Ghosts

Chapter 15

Thirteen years ago.

"Mama." the little coyote called out.

"Yes, pup?" her mother's sweet voice cooed as she sat beside her on the edge of the bed.

Mai took hold of the bed sheet, bringing it up to her face, hiding her sheepish smile, "Mr. Cheeseburger said we're going to see him soon. Is that true?"

Mai watched as her mother smiled much like she herself did when she became excited. Her mother's hand graced her face as she pushed some hair away from her face, "Yes pup. We're going to go on a little trip. Mr. Cheeseburger is going to meet up with us. But that's our little secret."

Mai nodded, though she was confused as to why they could not tell her father. Perhaps that was part of the surprise. They would go find Mr. Cheeseburger and bring him back to meet her father. Her eyelids began to flutter before shutting completely as she drifted off to sleep. It wasn't a deep sleep, she could still feel the subtle movement of her mother getting up and kissing her on the head before leaving the room. It felt like mere seconds before the shouting began. The little pup tried hard to not be scared, but she had never heard her parents speak so loud. What truly sent fear through her though was the sound of her bedroom door colliding with the wall as her father pushed it open. She screamed in fright, sitting up in her bed. Her father stood in the doorway, his eyes crazed as he stared at her. Her own eyes widened as she clutched her blanket to her chest, unsure of what was going on.

"Daddy?" she whimpered.

Her words fell on deaf ears as he yanked her blanket away, yanking the little girl by her arm off her bed, dragging her along the floor as her screams filled the room. She continued to scream for her father to stop, while also searching for her mother. They had just exited her room when she caught a glimpse of her mother, stabbing her father with something. Whatever it was, it caused him to release her. He slumped against the wall as her mother came into her view. Mai could not control herself as she continued to wail, even as her mother's hands came to encompass her face.

"Pup, pup, it's okay." her mother's voice washed over her, "Mommy is here. No one is going to hurt you. I promise."

-----

Her mother's words from all those years ago echoed through her ears. Mai could hardly believe her eyes. Her mother was here. She was here in the north all along. Here with...

Mai looked to Joseph, her eyes filled with rage, "What did you do to her? What did you do to her you bastard?" she shouted.

Joseph opened his mouth to speak but Mai could hear nothing. No, that wasn't right. She could feel nothing. Her newly unmasked mother had hit her so hard upside the head she was sure both her nerve endings and her hearing had been short-circuited. Mai's body flopped to the ground, her head bouncing violently against the rock face. She coughed up blood as her body shook from shock, blinking uncontrollably. The Seed girl knew her mother could throw a punch but she had never anticipated being on the receiving end of one. She felt her body being lifted, feeling a sudden sense of vertigo as she came face to face with the sky. You could hear Thomas's yelling as he begged for Nayeli to put her daughter down. Mai could only turn her head enough to see that her mother stood on the edge walkway leading into Joseph's hut, and with the way she was holding Mai over her head, her intentions were quite clear.

Mai was too weak to move, too weak to breathe, to be honest. The blood in her mouth began to pool at the back of her throat, her gurgled cries barely making it past her own range of hearing.

"Mom. Mom, please don't-"

Mai shut her eyes, anticipating the freefall and the rocks that would soon greet her broken body. She wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or if perhaps she was just falling in slow motion. Her eyes opened, fearful of what they would see. First things first, she was not hurdling to her sudden death so that was a good sign. Second, she was face to face with the eyes of a woman who had just discovered her long lost daughter.