27 Days: The First Five Chapters

Chapter Five

As I swim into the narrow tunnel that connects home to the beach of Scilla, I still feel the wounds on my elbows aching. Plunging into salt water with fresh wounds isn’t the best idea I’ve had in a while. I can’t stop thinking about the boy I’ve encountered an hour ago. I feel like I’ve run out of exciting ideas, because nothing comes to mind. I can stretch the duration of my fun whenever I want to, but for some reason I just want it to be over quickly this time. I’ve got nothing planned, so the only thing left for me to do is to improvise or plan something quickly. The mess of thoughts leave my mind when my eyes wander to my right wrist. It’s where the last Scar is supposed to burn into my skin after I complete the ritual. I let my fingers follow the endless thin, white lines on my body. It first started on my temples, and then over the years they spread. Over my back, my arms, my legs, my stomach. If the humans were actually able to see it, I don’t know what they would think. It’s not like this kind of body design is one you see every day, even though humans have come up with some really strange ones the last era. They are mine, and even when I complete my task, they won’t ever leave me. I like to call them tokens for what I’ve achieved in life. A sacrifice of mine once said: “Scars may fade, yet memories remain.” I disagreed the minute he’d said those words. Scars are for life, and even while some fade, they won’t ever be gone completely.

I rise above the surface, only to return to the place I’ve been calling home for more than a thousand years. The temperatures have dropped, and although after the recent heat wave I can’t believe it’s still so warm in here. If I weren’t used to the southern climate, I couldn’t stand being, let alone sleeping in this cave. I start walking through the endless unoccupied rooms and unnecessary space. It has always been too big for my liking. I rarely visit my own bedroom, and the rooms for captivity of my sacrifices have rarely been used. The only place I visit is my mother’s room, the Chamber of Justice as she likes to call it. To me it looks more like an arena than anything else.

Entering her room has always been hard for me. There are so many memories tied to this place. There hasn’t been a ritual when I didn’t think of the invisible crowd of all the sacrifices I made, hoping I’ll fail. I failed once, and I don’t want it to ever happen again. Clenching my fists, I mutter to myself to calm down. Before I have the time to actually do so, I find myself walking towards the cliff.

My voice is clear when I speak out the words I have wanted to say for so long. “Mother, I’ve found him.” A grin appears on my face. “I’ve found my last sacrifice.”

The lake in the middle of the room is no different from the last time I’ve seen it. Great sharp teeth rise above the water, surrounded by untamed dark waves. I look away from the horrible sight, and focus on the rocks before me. She never deserved this fate. “Why are thou misusing thy time to declare thou have found a son of Gaea?”, she demands. “I do hope that is not the only excuse for disturbing my sleep.”

I feel like someone knocked the breath out of me, because for what feels like the millionth time, I have no words.

“I didn’t know you were sleeping, mother”, I mutter. “I thought it would be satisfying for you to hear the good news.”

The cave is once again filled with her laughter that makes my skin crawl. “Oh, but it is!”, she exclaims. “It is, yet…” Her voice trails off, only to be followed by a sudden rise in her tone. “Wouldn’t it be more satisfying for the both of us if thou go and kill him, so thou can have thy freedom.”

My freedom. The words sounds even more enchanting when she says it. “I will.”, I reply. “I will, and you will be proud of me.” I immediately turn around to leave her room. I let myself slide against a wall just outside it and start laughing. It’s then when I hear my mother say these last words that turn my laughter into silence.

“Oh, my dear Maera, if only thou knew.”