Chapter 7: Web Of Deceit

Sitting at the dining table were the twins together with their mother and their father who were believed to be out on a business trip in mexico. They were eating so peacefully when Alexa started asking about Matilda's whereabouts, questioning the strangeness of their friends being sick at the same time together with that poor Elaine. No one was minding her as she went on talking about them but as she continued talking about them especially Matilda, talking about how she was unique, quiet, secretive and lonely. Her mother interrupted her from then on and asked her who was this Matilda, she was bluffing about, and couldn't they have their breakfast with peace without her disturbing their peacefulness and did she always have to act concerned about others especially with complete strangers whom she didn't know very well. Alexa then answered her mom telling her she knew them and they were her classmates and was just concerned about them or was it wrong. Then a huge debate hitted when Alexis joined the conversation saying Alexa was just being dramatic, who would care for an old rag like Matilda or even worry about her and as for Elaine she was probably sick because of poverty. Whereas for Suzette and Alice, they would have no reason to absent themselves from school unless they were very sick so it was obvious they were sick. She then started to make funny memes about Matilda of how she dresses and walks. Alexs got angry and described her as heartless, selfish and snobbish. Alexis then couldn't stand being insulted by her, she too retaliated and started cursing her saying she was weak. They both started shouting out loud nasty words to each other until their mother had to interfere and demanded to see neither Matilda nor Elaine who were the reason for this argument. They were now quiet as Alexa searched for Matilda's photo from her cellphone as Alexis went on saying "Mom won't approve of her, she is low for your standards", she said eating her food. Alexa found the picture and showed it to her mother. Mrs Heinz closed and opened her eyes. She couldn't believe it, she had thought for years that she had killed her. It was impossible for her to survive and as she zoomed in close, Matilda's photo transformed into a puppet that she was now, the puppet she cursed her into. She then started to have flashbacks of that day, of how the phoenixes took her powers and transformed her to this ordinary human. She then got angry and tried to delete the photo but her hands just froze and turned gray, she kept hearing Matilda's voice laughing at her as she had done 30 years ago to Matilda. She then kept shouting "it's ain't true l, you're not alive, I killed you, meaning you're dead" and shouting "Stop, this ain't real, it's just my mind playing tricks on me". Alexa who was now confused took her phone from her mother seeing she could break it whereas Alexis fetched water for her. She gave her the glass of water but as Mrs Heinz took the glass she saw Matilda the puppet laughing at her terrified face from the glass. She then broke the glass and ran downstairs. The two sisters followed her. She got downstairs and entered through the basement but that was not a basement it was a room filled with long devastating stairs , it was just another place. It was filled with soldiers and warriors making swords, pigments and creating spells. The twin sisters were stunned. Mrs Heinz got into a secret room and told one of the elves to give her the magic mirror. The two sisters got scared of the elves and stood at bay and watched their mother. She then called out "Mirror, mirror on the wall, what is it that I'm not seeing, where is that puppet?". The mirror then glowed white and showed an image of a puppet sleeping although it didn't show where it was but the puppet did look like Matilda the puppet. Mrs Heinz touched her hair, squeezed her mouth and asked the mirror to show her the puppet human's version. The mirror glowed white again and showed a little eighteen year old and that was Matilda in the past before she was cursed. Mrs Heinz couldn't believe it and ran back upstairs shouting at the twins to come out and locked the place using her secret code and the sheer bracelet. She then took her cell phone and called her husband, Mr Heinz. She told him everything that they were in great danger, that their fears were becoming a reality and should prepare for war as she warned him about Lindsay's daughter being alive. Mr Heinz told her he would be home by Friday and also told her about the missing bracelet being worn by Mr Goldberg's granddaughter named Elaine. The queen immediately dropped the call as she heard Elaine's name being mentioned by her husband and asked the twins who was Elaine, did she wore any necklace and was she the one they spoke about earlier. The twins who were both confused, anxious and terrified answered that she was their classmate hesitantly. They had never seen their mother like that before. They showed her Elaine's photo. The queen couldn't believe it when she saw the bracelet being worn by Elaine as her husband had said she now started being concerned about their friends, Suzette, Alice, Elaine and Matilda whereabouts and she even sent the twins to school to see if they had gone to school today. The twins quickly made their way to school. (Elaine's home) Elaine sat depressed in her bed, looking and talking to walls, her pillow compressed in her arms, her eyes filled with tears and sorrow. She had long forgotten she had to wake and prepare for school. Even when the alarm rang, she turned it off and continued to cry. Her mother had finished bathing when she noticed that Elaine's room was still locked and she had heard the alarm ring several times but never heard her daughter coming out of her room. She then went to Elaine's room and tried to open the door but it was locked. Elaine quickly wiped her tears, made her room messier, took her school books and scattered them in bed so it would look like she spent the whole night studying. She then opened the door. Her mother was standing angrily by the door and the moment she felt the door open she said "How long was I supposed to stand at this door?"She asked to enter and told her to go and bathe. She was indeed impressed to see that her daughter had been studying and was probably the reason why her eyes were red while studying in Elaine's bedroom. Her daughter was busy dragging her feets going to the bathroom. She slowly opened the bathtub, undressed, bathed and wore her school clothes. She then went for breakfast whereas her mother left for work and her grandfather still asleep. Shewas busy eating when she received a text message saying she should come it was agent from Alice. Elaine quickly went to her room and took her school bag, went to his grandfather and told him she was now leaving. Before her grandfather could have said anything she had already left. Elaine's grandfather then woke up, bathed and made his way to the kitchen to eat. He was already in the kitchen's door when he heard something falling from the basement. He then slowly made his way down there. When he got to the basement he found his treasure chest opened but everything was still inside, his sword was still in there. He first thought it were gangsters but how because no human would be able to open the treasure chest unless it were someone with supernatural powers or magic and why would gangsters open an old ramshackled chest. He then sat down in his old chair when he noticed small footsteps and a hole at the roof. When he examined the footsteps, it were the footsteps of an Abjure. He then took his microscope and looked at them and as he followed they led him back to his treasure chest and on top of his sword was a star stone written "Destination OZ". He took the star stone and looked at it. He had no clue what it was but he knew every time the Riven kingdom sent an Abjure something dangerous was coming. But the star stone also had his son's emblem. He tried to find other clues to help him connect the two symbols but he found none. He then sat down again and thought. He couldn't understand the words and what was his son doing at the Riven kingdom, wasn't he at work in Mexico but he also realized he hadn't heard from him ever since he left. He once again looked at the emblem, he then saw a code in it. He couldn't read it. The letters and numbers were too small. E then knew his son was trying to tell him something or perhaps was in danger. He then stood up and closed the treasure chest and placed it in his bedroom and licked the door. He took with him his star stone together with the microscope and left to find clues following the footsteps of the Abjure. Elaine was walking from the streets and a car just stood in front of her, and a window slowly opened. She stopped walking and looked at it as it opened. It was her friend Suzette peeking from the window and whispering "get in". Elaine smiled and hoped in. Suzette then drove the car headed straight to Alice's house. They had both received the same text messages from her. They had no clue what the messages were about but they knew it had to do with Matilda. They didn't notice the twin's car coming from the south road as they entered east. The twins were both sitting quietly in the car. They were both angrily at one another or perhaps had nothing to talk about. They were confused, each one of them tried to understand what had happened earlier at home. They sat facing different directions as the car continued driving. Alexis was facing the east side as their car approached the east. Her cellphone's battery had died. She sat next to the window watching cars passing by and Suzette's car passed theirs. Suzette was sitting on the other side whereas Elaine sat next to the opposite window. Suzette was focused on driving as Alexis was looking through the window, she saw Elaone and got irritated. She then twitched her sister Alexa to look at poor Elaine sitting in an expensive car. "It's probably they borrowed the car", said Alexa. But wondered who was driving it as they looked at the number plates. They couldn't believe it, the car belonged to Suzette. "Maybe they had hired them or had borrowed it", said Alexa facing north. Alexis was still confused and looked closely at the car as it drove by. "It's turning left, why isn't she going to school, something's wrong here, driver follows that car", said Alexis. The driver did so and followed that car. Suzette's car drove straight, turned around corners from left to right up until it came to a stop at Alice's place. The twins were both amazed, what Elaine was doing at Alice's place with Suzette's car. They then told the driver to park opposite Alice 's house so they could see everything. Elaine first came out from the car and then followed Suzette coming out from the driver's seat. They closed the doors of the car, Suzette followed locking the car. They then entered through the gate and went to the backyard. The twins were now curious and envious of how they could be friends . It was impossible. They hated each other so they followed them into the backyard. It was all quiet when they walked to the backyard and heard the door opening. Elaine and Suzette thought it was Alice's parents, maybe they had caught them. They now know the truth that they are banking school, and this was just a trap. They then ran to hide from the flowers in the garden. Alice came out from the house carrying tea cups and scones. She then stood amazed where they were now and called out "Elaine, Suzette where are you, stop hiding, I know you here!", she said, calling for them. Elaine and Suzette came out laughing and both said "We both thought it were your parents, they've caught us. They all laughed and went to the tree house. "What had happened, did something happen to Matilda?", asked Elaine worried. "No nothing happened, it's just that I freaked out but she is now sleeping", replied Alice rushing to the tree house. "Stop! What do you mean when you say you freaked out, what really happened?", asked Suzette holding Alice's hand. "I..I…I.. ", said Alice, stumbling and shaking. Elaine ran to fetch water from the nearby tap and then to her. Alice drank them and started talking whereas the twins entered from the backyard's hate and had hidden from the gardens trees unseen. Alice explained:

