"Wolves?" Mum replied.
"Y-yeah, and a tall glowing being. H-he didn't seem human at all." I said, trying to sort out my memory.
"A tall glowing being?" Mum asked.
"He had floating hair, the hair never fell."
"Floating hair?" She asked again.
"He kept saying 'Only I will protect you, my Queen', nothing more," I added.
"Only I will protect you, my Queen?" She asked again.
"Why do you keep repeating my words, mum?" I looked at her with a questioning expression.
"U-uh?" She was speechless.
Feeling mentally exhausted and also tired of speaking, I lay down on my bed and shut my eyes. "Mum I'm tired, I want to rest for a minute."
She didn't say anything, as she remained fixated in her position, she knew I was indirectly asking her to let me be alone. "Okay, hun. Make sure you don't skip dinner okay?" She stood and left.
Upon hearing the door shut, memories of the dream came back to my mind. A dream that seemed so real. After approximately fifteen minutes, I went to take a quick shower, changed into my pajamas, and went downstairs. It was already 6:37 pm.
Mum was sitting in the parlor, her eyes glued to the tv, maybe watching the K-series I couldn't finish watching, or maybe thinking intently about peripheral issues. Without needing to disturb her indulgence, I went straight to the kitchen.
Mum already turned my native dish, Akpu and Nsala soup, into the flask to keep its warmth. Grabbing a plate from the basket, I opened the flask, and the delicious aroma of the Igbo tribe's native dish made its way through my nostrils, and awakening me.
I turned out the food from the flask into my plate, carrying the plate from the counter and dropping the flask in the sink, I made my way to the dining table, and helped myself in the seat. Immediately I sat, I buried my face in the food as I used my already washed hands to shovel food in my mouth.
Mum's cooking is always magical, like I haven't tasted anything like it before. How does she do it?
Naturally, I looked in the direction of the parlor, to get a glimpse of her, but she was already looking at me and smiling widely.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ifeanyi looked worried as she shut Lisa's door. "Wolves? Why has she come to see these things in her dreams?" These thoughts passed through her mind as she recalled the last time she encountered wolves.
It was during the attack on the heavenly bodies. They accompanied Femi, the one who led the opposing force, the traitor.
The wolves were all pitch-black and red-eyed, quite big; matching the height of the heavenly warriors in their normal state. She wasn't scared of them, but she was cautious. Just like she expected, they possessed great power as her sword and their claws clashed.
Yes, they had power, but still couldn't rival the tremendous power of the heavenly beings, especially the warriors.
Ifeanyi snapped out of her thoughts as she rushed downstairs to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She had already brought out the iced soup, the leftover from the last time she made Nsala soup, from the freezer.
It was now defrosted, so she let it on the increased heat, on the gas cooker. Tasting it, she figured it was now a bit tasteless. Just like when she made the soup, she gathered positive energy from the universe, purified it, and channeled it in the soup.
Tasting it one more time, her facial expressions changed, as her eyes widened, she knew Lisa would enjoy it, just like she normally enjoyed her cooking.
To prevent the food from being too cool, she put it in a food flask, which she placed on the kitchen counter where it was visible for Lisa to see. After which she went to rest in the parlor.
She grabbed the remote and turned on the tv after falling on the cushion, letting herself watch the Korean rom-com that showed on the screen, then gradually her thoughts drifted.
Wolves? She thought. Why would Lisa dream of wolves? A tall glowing being with floating hair?
"Glowing being?" She said to herself. "...heavenly beings glow". After so much deliberation, Ifeanyi still could not phantom who exactly Lisa saw.
Ifeanyi knew that the spell cast on Lisa was too powerful and could only be broken by the caster, but she saw with her eyes as the caster was beheaded during the pursuit. "Then who?" she thought.
Lisa seeing a part of her memories only meant that the one who made this happen, could do it, not necessarily because they possess the power, but because they might have shared the memory with Lisa.
"One who also shares a memory with another can help them remember."
Ifeanyi became even more confused. During the period of the war, also when it began, Ifeanyi knew she never let Chionke out of her sight. Wherever Chionke went, she followed until she was exiled. None came close to her, talk less of sharing a memory with her.
But Ifeanyi still was perplexed as she restlessly shifted on the cushion. For someone to loosen the spell and allow Lisa the view of some of her memories, also means they know her true identity.
Ifeanyi could not contain the surge of mixed feelings that eloped from her insides. After the exile of goddess Chionke and her allies, asides from herself, there wasn't any trace of exiled heavenly beings on earth, she knew they were assassinated, but seeing this happening, Ifeanyi was excited but also scared. What if this was a trap?
This was the first time Lisa began seeing wolves, it only meant that she encountered this being recently. Ifeanyi knew that it couldn't be a vulnar. "Vulnars are weak," she thought. They don't possess the power to help bring back lost memories, unlike heavenly bodies.
It had to be a heavenly body. "I have to meet this being" She had to trace the being. Ifeanyi didn't care the length she'd have to reach to find the being, she just had to.
