Be Holden

Chapter 26: Enemy

The twins walk past you in the hall by the stairwell. They smile as they keep their hands locked around both of Ishin's hands.Should I tell her what they said to me? "Ishin wait, I need to tell you something." You say as you follow them into the kitchen. She stops them from leading her out of the kitchen. "The twins don't think that you are their mother." You say to her. The twins glare at you. "Is that true babies? You don't think I am your mother." She says then giggles. They slowly nod their heads. "If I am not your mother, who do you think is your mother?" She asks. "I don't know. Someone stronger than you." The boy says. An invisible force slams you and Ishin to opposite walls. Ishin groans and her torso glows orange.

The force keeps pressing you both on to the wall until an orange beam hits the twins. You both are released and slide down the wall to the floor. Ishin's torso throws out a wider orange beam that sits on the twins and press them onto the floor before it disappears. "What just happened?" You say. "Oh, nothing unusual...just disciplining my toddlers." She says and giggles. Ishin walks to them and extends her hands to them. They accept her assistance on helping them get up. The girl hugs Ishin's leg and cries into the fabric of Ishin's dress. "Well mother, where were you all this time? We missed you! Thyme said you were not our mother. Then we had to babysit for that tree and it was awful. The baby kept crying and we did not know what to do."

"You had to babysit for the tree? Oh no, I am going to have a word with that tree soon."

Ishin looks at you. She leaves the twins by the kitchen counter and signals you to follow her to the pantry. "Why would you make my toddlers watch your infant? Why did you think they were capable to do that?" She says to you. "They looked like teenagers then. Plus, we were pressed for time to get to Ether's place." You say.

"My children transfer between body growth, but they are not mature until they are finished training. Don't throw your responsibilities on my babies again."

"We were watching them when we were here and you were gone with the overseers. Why don't you stop throwing your responsibilities on us so, we would avoid these situations?"

"You can always move somewhere else and avoid disputes such as this one."

"I am not leaving. My family is not leaving!"

"Then be quiet and respect my wishes."

You nod. The children run up to Ishin when she turns around. They hug her and you roll your eyes. I would leave if I did not have so much to lose. If it was just me, I would go somewhere else. I would not let her have the upper hand, if I did not have an unusual lover and weak infant. What if I just leave them here? No, I cannot leave them behind.

"Do you want to bring your family to our festival?" Ishin says. "I don't think that would be necessary. Thanks for the offer." You respond.

"Most of my children will be there. There will be babies around your baby's age and growth. They can play together."

"I don't want my child to get lost in a festival filled with so many individuals. Plus, I have been away from my family so long. I think they need more quality time from me."

"I respect your decision. I will see you later, okay?"

"Okay that is fine."

Ishin walks through the golden double doors with the twins. They and the doors disappear before your eyes. You wander to the pod holding wing of the house. You reach a black wall like the wall by the front door. You touch the wall and your hands fall through it. You walk through it and bump into some unseen objects until you bump into something big and solid. The room around you is shrouded in darkness. You feel around it and your hand grazes a smooth, cold door handle. You open the invisible door. "Who are you and why are you in here?" A raspy voice asks you from behind. You run forward. Things smash and shatter on the dark wood paneled floor. Big arms pick you up and drop you back on the other side of the fake black wall. You turn around and run back in the unseen area. You jump on the footsteps sounding off before you. You both tumble and wrestle with them on the ground. You pull some fabric off their head. Your roots slither from your ribcage and wrap around the guy wrestling you. Your roots throw him to the other side of the manor. You hear a lamp break and some wood splinter. You run back to the visible part of the manor to the hall near the stairs. The front door is closed. You look in the hall for the being but the only thing left of them is splintered wood on the wall of the stairwell in the hall. You run to the kitchen and dirty blond, curly haired guy's head charges you from the kitchen entrance. Your roots catch him and wind around him. "Who are you?" You ask. "I am the Grim Reaper. Who are you?" He asks with bags under his green eyes that were the color of limes.

"I am a tree and that is all you need to know about me."

"Why are you here?"

"Why should I tell you anything more about myself when you won't tell me much about yourself?"

"I am the one with the roots wrapped around you. I am not required to tell you anything. Now, answer my question Grim Reaper."

He breaks out of the hold of your roots and take his invisible gloves off to show hands with the letter "D" scribbled on the backs of each one. He pounces on you and your wooden stems jut out of your sternum and push him back. He touches the stems and black veins appear on his hands. They rise underneath his skin a bit as they squeeze your stems. Your stems sag and blacken until they break apart into dust. He grabs your neck with his death inducing hands. "Don't kill me! I have a baby." You say and Grim keeps his hands around your neck. "Morgan! Morgan! Help..." You say before he tightens his grip around your neck. You look up into his wicked green eyes and know that you will be destroyed soon. He enjoys watching you struggle under his hold.

Smash! Morgan smashes a lamp over his head. He throws your body on the floor. You slide a bit and stop near a wall. Morgan wrestles with him and your eyes get heavier. Your strained breaths release a wheezing sound. Every image you see is a shadow before they all blend into one dark screen. Your eyelids completely close.