Lilith's Awakening

by Viktoria Ballavoski

  We went into her hospital room. “We’re back, Nelly! How are you doing? I’m sorry I had to leave you, but I was in a rush.”

  “That’s okay, baby. I wasn’t alone. Melisa stopped by after school along with that young doctor. Can’t remember his name right now, but he said if I wanted to go home today, I could. What do you say, Viktoria? Do you think I can?”

  “Of course, Nelly. Let’s get you ready, and then we will surprise everyone when we get home.”

  “That’s a marvelous idea, Viktoria dear. Can we stop by the store for some ice cream? I know Cameron would love that.”

  “Whatever your heart desires, Nelly; just ask.”

  ***

  “Everything is set,” I said a little while later, after I got all the forms filled out. “Let’s go home!”

  “Greg,” Nelly asked as she walked to the bathroom so that she could get changed into her normal clothes, “did you see that young doctor?”

  “Which one?”

  “I think she means Damien,” I guessed.

  “No, but I did see Doctor Justin. He said he would be here in few minutes to see Nelly off.”

  “It’s so nice of him to do that. I just remembered, Viktoria, Melisa went with Doctor Damien to have something to eat.”

  “That’s okay, Nelly. I’ll call Melisa to come home when she is done.”

  “Hi, Doctor Justin, we have been waiting for you. We decided to take Nelly home tonight. I believe Doctor Damien has told her we can.”

  “Yes, I know. I told him to tell Nelly, so she must be happy.” He gave her a smile as she came out of the bathroom. “Brandon isn’t here?”

  “Oh. No, he’s not, and he doesn’t know his mom is coming home today. Matter of fact, no one knows; it’s a surprise!”

  “Okay,” he said with a smile. “Don’t let me keep you any longer, Nelly. I will come over to see you soon. Viktoria, let’s not meet under bad circumstances anymore. Last time, it was when you had the twins, if you remember.”

  “Yes, I do. You were here that night when I had the boys. That was a crazy night.”

  “Yes, you’re absolutely right; it was a crazy night. Remember the lights went out and our system was out. As I remember, a few boys were stillborns.”

  “I do remember very well, because one of my boys was stillborn. The next day, my other boy died.”

  “Your other baby—as I remember—Viktoria, was not a boy. We only had one set of twins born that night, and that was your twins. They were not twin boys; it was a boy and a girl!”

  “You are mistaken, Justin. I had twin boys. As I held the second boy, the light went out, and you went to see what was going on.”

  “Yes, I did, but I’m absolutely sure it was not two boys and that you did not have a stillborn, because when I came back, I put the hats on the babies—a pink hat on the girl and a blue one on the boy. Brandon was next to me.”

  “Then where are my babies, Justin?” I all but screamed.

  “I don’t know, Viktoria. Every time I asked about the twins, Brandon never said anything about them. He said nothing about the twins being dead.”

  “You are wrong!” I shouted. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. Talking about that night was hard enough, but now he was telling me that my babies were not dead! They were, in fact, possibly very much alive! “You are confused! It was a hell of an active night, and you could have easily made a mistake! I have an idea; when I come over, we will ask Brandon about this.”

  “You know what? I’ll check the files from when the systems were down. We always put the files into the system. I know I’m right!”

  “Just remember, Justin, don’t mentioned anything to Brandon. He has taken it hard and still is not over the twins. Maybe this is the reason he did not say anything to you.”

  “All right, I will call you when I find out anything. I’ll see you all in a couple of days.”

  Chapter 9

  Grandma Nelly Comes Home

  “Did you hear that, Nelly? I think Justin has been working way too hard lately. Or he is going senile. I don’t understand how he can tell me that my twins are not dead. And on top of that, he is telling me that I did not have a stillborn! What the hell is wrong with him? He was probably drunk that night, or something!”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Viktoria.”

  “Nelly, wasn’t that night—the night I went to the hospital for the twins—wasn’t that the night his daughter went missing?”

  “Yes, it was that night. But his daughter is not missing.”

  “They found out what happened to her?”

  “You don’t know? They found his daughter that night.”

  “How …” I asked in shock. I had never heard this story. “Where was she?”

  “She was with me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it was a long time ago, and they needed a babysitter. His wife had an emergency and had to go somewhere, so she called me and asked if she could leave Emily—that’s the daughter’s name—with me. She forgot to tell her husband, since she was in a big rush. When he came home and did not find them, he called the police officers.”

  “Then how did they find out Emily was with you?”

  “The officers went to the babysitter’s house, but she was not there. The babysitter’s sister told them she had taken her husband to the hospital because he had appendicitis. It was the same hospital Justin was in.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “Well, the officer told Justin the sitter was there and asked the wife where Emily was. Of course, she told them that Emily was with me. Then Justin called me to confirm that she was telling the truth and I said yes.”

  “Poor Justin. I know why he does not remember much of that night. I didn’t know about this. The night of the birth of the twins, they called him downstairs for an emergency. When he came back, he looked so worried. When I asked him what was wrong, he said his daughter was missing.” I sighed as I drove on. “Well, we’re almost home. The kids will be so happy to see you.”