There was too much light coming out from the tree house. It was shining too bright through my window so I woke up and surreptitiously went to see what was going on. I took one of my blankets to close the window so my parents wouldn't notice it shining and start to ask questions. I went out and that's when I heard noise coming out from the tree house as I got closer and closer to it. It grew more and more and I couldn't recognise the voices that were making that noise or it was more of Matilda the puppet, I thought to myself. But I continued climbing the tree house and that's when I noticed some of the staircases broken and there was blood on them. I got worried and rushed inside the treehouse but as I got closer to the door more blood came out from the inside. I then slowly opened the door and as I entered, light shines through my eyes, and I then hear a voice coming from my shoulders telling me to keep quiet and not to scream. It continued to say that it would count up to three and I would then open my eyes. These voices were all squeaky and soft. The voices then counted up to three and then I opened my eyes. The light shined less as I opened my eyes and when I looked at my shoulders I saw two fairies standing on me, a boy and a girl so tiny. Before I could have screamed they closed my mouth. I then looked down from where I was standing, I saw a witch, a real witch lying dead next to my feets. "Matilda killed it before it made it look like that, it tried to kill her so she killed it first", said an older fairy standing next to the circle of oracles creating some kind of magic from it and that's where the light came from. I then asked where Matilda was. Matilda was being placed inside the circle of oracle with her half invisible, the only thing I could see was face and hair. Before I could have asked a lady fairy whispered through my ear to follow her outside whereas the other fairies continued making the magic on the circle of oracle. I followed the lady fairy whom I found sitting on a branch of a tree hanging on the tree house's window and stood next to her. She touched my face and she positioned it to look through the window at the other fairies with Matilda inside. She then told me:

I had long suspected that this would happen but didn't know when. So I took a long journey with these fairies, one of the most powerful fairies of the forest. We went in search of her (pointing to Matilda). We didn't know where to find her so we searched every planet there was until we found planet earth. The real reason I had suspected this tragedy would happen was: One day as I was gathering moon flowers I saw sand piling up on the ground on its own, without anyone digging up for it. I then flew down for a closer look. The sand was not only pilling but was digging itself out. And what scared me the most was that the sand was digging itself from a grave of a witch that had long died long ago. And as I looked from the wheel of time it indicated to me it was a leap year. A year where all witches would be woken up and try to take over the whole world. A time where all witches dead and alive would celebrate "Kullervo day", the birth of a new species. I then flew from the ground and back onto the trees so I could hide and see what was happening. As soon as the sand was done digging itself out. A hole had been dug and from that hole a human skeleton appeared dead lying on the ground. I then flew down as it opened its eyes and sat up.straight. I got scared and went back to my hiding tree. It then raised its hand as it stood and that is where it transformed to a fully fleshed witch. It then came out from the grave and walked away. It touched one moon flower from the trees and I saw it die. It lost life turning dull. And as soon as it was far, I then flew up to the sky and that is when I saw a lot of them. I quickly headed back home to fairyland. When I got home, I found the king, my husband standing waiting for me so worried. He wanted to tell the same thing which had happened to them at the forest as his men were hunting. We then went to the temple, to seek answers in the circle of Oracles. It was where I saw Matilda's life being in danger as well as the whole world, they were seeking revenge. My husband was left behind in the forest whereas I went to find Matilda. We hadn't rested from that day, we kept following Matilda from then on and even when you, Eliane and Suzette found her as a puppet at the forest. We were there, even when she explained her story, we were there up until we discovered that Astraea, one of the most powerful witches wss looking to kill Matilda and to find the bracelet that carried the phoenix magic, and he was planning to find ILiara, the most powerful witch of all times who was believed to be here on earth to help them. From that day we never slept a wink and watched Matilda all day and night in your tree house even when you left we stayed and watched her and protected her up until Astraea came. Matilda was already prepared for him so we told her about him and that's why it was easy to kill together with the fairies. Although he had used a vanishing spell on her off which the fairies are trying to break. The real war is not to come, we have to prepare for the real one. ILiara already knows about being alive and one of your friends is wearing the bracelet of Herbelot which is the one tool.they would use to get their powers back. The bracelet has the phoenix magic in it, no wonder they are so desperate to get it. So you all have special powers passed down from past generations of your families and you are powerful and we can stop ILiara and her army and can save Matilda.

She finished her speech by warning me about that witch ILiara who is living amongst us humans. She told me in order to see her, she had a scar on the back of her neck from the war they had years ago when she tried to fight the phoenixes and told me to be careful. After that she left me standing outside the tree house and went inside to Matilda. I then followed her and when I got inside the fairies were done, Matilda was visible again, all her body parts were now visible but she was in sleep. So they placed her in bed and after that I helped them to bury Astraea's body. They then told me to go inside the house to sleep and opened the window for me and flew me to my room and made sure I was asleep. They had also fixed the broken stairs and cleaned the blood and left in the morning as the sunrise. And as it rises that's when I woke up later on and sent you texts and once again I had to lie to my parents again but they were just too busy worrying about their own stuff and paid no attention to me. "So now what do we do now?"asked Elaine as she held the bracelet, hiding it scared looking back and forth. Suzette answered instead "We wait for Matilda to wake up I guess' ', replied her. She was thinking about the power she held inside of her. They then went inside the tree house and sat drinking tea waiting for Matilda to wake up. The twins were both lost in what was happening there. They both wondered what they were talking about, they didn't hear anything but just saw them talking, laughing, crying and hugging one another, proving to be true friends. They were so angry and both sad that they felt alienated and also how could their friends be with Elaine and if Elaine was their friend and with them, where was Matilda. This got them more agitated thinking, they decided to leave their car as their driver had started calling for them. They decided not to go to school nor home but to park and to think of all that just happened. Mr Goldberg followed the footsteps until he ended up in a forest. The road was too exhausting and was too long for him to continue walking. His legs were exhausted and trembling. He couldn't walk any longer as he looked from far at the footsteps of the Abjure continuing. He sat down from a rock that was beside him and relaxed when he fell asleep. He was later awoken by an old strange voice telling him to wake up. He lifted his head slowly looking at that figure that stood before him. "How long have you been sleeping here?'' Mrs Barker walked away from him to the road. She came from nowhere and saw him sleeping on the rock. "I was on the road searching ….. (Mrs Barker turned and looked at him, he recognized her) I know you, Mrs…. I've forgotten your surname, we were…. ( Mrs Barker interrupts him)", replied Mr Goldberg. "Mrs Barker, I am Mrs Barker, that is who I am (moving closer to him) and you are?", she said, as she walked back to him, she started to recognize him in a minute. "You're Mr Goldberg right? you are still alive (in a shock) I always thought death took you but yet you are still here and even old age is really playing you, look you're sleeping on rocks now", said Mrs Barker laughing and helping him to get up from the rocks. They then hugged one another and let go. "You said you were searching for what it is, ohh, you are even carrying a microscope but what is it that on your other hand?", asked Mrs Barker. "I was visited by an Abjure later this morning and it left this star stone with a message on it (He hands the star stone to Mrs Barker) I was following its footsteps using this microscope to find it and seeking for answers but I got tired and sat on this rock and from then I fell asleep", answered Mr Goldberg. Mrs Barker first examined the star stone carefully and said she thought she was the only one who saw the Abjure. She then took out a similar star stone with the same message. She then tells her story:

I was sitting on my couch in the morning as I usually do, drinking my tea and watching the morning news. I first heard one of my flowers placed outside the windows of my kitchen falling. I didn't mind that it always happens, they always fall especially when there's wind outside. I then thought that there was wind outside. But then as I continued sitting and drinking my tea, not minding any of that. I then heard the kitchen's window opening and as I was trying to get up from the couch, I heard from that window as I had placed all my dishes after I had finished washing them fall by the kitchen's sink one by one. I became too scared and took one golf stick from the sitting room and walked slowly and steadily to the kitchen. I slowly opened the door and as I peeked I saw nothing. I quickly then closed the window. The floor was filled with broken glasses, cups and plates. I then stood from there and looked from the sink to check what had entered here but I saw nothing. I had left my glasses in the sitting room so I only saw blur. I then went out from the kitchen still holding my stick and took out my glasses and put them on. And that's when the television switched off and the heater slowly turned off. I went to the plugs but there was nothing wrong, I then thought It was probably loadshedding. I then tried calling the municipality but then again from my room heard the roof falling. Again with my wicked legs l, I had to run again but now I carried two golf sticks. When I got there, still there was nothing but this time I saw little footsteps from my bed and as I went to look at them I noticed they were the footsteps of an "Abjure. I then tried looking for it in my room but that was when I noticed my wardrobe was opened. It was not just a wardrobe where I have kept my clothes from but where I had placed my safe in. I then went to the wardrobe. I opened the door, took out my clothes and from that wardrobe there was a secret door from the wall leading to the safe. The door was opened too, I entered, the safe wasn't kept from the wall but I had dug a hole and buried it in the ground regardless the was just so small and fitting. But yes, it was already dug out and the safe opened. I went to that hole and expected to find the Abjure but had forgotten that Abjure had the most speed than all creatures both on earth and the supernatural world. I then peaked in but to my surprise my wand was still there, I knew everytime the Riven kingdom had sent an Abjure there was something dangerous coming. I then looked again from the safe and that's when I saw this star stone. I picked it up and looked at it and I saw the words ``Destination OZ '' together with John's emblem, your son, just like the star stone you found. I then sat down from my room and wondered what the words meant, what the emblem suggested, was there something wrong with your son. I've heard he had found a job in Mexico so he was perhaps in danger so I then stood up and went to my room and took the microscope and followed the Abjure footsteps from then on. I even went to the kitchen to check again but I noticed in the kitchen it was a mommy Abjure that had entered following its parent and got lost, because the footsteps in my room were bigger. I then thought of following it, so I went out and footsteps of that Abjure up until I found myself in the forest", explained Mrs Barker.

