precise as if she had had the whole eternity to become exactly what she was today.

"Squawk! Mara is back! Mara is back!" the old parrot said.

Granny chuckled and caressed the bird's chest. "Hello, my dear," she told Mara. Granny put her tricot on her lap and patted a small stool at her left. "Come, child. Come sit with Granny."

Mara beamed, tears in her eyes, but something told her this...wasn't right. She paused. This wasn't Granny. The old Entity or whatever she was seemed to notice her hesitance, for Granny's voice lowered and thickened when she offered Mara a tray of cachaça biscuits.

"Here, darling. Why don't you eat one? But be quick before they get cold."

Without thinking, Mara reached for a big one. Before she could take it, Tai rested a hand on her shoulder, and just like that, the spell was broken. In that split second, something changed in Granny. A shadow crossed her features, and the smile unrolling on her lips became too wide for a human. As it stretched, it showed the tips of long, thin, shark-like teeth.

With one blink, Granny was back to normal.

"Mara is quite something, isn't she, Granny?" Tai said. They chuckled, then placed a protective hand on Mara's back, putting themself between her and the older lady. "She's the only Sentinel to have almost fallen for your trick twice."

Granny laughed. There was a dangerous edge to her voice when she said, "And you stopped her just as many times, Tai." She started knitting again. "Third time's the charm, I suppose. The elevator?"

"You know it," Tai answered.

"Wait, so she's not my—"

"Your grandmother? No, child. Like many things in this place, I can wear the image of something that brings you joy and fills you with peace...in order to gobble you up and steal your place when you're not looking!" She laughed and tugged at the wool thread at her side. "But I'm old, and I'm tired of roaming these tunnels, so I'm here to help you kids." The glint of mischief in Granny's eyes made Mara think this wasn't the whole story. Granny motioned Mara closer, then gestured at the sofa in a silent invitation. "Is she here to stay, Taiguara?" Granny narrowed her eyes. "She doesn't look too well."

Somewhere around them, a bell rang. The elevator, maybe.

"Maybe she doesn't look too well 'cause her ears are still ringing thanks to the shots the police fired at her," Mara said. She only sat down after Tai had slouched on the left half of the sofa. She tried not to relax too much—Mara feared her limbs would fall right off if she did.

"Huh." Granny focused on the parrot-sized vest she was knitting. "Well, I"—she grimaced—"guess I can keep an eye on you while you rest." She gave Tai a piercing stare. "Taking a nap here would be safer than taking her downstairs, bebê. I'd bet a liver and my right thumb that your Director has come up with a very appropriate way to punish you this time."

"It's not like I have a choice," Tai said in a low, bitter tone. Tai raised their arms, showing their ripped jacket, and a mix of understanding and gloom dawned on Granny's expression. Tai continued, "Turns out the tunnel near Mara's flesh home is right above a mermaid nest. Getting out of there was a nightmare." With a sigh, they rubbed their face. "I can't...you know." Tai glanced at Mara. "Without the proper equipment. And to get it, I need to talk to Bernardo." They growled. "I'm in for a wild ride this time, Granny."