I can't even talk back, I'm literally speechless, possibly for the first time in my life. I just stand there, staring at my mom with wide eyes and my mouth agape. Eventually mom speaks up "So I'm going to take it that you do know him?" My mom says questioningly. I give my head a small shake telling myself to get it together "mom...how do you know about Slyder?" I ask.
Mom sighs deeply and gives me a look of regret "I was really, really hoping you'd have no idea who I was talking to you about" mom says her voice coming out hoarse and quiet. I hate seeing mom like this. I step forward and wrap her into a hug, hoping that my hug is at least an eighth as comforting as hers are to me. "Honey, we need to talk" mom whispers. After a moment we pull apart and walk into the living room. Mom sits down on the couch and I follow, sitting cross legged facing her.
After a long, deep sigh, mom looks up at me, her eyes worried and wary. "Okay Beth...can you tell me what you know about Slyder?" Mom asks. I laugh short, and humorlessly "Hardly anything" I say. Mom sighs again. "Oh honey...please, please tell me you're not the one he's after" mom says her voice nervous.
I bite my lip as I feel a knot form in my throat "I am" I say my voice cracking slightly. I watch my mom close her eyes and press her lips together. "So it's true, Beth's a powerful Eribiss" my mom whispers quietly to herself. "What does that even mean?" I cry. Mom's eyes snap open "honey, I might sound kind of crazy, but have you developed any...uh...unusual...abilities?" Mom asks hesitantly as she avoids my question.
Unusual abilities? Like say maybe reading minds? Does aqua colored markings on my arm count? How about running so fast that everything is a blur? I shake my head no. Mom's eyes widen "your biting your lip! What powers do you have?" She exclaims.
Stupid lip biting habit.
"Oh they're powers now? I thought they were 'unusual abilities'" I say stalling. I've never ever told anybody that I can read minds, what if she flips? Or doesn't believe me? Or does and thinks I'm some sort of mutant? "Quit diverting the question" mom says sternly. This is mom, she's not going to flip out or think I'm lying, she'll understand, she's not like normal moms.
"I can...read minds" I tell her. It sounds so, so weird saying it. I've never spoken those words before in my whole life, not even to myself. Mom nods slowly, she doesn't yell out that I'm a liar, or run away, or even widen her eyes, she just simply nods "for how long?" She asks. I feel reassurance flow through me at her understanding and calm response. "For as long as I can remember" I answer. It feels so incredible to finally talk about this, to finally tell somebody, to let go of one of my secrets.
It's a good thing Aashray taught me how to...mom's thoughts stop abruptly as her eyes flick up to mine "you're reading my mind right now, aren't you?" She asks. I look away and feel my cheeks turn a light red "sorry, force of habit" I say quietly. Mom laughs lightly "understandable. Now, this Jake guy...is he-do you know who Slyder is shaped into?" Mom asks. I nod my head slowly "you remember Brandon?" I ask. Mom's eyes widen immediately "I knew something felt wrong with him, but it's as if I can't really remember what happened during my meeting him. I think he may have altered my brain in a small way, so that I'd feel good feelings toward him and not remember the encounter well enough to consider him being Slyder" mom says piecing it all together as she thinks out loud.
I squeeze my eyes shut as I have a hard time imagining Brandon being Slyder, it just seems so unreal, so fake. I change the topic by asking a question I've been curious about since mom first asked wether I know Slyder.
"How do you know Slyder?" I ask. Mom's lips form a sad smile and her eyes start to fill with tears "to explain to you how I know Slyder, th-there-there's something i'm going to have to tell you" mom says anxiously. I try reading her mind, nice try hon, just be patient and listen. Mom gives me a stern look, though it's not very affective because of her sad, watery eyes.
