CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Thalia and Greg finally made it home; she brought Greg along because he wanted to come with her. She looked at the wall clock hanging in their home.

It's almost one o'clock. She thought to herself. Her sister Jenny didn't come with her anymore because there was no one to stay at home when she left earlier.

Her youngest sibling was also very sleepy, so she let him sleep first, next to her other sibling.

Thalia knew her sibling had powers because they were fidgety and let Ericka talk at the wake.

She carefully observed the surroundings while she was at the wake; she saw where the gruesome murder of Jasmin took place, right in front of the door, before she could enter the house back then.

She knew that its disappearance was related to the camping trip, the warehouse they visited, her recurring dream, and the punishment of Ellese; she no longer wanted to take a nap because she was afraid of being visited again by a dream that was felt throughout her entire being.

She was able to rest; after dressing, she didn't experience any sleepiness, so she spent some time in the living room.

She lay down on the sofa; the lights were out; she wanted to close her eyes. 

After a while, the surroundings darkened, and she tried to calm her spirit, knowing that her ability to travel would begin again.

Thalia saw a woman crying. She recognized that voice.

"Jasmin." She quickly approached the woman with her back turned.

The situation is also the opportunity for her to find out what happened before she was killed without any chance to defend herself.

She was right; it was Jasmin who was crying. She felt pity for her appearance. The shirt was torn and her face was bloody; she was bathing in her blood, and she was in uniform. 

Thalia, help me. I can't leave this place until I find justice. Help me. I would rather not be here, but the pain—the pain I feel. Her plea was filled with sadness as she saw Jasmin's face.

Her heart ached; in what way could she help Jasmin?

"What kind of help do you want, Jasmin?" She asked the soul.

Jasmin held her hand.

They ended up in a very dark place; she saw people walking back and forth, not knowing where they were going.

Not people, but souls. That's what her mind said back then.

She followed Jasmin, who was walking endlessly; they didn't know the destination they were heading to.

She saw tears in Jasmin's eyes mixing with the blood on her face.

I'm so tired. 

She witnessed the restless souls of the murdered women and those who fell prey to the black market flesh trade.

We are so tired. Thalia heard the souls speaking, their wails almost deafening her.

This is the first time we are meeting like this, Thalia. Said a woman.

"Ellese," she recognized her companion and the person with her. "Felisa."

Ellese smiled faintly at her; she was the woman she saw in her dream. She couldn't forget that.

"Only Jasmin is the one I can help." That's what she said.

"There is a connection between what happened to Jasmin and us." Ellese said to her.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked Ellese.

"Every event, every incident, has a connection to us and to the dark past of the Fuegos." 

She furrowed her brow, still unable to grasp what it was trying to convey to her. Thalia didn't speak then; she just wanted to hear what she had to say first.

"Fuego also has a connection to your parents' deaths."

There, it caught her attention; she had many questions about why their parents' deaths were involved when they were still children.

"We, the souls, can see the past and future because we don't want to be lost. We connect all of our lives to both the past and the present." The soul of Ellese stared at her.

"Lost soul?" She could only ask.

"When a soul does not see its destination, its memories will gradually fade, and we will not remember why we are here." 

"Before our memories fade, I will not allow the people who were murdered and those who were affected by our father's evil plan to be forgotten."

"I know that you have abilities, you siblings; all of you have your abilities that you can use to help people like us."

"What can we do against your father, Ellese? Your family is influential; we would rather not get involved in whatever is happening with your family." Thalia reasoned it out for Ellese.

"Get involved? We've been caught up in this story for a long time, Thalia. It's been a long time." Ellese stared at her intently.

"You will know everything when you start taking action; we will all be implicated then. If we allow this to continue, it will ensnare more innocent individuals who have nothing to do with it. Your cousins, your friends— everyone will get involved, Thalia." 

"What can I do? Answer me, or I'll report to the police that I'm talking to you." She asked Ellese mockingly.

"Evidence exists to catch this, but be careful with the police, as not all officers will help."

"What evidence? Is that enough to have your father arrested and imprisoned?" She couldn't help but ask.

Ellese's smile given to her was unusual. "Yes, they feared that evidence, which is hidden in the forest where we were killed." 

"In the warehouse?" she asked.

"That's one piece of evidence, but no, R—Chesca's mother hid something before she died, and we don't know where; not even a wandering soul can recall."

She saw a soul wandering aimlessly, around 25 or 30 years old.

She was looking for something around her. Thalia saw her cousins looking at her sadly, as if in their eyes, they were also on the verge of becoming lost souls.

She clenched her fists, not knowing that this was what would happen to a restless soul. As the blow struck, she glimpsed her parents, a sight she had previously only seen in photographs.

Why are they here? Why are they here? Is it true that you were murdered? Thalia questioned in her mind, almost unable to accept that she would see her parents walking—wandering aimlessly.

"Is it possible to restore the memory of a soul?" She asked.

"Possible, if you find out why they are here and what their reason is." Felisa replied.

She nodded. 

"I will do this for Jasmin, for my cousins, and for my parents." She told her companion. 

"Just don't let my siblings get involved."

"You still can't stop destiny, Thalia." Ellese replied to her.

She suddenly woke up; she noticed that it was still early outside. She rubbed her eyes, got up, and noticed that there was a blanket covering her body.