The Zodiac Empire

Chapter 24 ~ Moment of Peace

Once her stomach controlled itself, she tossed her bathrobe off, double checked to make sure she actually locked the door and got in the tub. A long, hot bath was one of the few ways she had to set her mind at ease.

Cosena held her arms out. It had been months since she last used the knife, but the scars were still visible. They itched and tingled as she felt the maggots swarm under her skin.

It became too much; she scratched away at her scars. Alsen had made her forgo the knife, but her own fingernails were a different case, right? This wouldn't count as breaking her promise! Her blood dripped into the water, the maggots flowing out with it.

"Mom, dad, are you two watching up there?" She thrust her head back, glaring at the ceiling, "Your daughter has maggots under her skin! How do you feel about that? You left her all alone and now you have to watch her suffer! Look at how filthy she is!" No matter how much she scratched, the maggots just kept pouring out. Cosena understood. Regardless of how much of a strong, ideal big sister she pretended to be, on the inside, she was just a weak, filthy, worthless maggot.

There was a knock on the door.

Cosena ducked as low under the water as her tall frame could. "What? Who is it?"

"Cosena!" It was Alsen. Something about her voice sounded more giddy than usual. "You've got to come downstairs, quickly!"

"Alsen, I'm taking a bath."

"But this is an emergency! Hurry, hurry!" Alsen giggled, and Cosena could then hear her footsteps running back down the stairs.

If there was an emergency, why was she giggling? Had Alsen not sounded so excited, Cosena would have thought she might have overheard her. She sighed as she pulled herself out of the tub. The maggots were gone. They had a funny way of showing up at certain times, then disappearing when they felt like it. And when they went away, they left pain in their place. But the pain and the bleeding didn't bother her. It was better to know that she was still able to feel this pain, that she was still able to bleed.

Cosena washed the blood away and covered the wounds with band-aids. She dried herself off and put her bathrobe back on, and brushed her teeth before returning to her room. Her foot kicked the empty bottle aside. "Crap!" She whispered. She left that in plain sight? No one had entered her room, right? Everything looked untouched.

"COSENA!!! ARE YOU COMING DOWN OR WHAT?!" Alsen shouted from downstairs.

Cosena was sure Alsen just wanted to pull a prank on her or something silly. But she may as well just play along with it. She slipped into a pair of black jeans and a matching shirt. She yawned as she made her way down the stairs.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone shouted as soon as she stepped into the hallway.

Cosena stepped back and flinched. "What the...?" She stood there, stunned as she took in what she was seeing. The living room was decorated with yellow, white, and pink balloons. Everyone was wearing party hats, and confetti fell from the ceiling.

Why had this scene felt so familiar? It had been sixteen years since she last had a birthday celebration, yet visions of her seventh birthday crept into the back of her mind.

Her little self was dressed in her most beautiful, royal dress and tiara. She skipped through the castle halls, signing "It's my birthday! It's my birthday!"

"Slow down, Cosena!" Her mother said with a giggle. She followed behind her hyper daughter while holding Alsen. The two-year-old fed off her sister's excitement, shouting "Cake! Cake!"