"Let this cup pass over me
The cup which I will one day drink.
Even now I may drink it.
I don't understand me
It's like I'm already drinking what's inside but i need
Alcohol to put me aside."*
The song played so often that Mariam and Diana barely noticed it—until a horrifying crashshattered the rhythm, jolting them awake.
"Mom, I was dreaming of Prince Charming," Diana mumbled, squinting at the sky as if trying to recapture the dream.
"Cut it out. One day you'll kiss a frog, and it won't turn into anything you dreamed of,"Mariam laughed, her voice sharp as a jackal's cackle.
"What's so funny?"Diana stressed, glaring.
"Knock it off! Diana, tend to the cows. Mariam, the farm,"Mrs. Pharaoh ordered. They sighed in unison.
"Okay, Mom," Mariam muttered, but Diana stood frozen, resentment simmering. Bit by bit, their lives were shrinking—a truth they refused to accept.
She remembered the city: school, friends, a life before dropping out at eight. No one had given her a straight answer about why they'd moved here. Her dad claimed the city was "too costly," that they needed somewhere "cheap, lonely, and quiet." But loneliness killed. The "quiet"was just animal noise. And this place? More expensive than the city ever was.
"Diana!" Her mom's snapped fingers jerked her back to reality. "I told you to do something, and you're just standing there! What's wrong with you?" Mrs. Pharaoh gripped her hands—warm at first, then scalding.
Diana exhaled. "What about school? The city? Friends? Is this where we die—waking up to the same thing every day?"
Then it hit her: last night's argument She clutched her throbbing head. "Mom… did you and Dad fight?"
Mrs. Pharaoh smiled, shaking her head no but her hands burned hotter.
Suddenly, Diana's father materialized behind them, his paws heavy on their shoulders.
"I can't hide it. You're leaving us. To meet them"
Diana stared at her mom. Did she not know? Was yesterday real? A spark of hope: Maybe I'm going back to the city.
"Dad, where? Who's my host?"She forced calm, masking her dread.
"A beautiful place," he beamed. Mrs. Pharaoh's pulse visibly hammered—her lips sealed against a scream.
"You'll die if you go there," she hissed.
The breeze died. Three pairs of eyes locked his, Diana's and hers.
*"What's going on? What is this place?" Diana demanded.
Her father's face twisted from confusion to rage. "I don't care what she says! You're going. Nothing will stop me."He stormed off.
Mrs. Pharaoh crumpled to her knees, tears scalding the dirt. Diana grabbed her shoulders. "Explain! I need answers!"
"STOP."Her mom's voice cracked. "If you want the truth… ask your elder brother and sister."
Diana recoiled. Elder siblings? She'd worn the "oldest" crown her whole life. Was Mom delirious?
Then a shattering vase. A scream: "DIANA!"
She sprinted, kicking the door open, and fell face-first onto the floor. When she looked up
Her mom's corpse lay in a blood pool beside her.
Seer
Swimming in glory
....
Energy surged through Diana fear became fury . She scrambled up, wiping her eyes. "Who killed you?!"
The clatter of plates. An assassin sat at their table, eating their food. Bloody footprints trailed her as she crept forward
Her father. Blood soaked his shirt.
"Clean the floor. We'll dump her," he said casually, rising with his plate.
"YOU KILLED MOM!"she screamed.
He slammed the plate down. "She tried to kill me"
"Liar!"Diana's voice shook.
He punched the glass table cracks spiderwebbed. "She wasn't your mom. Or my wife."
Another revelation. Elder siblings. A fake mother. Diana staggered back, muttering "no" with each step.
"There's much you don't know," he said.
"Like a brother and sister?"
He smirked. "She told you? That deceiving bitch." He spat toward the corpse.
"STOP!" Diana roared.
"You're 18! Use your brain—"
"I SAID STOP!" Her command froze him.
Mariam burst in, panting. "Dad—a man's outside. He's asking for Diana." She saw her mother's body, vomited, and turned away.
"Time to go." He yanked Diana's arm, fingers digging. Blindly, she grabbed the nearest object a heavy candlestick and swung.
Her father collapsed, eyes rolling back.
Seer
Who is waiting and watching?