Do you know what stabbing pain feels like?
To have something moving inside your belly that's foreign, unseen?
A parasite of some sort taking energy from your body, like it's a given, like it was theirs to begin with.
An octopus-like creature swirling around in your body, feeding off blood and any other energy it can get?
Making you have a swollen stomach as if a child is ready to burst out, yet it is nothing but a piece of blubbering flesh.
A reminder of what is not yours, and a scar ready for permanent placement as you try to rid yourself of it. But instead, you get a river of tears following as the creature travels from spine to knee.
Making even walking a challenge as it slithers from one end to the other, making you spit up clots as blood pools in your esophagus.
Chunky pieces of meat, leaking from the sides of your legs and dripping from your mouth, droopy eyes from sleepless nights, and paranoid dreams.
This creature leaves no mercy for its victims, growing by the day, adding more and more weight to its host.
Blooming stomach like a full-grown tree, as the parasite spreads its seeds, more little critters take over your own. Awaiting the day you are truly alone, for love isn't always for care; sometimes it is burdened by the vulnerable heart you share.
"What made you request a new dress? Is someone courting you, Gigi?"
The blonde witch blinked back as Regina shrugged, "I just felt like today is special, you know? Thought I would try something new."
Regina glanced into the mirror, putting her hands on her hips, and gave her reflection a once-over before poking at her lip.
"Hey, Charlotte, did I get more freckles, or am I just seeing things?"
Charlotte walked over to her friend and leaned her head on Regina's shoulder, "Well, I've always thought you had a lot of freckles, maybe you're just getting a better look at them."
She gently pinched Regina's cheek, "I've always admired them personally, like every goal you were ever going to achieve."
Regina rubbed her cheek and clicked her tongue, "Do you always say the most encouraging words, Char?"
"Well, you have known me the longest, what do you think?" Charlotte stated with a smile, and Regina playfully shook her head.
"Yeah, well, I guess you have, and honestly, I wish everyone had your peppy attitude. I mean, the town that I watch over is so gloomy and serious, they literally avoid me like the plague or something."
Regina frowned, "Well, I suppose, that's one way of describing how that village feels about me."
"I still don't understand, though, from all we were taught, it never said anything about isolation from the village we're assigned."
Regina shrugged, "That's why I'm hoping for a new look, just for a little bit."
Charlotte raised a brow, "So, this is why you wanted a new dress?"
Regina gravitated back to the mirror, "Partially, even though you see so much hope in me, Charlotte, at the end of the day, not everyone feels that way. Some people only see what harm we can do with these powers, not the good."
She balled her fist and concentrated energy into her palm, an azure glow radiating from her fingertips. Her eyes had a similar reaction, and she turned away, shaking off the heat, a basket of fabrics quickly catching her eye as she forced a smirk.
"So, what color did you have in mind for the gown? Maybe something with a loose neckline or-"
Charlotte embraced her, letting her sugary-sweet perfume rub off on Regina as her eyes poured out like a heavy river.
Regina blinked back, gently patting her friend on the shoulder, unsure whether to embrace her back or tear up.
"I'm sorry, you had to do this alone. I wish-I wish I could just be with you! Heal the people of your village with you! It's unfair! Why does it matter that we grow on our own if we learned together? It doesn't make any sense!"
"Charlotte."
"No! It's not the same without you, Gigi! My village is so far away from yours and so boring, but at least they don't treat me like nothing. It's not the first time you had to give up everything for them, what about-"
"It's not about us, Charlotte, you know that."
She picked up Charlotte's fabrics and brought them outside, sitting down on her cobblestone bench and glancing up at the sky.
"We aren't like birds; we don't just go anywhere we like, and you know that. This is not the same as collecting herbs or practicing spells. We are all these ignorant fools have, even if they can't see it. Even if they treat us like the mud stuck on their dirty shoe or the parasites feeding off the last of their life-force...We have to be better than them; that's why we are a different species. We might look similar, but they will never be as giving as we are. They kill their own and eat them for supper while we tend to their wounds. They are truly disappointing creatures, and it is our job to make their minds right."
Charlotte leaned on the outside of the back door, wiping the snot and water from her face before sniffling, "You make it sound so easy, Gigi. This is supposed to be our story."
Regina sighed, "It is our story, just not in the way you expect it. Charlotte, instead of the front row, we are behind the armored flesh, waiting for blood to strike their skin so we can tend to it. We are the gentle souls that remind them that there is more to war than just bloodshed."
Charlotte shook her head, "No, no matter how much we try to reason with them, I'll never forget how they truly see us, how that village sees you! They tend to forget we bleed just as any other creature. So, with that in mind, let's see how well they can actually do without their prized healer. Forget your village, let's show them how much they really need you."