by Rana Demiriz
The Zathefs…
I yawned again. “Mia, I’m serious. Go and get some sleep. It’s been a long morning for all of us.”
She was right. I stood up and opened the kitchen door. When I turned back, I found Carmen looking at me with weary eyes. She was concerned for my well-being like a mother. Rosa was so lucky to have a mother like her. Carmen was really a great mother. It was breaking my heart to know that she was going to leave soon. I loved her so much, even if she was not my birth mother.
I looked at her baby blue eyes and nodded. “Yes,” I said approvingly.
“It was a damn long morning.”
CHAPTER 5
I left Carmen behind. I just wanted to get some sleep, away from the crippling nightmares. While I was climbing the stairs, I felt overwhelmed by the things I found out this morning. I got into my room and put my robe, which was on the pink armchair. I headed towards my beige, wooden dressing table. I sat on my big pouf and started slowly combing my hair with automatic movements. In the meantime, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes looked hollow, and I had purple rings engraved under them. My hair was also in a mess! And there was a sore spot behind my head. I touched that point with my hand and made a sour face. I must have hit my head harder than I thought during Alejandro’s attack. I checked my arm. The bandage which Carmen made skillfully was covering the thin, long scar entirely.
I got up from my seat, threw myself onto the bed, and closed my eyes. I still couldn’t believe what had just happened. Carmen’s words were still echoing in my head. I tried to clear my mind for a while, but eventually, I gave up. There was no escape from these thoughts. Sooner or later, I had to think things through. I think I could somehow handle all of it if it weren’t for my mom. My heart sank as I thought about her, and I saw my mother’s petite and kind face right before my eyes. She was smiling at me. The moment I saw her smile, I opened my eyes. I couldn’t look at her face right now. My loving mother… No… I really just wanted to hate her. I knew now that she deserved it. Still, I just couldn’t bring myself to hate her.
“You betrayed my father and us. You’re responsible for everything that happened,” I said as if she could hear me. But it was more like I was trying to convince myself. After many painful minutes, I finally managed to close my eyes and surrendered to sleep.
This time my dream was neither about Alejandro’s marble-like face nor Rio’s warnings. It was about my mom. We were sitting together on our favorite floral couch in the garden. It was a sweet afternoon. The moment I saw my mother, I tightly wrapped my arms around her and smelled her hair. It smelled just like my childhood: Safety and home-like. I was in my mother’s arms like I was meant to be. When I was in her arms, no one could harm me, and I was far away from the nonsense of the world. I was so happy for a moment… I didn’t want this moment to fade away. Then I remembered what she had done to us. How she ruined the image of my loving mother, whom I remembered and missed. How she stole my dreams... Suddenly, I went cold, and even though it was excruciatingly hard for me, I backed away from her. She gave me a puzzled look.
“Mom,” I said. “Why did you do it? How could you do this to us?” I couldn’t help crying.
She gave me one of her perfect smiles. She reached out to me, and I couldn’t help myself and go to her. She held me in her arms and swayed me back and forth like I was a little baby.
The environment changed. This time we were at the seaside. The turquoise waves were mingling with a light breeze, painting the shores with white foams. The white sand was burning hot beneath my feet, and the chirping of the birds was perfectly peaceful. Suddenly, I realized I was not alone on this lovely beach. My sisters were also there. They were making sandcastles and swimming. I also saw myself. I was only four years old. We were standing in the knee-high water. Lana was splashing water at me. I was watching everything from a distance. I suddenly I realized. This was our Caribbean cruise where we had the time of our lives. My mom and dad were sunbathing. They were whispering and smiling at each other.
My dad dropped a kiss on my mother’s lips. “Do you see, darling? Our biggest dream has finally come true. I hope you liked my little surprise,” he said, smiling. My mother smiled him back brightly. “I couldn’t be happier, my love,” she said.
We were all so happy. There was a lump in my throat as I relived those moments.
