**TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of child abuse**
Reader discretion is advised
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"Please, mamá," said Tezria begged, "That's my son in the other room."
The boy suddenly woke up, *Where… Where am I?* He thought as his eyes slowly opened up. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before he observed his new surroundings. The walls were all dark orange while the floor was made from black tiles in the shape of triangles. The dresser, nightstand, mirror frame, and bed were all made from cherry wood. The boy looked down and noticed that he was still wearing his dirty, raggedy clothes from the night before. The only things that were removed from his person were his shoes and socks. He then noticed that the bed he was in had pale grey sheets and a large, colorful quilt.
The quilt had bunches of little, spiky flowers that formed big squares. The patterns were blue, purple, and green with little bits of red sprinkled in while the base color for the quilt was white. *This quilt,* thought the boy, *I've seen this somewhere before. But where? I don't know anyone who owns a quilt with this kind of pattern and these colors.* He carefully climbed out of bed and shivered a little when his bare feet touched the cold floor.
He tiptoed over to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked through the crack, only a few inches wide, and found out where the voice was coming from. A lady with golden bronze skin, red eyes, and wavy black hair was talking to an elderly woman. The old woman was very short, had grey hair that was up in a small bun, and tan skin. The lady was wearing a long black dress with a white collar and a silver buckle around her waist while the old woman was wearing a white top with a long purple skirt and a green cardigan. The old woman was hunched over with a black cane that had a jade orb on top while the lady stood straight and tall, looking to be almost a foot taller than the old woman.
The boy gasped, *It's her!* He thought as he kept his eyes on the lady. *But why did Tezria bring me here?* He opened the door a bit more and peered his head to the sides in order to find a path to escape. While he was looking around, a black cat snuck into his room. The boy turned to look at it as the cat brushed up against his ankles.
"What are you doing here?" He whispered to the cat.
The cat just looked up at him and meowed as he licked his paw.
The boy sighed, "Alright, you can stay but be quiet." The cat then continued to purr against the boy's legs.
The elderly woman shook her head, "No humanos permitido! A menos que él sea un brujo."
*What's she saying?* The boy wondered, *I wish my parents had taught me Spanish.* He sighed.
Tezria thought for a moment, "What if he became one of us? Maybe then our lord will be pleased."
The old woman nodded, "Absolutamente, si!"
The lady slammed the side of her fist into her palm, "Conversion it is! Once the boy is awake, we shall begin the ritual. Now I just need to find my ceremonial dagger."
"What?!" The boy yelled in panic.
"What was that?" The lady asked.
The two women then turned their heads to the direction of the sound.
*Oh no!* The boy thought as he quickly closed the door.
"Él está despierto." Said the old woman as the two of them walked towards the door.
"You're right, mamá." Said Tezria, "He's awake."
"Oh no!" The boy whispered in panic, "What do I do now?"
The cat stared at the boy as he began meowing loudly.
"No no! I said be quiet!"
"Ayote? What's *he* doing in there?" Tezria asked when she heard meowing.
The old woman knocked on the door, "Abres esta puerta!" She demanded.
"What?" The boy asked.
"She's telling you to open this door." Said Tezria as she approached the door.
"No!" Said the boy, "I'm not letting you weirdos in here!"
"Ay yai yai!" Said the old woman as she quickly grew impatient, "Él está muy terco!" She pointed her cane at the door as the orb began to glow bright green. "Abres esta puerta!" She repeated as the door knob began to turn. The door was swung open while the boy stood there in shock. Before he could say anything, the old woman pointed her cane at the boy as the orb continued to glow. The boy struggled to resist as an invisible force pulled him towards the two women.
"What's happening?! How'd you do that?" He asked with a mix of astonishment and terror in his voice.
"Magia." The old woman smirked as she set him in front of them.
*Magic,* the boy realized, *She used magic.*
"Don't try to escape," said Tezria, "We're just here to help."
"Help?!" The boy crossed his arms, "You drugged and kidnapped me! You call that helping?"
"Well you probably wouldn't have agreed to come here if I just asked you. Besides," said the lady, "I gave you food and now you have a place to stay."
The boy shook his head, "No! I don't wanna be here."
"Please, hijo," the lady begged, "I can't lose you again."
*Why is she calling me her son?* He wondered.
"Again?" The boy raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You see," Tezria began, "That story your mother told you, the one about the witch and the little boy-"
"Yes I know!" The boy interrupted, "The little boy my mom tried to save was your son."
"No interrumpiendo!" The old woman yelled.
"Mamá, please." Said the lady. She turned back to the boy, "That's not what I was gonna say. I was going to say that *I* was the witch from that story."
"What?" Said the boy, "You killed your own son?"
Tezria shook her head, "No, dear. I loved my son and I would never hurt him."
"Well then what happened?" The boy asked curiously.
"Your mother thought he was in danger when she saw him enter my cabin. A few days later," Tezria looked down and sighed, "She broke into my cabin when I wasn't home and took him. When I came back and found out that he was gone, I began to search for him. She then left him behind in the swamp when she heard I was looking for him. Once I found him, he was dead in the water." The lady put her hands to her face as she began to weep.
