Chapter 2: Calm Before Storm
Seven days prior…
June 23,2012
"Mother, I brought some breads from the bakery!". I scurried into the cozy home up on the hill. The woman I called Mother, was someone that helped me through thick and thin. In 1999, after my whole family got murdered in a painful way, I didn't anticipate that I would survive. After I regained my consciousness, I was already in a small but cozy house at the uphill of a mountain. I didn't remember that event much. Nevertheless, Mother said I had a fractured arm and leg, a big gash on the temple of my head (it had been stitched though), a few broken ribs and a bloody left sole. Well, I thought the pain was just a spec of my memories from my childhood to remind me that my kinds were slaughtered by the ignorant and arrogant humans.
"Tiara, come here, I made your favorites, pancakes!". Mother said with a great enthusiasm. I smiled gently at her, suddenly felt a little sentimental. With glistening eyes, I chomped her delicious pancakes that I cannot forget for my entire life. "Tiara, what's wrong? you're look like you're about to cry, are my pancakes that delicious to you until you teared up?". Mother cracked up. "Come on, can't I appreciate your yummy pancakes Mother? you're being ridiculous right now, don't tease me". I laughed. I love this moment. When it was just only me and my mother, lived our lives to the fullest. Since I am a Muse, I knew that her attraction towards me was a motherly love, and I couldn’t do anything if her attraction towards me would change to the worst. Immediately, I pushed the thought at the back of my mind, blocked it from my memory. Well, you guys knew that all Muses would cause attractions, right?
At first, it was very tough for me to hide my attractiveness. We, the Muses emitted our attractiveness by scent. The scent could be smelled by humans, but our own different scent could only be recognized by our kinds. In order to hide my scent, my real parents once told me that we had to hide our identity from the evil. I assumed that the evil was the humankind. They gave me a ruby ring contained ‘The Fushia Leak’, a pink potion created at the Faery. Its used for the Muses to hide their scents but they barely used them because of their pride to be a Muse. I still wore them though, there was this time when I accidentally lost my ring while showering and Mother, out of the blue gave me attention and affection more than I received before and a sudden bulb popped in my head.’ Ah, her attraction towards me is the mother-figure like that as happy as a lark to have a daughter. I didn’t mind it actually, but since the incident I had never leave my ring out of my sight and wore it all the time.
“Tiara, how long you’re want to stare out the window? I’m talking to you right now.”. Mother called out for me, and I craned my neck to look at her as she stands near the table.
“Sorry, just thinking of something”. I brushed her off.
“Alright, if you said so. If you want anything I’m at the back to do some laundry. Call for me, understand?”.
“Yes, Mother I will.” I gave her a reassurance smile to give a hint that I was fine. Then, she left the kitchen to do some light chores. I heaved a sigh. It had been almost 13 years I lived with Mother since she took me in when I was seven years old. In two months, I would turn 20 and became immortal until I made my destined one to take my virginity. As if I ever had them in the first place. Along all the hustle of my life, fortunately our humble life was good, and I also got a job in a convenient store at the side of town. Thanks to my awakened ability, I was able to hide my true form. Maroon hair with pink hue eyes, the Muses identical features, I could change it to the colour that I wanted so for now, my hair colour was light brown with emerald eyes.
I discovered my ability when I was training in the forest. Every midnight, I would enhance my running ability which were my acceleration and speed to prepare myself in any trouble I would involve. In the middle of running, I collided with a massive tree and disturb a huge boar’s sleep. My hair stood up when the boar was already behind me, snorting and licking me? My eyes widen like saucers with the boar behaviour and realized that my supposed to be ring finger had lost its ring.’ Oh my, what now.’ I thought. The boar continued to lick my face and sniffed me until I felt a bit of uncomfortable because the boar looked at me with passionate eyes that I almost had the urge to throw up right here and there. How it was possible? I was trying to get his face off me when he tried to lick and sniff me again and went to search my ring. If I lost it, I’m doomed. It was not long for my scent to attract other beings as well and at that time, I was desperately searching for my ring thinking that was the only way for me to be safe and the sake for my mother that always be there for me in my hard times, hid me from the greedy ones. When I was searching for my ring, I didn’t realize that my urge to hide my true form was very strong that it became unbearable. ’Please, I want to hide my true form, where’s the god damn ring, argh, I wished I had the ability to hide it’. I thought. I halted when I felt that my body was glowing a bright gold and the boar stopped pestering me and went back to his sleep. I heard that the beings at my surrounding also quieted down.
Then I looked at my body parts that glowed earlier. I stunned when I looked at my hair that once maroon coloured now turned into a striking bubblegum pink. I realized my scent also concealed from emitting from my body.
“I can hide my true form; this is a very helpful for my supposed to be hidden life!”. I exclaimed.
‘Well, let’s see…’. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate to use my newfound ability. At the third attempt, I succeeded to hide my true form. I change it to a light brown haired and emerald-green eyes with a lot of concentration. After that, I went back home to get some beauty sleep and not forgotten to wear my ring back that I found when I roamed into the forest.
The next day was exhausting. I experienced an extreme fatigue the rest of the day and came to a conclusion that in order to hide my true form, I would drain half of my power and inner energy. I thought that I would use the power only when I went out. Then I decided to light Mother’s burden for taking care for me and searched for a simple work. I applied to be the cashier of a convenient store and I got it. I was beyond delighted like a dog with two tails when I succeeded to apply for a job. My job was scheduled for every day’s morning except for the weekend. Despite my circumstances, the schedule was convenient for me because I could hide my true form in the morning and in the evening after working, I would take a rest to enhance my power and inner energy back. I didn’t also forget my midnight running to maintain a good shape. Well, now I had my own money, and I could help Mother when we faced finances problems. I felt content that I able to help Mother albeit it was just a simple money-giving, she said that she was grateful enough at the thought of me for wanting to help her. I couldn’t help to tear up. With the brimming tears in my eyes, I hugged her tight after she said that. After that, I continued my life, working and creating happy memories with Mother as much as possible.
The sudden memories that came into my mind when I took a rest leisurely, sprawled on my bed made me wondered. ’Am I in my puberty, why I’ve been emotional today?’. I was in a monologue.
“Well, I hoped it’s not the moment as the saying goes, ’calm before storm’. I mumbled to myself and let the tiredness consumed my body and closed my eyes to the bleak of darkness, drifted my consciousness into thin air as I slept soundly on my bed.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone