Mr Morrison's initial plan was to visit the park with the friends and at sundown he'd surprise them with tickets to go see the new Black Panther movie, little did he know that fate had its own plans. After his conversation with Jason which he told no one what it was about, his mood swung, even though he attributed it to a headache which he had began to feel after that nearly half an hour meeting, he was quiet and only said "I don't think I feel so good" when he was asked "What's wrong?" by his caring wife. "Are you sure?" She pressed, "Nothing, it's just this sharp pain, lingering in my head" turning towards the friends, he lowered his brows and said " Will it be okay if we do it at the end of the school games? It's being held in your school right?" "Yeah" they responded, all but Aires and Mrs. Morrison knew what was really wrong with him "Ouch I thought we were going out today, I got my dancing boots on" Aires joked "I know honey, can we do it some other time? Like, after the games at school? Please? I'm not feeling so well" "Aight, heard you loud and clear" she replied with a fond look. After the meal, they helped in the washing of the dishes and a couple of other things around the house. Aubrey, Elena's 'little devil' or 'witch' as Elena called her, wasn't around, she mostly spent her Saturdays at her Aunt's house and returns the following day. Before the friends left Elena's house, Jason left a goodbye with a questionable grin on his face aimed at Mr. Morrison which got Aires curious, so she began to wonder what the secret conversation was about, but Elena telepathically informed Vanessa to tell Aires everything the two heard from the kitten.
ELENA'S P.O.V
I spent the rest of my day pacing back and forth in my room, thinking and crying, "No, not my father too" I said to myself whenever my eyes met his in one of the three pictures of him in my room. The first one to my left was that of him holding me in his arms, he told me I was two years old by then. The picture in the middle was taken on my tenth birthday which was also a graduation day. I was wearing a black academic regalia, with my hands holding my waist and my father holding the regalia cap. The last one was a picture of me, Aires, Jason and my father taken a few months ago during the opening of the Chinese mall. I heard a weak knock on my door, "Come in" was my response while I struggled to hide my tears from whoever was coming. "Elena, why are you crying?" My Dad said as he entered and noticed me wiping the tears off my face, "Nothing Dad" "Ella what's wrong, don't lie to me" "Please tell me it's not true, tell me you're not one of them" " One of whom? What're you talking about?" He asked, befuddled by my words, "I know what you two talked about. Where are you taking the bag?" I solicited, he had a bag in hand and in the corner of it I saw a t-shirt which had popped up, 'is he trying to escape?' I thought, or 'is he leaving for the trip?'. He began to sweat, trying to find the right words to say, I pulled him close and held his forehead with my thumbs to his temple and invaded his mind to know what he was really thinking. I was right, he was leaving, deep down he was doing it to protect me, my Mom and my little sister, I also found out he had had an argument with Mom, while trying to explain himself. I began to feel vertiginous, the magnitude of the fact my father was going to be a weapon of mass destruction was not easy to comprehend. I took steps backwards and sat on the bed heartbroken, tears began streaming down my cheeks, "What on earth was that? Were you in my head? What's going on with you and where did you learn to do that...?" His list of never ending question was not running out anytime soon so "It doesn't matter" I said to , "I asked you a question Elena, I am your father..." "Yes so you're the only one allowed to keep secrets around here isn't it, Dad?" "Elena I ask the questions around here, understand? Now answer since when did you start practicing black magic and why did you hide it from us?" " It's not black magic" I justified, standing back up, "And you, you'll just given in because you think you're protecting us? That's not protection Dad, that's suicide. Do you know how many people are going to lose their lives because of these beings that have Jason? Do you know what their intentions are? They are going to destroy us and everyone that comes their way, and your plan is to rather spare three people and watch thousands, millions and eventually billions lose their lives with you in their corner? You were my hero Dad, didn't know you could be this selfish-" "Elena that's enough" he yelled "I see you heard out conversation, but your abilities need improvement. Listen to me, I am going there not because I want to side with them, but yes for your protection and your Mom and sister's, that's not the end of it, if you want to destroy an empire you invade it, and destroy it from within I can know more about their plans if I'm with them..." "Well you should have said that in the beginning. But spoiler alert, they don't have a building or a home, they just live within people so if you're packing up to go live with them, you must carry a house with you. " I quipped with a smile, "My bad" he said,
