Poison and Wine
Blood
"Brynn."
There was an undeniable burning sensation on my left shoulder. It was worse then any pain I had ever felt. I had yet to look, or even try and touch it. There was a voice in the back of my head that told me whatever it was, wasn't good. And that scared me.
"Brynn."
"Annie."
"Brynn, I'm freaking out."
"You're freaking out?" She questioned. She swung open the bathroom door and held up her left hand. "I just pulled off a huge peace of my own damn skin! My skin, Annie!"
My eyes grew wide. My heart started beating out of control. My stomach clenched. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was pushing past her and kneeling in front of the toilet, puking up everything I ate today. My whole body shook as my stomach clenched. Between dry heaves, I heard a ripping sound and then my shoulder started burning as something warm ran down my arm. Brynn let out a loud gasp.
"Annie," she trailed off. I shook my head as my stomach calmed down. "I can't, Brynn. I can't. I don't want to see it. Do something." She just stood there and stared, looking frightened and overwhelmed. "Do something, Brynn!"
She snapped out of it when my loud outburst met her ears. She tossed her bloody piece of skin in the trash and kneeled beside me, gripping my right shoulder as she lightly touched my left. I almost screamed out in pain. "Here." She handed me a washcloth. "Put this in your mouth and bite down on it." I did was I was told.
"I'm going to do this on the count of three. Okay?" I nodded. "Okay; one, two—" Her fingers swiped down my left shoulder, leaving a trail of fire behind.
The pain, it was earth shattering. My heart was going a mile a minute. My head was much the same. I was sweating. The bathroom was spinning. My vision was blurry.
"Annie?" I couldn't open my mouth to speak. "Annie?" Nothing. Brynn was starting to freak out. "Annie, answer me! Annie!" My world went black after that.
"What the fuck is going on? Why is this happening to us?"
Loud knocks and my sisters mumbles woke me from my sleep. "Brynna, Antoinette!" Chris hollered. "It's time for school! Up and at 'em girls!"
Brynn didn't even look at me before she replied. She just mussed up her hair and smacked her cheeks a few times, making a soft pink tint appear. She's making herself look sick. She opened our bedroom door and let out a sniffle. "Annie has been puking all night and I think I'm getting a sinus infection. Would it be okay if we stayed home today?"
Chris agreed without a second thought. "It is Friday, so a three day weekend would be just what you guys would need to get better. Take it easy, yeah? Call me if you need anything. I'll text you my work number and pager number."
As soon as the door was shut and his footsteps sounded down the stairs, I sat up. "Why'd you just lie to him?" She jumped.
"Fuck, Annie!" She held her heart. "Don't do that!" I smirked, making her flip me off. "Do you not remember last night?" When I went to shake my head, she pulled the sleeve of her sweater down. Scales. Last nights events came rushing back causing me to almost break down.
There were scales on her arm and mine. We had snake scales on our body. And we had no idea how to get rid of them or why we got them.
"Ann?"
"Huh? What?" She handed me her laptop. On the screen her email was opened up. It was an email from our Mom? Dated last night? How?
Dear Annie and Brynn,
If you both are reading this, then your father and I are gone. I am so sorry that both of you lost us so early. I have some things to explain to both of you. The women on my side of the family are cursed; though it skips a few generations. We have Lamia blood in us.
It will start with your skin peeling in places, and being replaced with scales on your eighteenth birthday. Your senses will be heightened, and you'll need to watch your strength and speed. Humans won't know what to do if they see you lifting up a car or something like that. You can read up on Lamias in Mythology books. Most of them are correct, though some are full of shit.
I'm sorry that I can't be there to help you both through this. I love you.
Love,
Mom
"The fu—" Brynn cut me off by clicking off her email and opening up the internet tab. She had close to ten tabs open. And they all had to do with these Lamia creatures. I read each one, not missing any part. A ding sounded from her laptop, so she took it from me and clicked back onto her email. It was another email from our Mom. But this time it had pictures attached. At least twenty or so. You could tell they had been scanned on a printer and saved to a computer. The pictures were insanely old. They had to have been from way back in the early 1900s.
Each one had a woman in it and somewhere on her body, her skin was replaced by scales. They each had characteristics that resembled ourselves. It was all mind blowing to me. But after taking our time and reading every bit of information and studying each picture, we came to the realization that there was no way of us ever getting rid of this. It was in our blood. There was nothing we could do about it. We had to come to terms with it and deal with it.
