"I'm so glad that you've decided to give our relationship a second chance," my mother gushes as I sit before her in the dimly lit living room. I've decided to make good on my promise with Kwamé, despite the high level of discomfort that I feel when in a room alone with this woman. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkXROV08TR
"I don't want to hate you anymore, and I'm trying to be a good example to Kwamé." When her eyebrows come together in confusion, I further explain the situation.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIWnGfOv72
"I want him to forgive himself."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCtZm0IJZQ
"I wouldn't put much faith into that," she replies warily, as if it is not possible. This concerns me, seeing that she knows him much better than I do. So why would he promise... 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumykr6gCKK
"Why?" I ask her, eager to understand. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sDkFkapPF
"Because I've been trying to get him to do that for years," she informs me in a grave voice. "He's as stubborn as an ass. Nothing will get him to let that go."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROhXK1GYwj
"Well, we made a pact." She looks at me as if the notion of a pact to change his mind is utterly idiotic. "Anyway," I say, changing the subject before I get upset with him, "I'm here now. So how about you elaborate on that tale you were telling me?"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYYWGqwfVt
Her face shuts down as she desperately tries to hide her emotions. Always hiding something from me. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlPe8MHffk
"I told you a lot. Honestly, what else could you want to know? And aren't you curious about unlocking your powers?"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4QVXnsTaD
No, I'm actually much more concerned with the truth. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1xRieBgoJ
"Stop trying to change the subject," I demand. "I want to know more about this person who wanted me when I was a baby." I almost laugh out loud, remembering the ridiculous, pathetic excuse of an origin story that she fed me the last time we spoke. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHNoA5rGhM
"She's evil and she's in the past." 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ry77lOmpr
Past my ass. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LcjXHlCqn
I stomp my foot on the ground and then throw myself further back into the couch, like a small child. Something caused by me not getting what I want, because I'm so used to getting what I want. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbFREoqFA0
"Why are you still afraid of her?" I demand. "What is she gonna do? Come and kill you?"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0CJxYX1tf
"She might," my mother responds under her breath. I don't think that I was meant to hear that.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUzTVYfluq
"So she's not in the past, then?" I challenge. I refuse to let this go. I have every right to know the truth. And the way she's contradicting herself means that she's obviously lying about something. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1p8cXYomqW
"Yes, she is. I just don't think—"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ycPwXCGcX
"That I'm ready for it?" I ask. I swear, this us getting very old, very quickly. "Because I assure you, I am. I don't think that there's anything that you could tell me—"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ553bg5KgZ
"She was a River Mumma," my mother rushed out, only to look as if she regrets it right after. Regrets telling me the truth. On the inside, I'm shaking my head. I am surprised (I thought that she would be human), but I'm not freaking out like last time. I'm not surprised that River Mummas exist. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZE3wPxyaq
River Mummas are mythical — well, apparently not so mythical after all — creatures that live in Jamaica's rivers. If I were to compare them to another creature, I'd go with the siren. They often sit on rocks and comb their hair with a golden comb. They say that if you see one, you'll fall into a magical trance and that she'll drag you into the river. Some say that she'll force you to live with her for eternity.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogVRUQ2arH
There is also the legend of a golden table that they can use to lure the greedy.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9ec4aGzy7
"The golden table—"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOasYjLjU4t
"Isn't a myth. It's real. Is that really the first thought that comes to your mind? I tell you that you were almost abducted by a River Mumma and you ask about a Golden Table?" She's not trying to goad me into asking questions — I know that she doesn't want to talk about this — but I think she's just incapable of keeping her surprise to herself. I'd be surprised, too. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDjYBidkj2
I sit and think of a better question to ask her, but one that she won't refuse to answer. If she does that again I might jump her. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAa5Bwlow7
"Um... if I'm human, how would she have gotten me?" What did she plan on doing? 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4Z1CyB2oe
"Turn you into one." I'm beginning to realise that the answers to a lot of my questions are far simpler than I originally thought. I still have to ask, though. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UCwmtWTu5
"And our rivers aren't exactly wide or long," I continue. "They aren't all interconnected either. How come there aren't any news reports of sightings?"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMQ0UgnKAm
"We have underground rivers. Remember that Black River especially is deep. And they know how to not be seen." That's a good point. "Additionally, they're water spirits. They are connected to the rivers of Jamaica. They can teleport." Still, in such a tiny country, I would have expected someone to have seen one in recent history. I've heard lots of stories about Rolling Calves, but no one has ever told me that they, or someone they know has seen a River Mumma.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bXgYSwuf4
I sit and think of anything else that I would like to know about in this situation.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZJgdy6WxO
"What deal did you have with her?" This is important. This, I have to know., but I also know that there's a possibility of her clamping up. Therefore, it's no surprise that as soon as the words leave my mouth, her face screws up.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NGnGhJEw6
"Uh..."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7vUyLR6XG
"You have to tell me that. It's important." My voice sounds demanding, and I can see that she registers it on her face. She looks at me uncomfortably with the expression of someone who badly wants to shit. I would laugh if I weren't so on edge. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvp3pc1Wuc
"It's complicated," she responds lamely. I have to fight myself to not roll my eyes at her. They do move, though, just a tad. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsP0ZoqwEBb
"That's the worst excuse in the history of life. You're starting to sound like Kwamé." When her face stays the same, I decide to let it go. "It's complicated" should probably be the new slogan for my life. Surprisingly, I don't feel like jumping her. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8uZsZCjbI
"So about my abilities," I begin, "what exactly can I do?" I guess it's only fair that we switch to something that she's more comfortable with. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiM03HjOnXK
"A lot," she answers, becoming animated, glad to be speaking of something other than her dealings with some water creature. "You must have already figured out that you can manipulate situations."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0Oma6BDCs
