Page 29 of Stalked

Could that be a magic device to control whatever creatures lie behind these steel doors?

“I’m Mercy Brawling,” I told the curly-haired red-headed woman at the front desk. I handed her my driver’s license, and she looked up, her gaze traveling over my face. “I’m here to see Daniella Brawling.”

“Hold out your wrist,” she said dryly. I reached out my right hand while she placed a hospital band around my wrist. It had my name, the date, the time, and my mother’s name.

“Mr. Kriser will escort you to the visiting room. No touching. Got it?”

“Got it.” I looked around and didn’t see anyone else. “I’m supposed to meet someone named Leah.”

The woman looked back up again. “Yeah, Leah’s on her way, she’s just running a little late this morning.”

The same guard with the pipe device, whose name tag read “George Kriser,” opened the door, and led me down a long hallway and into another room with a secured door.

I first noticed how simple the room was. A long sectional couch and several tables lining the walls. My mom sat quietly with her arms over the table and shackled at the wrists, staring right at me as I approached.

The unsettling feeling hit me at my core as I heard the click of the door shut.

My stomach lurched, and I could feel my heart pounding violently against my chest. My mom looked tired, worn, and sick. Were they not taking care of her here? She may have tried to kill me, but she was still a human being, for God’s sake, and she was still my mom.

“Daniella, your daughter is here to see you.”

The guard looked at me and gestured toward the table where she sat. “We don’t allow touching, so sit here, and keep your hands on the other side of the table. If at any point you want to leave, just throw your hand up, and I’ll take you back. I’ll be right over there.”

George padded across the room and stood by the doorway, folded his arms, and waited in a wide stance.

“So,” my mom’s voice cut through the room, paralyzing me where I stood. “I can see that Lily finally agreed to let you come here.” She sighed. “If I’d known she’d be so damn controlling with my own daughter, I would have had Joel be your guardian back then.”

The smug look on her face was incredibly unsettling. I took a deep breath, reminding myself why I was there. Pulling my chair out, I sat down, resting my arms on the table between us.

“We have a lot to discuss, Mother.” My shoulders tensed, but I refused to cower under her glare. I wanted to scream and tell her what a shitty mom she was, but I couldn’t. Right then, I only wanted answers. It was the one thing she had deprived me of since it happened. I couldn’t get closure, unable to move on with my life, because she made sure I would continue to feel the pain after my wound had healed.

“Well, Mercy, I think that since I called you here, I have the right to speak first,” she said. “We don’t want things to get ugly again, do we?”

Her threat terrified me, but I kept my breaths calm and steady. I knew these walls protected me, and George over in the corner had a wicked little device I was sure could do some damage if she became violent on me again.

“I didn’t come here because you summoned me. I’m an adult, and I make my own decisions now,” I said, inclining my head up when I felt myself shying away from the eerie expression on her face.

Her eyes were heavy, and the dark circles under them looked like she hadn’t slept much. She appeared like she’d aged twenty years since they had admitted her.

I glanced over at George, contemplating whether being in the same room with her was a safe idea.

Maybe I should have brought Caleb, after all.I thought. And where is Leah?

Reminding myself she was only trying to intimidate me; I cleared my throat. “Lily mentioned you had visions of me while you were pregnant. I want you to tell me about them.”

“Oh, I had many visions,” she answered, her voice taking on a lesser aggressive tone, “I saw you do harrowing things with the magic you were born with. Contrary to what you believe about me, I was protecting you in this life, Mercy. You should be thanking me.” She lowered her head and stared at her hands that were folded together on the table. “I did what I had to do to keep you safe and away from that world. I didn’t care anymore that Caleb was the reason I had you.” She leaned back. “You’remydaughter, not a pawn in his game, and it was my responsibility to raise you as I saw fit and protect you from him. To protect you from that coven.”

My heart ached at what my mother had become, but I could no longer allow myself to cry over her. I didn’t recognize the woman who sat in front of me.

What happened to the funny and loving mom I once knew?

“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Do my powers affect you this much? So much so that the love for your daughter has completely vanished?”

My mother stared right through me and then closed her eyes. I looked down at her hands, and they were clenched in fists.

“You haven’t tasted the pleasure of your powers, Mercy.” She opened her eyes again. Yet, this time, they looked different, almost black. “You’ve not felt the energy flow through you like I have. It’s seductive. You may feel a bit here and a little there, but not like this. I felt your powers trying to leave my body a week before your graduation, and I couldn’t give them up. Not then, and not now.”

My mom relaxed her fists, and for a moment, she looked like she was going to pass out. She held her head and swayed slightly from side to side. It was the image of a person on the brink of death, like she was losing herself.

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