Chapter 2

When I finally came to, the first thing I noticed was the unnaturally strange silence within the room. As my eyes finally began to refocus I looked around to find myself lying on my bed with the canopy curtains strung lazily around the sides, blocking my view of the room.

It took me sometime to realize that I must have dozed off after giving birth. I know that I had, had my child for the sense of feeling much lighter and comfortable, with no round, bulky belly standing out when I lay.

I remembered now giving birth to my daughter, but what happened afterwards I could not remember.

Had I passed out after giving birth? That was very unlike me; I had never done that before.

The room was still very dark as from before, but moving aside the canopy curtains I realized that I was not the only one in the room.

Catharine was gone, but there now were three others that moved about within the room and I suddenly realized they were speaking in hushed voices.

I then recognized one of them to be Dr. Brenner, our family doctor. He came over to me and checked my pulse and temperature as if I was some very sick patient.

" How are you feeling Sophia?" He said in a hushed raspy voice as if he had over used his voice.

" I'm fine. Where's my daughter? Is she all right?" I said in a worried tone.

The doctor looked down and pushed his glasses farther up the ridge of his nose.

"She's quite fine. I checked her and she's showing all the normal signs of a healthy newborn…but there's the matter of the…" He stopped as if he didn't know how to put what he was going to say in words.

"The what?" I said nervous and confused. What had happened while I was asleep?

Then everything came back to me in that instant as I heard my daughter make another unnaturally un-child like cry in the front of the room were she lay in a cradle.

Suddenly, remembering everything that had happened after the birth I gave out an ugly little shriek and instantly covered my mouth.

Oh god, the deformity…my daughter was a monster.

The sudden shriek I had stifled out had caused the other two occupants within the room to jump in alarm and swiftly draw closer to my bed.

As the light drifted upon their faces I noticed one to be sister Ingrid, a small petite woman with graying black hair and wrinkly skin and the other to be father Michael who was at least in his mid-fifties with gray light hair and dark gristly skin. His dry raspy hands shook a little while his pale blue eyes looked down upon me in distain.

Sister Ingrid had been clutching the cross that hung around her neck, while Father Michael had a rosary in hand. I then realized that they must have been praying and knew that they must have seen the child.

" Where is Catharine?" I said even though I secretly believed that she was gone for good.

" She is gone Sophia…she left as soon as we came. I'm afraid she wont be coming back." Father said in a low, serious voice.

I nodded my head in acceptance. I did not blame her; I wish she could have taken me with her so I wouldn't have to live with this monstrous burden.

The priest then told me that many of the other servants in my care had gone as well when Catharine left telling them of the demon child I had given birth to. Many of them left in fear, some didn't even take all thier belongings. They were very superstitious people and when hearing this story it must have frighten them out of their wits. I knew none would stay, not even in pity of me.

At that moment I had never felt so alone in my life. All I had now was my poor sons, who would have to deal with the fact that they had a monster for a sister.

Father Michael told me they were waiting in one of the rooms close by for any news of my well being or of the babies. They must have also heard the horrible stories that Catharine had passed around and I knew they must be in such fear and distain that they too would wish to leave and never return.

This brought tears to my eyes for I felt that I had now destroyed my sons' perfectly normal lives. How would they react if they ever saw their horrible abomination of a sister?

I then decided that they never would. I would keep the child away from them so that they would never have fear, so they wouldn't have to be apart of this horrible farce, that I had begun to believe was indelibly my fault.

" I believe that the right thing to do now is to baptize her," Said the father after a moment of silence.

I nodded my head while sister Ingrid got a bowl of water. The priest blessed the water and was about to perform the baptizing until he hesitated.

" She needs a name Sophia…you must give her a name first." The priest said softly glancing at me.

My mind then went completely blank. There were a couple of names that I had thought of; my favorite one was Christine, which was Charles's mother's name. But that didn't seem very right now. I didn't think it very respectful to name the thing after a family member.

So instead I turned to the two others in front of me and told them to name it themselves. They both looked at each other and then Sister Ingrid sighed.

" Erica…after my niece." She said softly, it seemed that in some ways sister Ingrid had took pity upon the creature. She looked down upon it with no revulsion in her eyes. Her fear of the baby must have passed after she had first seen it.

This made me feel somewhat guilty for I was its mother and I could not keep the same feelings as she did.

Father Michael gave one last pause and then crossed the baby with water. "I baptize Erica in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, amen."

The priest then turned away from the infant and looked upon me in a very serious manner.

" You'll take care of the child as you would any other child, Sophie…As it is god's will. You will learn to love her just like you do your sons…you will do this or you will never see the light of heaven. I know what you are thinking and it is forbidden. You must nurture it for the sake of the soul that lies within. There is no other choice."

I looked down at my hands in shame.

Yes, it is true I had thought of taking away the life to which my daughter has now been given, hoping it would be out of mercy. But I was a catholic who believed in the ways very strongly and I knew to take away the child's life was to put my soul to death.

But it felt like the right thing to do. I knew just by looking at her that Erica's life would never be like any other humans. She would be feared and taunted for the rest of her life and eventually she would soon disappear from the world as a spider disappears within the dark cracks of the walls.

I wanted to hide her like that for the rest of her life. Unseen by human eyes, She could become just a dark shade of the past. But I had no right to shut her away even if it were for her protection.

Dr. Brenner who had been sitting silently beside me, watching intently, now finally spoke.

" I wonder, Mrs. Chagny, if I might be able to examine the child for further investigation of its mysterious deformity. There could be a professional surgeon who may be able to help her."

I thought about this for a moment. Why not? If he could find a way to improve her physical features then maybe she would have a better chance at a happier life.

But before I could make a decision, father Michael stepped in.

" I don't believe that is a wise choice." He said harshly. " The child's deformity is so great it could cause many problems and controversies to which she'd have to endure. The child would become to well known that it could cause serious damage. Its better to just leave it, as it is. There really isn't much that can be done. The only thing she'd be put through in life is to become a specimen of scientific study, observed by a great deal of people."

The doctor glanced over at me, but said nothing. Father Michael was right. It was too much of a risk.

I let out a deep sigh of exhaustion and closed my eyes. The child would have very little personal freedoms, for it would have to be protected away from ignorant human eyes. This thought made me realize that the child's life was completely thrust into my care. No English Nanny would possibly have the courage to take care of her.

As for my sons…I wouldn't know what to tell them. I was afraid that they too would be in spite of her. They would not help me either and I could not bring myself to ask them. I was on my own. This was my problem, my burden.

I would never forget the day when Erica was born.

It was the day that changed my life forever.

AN:

To: Mrs.Gerald Butler: yes i know what you mean and im sorry for, once i wrote it i knew it was kinda confusing and should have edited it, but by the time i had gotten through more then half the story i felt it would have been hard to change it, but ill still try to once I get some of the chapters updated. I was just hoping people might think that the miwife had just noticed that the baby was a girl at that time instead of it actually being a breech birth. anyways thank you so much for your review. :)