Marla's revenge
Marla woke up having a terrible headache as if she were hungover, but she hadn't drunk anything the night before. It took her some time to realize where she was. Someone had dressed her with a pair of old pajamas and put her in the bed. The last thing she remembered was trying to fight against Albert's power and being overwhelmed with it. How had he become so powerful? The other time it took her little effort to get into his dream and make him do what she wanted him to do, but this time it had been different. She tried to get out of the bed but her whole body hurt. There was some noise coming from somewhere in the house, but she could plainly feel that her body would not stand the effort. Both her mind and her body were asking her for some more rest, so she let her consciousness slip again and drifted to sleep.
She dreamed that she was a girl again. She went back to when she lived in a small house at the outskirts of the city with her mother and her father. The house had had a small front yard and a larger back yard with a pond where she would bathe in summer. She was five again and playing with her father. He had lots of patience with her and loved her like nothing else in the world. In the dream, Marla was chasing some butterflies running barefooted on the green grass while her father was trying to catch her. He was carrying a camera, as usual, recording everything his daughter did. It was a good dream and when she woke up she did feel better, although really nostalgic making her remember of simpler and better times.
She tried to move again and she didn't feel much pain, she stretched feeling all her muscles complain. She wasn't still strong enough to get out of bed, but at least she could shift her position. Then, she heard some noise again, she wondered who would it be, because as far as she knew no one was supposed to go over the house on that weekend. The door opened and her mother got in carrying a food tray.
-Naomi, what are you doing here?- her mother hated to be called mother or any variation of it, so Marla just called her by her name.
-Someone felt the mess you had done to yourself and they sent me to fix it.- she said irritated as if taking care of her daughter were a terrible burden.
Naomi tied up her long brown hair into a high ponytail and sat in an armchair waiting for her daughter to eat her food. Marla looked at the food tray, she was really hungry, as if she hadn't eaten in days. There was chicken soup with pasta, scrambled eggs, and some sliced fruit. She started with the soup eagerly, she thought she had never tasted anything half as good.
-Which day is it?- she asked between spoonfuls.
-Monday.- her mother said dryly.
-Already?- Marla said surprised.
-Stop talking and eat. After this I'll give you something that will help you sleep a bit more, tomorrow morning you have an appointment with the Priest and you need to be rested.
-I don't need to see that old man!- Marla complained putting her spoon down.
-Just in case you don't remember, you have this house because of him and it's much more than you've proven worth of, if you ask for my opinion.
Ever since she had been given that house, Naomi had felt cheated and was resented against her daughter, thinking that she had deprived her of her rights. Marla finished her meal in silence and took the infusion her mother gave her obediently. If she had an appointment with the Priest, she'd have to go or else they would come for her, and she was assured that she wouldn't like it. She went back to sleep, however, this time, a completely dreamless sleep.
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