Trembling With the Strings
Night Scares
My baby boy is growing up so fast. Just yesterday he was just learning to crawl, giggling and smiling as he scrambled towards his big brothers; just yesterday he learned to walk without fail; just yesterday he picked up on the words Jonathan had been reading to him since his birth; today he can speak fully. He is now forty inches tall, and he can thank his father for that. My son is a genius, though I expected just as much. My little prodigy is already all over my Fazoili piano, begging me to teach him to play with such tiny fingers. He also is never far from the stables, trying to ride every single one of them. Kai is now one year old.
“Darius, are you sure about this?” I asked frantically, refusing to let go of my son’s hand.
“Mommy, please!” Kai begged me, looking up at me with his father’s blue eyes.
“Babe, he’ll be fine.”
“I’m not talking about him,” I muttered, finally relinquishing my hold on my baby boy. I kneeled down in front of him and smiled. “Daddy is afraid of the big bad ponies, sweetie, and Mommy isn’t quite ready to lose Daddy.”
“Oh, shut it!” he teased, swiping Kai off of the ground and setting him on his hip.
“I know he’s afraid, Mommy,” my child informed me, a hint of mischief twinkling behind his gaze. “I know everything about Daddy and Mommy.”
I smiled uneasily at the dark tone his voice had carried at the last second, but Darius chattered on relentlessly as if nothing was wrong. Ever since he had learned to talk, Kai had progressively gotten more vocal about hinting to his past. There was no way he could remember life before he had been born, could he? I wrapped my arms around myself, shaking off the thought.
“Which one will it be today?” Darius asked, and I followed them silently into the stable.
Kai jumped to the ground and took off towards the end. Darius wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning down to kiss me softly.
“Baby?” he murmured, a sudden look of concern consuming his typically cheery disposition. “What’s wrong? I hate when you get like this.”
I shook my head, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in the fabric of his shirt. “I don’t know.”
He opened his mouth, but closed it again as a faint shriek filled the stable. “This one! This one!”
“Which one?” Dray called, watching me carefully.
“Luna.”
“No,” I mumbled under my breath, looking up at Kai through teary eyes.
“Mother,” he stated firmly, stepping up to me with this dark look about him. “I’m riding Luna.”
“Darius, tell him no,” I begged, but I know I didn’t need to convince him.
“Kai, listen to your mother. Luna is too old for riding.”
“Liar,” he spat, glaring at me. “You hate me. You just don’t want me to have any fun!”
“That’s not true! I don’t want you to get hurt, baby.” I pulled myself out of Dray’s arms, trying to appear firm. I was a horrible liar.
“You already tried to kill me once. Why would you care all of a sudden?”
I choked, shaking my head violently. “I love you, honey. I always have! What are you talking about?”
“I heard everything, Mother Dearest. I know everything.” His eyes rolled into the back of his head, I swear, and his tiny hand formed fists. “You and Dad fought about me. Dad didn’t want me. You would rather kill me yourself than let anyone else have me. You told Darius you were so happy about being a mommy, but you lied. You didn’t want me, and killing me seemed like the easy way out, huh?”
“That is enough!” I demanded, not daring to look at Darius.
“You wanted to kill my son?”
“Don’t turn this against me! Don’t you care that our son is the Devil? Don’t you?” I shrieked, falling to my knees and bawling. “He’s the Devil!”
“Mommy?” he whispered, causing me to look up. He was crying silently. “You don’t love me?”
“No,” I breathed. “I do, baby. I do.”
“Guess what?”
“What?” I whispered, shrinking away.
“It’s a girl.”
He grinned then, his fangs protruding more than usual. I didn’t have the time to scream before he lunged at me, and the world went black.
I woke up to screaming and frantic yelling. Sweaty hands shook my body tumultuously, but I jerked myself away from him and curled into a ball, crying and choking on the sobs. Darius screamed hysterically, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I hurried out of the bedroom and down the hall. Kai’s bedroom door was slightly ajar, and I pushed it open gently, Darius right behind me.
“What’s the matter, Mommy?” he asked, his eyes piercing through the darkness, as if he had been waiting for me. He was sitting up in bed, as if he had been expecting me.
“Nothing, baby,” I whispered. I stuttered before finally forcing out, “I love you.”
He smiled. “I know, Mommy. I know everything.”
I turned from him, quickly closing the door and rushing to the bathroom to vomit. Darius was waiting on the bed cross-legged, the lights turned on. The clock read 3 AM.
“Gracie, this has been happening for the past three months. I’m getting an answer this time.”
I took in a shaky breath, leaning against the wall for support. “I’m scared.”
“Of what?” he asked quietly, standing and striding up to me. “Baby, I promised I’d protect you forever.”
“Would you protect me from something if it meant you’d be hurting someone else you love?”
“What is wrong?”
I shook my head. “I love you.” And I pushed myself away from him, crawling back into bed. “I’m going to your father’s tomorrow, okay?”
He frowned. “Baby, please.”
“I love you.”
He nodded, sliding into bed beside me and pulling me close. “I love you, too.”
Maybe Drakken would have some answers.
“Darius, are you sure about this?” I asked frantically, refusing to let go of my son’s hand.
“Mommy, please!” Kai begged me, looking up at me with his father’s blue eyes.
