[I will be changing a few things this chapter to fit Ariadne's story line. But other than that, it's the same.]
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I 023. I
𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔
❝ out, out, out ❞
THE COOKIES WERE BURNED. And they tasted stale in her small mouth, but she ate them anyways, because this was one of those rare moments where her mom wasn't drinking and laying in her bed. She was up and humming the familiar song she had heard all her life, baking trays upon trays of chocolate chip cookies.
Ariadne swallowed the last piece of her cookies while watching her mother with a hesitant expression, her small frame in the large armchair in the living room. She was only five, her birthday had been two days ago.
There were still party streamers hanging from the ceiling, as her mother was fine with putting them up but not taking them down. Her grandparents had been over for the first time since she was born, she had overheard her mother saying that too herself.
Her grandparents were kind and brought presents, but they also made her mom cry by bringing over a stack of papers to give her. She thought it was letters from her father.
She picked up another cookie before her mother gave her a smile, "Are you excited to go to the doctor?"
Ariadne shook her head no. She didn't like the doctor, hated it, actually. Her mother let out a small laugh before picking her up gently. She seemed happier. "We're going to figure out why you keep seeing your imaginary friends."
They weren't imaginary. They were real things she was seeing. Monsters with horns and forked tongues, one-eyed men who were as tall as some buildings. There were older kids fighting them with swords and knives, yelling out in a language she seemed to understand.
"Real," she whispered to her mother who narrowed her eyes.
"Fake."
She was quiet after that. The girl didn't talk or sing with her mother in the car, only looking out the window and watching as kids ran around with their parents on the playground. Her mother had never down that with her.
The sight of the building was daunting to her. She was only five and the idea of the doctors scared her— needles and finger pricks which caused her pain. Her mother guided her into the building while holding her hand, giving her daughter a comforting smile.
Ariadne didn't know what her mom was doing at the front desk but she played with the small toys on the table before her. Her hands were drawn towards the small three headed dog stuffed animal and snake lady, having them fight with small giggles in between sound affects.
