At Night.
"Okay mum, so this needs to be paid."
Adrian handed his mum the list of their unpaid bills for electricity, new equipments and foodstuffs.
Jessica gave a long face as her eyes scrolled through the list.
"Mum, everything would be fine, right?" Adrian raised, a little worried.
"Sure, of course. I would settle these bills ASAP!" She gave a tight-lipped smile. "But we need magic."
"Magic?"
"Yes, magic." Jessica replied, holding her breath and released it with a soft sigh. "These feel like mystery to me. I still don't know how, but we would surely escape this."
She jotted down the Os of zeros they were sinking in. Adrian scratched his head as a tired yawn escaped him. His mum placed her right comforting hand on his shoulder. Making him turn to her with his half sleepy eyes.
"Oh, that reminds me..." Adrian jerked up and fixed his fingers into the side pocket of his ripped jeans. He took out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to his mother.
"What is this?"
"The school's head teacher told me to give you this. It's Stormie's suspension notice."
"Suspension again?" Jessica froze and stared at her son with wide eyes. "How come?"
It's the third time Stormie is receiving a suspension notice in Whittier High School.
"Stormie threatened the team coach with Dragon. The head teacher said Stormie was acting out." Adrian gave their mum her mini camera that was seized and saw the frightful picture of the coach that was taken. Jessica grabbed her head in confusion, thinking of how to convince Stormie, only if she would listen this time.
Meanwhile, Stormie was in her room watching a new movie, Among The Shadows. On the wall of her room were the pictures of the people she had frightened so far. Scary masks, werewolf posters, plastic-vampire teeth and, of course, a black cape hanging on the wall. Her onion-purple themed room had the posters of her favorite horror movie characters, and with her little green chameleon at hand, Stormie felt a peace.
She focused her black eyes on the television screen as werewolf Randall Jackson fatally shoots werewolf Harry Goldstone. Although Kristy was her favorite character.
The door busted open and Jessica busted in, annoyed. Stormie quickly pursed the video as her mum walked up to her, pointing the camera at her face. She chuckled, looking at Mr. Clayton's expression.
"It's not funny. And you took that chameleon to school again?" She gently placed it on her bed and her smile faded.
"Like seriously, this is getting out of hand, Stormie. Grow up! You know, it was okay when you were 10, 12, but now you're 14."
"I did it to defend Adrian. I did nothing wrong, mum stop worrying about me! And I am taking responsibility, not acting childish. I should be the hero here, not the villain. You should thank m-"
"Just shut up, okay?!" Jessica psyched up as she grabbed the front portion of her hair. "Whenever I'm talking, you listen."
Her eyes glittered, and it looked as if she was close to tears.
"Why can't you be more like your brother, huh? Why can't you just be a girl? In the real world, there is no werewolf, no vampires, no aliens, no hulk, no joker, no Nurse Ratched, these are made up fantasies, okay?"
"Just because you don't believe them doesn't mean they don't exist." Stormie defended.
Taking a closer glance, Jessica saw their family album on her bed. She opened it and realized that Stormie, has been, looking through the pictures. Especially at Collins, her late husband. He used to be a renowned actor in Hollywood until he suddenly met with a plane crash. They spent a lot on his health before he died. Collins loves playing scary parts in movies and whenever coming from a trip, he would buy her fantasy books and costumes.
Seeing the album, a single tear rolled down Jessica's eye. She wiped it away immediately so her daughter won't notice.
"I miss him too, more than you can ever imagine, but... One more of this?" She showed Stormie the suspension notice. "One more of this and I will burn all your toys. All these goes away, okay?"
"Yeah, I understand."
"Good." Jessica looked around before walking to the door. "Good night then."
It's been six months since Collins Knight passed. Stormie isn't yet over with the loss of her dad. She reminds Jessica of him every time and she would end up going to bed like this, in tears.
As the door closed, Stormie turned off the television. Furious to the fact that Adrian always get praised while she gets condemned.
Everyone in her school thinks she's delusional, except for Stella and Helen. Her school friends. Apart from these two, she also has the small, dirty-green chameleon she'd found on a field a couple of months ago. She called it 'Dragon' hoping, someday it would become one and she would be its rider. Jessica had tried killing it a thousand times but failed.
"All species of chameleon can change colours except that one!" Adrian would say. "That is its only superpower!"
Stormie turned off the lights and crawled back to bed, tying not to cry. But she did. She rolled herself up on the blanket like her chameleon. Stormie saw herself as princess Rapunzel locked up in a tower. And her mum could be Mother Gothel. Sometimes, She feels like running away. Far away from home to explore her world of fantasy. Only if...
She hated the fact that her dad wasn't there with her. It still hurts a lot. She placed her little dragon under the reading lamp and touched its rough green skin. It was a Meller chameleon. She watched it until suddenly a tiny spider climbed onto her skin. Dragon stretched its tongue and swallowed it at once.