I nod my head getting very nervous, and tense. Mom scoots a little closer. "It's kind of a long story, so wait as I explain it all" mom says carefully "okay" I reply, my voice quiet and small. "And honey..." mom pauses "please don't hate me" I furrow my brows as I pull my head away a little "mom..." I say my heart speeding up. I let out a nervous laugh "you know you'll always be my favorite mom" I say, forcing a smile, hoping I don't look as terrified as I feel. Moms lip quivers faintly as a tear slides down her cheek and past her neck, disappearing beneath her shirt. Okay now she's seriously scaring me, I don't think I've ever seen her like this. She's always been so confident, and fearless, yet now she seems so jumpy, terrified, and sorrowful. Mom takes a deep breath and looks me right in the eyes.
"Nineteen years ago, there was a guy named Joseph, and a girl named Elina" mom says starting off slowly. I know the names, as soon as I hear them I recognize them, yet I can't pinpoint how. "They were both learning their...powers in the Eribiss world-" I stop her right there "what is the Eribiss world?" I ask. Mom's eyes move away from mine as she rolls her lips into her mouth and then out "The Eribiss is...the Eribiss is a place, or a world, or a...religion? I don't really know what to call it. Basically the Eribiss is a...society for people with supernatural abilities" mom explains.
I raise my eyebrows at her, mom actually believes in the supernatural world? She continues "they knew nothing of one another because the different clans were to never communicate with each other. They first met outside of the gates. They both would often sneak out separately to escape the Eribiss for a while, but they never once encountered one another, until one full-mooned night." Mom says pausing for a moment to look at me, I guess to make sure I'm following along okay.
I nod my head so she continues "they introduced themselves and found out they were headed to the same non-Eribiss town, so they decided to go together. It was about an hour walk there, so they had a long time to talk, they became good friends and started meeting each other outside those gates three times a week. Nobody knew that either of them snuck out, because they were very good at sneaking. It wasn't long until they found out that they were in rivaling clans, at first they were hesitant to continue hanging out, but they couldn't deny that they had a connection. So they continued to meet up three times a week outside those gates for a whole year without anybody finding out, despite the fact that Elina was part of the MoonRise Clan and Joseph was part of the TreeRoot clan. Halfway through that year, they fell in love. They started to get involved romantically."
I realize how I know those names, they're from that strange website I found. "One night, they ventured into the woods and made love under a tree opening that allowed the full moon to shine down on them, and Elina became pregnant. As I had earlier said, Elina was a part of the MoonRise Clan, there was always this legend that if a MoonRiser becomes pregnant under a full moon, they're child will be more powerful and beautiful than any other MoonRiser when under the full moon. The child's power starts out small until they grow older and learn to control their them." Mom pauses looking at me again.
I nod, still trying to figure out what this has to do with me. "Three months later, Elina's father found out about her pregnancy and became furious, he kicked her out of their house despite Elina's mother's protests. Joseph decided he couldn't let Elina live on her own with no support, so he ran away from home, and joined Elina. Elina and Joseph ran into the woods, a few hours after walking, they found a small, abandoned cabin, and lived there. Besides Joseph and Elina, there was only one other person that knew where the two lived, and that was Elina's sister, Elina's sister would sneak out to visit them once a week, bringing them money, food, and any other supplies they needed. As time went by, Elina's powers grew stronger and stronger, she was growing very powerful and beautiful, she'd often share powers with the moon, gaining more strength and power from the light shining down. Nine months into the pregnancy, Elina became very cloister phobic with the small cabin, and said that 'the moon was calling to her'" mom pauses again "how do you know all of this?" I ask, she practically knows everything down to what color shoes Elina was wearing.
Mom gives me a sad smile again but ignores my question and continues "so she left the cabin and took a long walk, going deeper into the woods. Suddenly her stomach started hurting terribly bad, there was pain coursing through every part of her body, and in that instant, she knew she was giving birth. She tried turning back around to the cabin, but she was in too deep to get back in time and ended up stopping at a small opening where the full moon shined down on her. She used her great powers to send telepathic messages to Joseph. Joseph came thirty minutes later to find Elina lying on the ground with her eyes closed. Scared, Joseph ran up to her calling her name, she opened her eyes and smiled at him "Joe, I'm giving birth" she said. It took five hours (a very short labor) and finally, the baby started coming. Elina said-and these are her words, not mine-that the moon was protecting her from pain. She said that because of her powers mixed with the moon shinning down on her, the birth was actually a close to painless event." Mom stops talking "mom, this is a great legend and all, but what does it have to do with Slyder?" I ask. Mom gives me a wary look "patience Beth." I sigh "continue" I say.