  “Dear, do not forget the ice cream.”

  “Yes, we have to celebrate your homecoming! We better get extra or else Cameron will make me go back for more. Remind me to call Melisa and tell her to come home.”

  We stopped at a store to get what we needed. When we got back into the car, I said, “We got everything we need, Nelly. We can hit the road now. I cannot wait to see the look on their faces when they see you!”

  “Don’t forget to call Melisa.”

  “Oh! Good thing you reminded me!” I took out my phone and dialed her number. “Hi, Melisa, where are you?”

  “I am with Doctor Damien; we’re going to see Grandma Nelly.”

  “Honey, Grandma Nelly is with me. I’m taking her home. Why don’t you come home? If you like, Damien can join us in celebrating Grandma’s homecoming.”

  “I’ll ask him, Mom.”

  “All right then. We’re almost home, so don’t spoil this. It’s a surprise.”

  “Okay, Mom. I won’t.” And then she hung up.

  We got out of the car, and I grabbed all the stuff before going to the front door where Nelly was already waiting. “We’re home.”

  “Isn’t that strange? The lights are off. Shouldn’t they be home?”

  “Yes, Lacey and Cameron should be home by now. Maybe they have both fallen asleep. We will find out when we get inside.” I opened the door and turned on the light in the hallway. “Hi, guys. I have someone with me!”

  “Surprise!” Lacey, Cameron, and Melisa yelled. I looked around and saw signs that Cameron must have made—they were messily written—that said, “Welcome home!”

  “Oh my goodness!” Nelly said in shock. “What a wonderful surprise!”

  “How did you all know about Nelly coming home?”

 
“Well, Mom,” Melisa said, “when you called, we were getting ready.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Damien called the hospital to check on Grandma Nelly. The nurse told him that she had been discharged from the hospital.”

  “We came straight home to surprise you guys,” I said. I looked at Melisa. “When I called, you were at home already.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “You got it, Mom,” she answered with a smile.

  “How about an ice cream cake, Mom?” Cameron asked.

  “Yes, how about it?” I handed the bag with the slowly melting cake to Melisa, who gave me a look I couldn’t understand. “What?”

  “Well, it’s just that Dad already got an ice cream cake.”

  That was when I looked at who was sitting on the couch. “Brandon, you’re here! I didn’t expect you!”

  “Yes, well, when the kids told me about Mom coming home, I had to leave everything and come. I ran to the store to get Mom’s favorite ice cream cake.”

  “Nelly, you never mentioned a favorite ice cream cake.”

  “Mom,” Cameron said, “Grandma’s favorite is double-chocolate ice cream fudge cake.”

  “Well, yes, and I know you did ask me, Viktoria, but I couldn’t remember what I liked.” She turned to the rest of the family. “It is so nice of you to do this. Thank you so very much; you have overdone it!”

  “We love you, Grandma Nelly!” Cameron said before running over to her and giving her a hug.

  “And a special thanks to Cameron, who remembered my favorite cake.”

  “It was my pleasure to remember, Grandma Nelly,” he said with a grin.

  After we had some cake, I said, “Everyone, it’s time to let Grandma Nelly go get some rest; it has been a long day for her, so let’s get her to her room. Lacey and Cameron, it’s time to finish your homework and then off to bed.” I turned to Nelly.

  “Brandon will help you get settled in your room, and as soon as I clear the kitchen, I will join you.”

  “Come on, Mom,” Brandon said as he took his mother’s arm. “Let’s get you to your room.”

  “Thank you, Brandon. I just do not want to be a burden on you.”

  “Nelly, what are you saying?” I said with a shake of my head. “I am going to disregard that.”

  “Mom, you know that you are always welcome here.”

  “It’s nice to hear that,” she said before going off with Brandon.

  I felt a presence in the house. “Gabriellele, is that you?”

  “Yes, Viktoria. I’m in Lacey’s room.”

  “Can you go to Nelly’s room and find out what is going on in there?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I do not want Brandon to force Nelly to tell him what she was going to tell me.”

  “All right, but …”

  “You have something to tell me?”

  “Yes. You know he can see me and feel it too.”

  “You’re right; I forgot about that.” I thought for a moment. “Gabriellele, go and whisper in his ear that I need him.”

  “I can do that. I am in Lacey’s room if you need me. I’m helping her with her social studies homework.”

  “Where is Azalea?”

  “She is also with Lacey, helping her with biology homework.”

  “Whoa, Lacey has got it made. That would explain why she has been getting great marks lately. I did not know you could do that. I need to talk to her.”

  “It’s nothing, Viktoria; when she needs help, she asks us a question and we assist her.”

  “All right then. But then make sure she does not abuse it. And, Gabriellele, don’t forget to tell Lacey.”

  I couldn’t get over what Justin had said earlier. I wondered if he was right about that. No, that would be impossible; I had seen the second boy when he was in an incubator, but I never saw the stillborn. Why didn’t they let me hold him? I had requested to do so.

