Chapter 13 Mara's Story.
I don't remember the day I was born, but I've heard the story too many times.
My mother said I didn't cry right away ,that I just opened my eyes and stared at her, silent and wide-eyed, as if I already knew the world didn't have space for me;She said it like it was a joke, but I never thought it was funny.
From the beginning, I was the quiet one. The one who didn't talk much, who never caused trouble, who didn't sparkle the way my siblings did. My parents liked children who filled the room the loud, confident, impressive one and that wasn't me.
My older sister, Mia, was beauty and laughter. My younger brother, Joel, was brilliance and charm. He was the kind of child teachers adored a sharp mind, perfect grades, quick answers my parents looked at him and saw the future.
When they looked at me, they saw what was missing.
"Why can't you be more like Joel?" became a lullaby that followed me everywhere.
Every report card was a disappointment, even when I tried my best.
Every word out of my mouth was compared, measured, and found lacking. I didn't hate Joel well not really but sometimes I envied how easy it was for him, the way my mother's face softened when he spoke the way my father listened. For me, there was always a sigh waiting after every sentence.
I stayed quiet because silence was safer than trying and failing again.
Until one day, everything fell apart.
It was a quiet afternoon. I was in my room, sitting cross-legged on the floor, sketching. ....My notebook was the only place I could say what I really felt , the only space that was mine. My room was messy, small, but it was safe or so I thought.
Then Joel barged in without knocking.
"Mara, what are you hiding this time?" he said, grinning like always.
I looked up and yelled"Get out."!
He ignored me and walked straight to my desk, his eyes landing on the open page. "Still drawing? Mom said that's a waste of time."
"Joel, stop."
But he didn't. He snatched the notebook before I could move. "Let's see what secret world you're building this time."
"Give it back!" I shouted, standing up so fast my chair fell over.
He flipped through the pages, smirking. "You actually draw us? Wow, Mara, this one looks awful. My hair isn't even like that."
"Joel"
"Relax," he laughed, backing toward the door. "I'm just kidding."
"Give it back!"
He ran out, laughing as he went down the hall. I chased him, heart pounding, anger and humiliation burning behind my eyes it wasn't just about the notebook anymore , it was everything. Every sneer. Every comparison. Every time he made me feel like nothing.
"Joel, stop!" I yelled, running after him.
He looked back, teasing, waving the notebook. "Come on, Mara, can't you take a joke?"
That was the last thing he said before he reached the stairs.
I caught up. I grabbed his arm maybe too hard.
"Give it back!"
He tried to pull away. My fingers slipped. My other hand pushed forward with a single, desperate motion.
Then came the sound.
His foot missed a step.
The notebook flew from his hand.
And Joel fell.
Everything slowed. His body hit the stairs once, twice , then stillness.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe. My scream didn't sound like mine.
"Joel!" I stumbled down after him, shaking. "Joel, please get up! Please!"
My mother came running. Her scream was worse. My father appeared behind her, his face draining off color.
"What did you do?" he shouted.
"I didn'ttt... it was an accident, heeee, I didn't mean"
"Get away from him!"
They pulled me back, and my knees hit the floor. The sound of my mother's crying filled the hall. Joel wasn't moving, only breathing shallowly. His arm bent wrong. There was blood.
The next hours blurred ,then hospital lights, my father's silence, Mia's accusing eyes.
When Joel woke up later, they said he'd be okay. But that didn't matter. Nothing did.
That night, my father came into my room.
"Pack your things," he said flatly.
I looked up, tears blurring my vision. "Please, I didn'ttt..."
"You pushed your brother down the stairs, Mara. You could have killed him."
"I didn't mean t.."
He didn't let me finish. "I don't care. You're leaving this house."
My mother stood behind him, eyes cold. "I can't even look at you."
I tried to speak, to beg, but the words stuck in my throat.
They threw me out that night.
I went to my aunt's place first. She opened the door halfway and sighed. "Your parents must have had a reason, Mara. You always did have a temper."
Then she closed the door.
I called my uncle next there was no answer. My grandparents told me to pray and they hung up.
By the end of the week, I had nowhere left to go.
It rained the night I decided to find Ari. I remembered her ,she was the only person who ever smiled at me without reason. She'd lost her parents too. Maybe she'd understand. Maybe she'd forgive me, even if no one else would.
I took the last train out of town that night. I sat by the window, watching the blurred lights smear across the glass like ghosts. My reflection looked like someone I didn't even recognize my pale, hollow-eye empty. The train rattled softly through the dark, and I counted the stations just to keep me from crying.
By the time it stopped, my legs were weak, and the night air felt heavy enough to swallow me whole.
When I finally reached her house, I stood outside the gate, heart hammering.
I knocked.
The door creaked open and there she was. Ari. She looked smaller, paler, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Mara?" she whispered.
My throat closed. "Ari…" I almost cried right there.
Then I saw him.
A tall, strange figure behind her , pale skin, dark horns, and glowing red eyes. My heart seized. My body moved before I could think.
"Ari, get away from him!" I shouted, stumbling forward. "There's something—!"
But my vision spun. The world tilted sideways. My legs gave out. The last thing I heard was Ari's voice calling my name.
Then, darkness.
…
When I opened my eyes again, there was warmth and a soft blanket beneath me, the scent of something sweet and faintly burnt, like melted sugar. My head throbbed. I blinked slowly, the room blurry and unfamiliar.
Somewhere nearby, someone moved. A shadow. A voice.
And then, clearer , Ari's voice, soft and worried.
"Mara… you're awake."
I tried to speak, but all that came out was a whisper. "Ari…?"
And then I remembered , the horns the red eyes.
My heart began to race all over again....
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