The environment changed again. We were back in our garden. I was still crying in my mother’s arms. My tears slowed down as I got distracted by the memory of our past. When I could finally talk again, I poured my heart to her. “Why, mom? Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you to deserve this?” My sobbing nearly muffled my voice… I hadn’t cried like this in a long time.
My mom smiled at me as if I wasn’t the one who had been crying in her lap.
“When the right time comes, you are going to understand Mia. However, you must be careful as the prophecy will indeed come true. Just try to keep the damage as minimal as possible when it’s time. Especially for you, Mia. Please be cautious. Promise me, okay?”
When I heard her sweet voice once again, my hatred faded away. I nodded like a little child whose mother told her to behave. She smiled at me pleasantly.
I woke up crying. My pillow was wet with tears. I quickly got up from the bed and went to the bathroom. I thought having a shower might help me to gather my thoughts, but I was wrong. The hot water unwound my nerves, and that caused me to cry even more. This was not working, obviously. I got out of the shower and went over to my big closet. The minute I opened it, four blouses dropped on the floor. I quickly put one of them on and showed the rest of the blouses back into the closet. Carmela was not going to be happy about this. I opened a drawer and wore the first pair of jeans that came to my hand. I stalled myself by looking in the mirror. That was the only way to keep my mind occupied. After a couple of minutes, I decided to make a few retouches. Some mascara and eye pencil. That was it. I was against wearing too much make-up anyway. I let my hair down as I always do.
Going to the study room seemed like the best idea. I decided to study for a couple of hours even though it was the last week of school. Studying helped me keep being focused, and I was finally able to get my mind off of what happened for a while.
After trying to study for a while, I gave up and decided to go downstairs. Before I went to the kitchen, I took a swift glance at the living room, and I saw Aida. She was having snacks with Rosa in front of the TV.
“Hey Rosa, how are you holding up?” I said, not because I really wanted to know or anything… “Oh, I’m fine. Hey, I like your blouse. By the way, I heard what happened. I mean, whoa! That’s kinda cool! I mean all those handsome guys... I don’t understand why you are trying to get rid of them! I say you enjoy it while you can. If you know what I mean…” I tried my best not to roll my eyes at her. What a pity. That was probably the hormones talking. I could only hope that she wouldn’t influence Aida.
“Where is everyone?”
“Carmela went to her shop. Lana is in the town center. Sophia went to the channel building, and Carmen is making dinner in the kitchen.”
Carmela was running a hairdresser saloon. Lana was at the headquarters of the company she had been working. Sophia was at the channel building where she works as a news reporter, and apparently, Carmen was still home. I thought about where to go and decided that I sure as hell didn’t want to stay here and listen to Aida and Rosa’s teenage problems, so I decided to go to the kitchen. I was quite hungry, anyway.
When I entered the kitchen, Carmen was cooking with her back turned to me.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked. I wondered how she noticed that it was me who walked in. Sometimes I forgot that we had our abilities.
“Yes,” I said and grabbed one of the hamburgers she made.
“I saw my mother,” I added.
She paused for a moment and then shrugged. “Did she say anything?”
“She warned us.”
Carmela
didn’t ask anything else after this. “Mia, something happened…” She paused and took a deep breath. I prepared myself for the worst. While I was wondering what could have happened, she spoke: “They’re sending someone.”
“What?” I said, “who?”
“A Zathef… They found out what happened, and the council thinks they need to step in.”
Suddenly I heard the door open. I used my ability to sense, and I felt whoever came in was a Zathef. He or she was neither evil nor good. Completely neutral like how Zathefs are supposed to be. I’ve never met a Zathef before, so I didn’t exactly know what to expect.
I left the kitchen with Carmen. We all went to the entrance and exchanged glances. Aida and Rosa were praying for the visitor to be handsome. I rolled my eyes at them.
Carmen opened the door without any hesitation, and we all gazed in wonder at our visitor behind the door.
