"It's not like a sold him off, you know he's fine mom. I just, I just!" Kate said, tears blinding her.
She wasn't even crying, just leaking from the tear ducts.
Her mouth opened and closed so uselessly, completely unable to muster a single thing, not even a sound.
"I think I need him right now." She said, the weird attempt at humility alien against herself.
"Well, you idiot he's fine. He's a good kid. You think I would let anything happen to that boy without my say?"
She hugged Kate's head, eventually the sound of weeping followed.
"The work I used to do, the work I was preparing you both for. I had prepared myself for the real chance that I might outlive my own children, both of them. But I trained you both against it, knowing that I hadn't taught you the right things to survive."
Mother shut down completely, shaking and trembling, rocking Kate up and down, leading her to be shaken and stirred. It may have taken as long as an hour without a word being said before the mad woman collected herself and blew her nose, she even collected the new mouthful of blood that had formed then stuff the inner gap between tooth and cheek with enough sterile cloth that Kate must have looked she'd just come from the dentist's office.
"I thought this would be different since you opted out and took Griff with you." She'd become more calm, cool and sterile, like a switch had been flipped, Gen should have taken notes. "You opted out Kate." An accusation if there ever was one, "you chose not to be a predator and became the prey, you chose to be soft. And here you are, all chewed up. I saw the footage. The parents, you know… they don't see it, at least they pretend they don't. Because they know they couldn't just watch their kicks get hurt, like I will. You've taught me how to wait until after you're dead Kate. And I let you take my baby with you in your little rebellion. But still Kate, my child, when I told you to disgust me, this is not what I meant. We won't go over the footage because one. I'll beat you to death or at least never want to look at you which would be worse, the point is." Mother had to collect itself. It was the strangest thing Kate had ever seen because it was nothing like Kate had ever seen. It wasn't a play, or a ploy. It was a human being actually pulling themselves together. Shaking, and twisting like she was holding a glass of sanity and she needed not a single drop to fall out And she had to walk a tight rope at the same time. It was Mother at the most frightening Kate had because at that moment Mother wasn't anything.
Did Kate need to sooth, riot, act, hide, stay still, play possum?
Then, finally Mother settled for surety of purpose.
"My point is, a choice had been made not too long ago. I accepted it. Because I love you. And based on that choice, that you made, you made a second choice. You gambled on my son. But to be honest, based on that initial choice, it was the best for him. Because Kate, your failure was the best for my son. Do you understand what I mean Kate? My daughter isn't the best choice for my son's happiness." Mother literally grabbed her own heart, her first pushing against her chest, pain wracking her body. "My daughter isn't the best thing for my son."
"Mom, I- I'll get him back. I'll go back to what ever you want. I-"
"No! Aren't you listening. Him coming back to this? Look at you. You sound insane. Go back to what?" If you want to have no purpose, that's a purpose in and of itself. I'll still support you. But no more Griff. You won't see him. You want to do what you like? Then do it."
"He's my brother."
"Which is a gift. You're his sister. You tell me, is that, as you are now, a gift?"
Kate had nothing to say. Mother stood, cleaning herself, having opened Kate's mouth and pulled out the cloth it was cached in blood and her cheek was stuffed with a whole new one. Then she collected a wet wipe from her pocket. And with it collect an impossible amount of blood and dirt. About five wet wipes in her face her cleared of running mascara and smudged lipstick, even some that had gotten on her fingers. And then she was prettier than when Kate had first woken up.
"I am your mother and I love you so much, even when I get upset."
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The syringe burned, the tears blurred, and Mother was gone.
In her place stood someone new: dazzling, unreal, unforgettable.
Elsie.
Her beauty disarmed, her words unsettled—
and in her presence, Kate felt the ground shift again.
Because whatever had broken Kate… had broken Elsie too.
Next time on Zenith:
Two survivors. One truth. What happens when their stories collide?