"That's what made me come up here too, I wanted to find answers by following it", said Mr Goldberg." I guess if we continue searching then perhaps we can find something", said Mrs Barker helplessly. They then again continued following the Abjure's footsteps to find it. (Elaine's mother at work types a message to her husband) message: Hi, I miss you, how are you doing? I haven't heard from you ever since that day you left, how are things there? Are you coping…. But she later erases the message and deletes it. And writes again "Hi" and she then sends it. She tries again to undelete it as she remembered she had to be told not to call or send any messages again. She looks at the time 13:00 pm and remembers madams tea. She wipes her tears and switches off her cellphone and goes to the kitchen. She plugs the kettle and takes two cups from the cupboard. She stands for a while, the kettle stops boiling and switches off. She takes it and pours the hot water onto the cups. She takes the kettle and places it in its place. She took two teabags and threw them into the cups and poured teaspoons of sugar. She doesn't count but keeps on pouring, one cup to the other until she starts pouring it onto the kitchen's table. Mrs Walsh comes in,her boss. She shouts "Stop". Elaine's mother freaks out and looks down on the table. She notices she has made a mess and starts cleaning it. She kept on apologizing as she was busy cleaning. Mrs Walsh approaches her and holds her by her hand and asks her "Are you okay?", asked Mrs Walsh. Elaine's mother sat down and tears started falling. Mrs Walsh moves closer and asks again "Is it about your husband, do you miss him, ever since he left you haven't been okay?", asked Mrs Walsh. She answered crying "I do miss him though but I haven't heard from him ever since he left. He doesn't call nor answer any messages I send to him". Mrs Walsh asks surprised "Didn't you say that day he answered?", asks Mrs Walsh. "No it was someone else, not him, they told me not to call nor message him again, and from then I never heard from him even if I call (she cries) perhaps John is cheating on me, he has found a new bride and that man is somehow his new friend or perhaps his servant. Who knows maybe his living is great out there and has forgotten about us' ', answered Elaine's mother crying. "When did you last contact him?", asked Mrs Walsh, rubbing her shoulders. "Now", answered Elaine's mother. "Then check if he has answered you yet", said Mrs Walsh. Elaine's mother slowly took her phone and switched it on. She went to her messages and still there was no response. She cries more loudly. "Don't give up like I told you. I had once jumped to conclusion when your boss, Mr Walsh found a job in London. He didn't call me nor message me for weeks, even if I called him, he didn't respond nor called back. I then started to make assumptions that he was cheating like you but instead he wasn't. He got injured at work. He went to the hospital. He had slept for days without speaking, not moving, he was too injured. They had tried contacting his friends, even me but couldn't find us. He had lost his phone. His phone broke from the accident he got into at work. So that's why they couldn't contact us and call us and he was from a different country. No one knew him up until my daughter saw his photos on social media from a post from the hospital trying to find his family. That's how I found him. He was not cheating but was injured all along. From that I learned not to make assumptions and that not all cheat nor ain't loyal. I had to trust him so from this I'm not saying your husband is cheating or that he is not but that do not make assumptions or jump to conclusion, wait until something comes up or you get told something or receive facts before you assume or what if he is danger too, think about it, wait and keep sending those messages up until he answers or that man answers, okay or rather report him as missing persons to the police, okay. Now go home to freshen up and get some rest", said Mrs Walsh trying to ease her pain. Elaine's mother was left with no choice, she wiped her tears, took her stuff and went home. Mrs Walsh watched her as she left and after making herself some tea together with her husband. (At the park) "Why were they gathered altogether?", asked Alexa. "They are friends obviously, can't you see and friends do gather together but my question is when and how", answered Alexis. "But then why not come to school when not sick, I mean all of them, something's wrong here, even considering moms actions when she saw Matilda's photos. How freaked out she became. It was so weird a.d what about that secret room from our house and even the way she acted when she saw Elaine's photo after speaking to dad and all of a sudden dad's coming home, when does he. She even sent us to school to look for the, why, don't you think there's something wrong here and it's between our parents and our friends and the other two Elaine and Matilda. We have to find out the truth. Our parents have been lying to us. They're living a life of crime", said Alexa looking at her sister. "School is out, we will discuss this some other time. We will have to get home", said Alexis. Alexa checked time on her phone and it was indeed true school was out. They both walked back to the car Alexa sat quietly and immediately fell asleep. Alexis deep down knew what her sister had said was true. She even remembered that their parents knew nothing about their parents' past. How they grew up and how their parents couldn't take care of them, she remembered all the old rumors and that her mother once fed them leaves of a tree and knew nothing about raising babies. That they were always too busy for them. The only thing they would tell them was they would one day take and rule earth. She didn't know what it meant and just realized there was something wrong with their parents. They were definitely hiding something from them as well as those so called friends of theirs. She then leans onto the window and also falls asleep. The car continued driving, making its way to their home. (Alice house) Matilda hadn't woken up and it was already afterschool and they had to leave for their homes. Alice's parents would be back at any time from now. Alice quickly took everything back to the house together with Elaine, they washed them and placed everything back onto the cardboard, and went back to the tree house and woke Suzette up who was deep in sleep so they could leave. They closed the door and locked it as the fairies already flew down to watch Matilda. Alice waved back at Elaine and Suzette and off she went inside her house to sleep. As she was indeed tired, she hadn't slept last night. Whereas Suzette and Eliane went to the car, got in and left. As they were driving back home, they saw the twins' car coming out from the park's street. That street was rather far from school and considering the time they should be now turning around the corner of their school. They wondered where they came from or did they bank school like them too, but though they were too worried about Matilda, they just paid attention to them. Suzette too was a little bit confused, perhaps something had happened from her sleep. Suzette's car stopped from a corner and Elaine get out. They first hugged one another but Elaine could feel that there was something bothering her friend but thought it was because she had just woken up just now. Her sleep had been cut short, she was still in sleep. Suzette's car then drove away and Elaine walked home. As she was walking home, she saw her grandfather walking with Mrs Barker, and waited for him. Mr Goldberg and Mrs Barker had ended up giving up, it was no use following the Abjure's footstep. They couldn't find it, they were just too old and exhausted and had decided to look for it tomorrow morning. They had decided to sleep on that matter. Mrs Barker greeted Elaine as passed her and headed home whereas they walked home with her grandfather. Elaine's grandfather asks Elaine questions along the way about how school was as they walked home. Elaine changed the subject and immediately spoke about her father of which her grandfather also ignored and kept quiet. As it was so boring as they were walking on the road, quiet and not talking, Elaine then asked him where did he and Mrs Barker meet but her grandfather was already deep in thoughts thinking about his son, he didn't answer so then she decided to keep quiet too with the boredom until they got home. They found her mother cooking and it was already dark outside. Elaine goes straight to her bedroom to change but first takes a bath whereas her grandfather went to the kitchen to make himself some tea and after sat from his couch looking outside the window. Elaine's mother quickly wiped her tears as she heard them coming. It was very tense in the house today, everyone was quiet, minding her own business and as soon food was ready Elaine's mother dished up and took her plate to eat in her room but furst herself some tea with father in law. Elaine's grandfather later went to the dining room and found it empty with no food on the table nor dishes. He then knew it was one of those days but neither was he in the mood to sit in the dining room and eat with them. He was rather too stressed. He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He then went to the kitchen and found his plate together and his tea, he took them and slowly walked to his room also. Elaine after finishing bathing and staying in her room pretending to write her homeworks finally went downstairs to dine with them but to her surprise she found no one there. She decided to go to the kitchen and took her food and sat in the sitting room and watched the television. After she had finished eating she made her way to sleep and switched off the television. It was also boring, there was just nothing to watch. Her mother on the other hand couldn't eat. The tea had also gotten cold on itself, she hadn't drunk it. Her mind was filled with the thoughts of her husband's whereabouts. She did not know what to think of anymore. She was stuck between believing he was cheating nor was he in danger or even worse dead. But in all these beliefs of hers she had no proof in any of them. She once again thought of what Mrs Walsh had told her to keep on sending those messages. She then tried to forget about him cheating on her. She was considering what her boss had told her to keep on checking and sending messages up until someone replied. She then took her phone. First checked whether he had replied to her message she sent later but still there was no response. She looked at it and scrolled up to previous messages of which too they were not answered and cried. She had grown tired of this unreplied