Teleka: Dawn of a New Age

Chapter II: Emilis (1/2)

Format legend:

<<• = beginning of flashback scene

•>> = end of flashback scene

• • • = switching perspectives

~[dialogue]~ = telepathy contact

words in bold = sound effects

- • - = beginning/end of chapter

- • -

"Momma!"

"Momma!"

"Momma, wake up!"

<<•

On an early morning, a young, energetic girl loudly whipped open the door of Elspeth's house, running to her bedside and shaking her like an earthquake.

"Momma! Why did you lie to me? Why did you lie about the story?"

Elspeth, struggling to open her tired eyes, looked over at her daughter who seemed relentless in making sure she wouldn't fall back asleep.

"Emilis..." Elspeth said, glancing down to notice the dirt and mud stains on her clothes.

"Did y- did you leave the house without me again?!" she said as she sat up.

"I only left to go play with Cecil,"

"What did I tell you about leaving before I'm awake?!"

"But... I was with Ms. Arias too!"

"It doesn't matter! Ok? It's not safe for you to go out on your own like that. You know your father and I have told you this countless times."

Elspeth stood out of bed, making her way to the bowl of water near the window that she had left out earlier.

"How come Cecil can play when his mother is sleeping, but I can't?"

"I don't know, Emilis, but I'm your mother. Not his."

Emilis looked downward in anger towards her mother who had turned around to take notice of her sudden silence. She also observed the many mud stains that now cover her once clean clothes and even areas of skin that, to Elspeth, would either only make sense if she had rolled in it, or gotten herself into a rather aggressive mud-slinging duel.

Elspeth sighed and grabbed the washcloth that had been soaking in the bowl, ringing out the excess water.

"C'mere honey," she said, pulling her daughter's arm closer to her as she knelt down. "You've got mud on your face"

Wiping away at the black dirt that lay scattered from her cheekbone to her shoulder, Elspeth paused to reflect on what Emilis was saying the moment she walked through the door and realized she could no longer ignore what appeared to be something that her daughter still clearly seemed troubled by.

"Alright, tell me what's amiss," said Elspeth. "What story are you saying I lied about?"

"The one about Caledonia. The one you told me last night. You said at the end that everyone got along and stopped fighting, right?"

"Aye, I did. What about it?"

"Cecil told me that's not true. You said that we could go back one day, but he told me that if we do... we'll be... we'll be kil-"