Daughter of the Sky, Son of the Earth

Chapter Twenty-five

 Earth

I didn't know what had happened. It had all felt very surreal. Like a dream. A very bad dream. I could not believe I had such vivid imagination that'd make me believe I was being covered by rock. As if that were possible. 

But a part of me believed it was real. A part of me felt, deep inside of me, that whatever had happened hadn't been a dream. It had been as real as seeing the girl I had sketched in my sketchbook. 

I recalled the way she had looked at me. I could see relief and nervousness at the same time as she reached me that night. It felt like only brief moments before. But my mind told me that wasn't the case.

I shuddered and pushed the thought away as I floated alone in the darkness of my mind as my thoughts flew past me in circles. It was like a horrible dream. One I could not wake up from. 

I wanted to go back to the cabin. I had so many questions I wanted to ask Aileen. She seemed to know more, and she had said she wanted to explain everything to me before my transformation, whatever that meant. 

It wasn't like I was a caterpillar waiting until I was old enough to surround myself in a protective cocoon as I waited to sprout out like a butterfly. Although now that I thought about it, it did make sense. I was covered in rock, after all. 

A silent chuckle echoed in my mind as I shook my head in disbelief and shrugged. What was I supposed to do until I waited to go back to the cabin? I knew I was going to get only more restless as time passed. 

Mason. 

The sudden voice echoed in the darkness that surrounded me and I shivered. My body stiffened as I tried to turn around to find the source of my name being spoken but there was nothing but pitch-darkness.

Mason.

The voice whispered again but much louder this time. I could feel it caress my cheek as if the person speaking was standing next to me. 

"Who are you?" I demanded as I turned to look at every inch of the void. "This isn't funny. Show yourself," I said through gritted teeth. On the inside, I was terrified. I didn't know what was going on. Nothing made sense and nothing had made any sense since I had gotten sick a couple of days ago.

The voice didn't say anything for a moment, and I was beginning to think my mind was playing tricks on me. Making me think I was going mad. But the voice appeared again, this time, materialized in the silhouette of a person in front of me.

"You know who I am, Mason. You just have to remember," the shadow whispered, sending a shudder down my spine.

Shaking my head, I took a step back. "No. I don't know anything. What am I doing here? Where am I?" I demanded as the figure moved towards me. No matter how many steps I took back, the shadow would keep on walking forward.

I didn't know who it was or what it was. But for some reason, her voice sounded oddly familiar and... warm. Her voice seemed to have a soothing effect on me, and I couldn't figure out why even though I felt the answer at the tip of my tongue. 

"Let me show you," she whispered as she raised her cloudy hand and placed her finger on my forehead. 

Instantly, a cold sensation ran throughout my body and I shivered as I wrapped my arms around me. 

Suddenly, I was no longer standing in the middle of anywhere. Instead, I was standing in a small, cozy room. As I looked around, I gasped and noticed it was the cabin I had just been in a couple of moments before. But it looked different. Cleaner and homier. Nothing like the cabin I remembered. 

As I looked around the living room in awe, I tried to make sense of where I was and what I was doing here. It seemed so surreal. 

"Welcome, son," someone whispered behind me, and I instantly turned around.

I saw a young-looking woman standing against the wall as she eyed me with wide, sparkling green eyes that resembled mine so much. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a braid, letting it fall all the way down to her waist. She had flowers intertwined in it and her light, the white robe she was wearing made her look like a model for magazines that sold the idea of vacationing in luxury cabins during the summer. 

"What? You seemed surprised," she said with a chuckle as she walked towards me and placed her small hands on my cheeks. She had to look up to meet my eyes, but I could see the awe in them just as clearly as I could see her smile.

"You have grown so much. Just look at you, a handsome young man. Truthfully, I didn't know if you'd look like your sister but you don't. I guess that's because of your father," she said as she hugged me slightly and then pulled away when she felt me stiffen between her arms. 

"Is there anything wrong?" She asked slowly. 

I hadn't said anything since she appeared in front of me. Truthfully, I didn't know if I could. The numbness inside of me made me freeze in the spot and I had a hard time finding the words I wanted to say.

 "Who are you?" The words finally managed to leave my mouth.

A flash of hurt crossed the woman's face before she pursed her lips and nodded her head. A small sigh escaped her as she walked closer to me but stopped when I stiffened. "I didn't expect you to remember me. You were just a baby when I was forced to give you up. Believe me, I never wanted to abandon you. But I had to." When I didn't say anything, the woman continued, "my name is Demeter, I am the Goddess of harvest and agriculture. And you, Mason, are my son."