"the baby girl didn't even cry, she just laid in Elina's arms with a teeny, tiny smile on her pink lips. Joseph asked Elina what they should name her. They hadn't talked about it before, neither of them had searched up names, they had no clue just minutes earlier, but Elina knew what to call her as soon as she saw the small baby girl with the full head of dark blue/black hair. Elina looked up at Joseph with tears of joy in her eyes "Kamaria" Elina told him. Joseph smiled "Kamaria Kendra, its perfect" Joseph said kissing Elina. Kendra is Elina's last name, in the Eribiss world, the child takes the mother's surname. They soon found out that the name Kamaria means Beauty of the Moon. The name Kendra means Bold power. So together, Kamaria Kendra means Beauty of the Moon, Bold power. Joseph lifted his wife in his arms and brought her back to the cabin where they stayed raising their daughter for four years. Elina's sister started visiting every other day to help take care of Kamaria. Everything was going great, they're daughter was growing up into a beautiful little toddler, Elina's powers were growing stronger and stronger by the day, and Joseph was happier than he'd ever been. But then...word got out" mom pauses as tears fill her eyes "mom? What's wrong?" I ask worried. "Oh honey, this is harder than I thought" she was really starting to worry me. "mom...tell me what's going on" mom takes a deep breath and continues
"it wasn't long until Slyder figured out where they lived. Slyder had been looking for Elina for a year by that time, because it knew she was a woman of incredible power. One night, when Kamaria reached the age of five, it snuck into the house, Elina immediately felt it's presence through her powers. Everyone in the Eribiss world had heard of Slyder, many believed that it was just some made up legend, but Elina ran to Kamaria's room to find out he's not made up at all. She ran to where Kamaria had been sleeping peacefully, to find Slyder holding it's hand over her mouth. The look of pure terror showing clearly in Kamaria's eyes broke Elina's heart. She called Joseph into the room. Instantly Joseph ran forward to grab Kamaria. Slyder slapped Kamaria hard across the face, her eyes filled with water but she made no sounds, she wanted to be as brave as her mother so she silently stood there staring at her mom, her lip quivering. Joseph stopped walking and grabbed Elina's hand. "What do you want?" Elina asked. Slyder gave her a wicked smile "you dead" he told her. Joseph moved in front of Elina in a protective manner. With a flick of Slyders hand, Joseph was sent flying across the room. Joseph wasn't a very powerful being, and because of this, was knocked out from the action. Elina began crying. Slyder gripped Kamaria's arm so tightly that her mouth popped open and her eyes widen in pain. "Stop! I'll give you whatever you want, please just don't hurt my baby" Elina said. This whole time Elina's sister had been watching in the shadows, she was waiting for the right moment to jump in. Slyder grabbed Kamaria roughly by the arm and yanked her forward. Pain was written all over Kamaria's face, but she said nothing as tears slide quickly out of her sad, fearful eyes. "Please, let Kamaria go" Elina cried. "You're coming with me, if you use any of your powers, or hurt me in any way, your daughter pays" Slyder threatens. Elina nods her head in agreement as tears slid down her already soaked cheeks. With its other hand, Slyder grabbed Elina and began to shove them both towards the door, Elina's sister took this chance to jump inside through the window she had been using her powers on to open. She poured all of her strength and powers onto Slyder at once. Slyder, taken by surprise, began falling to its knees in pain, Elina noticed this and used all of her powers on it at once also. Slyder was so close to death, it stood no chance next to Elina's immense powers combined with her sisters strengthening powers, it was near dying until it used the little amount of strength it had left to grab Kamaria and shield itself with her. Elina and her sister immediately stopped, but not soon enough, Kamaria was hit by their power. Elina was one of the most powerful women in the MoonRise clan, and her power was growing by the minute. Elina's sister had been training everyday with Elina so they both