PREVIOUSLY;
It's so difficult to say goodbye and leave behind the things you love.
Without waiting for my reaction, mother grabbed my hand gently, tugging it so I'd stand on my feet.
"Everything is going to be Ok, love." She cupped my cheeks with her warm hands, weakening my doubts.
"Yeah." And so, we set out onto the road with the hopes of reaching the city by tonight.
<-------------- -------------->
CHAPTER 4:
IT'S A HEX
"You have been silent this entire time. I am starting to worry that breakfast hadn't settled in right." Mother quickly averted her eyes from the road to take a quick look at me.
I have been staring out the window since the beginning of the drive. I watched slowly as the bright skies darkened, creating a beautiful view- one that I would have usually requested to stop to so I could store the memory on my phone but I didn't want our long trip to get even longer.
Absent-mindedly I answered, "Yeah..." I watched as the trees and the bodies of water slowly disappeared. We are going to hit the highway in about an hour and seeing as there's almost nothing but road lanes and electricity towers above us, it confirmed my suspicion.
No longer having a reason to look out the window, I gave a quick look to my mom who was watching the road.
She was so close to the steering wheel that she could jump out the windshield at the slightest wrong maneuver of the car.
I could see that she was tired. We have been hours on the road and Google Maps doesn't exactly know when we'll get there since, apparently, there's a traffic jam ahead.
If I had a driver's license I could have easily replaced her and let her rest but my mother insisted that she is very much capable of driving me anywhere I wanted- Not that I had anywhere to be. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLlz8brRaV
Everything was close by anyway so I didn't need a car but now that we are moving to an enormous city with a bigger population, I'd sure as hell would have a great use for this license about now.
"What are you thinking about, love?" Mother asked worry etched in her tone.
"About a lot of things." I kept looking ahead. Nothing interesting outside, even the sky was a dull boring shade of purple with no stars in sight, so I have decided to finally use my phone to destruct myself from the growing boredom.
"Darling... You can talk to me." She was clearly getting worried as the minutes went by but if she has the right to hide things from me so so do I.
"I'll add it to the 'to-do-later' list." Turning on the cellular internet, I decided to scroll through Youtube. Maybe I'd find something interesting enough to distract me from the growing pain in my ass.
I know that I have forgiven her and that that's stupid of me to return the favor now but I can't help myself and act like a brat.
All this built-up frustration, confusion, and anger are rising to the surface the longer I stay in the car. The level of suffocation that I feel is growing.
Seeing a gas station imprinted on the phone- through Google Maps- I asked, "Can we stop at the station? I need some air."
Mother looked at her phone for a brief moment then nodded. "Of course." I need a desperate breath of fresh air or I'll feel like I'll lose my mind.
It's about a thirty-minute drive to the station and another fifteen-minute drive before the highway. The moment we hit the highway, we'd arrive at our destination no longer than an hour.
My breath stopped for a moment; two hours left before arriving at the border of the largest and richest city in the country.
I was fine in the small city; everything was green and comfortable. The air was fresh. Thanks to that city, I learned to love and appreciate nature. The people were very nice and open-minded enough to accept my lesbian mother at their book club and city-hall gatherings. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hM4ixPVsQ
They were even nice enough to introduce women who caught interest in her but she refused all of them.
How would the people react when they find out that my mother is a lesbian? How would they react to me being an orphan that is raised by none other than a single mother in her late forties without her own kids and lover?
Why am I the one that always overthinks about everything while she is just, 'We'll worry about it when we'll get there.' type of person.
Well, there's no point in worrying about that now. We have nowhere else to go but forward. Even if she'll come to regret her decision in the future I'll be there to laugh at her face.
<--- AT THE GAS STATION --->
"Dale, we are here, love." The gentle voice of my mother shook me awake. Were my ears always these sharp to sounds? I usually sleep like a corpse.
Opening my eyes, I look around and indeed we are at the gas station. Mother poked her head through my window- seemed like she had decided to recharge the vehicle with some gasoline.
When did I open the window?
"I open the window for you. It looked like you weren't feeling well." I nodded, groaning as I made my way out of the car.
My legs felt like jelly but the stretch that came after was heavenly. Hearing the bones pop and my muscles tighten as I bent my body in awkward angles made me smile in relief.
When mother returned the tube to its spot, she turn to face me, "Want something to eat?"
Avoiding her eyes, feeling ashamed and stupid at the cold behavior I demonstrated earlier, I nodded. "Yeah, I am pretty hungry."
"Ok. Anything specific you want or I can pick for you?" I shrugged.
"You know me better than I know myself."
"I doubt that." With that, she left for the store.
Does she doubt that she knows me better than I know myself? That's a first. Was it because of my recent behavior? Was she that shocked that I am capable of defending myself in times of need?
Have I wounded her deeply by demonstrating my opinion? Maybe she changed her mind and stopped loving me?
The negative thoughts kept piling on one another making me feel worse by the second. It's all my fault. Bile was rising in my throat- clamping my hand down on my mouth and shutting my eyes tight, I felt sick to my stomach.
I am scared of asking her directly. I don't want to ruin whatever relationship we now have, or is it just me that feels the change?
Leaning on the car, my arm snaked around my stomach, holding it tight. It hurts.
Hearing a gasp, I felt arms around me.
"Love, it's Ok. Whatever you are thinking of throw it out the window." Mother held me tighter. "-Please don't beat yourself up about these negative thoughts, they are not true." She said urgently as if she just read my mind.
Holding in arm's length, "Do you want to throw up?" I nodded feeling light-headed. "-Ok, come on." Mother left the bag of groceries on the hood of the car before rushing me to the nearest bathroom and there I fell to my knees and let the disgusting feeling rise up my throat.
"Just let it all out, darling. Don't force yourself to hold onto these negative feelings. You can't stay strong if you don't let those tears out." She kept rubbing my back soothingly.
"Wait here. I'll get a toothbrush and paste from the store." I nodded, feeling drained- but definitely feeling better.
Standing on my wobbly feet, I happened to take a look at the contents that left my stomach. I... have never eaten anything today that contains solid cinnamon and... what are these black pieces floating around? I noticed a few spots of blood- Is this my own blood?
Panic and fear were clouding my mind. What is this?
This isn't normal.
"Love-"
If anyone would know what is going on, it would be my mother. "M-mom... Come here for a moment." I choked on tears.
"What is it?" She asked with a panicked voice.
Pointing to the mess I have made, "What. The hell. Is that?" She quickly rushed to the toilet before observing the contents that I threw up from my stomach.
"You have got to be shitting me." She knows... She knows what is going on.
"What is it, mom?!" I asked panicked.
She turned around, anger covering her expression, "Dale-" She was going to avoid talking about it again.
"NO! NO! I WANT TO KNOW! TELL ME! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" I yelled loud enough until my voice went horse.
"Are you sure you want to know?" She crossed her arms in her chest. Her expression turned serious.
"Yes."
"It's a hex."
"A Wha-" She cut through my question, expecting it and having zero patience for me to finish it.
"A curse was put on you." She got closer, gripping my forearms tightly forcing me to stand in place. She inched closer until I could see her irises narrow and the color of her eyes growing a few shades darker. "-I swear to you, son, I'll find whoever dared lay their filthy hands on you. I'll find them and I'll kill them in a way that even hell would look like child's play but until I do- I am going to need you to stay strong. Do you understand?"
My head grew heavier. The sickening feeling is returning to the pit of my stomach.
"Do you understand, my boy?" She cupped my cheeks gently with shaking hands. A sniffle escaped her mouth. "-Please don't leave me too."
Then the world crumbled underneath my feet and all fell to darkness.
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