My breath hitched in my throat as I took in her words. She could not be serious, could she? I could not be the son of a Goddess. There was no way.

But the certainty and truth in her eyes said otherwise and I could not help but stiffen even more. How could this be possible? And why?

"I know you may have a lot of questions. I would too if I were in your place. But all will be answered. I don't have much time, son. I'm disobeying Zeus's orders by just being here. Please try to be careful. Try to keep an open mind and never lose your courage. Come find me when the time is right. Trust the girl who is waiting for you back on Earth. She is closer to you than you might think. Be smart, be practical, and don't be scared of what's to come. I'm sorry you had to know about me this way, but I had to see you," she said quickly, and I felt the atmosphere around us change.

A strong current of wind flew past us, and Demeter's body began to fade in front of me. My eyes widened as I shook my head. It was a lot to take in.

"But I still have questions. You can't just go like that," I said as I stepped towards her. My heart was racing inside my chest.

I was still hesitant of believing the woman but a part of me reached out to her and knew she was speaking the truth. She was my mother. I could not believe I had found her just to watch her being taken away after a brief moment.

Sadness covered the woman's face and she smiled slightly as she took my hand. "We'll see each other again, son. I promise you. I must go. All will be answered," she whispered warmly.

Before I could say anything else, Demeter's body vanished from my vision, and everything returned to how it had been. It was like she hadn't even been there.

I was breathing quickly as I turned from side to side, wanting to find an explanation for what had happened. Wanting to find my mother. She could not just leave like that.

But my hope of her coming back vanished a moment later. I was still standing in the middle of the living room. I didn't know how much time, but it felt like hours.

Desperation began to flutter inside of me as I tried to close my eyes and open them again to find myself back in the cabin where Aileen was. My mother said I should trust her, and even if she hadn't, a part of me knew I could. Whatever bond tied us together, it was stronger than anything I had felt before. I could not explain it.

But how could I go back? Was there even a way back? I wasn’t even sure if I was alive or not. For all I knew, I could have died in the old cabin and my spirit had found its way here somehow.

But if I wasn’t and somehow, I was alive, there must have been a way out. Demeter had vanished before my eyes and if she had managed to leave, so could I.

Closing my hands into fists, I closed my eyes and willed myself back to the worn-out living room I remembered. I tried to picture in my mind the last images of what I had seen and experienced before I had been consumed with darkness. The smell of dust lingered in my mind as I portrayed a vivid image of the events in my mind.

My body began to warm up as I let my mind do the job. I had to trust that this would work. That I would be back in the cabin in no time.

Suddenly, a fluttery feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach, and a faint smile formed on my lips. It was working.

As the sensation grew, I felt my body relax and when I opened my eyes... nothing had changed.

I was still in the same house. Aileen wasn't here, nor her friend.

I shook my head and sighed. I really thought it'd work. But I guess I still needed to stay... wherever I was a bit longer.

Exhaustion crawled towards me, and I slowly made my way to the biggest couch in the room. I laid down and shivered as the cold fabric touched my skin.

My eyes traveled towards the window in front of me that had a view of the porch. Outside, it was sunny, and it looked much brighter and cleaner than I had ever seen it.

What caught my attention, was the big tree outside of the house. It was exactly where I had planted my own tree. But this could not be the same tree. No, this one was much bigger and for a tree to grow like that, it would take years.

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and held my legs closer to my chest as I waited for something, anything to happen. I wanted to go home. But I didn't know how.

There was nothing I could do but wait.

And in the silent, cold cabin, I laid until the exhaustion overpowered me and I needed to close my eyes and rest.

In my mind, I thought about Demeter and the way she had looked at me when she had seen me. As if she had never expected to see me again. I could not help but compare our resemblance, I had her green eyes and dark hair. But other than that, there was nothing else. She was small and I was much taller than her. It made me wonder, who was my father?

Did a Goddess even need a partner to conceive? I didn't think so, but a part of me knew I had a father. Whoever he was, was he a God? And if he was, what did that make me?

All the questions coursed through my mind in low voices. It wasn't until Aileen's face popped up in my mind and her gray eyes stared back into mine.

Sister.

The word echoed in my mind. Demeter had said I had a sister. Did that mean Aileen was my sister? And if so, why had we been separated?

Before I could form another thought in my mind, heaviness took a hold of me and moments later, I was soundly asleep.