  “Viktoria,” Brandon said as he came into the room, “I got your message; it was not funny. … Viktoria? Did you hear what I said? Viktoria?”

  I was lost so deeply in thought, I didn’t hear him. So when he touched me on my shoulder, I jumped. “Oh, God, Brandon! You scared the hell out of me!”

  “What is wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Not that you don’t on a regular basis. You even send your messages through them,” he ended with a smirk.

  “Ha, ha!” I give a sarcastic laugh. “If that was supposed to be a joke, you missed it by a mile.”

  “Whatever. Why did you call?”

  “I simply wanted to talk to you. How was your day? You’ve seemed a bit down recently. Is everything okay?”

  “It’s the new hospital; I do not know if it will finish on time. I have been suggested for a new position as head of the hospital over in Virginia, and I am seriously thinking of taking it.”

  “Hold on. You are going way too fast. Why have you never mentioned this before? What do you mean, you are thinking about taking the position? Were you not going to tell us? Were you going to come home one day and just go, ‘Surprise, honey! We are moving to Virginia!’”

  “I thought you would be happy about it. You’ve always hoped to move from here, haven’t you? This is our chance!”

  “That was several years back, Brandon! Now Melisa is ready to start her internship, and Lacey has another year in high school before she graduates.”

  “Well, don’t be too concerned about Melisa. I will transfer her internship to my medical center, and Lacey would do much better in the schools over there.”

  “What about my job? And your mom?”

  “We will take her with us. And you can get another job over there, or you can start your own business. And can I just say that I do not like the idea of Melisa seeing Damien? I don’t want her to rush into anything.”

  “Brandon, don’t change the topic. Besides, they’re only friends; he is giving her advice on her internship. What’s wrong with that? But what about the job?”

  “As I said, I’m thinking about it.”

  “I know you, Brandon; tell me the truth. Have you accepted the job? Don’t lie to me.”

  He looked away for a moment before looking back at me. “Yes, I have taken the position. It was the best offer ever, so I took it! What are you going to do about it?”

  “Don’t yell. Your mom can hear us.”

  “Whatever. I have done this for the family.”

  “We will talk about this later. I do not want Nelly or the children to be upset. Do you understand me?”

  “I am going out for a little walk,” Brandon said before walking out the door.

  “I hope Nelly didn’t hear us fighting,” I mumbled.

  “Viktoria,” Azalea said, “do you want me to go check on her?”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  A few seconds later, she came back. “She’s sleeping. I am sure she did not hear you at all.”

  “Thanks. I hope the kids didn’t hear us either.”

  “No, Viktoria, they’re all in their beds sleeping. I checked on them as well.”

  “Gabriellele, I’m going to go upstairs. I will be doing an astral travel. I have to see where Brandon has gone to. Azalea can stay with Nelly. I will call my mom to watch over my body.”

  “Viktoria, don’t you think you are overreacting?”

  “No, Azalea, I don’t think so. I would appreciate it if you stayed next to Nelly. Gabriellele, you can watch the kids. Don’t worry; I’m taking Shia and Zanah with me.” I went up to my room and sat on my bed. “Mom, I need you! Where are you? … Come on, Mom! I know you’re around here! Please, please, Mom.”

  “Yes, Viktoria, I am here now.”

  “Where were you?”

  “I had another thing to do.”

&nb
sp; “Well, I need your help.”

  “What is it? You are fuming. What happened?”

  “It’s a long story; I’ll tell you later, but you have to do what I ask you to do, Mom.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me.”

  “Mom, please take over my body in case Nelly or the kids get up. I seriously need to do this.”

  “Do not tell me you are going to have an out-of-body experience? It’s too dangerous, especially now!”

  “Yes, Mom, I have to find out what is going on with Brandon.”

  She sighed. “Okay, baby. However, your father, does he know what you are about to do you? You should consult your father before you go. You should talk to him first.”

  “No. Dad already sent two of his helpers; I am taking them with me, so don’t worry; I will be just fine.”

  “Viktoria, I still think that doing this out-of-body ritual is dangerous.”

  “Mom, please listen to what I am telling you. You just take over my body until I come back. If you don’t want to do it, fine. I’m still doing it.”

  “Baby, you know better than that; I cannot do it.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you.” She fell silent for a moment, and then she took a breath and said, “Go ahead; I will take over. But if you sense any kind of danger, you have to come back. Please don’t chase any demons either! They will drag you to the hole!”

  “Okay, I promise. Mom, can you grab his key on the table for me? I might be able to feel where he is.”

  I started to focus deeply. Finally, I was almost there. I was able to see Shia and Zanah. It was helping me to go to deeper and deeper. I thought they knew where Brandon was; they wanted me to hold on to them. Yes, I made it. I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this! Spying on my husband! But there was nothing else I could do. He had become a different man—more … aggressive.

  My God, he is two houses away from Alia’s house. What the hell is he doing? How does he know her? I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. “Shia, get closer; I want to see what is going on.” He was looking over a picture of a girl who was not Melisa or Lacey. Who was it?