Page 183 of Soulmateless
“What worked?”
She shakes her head. “You got cleansed this morning. You are missing two to three months of memories.”
My heart stops beating in my chest. What? “I got… But you said you-”
“You begged me for this ceremony. I wouldn't do this without your permission.”
I begged for this? What memories am I missing? What's happening? Why would I do that to myself? “How bad-”
Kill the dreamscreecher!
The loudness of the voice startles me. I gasp and tremble for a moment, before I realize the thought’s still in my head.
No. Stop. It's time to focus. “Did I… Did I get involved with a dreamscreecher?”
Grandmother nods solemnly. “You were romantically involved with one.” She points a finger to my neck. “You even have her bite mark.”
I slap a hand on my neck. No. No! There's no way! I wouldn't be so pathetic and disgusting! Everyone must think…
No!
I scramble off the bed and race past Grandmother into my living room - down the hall from the bedroom.
Mother, Father, Erasmus and Glaide sit on the cream couch and sofa chair, the glass table between them. Their eyes shine with tears.
A full length mirror stands by the wall beside me and I take my hand off my neck to reveal the marking Grandmother was referring to.
I gasp, bile at the edge of my throat. It looks hideous! It's a clear bite mark, dots colored in purple. There’s no way I got this willingly.
I've never wanted to rip my skin off so much. “No!” I glance between everyone sitting in the living room. “Was I really that stupid?”
“You weren't stupid,” Mother whimpers. She pushes off from the couch and slowly approaches, her shoes clicking on the wood floors. “You were a victim…”
She hugs me but I'm in too much disbelief to even return the favor. “I fell in love with a dreamscreecher?” I look at the rest of them sitting down.
They all nod, sniffling and wiping off tears. A deep melancholy fills the room. Each breath becomes a struggle as I finally squeeze Mother back.
Fuck!
“You couldn't handle it when you found out the truth,” Grandmother murmurs from behind. I turn back as Mother lets go of me. “The dreamscreecher had manipulated and sexually abused you. It had even attempted to murder you when we caught her just in time. You starved yourself and then you cried endlessly. You wouldn't even take care of yourself.”
I try to catch my breath but my lungs fail me.” And... so I begged to get cleansed?”
“Yes. Now you are healed from the lies of that creature.”
My lips quiver as it sinks in. I lost a good part of myself. I lost all of those memories. And I fell in love with something as disgusting and cruel as a dreamscreecher? I begged for the one ceremony I despised?
What kind of sick freak am I?
Everyone was right about me!
Dreamscreecher fucker! Fucking dictator!
Kill the dreamscreecher!
Kill the dreamscreecher!
Kill the dreamscreecher!
