~~**~~
Trees, trees and more trees. That's all Ana saw, as she continued walking. Branches poked at her skin, twigs got stuck in her favorite shirt, and she walked over logs, and crossed rivers by jumping on rocks. Bugs stung her and her hair was a mess, because she was trying to get rid if those that fell in her hair.
Ana had no idea where she was: a jungle or a forest? What difference would it make, they all looked alike. Didn't they? All she knew was one minute she laid down to sleep, and the next minute she was here. Time travel wasn't invented yet as far as she could remember.
As she continued walking, there was a clearer path made out of stones. Following it cautiously, Ana found that it led to an ancient mansion in an open clearing. Rich green trees were lined up on it's left and right side, creating a path. Between them were hedges covered in yellow, blue, and purple flowers which grew like vines.
On the mansion just above the door, the words 'Lia hart Polusey Dominous' were embedded. Slowly, the door creaked open, and the sound vibrated off its walls, giving her an idea as to how old it was.
Ana walked in slowly and began admiring the interior. It wasn't bad; she had to give the decorator credit for that. It was as modern as any house would be, and it certainly took the edge off of the haunted house look. As she continued walking, she spotted the living room and headed towards it. Immediately, the fire place lit up.
When her eyes made contact with the fire, something passed through her. Her eyes flashed the same color of the flames, then back to her emerald green. With eyes widened, Ana's right hand flew to her chest, as she fell on one knee. Her breathing turned ragged and her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
Amazing how all this happened, just by looking at the fire. A few moments later, her breathing returned to normal as her eyes lay fixed on it. The feeling was strange because she felt... safe, in some way. It was comforting.
"Ha," She laughed, her voice filled with amazement.
Her heartbeat was in time with its crackling, and a sense of relaxation and familiarity, washed over her. She didn't know what she was thinking, when she walked towards it. But there was something about it that was so beautiful. Now that she stood directly in front of it, her hand moved forward to touch it.
Aware that her movements were not her own, she panicked. As her fingers made contact with the flame, there was a pulse and a slight sting. It was the element of surprise, as she jolted back with a gasp.
"Shit! So much for curiosity," she held out her fingers and realized that they weren't burnt. "Strange." She brought her fingers back to the fire and touched it.
Sure enough, Ana felt the sting, but it wasn't like before. Ana kept her fingers there and she finally felt it. But it wasn't a pulse; it was more of a heartbeat. As Ana brought her free hand to her chest, an image flashed in the fire. A symbol got tattooed, directly above her heart. Ana withdrew her hand, as she peeked under her shirt. The symbol was there. It glowed like the fire, but what did it mean?
"It means you are bound to me, and I, to you."
Ana gasped and searched for the voice, but no one was there. "Hello? Anyone there?" but there was no answer. "We are one," She whispered the words, as she brought her eyes back to the fire.
The door to her right creaked open and she stood up slowly. Taking one last glance at the fire, Ana began walking towards the door. As much as walking into the unknown should scare her, she wasn't. Her heart was steady and she figured it was all because of the fire. Now that she knew the fire in the mansion was bonded to her, she needed to find out how and why.
Maybe whatever the door led to, would explain to her. As she walked through the hall, torches were lit. One by one the pictures on the walls started to appear. Each one told a story of history's battles and ancients past, all the way to the beginning of time.
A smile crept on her face, as she trailed her fingers along the wall. She felt a pulse beneath her fingers, and the pictures came to life. The battle cries of men and women on the field, the howling and roaring of animals, which she had thought throughout her life, to be fictional. She heard the clashes of armor and the thunder and lightning, as it flashed through the sky, the heavy rain that patted on their heads, adding song to their dance of war.
As the pictures continued to play, an image of two people, flashed before her eyes. She gasped, taking two steps back to find the image. How was her brain going to explain to her the reason as to why this photo of her parents was on that wall, as they held a baby?
The air in the room began to change gradually, and she felt a tingle through her spine. An immense source of energy was now prominent in the air, and she could feel it. The hairs on the back of her neck stood, and goose bumps rose on her arms. She turned around slowly to meet a pair of familiar, golden orbs.
"It's you again."
