LUNA: The Witching Hour

50: Undo Me

There was food on the table. A lot of them. I scented the savory smell of the roasted rabbit. Mushrooms that were either cooked with garlic and butter or only seasoned with salt. There was also porridge and beef. Not just any kind of beef but a good one. A juicy one. Potatoes that smelt sweet. Green leaves that were mixed with spices. Fat fish with pepper and salt and cut tomatoes. Fresh blood in our designated cups. And... cake.

A cake.

A red and white frosting cake placed in the middle of the table. It had butterflies and roses around it. Little pearls to make it look prettier. Out of all the dishes prepared, I was drooling for the cake the most. I would even choose the cake over the blood. I always liked sweet things.

"Sahar, darling what did I tell you? Bago ka uupo, kailangan malinis na 'yang mga kamay mo. Hindi ka pa naghuhugas ng kamay!"

I felt as though I was the stupidest person alive and gaped like an ignorant at the sight of a lady with chestnut hair and honey brown eyes. She sat on the chair next to hers and gave me a strict yet calm look.

"Ano pang hinihintay mo? Maghugas ka na ng mga kamay mo"

I blinked.

A tug inside my chest, and I almost made a noise that would indicate that I was about to cry.

But I couldn't hold it. I couldn't hold back my own tears as they burned at the edge of my eyes and rolled down my cheeks.

But I wasn't crying. I wasn't crying on the outside. The unbearable pain of seeing my mom was real and I was aware of my own tears falling but I wasn't crying. I looked down at my hands. It was small. Small. And saw that it was covered with blood. I looked back up and felt my own body moved as if I wasn't the one controlling it. Like it already knew what to do next.

And then I heard myself talking as I started for the kitchen sink, "I'm better at hunting now than I was yesterday, no?" I sounded proud it confused me.

A male voice entered the conversation to give respond to my idle proclamation as I washed my hands clean.

"Honey, you broke your own arms while hunting and you let the deer escape"

I've never heard the voice, yet I knew who owned it. Yet the deep, growling-calm voice clenched my heart in the most painful of ways possible. I cried harder. I knew I cried harder. But my body now—- this small body wasn't even sorrowful. This body had a big grin on her face as it ran to a male with long dark hair tied in a braid and eyes as pale as mine. I threw my arms out and the big guy hauled me up like I was the lightest.

This was my dad.

He pinched the bridge of my nose, smiling so gently at me, "Dito kapa sa shirt ko nag punas ng mga kamay ah"

I giggled. Giggled. I was happy. I was happy and I didn't know why.

"Hoy, umupo na nga kayo dito at ako'y nagugutom na" Mom rumbled like a spoiled child.

Natawa tuloy si papa. "Nanay mo, maldita"

"Ako?" Tanong ko.

"Parehas lang kayo" He placed me down on my seat when we reached the dining table, "Pero dahil kaarawan mo ngayon, ikaw ang pinaka mabait na bata sa araw na 'to"

Kaarawan ko ngayon?

My birthday?

"Don't listen to your father, you're the most troublesome child in this empire" Mom smiled at me and I made a face. "Pitong taong gulang ka pa lang ngayon pero saksakan ka na ng kamalditahan"