messages, texts and always reaching voicemails everytime she called. She once again tried calling him. She hadn't called him ever since the last two weeks. She dialed the numbers and pressed the call. It rang and kind of gave her hope. She then sat waiting for it to be answered but still it rang for hours. She didn't give up though, she kept calling and calling up to five times but still it was not answered. She stopped calling and went to her messages once again and still there was no response. She carefully thru the phone beside her and took her pillow and closed her face, continuing to cry. (Alexa and Alexis) Mrs Heinz stood with anger as the twins entered by the door. She even opened it for them and dragged them inside with their school bags to enter. They've been gone for too long and school has long been knocked off. She closed them in a corner and asked them "Where are they, did they go to school, where is that Matilda?", she asked arrogantly, looking so desperate, like dog that had lost its bone.The twins both looked at her scared, frightened at the corner but they knew she'd ask them but even though they didn't know she would behave like that, they had long decided not tell her what they saw up until they knew what was really happening do they lied. "All of them weren't in school, Elaine seems to have left town, whereas for Matilda, we don't know about her but Alice and Suzette are both sick, they have allergies", answered Alexis so scared, holding onto Alexa. After saying that they both squeezed from the two holes beside their mothers hands and ran to their bedroom. Mrs Heinz was left alone confused. She then couldn't believe what the twins were telling him. She then made her way to the basement and entered shouting angrily through the basement. `Prepare for war, keep on making those weapons, that Matilda is nowhere to be found, no one knows where she is, perhaps she is preparing to strike again", shouted her, shaking, rushing inside. She then sent a couple of his bodyguards to go and look for her and not to come back without her. The twins slept in their beds shaking one and the other thinking their mother would slam their doors at any time not believing what they had told her. (Suzette's home) It was late at night, everyone was already asleep. Suzette had slept an hour ago after eating dinner as well as his father. Mrs Mackenzie was the only one who hadn't slept. She was wrapping up her presentation for work tomorrow. She was busy editing her paperwork's drawings of the Greenland city when she heard a voice calling for her name from a distance. She tried ignoring it and continued editing her drawing. "Help me, help me, Lucida", said the anonymous voice. She kept ignoring it until she saw her drawing being written with words and her drawing to slowly disappear. She got scared and throwed the paperwork onto the floor. And started looking around and shouting "Who's there, come out, I'm not afraid of you", she said, turning around the house looking for it. The voice slowly became quiet, and as she noticed the silence she quickly ran to her bedroom but as she was running she heard a knock from the kitchen's window and slowly walked to the kitchen. When she removed the curtains she saw a shadow of a skeleton from the window calling for her help. She got more frightened and screamed so loud that her husband heard her from his sleep and woke up. She held her breath and slowly went again to the window but this time there was nothing. She slowly closed the curtain and when she turned around she saw her husband entering the kitchen. She ran to him and explained everything. "I think someone's playing tricks on me, do you think she knows", she said, her eyes wandering around. Mr Mackenzie first went to the sitting room and picked up the paperwork and looked at it. "Why would they want help if they already know of what you did?"he asked, making his way back to the kitchen holding the paperwork, he looked at it again and put it onto the table and pressed the kettle and after moving to his wife he held her tight to his arms. "It's definitely someone else, it's not him", said Mr Mackenzie. she leans on his chest and nods her head. As they were gently hugging one another the kettle stopped boiling and switched off and from then they started hearing sounds of a dead soul humming from the wind, the trees started to shake, the windows to crack, the light turning on and off, they looked at one another. "It's him", she said fearlessly. Mr Mackenzie runs to ther daughter's rooms and wishes the fire of defense over her and after going back to his wife. The wind became stronger and stronger, opening the doors and breaking the roof. Mr Mackenzie stands with his wife already prepared for him to attack, holding the death sword together with his wand. The sound becomes louder and suddenly sand falls from the sky into their house from the roof. It stops pouring for a while. The whole kitchen by then was filled with dust. They moved closer to the pile of sand, coughing. As they were standing closer to it, bangs came out a skeleton. They move back, Mrs Mackenzie screams, it comes out bruised, it calls again "lucida, help me, I'm dead, I was here searching for the queen witch but I got killed. They all attacked me, all of them. She's grown stronger again. I...(it scratches", cried the skeleton. They both stood amazed at who had sent it to them and why would they send it to them, why do they want to be awakened from death, they stood looking at it confused. "It's him, he sent it, it's Dragon Slair, he has found me and is using this as bait to get to me", she then listens attentively. "I don't think he sent it either, he wouldn't want you and listen to it carefully. It mentions finding a queen witch and getting killed on its way to the queen '', said Mr Mackenzie. "No, that doesn't make sense. He is using this to get through me so I would follow the death song and get to him, and I will wake him from death and after kill me to avenge his death", replied Mrs Mackenzie moving closer to it and listens to it again., "And is that possible, don't you know where his grave is, where was it dug after you got him killed?", asked Mr Mackenzie. "I don't know where his grave is, the merchant took care of it. I just didn't bother asking, I just ran to you after that", replied Mrs Mackenzie. "Even if he sent it, how? He's dead also, it's impossible. The death song doesn't work like that, you have to send your own skeleton shadow if you're dead (he examines the skeleton's body) and this is not his or perhaps send the one of those who are dead if you're alive so in this instance he's dead. So I doubt it, said Mr Mackenzie, still doubtless. "What if he did, that man is unpredictable. He was too powerful and I swear that the witch he was looking for was ILiara and after that they would come for me", Mrs Mackenzie said adamantly that it was Dragon Slair who sent it. "Now you crazy he can't, his dead ryou killed him right and seen him die, so how possible he would look for ILiara dead, and be killed twice by this person he claims is too powerful in fact people whereas he is already dead. Even the book of life is still here no one has taken it (he heads to the drawer and takes it out) and even if it was taken you do know very no one can wake the dead except for you so you are obviously freaking out for nothing. This skeleton was sent by someone else not him…(he doesn't continue, his wife interrupts him". "Stop listening, do you recognise this voice?", asked her. "What voice now", asked Mr Mackenzie, he stopped talking and listened to the voice. "It's Astraea's voice, listen to it carefully, he's dead. He's the one who sent it '', she said looking at her husband. "Wait", said Mr Mackenzie, walking around it and listening to it carefully and somehow notices the scar he had made on him years ago when they were fighting. The scar was at the back of Asraua's legs, it never faded. "Yeah it's him, pass me that paper I want to see something", said Mr Mackenzie, convinced. Mrs Mackenzie does so and passes it. Mr Mackenzie takes it, he looks at it again, reads the words again "help me" and notices something in it. There was an address. He looks at it written as 17th road ave, firth house. "There's an address in here", called put Mr Mackenzie taking his glasses. Mrs Mackenzie goes to him to look at it and fetches her laptop. She put the address and searched for the house, indeed they found the house but to their surprise it was at the home of their daughter's friend Alice. "It's Alice's house, why would he write this address' ',asked Mrs Mackenzie confused. They both look at one another. "It's simply his death, whoever killed him buried him there and now he needs you to wake him from death, of which you can't. Remember he wanted the queen witch and neither of us knows why and why he was at Alice's place and whoever killed him did a good job, what a good riddance. They are probably really powerful", replied Mr Mackenzie joyfully. "I think you should put your feelings aside, I know you both didn't get along but this Austrau we are talking about, whether I do or do not help him my life is already in danger. He will keep on harassing me until I help me or will even pursue it to my daughter, haunting and visiting her at night. No I can't risk that just because I couldn't help him because I don't want to be part of them anymore or thee mere fact that he might find out that I betrayed them and joined you and the other sorcerers, my family, my true family, where I really belong and that I reconciled and married you, and what would happen to me if the others were to find out, they would kill me, not to mention wizard and ILiara. I'm already dead helping or not helping him. I'm lost, so lost just as when I start to find myself, my family, this comes out", said Mrs Mackenzie looking at the skeleton with tears in her eyes. "Help him, I say help him, we will face the consequences when we get there", said Mr Mackenzie. "Are you telling me that I should wake him and that I must pretend that I'm one of them whereas I'm not, what if I fail or perhaps he knows the truth and is using this as bait like I have said earlier, thatremember this is a death song his using and Stephan once used it to bait his brother by using a soldiers skeleton using the same death song to send the message just like his doing I just can't (she shouts) no, no'', she walks to him and hugs him. "Let us not forget about what Stephen did, it's rather different or the same. It just that we between life and death, good and bad and I can't risk my daughter's life like you've said, yes Austrau powerful and all that but we will face them all together as one so find that address and check that location of the address again so we can move, we've