Wicked Cravings

1.The Birth of a Huntress💫

Year: 2000

Octavia had always thought she had lived a charmed life, one envied by others and filled with all the wonderful things that made childhood...well, childhood. She had grown up near a forest, and one of the best things about growing up there was the freedom. One didn't feel as if they were going to be suffocated by the expectations of life. It was easy for her to reflect on where she was and where she wanted to be, living on the outskirts of Mystic, Connecticut, in a small cottage with her Grandma Mabel.

Octavia grew up without ever really remembering her parents. Her mother had died during childbirth, and her father was unknown, so it had always been just her and Grandma Mabel. Grandma Mabel had always lived her life in the forest. Octavia had never seen her grandmother leave the forest, except to go grocery shopping once a week at a local store nearby. Mabel said she had met the love of her life here in Mystic, and when he died, she had simply decided to stay. Grandma Mabel was a retired teacher by profession, having retired a good ten years prior.

When Octavia had asked how old she was, all Grandma Mabel would say was an old saying as old as time: "A woman never reveals her age." Her grandmother was as traditional as any Caribbean grandma could be and believed in having good food and a warm bed, which fulfilled her daily requirements of life. As Octavia approached the cottage, she opened the door to find her grandma cooking her famous pepper pot soup.

Grandma Mabel had salt-and-pepper hair (more salt than pepper) and the deepest set of blue eyes Octavia had ever seen. Even though her grandma was approaching what Octavia thought would be 70 years old, she behaved like a woman in her forties.

"You're just in time, Octavia. Go and wash up; dinner is almost ready," Grandma Mabel said as Octavia obeyed and wandered off to take care of her hygiene before promptly joining her grandmother for dinner. They were both seated at the table and got ready to eat.

Grandma Mabel was a Jamaican who had migrated to America in the late 1950s when she was just a child. She led an average life, and it would have been uneventful if it weren't for the fact that she met Grandpa Eli in high school. Theirs was a love-hate relationship that lasted the span of their five years there. He was the jock; she was the nerd. He needed her help to pass Chemistry, and they realized that they had chemistry outside of the schoolbooks too. Eventually, the two fell in love, and instead of going off to college like everyone else their age, they decided to settle down and get married. Soon after, her grandma got pregnant with her mother, Allegra. Allegra had died during childbirth and never revealed who her father was; thus, Octavia was raised by Grandma Mabel and Grandpa Eli.

They had lost Grandpa Eli the year before, so now it was just her and Grandma Mabel.

"This looks good, Grandma; I bet it tastes good too," Octavia said as she dug in and started to eat. Octavia watched her grandma, as a sort of sadness seemed to descend on her.

"Are you okay? You seem rather quiet," Octavia commented as Mabel shook her head and warded off the thoughts currently occupying her mind. There were so many things she needed to tell Octavia, so many things in their family history that she hadn't been able to sit and talk to her about. There was a specific gene that ran in their family...but it didn't matter; Octavia had never shown any indication of possessing that gene.

"It's nothing for you to be worried about, dear," Mabel said as she and Octavia finished eating. Octavia stood and took their dishes to wash them.

"It's time for bed, Grandma, and make sure that you take your medications," Octavia reminded her as Mabel smiled and moved to the table to take her medication. Octavia brought her a glass of water as Mabel took her pills, and Octavia watched as she wandered off to bed.