Chapter 11
Mara
Mara felt like a fish out of water, sliding and slipping. She would have fallen if it had not been for Vaelor. He took her hand and steadied her.
“Thank you, Vaelor.”
He didn’t say anything back but moved them forward. Somehow, it got darker. How was that possible? Sounds of screaming filled the air with ominous foreboding. Something or someone bumped into her from behind. It jostled her and she lost grip of Vaelor.
“Vaelor? Where are you?”
Suddenly it was so bright her eyes hurt. Then she found herself in New York. In a little town barely getting by. There was a small diner on the corner. She entered and took a seat in one of the booths.
A frazzled waitress stepped up to the table but didn’t look at her.
“What can I get you?”
“Coffee and a grilled cheese sandwich.”
The waitress moved away to place her order. She didn’t even look back. But Mara couldn’t take her eyes off of the woman.
She had the same blond hair, pale skin, and blue eyes.
Well, there were more streaks mixed with the blond, wrinkles marred her otherwise pretty face.
And the eyes held signs of age and tiredness.
She was the older version of what Mara would possibly one day look like.
Because the woman was her mother—and she hadn’t ever met her before.
Her mother left her and her father when she was just a baby. She had only seen pictures but always wondered what the woman who gave birth to her would be like. As a child, she imagined that her mother had witnessed a serious crime and was forced to leave her family to protect them.
She also wondered if there had been something wrong with her. Maybe she wanted a son instead of a daughter. Mara asked her father so many questions. He was patient and kind though now as an adult, she knew it must have been heartbreaking to him. She stopped asking him and he seemed relieved.
But that didn’t mean that Mara stopped trying to find the answers. She hired a private investigator to help her track down her missing mother. So here she was.
The waitress, her mother, brought the coffee cup and a pot of coffee to the table. She noticed the nametag read Valorie. That wasn’t her real name. Her real name was Mary Walter Sinclair.
“Your food will be out in just a few minutes. Did you need creamer or sugar?”
Mara didn’t say anything as she watched the woman. Finally, her mother glanced over at her. Confusion then recognition crossed her face.
“Hi mom.”
“What the fuck?”
“It’s me… Mara. I found you.”
“Well, aren’t you clever. What do you want?”
“I just wanted to meet you. Have you ever wondered what happened to me?”
“If I wanted to know what happened to you, I would have gone back. I’m sure your father hasn’t moved from the old house. He wasn’t much for change.”
Mara was taken back by the emotionless tone and the clear disgust she had for her father. “He’s stayed in one place and kept a good home for us.”
“That’s great. What do you want with me? I don’t have any money.”
“I don’t need your money. I just wanted to meet you.”
“We’ve met. Now, you can leave and never come back.”
This was a nightmare. A child’s worst vision of meeting her missing parent. But she pushed through the pain of rejection. There were questions only this one could answer.
“Why did you leave?”
“I wanted more in life than having to take care of a brat and a nagging husband.”
“Do I mean nothing to you?”
“You mean less than nothing to me. Your food is probably ready.”
Mara couldn’t stay there any longer. She threw the money on the table and got up.
“I’ll leave you to your life then.”
“Good riddance.”
As she stepped out of the door, lights confused her and she suddenly faced the door to the diner. She entered and took a seat in one of the booths. The whole nightmare played out again and again.
It was like she was in some kind of a nightmare loop. Something wasn’t right. This happened years ago. She hadn’t told her father because she feared it would only hurt him. She moved past that day and the disappointment.
Mara was not in New York, she was in the games. Opening her eyes, she found herself in the field of magnetic mirrors. She wasn’t alone either.
She heard a voice that was familiar but not familiar.
“Father!”
That was Vaelor. He didn’t belong in her nightmare, but it sounded like he was having his own.
Images of the diner appeared before her again. She closed her eyes, blocking out everything that she had seen. She was in the Galactic Survivor Games. In the middle of the first challenge. The Game Master said not to trust what they saw in the challenge.
Reaching out she brushed Vaelor’s arm. He was right in front of her.
“Vaelor!”
“Go back to the settlement! This isn’t for you.”
“Settlement?” she called back. “Vaelor, listen to me!”
“I don’t have time. My father needs—”
“He isn’t here! This is not your home world. We’re in the Games. What you’re seeing isn’t real.”
He tried to move away so she jumped on his back.
“Close your eyes. Listen to me.”
“This is an illusion. The Galactic Survivor Games. You’re safe. I need you here.”
Vaelor opened his eyes.
“I understand. If our eyes can’t be trusted, how do we move forward?”
“I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“My father once got lost camping in the middle of a severe storm. He said he couldn’t even see his hands in front of his face. He relied on reading the wind.”
“How do we do that?”
“Ignore all the visual illusions and follow the physical flow of the drifting snow across the ice to find the solid, real ground. I can feel the wind, but I can tell how the snow is drifting.”
“I can feel the snow.”
“Then let’s close our eyes and head in that direction.”
They took each other’s hands and began to follow the snow. It seemed to take forever, but eventually they stepped through a barrier, then the bright sun greeted them along with the Game Master’s voice.
“Welcome players, Vaelor and Mara. You have passed the first challenge.”