8

They seem so happy and happy…but they haven't been themselves. If someone told me yesterday that my children were acting like this, I would have laughed out loud," Miriam's mother explained as she rubbed her temple in frustration.

"You should have talked to Mirai and Miri about it earlier. Maybe they would have been able to explain the reason why things seem so different."

"Maybe," Mirim's mother agreed softly as she began making her morning cup of coffee before heading upstairs to the living room. Miriam sighed silently before placing the newspaper down onto the table next to her plate of pancakes, deciding not to continue looking at it at this moment. She picked up her fork and began poking at the food in front of her, but she didn't eat a single bite of it. Instead, she stayed seated at the table with her eyes fixed on the spot on the floor that she was staring at without moving at all. Miriam could feel herself shaking slightly. She was afraid that if she moved at all, she would break into tears. She wasn't quite sure how long it had been since she last cried, she had only just regained consciousness, but she had already cried herself dry. For some reason she felt like she was going to burst into tears again if she even thought about moving and talking.

After spending another few minutes like this, Miriam finally stood up from the table. She walked across the kitchen floor to the refrigerator and pulled the door open, finding it completely empty except for two bottles of Coca Cola sitting inside and two empty cans of beer leaning up against one of the walls.

Without thinking twice, Miriam grabbed the two drinks and went back to sit down at the breakfast table. She placed the cans on the surface of the table. After sitting silently for awhile, Miriam took a large gulp of her drink before glancing at her watch.

'10:50 A.M.', it read to her. She set the half full can aside and then rested her head on her hand. She continued to stare blankly forward at nothing. "So what should I do now Mom? Should I go visit Circino again? I don't know if I should. Is that what you wanted, to make him feel better? Make him think that we care? Well I certainly hope you're happy now!" Miriam muttered bitterly under her breath, almost as an afterthought, before sighing deeply.

Miriam shook her head slightly. She hated herself for what happened. Hated that she'd caused Circan to lash out at her in the first place, but she just couldn't understand why he had reacted that way towards her. He seemed fine to her after what happened yesterday morning. In fact, she didn't blame him for reacting the way he had. She'd probably act the same way if the roles were reversed.

But now it appeared that she may have pushed him too far. As soon as his anger had taken over, he'd lashed out at the only people he trusted. The only people that had always been by his side through thick and thin, and that had been his family, his friends. Miriam didn't want to think about what it might mean if Circe and Circiana weren't there anymore. Would the pain that Circon was going through get any easier? Would she eventually learn to cope with being separated from him? How could anyone live knowing that their child had been kidnapped, beaten, and possibly tortured and forced to endure such suffering alone? Would he forgive her if they did become involved in Circilla's abduction, which was unlikely?

"I'm sorry Circo. We both know that you needed your parents and I shouldn't have made you feel like this is your fault," Miriam murmured softly as she leaned her forehead against her knees and closed her eyes. She waited patiently for him to come downstairs, but he never came.

'How does he even function like this? Doesn't he feel bad? How can he not feel bad? Or maybe I am the one who doesn't feel good because this is all my fault. Am I the only one feeling guilty?' Miriam asked herself.

After Miriya left Circona's bedroom, she was left to contemplate the situation she's gotten herself into. 'It seems like I've lost control of myself. All I can think about is that damn ring again. Why? Why now? I've had it for almost 10 years and yet I still don't know its' real purpose? Why now? What do I know about Circy anyways? Is he even telling me the truth right now? What did he say anyway? Does he even trust me anymore? Did I do something wrong? Was I selfish enough to try to convince him? Am I even worth it? Am I even important enough? Am I worth it, Circo? Is this the price we pay when loving each other? Are our hearts truly so easily broken?' Miriya wondered hopelessly.