Meanwhile, before they found Prim, before the argument of Nancy and Thomas — Meanwhile, Vicky silently sat in the tent. The presence of Mary was actually really random, so she makes herself comfortable by sitting at one of the chair besides the table.
The tent was already cold, filled with the scent of honey and flowers, it smells like a petrichor – the smell of earth after the rain – it smells like 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. So nostalgic.
The room was simple, but at the same time, so unique, so beautiful, so Victorian. Vicky got a lot more curious as she inspects the room, standing up, getting more comfortable. She walks over some furniture and desks, a candle decorates on the desk, as papers and medical supplies scattered across the table.
It's messy, but comforting. She wondered who could this tent belongs to and what does it got to do with her? Her eyes glared with curiosity as she observed a drawer.
Glancing around the room, she quietly opened the drawer, it felt so wrong, to look for something in someone's belonging you don't even know. But there's something — something about this person's presence that makes her think that they were calling her.
Vicky grabbed a photo album as it was the first thing she laid her eyes on, brushing the dust away, she reads the label, '𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁, 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿.'
Vicky softened at the title, it must be nice to have someone who you can called a mother, she does have a mother. She knows she have a mother. But repeating Thomas words in her head: "𝘞𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘈𝘳𝘮."
Or something like that – don't blame her she actually got a terrible memory she don't even knows how she was a map taker and a runner –
She opens the page slowly, while whistling, remembering what her mother did, looking at the photos of redhead woman with her redhead daughter in a photo booth. They were both making silly faces at first, then at the last two pictures, the mother was holding her baby daughter lovingly, looking at her with a heart eyes, kissing her cheek, eyes glowing with such love you can see it through the pictures. The last one, was the same kind of picture, but opposite, this one instead, was the daughter that kissed her mother's cheek.
Realising something familiar about the photos, she finally realised that the woman 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮! She looks exactly like her — same redhead hair, eyes greens, lips curves. But these pictures, showed that the woman felt more alive, with her daughter. The same woman, her mother.
𝘏𝘌𝘙 𝘔𝘖𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙!
Holy crap, she never felt more stupid than her entire life. The same woman in all her dreams! The same happiness! The same laughters! The same story! The same mother.
Vicky dropped the book with a harsh pulled, revealing a pendant under piles of papers. Vicky noticed it and picks it up, not realising the presence of someone entering the room.
Before she could opened the locket, she heard a loud thump. She flinched, looking at the direction with widen eyes as she observed the woman infront of her, standing next to the tent opener.
Her mother — she really is standing right infront of her — holding some pots and pans, for cooking maybe?
The both of them froze. Her mother eyes were dulled, looking like she hadn't got any sleeps, but when she froze it on Vicky. It glowered. Really, it sparkled. As if the part of her life slowly comes back to her, even though Vicky sense something that there's more her mother have lost.
Her mother whistles, and so does she. Both humming and whistling, a sign of checking eachother out. Their secret sign. Something only a mother and a daughter knew.
Vicky's face twisted. She doesn't know what to say so she played clueless for a while to see the woman's reaction. "I'm-" She paused. And she instantly regretted it.
"Mother." Vicky began, feeling more confident after taking a deep breath. "Do you," Her voice started to crack as the woman infront of her could do nothing but froze. She remembered, she had to. Vivian's eyes were glossy with tears. "Do you still remember me?" She whispers, whistling again, her chin quivers as a tear slid down her cheek.
Slowly, baby steps, Vivian walks towards Vicky, crouching down on her knees to Vicky's eyes level. "Letting you go was the hardest thing I've ever done." Vivian spoke, whistling. And just by hearing her mother voice makes her melt instantly, feeling weaker than she ever felt before. It was as if they were communicating through whistling.
For the first time in her life, she actually believes in angels, getting to hear their soothing and gently voice. And that's what her mother sounds like.
Vicky closed her eyes as she began to bawled emotionally, "Mom!" She collapsed in her mom's chest as Vivian holds her tightly, tears ricocheting down their eyes. "Oh, my sweet child, Victoria, my daughter," Vivian cooed, sitting their self on the ground, holding onto eachother tightly.
Vicky felt the urge to squeeze her mother, but instead, she let go. Tears covering her whole cheeks now, as she continued sobbing. Vivian too, was a sobbing mess, tears running down her face as she started to laughs, kissing Vicky's face everywhere — her forehead, her nose, under her eyes, her cheeks dimple, her chin, her forehead again.
Vivian closed Vicky around herself, "Hush, my little baby, don't you cry. Mama is here. Mama is here now. And she will never let you go. Never again. Mama's here." Vivian cried, stroking Vicky's baby hair out of her forehead, stroking it until her short hair straightens behind her back. "Oh, you've grown so much, my baby girl." Vivian pulled, examining her baby daughter, that was now not a baby anymore. But to her, she will always be her little girl.
Vicky cupped her mother's cheeks, kissing it, and wiped her tears using her thumb. Vicky sniffles, "The thought of losing you again and never meet you scared me, mom." She said, her voice cracking, her hands never leave contact with her mother's cheeks.
Vivian gazed, humming Vicky's lullaby. Standing up, cradling Vicky by her side, she moved the both of them towards her bed. Getting comfortable in the sheets, Vivian cuddled Vicky closed, just like how she used to do when Vicky was a baby, still humming her lullaby.
Vicky finally catch up with the lyrics, as she sang quietly, "Why must daylight always dimmed? Creeping dust so cold and grim." Vicky's dreamy voice of her own lullaby makes tears running down Vivian's eyes.
"You still remembered?"
"Always."
They don't need to talk anymore, just having eachother comforts, and touch and presence was enough. It's been five minutes as Vivian strokes Vicky's hair, Vicky putting her hand on her mother's chest as their bodied tangled.
"Mother," Vicky began as Vivian hummed softly, "Yes, my dear?"
"Do you really remember me?"
The question had Vivian caught off guard, she sigh, still stroking Vicky's face, now braiding her tiny thick baby hair. "You may think that I don't remember you but, Vicky, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 didn't remember me actually. A mother never forgets." She said, using her pinky to run up and down repeatedly on Vicky's nose.
Vicky laughs at the tickles in-between her nose. "Yeah, that makes sense." Vicky pulled her mother closer to her, as if it wasn't enough.
Vivian began to sit up, confusing the young girl, "You're not going to leave, ar-" Vicky spoke, but was cut off by Vivian hushing her.
"Shh, shh, my sweet child. Please, listen." Hearing her mother's pleaded said enough, Vicky nodded firmly, looking into her mother' green eyes.
Vivian pulled Vicky in as they started to lay back down again in their current positions;
"Hold my hand, my daughter. Let me show you the way, to live and to love, to work and to play, to dream and to imagine, to chill and to grow; I'll be with you, my darling. No matter where we go, hold my hand, my daughter. And let us go explore, let us read epic stories. And then, live a few more. Let us spend time as family, as well as with eachother. I couldn't be more proud to say that I'm your mother. So hold my hand, baby. And thanks for making me your arm. You are my universe; My earth, sun and moon."
And by time she finished, Vicky had already fallen asleep due to her mother' soothing speech, music to her ears. Vivian smiled, cradling her daughter sleeping state tightly onto her, whispering soft words.
"I vowed not to fight anymore."