THE CRIMSON’S MARK

Walking through the fields on a windy night, Marianne Calder tightened her shawl because of cold breeze, the wind stirred through the fields, brushing against the grasses and wheats. It was too late, too late for anyone to be out here, even a decent soul, but her instincts won’t let her stay away. As she moved, she kept hearing a child’s soft cry, she stood keen eared, her eyes scanning through the field, heart racing, hand tremor kicks in. Finally she traced the sound to an old tree, the Giant Sequioa. Marianne stood in shock and pity The baby girl had just been given birth to, she picks up the child and the cry instantly fades. “Her eyes are blue, clear and beautiful”, she said to herself. Her skin like glowed pale under the moonlight with an odd birthmark under her left arm. This birthmark has a look for a faded nunber- 17. Marianne became calm and walked out of the fields with the baby saying to herself, “oh my blue eyes, who left you out here?. You’d fit into my family very well.” A thousand questions spawned through her my mind but what kept reasonating in her soul was that the child is hers to keep. It’s been years since she felt the warmth of a child, her womb had been sealed and shut after the miraculous birth of her first son and only child. She took her to her home and named her Lyra. Marianne’s husband, Damon Caelum was astonished to see the baby and he resents the baby. She tells him she found the child and it’s destiny, he’s uncomfortable but doesn’t want to die her happiness. Her son, Silas Calder, is happy for his mom but yet still feels bad because he receives less than half of her attention. While growing up Damon has tried several ways to kill the child but he can’t because of a Divine shield protecting her. Since the day Lyra was brought into the Calders home strange things had been happening but everyone saw to it as normal. As years passed on Damon leaves Marianne and the kids. Seventeen years later Maplecross,Virginia On the eve of her birthday, Lyra got uneasy and walks towards the mirror, staring at the mark beneath her arm,almost looking like a tattoo- faint curling symbol or number, “seventeen” she whispered to herself, she then recalled that her birthday was the next day and she thought to herself that is probably no coincidence because everything in her life just didn’t feel normal, she just slept over it. In the early hours of the day while she laid on her bed, nearly awake, the lights flickered in her room, She said to herself, “not now”, then her old music box started playing by itself, she instantly stood up from bed, her skin started to him like energy lived underneath it, her mirror had shimmered like water, she looked into the mirror and saw that her eyes had changed colour from Blue to Green. She took a bold walk to her window and observed that Maplecross seemed unusually quiet, the birds that’s usually harmonize in the morning weren’t there, the breeze that blew the trees subtly was absent, she became scared and rushed downstairs. She could hear her foster mother’s voice from the kitchen, dishes clattering, the smell of her favorite dish couldn’t even drive away the fear she had in her. Lyra didn’t feel hungry, she just grabbed an apple, her bag and headed down. Her mother was confused but shouted, “ Happy Birthday my blue eyes”, Lyra walked back to her mom and gave her a peck on the cheek and said “thanks mom” in a terrified yet calm and sweet way. “You feeling okay?”, Marianne asked Lyra looked down to her pretty feet that just got a pedicure and said “ Yeah, just tired, that’s all”. “Take Good care of yourself my Blue eyes”, Marianne said to Lyra and swiftly turned around to check what she had put on the fire to cook. Lyra felt the awkwardness of the situation but this had happened before, anytime Marianne seemed on the verge of saying something to her, she’d stop, like there was this secret hanging between them, too big to say it out loud. She didn’t press, she never did but this time around she had to. “I keep having dreams”, she said swiftly to get her mothers eager attention, “ there’s this tree, it’s like a Giant Sequioa,I keep hearing two voice, that of a baby and of a lady as well” Marianne froze “She feels like my mother” Lyra added shortly. “ we need to talk” Marianne said softly to Lyra. Mariannne while holding Lyra’s hand walked slowly to the sofa and they both sat down. Marianne said while holding Lyra’s hand, “ I found you in the fields some blocks away from our home, under that tree you always dream about, we had a connection instantly and I knew I had to take you home. I wasn’t supposed to have more children after the birth of Silas, your brother, but when I lifted you up and you looked at me, it was like the emptiness in me had been filled up. Your foster dad, Damon, said that you weren’t normal, it was obvious that he didn’t like you, I guess you’re one of the reasons he left us. Lyra with tears in her eyes said “ so, I’m not yours?” “You’re mine, you’ve always been mine” Marianne said fiercely while looking at Lyra’s eyes. Slowly Marianne looked down with a sad look on her face, “ there were…… signs, things I couldn’t understand, you hummed in your sleep, not occasionally but you had nightmares, you never got sick and when you turned thirteen, Damon said “ Lyra is dangerously, something is coming”.” He then left us. Lyra stood up rapidly, cleaning the tears from her eyes, that had rolled down to her cheeks, her mind spinning, hands shaking. She said silently, “The dreams, the mark, the powers”. She wasn’t normal, she wasn’t crazy, her life, her entire life had been a lie. “What am I ?” She whispered Marianne looked at her trembling, “I think you might be one of them, but it’s all myths” “Them?” “ okay, I think witches” “The atmosphere was filled with so much sadness and an uncanny stillness, as if even the air mourned in silence.” Her identity became slowly revealed on the day of her birthday. As Lyra laid in bed that night, the mark pulsed like a second heartbeat. Across the town were two boys, one’s eyes were gold, the other’s silver, they both felt the shift in the air. She was awakening. And soon nothing in Maplecross would ever feel the same again.