The journey wasn't that long, I fell asleep few minutes later on. Luke only woke me up when we reached the house. We were in what used to be my past home, on the living room. We were setting and lighting candles all over the place. I needed them to channel my powers, mother and I used to do that. She told me it makes you concentrate and detach yourself from outside world easily. If I was going to talk to her I needed it to be long and undisturbed conversation, unlike before when I couldn't even hold the connection.
"Well, that's all of them." Luke announced after finishing lighting the last candle.
I looked at the place and I was satisfied by our work. I nodded in satisfaction.
"Need anything else?" he asked me.
"No, I think this will be enough. I hope so," I answered.
"I believe you can do it. You just need to trust yourself. If you were able to connect with her last time without even trying then I am sure you can do it easily now that you're trying," he assured me. I nodded and smiled at him.
"Well, I'll be here. Don't worry about me and just do your thing," he told me.
I sat down in the middle of the room on the mat that Luke brought earlier from his car. I closed my eyes so that I could concentrate. I could feel myself more relaxing with the smell of candles burning around. I recalled what I did last time before I heard the voice in my head. It was when I was desperate asking for her forgiveness, telling her I didn't know what to do and when I was in contact with the ground. So I thought that must be the key. I did the same. I placed both my hands on the ground feeling the place then I inwardly called her "Mother! Mother! It's me, I am here! Mother" nothing, there was no reply. I tried it again, this time calling her with her real name and mumbling some few witch spells I learnt when I was young. There was nothing again.
When I wanted to try the third time I felt myself falling, falling down. what was happening? I then fell hard on the ground. I could feel myself as light as a feather as there was no much impact when I came in contact with the ground after falling. I opened my eyes and saw myself in a different room. when did I reach here? The room was dark, there was only a dim light. I stood up and inspected the place, it was enclosed with walls of mirrors. I could see my millions reflections in there. I couldn't see the end of them as they were too long, I kept on looking around and I noticed a tall slim woman at the far end facing the mirror, her back on me. She was wearing a white long gown, her long black curly hair reached to her waist. I looked on the mirror to see her face but there was no reflection of her, there was only mine, everywhere.
As I was about to call the woman she slowly turned and looked at me with a smile on her face, she then walked towards me and even with the dim light I immediately recognised her, Mother.
"Mother-" I was at loss of words. I was feeling so happy that I was overwhelmed. Is this real? I moved as fast as I could towards her, we met midway. She then took my hands in hers while inspecting my face as if memorizing every inch of it, and I did the same. I never wanted to forget her perfectly beautiful face. I didn't have any picture of her.
"You look exactly like your father, you have his eyes too, so beautiful!" she told me.
"Do I? And I even have mother's perfect hair and skin, I must be so lucky!" I told her while smiling, then that I was looking at her I could tell that I had exactly her hairs and skin, very soft. Although mine is a bit tanned. I could feel happy tears running down my cheeks. I couldn't believe I was seeing her again.
"Yeah, you are lucky my perfect daughter. You're so beautiful. You grew up so well," she told me and pulled me in her embrace and I returned the hug. I hugged her so tightly as if my life depended on it.
"I missed you!" I told her in between sobs.
She released me from the hug and went back to hold my hands, she then released one of her hand to rub the tears on my face.
"I missed you more sweetheart, we missed you a lot," she told me smilingly. I could tell that she meant father and her. I felt sad not being able to talk to him as he was not a witch.
"I missed him too," I told her. She smiled at me sadly.
"Although I am so happy that you came to meet me but this was not a good idea," she told me releasing my hands and turned to face the walls again.
"Why is that mother?" I asked her, confused.
She turned back to look at me "Bethany spelled the place after they burnt it so that if there was any major witch magic performed in this place she would feel it," she explained.
"Bethany? Who is Bethany?" I asked.
"The witch who came with them that day," She explained and I immediately understood what she meant by that day. Wait-
"There was a witch too!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, they wouldn't have got in our home any other way. I spelled the house so that those creatures could not set foot in the house unless invited by the owner but Bethany was the one who broke the spell and let them in," she explained.
So the fifth woman who I couldn't tell what she was was a witch? That's why I couldn't recognise her. Witches give the same vibes as humans mostly, it's not easy to recognise them. But that was a shock to me, I never expected her to be a witch, how could she do that to her kind?
"I was actually trying to figure out who she was all this time. I never expected her to be a witch, how can she do that?" I said exasperated.
