A Revelation

For the most part, Moreau left me be. But occasionally, I caught him watching me from a corner. I paid him no mind as I continued caring for Mamă. Her headache made any movement intolerable for her. I spoke as softly as I could while I explained what happened.

"Why did you ask him to help me?"

My hand stopped as it went to put her fresh bandage on. "What do you mean 'why'? Why wouldn't I have?"

"Lipa… don't you see? We deserve this… This is our punishment… We should've never defied Mother Miranda."

I shook my head and breathed in my anger. "I think you should go back to sleep. You need your rest."

"Lipa, listen to me−"

"No!" I shouted. Mamă winced. I lowered my voice. "I'm your daughter! What was I supposed to do, just let you die? Don't−" I raised my finger as she opened her mouth, "you dare say 'yes'. Not once have you defied Miranda. Me, absolutely, but you can't dare claim that she has a right to hurt you for that; that any of them have a right to hurt you for that."

"What I did for you… keeping you from Lady Dimitrescu and giving you to Heisenberg… that was defiance, Lipa. The Lords execute Mother Miranda's will. Going against them means going against her."

"So you're saying I should've been eaten by that crazy witch?"

Mamă grimaced as a tear came to her eye. She closed her eyes and looked away.

There was no point in arguing further. Our opinions had long since diverged onto completely separate planes of existence. Mamă only wanted to play her role as the sweet, compliant villager. I could never understand.

At that moment, my fury was boiling. She was implying that our lives were worth nothing at all, that our only purpose was to be Miranda's fodder. I couldn't accept that. I know that Tată wouldn't have either. She probably just isn't in her right mind, I told myself. So, I opted for a peaceful conclusion.

"You just have a concussion, that's all. Sleep tight." I finished with the last of her bandages and walked away. I feared I would slap her if I didn't.

"You would do anything for your mother, wouldn't you?"

I yelped at the sound of Moreau's question. I sighed. "Please, don't scare me like that! Your siblings are bad enough."

"Are they scarier than me?"

"Well… to be fair, I haven't spent as much time with you as I have the others. So far… you're not so bad." "So far" being the key phrase; I'd learned the hard way that Miranda's family liked to show their true colors at the eleventh hour.

A smile came to Moreau's face. "Thank you… most people don't seem to like me, especially the others."

"Well, they don't really have a right to judge, do they?"

Moreau chortled.

"…Well, I won't disturb you anymore−"

"Wait, wait! Do you… know how to fix this?"

The TV… I'd assumed it was broken from the start since it showed nothing but static whenever it was on, yet he was only just bringing it up. This time, it seemed like it wasn't on at all.

"Sure, I can take a look. But no promises."

Compared to Heisenberg's jobs, a TV was child's play. I had it fixed in no time. Moreau's face lit up as the TV sparked with life.

"There. That should do it." I turned and saw the same static screen as always. "Hm… Maybe it still needs a few tweaks…"

"No, it's perfect!" Moreau insisted.

Maybe he saw something that I couldn't. Oh well… not my problem. I made my second attempt to leave.

"Wait! Don't go! You… you can sit and watch with me."

My inclination was to say no and walk away. I had no reason to talk to him and his siblings taught me time and time again that sticking around led to nothing but pain. Yet he didn't seem to have any ill intent. He just seemed… lonely. I couldn't ignore him. I knew all too well how miserable isolation could be.

"…OK." I caved and occupied the seat next to him. There was nothing to see, but Moreau seemed content.

I spent the time staring at the wiggling screen, listening to its hum. Was there something on the other end? Now that I think about it, what could he have possibly ever watched? Only now, two years later, do I know about cable networks and streaming services. All that entertainment was forbidden from us. The village had nothing. At best, we had local radios for communication. So why did Moreau even have a TV?

