Chapter 44 Mother!

Miya, woke up on her bed, stood up, and did her stretches. The morning sun greeted her face through the closed window. The birds chirps being carried by the winds.

After finishing up her stretches, Miya looked out the window and said. "Mmm, must be a good day."

Her face let out an innocent and gentle smile as she hugged the warm embrace of the sun with her face. While she smiled, Miya thought to herself. "What is this feeling? Isn't this what they call deja vu?"

Miya's face transformed from happy, to confused, to irritated, to realization, and finally, to desperation.

She immediately ran out the door and entered a hallway. The hallway is decorated by beautiful furniture adorned by freshly-picked flowers.

But to Miya, their beauty wasn't worth the time. There's only one thing that mattered to Miya.

"Mother... Father... Where are you?!" Miya screamed for her parents as she ran down the hall.

After continuing to run for what felt like an eternity, Miya arrived at the kitchen.

A small log table, a pretty looking vase, a pair of wooden sculpted chairs, and a charred furnace. All of these filled Miya's sight, but none of these things were the ones she was looking for.

"Tsk!" Miya clicked her toungue as she continued her run around the house.

After another long run, she entered the living room. A wide open room with different animal-like head trophies hung upon the walls.

She searched the room for the ones she was looking for. A long bench, a potted plant, a fur rug, and a door. The front door.

Miya's eyes widened as she looked at the door. And without a shred of hesitation, she ran up and reached for the door.

Once she held the handle on the door, Miya commented. "It's not hot." And without a second to spare, she opened the door.

The scenery that greeted her was the one she was used to. Lush, green grass, stone marked pathways, wood and stone buildings, and a wonderful, blue ocean in the distance.

Although, these things reminded her of home, there's still something crucial missing that made this place a home.

She sprinted down the pre-built pathways. After reaching a crossroads, she swiftly ran down another path.

The path eventually led to a house made of stone and thatch. Miya ran up the door and knocked vigorously.

"Miss Suggy! Miss Suggy! Please answer!" Miya screamed as the only replied she got was the ear-splitting silence and the occasional chirping of the birds she cannot see.

Suddenly, Miya felt a presence behind her. She quickly turned around to see who it is.

She saw at the end of the rock-outlined path, an adult woman, carrying a pitcher of clay filled with water.

The woman had almost the same features as Miya. Long, black hair and grey eyes.

Although, they might look the same apart from the age difference. There's is still something odd about the woman.

Her long, black hair was stiff as a rock, even when the breeze carressed her fair face.

Her grey-colored eyes suggest that the person with them, no longer had the will to live. It's as if those eyes went from hell and back and to hell again.

The woman continued to walk down a separate path whilst holding the crystal clear water in the pitcher.

"Mother?" Miya mumbled upon seeing the woman.

"Mother!" Miya shouted as she ran after the woman.

She ran and ran. The woman walked and walked. Miya screamed for the mother she knew, yet there was no answer that came.

"Mother! Mother! Please! Slow down and talk to me!" Miya pleaded while clawing at the air, hoping to reach for the woman, who seemed to inch farther away even though she moved slower than the sprinting Miya.

"Mother! Mo-" Miya continued to scream for her mother as she ran. Eventually, tripping on the uneven placement of the rocky path.

Miya landed on all fours, grazing her knees and palms. Before she could get up, a shadow loomed over her.

Miya quickly looked up and saw the woman she called her mother, standing in front of her.

Before Miya could say something, the woman offered her a hand. Miya swiftly obliged, gripping the hand with her bruised hand as her grip overflowed with the intent of never letting go.

The woman pulled Miya up from the ground while still not letting go of her hand.

Miya stared down at the hand, feeling the warmth of the hand she knew and loved. The scratches along her hand seemed to disappear the longer they stayed in contact.

While Miya was mesmerized by the feeling in her grasp. The woman turned around and began walking away with her hand still attached to Miya's.

Upon feeling the intent to leave, Miya held the woman's hand tightly as she ran behind the walking woman.

"Mother! Mother! Please stop for a moment! Please look at me!" Miya begged as tears began to flow from her lonely eyes.

The woman continued to walk in silence amindst Miya's pleads.

"Mother! Turn around and face me, please! Tell me this isn't a dream! Please!" Miya screamed, feeling the strength leave her legs due to exhaustion.

Although, the woman continued to walk and seemed to go away. The hand that Miya held remained the same distance. Neither stretching, nor elongating, yet the woman seemed far away.

Miya gripped the her hand tightly, unwilling to let go off the hand her mother used to express care for her.

As if reacting to the tightening grip, Miya felt a squeezing sensation upon her neck. This caused Miya to hold on more tightly to the hand she held, while the grip on her neck reacted with the same force.