“Babe, he’ll be fine.”
“I’m not talking about him,” I muttered, finally relinquishing my hold on my baby boy. I kneeled down in front of him and smiled. “Daddy is afraid of the big bad ponies, sweetie, and Mommy isn’t quite ready to lose Daddy.”
“Oh, shut it!” he teased, swiping Kai off of the ground and setting him on his hip.
“I know he’s afraid, Mommy,” my child informed me, a hint of mischief twinkling behind his gaze. “I know everything about Daddy and Mommy.”
I smiled uneasily at the dark tone his voice had carried at the last second, but Darius chattered on relentlessly as if nothing was wrong. Ever since he had learned to talk, Kai had progressively gotten more vocal about hinting to his past. There was no way he could remember life before he had been born, could he? I wrapped my arms around myself, shaking off the thought.
“Which one will it be today?” Darius asked, and I followed them silently into the stable.
Kai jumped to the ground and took off towards the end. Darius wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning down to kiss me softly.
“Baby?” he murmured, a sudden look of concern consuming his typically cheery disposition. “What’s wrong? I hate when you get like this.”
I shook my head, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in the fabric of his shirt. “I don’t know.”
He opened his mouth, but closed it again as a faint shriek filled the stable. “This one! This one!”
“Which one?” Dray called, watching me carefully.
“Luna.”
“No,” I mumbled under my breath, looking up at Kai through teary eyes.
“Mother,” he stated firmly, stepping up to me with this dark look about him. “I’m riding Luna.”
“Darius, tell him no,” I begged, but I know I didn’t need to convince him.
“Kai, listen to your mother. Luna is too old for riding.”
“Liar,” he spat, glaring at me. “You hate me. You just don’t want me to have any fun!”
“That’s not true! I don’t want you to get hurt, baby.” I pulled myself out of Dray’s arms, trying to appear firm. I was a horrible liar.
“You already tried to kill me once. Why would you care all of a sudden?”
I choked, shaking my head violently. “I love you, honey. I always have! What are you talking about?”
“I heard everything, Mother Dearest. I know everything.” His eyes rolled into the back of his head, I swear, and his tiny hand formed fists. “You and Dad fought about me. Dad didn’t want me. You would rather kill me yourself than let anyone else have me. You told Darius you were so happy about being a mommy, but you lied. You didn’t want me, and killing me seemed like the easy way out, huh?”
“That is enough!” I demanded, not daring to look at Darius.
“You wanted to kill my son?”
“Don’t turn this against me! Don’t you care that our son is the Devil? Don’t you?” I shrieked, falling to my knees and bawling. “He’s the Devil!”
“Mommy?” he whispered, causing me to look up. He was crying silently. “You don’t love me?”
“No,” I breathed. “I do, baby. I do.”
“Guess what?”
“What?” I whispered, shrinking away.
“It’s a girl.”
He grinned then, his fangs protruding more than usual. I didn’t have the time to scream before he lunged at me, and the world went black.
I woke up to screaming and frantic yelling. Sweaty hands shook my body tumultuously, but I jerked myself away from him and curled into a ball, crying and choking on the sobs. Darius screamed hysterically, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I hurried out of the bedroom and down the hall. Kai’s bedroom door was slightly ajar, and I pushed it open gently, Darius right behind me.
“What’s the matter, Mommy?” he asked, his eyes piercing through the darkness, as if he had been waiting for me. He was sitting up in bed, as if he had been expecting me.
“Nothing, baby,” I whispered. I stuttered before finally forcing out, “I love you.”
He smiled. “I know, Mommy. I know everything.”
I turned from him, quickly closing the door and rushing to the bathroom to vomit. Darius was waiting on the bed cross-legged, the lights turned on. The clock read 3 AM.
“Gracie, this has been happening for the past three months. I’m getting an answer this time.”
I took in a shaky breath, leaning against the wall for support. “I’m scared.”
“Of what?” he asked quietly, standing and striding up to me. “Baby, I promised I’d protect you forever.”
“Would you protect me from something if it meant you’d be hurting someone else you love?”
“What is wrong?”
I shook my head. “I love you.” And I pushed myself away from him, crawling back into bed. “I’m going to your father’s tomorrow, okay?”
He frowned. “Baby, please.”
“I love you.”
He nodded, sliding into bed beside me and pulling me close. “I love you, too.”
Maybe Drakken would have some answers.
♠ ♠ ♠
I can't finish this story until I fix everything I've thrown at my characters, if you're wondering why I'm going with this approach.And on another note:
There's many things I absolutely love about Mibba.
1. The people are so supportive and amazing, better than i could have asked for
2. A place to post my work.
3. It's free for you to read this stuff.
I know you may think the authors who post this are losing out on money, but if that's the case they are writing for the wrong reasons. There are few authors nowadays who ignore the money. I love it when people write because they love it, not to get fame. Take Salinger, the author of Catcher in the Rye. He cringed when it became so utterly famous, because he wanted to write simply to write. Definitely my idol. I want a book published because I'll feel accomplished, because I can walk into a store and be able to pick up my book and run my fingers over the binding that holds my words. But I have years of refining until I'm ready for that, and you can bet I'm working towards it. Until then, this site and all of you are more than I deserve. That's my much for the evening, thank you. Much love!