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" Don't blame me,
Love made me crazy,
If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right
Lord save me, my drug is my baby,
I'll be using for the rest of my life "
―I WALK WITH my fingers interlaced with my mothers, the gorgeous emerald green silks I wear matching hers, tiny little golden flowers expertly planted across my sleeves and skirt to match with my headpiece.
To dress like a queen is to become one, my mother's voice rings out in my mind as we walk together, approaching an ancient temple blocked off by massive stone walls.
"Do you know why we're here, Yizhi?" my mother's gentle voice coos.
I want to scream.
But it feels like I'm trapped within the shell of a little girl I used to be, just like I always feel when I remember the days spent crying and pining away, trying to become as perfect as my brothers and my mother.
"No, mama," my little voice responds quietly.
"Today, you will help your brother become a great warrior. You will solidify and hone his skills to their peak today, in this temple." She languidly gestures towards the large building, a deep redwood structure gilded in gold.
A tomb, I realize. It's a tomb.
"How do we get inside?" I ask.
"You must be the one to unlock the gates," my mother croons gently, pushing me forward. The huge stone blockade leers over me like a beast.
I glance at my mother in confusion, but her expression is unreadable. She raises her eyebrows, as though prodding me to go on.
I place my little hands on the stone wall, feeling the rough texture tickle my fingertips as I sense the mechanism behind it. Using my ability, I scope out the lock behind the stone, hundreds of old steel gears and mini tunnels melded together to conceal the temple.
I reach out, a small sheen of sweat breaking out on my brow as I flex my fingers, bending the gears to my will and imagining that I'm reaching through those little tunnels until I hear the small click of avail, the lock breaking with a loud, musical clatter.
I raise my little arms, the deep green sleeves of my hanfu falling back to reveal my bronzed complexion.
