Poisonous Wish
Part Two
Candace dreamed no more that night; she never had the chance since she could not bring herself to sleep for the rest of the night in fear of seeing through to the dream's – memory's – end. Her reluctance to sleep cost her when the sun rose the following morning.
Sewing has always been apart of her life, she grew up in her grandmother's tailor shop after all. She was absently pushing the cloth through the sewing machine, her eyes bleary and unfocused on her task at hand.
Luna was watching her sister from where she was changing the clothing display out the window. She knew it had something to do with her sister's lack of sleep the previous night; her dream more specifically.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar figure nearing the shop and smiled. "Julius is back for another visit," she said, looking over her shoulder at her sister and grandmother.
"Oh, good," her grandmother replied. "We'll need a bit of lightened atmosphere. It's far to quiet this morning." She was at the front counter, going over an item list.
Luna then looked over at Candace, who didn't seem to register the news, minimizing the smile on her face. Candace was too tired, or too distracted. Normally Candace enjoyed and looked forward to Julius's visits. Although Luna couldn't help but feel concern, she was wondering if she was only overreacting. It could just be a bad dream that she's recovering from, nothing more nothing less.
The bells above the door chimed as Julius entered. His stylish, highlighted purple hair flared outwards as usual and he wore his matching purple outfit and, of course, his smile.
"Good morning!" he said cheerfully as he entered, shutting the door neatly behind him.
"Morning, Julius!" Luna said brightly as she stepped down from the display stand.
Julius took inventory of the shop. "Seems rather quiet today," he noted as he moved further into the shop. He was expecting another greeting, but it never came and it caused him to frown slightly, his eyes falling quickly into the seat Candace usually occupied.
There she was, mindlessly sewing away and Julius instantly knew something was off about her, which was evident in the way she slouched sloppily over her work, pushing the cloth through.
Julius walked over to Candace's work table, tilting his head slightly and looking over her work. Candace, he knew, was a skilled seamstress, yet this work showed otherwise. The lines were crooked and thread stuck up in places, leaving a messy and loose piece of work.
"Candace?" His voice was soft and he stood over her chair, looking between the clothes Candace was making and Candace herself.
"Hmm...?" Candace tiredly looked up as she heard her name. She squinted her eyes then smiled. "Oh, Julius! Morning," she greeted, her hands sliding towards the pounding thread of the sewing machine.
"Hey, hey!" Julius quickly reached forward and grabbed Candace's hand, pulling it safely away from the needle.
Candace blinked rapidly, taking her foot off the pedal and backing away. She shook her head, clinging on to Julius's hand and rising to her feet. "O-Oh," she stammered, taking a shaken breath and letting it out.
Her hand was shaking, and Julius could feel it. He gazed down at her hand in his, frowning and looking back up at Candace. "Candace, are you alright?" he asked with a flicker of concern in his eyes.
"Alright..." Candace smiled weakly up at Julius. "Of course...I'm just...a bit tired is all."
"She couldn't sleep last night," Luna spoke up as she came around Candace's other side. "It was because of her dream."
"Dream?" Julius inquired, lifting his gaze to Luna.
"It was nothing," Candace insisted, slowly letting her hand slip from Julius's. "I-I just had a bad night. That's all, it happens sometimes to everyone, doesn't it?" She looked between the two who each took a side of her. "Please, there's nothing to worry about, nothing at all! I'll sleep better tonight." She then smiled again. "I promise I will."
Julius lifted his eyebrows at Candace. "I think," he said, taking Candace's hand again and slowly guiding her away from the sewing machine. "You'll sleep better now. Sleeping isn't always just for night."
"That's right," Luna said in support as she trailed along after. "You need your rest. You certainly can't be messing with a sewing machine in this state, not after what nearly happened."
Despite her weariness, Candace wasn't eager to sleep for the same reasons she kept herself up for half the night. Regardless, she allowed Julius to guide her to her room with Luna holding the doors open. Maybe they were right, Candace reasoned, maybe it's sleep that will fix everything. She had to admit that forcing herself to press on without rest was, admittedly, very foolish and honestly not very progressive, especially if she wanted to continue being of help to her grandmother.
The sight of her bed suddenly became comforting to Candace; just seeing it reminded her of how tired she truly was. She nearly passed out completely right there on the bed and was asleep seconds after she landed on the plush mattress.
"We're going to fix you up all pretty, Cloud!" Candace nearly sang as she gently brushed the puppy's fur down. It was her own hairbrush, something that would probably be frowned upon, but young Candace didn't know better nor did it really matter to her. Cloud needed grooming and the brush was conveniently there.
The blue-haired girl placed the brush aside with a bright smile down at the black and white puppy. "There!" she said happily, nuzzling the dog. "Now you're all handsome and nice!" Cloud's tail was wagging and he licked Candace on the nose in reply.
There was then a knock on her door.
"Candace?" the voice belonged to her mother. "May I come in?"
Candace looked up at her mother's voice. "Yes, Mother."
The door opened to admit her mother, whose hair was long and pink like Luna's. Her eyes fell on her smiling daughter, then on the dog. There was an evident pain in her eyes that seemed almost exaggerated. "Candace..." her voice was soft as she went up to the bed.
"What's wrong, Mother?" Candace asked with an innocent tilt of her head. Why was her mother's eyes heavy like they were?
"The dog cannot be kept," her mother was saying, words that struck Candace's heart deeply and filled her with horror.
"No!" she was shouting. "Cloud is mine! He's my friend!"
"He is another one's friend," her mother corrected calmly, but Candace, in a change of character, was throwing a sorrowful fit. "No! He's happy with me! He wants me! I found him! He's mine!"
"He is not," her mother pressed. "Please, dear, there's nothing I can do. He is missed."
"There is! There is!" Candace accused, leaping to her feet and hugging Cloud to her. "I...I wish you weren't my mother!"
"I wish you weren't my mother!"
"I wish you weren't my mother!"
"I wish you weren't my mother!"
The words echoed loud and fiercely in Candace's head as she watched her young self say those words, her eyes filled with horror and tears now staining her cheeks. She had said that. She had said that to a mother whom she loved.
"I wish you weren't my mother!"
She saw a scene in her bedroom a year earlier than the Cloud event, gently stroking Candace's hand and putting a wet cloth over her head. It was when Candace had been ill with a fever...Mother never left her side.
"I wish you weren't my mother!"
She saw her mother with her in the kitchen late in the night, both Candace and her mother in their nightgowns. Candace's hair was being stroked by the kind pink-haired woman, assuring her that her nightmare was over and all was well.
"I wish you weren't my mother!"
Her mother was kissing Candace lovingly on the head, tucking her into bed after finishing up a bedtime story. Then she turned off the light on the bedside table and all went dark.
"I wish you weren't my mother!"