"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9AAlxa6J6
"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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡus4U8xbjCC
"I want him to forgive himself."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFl0yPP29uO
"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... 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jq7LsHtTi
"Why?" I ask her, eager to understand. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuWa6IiVwg
"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."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzlKUZRnh0
"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?"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJmUAXDx79
Her face shuts down as she desperately tries to hide her emotions. Always hiding something from me. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2zr4vfTO3
"I told you a lot. Honestly, what else could you want to know? And aren't you curious about unlocking your powers?"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJVXc8B2lb
No, I'm actually much more concerned with the truth. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCxT6HVh4l
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3GqDrxE9l
"She's evil and she's in the past." 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgahIFJLFG
Past my ass. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIv0WHlMcrs
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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwgujoJSPV
"Why are you still afraid of her?" I demand. "What is she gonna do? Come and kill you?"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZfMsjtZJ2
"She might," my mother responds under her breath. I don't think that I was meant to hear that.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIXBmy8Idc
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQm2q5BFjLp
"Yes, she is. I just don't think—"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXZPuOEDKH
"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—"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlovOWmNry3
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOz7rJndR52
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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHSJMc3jMa
There is also the legend of a golden table that they can use to lure the greedy.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKyDoGerSU
"The golden table—"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM35Vhu3erL
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEczDk75Ph
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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyKgDGAWbw
"Um... if I'm human, how would she have gotten me?" What did she plan on doing? 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUZsNMwsA7
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cNuDyH7ft
"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?"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbe2ITw91Z
"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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjaSsNZpNw
I sit and think of anything else that I would like to know about in this situation.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73QEocTSc3
"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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9AWJNJENp
"Uh..."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY07iWh47fY
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDEHMgKMOP
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ190JGb5qBs
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxhSS6qWkf
"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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDjO8GPC4f
"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."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqVTjL4MYu
"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."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6rfTQJbkK
"Well, you can manipulate more than that. You can make prophecies, and change them. The future is never set in stone."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4mVHp3uuH
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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vQj4u5khN
"Kwamé said... that you can move things with your mind."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1wgDJ8pcW
"Did he now?"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBWObKuQ8T
"It was implied." He didn't actually tell me that, after all. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KKEAJ7xDb
She looks off to the side pensively as if trying to decide how to phrase her thoughts.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4vjf2PNfv
"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."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDy5uBf3GJ
"So in order for me to do that—"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLx5qKEafwA
"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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9fd8lMyAK
"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?"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEQBqoEzIG
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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElV0hNZ0VN
Isn't done with me yet.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicFYrPLElf
In other words, I need to learn how to defend myself.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39uOi9XSeA
But if that is the case... then I'm going to need Akatua.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3m2gCEyuvY
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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdjTziLPar
But shouldn't this, of all things, come naturally? 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgLu9VP3bk
Damnit.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9u7Y2MubK
"Listen. Don't hurt your head about this right now. Just come back when you are ready to learn."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgF0XHci0EQ
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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YrZexOQtv
"Yes. I will," I tell her, feeling myself relax already. See? I tell myself. No need to worry.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ORD0SYkTB
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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWxpeNIAAY
"Nya," she calls, pulling me back to reality. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrlS6vAESt
"Yes?" I ask, looking her in the eye. I see my own brown eyes looking back at me, smiling. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8WKwkBtdz
Her face smiles warmly at me. "Thank you for coming."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9wykvUolS
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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqZs9wWJ5J
And Kwamé thinks that he is the selfish one.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CdCUry9zF
"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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RGIxvhtle
"Awe, Nya," she murmurs, "don't cry, hun." She wraps her arms around me and I return the gesture, tears still threatening.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYMNQgrjhZ
"It's just, you know," I begin,"I'm sorry," I rasp.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQwA76jkaH
"Your feelings are completely understandable, dear," she reassures me, rubbing my back.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoFU3nQEnf
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. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapBgdhVoCa
At least something feels natural around her.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofZLO7ARbT
When it's over, I pull back and look at her. I have one request, one thing I need to ask of her.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bpL9OEj6c
"Akatua?"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqRBYDvPur
"Hmm?"750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwn6TpGLgyy
I chew my bottom lip for a second as my eyes dry, trying to find the best way to word my thoughts.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSaHp2BTZr
"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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceKaydZZmw
"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.750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkYIIR9dR5
"That's fair," she agrees. "I will try my best to be honest with you about things like that from hear on out."750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjcgF32yAG
"Thank you, Akatua," I say genuinely. 750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nauI6BC7g
"You're welcome, Nya," she replies. It is while looking into this woman's face that I think to myself:750Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaqZM9MdRg
Hey, I guess family can be fun after all.
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