The Witness

Chapter V

Two tall, buff men are on either side of me as I walk down the immaculately clean, white hallway, being led by the woman who I've come to know as Olivia. She's showing me around the compound, but I'm not listening - I'm still thinking about what she said before. How could Olivia be my birth mother? She looks nothing like me, and even if she was, why'd she leave me? I'm so lost in my thoughts, that when she stops walking, I almost bump into her.
"This," Olivia says in awe, "is the height of our tour." I follow her gaze to a room identical to my cell - at least, from the outside.
"What's so important about a room?" I mutter, and the response is a kick to my gut from the man on my right.
"Be respectful," the man sneers in my ear. "The reason you're not dead yet is because of her. Upset her, and we can't promise anything." That shuts me up. I silently glare at the woman as she continues speaking.
"Gentlemen, you may leave. Your duties are no longer required." I'm as shocked as my guards are when Olivia gives them permission to go.
"But, your majesty-" the man on my left protests, but he's silenced with a glare from Olivia. The two men hastily bow and then leave, not taking their eyes off me until they turn the corner.
"Now that we're alone, do you have any questions?" Olivia asks me. Of course I have questions! Why are you giving me a tour if I'm clearly a prisoner? What was the "mark" you were talking about? How can you be my mother?
Instead, I ask, "If this is a gang's compound, why is it so pristine? And why did they call you 'your majesty?'" I try to gesture to the pure white walls, but then remember that I'm handcuffed.
"Ah, my apologies," Olivia says, stepping forwards with a key and unlocking my handcuffs. Once they're off, I rub my wrists graciously. "As for the compound... it's not actually a compound. It's a castle. And I'm not the leader of a gang. I'm... a queen. A queen of an island that isn't on most maps, called Fire Island." Ha. Like I believe that.
"Then why are you here, if you're a 'queen'" (I used air quotes) "of a very 'real'" (more air quotes) "island?" I'm not buying anything this woman's selling.
"And, why'd I kill a boy?" finishes Olivia. I may not believe her about the queen thing, but how'd she know what I was thinking? Then, she launches into a story. "There are three other islands like Fire Island - Air Island, Earth Island, and Water Island. No one knows how they were created, but whoever created them bestowed a curse on them - if you're born on one Island and die anywhere else, your soul remains on earth forever, and will never find rest. There is one exception, but that's not important. When you were about to be born, I travelled to Canada, so the curse of the Islands would never bestow itself on you. Since it's against the Island's law to have a child anywhere other than the Islands, I dropped you off at a woman's doorstep and changed my look, so you wouldn't look like me and would never be in danger. But a habitant of Earth Island knew what I did. At the time, Earth and Fire Island were in the middle of a war, and this boy figured that with this leverage on me, my troops would turn on me, and Earth Island would win the war. One day, he located you. He tried to get to you... but I killed him. To protect you. That was the boy you saw on the street that night. I made up the story of being a witness, so normal humans wouldn't suspect anything. And when I saw you..." Olivia stops, and I'm thankful, because I don't think I could listen to anymore of that lie. Unknown Islands? Curses? There's no way that story's real. I'm startled out of my thoughts by a sniffle. "I... I didn't know you were you. I could have killed you, and I'm... I'm so sorry!" At this, tears start making their way down Olivia's face, and she steps forward to pull me into a tight hug. I stiffen immediately. That was a clearly made up story. There's no way this woman could be my mother. But... what if it's not made up? If it wasn't real, then why'd she dismiss her guards and remove my handcuffs?
"How do I know that everything you said is true?" I demand as soon as she pulls away. Wiping away her tears, she regains her posture.
"You have a birthmark, in front of your right ear, shaped like a flame." I do have a birthmark... and I guess it does look like a flame. "Well, I have the same one," Olivia continues, pushing back her headband to reveal... a birthmark, identical to mine, in front of her right ear. No. This can't be possible.
"It could be tattoed," I say, less confident.
"Why would I do that?" responds the woman. I'm pulling at straws here. Even if this is the truth, even if Olivia is my mother, I don't want her to be. I want my own mother. Wait... my mother.
"Why'd you kill my mother?" I demand. Olivia's eyes harden.
"Your mother? She wasn't your mother. I'm your mother."
"You are not, were not, and never will be my mother!" I yell. I turn around and start running in the opposite direction of Olivia. I need to find a way out of this prison. Suddenly, I feel nails dig into my arm and am whipped around. I'm staring straight into the dark eyes of Olivia.
"You are not leaving," she whispers. "I thought you'd make this easy, but instead... I'm not helpless without my guards, you know." With that, she grips my wrists behind my back and handcuffs them. No. Not again. I struggle, try to get away, and am about to scream for help when she sticks duct tape over my mouth. Where did that come from? "Being in your cell didn't teach you... I guess we'll need to try something more." With that, Olivia marches down the hall, dragging me with her.
·
If you noticed, my other chapters were only 500 or 600 words, but this one is about 1,000. That will be the length of my chapters from now on. Hope you're enjoying my story!