by M. K. ROZE
She leaned back and laughed. “That’s better.”
I looked away.
“Now, listen carefully. In the fifteenth century, you were a goddess who was killed by one of the many enemies you had. Eighteen years ago, you were reincarnated by a God you know, but whose name I’m forbidden to say.”
I screamed and shook in the chair as tears ran down my face.
She continued. “Your birth parents didn’t want you because you were nothing but an inserted soul. Now, for the final finale. At one month of age, you, my delicious Viata, were adopted by the Vandell’s.”
I panted as I stared at her blankly in disbelief.
Muma smiled. “You can speak now, but speak wisely, for I may want to hurt you.” She slammed her cane down on the hard 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? This is crazy.”
“Would you like me to tie you down and repeat myself?” She looked serious.
“Let me think. No, because I don’t believe anything you told me.”
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 Mihnea missed.”
I wiped the slime off my face. “Don’t touch me again, or Mihnea 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. “Please don’t hurt me.”
Her face became calm. “Oh, please, child. I’m only showing you what you’re up against. This is only 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.
I got up off the floor, brushed the dirt off my hands and sat back down.
“Who killed me five hundred years ago?”
She grinned, got up and walked behind me. “Mihnea will answer that question when he’s able to. Until then, tell him what I told you. I want my supper tonight.”
“What?”
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 we came and looked over my shoulder to see if she was following me. Nothing was there, and the hut was gone. I ran faster until I saw the castle up ahead. By then, the burning in my chest was so bad that I had to stop. I must be dreaming. This can’t be real.
Tears started to freeze 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,” a voice said in my ear. It sounded like Mihnea.
I got up slowly and looked behind me, but no one was there.
The leopard turned around and walked away.
I stood there not knowing what to do.
The leopard stopped 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 out beneath me, causing me to collapse on the snow.
My lungs were frozen, and my body felt weak. “Mihnea, I bawled. Please help me.” My voice was weak.
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 furry neck, with my legs on each side of him and blacked out.
My eyes shot open. I was lying on the bed back in the Inn with the window wide open. How did I get here?
I got up, closed the window and saw 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 was taking place was beyond comprehension and unlike anything I’d experienced in my life so far.
“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 them on Facetime because I wanted to see the look in their eyes.
On the second ring, my mother’s worried face appeared.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked.
“He’s right here, honey. Where are you? Please, I have to know that you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. Go get Dad and sit him 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 said.
I turned away again.
“Honey, what is it?” Mom asked.
I placed the phone’s camera up to my eyes. “Am I adopted?”
Please, please say no.
Mom’s eyes widened, and she ran away.
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, and I tossed the phone on the floor. “No, no, no way. This can’t be true.”
“Viata!” Dad yelled.
I picked it back up. “I-I just had another dream with an evil witch. She told me I was a goddess who was reincarnated then adopted.”
Mom jumped back on. “Honey, where are you. Let us come and get you.”
“No! My dreams are real. This must be the reason I keep having visions.”
“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 Aunt Jessica put you under hypnosis, the male nurse was questioning her about your adoption. It’s on camera. Your father and I saw it with our own eyes.”
I stared blankly at them. “What about the goddess part?”
“Do you honestly believe that you were a goddess?” Dad asked.
I sighed and turned away.
“Honey, it seems that whatever you watched or heard, you dream or have visions about it. Remember all the fairy-tail movies you used to watch?”
I nodded.
“That’s where you’re getting it from. Please let us come and get you,” Mom cried.
They seemed sincere, but I turned away again still thinking.
“Viata,” Dad said, “we love you. Please come home, and we’ll tell you everything. Okay?”
Never having seen my dad cry like that, I sighed and turned to the
m again. “I’m all alone, scared, and don’t have anyone,” I sobbed. “I need you guys. Please come and get me. I’m here in Romania, at the Inn.”
“Romania?” Mom said and looked at Dad. “Okay, we’ll get the next flight out. Please stay right there,” she pleaded.
I assured them I would and ended the video.
I curled up where I sat and cried. I loved them, even though I was adopted. They were among the few real people I had left. It only made sense to believe them and not some stupid dream.
After a long time of thinking, I took two pills, hoping I wouldn’t dream. At 2:17 in the morning, animals were fighting outside the balcony. It was loud, so I put the pillow over my head and fell asleep.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
UNSEEN
My parents came and got me from Romania the following afternoon. When I saw them, I was furious but forgave them because they were only trying to give me a better life. They gave me eighteen years of unconditional love, and I wasn’t about to let them go.
At my parents’ house, my mother was a wreck. I tried to console her, but I don’t think it helped.
My head filled with images of what happened to me in Romania. I was still confused and didn’t know how to 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 my aunt.
The following morning, I went to the police station for questioning about my aunt’s 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 caught my eye up in the corner of the room.
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 said.
Dad placed his hand on mine.
I looked down at the metal table.
“Ms. Vandell, please tell me why you left the country after your aunt’s murder.”
My heart was pounding so quickly I placed my chest against the edge of the table, hoping the pressure would make it subside. “I was scared.”
“Why Romania?” he asked, his black brows furrowed.
I was momentarily distracted, watching him chew off the dead skin on his bottom lip. “I’ve never seen someone get killed 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, push a man through a brick wall. Do you work out?”
I shook my head and looked at Dad.
Dad looked down.
“Huh. Were you on any drugs that day?” Detective Maverick asked.
“No, I was just upset and charged him. That’s all.”
“Okay. Do you know of any enemies that your aunt had?”
“What do you think? She was my aunt, not my husband.”
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 got 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.
