The Queen Of Death and Ruins

A world within a world

I was beginning to resent the silence.

It left a lot of room for my mind to make up all kinds of scenarios; none that were even remotely helpful for my anxious state.

I tried to break it several times, to voice out one of the endless questions that ran rampant in my brain, but every time I opened my mouth nothing came out.
My parents had tried talking to me, to calm me down or explain what happened, but the fog that held me hostage refused to dissipate.

I wasn’t hearing any of it.

The movement of the black and gold balloons scattered on the kitchen floor brought my attention back to the scene in front of me. Pancakes sat on the counter, undoubtedly cold by now, the birthday cake untouched still.

I stopped pacing.

“How?” I finally managed to whisper.

“Why don’t you have a seat? We’ll explain everything,” Dad said, his smile sympathetic.

I remained standing.

“What are you?”

I looked at him for the first time since the accident upstairs, my mind consumed with shadows and mist.

“We’re Mystics.”

I blinked. Once. Twice.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“It should since you’re one of us.”

“No, I’m not.” I scoffed. The notion was absurd, I would have known if I were a mystic, whatever that was.

“Honey, you’re confusing her,” Mom said, putting her hand on dad’s shoulder. “Why don’t we start from the beginning?”

“Alright.” Dad stood up from his seat by the kitchen counter, his chair squeaking in the process. He took a couple of steps, shortening the distance between us, and my heart skipped a nervous beat.

“As you would have probably guessed by now, both your mother and I have what the humans would refer to as supernatural powers. We were born with the ability to control certain cosmic elements.” He opened his right hand, palm up, and the dark fog burst through once again.  It was tiny compared to the one he released in my bedroom , but it danced on his palm with the same intensity.

My mother followed suit. Summoning the same mist, she held her hands further apart and suddenly, the mist thickened, rising to stand at her height. It seemed to pull at the darkness around it, gathering it all up in its orbit, and within seconds, it swallowed my mother whole.

My breath stutterd as I stared at the spot where my mom stood only a second ago. In her place was thin air, and it wasn't until I squinted hard enough, that I saw the space around it move just a tiny bit. It was as if the illusion stood firm for as long as you didn't pay too close attention to it, the mist pulling at the light to conceal her from wandering eyes.

I staggered back, unable to wrap my mind around what I had just witnessed. My breath hitched in my throat, suffocating me, and my heart was beating so loud I wondered how no one else was hearing it. Grabbing a chair, I sat behind the counter, putting as much distance between my parents and me as I could.

“Are you alright, darling?” My dad reached out for me and I flinched back. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help feeling scared, and the hurt look that flashed across his face as he pulled back made me feel even worse.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“We wanted to, but you were hurt and afraid and you had no memories of your life or powers. We didn’t want to cause you any more pain,” Mom said, reappearing back in her original spot.