"Yes. It's me," Zapphira answered, "you look relieved...but your voice, says otherwise. Did I scare you?" her eyebrows raised in question.
"What are you doing here? First you show up in the woods, and now you're here? This can't be real. You can't be real. You're not supposed to be in my dream. Please tell me this is some dream?"
But everything in this dream to Ana felt so real. She pinched herself, but nothing happened. She continued and Zapphira interrupted her.
"Exactly, there it is. You're not happy to see me at all. You're literally pinching your skin to death just to get rid of me," Zapphira pouted her mouth and raised her eyebrows, in an attempt to look hurt.
"What do you want Zapphira?!"
"I see you can detect my aura. I made sure to conceal as much as I could. No human, could have detected that. Only the descendants, of King Kriss Kross III are able to do that. Your family doesn't disappoint," Zapphira smirked, as she took a step closer to Ana. "I came here to explain the reason why your parents are on that wall, holding you in their arms."
Ana sized her up. She wore an armored, silver and purple gilet. A pattern of the sun and moon surrounded her navel, as it joined with her black plated skirt, reaching her mid-thigh. Ana's eyes widened. 'That is totally, shorter than my school skirt.'
"But seeing as I'm not wanted, I'll leave." Zapphira turned on her heels and began to walk towards the exit.
Zapphira was right. Ana wasn't happy to see her, but she needed an explanation. The feeling in her gut told her that if she tried to decode it herself, her brains would burst. 'Ugh!!' She groaned internally, before quickly grabbing Zapphira's arm, stopping her.
"Wait! You're right. I may not be happy to see you, but I would like to know why my parents' photo is on that wall."
Ana let go of Zapphira and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting.
"Have you told your mother and your brother about the-"
Ana rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth, as she tore her gaze from Zapphira.
"Then I can't answer your questions if you don't-"
"What do you mean you can't answer my questions? You said that you showed up here to explain to me, why the hell my parents are on that wall. Now you're telling me otherwise?"
"Yes."
"Bullshit!!" Ana snapped back.
"Your father ordered me not to tell you anything unless you told your mother and your brother. You just confessed that you haven't told them, therefore I can't answer your questions!"
"Fine, if you can't answer my questions, then tell me what the hell am I doing here."
Zapphira opened her mouth to speak but Ana cut her off again.
"And no, I'm not asking."
"Ana..."
"No! I don't want to hear a word leave your mouth, unless it's to tell me what I want to hear. I'm tired of all this already, and it wasn't even much. First you show up, tell me crap about my father and some riddle, then you say you're here to explain to me why their photo is on that wall, and now you're telling me otherwise!"
Zapphira sighed, as she shifted on her feet looking at Ana uncomfortably.
"I have every freaking right to know what's going on. I also deserve answers to my questions! So tell me, Zapphira. What am I doing here?"
"I don't know. All I know is that your father sent me here to talk-"
"So why couldn't he come to me himself?!"
"It's not safe yet."
Ana scoffed and walked past Zapphira, their shoulders brushed roughly. She was sick and tired of this game. Sick and tired of the riddles and the secrets, especially with her mom.
"Ana! Ana wait!"
"What!" she spun around, rage dominating her eyes.
Zapphira walked, so that she would be at least a few feet from Ana, "You're not who you think you are." She said out of breath, trying to catch up with Ana. Right now they were outside the mansion.
"What are you talking about?"
"You're supernatural. You're not human you're-"
"One of what those things were in the pictures?" she commented sarcastically as she walked down the steps laughing.
"You're half Angel, half Demon Ana."
Ana stopped dead in her tracks and spun around. Her eyebrows furrowed, as she looked at Zapphira carefully. She tried to find, any sign of the lie in her voice and her facial expressions, but she was telling the truth. Ana's blood started thumping in her ears and she was starting to feel overwhelmed.
"You're lying to me."
"You have human blood, but only traces. That's all I can tell--"
"No," Ana shook her head defiantly, "I am human, I am not one of those things, there's no way. You're lying! You're lying to me."
"Ana, I'm not."
"Yes, yes you are," but Ana knew that Zapphira wasn't, she just didn't want to accept that. No, not yet.