"I was also surprised that day. Bethany and I grew on the same town, although we were never close and there was time she considered me as her rival since I was more powerful but I never expected her to do such thing, to reach that extent," she told me sadly.
"Don't worry mother, I'll avenge your death. I will do anything to grow stronger and have the power to defeat them. My friends will help too, we toget-"
"What friends?" she demanded.
"There's some friends of mine. I have known most of them for years, they are nice people, they are different. they are-"
"Are you trying to say that they are among them?" she demanded and I nodded.
"Are you crazy? How can you? To those creatures...! I went through so much to protect you from them, how can you go back and make them your friends? Those creatures should never be trusted! Have you forgotten what they did to me? To your parents? To us?" she said furiously.
"Mother, how can I ever forget! I still remember as if it happened yesterday. They were my friends before I knew who they were or who I was. I grew up with most of them. I know that they are nice people, I know that they can be trusted. Plus didn't you say so yourself that a witch was among them, that she was the reason why this happened. Does that mean I shouldn't trust witches too?" I told her.
"Stop treating them like humans, those creatures are not. They live off of humans, they kill them and eat them, drink their blood. That's in their nature," she argued.
"Mother, a lot have changed in ten years. There are good ones among them nowdays. Luke never drunk any blood, he is a good person," I defended them, unconsciously single out Luke and I realised my mistake right after the words left my mouth.
"Luke? Who is Luke?" she demanded.
"Just some guy," I told her, shifting uncomfortably.
"You- you are in love with this guy, Aren't you?" she said, her eyes widening. And I could feel mine widening too after hearing her saying that.
"No..n-no mother, no way! How can you say that, I am not in love with him....there's no way!" I quickly denied but she wasn't buying it. Am I really in love with Luke? Wasn't it just some stupid crush that will pass with time?
"You, when did you become this naive? When you were young you could see right through everyone, that's why it was also hard for you to get any friends at school, you could see what is in their minds, you have that in you. But how can you trust him that easily? Did you see it through him or did he tell you that he never drunk any human blood? How did you know if he was telling the truth? And much more important how do you know if once he consumes humans blood he won't turn into a beast and drink them non-stop?" she questioned me.
She was right, I didn't know anything. I only trusted what they told me. How could I be so sure! what if they were lying? What if he was lying? And even if he wasn't lying how do I know that he wouldn't turn into them once he had a taste of human blood, how could I be so naive. I looked down ashamed of myself.
"Don't worry, it's not too late now. Plus your powers were sealed, you are not to be blamed for what you feel, it could happen. But I want you to never forget what you are, who you are and what you have to do. Don't trust anyone especially their words, trust what your instict tell you, you are good at that." she told me reassuringly.
"I think you have to go, the longer we stay in this portal the more it's dangerous. Since you are channeling a lot of power right now there's no doubt she already felt that, now let's not give them time to reach you here, you have to leave now!" she told me.
I then remembered why I had to do that in the first place, how could I forget that! "Mother, I came here to-" I started but she cut me midway.
"I know, the time capsule. You still remember it, don't you?" She asked me.
"Oh....yeah right!" I exlaimed recalling about it, I totally forgot about it.
"It has all the answers you need. Now go!" she told me before pushing me. I then felt myself falling again. I closed my eyes and prepare myself for the hit but it never happened, I was lying on the floor again. I opened my eyes expecting to still be in the room of mirrors but I was back in the living room of our old home. I suddenly felt a presence of someone on my side. I glanced up to see Luke, he helped me back in the sitting position.
"Are you okay?" he asked and I nodded.
"I was starting to be worried, you were lying there lifeless for so long, your body was also so cold as if you were...you were...." he trailed not being able to finish the words. I then realised that it was the soul that went to the room of mirrors, that's why I felt as light as a feather there.
"It must be because the soul was momentarily detached from the body," I explained to him.
"What!" he said shocked.
I stood up "We have to get out of here fast but first I need you to help me look for something. Follow me, we have to hurry." I told him before starting to walk outside the house, to the back of the house. I could here him following me behind. I stood after reaching outside, I looked at the big tree which was a few distance away from there. I remembered the time I was left there stranded, helpless. With that painful memory under that tree I almost forgot other memories I had there, we buried a time capsule box when I was six years old, we promised to open it together when I grew up. I marched there and pointed to the ground before facing Luke who was behind me looking around, having no idea what was going on.
"We have to dig here, there's a time capsule." I told him, he looked at the ground for a second before nodding.
"Let's get to it then," I announced and we immediately started digging with the stones we picked there.
'This will be the last thing I do with him' I promised myself.