Our lives would forever be changed because of this. But I wouldn't want to be going through it with anyone but Brynn.
"So what are we supposed to tell people if they see it?" I questioned, motioning to my still sore left arm. "I'm not going to give up wearing tank tops and swim suits."
Brynn shrugged. "Tell everyone it's a tattoo I guess. I mean, it makes sense. We just turned eighteen and we can now legally get tattoos, so nobody should question it." See. That's why I keep her around. She thinks things through, whereas I don't. "Plus, it doesn't feel like actual scales. It feels like our normal skin. Kind of."
I snorted. "Kind of is right. It feels like I have Eczema or some shit."
I want you by my side
So that I never feel alone again
They've always been so kind
But now they're brought you away from me
I hope they didn't get your mind
Your heart is too strong, anyway
We need to fetch back the time
They have stolen from us
I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancing on, do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise
Shouldn't talk about it
I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danc—
"Now or never right?"
I shook [url=www.polyvore.com/set?id=75797344]my head,[/url] sending my [url=www.polyvore.com/untitled_1289/set?id=822078]big sister[/url] a pleading look. "Never? Please?" She chuckled, her eyes flickering to her right arm and then my left.
"Just act like it's not there," she said. "And if someone asks about it, tell them it's a tattoo like we agreed on." I nodded. This was going to be okay. We were going to be fine. I just had to act like it wasn't there. If I acted like it didn't exist, then it didn't. In my mind, I was my normal self before I turned eighteen.
We got out of the car and Brynn locked it. She had decided to drive this morning seeing as she knew if I drove that I would more then likely take us somewhere other then school. As soon as the horn sounded, it seemed as if the people standing outside all turned to look at us. They simultaneously started whispering and pointing. My hand went over to try and cover my left arm. Brynn, noticing my instant mood change, put her arm around my shoulders as her face went from happy to mad in a second flat.
"What is that on their arms?"
"It takes up half of their arms."
"I can't tell what it looks like."
"It looks like snake skin."
Brynn burst. "Have you never seen a fucking tattoo before?" Everyone got wide eyed. "I mean, for shit fucking sakes. It's not like we're carrying around a dead body or turning into a werewolf."
There was an undeniable burning sensation on my left shoulder. It was worse then any pain I had ever felt. I had yet to look, or even try and touch it. There was a voice in the back of my head that told me whatever it was, wasn't good. And that scared me.
"Brynn."
"Annie."
"Brynn, I'm freaking out."
"You're freaking out?" She questioned. She swung open the bathroom door and held up her left hand. "I just pulled off a huge peace of my own damn skin! My skin, Annie!"
My eyes grew wide. My heart started beating out of control. My stomach clenched. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was pushing past her and kneeling in front of the toilet, puking up everything I ate today. My whole body shook as my stomach clenched. Between dry heaves, I heard a ripping sound and then my shoulder started burning as something warm ran down my arm. Brynn let out a loud gasp.
"Annie," she trailed off. I shook my head as my stomach calmed down. "I can't, Brynn. I can't. I don't want to see it. Do something." She just stood there and stared, looking frightened and overwhelmed. "Do something, Brynn!"
She snapped out of it when my loud outburst met her ears. She tossed her bloody piece of skin in the trash and kneeled beside me, gripping my right shoulder as she lightly touched my left. I almost screamed out in pain. "Here." She handed me a washcloth. "Put this in your mouth and bite down on it." I did was I was told.
"I'm going to do this on the count of three. Okay?" I nodded. "Okay; one, two—" Her fingers swiped down my left shoulder, leaving a trail of fire behind.
The pain, it was earth shattering. My heart was going a mile a minute. My head was much the same. I was sweating. The bathroom was spinning. My vision was blurry.
"Annie?" I couldn't open my mouth to speak. "Annie?" Nothing. Brynn was starting to freak out. "Annie, answer me! Annie!" My world went black after that.
&&
"What the fuck is going on? Why is this happening to us?"
Loud knocks and my sisters mumbles woke me from my sleep. "Brynna, Antoinette!" Chris hollered. "It's time for school! Up and at 'em girls!"
Brynn didn't even look at me before she replied. She just mussed up her hair and smacked her cheeks a few times, making a soft pink tint appear. She's making herself look sick. She opened our bedroom door and let out a sniffle. "Annie has been puking all night and I think I'm getting a sinus infection. Would it be okay if we stayed home today?"
