Plane Of Madness
Thud.
Shakira hit the ground hard, breath knocked out of her.
Kahdijah stood over her, calm, smiling.
"This," she said softly, "is the Plane of Madness."
She took a step closer and looked down at her.
"I made this place for you. Not for monsters. Not for enemies. Just you. That should tell you how much I hate you."
Shakira tried to push herself up, hands shaking.
"Please," she said, voice cracking. "Don't do this. Don't become something you'll regret. I'm still your mother. I love you."
Kahdijah burst out laughing.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't wild. It was clean and sharp, like she'd just heard the funniest joke in the universe.
"You?" she said. "My mother?"
She crouched slightly, eyes level with Shakira's.
"My mother died the day my dad died. Whatever you were after that wasn't a mother. You were a mask. And when the mask fell, I saw you."
She straightened.
