Horns of Revenge (Book 1 of Horns Unveiled Series)

Chapter 4

Flashback 4.

2258 - 2263 years.

What about my mother? Most of the days she was absent in my life. She was too busy working for some big companies and trying to earn us some money. I did not blame her for this. She had to do what was necessary to survive and ensure the family's well-being, preventing us from starving to death. However, she was absent in my life, she did not know anything about me and what was going on in my own universe, what was in the school or with my friends, she did not even ask me about the boys or girls that I had crushes on. She maybe did not even care. I could not blame her. Too busy with herself and that was fine, but there were some days where I craved her attention the most. Those days when my peers bullied me in school more intensively. I needed her so badly, to hold me close, to tell me that it was okay and maybe to help somehow to solve this problem. To transfer me to another school or to speak with other children's parents. Do at least something. It was my own fault as well. I was silent. I did not speak about this to anyone just not to be more embarrassed by my own parents.

Our dialogues were almost the same throughout my all school years.

"How was the school today?" She used to ask firmly while chopping veggies for the salad, not even looking at me. It was initially a formality to avoid being silent when we were in the same room, but eventually, silence became the norm.

My eyes were watery and I was almost crying because I was bullied on the constant basis by my classmates, it was hard to bear it every day. It was hard to fight with them and then battle my own inner struggles. 'Fine,' I would always answer with a cold tone in my voice, just to avoid showing any emotions to them. It became routine for me not to share anything with them, as they didn't care anyway. They asked out of politeness, because it was necessary.

"Nothing interesting as usual?"

"No, just a regular dull day in school. Let's eat already."

"Five more minutes and dinner will be ready," she kissed me on the cheek and I went to my room to get myself in order after another shitty day at school.

After changing into home clothes, I found myself staring at the wall until she called me again from the kitchen, mentioning that dinner was ready and she wouldn't wait any longer for me. It was her final call for me to get the food. I hated the whole commanding tone, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"I am all right, I am all right, I am all right..." These thoughts were running in circles in my head almost every time when I was on the edge of my emotions. I always had to repeat to myself these sort of affirmations just to not to go crazy over things on the daily basis.

We typically ate in silence, and that constituted the extent of our communication. Nevertheless, one of those dinners etched itself into my memory, every detail preserved. It was just another typical day at school. Exhausted from the assignments and enduring the routine bullying from my special classmates, I returned home worn out and mentally drained. I dropped my backpack in the corridor and went straight to the kitchen to get some water. My mother was already at home and preparing some dinner.

"How was the day?" She asked firmly as always.

"Actually, today was more interesting than ever. We had a geography lesson and I found out about one charming country – Eldrunia." I didn't recall why I had wanted to share something with her so desperately at that time. Perhaps it was just another attempt to trust her, to open up to her as a daughter does to a mother.

"What? Don't you dare to speak this name in this house! This country is our enemy!" She snorted and abruptly stopped making the dinner, looking at me with an angry look.