by M. K. ROZE
She scowled at me.
I quickly got up and followed her back down the steps.
Muma led me to a fortress that sat deep in the woods behind
the castle. As we walked past the lifeless trees and tall
snowbanks, I stopped.
“I can’t go any further. My feet are numb.”
When Muma came to a stop, a wooden staff with a
silver and black claw clutching a red gem on its handle
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appeared in her hand.
“Where did that come from?”
She sneered and slammed her staff onto the ground. A
rippled mirror in the shape of a doorway appeared.
I stepped back. “What are you?” I rubbed my eyes,
looked again, and the glass doorway was still there. I waved
at my reflection, but hers was absent.
She ignored me and disappeared through the mirror.
Seconds later, I could see her on the other side, in a place
where the sky was blue, and the landscape was completely
devoid of snow.
She pointed her staff at me. “Come on.”
“No, I’ll stay here.”
Her eyes widened, and an unseen force pushed me the
rest of the way through. I quickly got up from the soft
green grass and turned to see that the forest I was in was no
longer there. “How ... how did you do that?”
She stepped forward, flashing her nasty yellow teeth.
“That’s nothing. Come. I don’t have all day.”
“This is impossible.” I reached out to touch the
rippled glass.
“Oh, yes, please touch it. I wouldn’t mind trying some
cooked meat.”
I yanked my hand back and followed her through the
tall green grass with the hot sun beating down on my face.
My head turned in all directions as we moved on. Beautiful
flowers and trees surrounded us. It didn’t match her
ugliness.
“Where are we?”
“My realm. Now hush.”
Realm? This must be a dream.
After a short hike, we arrived at her small hut. She
opened the creaky door and stepped aside. “Go inside and
sit.” I hesitated, and she pushed me in. I caught myself
before I fell and glared back at her. Before Muma entered,
she poured copper dust in front of the doorway.
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“What is that?”
She stepped over the powder and pointed for me to sit.
I walked around the kids’ dusty old toys, brushed the
spiderwebs off the chair, and sat. My eyes narrowed on a
large cauldron seated on an old oven in the corner of the
room.
Muma dragged her black boots across the wooden floor,
turned to the door, and swatted the air with her wrist, making
it slam shut on its own.
“Are you going to eat me like it says on the internet?”
She took off her long black coat and set it on a wooden
table. “You’re much too old for my taste. We don’t have
much time, so prepare yourself for what I’m about to tell
you.” I wrapped my fingers around the arms of the wooden
chair and squeezed tightly. “How do you know Bain?” I
mumbled.
Her black eyes narrowed on mine. “I will tell you only
what I was told to tell you. Is that clear?”
Her nasty attitude pissed me off. “I’m waiting.”
She slammed her staff down, making my chair shake.
“I’m not scared of you.”
She leaned forward and pulled out a strand of her hair,
then tossed it on my lap. I swatted it off, then it sprang to
life and grabbed my wrist. It turned into a thick vine that
started growing at a fast rate, covering my entire body. My
heart leaped into my throat as I tried desperately to break
away but found myself bound to the chair.
“What are you doing to me?”
She cackled.
“Bain!” The binding crept up to my mouth, muzzling
me. She leaned back and laughed. “That’s better.”
My breathing quickened.
“Now, listen carefully. In the fifteenth century, you were
a goddess who was killed by one of the many enemies you
still have. Eighteen years ago, you were reincarnated by a god
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you once knew but whose name I’m forbidden to say.”
Tears ran down my face, remembering the psychic said
I was a goddess too.
She continued. “Now, for the finale. At one month of
age, you, my delicious Viata, were adopted by the Vandell’s.
Your birth parents didn’t want you because you were nothing
but an inserted soul. ”
I panted as I stared at her blankly in disbelief.
Muma sneered. “You can speak now but speak wisely,
for I may want to hurt you.” She slammed her staff down on
the wooden floor, and the vines gradually disappeared.
I gasped for fresh air and spit out the bitter taste onto
the floor. “You expect me to believe I was a goddess?”
“You still are a goddess but a powerless one.”
“You’re seriously nuts. You know that, right?”
Muma leaped at me, held my arms down, and opened
her mouth like she was about to devour me entirely. I
squeezed my eyes shut. A loud growl came from the pit of
her stomach. She put her mouth on mine and sucked the air
out of my lungs. I gasped for air, rushed up, and hid in the
corner of the room.
She sat back in her chair. “Trust me, I didn’t want to do
that, but I needed to get the poison out that Bain missed.”