Chris agreed without a second thought. "It is Friday, so a three day weekend would be just what you guys would need to get better. Take it easy, yeah? Call me if you need anything. I'll text you my work number and pager number."
As soon as the door was shut and his footsteps sounded down the stairs, I sat up. "Why'd you just lie to him?" She jumped.
"Fuck, Annie!" She held her heart. "Don't do that!" I smirked, making her flip me off. "Do you not remember last night?" When I went to shake my head, she pulled the sleeve of her sweater down. Scales. Last nights events came rushing back causing me to almost break down.
There were scales on her arm and mine. We had snake scales on our body. And we had no idea how to get rid of them or why we got them.
"Ann?"
"Huh? What?" She handed me her laptop. On the screen her email was opened up. It was an email from our Mom? Dated last night? How?
Dear Annie and Brynn,
If you both are reading this, then your father and I are gone. I am so sorry that both of you lost us so early. I have some things to explain to both of you. The women on my side of the family are cursed; though it skips a few generations. We have Lamia blood in us.
It will start with your skin peeling in places, and being replaced with scales on your eighteenth birthday. Your senses will be heightened, and you'll need to watch your strength and speed. Humans won't know what to do if they see you lifting up a car or something like that. You can read up on Lamias in Mythology books. Most of them are correct, though some are full of shit.
I'm sorry that I can't be there to help you both through this. I love you.
Love,
Mom
"The fu—" Brynn cut me off by clicking off her email and opening up the internet tab. She had close to ten tabs open. And they all had to do with these Lamia creatures. I read each one, not missing any part. A ding sounded from her laptop, so she took it from me and clicked back onto her email. It was another email from our Mom. But this time it had pictures attached. At least twenty or so. You could tell they had been scanned on a printer and saved to a computer. The pictures were insanely old. They had to have been from way back in the early 1900s.
Each one had a woman in it and somewhere on her body, her skin was replaced by scales. They each had characteristics that resembled ourselves. It was all mind blowing to me. But after taking our time and reading every bit of information and studying each picture, we came to the realization that there was no way of us ever getting rid of this. It was in our blood. There was nothing we could do about it. We had to come to terms with it and deal with it.
Our lives would forever be changed because of this. But I wouldn't want to be going through it with anyone but Brynn.
"So what are we supposed to tell people if they see it?" I questioned, motioning to my still sore left arm. "I'm not going to give up wearing tank tops and swim suits."
Brynn shrugged. "Tell everyone it's a tattoo I guess. I mean, it makes sense. We just turned eighteen and we can now legally get tattoos, so nobody should question it." See. That's why I keep her around. She thinks things through, whereas I don't. "Plus, it doesn't feel like actual scales. It feels like our normal skin. Kind of."
I snorted. "Kind of is right. It feels like I have Eczema or some shit."
&&
I want you by my side
So that I never feel alone again
They've always been so kind
But now they're brought you away from me
I hope they didn't get your mind
Your heart is too strong, anyway
We need to fetch back the time
They have stolen from us
I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancing on, do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise
Shouldn't talk about it
I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danc—
"Now or never right?"
I shook [url=www.polyvore.com/set?id=75797344]my head,[/url] sending my [url=www.polyvore.com/untitled_1289/set?id=822078]big sister[/url] a pleading look. "Never? Please?" She chuckled, her eyes flickering to her right arm and then my left.
"Just act like it's not there," she said. "And if someone asks about it, tell them it's a tattoo like we agreed on." I nodded. This was going to be okay. We were going to be fine. I just had to act like it wasn't there. If I acted like it didn't exist, then it didn't. In my mind, I was my normal self before I turned eighteen.
We got out of the car and Brynn locked it. She had decided to drive this morning seeing as she knew if I drove that I would more then likely take us somewhere other then school. As soon as the horn sounded, it seemed as if the people standing outside all turned to look at us. They simultaneously started whispering and pointing. My hand went over to try and cover my left arm. Brynn, noticing my instant mood change, put her arm around my shoulders as her face went from happy to mad in a second flat.
"What is that on their arms?"
"It takes up half of their arms."
"I can't tell what it looks like."
"It looks like snake skin."
Brynn burst. "Have you never seen a fucking tattoo before?" Everyone got wide eyed. "I mean, for shit fucking sakes. It's not like we're carrying around a dead body or turning into a werewolf."
♠ ♠ ♠
Super short. Super sucky. Super sorry?