got no time", said Mackenzie moving towards the skeleton letting go off his wife. Mrs Mackenzie then took her laptop, checked the location again, her heart was beating so loud. Her husband goes upstairs, checks her daughter and moves out again to his room, takes a briefcase and places his wife's wand and his, puts the fire stones l together with the stone of death and after closing the briefcase and rushes downstairs. "Are you done, we need to leave. I've checked Suzette, she's deep in sleep and the fire will protect her up until we come back", he said passing her to the kitchen leaving the briefcase in the table besides the kitchens door and takes the book of life and also takes a bit sand from the skeleton tombstone and heards back to the sitting room. She hears him coming and replies. He finds his wife holding the briefcase looking in the inside of it, she hears him coming and replies "Yeah I'm done". She was counting the fire stones and somehow notices the stone of death, she picks it up. Before she could have said anything, he replied "We might need it, we need to expect anything and be prepared for whatever it may be '', he then pours the sand into a bottle and thereafter places it together into the briefcase and closes it. As he gets up he finds his wife looking at him, she asks "Are we really doing this thing because to tell you the truth I'm scared", she said, holding herself in her shoulders. "Of course we are, it's okay to feel scared but we have to. I told we will face the consequences together when we get there. We strongly know that, especially you, you've once defeated their so-called king, the most powerful king of all times, you killed him so no Austrau's too powerful for you, so yes we are doing this to you and I, okay", he said, kissing her forehead. "So what about you, you know he can't see you?", she asked. "The plan is that you wake him and I will be watching you from a distance incase he tries something stupid I will be there but I won't kill him I promise", replied Mr Mackenzie. As they were talking, the skeleton started to burn, shedding into pieces and the sand disappearing bit by bit. "Can you smell that, it's coming from the kitchen?", asked Mrs Mackenzie. They both went to the kitchen. They found the skeleton in flames. "We are late, we should go before it burns to ashes. Switch off the lights and lock the doors' ', said Mr Mackenzie headed outside to the car. Mrs Mackenzie quickly did so and rushed to the car. The soldiers after they left stood everywhere outside the house with guns guarding the house with Suzette. The car drove crazy in the streets, so fast that it bumped and got into potholes, and quickly got out and was driven mad, turning into corners, driving side to side, left to right up until it came to a stop. It stopped at Alice's place. The gates were locked, bodyguards everywhere carrying guns. It was just so quiet in the yard. Mrs & Mr Dedekind were already awake in the basement sorting out some pourshins; they had already killed two witches and caught four. "What do we do now, we are already late, the moon is already full and the house is being guarded by a number of bodyguards who are armed, lord knows whose inside that house"cried Mrs Mackenzie. "I can distract them, maybe try and make it as if I'm tryna break in whereas you would call out that some two guys I was with robbed and took your bag and there was money in it, together with your car and then they shall try and follow those thugs. You shall give them wrong identities and to that one standing next to the tree house you'd tell him you need water from the house and when he faces backward inject him with this so he can sleep and be unconscious, after that you'd go to Austrau's grave and wake him whereas I try and buy you time by beating this assholes", said Mr Mackenzie ready to act. "Okay then so where's the briefcase I will need it?", Mr Mackenzie points to the backseats of the car, she takes the briefcase, opens it and puts work papers in it to hide the fire stones and wands to try and make it seem as if she was coming from work and was working late and closes it. She then turns to him "Are we going to use this car?". Mr Mackenzie answers "Yes then get out of the car". Mrs Mackenzie does so and slowly walks to the backyards street to execute her plan. Mr Mackenzie first sets the car to drive itself, setting it to stop at the dumping site of the park, that place was only a few meters away from where they were. He then sets it to drive and gets off whereas it drives away. He then gives his wife a signal whereas he wears a balaclava and crawls on the walls of Alice place. He enters but makes a sound when he falls down, the bodyguards run to him but as they run to him he runs into the house where the two soldiers were standing beside the door and tries to open the door. One soldier hears and sees him from the kitchen door that was next to the one that door and goes to him and tries to shoot him. He dodges the bullets and beats the soldier whereas five others came and fought him and the two who went to check where he had fallen came back and fought him too. Mrs Mackenzie first torns her clothes, made her hair a little messier, took off both of her heels, ditched one on the grass and held the other in her hand. She picks up rocks from the street and damages the briefcase from the outside and breaks off its holder. She then finishes off by hurting herself in the face, hands and legs to make it seem as if she got hurt from the robbery using a bottle she found laying on the ground. She later came out from her hiding place. She indeed looked messed up and bruised as if she was really robbed. She was walking slowly and pretending that her left knee got injured, stumping as she was walking, she was walking barefooted with no shoes. Carrying his briefcase and the other heel on both hands, she kept on looking back and forth. She only started crying as she got closer to the bodyguards, screaming and calling for help. She was breathing so fast and coughing, scared and walking in fear. "Who's that calling out from a distance and seems to be headed this way?", asked one bodyguard scared. "I don't know but I think you should go to them if you saw them first, I don't want to go look after what happened earlier here and perhaps it is one of those witches again", replied one bodyguard. As Mrs Mackenzie got closer they recognised her. "It's a woman, she's hurt, you fools", said one soldier going to her. "Fix your gun, these creatures can transform themselves to anything they like to disguise themselves", whispered the first bodyguard. "Yeah if it tries anything funny we shoot", replied the second bodyguard positioning his gun ready to act, feeling a little bit confident. "(Laughing) don't be stupid, it can change you into a rat if it wanted so don't act like Van diesel here", said the first bodyguard laughing. "Hey, what are you doing in the streets so late, what happened to you?", asked the third bodyguard. "Help, help can you please help me, I got robbed by two men just beside the corner. They took my purse with all my money, cellphone together with my car and they ran away. Left me bruised, one has been caught by another bodyguard's standing in front tryna break in", said Mrs Mackenzie cryfully. The bodyguard moves closer to her, looks at her closer and even sniffs her. "Oh I want to make sure you ain't one of those scary looking creatures that came here and not tryna fool us, and what in here, where are your shoes?", said the third bodyguard. "Oh this is my briefcase (she raises it whereas talking 9) my other shoe got lost while running away from the thugs", replied Mrs Mackenzie. The two idiot bodyguards move closer to them. "Open it, we want to see what's inside of it", said the first bodyguard pointing his gun towards her, eating a stick in his mouth. The second bodyguard moves back and whispers "What if there's a bomb in there (he shouts) we are all gonna... ". The third bodyguard shutted his mouth before he could finish. Mrs Mackenzie opens it slowly, the two idiots move back. "Hand it", said the third bodyguard, taking the briefcase from her. Mrs Mackenzie knew there weren't only papers in the briefcase but there were hidden things. She then decided to shout and take back the briefcase from the bodyguard. "There they are with my car running, can you catch them for me, I need that money (she starts to complain) I need to pay rent, my child is in hospital I also need to pay the hospital bill, there also are groceries in the car and I also need my medication in my purse, please help me", cried Mrs Mackenzie holding the third bodyguards legs opening her breasts. The two idiots got fooled and asked "Where are they, we shall catch them for you", they said. She opens them more to seduce them, licking her lips. They all got fooled and decided to help her. They took one car from the garage and went out and followed the car. "Whuu, (she closes her breast and picks up the briefcase, speaks to herself) Finally I got rid of them and now I have to execute my plan", she said standing up, making her way to the gate still stumping as she walks. She walks through the gate and notices that one bodyguard. She enters and starts coughing again to cough, pretending to be weak with no strength to walk but does drag herself to walk to the bodyguard and as she was walking it's the more she bleed from the wounds she had made. Her clothes were filled with more blood stains and starts to call out with a breathless voice "Help, help I need water", she said, reaching out her hand to be seen. The bodyguard saw her struggling and ran to her. "Wait let me help you", he called out, holding her in the shoulders and picking her up, taking her one elbow and leaning it onto his shoulders and holding her in her waist and they started walking slowly. He then helps her sit on a chair. She kept on crying as he was busy helping her to sit comfortably. "I think I should call an ambulance to fetch you, you need to get to the hospital", said him. "No I don't, I just need water then I'd be fine. I'm just thirsty", she said breathlessly and feeling weak. "I think you do, look how badly hurt you're but luckily I'm a doctor too or at least I was", he said, kneeling down looking at her wounds. "You really don't have to stress about that I will be fine", she said looking at him while opening the briefcase with her right hand reaching out for the needle. The bodyguard lifts his head up, she hides it behind her back and sits on it. "So you are not that hurt I think I was exaggerating. They are just small wounds bleeding too much, you just have too much blood in you (she mesmerizes) . Let me fetch bandages to cover these wounds so you won't get infected and water too. He stands up. She looks