16 Houses of Normality (REWRITEN.. Kinda..)

Prologue

"Hey baby girl" smiled my mum
"MUM" I squealed with delight
"Is Paps not good enough for you?" smiled my dad
I pushed him away as I ran to my mum, I ran into her arms as she picked me up in her warm embrace I could hear the smile on her face as she wished me a happy birthday. Her hair smelled like lots of flowers and reminded me of the spring trip to Broughty Ferry. I couldn't stop myself from berrying my head in to her long, thick, jet black hair.
"Love you Paps but mummy smells better today" I replied once I came out of my mums hair for air
"I can't argue with that" he grinned as he stood up to take the bags from my mum, that I didn't realise are there.
"Are you ready for your party?" smiled my mum as she tried to get me out of her hair "How about we go and try to get your hair to smell like mine?"
"No moma!" I quickly answered with a slightly raised voice
"Why not?" she asked as her warm smooth hand curved around my cheek
"Cause then I won't miss you so much when you go out" I said rubbing my eyes trying to fight the sleepiness "only you can smell like you?"
"Do you want to know a secret?" my mum asked while kissing my forehead as I nodded "I am really sleepy, and I would like a nap, but I don't like to nap alone"
"No nap Moma we stay up all day and party!" I smiled as I jumped up and down
"Well could you do me a huge favour?" asked my mum "Would you sit with me until I fall asleep? I just need five minutes"
"Moma!!" I moaned thinking about all the times she had tricked me
"What's with all the Momas' today?" asked mum
"I ... I..." was all I could say before I yawned, the yawn seemed to last forever
"So you know I cant trick you I all be the one lying down and you will be sitting up hoes that?" she asked, I nodded as I followed her to the oversized sofa that we use as a bed too. I climbed up in to the cosy corner and my mum laid her head beside my lap. I played with her hair until I heard a soft snort from her. I thought I would close my eyes for a minute.

A short while later...

"Shhh!" hushed someone "You will wake her up"
"Is everything ready?" asked someone else
"Yeah, you just got to take it all out when we leave and hang everything up" a lady said
"Do you think she would like it?" a man asked
"She will love it!" replied the lady
"Did you put it in her bankie? and arranged with the stall owners?" the man asked, he sounded happy
"Everything is done, just got to wait for her to wake up" she replied
"Mum?" I asked the empty room "Moma?"
"Am here Sweetie" she replied as she opened the door to the kitchen "just getting ready to go to the market, I will be back soon"
"No, I come too!" I demanded
"I am only going to get some fruit and veg" she replied as I jumped off the sofa and ran to her, grabbing her leg. A fear of something happening was taking over me, I felt like I just had a very bad dream.
"I have to come!" I demanded
"Ok, but you have to behave when we are there and stay close ok?" She replied
"Ok, Moma" I smiled, still grabbing on to her leg
"Go get ready" she sighed with a hint of a smile
I skipped, hopped and jumped my way to the bathroom. Ten minutes later I ran outside to the car forgetting that it was hot outside and nearly burning my hand on the car door. I hopped in the back and my mum buckled me in after a few minutes we were on our way to the market in the next town.
"Moma? Can you tell me the story of the pretty girl and the nice man again?" I asked
"Again?" She asked looking in the rear view mirror "is everything ok?"
"Yes just wanted to hear it again" I frowned as an image of a scary man flashing before my eyes
"Did you have another bad dream?" My mum asked with a pained look in her eyes, she always had that look when I tell her of my bad dreams
"No" I shook my head as I lied to her I couldn't bare to see her with that look
"Ok them" she sighed "long ago in a different world there was a young woman who was to take over her grandmas role in the family as she had the makings of a great Matriarchy. Her mother wasn't happy but she accepted it and support her daughter. So they began to train her to take over. The young woman was happy that the family was coming together. They started to look for someone for her to marry, someone that would protect her and make her happy. Everyone that she met was nice but she only liked them, she just couldn't see herself with any of them. One day she told to go to a small town just out side the next city over to practice her skills at calming people down in a heated conversation. Little did anyone know that the family she was to meet was that of her soulmate. She spent three days trying to calm down the arguments when suddenly a man walked in and everything went quiet. The woman sat quietly at the end of the table trying not to cry as she failed at her task. The man looked at the woman as she stared at the table in front of her. Walking past everyone without acknowledging them he stopped by the woman's side with a hand held out. The woman looked up feeling confused at his hand before looking up at his face. Once she got a glimpse of his bright golden eyes, her heart skipped a beat and before she knew it she reached out and took his hand and off they went. He took her to a small quiet room that smelled of vanilla and roses, the stress instantly eased and the sat in silence for a long time before they talked, and when they started there was no stopping. They laughed and laughed so much more that there was tears of happiness. After she returned home she told her mother of her trip and of the man who made her heart skip a beat at the slightest thought. The mother was shocked and told her to never speak of it again and to never see him again. Each time she asked why all the mother said was it's against their ways. Time went by and the woman decided to run away to be with the man she could not stop thinking about and the thought of never seeing him again made her feel sick. She packed her bags and tiptoed out and took a special bus to meet the man in the city. They met with a hug and off the went. They stayed with friends until they found their own place far away from their families and lived happily ever after."
"Thank you Moma" I tried to smile but I didn't feel quite right.
"You ok honey?" Asked mum
"Yeah Moma" I lied