"Yes." Except for my getting sick the last time we met. "I've noticed that since I was a small child. It's worked to my advantage since."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUktVz9sUkk
"Well, you can manipulate more than that. You can make prophecies, and change them. The future is never set in stone."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5i3uVWNTt
Shit. That's a lot of power... the kind of power that I don't know that I want. I don't know if that's good for me — for anyone. That only makes me more interested.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0CYySJx41
"Kwamé said... that you can move things with your mind."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0mQSTqwJ3
"Did he now?"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSvEV5WaGc
"It was implied." He didn't actually tell me that, after all. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47fpYsCpdg
She looks off to the side pensively as if trying to decide how to phrase her thoughts.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSx7mDwn6o
"I'm completely at one with the universe," she begins, sounding more like a monk than anything else. "When that happens, you can feel everything around you — living and non-living. Then, with time, you can learn to... influence things. Without spells."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccWvnKWXEM
"So in order for me to do that—"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqE1xhfRx8i
"You must first be at one with the universe," she answers. What the hell is this now? Avatar the Last Airbender? It sounds like something she just made up, pulled out of her ass, and knowing her, she probably did. On top of that, that sounds like a lot of work and effort. In other words, it sounds like something that I probably won't do.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuCsXqqslv
"I understand if you're reluctant," she tells me, guessing my thoughts correctly, "but it's best if you at least get to understand some of your basic powers better, don't you think?"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzNjiQqBoi
I don't know. I honestly don't know how to feel about this. I mean, I'm now interested in learning, but I'm still unsure. It feels partly real, and partly like a scam. Let's say I do this: what if I can't handle the power? Too much power is never a good thing. Or what if I get sucked into some crazy war that's going on among the supernatural? Somehow, I get the feeling that this river mumma isn't done with us yet.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsXICeyIOl
Isn't done with me yet.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUovniicPmc
In other words, I need to learn how to defend myself.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Yrl2GKYq1
But if that is the case... then I'm going to need Akatua.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IRkzOAVpT
I feel so conflicted, a feeling that I am no stranger to, a feeling that I've been drowning in recently. It's probably because decisions and such usually come to me with an unnatural ease, but now I'm struggling to figure my life out.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLr7jef96kG
But shouldn't this, of all things, come naturally? 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iOJOytkY4
Damnit.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvEMnWQ2JP
"Listen. Don't hurt your head about this right now. Just come back when you are ready to learn."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjJXvbKHlH
When she says this, I don't feel as conflicted anymore. I start to relax, and all thoughts of this river mumma fly out of my head. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViZzeO23hw
"Yes. I will," I tell her, feeling myself relax already. See? I tell myself. No need to worry.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kWMB20YV7
I lean back into the couch and let my mind wonder — not about magic, but about the possibility of finally having a mother — someone who cares for me. Strangely, the thought makes me smile to myself for the first time, resentment taking a back seat. I've always heard the other children at school talk about the wonders of having parents, and the idea never appealed to me. Now, though, it seems rather... intriguing. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhStoCNEDd
"Nya," she calls, pulling me back to reality. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5nc7c9EYj
"Yes?" I ask, looking her in the eye. I see my own brown eyes looking back at me, smiling. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRhql0lPmY
Her face smiles warmly at me. "Thank you for coming."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0Qn3Fnnpp
It is in this moment that I realise how much this means to her, how unfair, how selfish I was being for letting my feelings get in the way of making the only person on this earth who possibly loves me happy. It's not even as if it's something hard. She just wanted me to give her a chance, and it is in that moment that I feel a guilt like no other bind up in my chest, making me feel sick. Additionally, everything that she's done — that I've hated her for has been in the name of protecting me. Still, I turned her away. I feel tears sting my eyes as I fight to keep them at bay.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtN2xEOnyqv
And Kwamé thinks that he is the selfish one.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaT92RkakP
"You're welcome," I tell her, my voice filled with newfound friendliness, and wobbling slightly because of my guilt. Its not just my voice that has changed; my entire mindset is now different. I will not be selfish anymore. I will give this woman a chance, even if she tells lies of omission in a misguided attempt to protect me.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjTiEzCg3G
"Awe, Nya," she murmurs, "don't cry, hun." She wraps her arms around me and I return the gesture, tears still threatening.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMo6hysPiv
"It's just, you know," I begin,"I'm sorry," I rasp.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRum59Kvb4
"Your feelings are completely understandable, dear," she reassures me, rubbing my back.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsMfkHJOyl
This is another thing that I'm not used to: affection. I've been hugged by people before, but it always felt so... unnatural. Akatua's warm embrace, however, is different. Hugging her feels natural. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41U7mYs63O
At least something feels natural around her.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJaoC8tHzt
When it's over, I pull back and look at her. I have one request, one thing I need to ask of her.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcTPUCp7Mh
"Akatua?"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzQCHDD2AD
"Hmm?"668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPg8NSgEdB
I chew my bottom lip for a second as my eyes dry, trying to find the best way to word my thoughts.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0WOETPJvk
"When it comes to telling me things," I begin,"if it's absolutely necessary, for example, if this woman — river mumma — is coming back... stuff like that," I clarify as she nods her head, but still, I have to say it out loud.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguQVqEyC27
"Please tell me," I ask as she continues to nod her head solemnly. I'm not even asking her to tell me everything, just the important bits.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMQTnnxLpB
"That's fair," she agrees. "I will try my best to be honest with you about things like that from hear on out."668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPBN7utbxa
"Thank you, Akatua," I say genuinely. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrdBhoHru0
"You're welcome, Nya," she replies. It is while looking into this woman's face that I think to myself:668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ598XpPXEwH
Hey, I guess family can be fun after all.
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