at the moon. It's so close to becoming full, she needs to act fast. She then reached out for the needle and looked at him. The bodyguard was already up and just three steps away from her when she injected him with the needle. He slowly became unconscious and later fell down. He picked him up and sat him on the chair and tied him with a rope she found hanging from the tree. She then took his gun, placed it in her briefcase and took out the bottle that carried the sand. She opened the bottle and the sand came like a tornado and fell onto the ground. It made a trail and she had to follow. She followed up until she came to a mountainous sand and that was where Astrauea had been buried. It was hidden from the bushes and he was buried in the garden. The garden's trail suddenly disappeared and the sand flowed onto the grave. She quickly opened the briefcase and took out the stones of life. She placed them all around Astraea's grave. She then took out her wand together with the book of life. She opened the book and placed it on top of Astraea's grave, where his head was. By the time the moon was full, she kneeled down and started to cast spells from the book of life. The stones of life glowed green and realized green magic which flew straight to Astraea's grave, creating paths that moved from every stone to Astraea's head. Soon the spells became strong and were heard spoken from the wind. Mist caused by the moon filled the whole garden together with the green magic forming a circle around the grave. Her voice became louder and louder casting out the spells and the green magic entered Astraea's head. The pages from the book paged continuously from the first page to the last and would start again. And Mrs Mackenzie's pace increased as she casted the spells. The green magic came out more and more from the stones of life, creating so many paths that moved faster to Astraea's head. The more the green magic entered through his head, it flowed throughout his whole body, awakening hom from death. Neither did Mrs Mackenzie know that her waking Astraea from death will lead to other witches to be awakened from death. The bodyguards were all beaten and down onto the ground dead. Mr Mackenzie made his way to the backyard to see his face and watch her as he had promised. He felt something pass him from behind, noticing a shadow from the tree in front of him. He looked back and called out "Who's there?" but he got no response and it grew silent. He thought it was just his eyes and his ears playing tricks on him and continued walking. This second time he heard the window breaking, he stopped and turned around, just five steps from him there was a sitting room. He looked from it. He noticed the window from up broken and the door open. He walked closer to it and noticed blood on the frames of the window. It wasn't just ordinary blood of a human but a different one. Ot was the one of a witch, ot was black. He thought of going to his wife but then he heard a woman screaming inside the house. He thought it was his wife but listened to the voice closely and realized it wasn't her. The woman sounded more like she was in danger and in pain. He entered the house. He walked through the sitting room and noticed more blood stains on the walls and also on the floor there were blood stains. It was the very same blood of the witches. He continued and passed the dining room from his left, the couches were torned, the television down and broken, the table facing down with all the vases broken, bullets and dead bodyguards on the floor. He passed out and went through the passage. It was so dark so he turned on the lights. Everytime in the passage there was blood and other dead bodies of the bodyguards on the floor. Some bodyguards had no heads at all, Others had no legs and hands. They were all scattered onto the floor and others hanging from the stairs .He passed them. Some had their intestines cut out and were hanging out on the floor disgustingly. He felt like he could vomit or rather switch off the lights but he didn't want to step on them with all the darkness. The lady screamed in agony so loud this time that she was being heard by the entire house. He ran following her voice. He was unarmed. He left his wand with his wife. He picked up a chain as he ran towards the stairs. But before he got to the stairs. This was the kitchen where the voice had come from. He quickly wrapped the chain onto his palms and slowly opened the door. The maid had been captured by a witch . It was sitting on top of her, closing her mouth and ready to cut out her intestines. Mr Mackenzie quickly caught it with his chain and threw it away to the sink. He helped her up. She was badly hurt on her knee trying to fight the witch. He leaned her on his shoulders and they walked to the door. The witch wasn't dead. It just hitted harder onto the sink and hurt its spine. It woke up from the sink and noticed them leaving. The witch reached out for its wand and quickly got up. Mr Mackenzie and the maid had just passed by the door almost four steps to walking out from the door, the witch sort of made a sound and cracked a wooden spoon from the floor. Mr Mackenzie quickly let go of the maid and hit the witch three times in its head and it fell. It was strong though and it tried to cast a spell when he saw it and kicked its hand to loose the wand. He looked around the kitchen and noticed the oven oven. He turned it on. He didn't notice as it was crawling to the maid when he dragged it from its cloth and went with it to the oven. He opened the oven and when he turned to pick it up he got beaten by a vase in his head and Mr Mackenzie fell down. It went on top of him and took a knife from the table. It tried to stab him in his stomach but the maid slowly ran from behind it and pushed it down. She took the knife it was holding and pointed it to it. It got up and jumped to her laughing. She was shaking in fear and the knife fell. "I will deal with you later", and he took the knife and sat on Mr Mackenzie. It lowered its hand toward his belly, and the maid kicked it off. It almost fell and turned angrily to her. It crawled to her. She held her mouth not to scream so loud, It stabbed her so hard in her chest that she removed her hand and screamed so loud and died from that instance. Mr Mackenzie woke up and kicked it inside the oven. It entered by its head and it got burnt through the hot plates. He then got up and shoved it feather and closed the oven. He walked to the maid, touched her pulse, she was dead with blood all over the floor . He then left and went downstairs. He left the kitchen, he was on his way out to tell his wife when he heard something break from the basement. "What was that, did you hear it, it sounds like glass breaking? '', asked Mrs Dedekind, stopping what she was doing. "Yeah, I did hear that and it came from there", he answers pointing down to where they had locked the other witches. The noise continued and footsteps were heard coming down from the secret room the witches were in. They both looked at the door, and the locker started moving. "Didn't you say you tied them up with the chain?"asked Mrs Dedekind curious. "I did, I even double checked if it was tight enough, and yes it was, it is not easy to unlock those chains' ', confirmed Mr Dedekind, so sure he had done it. The locker continues to shake as more and more glasses break from the basement and even worse tools, forks, axes fell making a loud sound, more footsteps and scary noises were heard coming up to the door. Mr Mackenzie hears the noise again and goes back to the kitchen and fetches his chain. He took a gun that was on a bodyguard's hand and ran downstairs. They moved back, Mrs Dedekind took her water swords and Mr Dedekind took a gun from the floor and they stood waiting for something to come out. They stood waiting for minutes, nothing came out, it just went quiet, the noise, scary sounds, footsteps went quiet and the locker stopped shaking. They both looked at one another, "That was strange", said Mrs Dedekind, surprised. Mr Dedekind walked to the door, "Who's there?", no one responded, he touched the locker and it moved and stopped. Mrs Dedekind calls out again, "Who's there?", it goes quiet again. "I think I should go check", implied Mr Dedekind taking out the keys opening the locker. It opens, he turns back holding his gun and looks at Mrs Dedekind. She also looked at him holding tight to her swords moving closer and stopped towards the door. Mr Dedekind enters and quickly turns on the lights. He looks around, he notices the broken pieces of glass on the floor, the tools, forks, toolboxes,water pipes, planks and some old bookshelves on the floor. "Did they escape, why so quiet?", asked Mrs Dedekind worried. Mr Dedekind doesn't respond, he slowly moves to where he had tied the witches, he notices one of the chains from a distance still locked, he moves closer and sees all the witches being tied up. He points the gun at them and kicks them one by one. Their bodies move but don't wake up. He then looks at each locker they were all locked and the wands still locked up in the safe. He was about to leave when he noticed that one witch had died and had been dragged to a corner. Its body was no longer on the floor but there was just blood left. He becomes curious. He walked slowly towards the other old bookshelf that was just across the witches and as he walked backwards he felt something move next to him. He stopped and just next to him, there was an old fridge. He was just about to open it when an ax passed his face and almost cut his head off. He dodged it and it went straight to hit a shelf opposite him. He looked around where the witches were, they were all untied. He then started shooting all over like a mad cow. He shot some and some managed to go upstairs to his wife. Luckily she had long prepared herself as her husband didn't respond when she called. One witch came peeping from the door when she poured the pourshins to it and it disappeared and chopped two other witches heads. Mr Dedekind was busy shooting when Borra came out of the fridge and hitted him hard with the fridge door and knocked him down. He got out the fridge and opened the safe and took out his wand stick. He walked to the basement. Mrs Dedekind was prepared for him coming. She stood behind the door but Borra had already seen her shadow passing as she ran for the door. Borra was just one footstep to entering by the door when she attacked him but he knew she would do that so he just held her swords and threw them away and strangled her. She held her up by the wall so that she couldn't breathe nor speak and lost strength thinking about her daughter and her husband who was not seen. Mr Mackenzie was already at the door when he came shooting from the stairs