The Surprise Party

They’d been planning this forever. From her birth, most likely. Mya’s mother, Helena loved hosting parties. And Aunt Beatrice loved birthdays. Together, they’d make her Sweet Sixteen a hundred times bigger, bolder, and brighter than it needed to be. They selected a theme every year and stuck to it religiously. Her fourteenth had been a sophisticated Garden Gala. Her ninth had been the Cindy Lauper song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”. They never told her what the theme was prior to the day. She’d just wake up her birthday morning, a brand new outfit laid neatly on her dresser (an outfit that adhered to the theme, of course) and she would open her door to see the adventure that lay ahead of her that day. 

Mya had a few guesses as to what this year’s theme would be. A play on the words “Sweet Sixteen” was likely—a candy themed party, perhaps? But she’d had a baking party a few years ago— and Helena was anything but repetitive. Mya didn’t have any interest in cars, so she doubted a sports-car party was on the menu. She’d tried to peek through her mother’s purchase history online, but her mother had been sneaky enough to delete everything recent. So, Mya decided to let herself be surprised. That was the point, wasn’t it?

May 1st, Mya woke. The shuttered sunlight, begged her eyes to open, and she conceded. She loved the day that her birthday took place. It was always nice out on May 1st, it never rained. And this morning was no different than her previous birthdays. She sat up in her bed and looked to her dresser before hopping out of bed and inspecting the clothing. Some sort of robe lay there, dark green, and neatly folded. She unfolded it and held it against her body, seeing how long it was. It reached down, just above the ankle. Mya dressed, and eyed herself in the mirror and couldn’t help but laugh—she looked like a poorly dressed child on Halloween wearing a homemade Jedi costume. Her chuckling was interrupted by a knock. 

“Is that laughter I hear in there? Is the birthday girl up?” Helena asked. 

“Oh, I’m up! And feeling very Star Wars-esque…” She said, and opened her bedroom door to greet her mother. 

“Good morning, and Happy Birthday, sweetie.” Helena pulled Mya into a hug. She gave her a tight squeeze before pulling back.

“So what’s our theme this year? Because normally I can somewhat figure it out after the outfit, but I am at a loss.” 

Helena grinned. “You’ll just have to wait and find out. Why don’t you come into the kitchen—Beatrice has fixed breakfast.”

The two made their way to the kitchen. Birthday Breakfast was one of Mya’s favorite parts about her birthday. Beatrice was an excellent cook, and she always came up with something new and exciting. Mya fondly remembered the ‘buried treasure breakfast’ from her 7th birthday. In the kitchen, Beatrice gave Mya a warm smile followed with a ‘Happy Birthday’ and directed her attention to the meal on the table. Eggs, oatmeal, and an assortment of berries. 

“Oh.” Mya let out with a twinge of disappointment. 

“Oh? I thought this was your favorite breakfast?” Beatrice said, concerned.

“No, no, I love it— it’s just that… well, I expected something a little more…”

“Extravagant?” Helena asked. Mya nodded sheepishly. “Well, trust me, it only gets more extravagant from here. But you’d better eat up—we’ve got a big day ahead of us and you need the nutrients. Oh, and drink plenty of water, you’ll want to stay hydrated.” 

Mya couldn’t help but grin. Of course they had something crazy planned. They were just trying to throw her off. She quickly sat down and started eating, eager to get the event started. She chatted with the two women, trying to pry more information, but failing to. As she finished her eggs, a knot seemed to tighten in her stomach. She couldn’t help but feel something was wrong.She stood up to get more water. The floor seemed to sway beneath her feet, spots invaded her vision. Helena asked her a question, but Mya couldn’t understand her. 

“I—I’m a little dizzy. I think I might be sick.” Mya mumbled out before the world became a spinning top. The spots in her eyes grew, bigger and bigger, until there was nothing but darkness. 

Mya’s heart was racing. Thundering inside her, through her chest, her heart, her ears. She woke with a gasp, and threw her eyes open. She was in a chair. But her arms and legs were strapped onto it. She tried to pull, but it didn’t budge. Her muscles tightened, and her breath hitched. Where was she? What had happened? She urged herself to calm down. She slowed her breathing, and her heartbeat calmed. That’s when she heard it—whispering. But she couldn’t understand what the whispering was saying, it was like it was a different language. 

The nearby door opened, bringing a pillar of light in, blinding Mya. The door slammed shut, and the light above flickered on. Helena stood there,, Beatrice next to her, a knife in her left hand.

