Broken Ties
1771 Words
Banished and devastated, Rose escaped with her mother to their native village of Moonfang Mystic where they hoped to stay for a while until they knew it was safe again.
If she thought that coming here was a great idea, she was in for a shock.
Although she needed healing from the sting her rejection brought and a safe place to think things through without any intrusion, she however got the opposite of this.
She was constantly criticized and manipulated by her mother, Luna, and sister, Victoria over the slightest thing. Her mind was either not good enough or it was her clumsiness that they found as a sport to use against her.
She couldn't understand where the hatred and criticism came from. This was unusual.
No matter how hard she tried to please them, she was never good enough.
Her self esteem took a nosedive with the constant abuse melted to her. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that she was born by someone else or was she?
"You're very weak, you will never achieve anything significant." Her mother's words danced in her mind for the upteenth time.
"Yes, you are simply a nobody, an unsuccessful attempt”.
Her sister would add.
Their words penetrated deeply into her. Wasn't family supposed to feel like home? Wasn't family supposed to be supportive? Why was her's different?
Here she was feeling like a servant in her own home as harsh punishments was melted on her for the slightest hint of mistake or error she made.
She felt stuck, unable to get away from her mother's words and unable to return to Atlas.
Deep down at her core however, a flame continued to burn, one that could not be put out no matter what came against it.
That and the fact that she needed to get to the bottom of everything was what was keeping her sane. Sane enough to go on from one day to the next, sane enough to know that she needed to do something.
Her sister’s continuous abuse made it difficult for her to bring up the convesation they had prior to coming to the village.
It was obvious that they wanted her mind filled with other things so she wouldn't have time to focus on what really mattered.
She needed a plan, she needed a way out and fast too, but what? She thought.
“Who was going to help her”? She felt totally alone. She resolved not to give in to despair no matter what.
As each day went by and as she did her chores, Rose was constantly plotting ways to gain freedom and find out the truth about her family.
Victoria appeared to enjoy seeing Rose unhappy and did nothing to ease her pain. She would often mock Rose, never missing a chance to show off what she had that Rose lacked.
As days turned into weeks, Rose with only her sheer determination to thank, began the journey of investigating into her family's lineage a little at a time to avoid being noticed.
She would often snick into the small room that housed old family books and records devoting countless hours to find the truth. She sought anything that would give her a ray of hope, anything that could point her in the right direction.
It was on one of those secret moments of searching that she uncovered something. A symbol, a puzzling symbol carved inside a small stone.
Intrigued by the symbol, she began to examine it, feeling that it was linked to her in one way or the other. Something about the symbol resonated with the flame inside her. It drew her in to know more about it.
She knew that she had to know more about it and what it meant at all cost.
Something strange however started happening to her. Everyday as she explored the symbol and what it may mean, she started having unusual and intense dreams.
Some days, it would be seeing herself standing on a mountain, with the symbol carved into the sky and as this was going on, electric energy would pulse through her whole body as though she was being summoned, summoned to a higher purpose.
Rose would wake up sweating from those dreams with more questions than answers.
At the same time she was having these dreams, Her sister's and her mother's ill treatment of her increased as though she could feel that Rose was getting closer to finding her answers.
Rose became more determined than ever to get to the bottom of things and be more discreet about it.
She wasn't so lucky however as on one of such days her sister caught her deeply engrossed reading an old family document hidden at the bottom of a pile of books.
"What is this garbage you're reading?" she asked Rose disdainfully shocking Rose who was too absord in her reading to detect that her sister had entered the room.
Grabbing the old documents from her hands, Victoria walked towards Rose.
Rose knew what was going to happen next, she stilled herself and willed her mind to be strong.
“Rose, what were you doing in this room?” Victoria asked with as much venom as she could muster, “You have no rights to be here” she continued. “Don't think there is anything unique about you, you are completely and totally useless”.
Without responding to her, Rose fled the room with tears streaming down her face running straight to her room seeking comfort.
While lying in bed, the symbol suddenly appeared in her thoughts and with it came a strong resolve that she didn't know she possessed to put an end to her unfair treatment and get away from it all.
Now that she knew that she was been watched closely, she began devoting all her free time to strategizing her getaway. She searched the town for details, conversing with unfamiliar people and collecting provisions. “It was now, or never” she said to herself several times when she felt her resolve weakening.
Several days passed after her last encounter with her sister that the perfect opportunity for her to take action presented itself.
In one of her secret searches earlier, she had read about an ancient windwill located at the edge of the village that could hold answers that she sought.
During night time Rose stealthily left her home and headed towards the ancient windmill.
She had heard rumours say that within the windmill was located a hidden passageway behind the crumbling walls and she was determined to make it down there to see what it might hold.
As she neared the windmill, she felt a surge of excitement. This was the moment she had been waiting for - her opportunity to escape.
The place was deserted. From the amount of cobwebs that covered her face and hands as she made her way inside, it was certain that it hasn't been used in a long time.
Rose searched in her bag for a candle, trembling as she lit it.
She took slow steps navigating her way through the windmill. The flame from the candle created dancing shadows on the wall which made her very alert.
She soon accidentally found a secret door, hidden by an old tapestry.
Rose opened the door with shaky hands, uncovering a slender corridor. She took a very deep breath, getting herself ready for what was about to happen.
As she made her way inside the hallway,the door slammed shot making dread wash over her as darkness surrounded her. “ What has she gotten herself into?” She wondered.
She resolved not to flee. “She had come too far to turn back now” she told herself.
She waited a little to allow her eyes get used to the darkness around her, after which, she proceeded down the corridor, feeling her heart beating in her chest. Despite sensing that this could have been a trap, she was compelled to continue, her desire for freedom drowning her doubts.
Upon reaching the end of the corridor, she discovered herself in a small room with low lighting. The atmosphere was stale, and the walls were adorned with ancient, dusty racks.
Rose's vision adapted to the brightness, revealing shelves stocked with unusual objects and artefacts. She walked over to inspect them more closely.
Touching every item, she experienced a sudden burst of vitality and a wave of recollections. She remembered herself as a child, romping in these exact rooms. Her mother, Luna, with a smile on her face and feelings of joy around her.b
These memories were punctuated with a sense of grief. Why were things different now? When did things change? She pondered as she continued making her way around.
With a newly discovered resolve, Rose made her way towards the exit of the room. She understood the importance of confronting her mother and seizing control of her future.She said to herself “Enough is Enough,I have to go now”
With that, she left the windmill and headed back home. She prepared herself for what she was about to do. She had to confront her mother, she had to know why, she had to know.
Upon entering the large entrance hall, she saw her mother standing next to the window with her back turned towards her.
"Mother," Rose called, wondering what she was doing awake at this time.
It was still dark outside and she knew that her mother was hardly awake at this time.
Her mother turned to face her, her expression filled with astonishment. “Rose, where in the world have you been?” She demanded. ‘I have looked everywhere for you”.
Rose stood upright, gazing directly into her mother's eyes. "I have been out trying to discover the truth” ‘the truth about my history, about my abilities” she continued “And I am aware of the things you have been doing to me”
Luna's demeanour shifted as her eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about Rose?"
Rose moved a step closer to her towards her mother “I am aware of the abuse and manipulation. I am aware that you have been taking advantage of me for your personal benefit”.
Luna curled her lip in a sneer. "You're simply an immature young girl, Rose. You are unaware of what is beneficial for you”.
Rose remained calm. "I am no longer a child, Mother. I am regaining control of my life”. She said with determination.
- Writer
