The Broken Myth

Chapter Sixteen

                                                                  Maxine

Voices. That's the first thing I hear. It starts out quiet and mumbled but it gets louder. I try to push myself  off of whatever I'm laying down on but I'm being restrained by something. I open my eyes to the flashings of lights and bursts of colour. I glance around the room frantic. Then there's this one voice. It sounds familiar but I can't quite recall it. There's this woman sitting on a wooden chair leaning over me touching my forehead. Her touch is soft and gentle but still very unfamiliar. It has a motherly feel to it. 

"Maxie are you okay? How are you feeling?"  The women asks but then I remember. This is my Mother. I try to move again but I notice there are leather straps holding me down onto the bed. 

"Oh Sorry! I forgot to take those off, you move a lot in your sleep." She says with a friendly smile. The smile looks warm and recognizable like a smile you would have seen your whole life. 

There are two other figures that walk over to undo the straps. They look familiar too, like best friends you grew up with. They smile at me and say "Welcome home." 

Home. This is home. Then the rest of my memories come flooding back.  I remember that the boy is Leo and the girl is Tiffany. The other woman that's touching my head is my mother. The Queen, Queen Etta. I also remember watching Leo train, against the robot. 

I feel the release of the straps as I push myself to lean against the head board. Looking around I notice this was the room I grew up in. The tear drop shaped room with the leaf curtain. 

"Maxie how are you feeling?" she asks again. 

"I-I feel...hungry." I reply. I haven't talked in a while so my voice is horse. I'm also starving. 

I hear a chuckle coming from Leo as he says "Of Course you are." 

"Well then, let's go to the food hall. I'm sure there will be something there." Tiffany states. 

Etta nods and walks over to the leaf curtain, pushing it aside and leaves. Leo takes my hand and leads me out with Tiffany on our tail. 

Something doesn't feel quite right though. Like a piece of me is...missing. At the same time it might just be that I'm hungry. 

Mom turns over to me and smiles. "Do you remember how to fly?" she asks. 

 The word fly triggers something in me and I get a jolt of excitement. I feel myself smile and Leo laugh with Tiffany giggling behind him. 

"Of course she does it's her favourite thing!" exclaims Tiffany. 

"Tiffany and I will go ahead. Leo will show you the ropes in case you forgot how to activate it." Mom states.  I watch her and Leo exchange a nod. 

Than her and Tiffany jump off the pathway and  they came fluttering up. They have wings that look like dragonfly wings. Tiffanys have a glistening purple shine to them and Ettas have a light red glisten to them. They are gorgeous. 

"That's going to be you soon." Leo says looking at me thoughtfully. I give him a confused look and he just replies with "You'll see." 

He grabs my hands and tells me to not pull away. So I don't. I want to but for some reason I can't. Then he tells me to look at him so I do. Again another thing I do without my decision. It's confusing and slightly annoying. 

"Don't pull away." He whispers in my ear as he pulls me close. My body is aching to rip myself away from him but it's like I'm glued to him, like my body is making it's own decisions without my consent. 

He takes one of his hands away from mine and brings it underneath my shirt. He traces my spine lightly and whispers more words to me that seem like commands. 

"Relax yourself. Clear your mind. Listen to your heart beat. Listen to my heart beat. Listen to the beat of wings of the dragonflies around us." 

Once again I do as he asks. I feel my body relax, my mind calm and I hear my heart beating steady, his heart beating steady. That's when I realize the beautiful dragonflies flapping around us. He looks at me and smiles. 

"Now keep that going and just jump." He grins.

"J-Jump!?" I exclaim startled and before I know it I'm jumping off. He's right behind me. Then I realize I'm screaming. I feel someone grab my hand and it's  Leo again smiling over at me. I hold onto his hand for dear life.  

"Just relax! Keep your mind cleared and focus on the sounds around you!" He yells over my screaming. 

I do as he asks. Suddenly I feel myself come to a stop and it felt as if I'm floating in the air.  

I look around frantically wondering how I stopped. Out of the corner of my eye I see the glisten of a light green wing.  Wait a second, do I have wings like Tiffany and Mom?! 

"Ay I knew you could do it! Now you just need to move!" He yells to me with a bright smile. 

I suddenly feel warm and full of energy. "How do I do that again?!" I ask eager to learn more. 

"Just lean to the right to go right and lean left to go left. To go forwards or backwards all you have to do is think it.  Follow me!" 

Seems simple enough. He starts going forwards and so I follow behind him. That's when I noticed the dark blue glisten of his wings. They look like the colour of a persons eyes. A familiar person. For some reason I can't recall who. 

He comes to a halt and so I follow suit. Then his wings fold into his back to disappear as he drops down. However I forget how to drop down. 

"Uhh guys, how do I drop down?!" I yell over my beating wings. 

Etta and Tiffany give him an unimpressed look and I see him hold up his hands sarcastically in surrender. 

"Just stop focusing so hard on the noises and the wings will disappear!" He hollers up. 

Before know it the beating sound is gone and I start to fall. It's stopped short as I'm caught by somebody. I have my eyes squeezed shut but as I open them and I realize it'sLeo holding me. 

"Okay, Okay, enough of that you guys, cmon be civilized fairies." Tiffany mumbles coming over and pulling me out of his grasp. These people are fucking strong to be able to do that. 

Etta comes and pulls Leo over for a second. She whispers in his ear and I hear muffled bits of the conversation like "Does she remember?" and  "Is she obedient?".  I hear parts of Leo saying "I don't think she does..." and "She 100% is."

What are they talking about?  Remember what? What does she mean 'Obedient'? They break apart from their conversation and Mom smiles at me but she looks worried. 

"Maxie do you know anyone by the name Collin? Maybe Axel or Ruben by chance?" 

This is getting weird. Why is she asking such a ridicules questions. She's my mother, she should know I don't know anyone by those names. 

"Who?" I ask. I watch the three of them exchange grins of pure joy and Leo says "Oh don't worry about who they are. As long as you know you haven't ever met them then thats all we need to know." He states. 

"But-" I try to ask another question but mom puts her finger up and says "Ah ah ah! You can't ask anymore questions." 

My body complies as my mouth shuts closed and no matter how hard I try, I can't open it up to ask anymore questions about whoever Collin, Axel and Ruben are.