and one bullet shot straight through the glass door and shot Borra in his head and he fell to the floor bleeding in his head. Mrs Dedekind quickly let go of his hands and ran away from him. She picked up her swords and faced him. Mr Dedekind woke up as soon he heard the gunshot, took his gun and ran to the basement and found Borra lying by the door. He lost his head spinning and his back hurt. He looked around and saw his gun laying underneath a broken chair. He slowly crawled and took it. He then stood up and to his surprise the fridge was opened. He looked inside and there was nothing. He runs to the basement. "Are you okay mam, he almost killed you?",asked Mr Mackenzie moving towards her. "Don't worry the bullets will keep him asleep for now", he said looking at Mrs Dedekind who looked crossly at Borra thinking he'd be awakened at any moment from now who paid no attention to him. He touched her hand and Mrs Dedekind was awakened. "Oh sorry, you were saying?", asked Mrs Mackenzie, feeling the touch of his hand. "I was asking whether you were okay, do you need help? '' he repeated, passing a chair to her. "Yes I'm okay, I just need water and thank you for saving my life", she said looking at him leaving the chair to pour water for her. He pours the water and passes them to her. She drank 5 seconds and was done. He pours for the second time. Mr Dedekind came rushing to the basement. He almost falls. He looks beneath him pointing the gun downwards. "It's Borra, he almost killed me but thanks to him, he saved my life", explained Mrs Dedekind pointing to Mr Mackenzie. Her husband looks at him, Mr Mackenzie turns to greet him . Their eyes meet, they look at one another, "Scott", called out Mr Mackenzie and Mr Dedekind replied "Mark, man no wonder I woke up it was you, who shot the gun", he says, jumping Borra and goes to hug him. Mrs Dedekind was left out. She was surprised. Her husband enlightens her, he says "This man saved my life during the war, when the whole world was on attack, we became friends but later lost contact (he looks at him) man you've grown old", Said Mr Dedekind explaining to his wife. "So your daughter is Alice, my daughters friend Suzette's, what a coincidence, and you are married, wow, I think you learned quite a few from me (they laugh, Mrs Dedekind smiles but she's lost) but that a story for another day so what do we do now?", asks Mr Mackenzie. "I think we should finish him up, he can wake up at any time, remember his wounds heal themselves, um kate, where are the pourshins?", replied Mr Dedekind while asking his wife. "There are probably three left, we can use them but to do what?", she asked looking at her husband. Mr Mackenzie anwears instead "We will take .... (he doesn't finish) A light shined through the whole house, it blinded their eyes. They could not see a thing, they all closed their eyes and faced down. After a few minutes it stopped, they rose up and opened their eyes. "What was that, where did that light come from, I think there's something going on outside and it's big", said Mrs Dedekind looking outside from the window looking so misty. Mr Mackenzie remembered "My wife!", he screamed and looked for his gun and his chain still tied onto his palms. "Your wife, what's happening, you left her alone at home (Mrs Dedekind stops him) Is she in danger?", Mr and Mrs Dedekind both look at him confused. "She is or perhaps not but she is outside. It's a long story you won't understand. Can you please help me find my gun or any gun? I have no weapons. My wand is with her '', answered Mr Mackenzie jumpy and searching. "Outside where, what's happening?", Mr and Mrs Dedekind both asked at the same time. "Can you please help me search, I will answer your questions later or you shall see for yourselves' ', he said while still searching. Mr and Mrs Dedekind both start searching. Mrs Dedekind sees the gun next to the glass of water showing a little. She takes it and gives it to him. Mr Dedekind still wonders in his mind and speaks to himself but is unheard "We will see it for ourselves, what will we see, what's going, his wife outside, outside, outside somewhere in his house (he gets disturbed)". His wife was calling for him. "Are there any guns left from the safe?", asked her. "Yeah, I can go check", he moves to the safe and he notices and speaks softly "Umm Borra is not here, he escaped '', he said looking into the other room peeping from the door. Mr Mackenzie unties and holds his chain to attack. Mr Dedekind opens the safe quickly whereas the two look out for him. They both stand in one circle facing different sides, walking in different angles. "Where is he, do you see anything? '', asks Mrs Dedekind. "No but I think he ran away when the light shined, he's been awakened, all of them are. All the witches including Astraea, who's buried in your yard and my wife is the reason for it all. She woke Astraea and I think it went too far, she is in danger, please help me and she is not one of them. I promise", explained Mr Mackenzie, seeing that there are no other witches, even the ones he killed from the stairs coming down here , they were all gone. They both looked at him, Mrs Dedekind asked " you said your wife is waking them, you mean your wife is ….. , no it can't be and Astraea is buried in my yard, you killed him and buried him here , oh I know your wife is Lucida isn't she? this is a trap", she took her swords and ran out of the basement to the backyard leaving them behind. "We have to stop her and I also don't know who killed him, it wasn't us, but he sent us a death song and we need to follow her, she might die in there", explained Mr Mackenzie whose friend stood looking at him. "Okay", said Mr Dedekind, taking two Aka 47 and running with him. "Are u telling me Astraea knows about everything but why was he in my yard and you and Lucida got married, we in shit", Mr dedekind said, sweating hell. Mrs Dedekind wasn't herself anymore. She was filled with anger, vengeance, spitefulness and seeking revenge. Running wild like a cheetah, killing and cutting off every witch's head she came across. She would hold the two swords and stab two from the heart and pull them out again, and stab others from the back, kick those besides her, slay the hands of those tryna cast spells on her, throw the swords to those who came running to hit her, and the swords would stab them, and they would die. And back to Mrs Mackenzie the soil dug itself out and Astraea's hand showed little by little, then his forehead would show, from his forehead his legs started showing up until his whole body was exposed. The magic was now too much. She couldn't handle it anymore, The life stones were releasing more of it and they were all rising from the ground, moving up and when they were all above the book still in circle. They sparked, attracting one another and as soon they were close to each other, they combined and formed a big stone known as the stone of the forever living and as they combined the most intensive light was realized up to the whole yard into the house and even the neighborhood blinding every eye. The moon also shined brighter causing too much mist and the stone led to a second layer that covered the whole yard with its green magic. The stone also released another magic, the forever life magic, it gave the dead the ability to live forever, no matter how many times they had died. The magic shot out from the stone and went out to every dead witch who was in the yard. It woke them all. It entered through the opened windows and doors of the house and woke everyone up. Astraea's wounds were still in the process of healing when the magic entered his body, it healed him, he was awakened. And from the light he ran away with the other witches outside and he couldn't see Mrs and Mr Dedekind with Mr Mackenzie under the table hiding from the light. They were all headed to Astraea. They could feel his presence and it was the exact reason they were here searching for him. Borra knew from then that he and Astraea would make a great team and defeat the Misters and Mrs. Astraea was his twin brother after all. Mrs Mackenzie tried every spell she could, seeing all the witches being awakened. She tried opening all the pages in the book but the one she wanted got torned years ago and got lost. She tried thinking of another way when she felt the sand falling onto her hands. She looked down and noticed Astraea was being awakened. She moved back and sat far. She took her wand and held it to her hands together with a gun looking at the tombstone being unburied. Her heart was beating fast. It could stop at any moment from now as Astraea would awake. She was losing her breath, fear had consumed her. She was sweaty feeling as if her bones were drying up and her blood boiling but tried holding herself. It took him seconds to open his eyes. He slowly got up from the tombstone. Mrs Mackenzie held her gun stunned for if he tried something stupid, she'd shoot him. Borra came rushing from the house running to his brother. He saw her holding the gun in her hands pointing it towards Astraea. He said "Hey, why does it seem like you are pointing the gun towards Astraea, are you tryna shoot him?", he asked. She turned around and noticed him, lowered the gun and remembered she had to pretend she was one of them. "Hi Borra, ummm, ohhh the gun, no, I'm not tryna shoot him. I was just preparing myself if any bodyguard or owners of the house came and tried to kill him or me, you know what I mean", she answered, being weird and jumpy. "Yeah I see and we wouldn't want that for him just after he has been awakened and his powers still restored", he said moving to him. Astraea sat up straight and raised his hand. His flesh and skin started to show in his skeleton up until he became a fully flesh human. He then spoke "Borra, (he hugged him) I'm awake, it means she came, where's Lucida, I need to thank her for waking me up again of course (laughing his baddest laugh, looking at the house) they will regret forever killing and attacking me. I will make sure they all die", he said laughing so loud, his brother helps him up. Mrs Mackenzie placed the gun in her jeans in her stomach, hiding it with her coat as they were speaking and picking one another from the tombstone. She then walked to them. "Astraea, (faking a smile) it's good to see you again alive. I was kind of shattered when I saw you were dead and rushed here", she said looking at him still faking her smile. "I just wanted to thank you for waking me, I knew I could count on you just like in the olden days (Mrs Mackenzie interrupted speaking unheard) "And that was then, it has now changed, we in the present''. "Did you say something because I heard you talking?'', asked Astraea, looking her in the eye. "No I didn't", she