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In all honesty, you weren’t surprised when your parents offered you to Miranda —you refused to call her Mother Miranda as you found it silly— on a nice August morning. Nor did you feel betrayed. In fact, you’d been expecting that moment since you turned eighteen half a decade ago.
Their devotion to the goddess-like woman ran deep and, in your parents’ eyes, you were nothing but a bargaining chip.
Deep down, you were crying tears of joy. You’d finally escaped that hellhole of a home… But at what cost?
Your freedom wouldn’t last long, that much you knew.
Miranda dragged you underground to… examine you. The place, a laboratory of sorts, looked as if a hurricane had struck it. Dozens of disturbing drawings hung from the walls, picturing wicked things you didn’t want to look at.
As you were examining the messy tables —curse your morbid curiosity, really—, Miranda took a sample of your blood. Humming thoughtfully, she left the… laboratory… for a couple of seconds. Then she returned with a—
Oh lord.
A transparent flask.
“Cadou,” read its label. And inside… Inside the flask… There was a monstrous creature that resembled a foetus.
The rumours are true, the rational part of your brain all but screamed. This woman really is experimenting on people! We have to get outta here right—
Taking advantage of your stupor-induced frozen state, she injected you with something. A sedative of sorts.
Despite the powerful narcotic, you still felt it.
Blinding, all-consuming pain.
Unconsciousness soon followed.
Day 0.
You couldn’t move, couldn’t see, couldn’t speak.
Your entire existence was ruled by agony.
Every nociceptor in your skin was up in flames, sending never-ending waves of pain throughout your exhausted body. It was sheer torture...
And yet… You were conscious.
For the most part, that is; but conscious nonetheless.
Amidst your pain, you heard someone scream and cry. No, scratch that. Various people were arguing right next to you.
Rude… you thought weakly, overhearing bits and bits of the conversation.
“...promising subject… new addition to…”
“...gonna replace us… want us anymore?”
“...would never do that, dears… the world to me.”
“...don’t believe… happy with us!?”
“...aren’t we enough for you, Mother?”
All of a sudden, a loud and abrupt sound ended the conversation. It was something like… Like a door bursting opened and closed with enough force to rip it off the seams.
Someone sighed next to you. They seemed tired.
“It appears that… your new sisters haven’t taken too kindly to you just yet,” a deep yet soothing voice spoke.
Sisters…?
“But don’t worry, they’ll come around soon enough.” A big —more like enormous— hand patted yours carefully. The touch sent pleasant tingles running up and down your spine, numbing the pain for a sweet moment. “They’re just… afraid that I’ll love them less because of you. My daughters can be so… oddly insecure at times.”
You felt a pang of sympathy for the woman’s daughters.
That’s exactly how you’d felt back when your little brother was born.
Or… Well, that’s what you thought, at least. There seemed to be a fog in your mind, clouding your reasoning and memories. You couldn’t remember much, only your name and a few facts about yourself.
Your favorite food, book and instrument. That’s all you could recall.
What’s happening to me?
“They’re good girls,” the woman continued, fondness dripping from each word she uttered. It took you aback; you’d never heard a parent talking so… lovingly… about their children. “A bit hyperactive and hard to handle at times, but they have their hearts in the right place. Everything will be alright, I promise.”
You found yourself believing her.
Day 1.
More memories disappeared, leaving you an empty husk of who you once were.
You tried to reach for them —metaphorically speaking, of course, because you couldn’t move any part of your body even if you wanted to— and yet they slipped through your fingers like fine sand.
It made you so very annoyed.
As you wallowed in frustration, the room’s door creaked softly.
Was the soothing woman back? So soon? Not like you were complaining! You found yourself drawn to her reassurance and warmth, like a moth to a flame. But… She’d said she had business to attend to, didn’t she? So how—
“Hello.”
Nope, it wasn’t the soothing woman, but one of her daughters.
“I’m Bela, your eldest sister.” The introduction was slow as if Bela was carefully considering her words. “I… I wanted to apologise for my previous behaviour.”
What on earth are you talking about?
The bed —or what you assumed was a bed anyway— sunk a bit.
“Your presence took me by surprise. It took all of us by surprise and… We assumed the worst. I’m really sorry about that.”
It's fine, you thought sluggishly, don’t worry.
Bela cleared her throat. She didn’t seem to be very comfortable around you just yet. “I… Mother told me— told us to speak with you a bit. Something about bonding and making you feel at home. She’s really excited about this, you know? I haven’t seen her like this in years…”
Huh. That’s awfully nice of her.
“So… I guess I’ll tell you a bit about us. Your sisters. Cassandra, Daniela and I have been together for as long as I can remember. We’re as thick as thieves, as they say. We died and… were reborn together. It’s always been us three and Mother in this old castle. That’s why we thought you’d…”
Steal her away from you.
“Throw off the balance,” said Bela awkwardly. “In any case… Please don’t cause me any trouble. I’m tired enough as is. Your other sisters are menaces, I swear.”
You wanted to chuckle at her words.
There was so much love in her voice. Despite her harsh words, her soft voice was heavy with fondness and appreciation. She really did sound like a tired yet caring older sister.
“They can be normal when they want to, mind you… But I’m afraid those moments are few and far in between.”
Once again, Bela cleared her throat. This time, however, the comforting weight next to you disappeared.
Your heart twisted in disappointment. You tried to reach for her. You wanted her to stay with you a little bit longer.
“I have to go now, Mother is calling me.” Her voice grew faint as she walked toward the door. “I… I look forward to the day you’re reborn, little one.”
Day 4.
Buzzing.
Though you couldn’t see, you could feel and hear the damn insects all over you. Flapping their little wings, landing on your still body, devouring your flesh bit by bit...
