MOTHERWORLD

Two

"Report all suspicious activities to Mother Morgan." A whisper. The words flashed in the back of her mind, immediately compelling her to voice it out loud. The phenomenon was out of her control, a bug if you will, although a common one. None could predict the volume, speed or clarity of such things. And at this point, she no longer bothered trying, having accepted her life as most society did.

Morgan Maeve licked her lips, poorly masking the foul smell reeking from underneath the expensive, silk sheets before her. Cloudy, green eyes, bored into her soul, ruining the sweet aftertaste of lollipop in her mouth. She reached over to close them, ignoring the unsettling twist in her stomach. Mother Morgan had mercy.

The doorbell rang. It echoed down the empty hallways, reverberating under old, wooden floorboards, and filled the hollow walls with unfamiliar noise. Maeve retreated from the director's bedroom, eyes drinking in every passing detail as she shuffled through the old man's estate. The doorbell sounded again as she approached the entrance.

"Report all suspicious activities to Mother Morgan," she said, unlocking the front door.

"Thank you, Morgan." The chairman bared his teeth sweetly, clutching a leather handbag between his groomed fingernails. Maeve moved backwards to let him inside, keeping her countenance expressionless. I followed, closing the door behind him.

"Why don't you put some clothes on?" Willow gave Maeve a half-smile, hazel eyes raking up and down in a leisurely fashion. She followed his gaze, a spark of recognition dawning in the deep of her dark, empty eyes. She nodded, turning to me. "Go and see."

"All part of the plan," I mumbled.

"Pack your things while you're at it," the chairman added over his shoulder as he started after me. His grey pumps struggled to maintain the same pace as mine. Maeve disappeared towards the far east section of Morgan Wynn's home, muttering the same line repeatedly under her breath. "Report all suspicious activities to Mother Morgan..."