Stormie, who was about to sleep, felt almost nothing. She didn't even know about the spider. Just then, the door suddenly creaked. With this, her sleepy eyes opened as she turned towards the door. She knew definitely. Her mum closed it and she locked the door before turning off the lights.
Something was off.
Outside was the faint sound of dogs barking and she was curious to what was going on. Stormie in the darkness stepped out of her room, tiptoeing to find out the shadow lurking in the dark. Her dark, curious eyes rolled through and forth, like that of her pet, but she placed it on her shoulder. Looking at the main entrance door from a distance, Stormie saw a shadow, but it was dim and unclear to who it was.
Her heart eat raced faster within her ribcage. Stormie's eyebrows pulled up and her eyes widened as she stepped forth. Proceeding to the darkness before her. She was sure the door was locked and others would be deep asleep by this time. She took another step into the hallway and walked to the door. Peeping outside was a blur of vision, so she pulled the doorknob and then she saw a box.
The small black box was as dark as sin. With a shiny-red ribbon tied around it and forming a bow on top of it. Stormie looked around and stopped.
Her eyes saw a beautiful lady outfitted in a red velvet cape. Although Stormie squinted her eyes to take a better view, she couldn't see anything because the hood was covering her entire face. After an awkward moment of silence, the lady turned away, walking into a distance. As if holding a bag, Stormie realized she had a wooden basket filled with red apples. And some of it dropped as she walked away.
"Ma'am."
Stormie wasn't sure if she was to call her back or not. She knew definitely the lady in red must have dropped the box. She gazed at the box and raised her eyes back at her, but she wasn't there.
Her jaw dropped in bewilderment as she turned around. Stormie wiped her face, hoping this wasn't a dream. She knew she saw someone just now, but she seemed to have vanished into the thick fog that was hovering over the dim night.
Stormie picked up the box, and it was as light as a feather. 'Should I open it? What if nothing is inside?' Her mind played on the thought until she woke up Adrian and her mum.
"What did you say you saw again?" Jessica asked, letting out a tired yawn while Adrian was still half asleep.
"I said I saw red riding hood. She brought a gift for us."
"What?" Jessica frowned, knowing Red riding hood was just a fictional character.
"It's the middle of the night, Stormie. If this one of your pranks to make us believe in your little fantasy world, then cut it off?"
"No, it's not! Believe me mum. I saw a lady in a red velvet cape and she dropped this. Just open it." Stormie persuaded, handing the box over to her mum.
Jessica pulled the ribbon and untied it. Then she gently opened the lid and deepened her hand into it. There was an envelope made of thick, brown papyrus. In it was a document of house ownership.
Dear Knight's family.
Greetings from Wolfsberg, Austria.
"Austria?" Adrian frowned, finally opening his eyes this time. Who's from "Austria?"
"Vampires?" Stormie interjected.
They looked at her awkwardly.
"I do not know... I'm just joking." She shrugged and their mum continued reading.
We regret to inform you of the passing of your late aunt, Magdalena Novak. Your presence is requested on Saturday for the reading of her last will and testament, at which time, possession of Wolfsberg manor would be transferred to.
"Wolfsberg manor?" Jessica turned to her daughter, imagining. "What a coincidence it is. You forged these, right?"
"Magdalena Novak. Really?" Adrian hissed at his sister. "What an awkward name to lie about. Probably a character from one of those Gothic movies you used to watch."
"No, it's not me. I told you I saw red riding hood. She stared at me for a while and vanished into the night. I don't know, she must have left it. Look, there's a number. Call it if you don't believe me!" Stormie suggested.
Looking at her flushed face, one could tell she was innocent but, Stormie wasn't the innocent type. She always caused a scene.
Jessica went upstairs to make a call before coming out. Shocked to the bones.
"That was the executive's office." She told the both of them.
"So, what did they say?" Adrian queried, concerned.
"It looks like your dad's long-lost sister he once told me about has left us everything, including her castle."
"What?" Adrian could believe his ears.
"See? I told you. We are rich!" Stormie busted out with a big smile.
"No, we are not rich, Stormie." Her brother corrected, but now wasn't the time to argue. She quickly dialed her friend's contact in the excitement.
"Mum, how come dad never told us we have relatives in Austria?"
Jessica smirked at Adrian, and she went through the papers.
"I literally did not know."
"Hello bitches," Stormie started." I'm going to Austria!"
"Yeah, I don't know. Let me ask."
"Hey mum! Can we go see Dracula's castle?"
Jessica purposely ignored her.
"Okay, Helen! She's undecided. But I would keep you posted!"
"Yeah, sure. I would let you know whenever I get there. Bye!" Stormie ended the call and rushed into her room with a weird dancing step.
Adrian rolled his eyes at her and let out an exasperated sigh. "Mum... You're not seriously considering this, right?"