"Ana, if you tell your mother and brother then I swear to answer any question that you have. Look, I have to go now, the illusion is wearing off."
"Wait what? No you can't just-"
Zapphira disappeared.
"Go like this..."
She continued to look at the mansion, exasperated. Now, she was left alone and confused about her mother, her father and most importantly, herself. She didn't even know what was happening around her anymore. Her whole life just turned upside down a few minutes ago.
She ran her short, slender fingers, through her raven hair and sighed frustrated. Ana turned on her heel and continued to walk back the way she came.
"Ana? Ana! Ana are you alright?"
A voice called out to her, she recognized that voice. Where was it coming from? Suddenly, everything before her disappeared, as Ana snapped back to reality. She winced, as she felt a sharp sting on her left cheek.
"Are you alright? You-you seemed like you were somewhere else and your eyes, there were gold rings around your iris and pupils."
As her vision finally cleared up, she found her brother Simion, dressed in his school uniform with a concerned look on his face and Ana stared at him lost. He sighed and took a step back. What in the world! One moment she was there and now she was here?
"Okay. You and mom are officially freaking me out," he looked at her terrified. That's when a look of realization washed over her face and she yelled.
"Simion, why didn't you wake me up for school?"
He jumped at her sudden outburst. Simion was forced to step aside; whiles she brushed passed him to her closet. He watched her as she grabbed a white t-shirt and a black gilet with a black and green plaid skirt.
"But I-I-"
Simion tried to explain but she was proving difficult. Without another word, Ana shoved him out of the room and slammed the door in his face.
"Sisters!" he muttered under his breath, as he walked down the hall to grab his car keys. When he spotted his mom, he kissed her good bye.
"Simion," she called.
"Mom?" he turned to look at her, before he stepped out the door.
"Give her time. She's just-"
"I know mom," he half smiled, before walking out the door.
~~Meanwhile~~
Ana checked the time after she finished packing her bag.
"Oh-my-go--I have only thirty minutes until school starts!"
So focused on school and the first period's test which she didn't even study for, the encounter with Zapphira hadn't come to mind.
After ironing her clothes, she ran to the bathroom and what she saw in the mirror was a disaster. Her hair looked like a complete jungle. There were bags under her eyes and-
"Ugh is that a pimple! Shit, today is so not my freakin' day!" she grabbed her lavender shampoo and
her acne cleanser.
"Ugh!!!! Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!"
Her shampoo and acne cleanser, were done. She cussed and checked the time-
"Seven forty!" she kicked the cupboard out of frustration, only to cuss more after feeling the searing pain from the impact.
"Ana! Honey are you okay!" Claris yelled from the kitchen after hearing her daughter's commotion.
She wiped her hands off of the cloth hoisted onto her shoulder, for cooking purposes. Heading to the bathroom, Claris stood on the other side of the door.
"Ana, baby is everything okay?"
"No mom. Everything's not okay," her voice was shaky, indicating she'd been crying.
"What is it, honey?" Claris asked as she pressed her ear to the door to hear what was going on.
"My hair is a mess, I have bags under my eyes, I have a freakin' pimple on my face, my shampoo and acne cleanser is done and I have a test in a few minutes!" she panted.
Claris laughed softly, remembering when she had those issues.
"Okay. Ana, baby, look in the bottom cupboard, there's a black bag. I got it for you; I realized you were running low on 'em. You're welcome."
Ana did what she was told, and found the shampoo and acne cleanser.
"Thanks mom!"
"No problem honey!" she yelled, as she stalked off to the kitchen. Claris set an apple, grapes, watermelon pieces and an orange juice for Ana, to have on her way to school.
By seven fifty five, Ana barged out of her room dressed in her uniform. The left portion of her hair was braided and pinned under the right portion, which cascaded down her back. The green in her uniform with help from the mascara and eyeliner she applied made her eyes pop. The pimple was no longer visible, and everything was now perfect.
"Bye mom!"
She grabbed her breakfast and kissed her mom goodbye. When she got into her Nissan, she turned on the radio to one, zero, five point five. Her head bobbed from left to right, as she drove off to school.