said, also looking him in the eye. She spoke to herself " Does he know anything, he seems not to know anything, perhaps his pretending but this is Astraea he wouldn't have pretended if he knew that I betrayed them like that I would be begging for my life by now, I'd be dead by now. She gets interrupted by him. "Where's ILiara and Cedric, didn't you call them or they coming, I need them here, there's something I need to tell you all, it's important but I would have liked it more if the king was here mostly, Dragon Slair, the king of all times, whoever killed that man will pay , they will definitely pay", Borra adds "They must they took the greatest king of all times, our king, our father, right Lucida?", Borra asked her seeing that she was not paying attention to them. Mrs Mackenzie was running wild with her thoughts. She lost it immediately when she heard Astraea talking about his father, Dragon Slair, it seemed as if he knew everything. Her eyes started wandering around, her skin itching and she was busy rubbing it. You could see the fear in her eyes. Her body was shaking from her trousers. She was sweating in her face. She couldn't even hear Borra speaking to her again until he touched her "Are you okay, do you need water, you seem not okay, you shaking and sweating, (he waves his hand in her eyes and Astraea touches her) are you alright, Lucida?", he called her. She became awake and looked at them in her eyes she saw the words written bold in Borra and Astraea foreheads "You killed our father, we know the truth and you will pay for that, tonight is the day, you die", she turned and looked at Borra waving his hand in her eyes and felt as if it was coming towards her face to only strangle her in the neck to death, tears started falling, Astraea shook her and screamed in her ears ``Are you okay, Lucida, lucida, can you hear me? "She couldn't hear what he was saying exactly but only heard the words ``You killed my father" as he screamed and shook her . She was breathing so fast and sweating that they took off her jacket but luckily the gun was hidden in her jeans and covered by her T-shirt. They threw it down. She remembered what happened that day when she took the death sword and stabbed their father in his heart and he died in front of her and she still heard the gunshots from that night, but she was overthinking things instead of dragon Slair dying he pretended to be dead but awaken and laughed at her night. He strangled her and she could not breathe. She kept on touching her neck. She looked up and saw as if ILiara and Cedric were also coming to finish her but her dream ended when she felt something rushing in her body. She felt so cold and opened her eyes. She was wet. Astraea continued talking "it's the real reason I was here so did you contact them", he asked, still looking her in the eye. Everything just went back to reality, back to normal. She stopped imagining things and overthinking. She was still breathing fast and her neck was sore. She finally opened her eyes and saw Borra and Astraea standing in front of her. Borra gave her water. She looked at them "its okay, drink", he said, helping her to drink. She drank them. They sat her down, Astraea asked "Are you okay, you were freaking out, you were different, sweating, touching your neck sweatin, screaming and crying screaming, you couldn't even hear us talk to you even if we screamed , are you alright", he touched her. She replied stammering "I...I ..I am okay, I wa...s just ( so fast) thinking about my daughter, you know I'm out here. She is alone and scared at home. I think I should heard back. I mean when you spoke about you seeing how hurt you were. I thought of her. How lonely she might be. Perhaps she's awake, calling for me and I'm not there. what if someone enters and kills, rapes or kidnaps her. I'm sorry if I scared you but I'm okay now", she said facing down tryna pull herself together. "You have a daughter (disappointed, surprised) I guess time flies, how old is she, who is the father and you even married (looking at her diamond ring so big and rich) to who, who's the lucky man?", Astraea asked with tears in his eyes and you could see the pain. "yeah who's the lucky man", Borra asked too looking at his brother who was deeply hurt. "umm, I don't have a daughter (they look at her) I do, sorry but her father died. He was such a jack and a thug. They killed him, poor human. He used to abuse me. He was no good man nor a good father to his child and the ring, I just go around pretending I'm married you know, my enemies are happily married and living happy. You know Layla and John, they'd laugh at me and even Lucida and Cedric got married and I was just married to a fool stupi, stupid, abusive and a thug man so I wore the ring so that when you see me at least you'd see I'm married especially Lucida. She doesn't even know my husband died", she said crying and faces down. She spoke to herself as she pretended to be crying looking down, "I lied again, my husband is here, lord help I'm dead", She cried more. Borra held her from her shoulders and comforted her "I don't worry you will get married again and find a man who will love you and your child, you woman freak over nothing and people get married everyday and you will'', he said looking at his brother and he began to be calm knowing she was single. Borra asked again, "So where are the scars of your abuse?". "They faded with years' ', she answered. Astraea finally spoke "Enough about this topic. let's get back to business, did you contact ILiara and Cedric, I told you I need them. I have something to tell you. It is about why I came here in the first place. I finished the job of our past friend's daughter ( he gets interrupted )". Borra spoke again, interrupting him. "I need to tell you something brotinterruptdher "I saw Kate and Mark, they are the ones who live here. They are the ones who live here but I'm not sure about the one who shot me. I didn't see his face but he was muscular and his voice was thick. I just don't know who he was but we have to prepare ourselves for them coming to attack us and they might have backed up you know Goldberg and John", he said testing his powers, realizing fire. "So it means both Kate and Mark were hiding her in their tree house with the help of the fairies. Yeah this is a war and ILiara and Cedric are taking too long", he said, also testing his powers and making a new wand. Mrs Mackenzie looked up at them. She became alarmed the moment they mentioned Kate and Mark and the man who saved them. She knew that was her husband. He and Mark were once friends. She stood up and said "I have to pee, man and prepare myself for war while we wait and try to pull myself together and I have to make a call and tell the neighbors to check on my child man", she said, herded to the house where the bodyguards stayed. She was indeed excused and everyone was preparing for the war. She found the door of the house opened. She slowly entered but there was no one. There were just dead bodies. She went to the toilet. She didn't want to pee after all. She just needed to get away from them so she made an excuse of wanting to pee and check on her child. She knew she was safe. She sat on the toilet seat and thought to herself, child. Speaking alone in her mind was unheard. Holding her head like she was mad as if she was losing her mind, she spoke to herself:

I really messed up, didn't I. I should have never freaked out. And what happened to staying strong and pretending to be one of them. I knew I'd fail. I wouldn't be able to pretend and now I have given them the reason to suspect it was me or just confirmed their theory that I killed their father. And they just wait for the right time to act and are just waiting for the right time to attack. I even escalated the matter further, dumping me. I should have never spoken about my daughter and I should have taken the ring off. Because now I gave them the permission to kill my daughter. They might go for her and kill her just to make me feel the same pain they did when their father died. I even lied and said that my husband was dead, but he's here, Astraea's biggest enemy. They hate each other's gut. And now there's Kate and Scott who are now involved, my husband's friends. And who did they hide and what was he talking about when he said an enemy's daughter was Mathilde here. And what the hell Kate and Scott are Alice parents I should have known. But now how do I convince them I've changed? I wouldn't want a young child losing both her parents or my child losing her friend because her parents are enemies. I have to fix this. I learned the truth, Iliara and Cedric lied to me when. They can never be trusted and who cares about trust when they broke it first. So I have to do something, I have to warn them about this, Kate, Scarlett, Goldberg and John Scarlet. I owe them, they are innocent in this thing. I've changed, I'm no longer evil, I'm done being bad and I'm going to do the right thing. She started to feel cold, the toilet window was open. She touched herself, that's when she realized they took off her coat. She started to freak again, they saw the gun. She stood up, it fell. She became calm. She breathed in and out. And spoke sofly "Now I have to warn the others", She then tried calling her husband but didn't answer. She then made her way to her husband but she had to find another gun. She then stood and went to all rooms to find guns. It was hard though to defeat the witches. They kept on waking up from death as the magic allowed them. She would beat them one by one, moving to find Lucida who was in her yard. She was near the garden when she heard Astraea and Borra laughing. She spoke to herself "That damn witch or sorcerers, whatever she is, woke him in my yard but I won't allow them to succeed with their plan, I will kill them all", she said furiously. But how would she get there if the witches were undefeatable. So seeing that they woke up from death even if she killed them. She then decided to water them down into a pool where they would sink and wouldn't be able to get out even if they tried. The water kept making tides and they would drown in the water unable to get out. She then ran like a wind holding her two swords in her hands ready to stab and kill the twin brothers together with Lucida Lucida. Borra was too concerned and full of revenge. He just couldn't hold himself so he spoke. "She's done it. She killed our father, did you see how she behaved, that bracelet was hers, did you see her. She was not wearing it. It's all points to her. She immediately lost it as soon as we spoke about father . Even the people confirmed it. We should have killed her. She can't just get away with it so fuck your feelings for her", said Borra looking at his brother angrily.