Welcome to Tiny Town

Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

"Tick tock goes the clock." I heard my mother's voice echo through my mind while I slept, "Tick tock goes your mom. The more you wait, the more I NOM."

I jumped up in bed.

"Oof," I heard a thud.

I turned on a lamp and looked over the edge of my bed, "Sorry. I forgot you were here, sweetie."

Lennie stood up and pushed my face back with his entire palm. I fell back on my pillows. He slid back under the blankets and stared at me, "so...what's up?"

"Nothing. How about you?"

He glared at me, "I meant why you jumped up in bed and pushed me out with excessive force."

"Oh. That's nothing."

He cocked an eyebrow, "Lily..."

"My mother is getting inside my head. I heard her talking to me."

"Are you sure it wasnt a dream?"

"I'm not. But I still didn't like it."

"Why don't you try to go back to sleep?"

I stared at him.

"Come here," he held his arms opened and I climbed into them. He rubbed my back while I laid my head in his chest, "just clear your mind. Everything is alright."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. No more thoughts about my mother.

******

The sun woke me up as it shone brightly through my window.

"Ugh. Why didn't Serena close those last night?" I grumbled as I got up. I walked to the window and looked down upon the street below. People were gathered in the streets, "Lennie. Get up."

"Hmm?" he mumbled.

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

He opened his eyes and glared at me.

"Come here," I gestured.

He grumbled under his breath as he got out of the bed, "what is it?"

"Look at the town square. I wonder why everyone is gathered down there."

"Lets go find out."

I grabbed my robe and put it on over my pajamas and slipped on some shoes. He grabbed his jacket and shoes and we bolted to the square.

I saw four wooden poles on the stage and saw three people tied to them. Some were covered in blood, unconscious, or even dead. I looked away from the horror.

"So glad of you to join is, Lillian." my 'mother' sneered, "I was bored waiting for you. So I had some fun."

"By doing this to innocent citizens?"

"What else was I supposed to do? I was promised an answer!"

"You were my mother. If you had stayed, it might have been a lot easier for you to get me. But since you left, You get no part in my life. You're dead to me."

"Well these people are dead to me," she looked at Edgar, "take them away, my darling."

Edgar hobbled onto the stage and took everyone off in one trip, dragging their bodies and leaving a trail of blood.

"This town is small. You cant kill people. There won't be anyone left."

"You're concerned with the population and not your friends?"

"What are your intentions? Why do you want me? Why did you give birth to me, leave me and then try to collect me fifteen years later?"

"I don't understand. Did your father not explain any of this to you?"

"He said he angered you guys so you were coming to get for revenge for his mistakes."

She let out a really loud and obnoxious laugh, "Your father is a riot!" she continued to laugh, but it was a humorless laugh. I sensed some sadism in it, then she stopped. "Your father is an idiot."

I looked at her sideways.

"Yeah he upset us. He didn't do anything. He hid you from us. You were supposed to know your heritage. He lied to you. He told you I ran away. He wanted you to forget me. Then he tried to ship you off before we could get here. He's lied to you for fifteen years."

"I think you're lying to me."

She approached me and set both hands on my shoulders, "Lillian. He didn't tell you that you were apart of this colony. I am your mother. I wasn't kidnapped by the colony, I went willingly."

"Why?"

"Because the colony is my home. They're my family."

"What?"

"I am their queen. And I want my princess back."

"What are you?"

"I," she paused, "We," she squeezed my shoulders, "are not aliens. So stop thinking that. We're from a different galaxy. We chose Tiny Town because it was in the middle of nowhere. We could breed and expand our family where no one can watch."

"But what about the heiress thing? Why am I the chosen one?"

"Those Damn witches out a spell on this land so we couldnt get a female heir. Those witches are jealous of us. Ugly bitches."

"So you're from another galaxy but you're not an alien. Witches put a spell on you because they're jealous, but I assume it's because they wanted to stop you from something."

"They're trying to stop us from stopping them. They're reckless."

"What are they doing?"

"Enough about that now. We need you to help us. We need you to be our princess."

I backed away from her, "Why should I trust you?"

"I'm your mother."

"I don't consider you my mother. I'm not over your abandonment."

"It was fifteen years ago, Lillian."

"I was three. Who leaves their three year old?"

"My kingdom needed me."

"But what about me, mom? What about your family?"

"They're my family, too."

"So dad and I are nothing?"

"No, Lillian. That's not What I was saying. I run a whole species of creatures who depend on me. You and your father didn't need me."

"What about those dead people? Why would you kill them?"

"Collateral damage."

"Do you know who any of those people were?" I paused, "I'm gonna stop you there, no. You don't. One of those people was Mary Goldman. She was my math teacher. The other two were Lisa and Jim Donovan. They had a four year old daughter named Susan. Where is she? Probably in her house, searching for her parents. Unless you killed her too."

"You didn't check to see if the entire house was empty?!" she smacked Edgar on the backside of his head, "You imbecile!"

I turned to Lennie, forgetting I was in a public square.

"I'll head to the Donovan's and find Suzy."

I shared a small smile and nodded softly. He slipped away and I turned back to mother.

"I guess you can just consider me collateral damage." I took off running after Lennie.