She was starving. How long has is been since she last ate? It was the Nome, wasnât it? Thatâs the last thing she ate.
The child doubled over, clutching at her abdomen. The hunger pains got worse by the second. She needed to eat something.
The only thing in reach or at least near her was the womanâs body just a few feet away. She wasnât dead, just seemed to be in a bit of shock.
Six slowly stalked up to her motherâs body. She was being controlled by her hunger. Invisible puppet strings pulled her forward and voices in her head were telling her to feed. Tear the woman apart with her teeth, just like she did to the Nome.
She towered over her motherâs throat, teeth bared like an angry animal. One bite and it would be over. She wouldnât be hungry anymore. And her mother would be gone.
One bite is all it would take.
WhyâŚwhy couldnât she take a bite?
It would be so easy. Her mom would finally be dead.
So why couldnât she take one simple bite?
Six whimpered and collapsed onto her knees. She wrapped her arms around her stomach in a vain attempt to stop the sharp pains. Tears stung in her sapphire eyes, pricking painfully like hot needles.
Weakly, the malnourished child crawled underneath one of her motherâs arms and curled up against her chest.
She never had gotten that close to her mom before. For nine years, this is what she was waiting for. To be loved and to feel her motherâs body. Of course, her mom was barely conscious, or maybe she was unconscious. She didnât know. But her mom wasnât caring for her. She never would. It was a delusion to the yellow clad child.
Six screwed her eyes shut, nuzzling close to her mom. Her stomach felt like it was being stabbed and the pain only continued to increase as she tried to contain her hunger.
She knew that she should eat. She was starving, but couldnât get herself to tear into her own motherâs flesh.
So, Six laid there, huddled up close against her mom.
The Ladyâs eyes snapped open.
How long had she been out? Her skin was stinging, but not as much as it was before. She began to sit up.
And then she heard a noise from down below her.
Six, her /daughter/, was laying right beside her, curled up into a ball.
The Lady screamed in anger, grabbed the little girl by the hood, and threw her into the wall.
Six whimpered when she heard her back pop. She tried to push herself up, but she was too weak with hunger. So she just laid there, writhing on the floor.
â/You/,â The Lady spat, âYou ruined all of this, you worthless brat!â
She grabbed Six again, lifting her to eye level.
âYou made a mistake. Youâre /mine/ now.â
The Lady smirked underneath her mask. She couldnât wait to make the girl pay for everything she had done. She was going to torture her until-
They Ladyâs eyes widened.
Her grip loosened and Six fell to the floor.
She stared up at nothing in particular. That word. That simple word cleared the haze in front of her eyes. Even after all of the horrible things sheâs done, her mind cleared so easily.
She hated the child. She was the reason why The Maw was falling apart, but⌠God, how long has she waited for that moment? The moment she could hold her sweet baby girl again.
The Lady knelt down and scooped her daughter into her arms. The tiny girlâs body was quaking, and her small hands gripped at her motherâs robes. She was crying.
âShhh⌠ShhhâŚâ The Lady cooed in such a gentle voice, âItâs ok⌠I got youâŚâ She was cradling her little daughter in her arms, rocking her back and forth to try and soothe her.
Sixâs vision was obscured by tears and a snow of white that blurred everything around her. Every inch of her body hurt, but she somehow managed to smile weakly. She nuzzled her head up against her motherâs arms and curled up. It was warm.
It felt nice to finally be held so gently.
The Lady raised one hand and slipped her mask off, tossing it to the side. She kissed her daughterâs forehead, smiling when the flow of Sixâs tears began to stop.
And in that moment, she held her daughter for the first time in forever.
And she never wanted to let go.