I wiped the slime off my face. “Don’t touch me again,
or Bain will hurt you.”
She hissed furiously and leaped onto the floor like a cat,
crawling toward me. Her hiss turned into a growl, and her
foul-smelling breath made me gag.
“Don’t you dare threaten me again!” She sat back in her
seat as if nothing had ever happened.
I crawled toward the door and looked back at her
watching me. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
Her face became calm. “Oh, please. I’m only showing
you what you’re up against. This is a taste of what is coming
for you, so you better stop with your nasty attitude until you
are back to the old you.” She gestured for me to join her
again.
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I got up off the floor, brushed the dirt off my hands,
and sat back down.
“If this is true, then who killed me five hundred years
ago?”
She grinned, got up, and walked behind me. “Bain will
answer that question when he thinks you’re ready. Until then,
tell him what I told you. I want my supper tonight.”
“Supper?”
When Muma didn’t respond, I turned around, and she
was gone. I sprinted out the door and stopped. The warm
weather and sun were no more. Pure darkness surrounded
me with snow everywhere. What the hell?
I took off running in the direction I thought we came
from. I glanced over my shoulder to see if she was following
me, and the hut was gone. I ran faster until I saw the castle
up ahead. By then, the burn
ing in my chest was so bad that
I had to stop. I must be dreaming. This can’t be real.
Tears froze as they ran down my face, and numbness
began to set in. Out of nowhere, the black leopard jumped
out of a tree and landed in front of me. I gasped and fell
backward. It watched my every move but didn’t look like it
was going to harm me.
“Trust him,” Bain’s voice said in my ear.
I got up slowly and looked behind me, but no one was
there. The leopard turned around and walked away. I stood
there watching its every move, wondering how it got there.
The leopard slowed down and looked back at me like it
was waiting for me to follow it. I walked slowly, keeping my
distance. After ten minutes of following him, my feet
buckled beneath me, causing me to collapse on the snow. My
lungs were frozen, and my body felt weak.
“Bain,” I bawled. “Please, help me.”
The leopard came over and licked my tears. I thought
his tongue would rip off my skin, but it didn’t. It was warm,
soft, and slimy. I lay still, wondering what its intentions were.
His green eyes met mine, and he locked his teeth around my
pants and threw me over his back. I rested my head on his
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furry neck with my legs on each side of him and blacked out.
My eyes opened. I was lying on the bed back in the inn
with the window wide open. How did I get here?
I rushed up, closed the window, and shook my head at
my jacket sitting on the chaise next to the fireplace. I must
have been dreaming, but how did the window get open? I staggered to
the bathroom, knowing I was in desperate need of a hot
shower to warm up.
While in there, I thought of that old hag’s mouth on
mine and scrubbed my face clean. I took some deep breaths
to calm myself down, but it didn’t work. What if it wasn’t a
dream? Should I call my parents and confront them to see if it’s true?
I wrapped myself up in the hotel robe and sat on the
chair next to the lit fireplace. What took place was beyond
comprehension and unlike anything, I’d experienced in my
life. “Screw this. I need to know.” I got up, grabbed my
phone off the end table, and put the SIM card back in. I
called my parents on Facetime because I wanted to see the
look in their eyes.
On the second ring, my mother’s worried face appeared.
“Viata, are you okay?”
“Where’s Dad?”
“He’s right here, honey. Where are you? Please, I have
to know that you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. Go get Dad and have him sit next to you.”
Mom called out for my dad several times until he
appeared on the screen.
“Viata, I’m here,” Dad said, out of breath. “Where are
you?”
“I can’t see Julia. Move over so I can see her too.”
“Why are you calling your mother by her name?” he
replied cautiously.
“Hmmm, I don’t know Dad, or should I call you Bret?”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
I turned away again.
“Honey, what is it?” Mom asked.
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I placed the phone’s camera up to my eyes. “Am I
adopted?” Please, please, please say no.
Mom’s eyes widened, and she disappeared from the
camera. Dad’s blank stare and brimming tears spoke
volumes.
“Yes, you were,” his voice cracked, “but we still love
you.” He sighed. “How did you find out?”
My heart leaped into my throat. I tossed the phone on
the floor. “No, no, no way. This can’t be true.”
“Viata!” Dad yelled.
I picked the phone back up. “I—I just had another
dream with an evil witch. She told me I was a reincarnated
goddess who was adopted. And she’s not the only one who
said I was a goddess. A nutty psychic I went to before all this
crazy shit happened said the same thing.”
