We both snap our heads to the door to face a familiar tall figure, standing with her white hair in a bun and her arms crossed. Her eyes glow like a pink torch, the same shade as her silky ball gown.
Mother and I almost gasp in unison. "Grandmother?" I whisper.
"What is this?" she yells. "What kind of delusions are you trying to give your Mother? What has poisoned your mind?"
"He was just telling me how he feels," Mother says firmly as our hands drift apart. "Calm down!"
"He shouldn't feel that dreamscreechers are innocent," she hisses. "That thinking is just as poisonous as the creatures themselves!"
"No!" I stand from the ground with fists balled up. "It’syourkind of thinking that is poisonous!"
She tilts her head back, her jaw dropping. "What happened when I left?"
"I found love. She was a dreamscreecher and has given me more love than any other woman could. She showed me the truth about dreamscreechers."
Her nose wrinkles. "You… You are mad! Are you really so desperate for love that it would come down to this? After all I taught you? About your grandfather? About Lydia? No wonder you became corrupt!"
"Mother! Calm down!" Mother yells from behind. "You're making it worse!"
"This is what Cosmo's been warning me about!” Grandmother shouts. “This type of thinking is unfit for society! It can get the whole of Adoro killed!" She looks at me with vicious glowing eyes. "You will have a cleansing ceremony in three days.”
I gawk. "What?"
"You heard me!" she growls. "We will have a cleansing ceremony. You will, in front of the whole kingdom, apologize for what madness you've caused and reaffirm that dreamscreechers are evil. You will drink a potion to erase all your memories of dreamscreechers and kill that little dreamscreecher yourself.”
I'm suddenly gulping for air. She can't be serious! “You said you wouldn't cleanse me…”
“I didn't think you would turn out likethis!”
My throat tightens, making it harder to breathe. She lied to me. I can't forget about Ignatia. I can't kill her! I can't be forced into believing a lie again! "You can't do that to me!"
"Oh yes I can! You won't remember her enough to save her. That way, I can guarantee she will never poison your mind again and you’ll have redeemed yourself."
"Grandmother…"
"I'm doing this for your own benefit! She's poisoned your mind!” she spits. “This is what happened with Lydia after that mongrel went after her! Killing the creature will set you free!”
“No!” I plant my feet on the ground as if they could go deeper into it. “You have to understand! This is all a misunderstanding! We can talk about this!”
“Enough of this foolishness!” Grandmother snaps, before turning her back. “We’re going to announce that the ceremony will be happening, right thisinstant!”
“I refuse!”
She grunts coldly. Her eyes glow red and suddenly scarlet tutela flowers wrap around my wrist and drag me forward. I twist and tug from the stems, but it does me no favors.
“Leave him alone!” Mother yells. “This is too much!”
Her soft steps become louder behind me and I look over my shoulder just before a wall of woven tutela flowers blocks Mother's path. Her own flowers wrap around to yank the walldown but it's useless. She groans in frustration, as she tries to pry the wall with her hands.
“Mother!” I yell. Is she okay?
Grandmother scoffs, “I'm sorry, Rose flower. This has to be done.”
The flowers jerk me forward again, and I wrestle with them. I can't let this ceremony happen! “No, it doesn't!”
“What is it going to take for you to cooperate?” She narrows her eyes.
“That's just it! I'm not letting myself go through with this ceremony!”