A truly horrible sound escaped Miya's mouth as she tried to scream once more. The invisible hand that gripped her neck, preventing her from gaining breath.

Miya felt her conciousness slowly disappearing. Her lungs no longer supplied enough air for her brain to process.

"MoTHEr!" Miya said with a grissly voice.

As if only now hearing her calls, the woman turned around and looked at Miya. The woman's grey, hollow, emotionless eyes stared at Miya, right into her soul.

Miya opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, not even a whisper of air came from Miya's opened mouth.

Feeling her conciousness leave her, Miya used the last bit of her strength to hold the woman's hand as tightly as she could.

But like before, the gripping force on her neck gripped tighter upon her contest.

Just as she was about to lose it, a pulling motion occured on Miya's wrist. The pulling motion also seemed to have moved the gripping sensation on Miya's neck, allowing her to breathe once more.

Upon catching her breath, Miya then began calling her mother and gripping the hand she held tighter, but the pulling motion from earlier seemed to go against Miya.

"Mother! Mother! Please!" Miya screamed as the pulling motion on her wrist has began to separate her hand from the woman's.

The woman slowly opened her mouth and said. "Miya..."

Upon hearing her name get called, Miya replied. "Yes, mother! It's me! Your daughter!"

"Miya..." The woman spoke again, a little louder than before.

"Yes, mother! That's me!" Miya replied with teary eyes filled with happiness.

"Miya..." The woman spoke again, only this time her voice was clearly louder.

"Yes, mother! What is it?!" Miya asked as she continued to battle the pulling force attempting to separate her hand from the woman's.

"Miya...!" The woman's whispery voice almost seemed like a shout as the woman retracted her other arm backwards.

"What is it?! Tell me!" Miya screamed.

"Miya!" With a swift motion, the woman slapped Miya in the face.

Miya's eyes then widened. She immediately sat up from her bed, but she hit her head at the top part of her bunk bed, causing her to lay back down.

Upon gaining some sense, Miya looked at her surroundings.

The very first thing she saw was the hand that gripped her neck.

It was her own hand, her very own right hand, the one she used to hold the woman down.

Attached to her wrist, another set of hands grabbed. She followed the arms eventually leading to a face Miya knew.

Red hair and a young face. It was Rose, and she wore a worryful face as she stared at Miya, right in the eyes.

Rose retracted her other hand, and slapped Miya in the face like the woman did. It made Miya wide awake as her already red cheek got even redder thanks to the second slap.

Feeling the pain from Rose's slap, Miya asked, still in a daze. "Rose?"

"Miya! Miya, are you awake?!" Rose shouted.

Feeling her shout forcing their way into her ears, Miya replied. "Y-yeah, I'm awake."

"Thank god..." Rose sighed.

"What's wrong, Miya?" She asked a moment later.

Miya's eyes continued to look around the room she was in. Blank, white walls, devoid of any furniture, nor greenery.

"I was... dreaming." Miya said with a low, defeated tone.

Rose formed a dejected face before asking. "You call that dreaming?! You were choking yourself in your sleep!"

"Huh?" Miya looked confused upon hearing Rose's concerns.

Upon looking down her neck, she saw her hand griping her neck. She then realized that the hand that was choking her in the dream was her's all along.

Miya removed her hand from her reddened neck, which prompted Rose to remove her's from Miya's wrist.

Miya sat up, shook her head, and said. "I'm sorry about that, Rose. I just had a pretty terrible nightmare, that's all. Hehe..."

"That's more than a terrible nightmare! You could have died!" Rose screamed, her face full of worry.

"Yes, I get it. I'm sorry. Did I wake you and Amber up?" Miya asked, still looking a little shook.

Rose took a deep breath before saying calmly. "No, it was only me. Amber's a heavy sleeper."

Feeling somewhat relieved, Miya said. "Thank you."

Rose sat down beside Miya on the bed, grabbed her on the shoulders, and pulled her in for a hug.

While hugging her tightly, Rose said in a gentle, soothing voice. "It's alright, I'm here. You're safe now."

Miya, who was confused at first, felt Rose's genuine care and proceeded to hug back tightly. Feeling the painful feeling the dream left slowly disappear.

Rose released Miya from her hug as she asked. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah..." Miya replied, giving Rose a reassuring smile.

"Okay. You might say that, but I suggest not going back to sleep." Rose stated.

"Alright, I don't think I can sleep anyways." Miya replied.

"I don't know how late it is, but I suggest going out there and taking a walk to calm yourself down." Rose said to Miya.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that." Miya said, taking Rose's advice.

Both Rose and Miya stood up from the bed, walked to the door, and opened it.

The light blinded them since their eyes was adjusted to the dimly lit room they were in.

Miya walked out the door, gave Rose a little bow, and left as the door closed on Rose, who was still following her with a worried gaze.