Snow White Queen [NaNoWriMo 2018]

Chapter Three

Aldaren was away on a diplomatic trip for a few days, so for the duration of that trip it was just Neva and Cassandra. He bid his family a quick, happy farewell, promising they'd all see each other in a few days' time.

Neva believed him. They all believed him. Things were going so well for them. What could have led them to believe that their lives would be anything but perfect for them from here on out?

~~~

It was well into the night, probably two or three in the morning. Cassandra heard the door to her bedroom open.

Immediately, she was on guard, though when she saw who it was she dropped her caution. She sat up and turned to face the newcomer.

"Neva, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Neva didn't say anything, just stepped closer to her mother.

"Neva? Baby, talk to me."

Neva crawled into her mother's bed, and immediately Cassandra pulled her daughter into an embrace.

They sat like this wordlessly for a while. Cassandra didn't think anything of it; Neva had probably just had a nightmare and simply wanted to be comforted.

She thought that Neva must have fallen asleep. Cassandra herself was close to it.

Neva shifted in her sleep. Cassandra thought she felt something prick her, but she figured it was nothing.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Cassandra felt something wet soak her neck. She put her hand up and thought she felt blood.

Another prick on her arm. She was bleeding from there, too.

No. Could it be - no! Neva wouldn't-

Cassandra took a closer look at her daughter. There was no expression in her face, though she thought she saw something fighting in her eyes, and there was something wet by her mouth.

She shoved Neva away from her and tried to run, but it was too late. The edges of her vision were turning black. She fell to her knees, then to the floor. Her vision was clouding over, and she couldn't move. The last thing she was was her daughter running to her side before everything faded to black.

~~~

If Neva was asked why she woke up that night, she wouldn't have an answer.

Everything was peaceful. No wind, no rain, no one moving about or making noise. It wasn't that it was too quiet, or that it was too loud. No, it was the same as any other night.

It wasn't a nightmare, either. Neva couldn't remember what her dream was about, but she knew it was pleasant.

The closest thing she could think of was that something inside her woke up and compelled her to walk to her mother's room. At first, she tried to fight against it, but she couldn't. It was as if some puppet master had taken control of her body. Her legs kept moving, even though she begged them to stop. She tried to shout for help, but her mouth wouldn't open.

Her mind was clouded with confusion and fear. She was almost at her mother's bedroom door when one whisper floated above the noise and made itself clear.

Kill the Queen.

It wasn't her voice, nor did it belong to anyone she recognized.

No. Not Mama. Anyone but Mama.

The Queen must die.

No!

Neva tried even harder to fight back, but nothing was working. She watched her hand rise up to turn the doorknob and push the door open. She watched her mother sit up in her bed, heard her mother call out to her.

She tried to say something, do something, to warn her mother of what was about to happen, but nothing was working. She just kept walking forward, the entire time screaming silently.

"Neva? Baby, talk to me."

Neva crawled into the bed with her mother. She could feel the presence inside her become excited at being so close to its prey. It was moments away from biting.

No.

This time it listened. It was Neva's turn to be excited. Maybe she could control it.

The presence pushed against Neva's control. She tried to hold it back, but it was much stronger than she was, and eventually it wore through her defenses.

She felt her head turn towards her mother's neck.

Time to feed.

No! Mama, run!

It was as if she was watching from a distance as she pierced her mother's neck and watched the blood well up and start dripping.

Neva's voice was silenced completely as whatever was inside her continued to bite her mother. If she didn't realize what was happening soon, she would die.

Cassandra put a hand to the wound on her neck. She seemed to realize that she was bleeding.

Neva bit into her arm.

Cassandra pushed her away and ran. The thing inside Neva didn't push her to follow; it seemed like it knew the queen was dead anyway.

Her mother fell to the floor. Neva ran to her side, not realizing until later that the presence had left her.

"No no no... Mama, please!" Tears blurred Neva's vision as she tried to think of some way to save her mother.

She tried to listen for breathing, or feel a heartbeat, but there was nothing.

Neva curled up into a ball and started sobbing.

~~~

Neva loved her mother, she really did. She'd always been closer to her mother than her father. Cassandra was one of the few people who didn't seem to be so afraid of Neva. She wouldn't have traded her mother for anything in the world.

Of course, right when things seemed to be perfect everything had to be ruined. And of course her mother had to be the victim.

I got really depressed while writing this, so I'm sorry. The next chapter is also depressing.
What am I saying, this whole thing is going to be depressing.
See you next time,
~Patchesmimi