The old woman put her hand on the lady's shoulder and spoke in a sympathetic tone, "Por favor no llores." She consoled Tezria and encouraged her not to cry.
"Oh no," the boy frowned, "I'm sorry, Tezria. But what do I have to do with any of this?"
The old woman looked at him, "Tu eres su hijo."
"What?" Said the boy, "Sorry but I hardly understand any Spanish."
The old woman put her palm on her face and sighed.
Tezria looked at the boy, "She's telling you that you're my son."
"Wait what? How?"
"The high priestess told us that my son's soul will be reborn into a new body."
"So like, reincarnation?" Asked the boy. *Maybe that's why that quilt and amulet both seem so familiar.* He thought.
The lady nodded, "Yes! That's why I've brought you here," she smiled, "Now all we have to do is turn you into a warlock and then we can finally be a family again." She then reached her hand out to caress his face.
The boy quickly took a step back, "I'm not sure about this."
"Que?" Said the old woman.
"Huh?" said Tezria, "What do you mean?"
"Well," the boy looked down for a moment, "All this sounds very odd. I mean, magic, witches, reincarnation, a ceremonial dagger. I'm not sure if I want to be a warlock."
"The dagger won't be used to hurt you, hijo," Tezria assured him, "It's something you'll need for when you have to sign the contract … with your blood."
"Oh…" The boy said in shock. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Yes," Tezria began, "Once you sign it, you can never go back."
"So it's permanent?"
The lady nodded.
"Well then I don't think I want to be a warlock for the rest of my life."
Tezria crossed her arms and sighed, "Do you even know what they do?"
The boy thought for a moment, "I'm not entirely sure but my mother has told me that they're similar to witches and I know what witches do. That's why I don't want to be a warlock."
Tezria looked down and frowned, "Alright then. I don't want to keep you here against your will. If you want to leave, then you may. But remember that you are always welcome here."
The boy nodded, "Thank you for the food. I'll be on my way." He turned around and started walking away.
He walked down a long, seemingly empty hallway before he reached a big, wooden door.
"This must be the exit." He said right before he reached his hand out to grab the door knob.
"Where do you think you're going?" Said a deep, mysterious voice from behind.
"Huh?" The boy turned around, "Who said that?" There weren't any people around. The boy just shrugged and turned back around to face the door.
"Ehem!" Said the strange voice again, "I'm talking to you, boy!"
The boy quickly turned around again, "Where is that coming from?" He looked around and didn't see anyone in the hall. "If this is some kind of joke, it's *not* funny!" He yelled in frustration.
"Down here!" Said the voice.
"Huh?" The boy looked down to his feet and saw the black cat, "Ayote?" He asked.
"Yes, boy," the cat responded, "It's me."
The boy gasped, "But how can you-"
"You just met two witches, one of whom manhandled you with her magic staff. A talking cat is nothing compared to what you've just witnessed."
"Oh," said the boy as he scratched his head, "What are you doing?"
"That's what I was going to ask *you*," Ayote began to circle him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm leaving."
"Where do you think you're going?" The cat asked with sass in his voice.
"Home," said the boy, "I'm going home."
"Oh *really*!" Ayote said in a sarcastic tone, "You mean, the same home you were thrown out of?"
The boy gasped, "How'd you know that?"
Ayote stopped in front of him and smirked, "Kitty senses, my dear boy. Kitty senses." He then looked at the boy sternly, "Now tell me, what exactly *is* your plan after you leave this place? No home, no friends, and your family doesn't want you anymore."
The boy sighed, "I don't know. Maybe I'll just sleep on a bench somewhere."
"And risk having a run-in with dangerous hooligans or getting arrested by the police for your 'indecent' attire?" Ayote asked.
"Oh," the boy looked down, "I guess you're right."
"Well then," Ayote smirked, "That's why you need to stay here with Tez. She'll take great care of you. When you're ready, you can become a warlock and obtain lots of powerful magic." He slowly got closer to the boy, "What's even better is that Tez knows many great physicians who can help you change your physical form."
The boy raised an eyebrow, looking at the cat, "You mean, I can finally-"
"Yes," said the cat, "Tez can help you achieve your desired form so that you may finally feel at home with your true gender."
The boy paused and thought for a moment. He turned to look at the door and then turned to look at the other end of the hallway which led into the main room where the boy came in from. He then looked back at the door one last time.
"Remember," Ayote smiled as the boy faced him, "Once you sign the contract, you can *never* go back." His smile seemed a bit unnerving, "So choose wisely, boy." He then turned around and left for the main room.
As he watched the cat leave, the boy thought about what Ayote and Tezria had told him.
He took a deep breath and sighed, "I've made my choice."
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Translations:
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"No humanos permitido! A menos que él sea un brujo." = No humans allowed! Unless he is a warlock
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"Absolutamente, si!" = Absolutely, yes!
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"Él está despierto." = He is awake
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"Abres esta puerta!" = Open this door!
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"Él está muy terco!" = He is very stubborn!
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Magia = Magic
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Hijo = Son
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"No interrumpiendo!" = No interrupting!
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"Por favor no llores." = Please don't cry
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"Tu eres su hijo." = You are her son
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"Que?" = What?