~12 years ago~
"Mother! Mother!" I yelled, rushing down the wooden stairs. "You remember, don't you? Today is my special-"
"Thea!" My mother yelled in hushed tones as she clutched my shoulders tightly. "Follow me, let's go back," she says quietly.
"What? But mother-" She pressed her palm across my mouth, rendering me speechless.
"Enough. You need to listen to your mother, okay?" She said and I nodded slowly, puzzled. Mother let go of my mouth as we entered the kitchen. She flipped the carpet corner, uncovering a hidden door.
Is this a basement? I had no idea such a thing existed in this house.
"Mother, what are you doing?" I asked, sensing that we were about to flee from something, but I never heard an explanation from my mother. She used a golden key to unlock the basement door, almost dropping it due to her trembling hands. It revealed a staircase going to the dark room as she cautiously opened it.
"Listen, I need you to go inside, alright?" She gently pushed me in, forcing me to take three steps down, but I resisted.
"Mother, I'm scared. It's too dark," I remarked, peering down the dim basement.
"You're a brave girl, aren't you? Where did my confident little girl during our training go?" She asked with a smile, her eyes closing slightly. We then heard heavy bangings on the door and I witnessed my mother's joyful countenance rapidly change to a frightened and panicked one. "Now, go inside and no matter what happens, do not come out until you feel that it's safe outside. Remember our training and everything, do you understand?" She said as the banging on the door gets louder and louder.
'Until you feel that it's safe outside'? Isn't she meant to say 'until I tell you to come out.'?
I began overthinking, but I nodded and carefully walked downstairs, swallowing my trepidation. I looked at my mother again before entering the dark basement, and she gave me a faint grin before closing the door.
--
It was completely dark. It took a long time for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I heard somebody breaking into our house, but I knew I had to trust my mother, so I went around the corner and hid in a small box behind a large barrel. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew if I went outside, I'd be dead.
"We never expected you to be hiding in a place like this, Motina," a man said to my mother, so I listened carefully as they talked. "You shouldn't have been one of us. You're making us look even worse."
"Dieve, you jerk... How did you know I was here?" My mother asked.
"Oh, that's simple. Your petty little husband told us," Dieve explained. "Now, now, don't give me that look. If you're worried about him, let me just tell you. We didn't force him to tell us. He deliberately betrayed you."
"Stop with your bullshit! You didn't kill him... did you?" Mother yelled at him.
"Why would we kill an ally who helped us find a traitor like you?" a woman laughed.
"Oh, and guess what? He also provided us with another piece of information," the man added. "You have a child," he added in a low tone.
"That's really dangerous, isn't it? If we kill you and leave your child alive, that is," a man with a distinct voice said.
"She has nothing to do with this!" My mother shouted.
"Oh, she has something to do with this. You know that very well. Now, tell us where she is and maybe we'll let her live IF she makes the right decision," Dieve said.
YOU ARE READING
Goddess of the Sea: The Journey
Fantasy"Power, strength, confidence. She's really something, isn't she?" Blaze asked, his countenance amused. People would also think and perceive her in the same manner. But they had no idea what she was actually feeling and hiding deep inside. Agony, gri...
