Reactions

It was cold.

The cave or the fact I was walking beside a ghost, I couldn't quite figure it out but as we walked on, I had so much ringing through my mind but the major question was– How did I get here? Not this cave, I mean this point. If I can remember, life was much simpler weeks back and now I am entangled in this insanity I badly wish to come out of. Something of course that seems impossible. 

"You still doubt yourself." Mom said to me.

"Maybe if you had given me a heads up sooner, I wouldn't be plus stop talking to me, you said it yourself I'm the only visible one. "  I responded in a whisper. 

We took a turn and I could see something bizarre from where we stood– Sarah, wearing a black dress and maintaining a yoga position with her eyes closed. She was floating in the air and beneath her were burning candles and some Vudu materials. Even an old book that lay open. She looked like one in deep meditation or was she trying to seek me out? 

"Believe me now?" Mom inquired. 

"If you are trying to win my trust, I am afraid you will be doing more than this and what the heck is she doing?" I replied, still trying to make sense of the scenario.

"Trying to draw strength from the Darkness." Mom told me. 

There was something about the way she said what she said, it took my eyes to her. About to ask further questions, she interrupted.

"She has always been this way. Desperate for ultimate power. Her background story isn't so nice, you could almost not blame her but then again, we decide our outcome and are responsible for whatever fate we bring upon ourselves." She said, 

"So, she wasn't always like this," I asked.

"Hmm"  Mom responded. 

"She has always been the dangerous one. The angry one. The– vengeful one." She added.

"Those are reactions," I said, 

"Yes, they are." She replied.

"Prompted by what?" I inquired.

"I'll tell my own story" Sarah's voice echoed throughout the cave. 

Startled, I realised she was no longer in her position. I turned around and she was right behind me.

"How did you?" I asked, frightened, trying to understand how she kept on defeating the laws of physics. 

"So much I can do, yet so much more you can do. It's a shame you choose to remain naive for longer." She told me.

"Where's she?" She asked me.

"Where is who?" I asked back.

"Oh come on, don't play games with me child. We both know she is somewhere around here. She showed you the way." She added. 

She gesticulates funny, like one possessed with the spirit of the devil himself. Her eyes were like that of a serpent, looking at her was terrifying. 

"It's just you and I," I assured her.

"I see. She forever remains a coward, even in death!" She said, with much stress on the last word.

"Hey! You will not disrespect the memory of my mother!" I warned.

"I am your true mother!" She yelled back. This time, her words sounded like a chorus sung by many.

"You conceived me, She birthed me," I said confidently.

"I don't have time for this." She said, "Have you made up your mind or not?" She added.

"When you get the powers, what do you intend to use them for?" I asked her.

"Oh. She told you to ask me that?" She responded.

"Can you for one minute hide your obsession with my mother?" I fired.

"My mother, you say, hmm. I take it that I was right. You don't refer to her like she was dead. She is here, isn't she?" She responded slowly and then I watched her eyes roll about like a hunter's. 

"I could smoke you out like the rat you are, Diana." She added, referring to my mom. 

"Leave her out of this," I warned.

"Oh but that isn't possible my dear Annette. Not when she is– all of this."  She said, 

"She shouldn't be able to do that." Mom said to me. "Unless.." She added.

"I see you right beside her, Diana, I hear you too." She said confidently.

"What's going on? What's she talking about? Unless what?" I whimpered my words from the ends of my lips. 

"All you Whiters see yourselves as omniscient and omnipotent. As the Alphas and omegas. You have no idea what's coming for you. For centuries you have seen us as the ones destined for condemnation, oppressed us, used us and then betrayed us, but not anymore. We will end you. Your pathetic kingdom of light will fall and so will every elder and ascendant, none and nothing will be spared, and the dawn of the Darkers shall begin."  Sarah swore, looking straight at my mom who thought she wasn't visible.

She said all she said with so much certainty. As confused as I was about it all, I could feel she wasn't blabbing, she was up to something evil and with that much conviction, anyone should be worried. 

"You need my powers for chaos," I said, disappointed.  

She withdrew her face from my mom and fixed her eyes on me with a devilish smile.

"So naive.." She said to me, "your power is Chaos itself." She added. 

My eyes flickered uncontrollably. 

"She keeps lying to you." She added, turning away.

"Do not listen to her." Mom said to me.

"She refuses to tell you the whole story and you know what they say, a half-truth is a whole lie," Sarah said, 

"Enough, Sarah! " Mom yelled. 

I watched Sarah turn back towards us.

"You allow the darkness to mislead you. It will only corrupt you, use you, kill you!"  Mom said, 

"The darkness only opened my eyes to see the verity.  You have always spoken with so much spite of the Darkness, upheld the ways of your Kingdom of light, yet you are the one dead! Where were they? Why couldn't they save you?" Sarah responded swiftly and mockingly.

"We cannot live forever. We are not immortals, we are only saddled with powers to protect and defend the realms–" Mom said, 

–" And yet, I live."  Sarah smiled with open arms.

"You have gone too far to be so." Mom told her. 

"All that matters is it's real," Sarah said, 

"The journey you embark on will only destroy you and your followers." Mom warned. I had never seen her so furious.

"Trust me, you have no idea about the journey to the kingdom of Light," Sarah said with a grin. 

I could see it worried Mom even though she tried her best to hide it. At this point, I needed an explanation. 

"Thinking of leaving so soon? Don't you wish to hear my story anymore?" Sarah asked me.

"Stay out of my head," I told her.

"No can't do. You are in my space, everything and everyone here answers to me. Your thoughts, your will, your fear.." She said, as she slowly moved closer to me.

"We have to go." Mom said, 

" Go with her and she will keep feeding you more lies. '' Sarah assured me.

"You made a mistake yet again, Diana. You brought her right where I need her." Sarah said, 

"Get us out of here, Ann!" Mom had become frightened, I could tell.

I don't know what held me back, but it seemed hard to leave. 

"She is trying to get in your head, she mustn't. You must be the stronger one. Get us out of here now! She isn't the Sarah I knew!" Mom yelled. 

"Ann!!" She yelled even louder.

And that was it. The last thing I remembered was Sarah's face turning into something no one needs to see in their sleep. Her claws had pierced my left arm as she tried to hold me down from disappearing and now I could feel the sting. I held on to it.

"Let me see." Mom said, kneeling before me as I sat on the couch.

"She took your blood." Mom said, worriedly. 

"What, why do you say it like that?" I panicked.

 "She might want to bond with you too like I did the pendant." She replied.

"Wait what? Meaning she could summon me whenever? wherever? Have access to me as she wishes?" I rushed my words. 

"You should relax, I might be the bigger target as her gateway into the kingdom of light. Since in your blood, she will find mine. Her plan might be to enslave me for benefits." Mom responded.

"How can you be so cool about it? This puts you in every form of danger and what is this kingdom of light? The Whiters and the Darkers? Everything she talked about back there, what was all that? Do you really think this is the best time to hide things from me?" I asked her and she could tell I was disgruntled. 

"You had better start talking because I am not sure you have enough time to keep this up. I need you and you need me. For f*ck sake, my lover is dying!" I yelled in her face, seeing she was still unwilling to speak.

"My life right now is twisted! Feels like an incursion and you can help me fix things. Why–won't–you?" 

I just couldn't understand it.