Midnight Beauty || #Wattys2016 #OnceUponNow

Four - Naomi

"What are you talking about Mom?"

Esmeralda lowered her cup, glancing behind her as she gave an apologetic look to Eric and Bea as they awkwardly stood there, unsure of what to do.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Esmeralda. You saw Naomi. Your grandmother."

Naomi? The single thought of her name made her head boom louder, causing Esme to groan as she grabbed her head. The thumping became too strong as she tried to remember the elderly woman she saw in her dream, but the deeper she went, the more she began to hurt. It suddenly was too much for her and she lost her balance, the darkness slowly surrounding her. She didn't even have a chance to think before the sudden jolt of being held washed over her. The booming stopped and a deep breath pushed its way in, filling her lungs. The strong hands grasped her waist firmly, gently pushing her back up on her feet.

"Are you okay?" He whispered. Esmeralda glanced over to Eric, who carried a worried expression, and nodded in reassurance. As soon as he let her go, the heaviness in her chest returned and she felt drained of energy. Her mother had covered her mouth, and her eyes were as wide as can be.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Asked Esmeralda in a faint voice.

"It's him."

"What? Mom, please explain what's going on here!"

"Y-you saw her right? Your grandmother? My mother?"

"Wait- that was grandma?" Memories flooded Esmeralda's head as she remembered the many excuses her mother gave her when she asked about grandma. She saw how her friends spoke about the amazing storied told by their grandparents, but she never had a chance to experience a moment like that with her grandmother. Esmeralda only knew what her mom would tell her, and even after a while Esmeralda stopped asking, knowing the responses she would get.

"Yes. I-I didn't think this was going to happen so soon." Her mom mumbled, facing the ground as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I thought I would have more time- I thought she would wait. I don't even have the book- h-how am I going to do this if I don't even have the book."

Esmeralda stared at her mother in confusion, trying to make sense of what she was saying. She quickly turned her head and saw that Bea and Eric carried the same look. Embarrassed, Esmeralda went up to Bea.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I don't know what's going on. I think you should..." She whispered, not able to finish. Bea touched Esmeralda's arm in reassurance and gave a quick glance over to Eric, letting him know that it was best if they left. Eric nodded, and followed Bea to the door, giving one last look over to Esmeralda. A look that comforted her and warmed her body in a way she couldn't process at the moment, and it forced a small smile to appear on her face.

As soon as the door was shut, Esmeralda focused her mind on her mother who was seated on the sofa, her head in her hands. Unsure of what to do, Esmeralda analyzed her mother carefully, waiting for her to say something first but it was clearly not happening.

"Mom.."

"I didn't mean for you to figure out this way."

"Find out what exactly, Mom? You're not being clear and you're scaring me-"

"Your grandmother..." Her mom sat up, taking in a deep breath before she continued.

"Your grandmother, Naomi, was- well she- okay look,"

Her mother turned her body towards her, gathering her thoughts before she dropped a bomb on unsuspecting Esmeralda.

"Naomi was beautiful, young, and she had red hair just like you." Hearing this gave Esmeralda a feeling of comfort knowing she had something in common with her grandmother, but also made her wonder if what Mom was about to say would give her an answer to what's been going on lately.

"It was also around her young years that she was cursed. I know, it sounds ridiculous and you probably think I'm crazy but this is all the truth. You see, Naomi had fallen in love with a man that already had a partner, and knowing his situation, she still kept in contact with him. It didn't take long before the woman found out about the affair among them, and turns out she didn't have mercy on your grandmother. The wife was a witch, or she at least practiced witchcraft. With all the anger she carried inside of her, she threw a curse upon Naomi. If I had the book then I would be able to explain it better to you, but my memory will have to do for now. The curse was that she would become unattractive unto everyone's eyes for her unfaithfulness. This hit your grandmother hard, and she was forced to leave her home to somewhere more isolated."

Esmeralda's mother paused in order to allow all of this information to process in her daughter's head. Esmeralda blinked a couple times and finished the cup of water that was on the table, mainly because she was wide-eyed and mouth-opened since the part about the lover.

"Wait wait, so how is this affecting us? And how did you come to be if she went to live in isolation?"

"Well, it turned out that Naomi was pregnant when she fled, which resulted in me joining the world. Also, the curse didn't end there. The woman also cursed you, or to be more specific, cursed the next relative of Naomi that was to be born with red hair. 'Next relative of Naomi to be born with hair like fire will be eternally cursed if true love is not found before her eyes portray the green of emeralds.' was the full saying I believe. This is the reason for all the weird things that have been happening to you and I've tried so hard to protect you from it all, Esme."

Her mother's eyes filled with tears as she tried to apologize, and Esmeralda leaned in to console her. Thoughts about how everything that has happened was because of her grandmother and that her mother was carrying so much because of all this made Esmeralda feel like a burden, and I guess you could say like a curse even.

Another question floated around her head, pressuring her to ask her mother why was it that she said Eric was "him". Who is he? And why did it startle her so much? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that something was off. When her body gave in the second time, Eric was the one who caught her, and for some strange reason, she felt...alive. The simple thought confused Esmeralda the more she dwelt on it, trying to find some logic. Esmeralda's mouth opened slightly to begin the question, but as she glanced to her mother, all she could sense was stress. Her mother was overwhelmed, and even though Esme didn't fully understand why, she knew it wasn't the time to be asking her mother questions anymore. Guess it'll have to wait for another time.

"So what should we do?" Esme asked, rubbing her mother's arm.

"First off, we need to find Naomi."

Naomi.

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I apologize for the hold up guys, but thank you nonetheless!
What do you guys think of this chapter? Let me know, and until then, byebye(:!