were quite powerful. Combine both of those together and pour it all over a baby. It was horrible, "mommy!" Kamaria screamed out in pain before falling limp on the floor. Elina and her sister were terrified, they ran to Kamaria and fell on their knees as Elina grabbed Kamaria in her arms. "She's alive, but she won't be for long if she doesn't get some healing. Please, I need you to take Kamaria to the Eribiss Hospital immediately" Elina told her sister. "No I can't just leave you here, I can't leave you here with Slyder" her sister cried "Please, I can take care of Slyder, I need to know that my baby will live" Elina told her quickly. Her sister was so scared, she knew that if she left Elina, Slyder was sure to kill her. Elina read her sister's thoughts and grabbed her hand "you know I love you, you have been an amazing sister, a better one then I could have ever asked for. You've helped me so much with my powers, with food, with money, with Kamaria, with cleaning. I'll never be able to repay you, but please, I'm begging you please. Take Kamaria to the hospital, and make sure she lives a safe, long life." Elina told her sister as tears poured heavily down her face. Her sister, unable to speak, nodded her head before grabbing Elina in a tight hug "i love you Elina. I'll do it, I promise" with that, Slyder began to wake up after being knocked out from losing so much strength. They hugged once more before Elina's sister slipped out the door with Kamaria in her arms and ran home." Mom's crying hard now, her voice keeps cracking. What is going on? Why is she so emotional about this story?
"Now here's were the details are a little hazy, I'm not exactly sure what happened after this. But I believe Elina and Slyder began fighting for who knows how long, Slyder won the fight and tied Elina up. She tried using her powers, but he had used some type of spell-bound rope so that she couldn't. Joseph woke up and tried to attack Slyder, but he was no match for him and Slyder ended his life. He tortured Elina for hours, before finally killing her by shoving a knife through her heart. He left her there like that. After Elina took Kamaria to the hospital and had her healed, she left the baby with her boyfriend and went back to the cabin to find Joseph dead on the floor, and Elina t-" mom's voice cracks and she stops talking for a moment as tears pour down her cheeks "tied up. Elina was-she was unrecognizable. Her skin was shredded, there was salt poured on her chunks of missing body, half of her hair was pulled out, her eyeball had a-had a tooth pick sticking out of it, her clothes were torn, her lips were cut off, It was revolting. Her sister imagined Elina going through all of that and began crying, falling to the floor as she wept. She stayed like that until the sun rose many, many hours later. Rats started eating at Elina's skin. Her sister screamed at them as she killed them using her powers. Even though Elina's sister was in so much pain, she knew she had to follow through with her promise and keep Kamaria safe throughout her life. So she quickly made a large hole in the ground with her abilities and lifted Elina's blood-soaked body and buried it along with Joseph in the back yard of the cabin. The sister, now weak with sadness, trailed back to her house where her boyfriend was playing with Kamaria. Her sister knew she had to be strong, and independent so that she could make sure that Kamaria got the life she deserved. She didn't want anything like this ever happening to Kamaria, so she, her boyfriend, and Kamaria all escaped the Eribiss world and moved to a very small town in the Normies world, where Elina's sister watched and took care of Kamaria as though she were her own child, changing her name and having her believe that she was just a normal girl." Mom's eyes are squeezed shut as she talks, her never ending tears falling down her sad face. Mom slowly opens her eyes and looks at me fearfully. She waits, expectantly "mom that's a horrible, depressing story, and now I'm feeling sick to my stomach as I imagine what Elina must have looked like and gone through, but why did you tell me it? What does it have to do with anything?" I ask. Mom looks at me with sorrowful, dreading eyes. "Honey don't you get it? I'm Elina's sister, and you're...you're Kamaria" mom says waiting for my reaction.
