The Realms

~Moira~

Moira Janine Romina Grand sat in the shower, already sobering up. She could feel her power pulsing through her, cleansing her system, rejuvenating her. Of course, she’d sent the power out on the task of doing so the second she’d climbed into the warm water. Moira hadn’t had the luxury of forgetting her power existed that her sister had. Somehow, Annabelle had channeled all her sadness and hurt into forgetting that her power, the thing she blamed for it all, had existed. It was like she couldn’t even feel it there anymore. It hurt Moira. More than her mother leaving, Annabelle’s accidental betrayal hurt her. And Moira hated herself for letting Annabelle hurt her when really, she was fairly certain that Anna had never even made the conscious decision to forget the power existed. She just woke up the next morning wiped clean of it. Moira couldn’t even blame her for it. After all, it was because the two girls had the power that their mother had left them. Their father never told them this, of course, but what the man didn’t know was that Moira and Annabelle had overheard the conversation that went on between the two parents the night Mayla had left. Of course, that was another thing that Annabelle had forgotten.

Annabelle had been the first to discover the power. It had always been stronger in her than in Moira. When Annabelle had made a wilting flower come back to life with just the touch of her finger when they were just five years old, Moira had just had to try it. So she did, and she made it work. The two girls had practiced for years, making their powers grow and getting more control over them. They mastered their powers, well, as best they could considering that they were learning as they went, in a matter of years and began working on harder tasks, using them for everything they could get away with. They made gardens grow by using magic in short bursts so that nobody would catch them. And then came the day when their mother hit a cat on accident.

Mayla stopped the car and got out to check on it as fast as she could. There had been nothing she could do to avoid hitting the animal. It had come out into the street way to fast. Moira had hung back, too scared to go too close to it, but Annabelle had rushed forward, wanting to comfort their mother who had already broken down into tears next to the animal. Moira stepped closer, following. Annabelle hugged their mother once fiercely as Moira came to stand behind their mother. The cat was turn up. It didn’t look like there was even the slightest chance that anyone could have saved it. It was torn up, and skin and muscle had peeled back in some places to show clean white bone. Moira had to clasp a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from getting sick but Annabelle, who had always seemed to be the stronger one, approached the thing that had once been a cat. She reached out and let her hands rest over the cat. “It’s okay Mom,” she whispered as she began to glow with her power. Her hair blew in a breeze that wasn’t there. “Look, the cat will be okay.”

Moira watched in amazement when Anna brought the cat back to life. She watched as its skin reconnected and muscles stitched back together. And then, the most amazing part in Moira’s mind, it began to breathe again. Even then, when her powers had almost been at their strongest, Moira couldn’t have pulled off magic like that. But Annabelle had pulled it off like it was nothing. Still, feeling like she should do something, Moira reached forward and ran her hands over the cat. “You missed a few ribs, Anna,” she said quietly when she found the broken spot. She let her own magic loose into the cat, targeting the ribs, and fused the bones back together. With one protestant meow the cat leapt up and ran off, not even glancing back once. “It’s all good now.”

Mayla hadn’t said anything through the whole ordeal, and even after that she went quiet. Instead of saying something she simply grabbed to two girls’ arms and pulled them standing and dragged them back to the car. She drove home in more silence and when she got there she said the last two words she’d ever say to the two girls. “Room, now.”

Later that night Annabelle and Moira had snuck out of their rooms so they could find something to eat. After all, their mother had sent them to their room before noon and had only let them out to go to the bathroom. Neither girl had eaten since then, and neither one knew what they had done wrong. That is to say, they didn’t know until they snuck up on their parents fighting. “Mayla, you’re being ridiculous! They’re your daughters! Your daughters! How can you even say something like that?!” It was their father, hissing words at Mayla as he resisted the urge to yell.

Their mother didn’t resist. “Oh, think what you want Ray, but those little girls are monsters. Monsters, Ray. You didn’t see what I saw.”

“Mayla! Even if that’s true, even if what you’re saying you saw is true, they’re still our kids. I’m not going to leave them behind. I’m not. You’re being foolish.”

Mayla laughed. It was a strangled, wet, teary laugh, and it scared Moira. And she could see by the look on Annabelle’s face that it scared her sister too. “Fine, then I’ll leave alone. But I’m not staying here with those two... those two... those two things that call themselves our children.” It stung. Moira flinched away from the words, and Annabelle stepped backward, back toward their room.

“Moira--”

“Don’t! Don’t touch me Ray. I’m leaving, you hear? I’m leaving. You can’t stop me. Not this time!”

The girls ran back to their room, leaning against their closed doors so they could listen still, when they heard their mother come down the hall toward them. “Is that what this is then, huh?! Are you using you kids to escape this time?! That’s just sick, Mayla. Sick.”

Moira heard their mother stop in the middle of the hall. Her voice was wet and hoarse from tears, but it was quiet when she spoke this time, sad. The girls had to strain to hear it. “No, Ray. Don’t say that. I asked you to come with me. I want you to come with me, and away from those monsters. It’s you this time. You’re the one who is letting us fall apart this time.”

“Mayla. Mayla, please. Don’t go.”

“Bye Ray.” The next morning their mother was gone and Annabelle didn’t remember any of it. Not the magic, not the fight. Nothing. It was like she’d never lived it. And Moira was left alone. Annabelle had abandoned her, whether she meant to or not, and Moira was left to bear the weight of what they’d heard the night before all by herself.

With a sigh Moira climbed out of her shower and dressed herself quickly, brushing her teeth with one hand and her hair with the other. It wasn’t that hard. Moira spat and rinsed, reaching up afterword to tug on a length of her hair. It was getting longer again, she’d need to cut it soon. Scruffing up her hair once, she nodded, satisfied, and headed downstairs. As soon as she opened the bedroom door she was attacked by the smell of millions of different breakfast foods. She cursed under her breath. Dad had something to say, and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it.

Biting her lip, Moira walked into the kitchen where her father met her with his usual sad eyes. She hated those eyes, hated that they were always directed at her. They smiled when they looked at Anna or at Ileana, or David. But when they looked at her they only saw Mayla, and they became sad. “Hey Dad,” she said quietly, picking up a piece of French toast. “Where’s Anna?”

“Anna?” he said, snapping out of wherever it was he went at those moments. “She’s in the other room. I made her mad again.”

Moira nodded and went to find her sister. Annabelle was sitting at her usual spot, munching on a large pile of waffles. Moira smiled, sitting next to her sister. “Hey, ready to find out what Dad’s big news is?” she asked.

Anna scrunched her nose up once, then shook her head. “No. No. He’s probably going to introduce us to our soon -to-be evil stepmother or something. I mean, he was singing when I came down stairs and—How’d you sober up so quickly?”

Moira rolled her eyes at her sister, and reached out to tug her twin’s hair gently. “Come on, Dorkus. If we’re gonna get an evil step madre, I’d rather deal with it now. And I sobered up so quickly because... Well, it’s my little secret.” Moira stood, pulling Annabelle up with her. “Come on, let’s go get it over with, alright?”