The Bane of Light

Parent Day Pt4

"A child's violent will to survive lodged in her chest where her heart should be, but an utter indifference along with it"- Lidia Yukanavitch, The Small Backs of Children

∞

I threw myself into the crowd of bodies, slipping between them and maneuvering my way around each figure. I frantically skimmed the room, hoping to catch sight of the familiar goldeneyes of Clair. He could tell me what was going on, if I could find him. But I couldn't. I couldn't find him anywhere. My panic increased by tenfolds, a pressure rising in my throat, making it hard for me to breathe or swallow. The press of people around me did not help with my rapidly increasing panic, constricting my chest as I failed to breathe.

Where was Clair? Where was he? I couldn't shout out to him; his mother would hear the call. She would know that they taught me their magic. Clair would be strung up and skinned alive for it. I was stuck, blinded, and now lost. I tried to breathe as the people in hall towered over me, obstructing my view and paying no mind to me as I tried to shove my way through. They were drunk and tipsy on champagne, laughing too loud, their bodies too hot as they brushed up against me, not caring who it was, throwing me side to side like a row-boat in an ocean storm.

I saw an opening in the uncomfortably close-knit crowd, and lunged, desperate for any air. When I stumbled forward, I was horrified to realize why there had been such a large gap within the crowd. My mouth dried in horror as I met the familiar, icy blue eyes of Wilhemine Fontaine.

I looked at my mother and froze. I didn't know what to do. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was never here. She never came. Not for me. My hands shook with the thought of what got back to her, for her to deem it important enough to visit me. Her schedule was busy. She didn't just pop by on parents day spontaneously. She needed to have this planned for months. My palms were clammy as I stared at her from across the room, resisting the urge to instinctually jump into a shadow. What did I do? What did she figure out?

She was talking to Axel besides her, and had thankfully not noticed my presence yet. I stood frozen in place, staring at her in horror from the crowd. At first glance, you could tell we were related, but upon closer inspection, you could see how incredibly different we really were. Her pale hair was almost as white as mine, only hers had more warm, blonde hues whereas mine was unnaturally silver. Where her hair was glossy and voluminous, mine fell limp and flat. She was beyond beautiful, her magic aiding to her livelihood; the exact antithesis of how mine was detrimental to my life thread.

While her fair face was dewy and glimmering, mine was dry and hollow, my cheekbones harsh and the dark circles under my eyes forever evident. Her eyes were steely and severe, but they didn't have the unnatural sheen that mine did. If you looked upon my mother, you would confidently claim she was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen. If you looked upon me, you would observe my beauty for only a short few seconds before taking notice of the ghastliness that forever shrouded around me. My mother was goddess divine, while I reeked of death.

Axel was a spitting image of my mother too, as he stood by her side like a loyal dog. He adorned the pale blonde hair, hard, icy-blue eyes, a strong profile with sharp, defined features, and her same, dazzling smile. His height was intimidating at a nearly seven-foot marker, with broad shoulders and short, gelled hair, that was slicked back and kept perfectly neat. His clothing was always crisp and ironed, and he was always in perfect shape, so muscular that he looked like he chewed steroid clumps for breakfast. I once told him that he looked like Hitlers wet dream, and my mother got so furious that she had Cypress sedate me for nearly an entire month.

I didn't know why Axel was even here. I didn't want to know. Axel was as good as a stranger to me, being already fully grown by the time I was born. He never bothered with me, so why in the everseeing's name was he here? Logistically, for any other coven this would make sense. Usually, during such events, several members of a coven attended at once. But mine was not any other coven.