Little Ephraim

Ephraim was the last one who stood up from the wooden chair, with Mother Cindy in front. He saw her hazel pupils, seemed thinking about something or maybe, hesitating.

"Do you have something to say Mother Cindy? May I know your thoughts?"

She smiled at the fragile child, almost sadly for a second, as it returns to her usual lovely atmosphere. I was quite uncomfortable but never showed anything suspicious.

"Oh, my little child, I knew that you've been always perceptive to things around you. Such an intelligent child! You even know how to signify the beings in The Greater Lands… That's why you deserve such a lovely reward…"

Mother Cindy touched the chubby cheeks of a mere 5-year-old child. The little one was proud of his speculations, he was right!

"But what was The Greater Lands?"

Merely then…

Ephraim felt sting from his soft cheeks, which caused a bruise. Hard and painful that little Ephraim almost lost his consciousness. He fell down to the carpet. He saw the almost silhouette figure of his mother, Cindy Hughes, the only Nun of the Red Moon house. She walked in front of the chimney, where flames were alive.

"Why…?"

The child felt the tears coming out from his eyes as he felt betrayal and pain. He didn't expect the sudden outburst of his beloved mother. He never saw the nun hitting his other sibling. He was afraid of the true nature of this adult.

Cindy glared the little Ephraim that is on the ground. Her face has these wrinkles – scary with her red eyes, similar to the Moon outside.

"Don't be curious. Never think of such thoughts again. We don't want another abomination to rise again… you got it, child?"

"Abomination? Curiosity? What does she mean? What did I do?"

The little Ephraim did not know what to think. He was panicking and feared his supposed to be lovely mother. He was smart, he learned how write and read when he was 4 years old. He knew how to read people's mind by their gestures and actions. But in front of him, they were like a monster wanting to devour him.

"Oh, my lord! My little Ephraim tripped! How clumsy are you, my child?"

Cindy kneeled down to the child and carries his cheek. It was like nothing happened, like she did not get angry and slapped the fragile child. Ephraim flinched but unable to move the arms of this mother.

"Huh? Why was she acting like she didn't do anything to me?"

Then the child saw the reddish light coming from the hands of his abuser. She went back to her lovely attitude with teary eyes. It was obviously really fake that even a child like him would notice.

"Wait, this is mana!"

The child couldn't talk trembled by the unknown coming inside his eyes. However, it disappeared as it went inside his body. He was confused by this. Then felt fear as it is the first time the mother, he knew showed aggression, and acted like nothing happened.

"What is the meaning of this, mother?"

A trembling sound came from Ephraim's eldest sister, Sarah. It seemed that the 14-year-old saw what happened.

The mother Cindy glared at this shocked youth, that is near the stairs to the second floor. She then enchanted words…

"May the Goddess red blood change the unwilling… Hypnotism!"

Cindy's right hand glowed and red fog came out of it. The fog went to the girl, unable to move. It surrounded her and subconsciously inhaled. Ephraim didn't know how to react…

Sarah's pupils went red for a second, as the red fog entered her system. A minute later, the mist disappeared. Sarah smiled.

"Mother Cindy, I apologize. It seems I interrupted your talk with our little brother…"

"What?"

Ephraim was confused again. Specifically, to the polite voice of Sarah, as why she seemed to forget the things that have been done?

"Wait, the chant earlier…hypnotism!"

"Oh! It's just our little Ephraim tripped from his little chair…"

The smile from the Nun's face gave goosebumps to the silky whited-haired child. He concluded that this evil in front of was tricking her sister! But he chose to be silent. He knew that it is dangerous at the moment, so he acted like he was hurting.

"My, Goddess! Are you all right, Ephraim?"

The hypnotized youth asked. But the reply of this acting child was smiling, forced. The Mother Cindy did not doubt her magic not working to a child.

"My, my! I will heal the wounds first…"

Mother Cindy kneeled at the level of the child. She stretched her hands from the blooded outfit. It wasn't a literal blooded nun clothes, it just that it is full the shades of red. Anyways, her hands glowed. Ephraim tried not to flinch and show fear. He was a great actor, even though he was little kid. He then felt that the wounds from earlier vanished…

"It is done…does it still hurt, my child?"

Cindy showed her motherly smiled, although it is only from Sarah vision. From the boy's perspective, it was like a smile of a described witch from the nun's not-so-fairytales. The smart child returned the smile with a fake one.

"T-thank you…M-mother Cindy!"

Ephraim almost ran after he felt that he could control his limbs again. But he walked normally to his eldest sister. Tears almost come out from his eyes, that resembled the sun. It was yellow, everybody would see the sunrise from his little pupils.

Both of the children walked upstairs.

The children of Blood Moon house did not taste anything luxury even after they were born. As they obviously not blood related, the nun never said anything about their real parents. Ephraim's brain did not work like a typical 5-year-old would be. He was curious and wanted to explore everything. Of course, he did not tolerate violence. That's why he was enraged. He wondered the temper of the nun. After that incident, his respect to that witch left like the memories of his sister, Sarah. Vanished. He could not sleep at that night.

"These dreams again…"

A teen's yellow eyes opened, felt disgusted from his own sweat. He saw the white ceiling together with the expensive chandelier. He then touched chest where the heart is located. It was pumping loudly, almost wanting to come out from his body. His upper body got up, also feeling the pain from his head. He looked to the other side of the large room.

It was a photograph of an elegant man with the 10-year-old child. People would see the resemblance between the two, the long white hair. It was the symbol of the Edmund Household. Wystan Edmund, with a serious expression, was the man in the photo. His hands around the shoulders of an equally well-dressed kid.

Osbert Edmund.

Knock…

He had heard a knocking coming from the large brown door. He wondered what the time, as the expensive blue curtains was blocked the rays of the yellow sun.

Knock…

"You may come in, Mr. Gladwyne."