Later that night...

"MUM!" I called out with a cry, feeling lost and scared "MUM?" It didn't matter how much shouting, screaming or crying I did no one called out. Lost, alone and isolated in the wilderness of god knows where, I stopped to look around, I could barely see a few centimeters in front of my face. I listened to the night, hoping, wishing for someone to help me, but all I could hear was things moving and rustling in the night.
Something big moved to my right making me jump and shake with fear. A sound echoed in the nights wilderness. I froze and a second sound joined the first. I didn't realise that I was holding my breathe until I heard a woman's voice coming from behind me. I turned to see a woman holding a baby, it looked like a dim light was pulsing from them. My foot got caught on something strong causing me to fall hard and fast. It wasn't till then that I realised I had been backing away from the woman and child.
Something told me to run, to get as far away from them as possible. So i got up and ran as fast as i could away from them, ignoring the pain in my foot and leg. I turned to see them coming towards me, I tried to crawl away but pain tore through my leg and up my back causing me to scream in agony. The woman put the child down and it looked like she was telling it to stay as she came running over. She must have seen the fear that I was feeling as she slowed down with sadness in her eyes. I have only seen sadness like that once. The look on her face was identical to the one on my mums face the last time I seen her which was before I woke up here, well somewhere around here.
I was with my mum in some street market not far from home I was running around looking for something, I wasn't sure what but I knew that I would know as soon as I seen it. I had saved every penny I got and found to spend it on something special I bumped in to a big man, he was big tall and wide. I leaned over me with an angry look painted on his face
"Where are your parents?" He growled
"S-s-s-sorry" I stuttered getting scared
"I said where are your parents" he loomed over me, going to take my arm in his gigantic hand
I backed away making him growl louder as I became out of his grasp I turned and ran from stall to stall looking for my mum or somewhere to hide but each time I found somewhere to hide he was there watching me as I turned a sharp corner a hand reached out from behind a van and grabbed me. I went to scream as loud as I could but something stopped me I opened my eyes and seen my mother she was trying to be brave and hide that she had been crying
Before I knew what was happening she hugged me tight and told me to never tell anyone of magic as she let go I seen her Onyx necklace radiate a light that reminded me of warm summer nights running in the wild playing tig and tag. I smiled at the memory and as I did my mum started whispering something I didn't quite catch as she finished a wind kicked up behind me and the door behind her opened and the man was there she pushed me in but not before I seen the white of her eyes as red sweat seemed to pour off of her the man tried to grab me but his hand fell off as I fell backwards down a bumpy path
When i woke up I stuck to the road as much as possible but cars speeding past scared me and caused me to fall down a steep slope. I tried to climb back up but failed each time so after the tenth time I gave up and started to wonder around the outskirts of the wilderness. It was when it started raining I started to wonder in to the wilderness looking for some kind of shelter. When the rain finally stopped I tried to make my way back out of the wilderness but got lost.
I don't know how long I have been out here but it feels like days. I know it can't be as I haven't seen daylight since I last seen my mum
Now?
Now I am here!
Where?
I don't know but its cold and for the first time in my memory I feeling going against my instincts and allowing them to help me...
What's the worst that could happen?