Mom’s face appeared on the phone. “Honey, where are
you? Let us come and get you.”
“No! My dreams are real. This must be the reason I keep
having them. Someone is trying to tell me something.”
“Viata!” Dad shouted. “Please calm down.”
I put the phone closer to my face. “No!”
“Viata, will you please just listen to us?” Mom said.
“What?” I yelled.
“When Dr. Wells placed you under hypnosis, the male
nurse was questioning her about your adoption. It’s on
video. Your father and I saw it with our own eyes.”
I stared blankly at them. “What about the goddess
part?”
“Do you honestly believe you’re a goddess?” Dad asked.
“What about you telling Dr. Wells my eyes lit up? Sara
said she saw it too. Humans’ eyes don’t light up like the damn
sun! Explain that?”
“Sweetie,” Dad said. “I know I told Dr. Wells that, but
I was in shock. I’m sure it was a car’s headlight reflecting in
your eyes.”
“What about Sara telling me the same thing when I was
about to kick her ass in school? There aren’t cars in the
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hallways there.”
“It was probably the fluorescent lights.” Mom looked at
Dad—I’m sure hoping he would agree with her.
I went silent, thinking that it was a possibility, and it
sounded way better than me being a goddess.
“Honey,” Mom said softly. “It’s all in your head just like
Dr. Wells told you. You must have fallen asleep again and
had another dream. Please let us come and get you.”
They seemed sincere, but I turned away still thinking it
was all real.
“Viata, we love you,” Dad sobbed. “Please come home,
and we’ll tell you everything. Okay?”
Never having seen my dad cry like that, I sighed and
turned to them. “I’m all alone, scared, and don’t have
anyone,” I cried. “I need you guys. Please come and get me.
I’m in Romania at the inn.”
“Romania?” Mom’s voice screeched. “Okay, we’ll get
the next flight out. Please, please, stay right there.”
I ended the video and curled up where I sat. I tried to
cry, but nothing came out.
Even though I was adopted, my parents were among the
few people I had left. It only made sense to believe while
under hypnosis, I heard the man ask Dr. Wells if I was
adopted. It was better than believing in some stupid
nightmares and thinking I was a goddess.
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y parents arrived in Romania two days later.
When I first saw them, I was furious but
forgave them because they gave me eighteen
years of unconditional love, and I wasn’t willing to let that
go.
At my parents’ house, my mother was a wreck. I tried to
console her, but I don’t think it helped.
My head was filled with images of what happened to me
in Romania. I was still confused and didn’t know what to
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bsp; think. I wanted to go to my house, but my parents asked me
to stay with them for a while until the cops caught the man
who killed Dr. Wells.
The day after I got home, I went to the police station
for questioning about Dr. Wells’ murder. Mom said she
couldn’t cope with any more stress, so Dad took me to see
Detective Maverick.
I sat next to Dad in a small white room with a table and
four chairs. The camera’s blinking red light up in the corner
of the room caught my attention.
Detective Maverick saw me looking. “Ms. Vandell,
you’re being recorded.”
“That’s fine.”
“Let me start by saying that I’m truly sorry you had to
witness such a horrific act,” Detective Maverick consoled.
Dad placed his hand on mine.
I looked down at the metal table.
“Ms. Vandell, please tell me why you left the country
after Dr. Wells’s murder.”
My heart pounded so quickly I placed my chest against
the edge of the table, hoping the pressure would make it
subside. “I was scared.”
His black brows furrowed. “Why Romania?”
I was momentarily distracted, watching him chew off
the dead skin on his bottom lip. “I’ve never seen someone
get their head ripped off in real life before. I was traumatized
and didn’t know if he was going to kill me next, so the only
place I felt safe was back in Romania.”
“I see. Have you ever seen him before that day?”
“No, never.”
“Ms. Vandell, I never saw a woman your size, charge a
man through a wall. Were you on drugs that day?”
“No, I don’t take drugs. I was just upset and charged
him. That’s all.”
“Okay. Do you know of any enemies that Dr. Wells
had?”
“What do you think? She was my shrink, not my
husband.”
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Dad kicked my foot. I kicked him back and glared at
him. He sighed and looked at Detective Maverick.
“Look, I know you’re upset, Ms. Vandell, but I’m only
doing my job.” He stood up. “I believe we’re done here. If
you can think of anything else, please call me.” He handed
me his business card then reached out and shook our hands.