Lethal Beauty

XXVI - Broken Pieces

"All right Abel, I'm going to have you completely relax. Let go..."

Abel lay still and drew several long, deep breaths. In a few minutes, his heartbeat steadied.

The ticking sound of the metronome guided by Lexus' words helped induce a hypnotic state. Repetition and rhythm opened the door to the unconscious mind. Guided by Lex's soft words, he imagined all sorts of things and emotions jumbled inside of him. The moment he said "sleep", he was in a trance, but he was awake, conscious, and aware.

"You're waking up now," Lex's soft tone stirred him, "Slowly waking up. Think of the memory in your childhood you're most fond of. Things that you knew happened but couldn't fully recall. Let your mind be your guide. What is the first thing you do?"

"I'm...near the water. No. A river."

"What are you doing near the river?"

"I'm not seeing it. But I...I feel afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"Him."

"Who?"

Cain.

⛧☾༺♰༻☽⛧

A knife blade poked through the wall from the other side, and then a second, a pair of amber, inquisitive eyes peeked through. It was a child's eyes, dark and watchful.

A woman, with short brown hair looked. "I can see you."

The child giggled and pushed the door open. Behind him, was a beautiful woman with long, blonde wavy hair. It felt strange to be staring at someone she thought she knew all her life. She used to be a vibrant teenager, filled with life and her classmates often referred to her as the Snow White. She has skin as fair as snow, and lips as red as a rose. She used to adore her long, ebony hair. It was soft and straight. She recalled running her fingers through her hair...

"Hello, mother."

"How did you find me?"

But before she could answer, she noticed the child again. No. The children. One was standing on the left. The other was standing on the right. They didn't look alike, but they bore a strong resemblance to her daughter's past self. Except that the child on the right had alertness in his eyes that disturbed her.

"Meet your grandsons, mother."

Eve smiled. She knew her. She was her daughter. In a moment, she thought her innocent, joyful Eve returned to her from the past. But no. She was someone else.

⛧☾༺♰༻☽⛧

Just a few miles away from the beachside resorts, there existed a small stretch of land that remained untouched. For the residents here, it provided a small glimpse of heaven and brought them peace like no other. Even for a short while...

Eve was just a week old when she stopped drinking her milk. She always longed to be a mother. The government raised children like her and trained them to hunt those with fangs. Although she was astounded at Eve's natural ability to adapt and learn new skills, she didn't relish how fast she had grown. She wanted to enjoy feeding her like any normal mother would. She wanted to experience those sleepless nights of changing diapers and cradling a crying baby in her arms. Eve robbed her of that opportunity.

The little girl started speaking at only one year of age. It started with simple words until it became a phrase. Sometimes, she would shoot her a glare as if she could read exactly what was on her mind. When she was having one of her tantrums, she would bite her hand. She would bite it so hard that she drew blood. And that blood seemed to satisfy her.