On our way out of the police station, Dad stopped and turned to me. “Don’t you ever disrespect the law like that again.”
I gulped. We continued to the car. “Am I a suspect?”
Dad opened the passenger door for me. “No, it’s over for now.”
On the way home, I could see that he was still upset with my actions. At a red light, Dad turned to me. “I didn’t want to say anything back there, but how did you manage to toss me on the hood of your car?”
I looked out the window. “I can’t remember. Maybe it was an adrenaline rush from being mad.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think so.”
As we were pulling in, Dad turned off the car. “Viata, I know that you’re going through an awful lot. Just know that I love you and would never hurt you.”
“I know you wouldn’t. I’m sorry for being a jerk back there.”
We hugged one another and walked inside.
Mom was on the couch. “Please, sit?” she asked.
I knew by the look in her eyes she was going to ask me tons of questions, so I prepared myself. I sat across from them, folded my arms and let out a loud sigh.
“Honey, are you sure you never met the man that killed my sister?”
“Mom, seriously. No, I never met him before.”
“Jules, she just went over this with Detective Maverick,” Dad said.
Mom came over and sat next to me. “I’m sorry, Viata.”
I hugged her. “Where are my biological parents? Did you meet them? And why didn’t they want me?”
I faced her, and we held hands.
“Honey,” she said, softly. “I couldn’t have any children. Being that your father and I had met in Romania, we thought it would be a great idea to adopt there.”
“Why didn’t they want me?” I sniffled.
Mom looked over at my dad.
Dad nodded his head for her to tell me.
Mom turned back to me. “They told us that they thought that you looked and acted differently, so they placed you up for adoption.”
“Why, because of my hair and alien eyes?”
Mom looked down. “I know it’s awful, but yes, that’s what they said.”
“Well, that’s no reason to get rid of your child.”
“I know, sweetie.” She rubbed my back. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“Their loss. I was probably better off without them.”
Mom finally stopped crying. “This is why we wanted you to go to Romania with us. I was going to tell you while at the hospital, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”
“Is that the reason you were so upset? What about my baby pictures? Or was that a lie too?”
“We have your baby picture from there, but it’s with you and your real parents. I’m sorry for lying,” Mom said. “Do you want to see it?”
“No, not now. When is Aunt Jessica’s funeral?”
Mom started to cry again.
I hugged her. “I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“Your aunt never wanted a funeral,” Dad said. “In her will, she asked for family and friends to get together. It will probably be sometime next week. We understand if you don’t want to go being you just went to Kaylee’s.”
“Of course, I’ll go.” I held both my parents. “I’m so sorry.”
We hugged one another for what seemed to be forever.
When Mom was feeling better, I went outside and sat on the bench. I needed time to think. My life felt like it was slowly ripping apart. After a few deep breaths, I calmed down.
As I was thinking about what took place in the past couple of months, a door opened, then Liam came out, walking Cujo over toward me. As they got closer, Cujo started to growl.
“Cujo,” I said, stretching my hand out for him to smell it.
Cujo looked past me, unresponsive to my friendly approach. He barked sharply and leapt at me.
“Whoa, sit down,” Liam yelled and yanked back on the leash, causing Cujo to whimper, but he kept trying to get at me.
I jumped over the bench so that the possessed dog wouldn’t bite me. “What the hell is wrong with him?”
Liam yelled at Cujo to calm down, still trying to restrain him. “I don’t know. Hold on. Let me put him away.”
When they were gone, I sat back down and caught my breath. I felt like something was behind me, but when I turned around, nothing was there.
Liam returned and joined me on the bench. His eyes were swollen like he’d bee
n crying.
“Damn,” he said. “First, you toss your father onto the hood of your car. Second, your front lawn looked like a murder scene. And now Cujo just tried to attack you. What’s going on with you, Viata? Are you on something?”
I slammed my hands down to my side and turned to him. “Liam, I can’t deal with this right now. I just watched my aunt get killed.”
“What?” he looked away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. What happened?”
I calmed down and told him. Then I asked him to tell Kaylee because I didn’t want to repeat myself.
Liam gently touched my shoulder. “Viata, Kaylee’s dead.”
I put my legs up and buried my face in my chest.
He rubbed my back. “It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot lately.”
I turned to him. “I don’t mean to sound mean, but I need some time alone, okay?”
“Understood.” He got up and walked away with his head down.
I elbowed the bench and cried until there were no more tears left.
That night I tried to eat stuffed peppers, but I had no appetite, so I took a pill and went into my room. I grabbed my carry-on bag and unpacked it from when I went to Romania. When I opened it, a wet dog smell came from it. I took my clothes out and smelled each of them. At first, I couldn’t find where the smell was coming from until I came to the jeans I wore when I thought I saw Muma. I smelled them and saw a few black long hairs stuck on the front of them. I tossed them on the floor and shook my head in disbelief. “No way. That wasn’t real.”
I got in bed and lay there crying, not sure of what to believe anymore.
Morning came quickly like always, and my misery was once again taking control. I needed to get out of my parents’ house and go back to mine. I felt independent and was changing in some strange way I couldn’t define.
My parents didn’t like the fact that I was leaving, but I assured them that I would be fine, and needed to get back to school. Mom suggested that more time off would be a good thing because it was only a few days since Kaylee’s and my aunt’s death, but I thought differently. I told them I needed to keep myself busy. They told me they would pay all the rent until I was back on my feet.
Dad waved good-bye, and Mom leaned her head on Dad’s shoulder as I pulled out of the driveway. I could see the pain in her tearful eyes. Usually, I’d be crying too, but I felt anger instead, and couldn’t seem to turn it off.