Selene

03 | Lies

"Vera!" Channary shrieked, stamping her foot. "Where in the stars is my maid?!"

    Channary's maid scurried around the corner into Channary's chambers. "You called, Your Majesty?"

    "Draw me a bath. I've had a long day running the country, you know."

    "Yes, your Majesty. Of course, your Majesty." The mouse-like maid hastened to start a bath for Selene's mother, oblivious as Selene listened to the whole thing from her quarters, right next to her mother's and separated only by a wall with a door. Selene plopped down on her bed, peering through the door, and slipped her will into the maid's mind from the bathroom. There, Selene impressed a heavy, heavy hatred for her mother: a hatred of her personality, of the way she ran her country, and of the way she treated everyone. Selene took control of the maids arms and legs, too, and had her recover the dagger Selene had hidden in a loose tile near the swimming-pool sized bathtub. The maid tucked it into the pocket of her uniform, and returned to the sitting room, approaching Channary from behind with a snarl on her lips.

    "Is my bath ready, Vera?" Channary asked, tying her bathrobe. Vera stabbed the dagger into her back before she could even finish tying it. The maid stabbed Channary again and again and again, blood spilling out of each wound again and again until it seeped under the floorboards. Channary let out blood-curdling scream after blood-curdling scream, thrashing until her body fell limp and the maid pulled back.

    Selene rushed to the doorway between her room and her mother's room and shrieked, "Momma!" Several thaumaturges and guards burst into the room as Selene jumped onto the maids back and slipped her will out of Vera's mind, leaving her very confused and without control of her own body. Selene forced the maid's hand to turn back and plunge the dagger, hilt-deep, into her heart. The maid toppled to the ground and Selene ran to her mother's side, sobbing uncontrollably. Fake tears ran down her cheeks and she pounded the ground.

    "Momma... MOMMA!" Thaumaturge Mira rushed to her side and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Princess..."

    Selene thrashed and sobbed, ripping her shoulder out of Thaumaturge Mira's grasp. She bit down ever harder on her lip to keep the tears coming.

"N-No! MOMMA!"

It was nothing more than an act. Another part for Selene to play. She'd played many roles in her life so far, and she'd play many more. The real Selene was broken. The real Selene was buried deep underneath miles and miles of smiles and acts and more acts. The real Selene couldn't show this much emotion. The real Selene wouldn't show this much emotion. Selene had broken long ago, when she was born into a lie.

She refused to believe it was anything else.