Amora began to stir awake as the sun rays peeked through her window blinds. She turned to the other side to avoid the light but the sun was against her. Suddenly, she jumped with a jolt when she remembered that she had missed workout sessions and the sun was up.
"oh jeez jeez Lexi" she yelled out as she ran into her bathroom to brush.
"good morning Amora, Happy Birthday " Lexi's android voice replied.
"why didn't you wake me?"
"shutting down " Lexi made a beeping sound as she went off. Lexi was a moveable artificial intelligence. She could move from one programmed device to another as long as it belonged to her owner. This time she was on a large tv screen.
"don't shut down you stupid software "
"I am not stupid Amora, I have the capacity of more than a hundred human brains, and I..." Lexi was cut short by Amora as she turned the Android off from its main source which was a tablet that lay on her table.
"why did I program you to have such an annoying personality gosh!!"
Amora hurried down the stairs thinking of words to explain her absence from the workout sessions.
"mum, I umm. I am sorry"
" Happy Birthday Amora!" Louisa and Lesley were waiting for her with trays of food.
"happy birthday honey, aw my baby is all grown now"
"Hey Les, what are you doing here? I mean your dad, did he let you come here?"
"ah, he's out on some business meeting and would be back tomorrow. So, that means we are going to have the best adult sleepover" Lesley was squealing now and Amora had joined in.
Louisa had made a huge breakfast of eggs with bacon, ham sausage and fried potatoes, pancakes, and toast with butter and jam. There was also a small cake that had eighteen candles on it. They sang the birthday song for her and watched her make her wish and blow out the candles.
"Open my gift first" Lesley threw a wrapped box at her. Amora opened the gift slowly revealing its content. She began to gasp as she saw what the box contained.
"an automated monopoly set with avatars that are voice-controlled. Oh my gosh, Les, this must have broken your purse"
"uh, I have been saving up for it, no biggie" Lesles tucked her straying strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"gosh! I love you so much Les" Amora hugged her friend tightly. She opened her mother's gift next. Louisa had gotten her two gifts; one was a digital photo frame that displayed different images of them having mother-daughter time, while the other was more like a ready-to-go weapon box that contained lipstick tasers, pepper spray, a dart gun, and two pocket knives.
"mum, seriously? A weapon box? Why didn't you just get me a freaking bomb" Amora rolled her eyes at her mother .
"what? That's a nice gift, you can carry it anywhere and it's better than my first option which was a vibrator"
"mummmmm" Amora was red with embarrassment now as she heard that her mother had wanted to get her a vibrator.
Louisa drew her in for a hug. "I love you so much, baby"
"love you too mum"
"birthday selfie" They posed for a selfie with Amora's phone.
"Now who's ready for some birthday fun" Amora squealed.
...
The rest of the day was spent going from the arcade to the waterpark, to the ice cream parlor, and then finally back to the house to wrap it all up with the sleepover.
Louisa bid the girls good night as she went on to put the house on total lockdown and also turn on the alarms.
Amora sat on the bed punching away on her tablet while Lesley made her way into the bathroom.
"Do you think Connor would ask me to prom?" Lesley asked from the bathroom.
"why not? If he doesn't, well that's his loss"
Lesley continued to brush her teeth humming a familiar tune. The lights began to flicker in the bathroom as she washed her face.
"Amora stop playing with the lights will ya?"
" I'm not doing anything Les, the light switch is over there and I'm over here"
The bathroom lights went off and Lesley began to yell at Amora. The light came on again and just as she looked into the mirror, she saw her reflection smiling back at her. The reflection of Lesley in the mirror had no eyeballs just empty eye sockets and blood dripping from her nose and mouth.
Lesley couldn't move as she saw the eerie image of herself in the mirror smiling back at her. The reflection began to reach out to grab her, and that was when she found her voice to scream.
"hey hey what's going on in there?" Amora rushed into the bathroom and saw her friend shivering and dazed. She was muttering just one word.
"Mirror mirror mirror mirror" Lesley was looking as white as a ghost.
"what mirror?" Amora went to the bathroom and saw nothing .
Amora was trying to calm her down but Lesley was already gasping for air and then she fainted.
"Mummmmm" Amora yelled.
Louisa came barging into the room and saw an unconscious Lesley. She quickly checked for her pulse .
"she kept saying mirror before she passed out" Amora held her friend close and was trying to shake her.
Louisa rushed to the bathroom to get water and splashed it on Lesley. Lesley's eyes flew open and she sat up with a jolt.
"Lesley honey, what happened?"
"I, I , I saw something in the mirror ma'am, it reached for me" She started to explain but Amora rolled her eyes at her.
"goodness Les, this is your head playing games with you. I warned you about watching your weird movies" Amora was trying to scold her friend who was frowning at her.
"This is no mind trick Mora, I saw it" she turned to Louisa who had a look of pity and fear in her eyes. "believe me ma'am, I saw something in the mirror . Lesley was close to tears now as she spoke and swore that she had seen something in the mirror.
"hush now child" Louisa drew the sobbing Lesley to her bossom and gave Amora a disapproving look.
The next morning, Lesley's father came to pick her up and Amora had held herself from attacking the man when he had showed up on their doorstep. She eyed him with so much hate as she watched him talk to her mother.
"Lesley's brain is so hyperactive mum, I'm sure her mind scared her" Amora was sitting opposite her mother who looked like she was lost.
