Till the Flower Blooms
She squatted and grabbed Liam so tightly by his shoulders that her nails dug into his flesh.
"Liam, do you remember what I told you last time? When you see Cassiopeia later, I want you to cry as loudly as you can and tell everyone that she made Anya shove you into the pool!"
Liam felt the force of her nails jabbing into his flesh and wanted to cry, but he was afraid to say anything else. "Mommy, you’re hurting me."
Freya seemed to not hear his pleas at all. She stared intently into his eyes and asked in an anxious voice, "Are you listening? Tell me that you understand!"