It was a woman. Her hair was such a pale blond that it almost looked white under the shimmering sun, and she had baby blue eyes. Her blouse was unzipped all the way to her belly, revealing her not so modest chest. This woman who seemed to be in her early thirties somehow managed to look both like a cover girl from a men’s magazine and a businesswoman all at the same time.
“Hello,” she said. We couldn’t help staring.
“I’m Julia.” We all kept gawking at her. She smiled politely. “Aren’t you going to let me in?”
Is this how Zathefs look like? She didn’t much look like a savior to me.
“Oh, silly me! I’m so sorry, please come in,” said Carmen.
I looked at my left side. Aida and Rosa were grimacing. They went back to the living room without saying a word.
Julia politely smiled after them. “You are Mia, and you must be Carmen.”
We went back to the kitchen. I was about to close the door when we heard the clanging sound of the key. Apparently, Lana, Carmela, and Sophia left their jobs early to come home. I glanced at Carmen with questioning eyes.
“I called them while you were sleeping. It’s not safe for them to be outside with everything that’s been happening. We better stay here together,” she said.
When my sisters saw the Zathef - Oh, I’m sorry! I meant Julia, our savior- They were astonished. Still, they sat beside the dining table, trying to conceal their emotions. Only Carmen and Julia were still standing up. They were still holding eye contact as if they could talk through some invisible beams coming out of their eyes. Carmen slowly nodded, which meant that I was probably right. I seemed to be the only one who noticed it.
Julia started speaking. “According to the law, Aida doesn’t have the authority to hear us until she fully becomes an Azurite, so before I start, I’m afraid I need to ask her to step out of the room.” Aida opened her mouth to protest, but I stopped her by gently touching her arm.
“Do as she says,” I said. “It's for the best."
She gave me a piercing look. I knew later she'd blackmail me into telling her everything. After Aida reluctantly left the room, Julia continued.
"I assume you all know why I was sent here. I know all about the dreams.”
“And what are you planning to do about it?” Sophia asked wearily.
“I’m here to educate and inform you about what's going to happen next. In other words, I’m your temporary guide.”
“Are you going to leave after that?”
“Only if we are all still alive…”
Sophia got up from her chair. She poured some water into the kettle and then reached for the coffee on the shelf. “Does anyone else want some coffee?” We all raised our hands except our new guide Julia. She just made a sour face.
“Don’t you like coffee?” asked Lana.
“Oh! Of course, I don’t. I can even barely stand the smell. Let’s say I have acquired a more…unique taste when it comes to food,” answered Julia.
Suddenly I had a million different scenarios and visions in my mind about what her acquired taste could be. Since she was a Zathef, she could feed on almost anything. I immediately regretted my curiosity.
With a sudden shattering sound, we all turned our heads to Sophia. The coffee jar was broken, and there was coffee everywhere. But that wasn't the thing that caught all of our attention.
One second Sophia was on her knees, and the next, she was screaming her lungs out! Her eyes were Azurite blue, and her gaze was fixed on the entrance door. After a few seconds, she dropped down on the floor. Carmen sat beside her. She held her head in her arms. Julia’s face was unreadable. Carmela and I were standing behind Lana, all stunned.
Sophia screamed once more. “He is coming!” she said. We were all shocked. We didn’t know what to expect. In fact, we didn’t expect her to say anything because she never spoke during a vision until now. She foresaw things before, but none of them was this strong.
“Who is coming and what for?” asked Carmen. She looked worried too.
Sophia screamed one last time, and she turned her eyes to Lana, Carmela, and I. Before she closed her eyes, she took a deep breath and slowly raised her hand to point at me. Suddenly all eyes turned on me. I was frightened. I knew, Alejandro was coming. For me. For me!!! After a few selfish seconds, I felt relieved. At least Aida and the others were not going to get harmed. At least that was what I hoped.
Lana held Sophia in her arms and carried her to the living room through the kitchen door, which Carmen held open for them. We followed her. Lana laid Sophia down carefully on the red sofa.