“You’re awake. Good.” Helena smiled and approached Mya. 

“Mom, this is weird. What’s happening? Is this… is this some kind of escape, or… or horror theme, because you know I don’t like horror, I don’t understand why you’d—” 

Beatrice interrupted her, “This isn’t a theme. It’s a new beginning. We’ve all been waiting for this day for so long.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean? Bea, Mom, I… let’s just go home, okay. I feel really sick.” Mya pleaded. 

“No. It’s finally time. She’s been waiting. We all have. We’re not waiting any longer.” Helena darkly said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“Mom—” Mya began.

“You don’t understand, Mya!” Beatrice yelled impatiently, like she was dealing with a difficult child, “She chose you! You were compatible and she chose you, and now you get to be with us forever.” 

“Who? Who ‘chose’ me? You’re insane! Mom—”

“Don’t call me that. Not anymore. You’re old enough.” Helena said, her voice hard and stern. 

Mya’s stomach dropped. “What? Don’t call you mom? What do you mean?”

“I’ve got a bit of a confession, Mya. I’m not your mother.” She softly chuckled, “I can’t even have kids. That was one of my sacrifices to her. It was worth it, of course. I felt bad at first, when I took you. Your real parents cried and screamed. But they didn’t understand why I needed you. They didn’t understand that you’re one of the few of us that are compatible.” 

Mya laughed darkly, “What’s that supposed to mean? What sort of joke is this? Because it’s not funny, it’s… it’s just insane.”

Beatrice stepped towards Mya and started to reach for her. Mya flinched. “Relax.” Beatrice said, stroking her hair with her right hand, “I remember this. I was so scared. I just wanted someone to explain everything. But now I know that it’s impossible to comprehend without initiation. As soon as it’s completed, you’ll understand, I promise.” 

“Initiation? What does that mean?” Mya asked, her throat dry. 

“Oh, it’s nothing much. It won’t do anything more than frighten you.” Helena said. “Beatrice initiated me. She… she created me. She became my god. And now it’s my turn—my turn to become a god. I’m going to create you.”

Mya shrugged off Beatrice. “Don’t touch me. Neither of you touch me, get away from me!” She screamed. 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Shouting won’t do anything for you, Mya. I thought I taught you better than that.” Helena chastised. “I did so much for you, and this is how you treat me? Why do you think I made your birthdays so great? It knew you wouldn’t have any after this one! I wanted to give you what I didn’t have! And this angry treatment is what I get?”

“You did your best, Helena. She’ll understand. And apologize.” Beatrice shot a glare at Mya. “You will apologize.” Helena nodded and hugged Beatrice.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?” Beatrice assured Helena, kindness and reassurance flowing through her eyes. 

“Okay.” Helena said, tears in her eyes. 

“You’re going to do great.” Beatrice smiled and gently gave her the knife. Helena sniffed and took in a deep breath. She put the knife to Beatrice’s throat and slit it. 

Mya shreaked. She’d never seen so much blood in her life. It gushed and poured all over the women. Helena held Beatrice, stroking her face. She retrieved a cloth from her pocket and started to let it soak up some of the blood. Mya was shaking in her seat, sobs racking her body and panic setting in. Helena took the cloth and wiped Mya’s face with it, the smell making Mya sick. 

“Stop… stop!” Mya gasped. Helena just kept on spreading Beatrice’s blood over Mya’s skin. She soaked the cloth once more and covered Mya’s neck. Mya continued to beg her to stop what she was doing, but Helena ignored her pleas. The whispering of the room had gotten louder. It was now shouting, screaming—Mya still did not understand the words, but the tone was that of celebration. Helena looked over Mya, finally satisfied, and gagged Mya with the cloth. A scream crawled up Mya’s throat, but couldn’t make its way out. The taste of blood brought bile to her mouth and she started gagging on the cloth. Mya squeezed her eyes shut. Helena joined in on the shouting. They were saying the same thing: Sices bofii revb. Sices bofi revb. Sices bofi revb. 

Reborn in sister’s blood. Reborn in sister’s blood. Reborn in sister’s blood. 

Mya understood them. The voices cut in unison. She shuddered and blinked her eyes open. A hundred humanoid figures stood before her, each covered in blood and smiling widely. They were 30 feet away. She could barely make out their features. They all watched her. Then, in perfect time, they began to run towards her. She tried to scream. She tried to yell “Stop, stop.” 

But they would never stop. They’d been planning this forever.