“You’re deep in thought.” My mother walked into my bedroom as I sat in front of my vanity mirror, combing out my hair. I had covered my scar again with my long bangs, and now I was trying to untangle the irritating knots at the bottom.
“Come here,” she said gently, patting the spot next to her on the bed. I held the comb out to her, knowing she would want to deal with my long, untamable hair.
“I still remember combing your hair when you were a little girl.” My mother’s voice emerged from behind me like a sweet melody. The canopy of the bed with its ivory curtains surrounded our figures. I stared out the window as the soft, warm light of the bedside table lamp gently illuminated my room.
“I know… You made me go to school with those embarrassing pigtails until I was fourteen,” I grumbled, staring down at my legs where they hung over the edge of the bed, swathed in basic pj’s.
“Hey, don’t denigrate your mother’s talents. They looked lovely on you,” she mock-warned me as she brushed my hair. I relaxed under her gentle, affectionate touch.
“You still need to tell me all about your trip. You’ve changed the subject every time I’ve brought it up, but I’m sure there’s lots to tell,” she said curiously.
She had asked several times about how I’d spent those two days with Matt and his family, but I had always avoided discussing it. My mother knew me very well, and I was afraid that, somehow, she was going to suss out what I was trying to hide from her.
“There’s not much to tell. Matt’s a terrible cook, but you probably knew that. He managed to reduce the eggs to carbon, so we got hot dogs at the boardwalk instead.” I smiled and turned my head a bit to look at her, but she just turned my face back around and continued to work delicately through my hair.
“Selene, a mother knows everything before a daughter even opens her mouth,” she noted, making my forehead wrinkle in a frown. This time, I didn’t try to turn around and stayed stiff and motionless, listening to her. “Can I tell you a story?” she asked in a fond tone.
“Don’t you think I’m a little old for fairy tales?” I tried to make my voice light and hide how inexplicably nervous I suddenly felt.
“For sure.” She continued combing out my hair. “That’s why I said I was going to tell you astory, not a fairy tale,” she continued.
I glanced at her in confusion, and she gave me a sweet smile.
“Once upon a time—” she began, but I cut her off.
“That’s how fairy tales start.” I rolled my eyes at her, and she sighed.
“Then let’s call this a slightly different kind of fairy tale.” She cleared her throat and picked up where she’d left off. “Once upon a time, there was a princess left lying in a sterile bed after she had fallen into a deep, deep sleep. Her pale skin recalled the purity of snow, and her full lips the red of a cherry.” She took my hand and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. I turned to her then, and the identical blues of our eyes met.
“But the princess was not alone. A mysterious, captivating knight spent all his time with her, warming her cold body the way the sun shines down to slowly melt the snow. But the young man’s heart was a hidden treasure box to which no woman possessed the key. Many feared him because he certainly didn’t have the appearance of a good man…” She shook her head, smiling and lulling me with her voice. “He was not courteous or kind; in fact, he was so unfriendly and arrogant that no one knew what was hidden in the depths of his soul. His eyes were full of darkness, and his spirit was imprisoned by a shadow,” she went on, looking at our clasped hands. Then she lifted one corner of her mouth slightly, as though remembering something beautiful.
“Where are you going with this, Mom?” I murmured.
“But one day in that barren room…” she continued, ignoring my question. “He watched that princess as though she were the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Then he crouched down next to her and took her hand, staring into her face,” she said softly. “He rested his hand on her chest and, taking advantage of the girl’s slumber, told her everything he felt butwas too afraid to confess. He cracked open the secret chest that was his heart for her, revealing everything inside.” She lifted her eyes to mine and stared deeply into them. Her story had fully captured my attention.
“And what was inside?” I asked, making a face.
“The monsters he was fighting. The monsters he wanted to protect the princess from, even if it came at the cost of his own life. The monsters that he needed to destroy so he might live his dreams. Perhaps even live them with her,” she answered and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. I gulped, getting lost in her words. Words that, oddly enough, I had heard before. Someone, somewhere else, had said them, but I couldn’t recall who or when.
“That seemingly rude and hot-tempered knight had, in reality, an immense heart as well as an unassailable strength and a noble spirit. But no one had ever tried to look beyond the shadows in his eyes. He sheltered true love inside himself, though he didn’t even know what it meant. Once the princess awoke, she needed to be strong enough to help her knight win his battles. Both of them needed to unite against the darkness to destroy it once and for all. Only then would they both find true love, which often hides itself in the shadows, under a black cloak and behind enigmatic eyes that might appear to have nothing to give. Bear this in mind, Selene: True feelings are often silent and imperceptible, hidden in an action, a word, a touch.” She smiled again and stroked my cheek. I just sat there in shock, considering her words.
“Why did you tell me that story?” I asked, visibly moved.
“Because we shouldn’t run away from the things that scare us. Or the people that scare us.” She stood up from the bed, and I once again found myself looking up at her.
“Remember, Selene—a mother knows everything before a daughter even opens her mouth,” she added, giving me a little peck on the nose before she left my room. All at once, my face went up in flames.
Was she talking about…Neil?
No. I shook myself.
How could she possibly know?
I pondered her story. Was I afraid of Neil? Yes. Even though I wantedhim with all my heart, I still feared the way he could completely destabilize me.
Maybe my mother did know something, but how?
I tried to sleep on it, but a powerful headache along with my general anxiety kept me from sleeping.