You tried not to focus on them.
Fortunately for you, the soothing woman spoke to you more often than not. Fed the insects with… something, keeping them alive and strong for you. Talked to you about pretty much everything… But especially about her daughters.
Based on the stories you heard, you discovered that she treasured them deeply. They were her life and pride.
“If something were to happen to them…” She paused, a tired sigh echoing throughout the room. “To any of you …”
As you recalled her saddened words, the doorknob wiggled loudly, announcing someone’s arrival.
The newcomer wasn’t Bela. Nor were they the soothing woman. Those two always greeted you upon entering the room. This person, on the other hand, stayed painfully silent as they approached your side.
You could feel their piercing, calculating gaze on you.
A frustrated growl broke the silence.
“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m talking to a writhing pile of insects. You’re not even aware of your surroundings!” Yes, definitely not Bela or the soothing woman. “I’m Cassandra, I used to be the middle sister around here. Don’t play with my food and we’ll get along just fine.”
Had the soothing woman not told you about her daughters’ feeding habits and… hobbies… you would’ve wondered what Cassandra meant by that.
“You’re a royal pain in the ass, you know that?”
Again, rude.
“Daniela’s swearing up a storm in private because of you. Pouting her lips out, too,” Cassandra informed you, amusement in her voice. “Keeps whining about losing her ‘youngest child’ privileges to you. Serves her right, really; she got away with too many things because of that.”
Oh…
“And don’t get me started on dear Bela. She acts all tough and responsible, but I know her. I know she’s anxious and losing sleep over this whole thing. She doesn’t want to disappoint you or Mother. This is driving her up the walls.” A low chuckle stopped her little rant. “You’re not making it easy for any of us.”
A pang of guilt rushed through your body…
Until Cassandra spoke up again,
“You’re not even here yet and you’re already wreaking havoc. I like that. I like you, little sis.”
You couldn’t wait to join them.
Day 6.
You were bored, frustrated, and tired of doing nothing. Your body ached to move, to jump out of bed and… Do something! Anything at all!
The soothing woman had visited you before, bearing great news. According to her, if you were anything like your older sisters, you’d be reborn soon.
But soon didn’t feel like soon.
The hours kept dragging on eternally, almost mockingly, but you still couldn’t move. You tried, you really did… But nothing worked.
At some point, the door creaked open.
“Aw, you’re still not here? Sucks.”
This must be… Daniela?
“You’re taking your sweet time,” the girl complained, jumping on the bed next to you with little to no care. “C’mon, join us already. All this waiting is killing us.”
Trust me; if I could, I would.
Daniela sighed happily. “I cannot wait to go hunting all together. Oh, oh! And annoying Bela with Cassie and you! How does that sound, hmm?”
You wanted to laugh.
So this was the troublemaker Bela had warned you about, huh? You almost felt bad for her… Almost.
“Huh… I wonder if you’re an artist like the rest of us. That’d be really, really nice. Having stuff in common with everyone is always nice.”
That caught your attention.
“A writer like Bela? An artist like Mother and Cassie? A sculptor like me?” There was a pause marked by a loud, thoughtful hum. “Can you play the piano? The guitar? The violin? Can you sing?”
Her questions know no bounds!
“I’m sorry I didn’t want you around at first.” The sudden change of topic struck you like a whiplash. “It’s just that… I was afraid Mother would replace us! And because I’m not ready to be an older sister! That’s Bela and Cassie’s job, not mine.”
Absolutely endeared, you slowly reached out to where she was —or where you assumed she was anyway— to pat her head.
A high-pitched yelp echoed across the room.
“Mother, Bela, Cassie!” screamed Daniela, excitement palpable in her voice. “Come here, she’s moving!”
In a matter of seconds, the door burst open.
“Are you sure?” asked Bela right away, almost out of breath.
“I’m offended by your lack of faith in my word, sis,” responded Daniela pridefully. You couldn’t see her, but you could imagine a petulant child sticking her tongue out.
“Better be safe than sorry.”
“I am going to make you sorry.”
“Oh? Bring it on.”
You tried to move again.
“Hey, seems like Dani was right,” said Cassandra, putting an end to their bickering. “Her fingers just twitched. The insects are also disappearing slowly.”
“Told you so.”
“Quiet now, darlings.” An enormous hand rested upon yours carefully. The soothing woman was there, reassuring you throughout the process. “It’s time.”
After a few eternal seconds, all the insects vanished into thin air.
Finally, you thought. Annoying bastards.
With a tired groan, you slowly opened your eyes. Everything was a blur, a mess of figures and colors that made no sense whatsoever, so you blinked a couple of times.
Once you regained some of your vision, you looked up.
Four women were staring at you, expectant and anxious.
“Hello, darling,” the tall woman in front of you said. You’d recognise that soothing voice anywhere. “It's nice to have you with us at last.”
The girls behind her nodded eagerly.
Your sisters nodded.
You cracked a smile. You were home.
“Thanks…” you whispered, your voice uncomfortably raspy against your sore throat.
The woman smiled. “These are your older sisters; Bela, Cassandra and Daniela.” The blonde, brunette, and redhead girls nodded respectively. It was nice to finally put a face to each name. “And you… You look like an Emma to me, darling.”
Emma…
You repeated the name in your head time and time again. It sounded better than… Wait, what was your name? You couldn’t remember… Something like (y/n) (l/n), perhaps? No… That didn’t feel right.
Emma did.
“And I…” the woman continued softly, giving you a bright and loving smile. “I am Mother.”
You looked at your new sisters, wide-eyed and suddenly shy. “Bela, Cassandra, Daniela…” you whispered, making them giggle quietly, before looking at her.
With an equally bright and loving smile, you greeted her,
“Mother.”