Nobody was talking. Everyone was in shock. But I felt calm. Alejandro was going to take me, not them. This thought relieved me, yet it wasn’t enough to wipe away my fear. Sophie pointed at me. I felt completely numb. I was shadowing the others, but my mind was elsewhere.
Just then, we heard someone knocking on the door. Everyone jumped. Julia stepped forward, and Carmen followed her like the rest of us. I walked past them. Julia shook her head.
“No,” I said.
“He is here for me, and I can’t let him harm anyone else. Especially them.” I pointed at Aida and Rosa. Julia thought about this a little while, and then she slowly nodded.
I went to the door with slow but persistent steps. It felt like everything was in slow motion. My steps were too slow, my hands were too heavy, and my eyes were too blurry to see. I forgot to breathe.
I grabbed the doorknob and tightly closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and opened the door without knowing what to expect.
CHAPTER 6
I blinked confusedly. Astonishingly, it wasn’t Alejandro.
Surprise! Surprise!
It was Rio.
Just for a moment, I was filled with relief, but then the panic took over me. My mouth fell open. My emotions were a mess! Nothing good or bad, dark or light, dirty or clean; just vast emptiness. What stood in front of me was just a handsome -and smiling- face and a quite athletic body. I wasn’t sure if I should've been thrilled that he didn’t come for me or fear that Rio’s arrival was only an omen of doom? I tried to pull myself together, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t decide on my next move. Typically I would decide how to react in these kinds of situations based on my instincts and my Azurite talent, yet the person standing in front of me was an abyss, obscurity, or maybe a bottomless cliff, waiting for me to jump in.
He was grinning patiently. “Aren’t you going to let me in, Mia?”
I couldn’t believe his audacity! He was acting as if we’d been friends forever, and he was just paying me a visit. How could he have been so annoyingly calm! He seemed sure that we were going to let him in. As far as I could tell by the silence, my sisters left me to make the first move. Had Rio happened to decide to burn down our house after I let him in, it would be entirely my fault. I thought about it for a moment; if he meant any harm, he wouldn’t ask to be let in, would he? Even though I couldn’t sense his intentions, I decided to let him in for the sake of the cuteness of his grin.
I didn’t say a word at first. I just politely pointed towards the living ro
om. His grin widened. He kept looking at me as he walked in. Suddenly, a loud, hissing noise surprised me. I found myself staring at Julia, who was oddly hissing back at Rio. Just then, it dawned on me. Julia and Rio were hissing at each other like they were two wild animals fighting over prey, and I was on the wrong side of this fight. Well, technically, I didn’t mean to be beside him. Rio had been the one who pulled me closer to himself with a single move.
“What are you doing here?” Julia asked in anger. She threw herself between Rio and my sisters. She was no longer that petite woman from before. Her eyes were ablaze. She seemed like she could grow fangs and tear off Rio’s neck any second.
“What the hell are you doing here, Julia?”
“I’m a Zathef Rio, did you forget? But you’re still…”
“Shut your mouth, Julia. This is not the place for this kind of talk.” He gestured towards us.
“Get out and leave them alone.” hissed Julia.
“No, Julia… You get out,” he said, annoyingly calm.
Julia fell silent. She just lightly nodded. I suppose she was communicating with someone via telepathy again. She turned her eyes to Carmen, and they stared at each other for a while, and then Carmen nodded too. Julia was still in a defensive posture. She threw a glance at Rio, who had been keeping me behind himself.
“Do not tell them anything forbidden, or I will personally punish you!”
Rio grinned widely but kept still. “You’re bluffing.”
“Don’t try me, Rio. You better take this seriously,” said Julia sneering.
“Just leave Julia. You have to follow orders; you should know this better than anyone.” He laughed nervously.
“You’ve only got one week, not a second more. That’s all they gave you. When I come back in a week, we don’t want to see a trace of you in this house.”