"Mum?"
"sorry love, I was just lost here. Hold on a second I'll be back" Louisa got up and went to her room only to return some seconds later carrying a dusty brown covered book that looked like it was gotten from Hogwarts .
She placed the book before Amora and then sat down to face her. Her honey brown eyes reflected something Amora couldn't lay her fingers on.
"what's this?" She asked.
Louisa motioned for her to open the book. Amora blew the dust off and opened it.
"remember your roots?" Amora read a few words on the book's page.
"you can read it " Louisa chuckled.
"of course I can read it, it's written in plain English "
"No, it's not Amora, I tried for years to read it but I couldn't translate it. It's not a known language"
"what are you talking about? This is written in English and it says BOOK OF THE ESSENCE". Amora thought her mother was going crazy or possibly playing a prank on her.
"ask Lexi to read it" Louisa gestured to Amora's watch. Amora hesitated at first but then she asked the android to read what was written on the page.
"Lexi can not identify the language " The android replied .
"Alright, alright hold up, what is this about?" Amora looked very confused now.
"This is your origin Mora, your mother gave me this the day I found you and asked me to give it to you when you come of age" Louisa explained , but the look she got from Amora was tearing her apart. She didn't know how to explain to her without hurting her.
"my origin? My mother? You are my mother. Retired Brigadier Louisa Jackson. You are my mother and dad died when I was six months. What are you talking about ?"
" I am your mother yes, but I am not your birth mother"
"this is some kind of joke right? You are getting back at me for playing that water sprinkler prank on you right?" Amora tried to understand but she just couldn't .
"no Mora, I am serious "
.........
FLASHBACK;
Louisa drove into her yard sobbing and sniffing. Her eyes were red and puffy. She was wearing a black dress and a black bonnet. She had just returned from her visit to the cemetery to see her beloved Mario.
She was searching her bag for her keys , still crying when she heard a shuffling noise coming from the bushes.
She grabbed her pistol and flashlight to look around.
"who's there? Show yourself " She yelled but there was silence. Her eyes darted from right to left hoping to see whoever it was hiding somewhere in the dark.
Just then, she saw two figures walking towards her .
"stop there! Who are you?" she queried. The figures stepped into the light and Louisa could see them clearly now. The most beautiful woman she had ever seen with full black and white hair. Her appearance was so out of this world, even her pale skin glistened under the poor moon's reflection and the man beside the woman was just a perfect being with brown hair and chiseled face.
She noticed that the lady was carrying something under her cloak.
"Greetings fair lady, my name is Aura and this is my husband Stellan. We are from the Mystian land of Vadina" The lady spoke with her voice smooth and calm but had a little shake of fear.
"uh, mystia what now? Please I dont have time for this, as you can see , I am quite upset " Louisa made to leave but was stopped when she heard baby noise coming from the woman's cloak.
The woman brought out the baby that was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Louisa met the most beautiful baby she had ever seen with little tufts of red hair. She had pale skin like the lady carrying her.
"this is my daughter. Please we are in danger, take her from us for it would be safer to face the danger alone"
"uh, I don't think it's legal for me to take your baby without proper adoption papers"
Aura and her husband exchanged confused glances at each other not understanding what the human lady was saying.
"oh please lady, take her from us. We beg of you. What is after us will kill her please" Stellan was begging now.
Aura placed the baby into Louisa's hands. "please take care of her fair lady, we will come back for her and if we don't, give her these when she comes of age, she will understand " Aura placed a brown book and a bracelet in Louisa's hands.
"hey hey hold up right there! How do I know you didn't steal this baby?"
"Please we can't stay for long, just take her" That was Stellan's voice. Aura kissed her daughter one last time and muttered some strange words. Louisa was felt some warmth as she looked down at the baby who was smiling at her. When she looked up, the mysterious couple had suddenly disappeared into thin air. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, before entering into the house.
...
PRESENT DAY;
Amora couldn't believe what her mother had just revealed to her.
"what do you mean? I'm not human and I'm not your daughter? I'm from some weird place?"
"look calm down Mora"
"Mora? Is that even my real name?"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner my love, I had to wait till you got older and I am serious here Mora, there's danger lurking around that's why I have been tracking your movements. There's a shift in the air"
"look mum, or should I say Louisa?" Amora sounded angry and that broke Louisa's heart. " there's no shift anywhere, you lied to me about everything. How can I believe anything ?" Amora was sobbing now and yelling.
"Baby" Louisa tried to hold Amora but Amora pushed her away, grabbed her phone and ran out of the house.
"Amora, Mora please" Louisa called after her daughter. she sank into the chair and then let the tears out freely.
Amora sat alone at a corner in a bar trying to understand everything she had just heard. She never believed in mystical things and yet her mother says she's a mystical being.
"it doesn't make any sense" . She couldn't tell Lesley about it. She had to be sure before telling her anything. She had been out for hours and it was very late now, she kept ignoring her mother's calls.
...........
Louisa paced back and forth constantly checking the clock and listening to hear Amora come in. She soon heard the door opening and thought it was her daughter.
"Mora, darling is that you?" she asked but there was no response.
"who's there? Amora?" Louisa quickly took her gun and walked slowly towards the door.
"who is there?" she asked again.
She heard a swift movement and followed the sound and then all that was heard was silence.