"for the beauty of the rose, we also water the thorns."
Descendant of Loa lineage, Karliah Shango stems from masters of Haitian and the old Oyo Empire Vodou. After the nuclear wipe out, she finds herself thrown into leadership with little comprehe...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A sigh sounded from Karliah as she fell back into her chair, staring down at the division binder, notes scrawled upon the open page. She clicked the pen between her fingers mindlessly, swiveling from side to side in the chair as she pondered upon her thoughts.
It was late, the only people still awake were those of the red division on guard duty. It'd been the same for the last week, restless nights full of recording briefings and rereading every spell book on her shelf before nodding off to sleep in the early hours of the morning. Needless to say, her mind was occupied with the growing urge to speak with Michael.
She threw the pen upon the notes before standing to her feet, squeezing her eyes shut as she began to envision his room, to hear and see his surroundings. Opening her eyes, she found herself in Michael's familiar bleak room. It was darker than usual, two or three candles scattered amongst the room as their light flickered upon the walls.
Turning around, she found Michael's frame tucked underneath the duvet of his bed, his blonde hair sprawled among his pillow. A soft smile tugged upon her lips as she approached him.
He was cute when he wasn't revelling in ending the world.
She sat beside him, shaking him gently, "Hey."
He stirred slightly before blinking awake, peering up at the girl with a frown. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Does anyone truly know what time it is?"
He blinked, brows furrowed as he sat up with a groan, pushing his hair from his face. "Why are you here?" he asked through a yawn.
Karliah smiled briefly, appreciating the authenticity in his voice unlike his usual disguised, sarcastic tone. She took a deep breath, shoulders raising in turn, "I've been thinking... and I want to take you up on that offer."
Michael raised his brows, looking at her through tired eyes, "What changed your mind?"
"I guess it's just easier for me to take you seriously now."
He stared at her for a moment before his gaze fell to the blanket beneath him. He stood, lighting every candle in the room with a flick of his fingers as he made his way over to the chair that sat in front of his desk. He dragged it in front of her before sitting down, his blue eyes peering into her own.
Karliah tucked her tongue in her cheek, her eyes running over his bare chest for a brief second. "Before we begin - I want you to know one thing," he started, catching her gaze once again as he leaned forward, resting his elbows upon his knees. "If you ever try to get inside of my head again, I'll burn you alive. Is that clear?" he spoke lowly.
The girl raised a brow slightly, "That's a little dramatic." She murmured.
"Do I make myself clear?" He repeated firmly, tilting his head slightly as he peered into her eyes.
She nodded slowly, "Yeah."
He leaned back, hands clasped together in his lap. "The last time we spoke I asked about your mother."
"Yeah." she muttered once more, earning an expectant look from him.
She spoke reluctantly, "I talked to my father earlier tonight, he explained her motives, the reason she's treated me the way she has."
She paused, gaze falling to the ground. "When Papa Legba visited her and told her that I'd be the child to fulfill the prophecy - he explained that she was only brought back to give birth to me... and so, she begged for him to take me, but he refused, threatening that if she tried to get rid of me she'd be damned for eternity."
Michael's brows drew together, "She didn't want you." He muttered, watching as she nodded affirmingly, attempting to blink back the tears welling in her eyes.
"And you still don't hate her?"
"She's my mom." Her voice wavered as she looked up at him, a tear falling past her bruised cheek. "I can't hate her."
"Yet she can hate her own daughter."
She stared at him through damp eyes, shaking her head in response. The man leaned forward once again, his hand reaching out to push her curls from her face, "You wanted a mother all these years. Someone who cared for you and treated you truly as their own. You can say it all you want, deny every feeling you have - but you resent her."
The girl pulled away from his touch, wiping her tears hastily, "What does this have to do with you teaching me how to control my powers? Us 'reigning' together?"
"It's your hate - Karliah, it's what you conjure your power from. Burying it and denying it will only get you nowhere."
She scoffed, shrugging weakly, "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Stop lying to yourself." He answered sternly, narrowing his blue eyes at her. "Feel your true emotions - your lies are holding you back."
The girl peered into his stark blue eyes, flickering with determination. "Okay. I stop 'lying to myself' and then what?" She proposed.
Michael raised his chin, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Then your training begins."