But there were more important things to worry about. Once Mamă recovered, we would have to figure out where she would go. The village wasn't safe anymore. She had to live somewhere. The only viable option was the factory. There was a small chance I would be able to convince Heisenberg to let her stay, even if he despised her. I started planning my speech as I sat, trying to come up with a strong argument in Mamă's favor. Heisenberg would be pissed, but if I could persuade him that she was still useful to him…

She'd certainly proven her worth with the "job" he gave her. What the hell was up with that? Did he really think that nothing would happen if he just stole bodies? But no one could blame him; he was a Lord after all. Best to have Mamă get her hands dirty and take the fall for everything. He'd taken advantage of her faith… despicable. Knowing him, he must've found it hilarious watching her do anything for my sake. There had to be an explanation… I would ask him once I got back. I could just hear his cocky tone: "I told you so." He wasn't wrong; I probably was better off not knowing...

A loud snore snatched me from my thoughts. It was time for me to get back to Mamă anyhow...

Seeing Mamă laying there reignited my frustration from our last conversation. But my emotions would have to take a backseat. If she was going to listen to me, I would need to stay calm.

She turned toward me as the floor creaked beneath my feet. I took a deep breath.

"Did you get any sleep?"

"I drifted off for a little bit…" Her irises twitched as they hit the corner of her eye.

"Feeling any better?"

"I can't tell."

"Fair enough. Here, drink something."

I helped her sit up before offering her a glass. She took it in shaking hands and sipped.

"So…" I started, "we need to talk about where you're gonna go."

"I'm assuming we're not safe here anymore?"

"We're not in immediate danger, but we can't stay forever. Moreau's generosity has to have a limit."

"Then what do you have in mind?"

"You come back with me to the factory."

Mamă's face twisted. "Absolutely not."

I blinked and scrunched my eyebrows. "Why not?"

"I won't be welcomed there, and you aren't safe there anymore."

"What makes you so certain? You said in your letter that you weren't sure Heisenberg was a better option than Lady Dimitrescu, but you've also sworn by him. It makes no sense!"

"Don't get me wrong; if I thought there was a better way, I would rip you from that man's arms. He hasn't killed you yet… But still…"

My own mother, speaking ill of a Lord. She must've been possessed.

"Sounds like you don't think as highly of him as I thought," I said.

"Me? Think highly of that man? After what he said?" She jeered before gritting her teeth. "I would sooner choke him to death."

"Don't get me wrong, there are days when I wish I could do the same, but… he's not as bad as he seems." Wait… what was I saying? Why was I defending him? Something about what Mamă was saying just didn't sit right. "He's saved me twice already, not to mention all the time he's kept me away from Lady Dimitrescu. He even replaced my arm. He's−"

"Lipa," my mother cut me off, her eyes pleading with mine, "Please, do not speak kindly of him. That man is scum. He's incredibly cruel. The way he spoke about you… I couldn't bear it."

My heart dropped. "What did he say?" I didn't want to know, yet I had to.

"Oh, Lipa… please tell me he hasn't tricked you. Please tell me you don't think that he holds you in high regard. That man's been toying with me ever since you left! The only reason he took any interest in what I had to say was because I told him that you were going to be taken by Lady Dimitrescu! Do you know what he called you? You, my only daughter, my most precious treasure?" A tear came to her eye. "He called you his greatest experiment. He talked about you like you were an animal in a cage brought to him for his entertainment!" Mamă scoffed. "So please, Lipa, don't waste your kind words on him. It breaks my heart."

Words can be quite cruel, can't they? What's the phrase… "sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words never hurt me"? What a wonderful world that must be. Just that one phrase Mamă recited was enough to make me question everything I thought I knew about Heisenberg. She was right; I was a fool. He'd played me for a fool. He must've laughed at me every time I turned my back. He must've gotten such thorough enjoyment after watching me answer his every beck and call. Experiment, huh? That was all I was. At least I had my answer. Just when I'd started to really like him…. What a fool.

I laughed. I couldn't help it. It was the saddest laugh that ever escaped my throat.

"I'm sorry, Mamă. Your daughter's such an idiot." Tears started to film my eyes.

She pulled me into her arms. "Sh, don't say such things. It's not your fault. I'm the idiot for putting my faith in him."

Being coddled by her brought me back to my childhood when everything was simple. No matter how I felt, all I had to do was listen to Mamă and Tată and everything was fine. There was no need for me to make my own decisions; everything was decided for me. What a wonderful time…

We didn't talk about leaving for the rest of the day.