My mind feels like it's close to exploding as it reels with all of this new information. "Wha-I-you-what-what are you talking about?" I stutter. Mom grabs my hand but I yank it away, standing up from the couch "mom this isn't funny!" I yell getting angry and scared at the same time "I know it's not funny, but it's the truth" mom says quietly. No, I'm not Kamaria, I can't be. That's ridiculous, I'm just a normal girl...who can read minds, okay so I'm not normal but that doesn't mean I'm some powerful moon girl that had a immensely powerful mother, that story isn't mine. "No, on the website, it said that assasins sent by Joseph's father killed them, and that Kamaria is a ghost that lives in the cabin, people hear her talking to the moon about mommy and daddy. Kamaria's dead" I shout. Mom stands up and looks at me sadly "no honey, that's just made up legends. You are Kamaria" mom-or aunt or whatever she is- says reaching out for me. I pull away as tears slowly slide down my cheek. "You're lying" I cry "you have to be" I can't take this anymore, I can't stay here with the woman who's either been lying to me my entire life, or is lying to me now. I turn away and grab my purse by the front door, running outside. "Honey!" Mom yells but I ignore her as I run as fast as I can to my car. I get inside and zip out of driveway and down the street so fast my tires squeel. Tears are blurring my vision. Surely what she said wasn't true. I can't be Kamaria, my name is Bethany, I'm not powerful, I'm not Elina's daughter, I'm not a MoonRiser, I'm not anybody, I'm just plain old normal Bethany Hibbler who lives in small town Idaho, dating my very normal boyfriend and living my super normal life. Even as I think it, I know it's not true. I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I know what mom said was true. Everything she said matched perfectly with the small hints Slyder and Jake have been sending me. It all makes since now. My mom-or Brenda, or my aunt, I don't know what to call her- doesn't even look very much like me at all.
Brenda has brown hair with natural caramel highlights, I have plain pitch black.
Brenda has pale green eyes, I have bright blue.
Brenda has super curly hair, I have stick straight.
Now that I think about it, the only thing that's similar between us is our personality and attributes, which probably is only shared between us because I grew up almost my whole life with her so I learned to act and be like her.
It's all so terrifying to think about. Is mom really not my mom? It hurts to consider it. Brenda has always been my mom.
I pull into Secreuni and run out into the grass where I start crying harder and louder, free from being surrounded by people. My phone buzzes with a notification, I pull it out of my purse. There's a notification from mom but I'm not paying attention to that, my eyes are glued to my screensaver, a picture of Abigail and I, we're at the mall, I'm wearing a huge sombrero and too-big for-my-face sunglasses, my lips puckered, Abigail's wearing a backward baseball cap and has her hand doing the peace sign in front of her face, her tongue sticking out. I remember taking this picture, I was having one of those 'blah feelings', that whole week I had been depressed because my so-called friend had turned on me and started bullying me because she thought I was trying to steal her man. Abigail showed up at my house and said we were going out, I told her I wasn't in the mood, she replied with 'too bad' and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my car that I had just gotten that year. We got to the mall and somehow, almost instantly Abigail brought me out of my saturnine mood. We had so much fun, messing around in each store, trying on outfits but not buying any, eating a butt-load of food, it's one of my favorite memories. Abigail has always been there for me, she cheered me up when I was sad, she made me happy when was angry, she made me laugh when I felt like crying, she told off anybody who tried to bully me, she was an amazing friend, and now she's gone, Slyder kidnapped her. I've been so caught up in all of this that I completely forgot about Abigail. I'm such a terrible friend, I let my own life and my own problems let me forget that my best friend has been kidnapped by a murderer. What is wrong with me? Oh who am I kidding, I already know the answer to that, everything.
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Some of you already figured out parts of what was going on, congratulations. Some of you already figured it all out, man you're good. And some of you hadn't even considered it, I hope I took you by surprise.
This chapter kind of fits together everything I've been working towards. I've actually been planning this from the very beginning, this is something that I've been tilting everything towards in a small, hardly-noticeable way.
Anyhoodle, I really like this chapter and I hope you do too! Lemme know what you think.
Please comment, read, vote, and promote!!!