Earthrumbler

Chapter Ten: The Haze

Hours later, when I could finally pry my eyes open, I wetted my lips and tried to speak to my mother, to tell her to leave before Poseidon returned.

She stood before me, but didn’t say anything. Her hand smashed the cuffs that held my hands. Reaching out her arms, she caught me by my underarms. Her face was stone cold. Her eyes, underlined with charcoal, were set in determination. There was something off in her eyes. They were lighter and sprinkled with blue. Her skin was paler too, with a rosier hue to it. When she set me down, she pulled the remnants of my shirt off me. My mother delicately slid the britches down my legs. “He touched your neck last night. He knew that the necklace was missing.” She hung it on my neck. “He also knew that you were wearing undergarments. Take them off.”

“What are you talking about?” Trying to understand, I shook the exhaustion out of my head. When I opened my eyes, I yelped in surprise. My eyes traced her changes.

My mother’s features had softened. The roots of her hair grew brighter and brighter until her hair was a mixture of vivid orange and red. Her curls tamed themselves, falling into waves. The pale skin on her face had subtle freckles dotting it.

On her arm, a green blot focused into a vine, identical to Persephone’s mark.

“What are you doing? Why do you look like…like…me?” I watched in horror as her limbs shortened. “You took Morpheus’ blessing from me to trick me?” My voice brimmed with hurt. “I’ll do it. I’ll marry Triton. You can escape. You’ll have enough energy if you stop the changes now. Please, Mother.”

“You’re not supposed to know of that.” Her voice started to lighten, losing the elegance and the richness that carried through her singing.

I grabbed her hand. “Don’t do this,” I said, my voice straining in desperation.

“Take off your undergarments now. Now.” Her eyes lost blue as she snarled at me. They became her own, a dark emerald color. Her hands curled around my shoulders, accelerating my pulse. After I complied, she pulled her dress over me. I repressed a cringe as she put on my bloody tattered garments. “I’ll not let you give up yourself.”

My voice filled with fire. “If you send me away, I’ll come right back down. I’ll agitate Persephone. I’ll tell Poseidon and Triton. You will not get rid of me that easily.”

She grabbed a fistful of my hair and slammed my head into the wall. She continued to smash my skull until the skin split and blood oozed out of it. For each tear in my skin, hers tore as well. The lacerations and bruises across our skin matched.

My head throbbed so fiercely that I was certain that she was trying to kill me. I couldn’t see straight. My eyes wouldn’t focus. A tug on my collar stole my attention. “What are you doing?” My voice was far off. I studied the girl closer. “Who are you?”

“Shh, I love you. But it’s better if you don’t remember.” By her hold on my collar, she hoisted me up and threw me at the solid stonewall.

I passed through it. Arms weak by my sides, I shot up through water. The dress slogged through it until my head broke through the surface. I gasped in air. My head pounded. I struggled to stay afloat. Coughing, the salt of the water flooded my mouth. Wounds that I struggled to remember stung as the salt invaded them. I swam without direction. Do I have somewhere to go? Does someone even want me?

A wave crashed over me. It knocked me beneath the surface, but I floated back up. I kicked my legs to stay above water. I swam, more of a flailing of limbs than an actual stroke. My pulse pounded. A vague memory tugged at me: a fear of water. “Help.” My voice came out as a scratch, barely a noise. My head ached. As darkness threatened to pull me under, a gentle bop on my head kept me fighting.