I Remember {MJ FANFICTION}

Chapter 12

The queen appeared absolutely void of joy when I returned. She sat above me in her position in the party room as I stood on trial with only her as both the witness and the judge.

"Sing." She had commanded of me. I blinked unsure of myself, then glanced around as though expecting for her to crack a smile and tell me that she was joking. But then she stood up and slammed both hands on the table, causing an ear splitting thump to echo through the room. "SING!" she screamed and I felt my body jump into action.

"Got to be there, got to be there! In the morning! When she says hello to the world-"

The queen threw a hand up halting my words in an instant, then she grabbed a hold of a dagger that I did not see resting before her on the table. She took a brash turn to descend the steps and I felt my feet scurrying back on themselves of their own accord.

"Sanura, wait!" she proceeded in her approach and I felt my back hit a large pillar moments before she pinned me against it.

"Where did you come from?" she demanded to know, and up close I could see the wells of her eyes, shiny and budding with the earliest sign of impending tears. They were so vast and so large that I almost felt I could fall into them and drown, my hands would not have been able to extrapolate me from their gushing depth and would have slipped from the edge, leaving me dead and coated in remnants of dusty black eyeliner. I felt air leave my chest as I gazed into them.

"From...from Cairo-"

"WHAT was your mothers name?" she screamed, causing me to flinch at the dagger close up to my neck.

"Ka...Katherine." I said, my voice pleading mercy from her.

"I know not of this name!" she said, her eyes scanning over my face. "You do not look like us. You do not act like us. You do not sing the way that my people sing, this is the last time I will ask you." She said, her chin becoming sharper along the usually soft curve of her jawline. "Why did you go to see that wicked woman." She pointed the dagger closer to my neck. I leaned back as far as I could.

"I...because I...I..." I stuttered and stumbled.

"You want to lie, I see it in your eyes." She said. "But you should remember that to do so would be very unwise." Finally the cold dagger pressed against the surface of my exposed flesh.

"It's because I...because I needed to talk to her." I finally confessed.

"Why?" Sanura jerked my body with her tighten fist that threatened to draw droplets of sweat as she squeezed my garment with fury.

I licked my drying lips, suddenly the heat in the room seemed unbearable. I remained quiet, my mouth parted slightly as my eyes scanned Sanura's face. I couldn't tell her. I just couldn't, because I knew once she knew that she would surely call for my execution. Silence rang out between us and the more time that passed, the more unwilling my mouth was to speak.

"AAGGHH!" she suddenly screamed in frustration and turned, her dress sweeping behind her when she paced away from me. "Why do you refuse to speak the truth!" she vented. "She is a shape-shifter." She said finally turning to face me again, dropping her hand from her forehead. "She appeared beautiful for you." She stormed up to me again and held the dagger low and at my groin now. "Didn't she?" I was on tiptoes now as I stared up at the elevated dining table in front of me, praying to the heavens above that this lady would see reason.

"No! Sanura, please stop this. This is insane." I said.

"Is it insane? To think that you would disobey me for this woman, how much power does she have over you?" Sanura squinted at me.