Beautiful Monster

Raven

I hated the fact I might never be normal. The moment the sun began its ascent, I would have to disappear. While Mom had a comfortable amount of money, she was still far from the ranks of the wealthy millionaires.

We found solace in the large house, which sat at the end of a quiet street, far removed from the presence of others. It was the grounds that were the important part, their vast expanse stretching out in every direction. To protect me and others, Mom put up a significant electrical security fence, creating a secure enclosure during daylight hours. Only my mom knew my actual nature and had a plan to handle my monstrous side.

“Raven,” Mom calls out as I pack my bag for night school. I am determined to make the best I can out of my life. But every year I grow older, so does my monster. Tears fill mom’s eyes when I enter the room. It is nearing my 21st birthday and the ticking time bomb of the curse closes in.

“Mom,” I throw my bag down and go hug her. Every moment is precious.

“Come sit.” She leads me to the couch. “From the moment you were born, I loved you and I would not give up on you. You were born with the bluest eyes anyone had ever seen, and the jet-black fluffy hair you had was the reason I called you Raven.” She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

Mom lives with the constant fear of losing me, and it is one reason I fight it, to be her pillar of strength. The ordeal she endured during my birth, all alone, was absolutely horrific. My life will never be normal again, but I owe everything to her for keeping me alive.

But as the years for me stretched out, the bite I gave my mom when I was only one seems to worsen. Her illness shows now more than ever before. I grasp her hand gently, my heart sinking as I see the deepening shade of blue coursing through her veins.

“Soon it will be your birthday, and the witches’ curse I fear the worst is going to happen.” A tear trickles down her cheek. “You will have everything you need to survive here.”

“I’ll stay. College can wait.” I’d give everything to change what happened all those years ago. The witch granted us twenty-one years, but now it seems that my mother will suffer the consequences of sparing my life. We hoped that the witch’s curse would lift when she died. But it never did, only my mom got worse instead.

“No, you must live the best life you can. You are a beautiful woman, Raven, and I couldn’t be prouder for who you have become.” She touches my cheek tenderly.

“But you are ill, mom; I can’t leave you like this.”

“My beautiful, sweet child. I tried to keep you locked away, keep you safe. This isn’t the life I envisioned for you, but your intelligence and beauty shine through. My deepest wish is that one day the curse will shatter, allowing you to embrace the life you truly deserve, liberated from its suffocating hold. None of this was your fault.” She quickly adds on. “Now go, before you are late.”

“I love you, mom.” With a quick embrace, I picked up my bag and headed to my little car. It is nothing special, but it gets me around.

Night College is the same as usual. The same guys try to hit on me, and I refuse their advances. Anything more than a fling means they would see more of me, and I couldn’t do that. They should never see the monster that I really was.

I have a couple of friends now, but even they don’t know the real me. The government would lock me up and do tests on me if they found out what I was. Plus, the monster hunters were out there. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill me as a monster. I have to keep myself a secret.

“Hey Raven, do you want to go for a drink?” Jason is one of the sweetest guys at the night school. He caught up with me as I headed back to my car. Mom taught me how to drive, even got me a fake driving license in case I got pulled over.

“Jason, I’ve got to get back. My mom hasn’t been feeling very well.” I give him a smile.

“Do you want some company?” He is sweet, and his dirty blonde locks fall in front of his eyes.

“Thank you, but I better head, maybe another time.” Same excuse I always give. There would be so many questions as to why we have a huge metal fence around our overgrown garden.

“Sure, you’ve got my number if you change your mind?” He winks and gives me a peck on my cheek as he leaves me at my car.

The week passed, and every day got closer to my 21st birthday. Tonight, I hurry back from night school. I’d left mom lying in bed really ill. The blue in her veins had spread a poison most likely from the curse. I hold her hand as midnight closes in, and it would be 21 years ago that I was born.

“Remember,” my mom rasps, her voice cracking. “The curse became our shared responsibility on that fateful day. I’m glad you are beautiful. At the very least, you can rely on that to generate income if necessary.”

As the tears fill my eyes, my vision blurs with an overwhelming sense of sadness. Bound by the curse’s relentless grip, I watch in desperation as my mother bears the consequences. Her unwavering love saved me from its clutches. The tick of the clock from downstairs is louder than normal, or maybe it is the impending time I have left with mom making every second count.

“I love you, mom.” These are the last words I say to her before she dies. A ragged breath leaves her mouth before her eyes close, and she is gone on the stroke of midnight. “Mom,” I cry out, but it is no use. We knew this day would come, but I didn’t want to accept it.

I am distraught, but mom had everything in place and all I had to do was make the phone call. An Ambulance arrives and pronounces her dead. I couldn’t risk going to the hospital, as I knew I had to be locked up in the house by the time dawn hit. It was late, but I called the friend and lawyer whom mom trusted. She had made him aware of my rare sunlight allergy, which prohibited any form of sun exposure. Well, that is the lie she fed anyone.

The funeral was two weeks later, and I had a private one organized which took place early in the evening, after the sun had gone down so I could be there. Saying goodbye to mom at 21 was difficult, but mom had prepared me as much as she physically could.

The monster anxiously checks out the surroundings through my eyes. It had been born by the woman lying there in front of it; mom had shown love, no matter what. It took on the weight of my pain, and I could sense the intensity of its own anger and suffering, ready to be unleashed.

I shut myself away in the house after the funeral, spending the next few weeks engulfed in grief. The monster’s rage erupted, filling the surroundings with an overwhelming sense of fury. A deep grief emanates from within the monster, as if it mourned in a way that only it could understand.

It is impossible to evade the realities of this world while simultaneously having nowhere to hide. With determination, I step back into the world, fully prepared to face the hurdles and adapt to whatever circumstances come my way. I couldn’t hide who I was any longer, but I could hide my monster.