Finding herself in the center, Talavera realized the hut wasn't there, but instead a circle of plants with dark flowers blooming grew in a circle; mimicking a fairy ring. There in the center was the woman, except she appeared different, her face revealed. It appeared as if half her face had been torn away, her skull revealed, and a tail of vertebra waved behind her. Her single eye glowed blue against the darkness of the night, and even though she had no lips, she seemed to smile. She made no movements, as if waiting for Talavera to move first, "You're her…"
The woman laughed, her voice echoing through the trees and gliding on the wind, a haunting and eerie sound. Shadowy veins formed from her purpled fingertips and the shadows seemed to waver behind her, "Indeed, so you have met my children, or heard of them."
"You're the mother of the Seven Sins. You're a monster!"
"Am I?" The Black Lotus cocked her head, "Do you feel connected to evil, Michelle?"
"How do you know my name?"
"Oh, my dear, I see everything, for I am not just of this world. Perhaps this is the place where I was given an incarnation to become a physical being, but I have always existed. Desire, sin, it has existed for millennia before this world was born, since life began. The need to reproduce, to survive, to live on. Instinct is the very origin of the darkness within us, and it shall always remain. Even the most powerful of your people, or deities of worship, they cannot defend themselves from the inner darkness in the back of their minds. The psyche of any race is one to fear and cannot be hindered forever, when one nears death, forgotten memories manifest in different ways. True colors are revealed when we are angry or found out for who we really are. Many see me as the truest evil, a being with no heart, no remorse. It may be true, but I also have the ability to see into one's memories." She approached, "Let us see yours."
She had no chance to react as an unseen force threw her into the Lotus's grasp and Talavera sunk back into her mind, the memories of her parent's death and the deal with the devil she had made to get into the police academy. All the times she had taken bribes, killed people to cover up her own mistakes, and framed others for her wrongs. Pain wracked through her as she experienced every death that she had brought upon an individual, direct or indirect, and she was unable to scream. Her body stiffened as the pain became unbearable, and she gripped onto her torturer's wrists, attempting to break from her strong grip. "You fight with spirit." The blue eye stared back at her as her vision cleared, "You were a scrapper as a child, but turned to crime to survive, and prevent yourself from being caught. Perhaps should you admit your wrongs, and return home, I could spare you….
December 18, 2052….
"But Grandmother." Lilian looked up, "Did she live?"
"She did indeed, but ended up in prison for many years, then escaped. But you need to go to bed Sweetheart."
"Okay." Lilian began to run off, but hid near the door frame. She saw her grandmother look down at her arm, then get up to go to her room, something was wrong. After waiting a few minutes, she threw the door open, only to see that her grandmother was gone, and in the center of the room stood a bush with dark flowers blooming, and bones trapped within the twisted trunk, the skull trapped in an eternal scream….
Please Read and Review, any suggestions of how to flesh out the story are welcome!