Immediately, she felt a different feeling in her insides. It was a feeling that alerted her of the presence of her master, Ifeanyi turned her neck in Lisa's direction.
Lisa was just entering the kitchen, minutes later, she came out with her plates of food. Ifeanyi watched her as she sat and started eating, and even smiled as she saw the enjoyment in Lisa's body language as she ate.
Ifeanyi knew she'd enjoy it. She concentrated enough joy and peace as she gathered pure energy from the atmosphere as she channeled it in the pot of soup. She couldn't help but smile widely as she watched Lisa eat.
Almost immediately, she locked eyes with Lisa.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Woah! You scared me, mum, don't ever scare me like that again, geez!"
Mum burst into laughter as she stood and walked towards me, "Who knew you were going to look at me when I was busy looking at you? Would you blame me for that?" She said as she continued laughing.
"Wow, so funny," I replied with an annoyed expression plastered on my face. But she continued laughing, grabbed a seat, and sat in it, while I continued eating my meal.
"Lisa, how was school today?" Mum asked as her voice unexpectedly turned serious.
"Very fine, I think.. why do you ask?" I asked indifferently while licking my fingers. Already done with dinner, I stood up, carried my plate, dropped it in the sink, and washed them.
"Nothing special? I mean, don't you want to gist me about people you met today?" She replied.
I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, "huh?"
"Oh hun, is it wrong for a mother to be so interested in her daughter's life?" Mum replied.
"No... It's just that this is the first time you're doing this. It's just unusual." I replied while dragging the L.
"Well, let's make it usual, shouldn't we?" She looked at me with bright eyes.
"O-okay," I awkwardly answered.
"So we most definitely should get started." She immediately replied.
"H-huh? W-what? U-um, mum, I have to prepare for school tomorrow." I said as I walked quickly up the stairs.
"Lisa!" mum called. I turned back. As I descended the stairs, her view came into sight, she was pouting as she sat on the seat where I left her. I reached the dining and sat in the seat I was once in.
"Would you tell me about the people you met with today?" Though she was asking, it sounded like she was commanding me to tell her. Wow, she genuinely wanted to know! I surrendered, sighing, and began.
"U-um, I met Carly on my way to school today, we walked to school together..." I obediently answered.
"I enjoyed the walk to school with her... she has a good sense of humor." I laughed as I allowed myself to go down the memory lane of earlier this morning, "... She's a unique individual." I concluded with a smile.
"Hmm, she sounds like a nice girl," Mum replied.
"Um, I guess so," I answered. "And I was looking forward to walking back home with her."
"Did you end up walking home with her though?" Mum asked.
"Oh no, she didn't come out on time. I didn't want to further waste time in school, besides, we couldn't even meet before I left in the morning, and you must have been waiting for me."
Mum smiled, I could almost see the glow in her eyes. I recognized that smile. It was the smile that showed she was awed at the thought of me being thoughtful of her, but it stopped almost immediately.
"Hmm, but it must have been sad walking home alone when you could have done that with a friend."
"No, it wasn't. You know I usually walk alone mum. I honestly enjoy walking alone as much as I enjoy walking with a fun person. Also, the walk home was short..." I said as I tried to remember myself walking home after school...but my mind was blank, it was all a white sheet, I could see nothing. I wanted to panic, but I calmed myself down and tried retracing my memory.
"Civic Education was the last class I had, then I walked to the gate immediately after the bell rang, I waited for Carly for a while, and then decided to walk home alone." I thought as I tried to trace my memory, but I was finding it hard remembering what happened next.
"But you didn't have to forgo that opportunity of enjoying a fun walk home just because of me." Mum interrupted my thoughts.
"Lisa?" Mum called for me.
Looking up at her from unconsciously looking down because of how intently I was thinking, I replied, "huh?" Then I realized the discomfort on my face, I was tightening the muscles between my eyebrows.
After a brief thought about how scary I must look, I released them. "What's wrong with you?" Mum asked playfully, but I could hear the concern in her voice.
"Oh, nothing big." Feigning a genuine smile on my face, I replied to her.
"So, did you meet anyone else today?" She asked, after ignoring my strange actions.
"No, no one else," I replied, after which I stood up and made my way out of my seat, and to the stairs.
"Mum, since I'm done, I'd like to excuse myself. I have a lot to do." I said, facing front and climbing the stairs, I walked towards my room, without waiting for her reply.
Reaching my door, I turned the doorknob, opened the door, and jumped on my bed. Looking to my right on my side table, I glanced at the standing clock, it was already 7:52 pm.
I should be arranging my school stuff, but I just couldn't concentrate. I thought of sleeping again, but I felt too energetic.
"Why can't I remember?" I muttered. I sat down on my bed as I retried remembering.
"After Civic Education, I walked to the gate immediately after the bell rang, then I waited for Carly for a short while, finally, I decided to walk home alone... After that, a-after that, what happened?" I still couldn't remember.
I clenched my fists and began punching my bed in rage.
"WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER? WHERE ARE MY MEMORIES?!!"