" I they're scared of paying rents" he joked, pulling me into a hug, "We can help" I whispered in his ears, he pulled out of the hug "We?" He asked, at sea "Yes my friends and I are going to put an end to this, and now with you on our side, we'll be able to win" I announced "No no no, Elena this is too dangerous" he trembled " You and your friends have a whole life ahead of you, I cannot let you do this, you can lose your lives." "Well sir, the last time I checked, ninety-nine percent of lone rangers died in their quest" "Ella this isn't a game-" "I know Dad, but the truth is that there's a prophecy, and it says that Aires is the one who can defeat them... Well, not really defeat, but we can try, to we, Jason and I were asked to help her, so you should side with us and not go alone, please, let's do it together" he looked at me for a while and sighed, "okay" he said, "But what about the new one, Vanessa?" "She's a shape shifter like Jason, but she is only able to transform into animals as well as talk to them" I explained " I have long awaited for this prophecy to come true, it's the only way I can rid myself off this demon, even though I've learned to live with it over the years, there are times it has tried to kill me. My parents found a way to chain it up deep inside, but soon it will be unleashed and I have no idea how to do it without them because they're no long alive. I've known about this prophecy since I was very little but I didn't know it's for your friend, now that I do I will side with you, but first I must make my people have faith in me, and you're not going to stop me cos you're scared, I know what I'm doing, I'll contact all of you when I have something" "Dad come on please..." "Elena, listen to me, the demon within Jason is under my command, I'll bring him to your friends, try to paralyze Jason, it will flee out of him but will try to find another host immediately, so tell Aires she must get the magic circle ready and..." He ceased, I noticed his eyes turning reddish a little "I have to go, they're calling" I held his hand "stop it Elena, do not try to impede my going, I must do this to help the Chosen One or else we will all perish. Before I leave I want you to know I won't be coming home anytime soon" "What?" "Listen to me Elena, I'd let you go far away from here with your Mom if I could, your lives are in danger, so I have to leave and live alone until all this is over, if I don't do that they will use one of as a bait for me. Make sure Jason doesn't come inside this house until I tell you it's safe. Now let go of me" "I love you Daddy, please take care" I hugged him, but he pulled out from the hug and walked towards the northern wall of my room, with his finger he started drawing something which was like a triangle, it wasn't really that big it first, I'd say each line was twenty centimeters long. Instantaneously, a black line taking the shape of the figure he was trying to draw, formed a triangle, from its epicenter, a thick smoke began to boil, then it covered the entire triangle. He held the horizontal line which was at the base of the smoking triangle, then he pulled it down causing the entire triangle to expand to a size he could fit in, then he looked back at me and said "Wish me luck " I replied with heavy eyes saying "No, come get it when you return" he nodded and as turned around and walked in to it, I tried running after him but it the portal shrunk and vanished, so I was started to scream his name, punching the wall with all the strength I could find, but it was just a waste of time, he was gone, as when he would return, I had no knowledge of it, all I could do was to pray the heavens would protect him. My door flung open, Mom came running, I saw her eyes were teary as well, she wrapped my arms around me, and we spent the rest of the night, assuring each other that he'd return soon till we fell asleep.
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A few days had passed since Elena saw or even spoke to her father, fear had its grip on the teenager despite the pep talks Aires, Vanessa and Jason had been giving her, yes Jason was also giving her motivational talks to help her recover, but to her, the new Jason was a traitor. For Jason, the only thing he knew was the lie Elena told him that her father had traveled to Africa to be part of a donation program and that she had no idea when he was coming back. After about a week, her face started to turn pale, not everyone could notice except those close to her, she had started to lose weight, anyone who asked her got the same answer "I have a fever" but only Aires and Vanessa knew what was really going on.
On Wednesday night of the following week, when Aires had barely slept after babysitting Elena over the phone for nearly thirty minutes, she began sweating and shivering in her bed from a dream she was having. In her dream she could hear the voice of Elena's father, but she could not see his face because around her was nothing but darkness. "Aires!" He called out, she was wearing the witch costume which was given to her by her father as a present two Halloweens ago, "Where are you?" She vociferated, spinning around with her dress flapping to the windy nature of the night, ", It doesn't matter" the voice continued "You are in danger, your friends are too." "Danger from what? " She voiced back aloud "The demon within Jason has been tasked to kill you tomorrow, you must find a way to weaken him or else you will die. " "How am I going to do that? All I know is that when a host is paralyzed, the demon in him is forced to come out of him. I haven't seen some before and i don't know if it will work" "I will set a trap for him, but you must be ready when I call you" "Please be more specific, what's the trap?" Aires replied anxiously " He has been sent to kill you, but he can not kill you in public, because the numbers they need to call out the Grand Master has not added up yet, a public execution will blow their cover and compromise everything, since he is under my command, I'll influence him to do it in a place more isolated, a place where no one can find your body -" "What?" She interrupted" He's going to kill me. That demon is psycho" "Aires, focus!" The voice ordered, her body froze presto and her lips went shut, "On Friday at school when they gather together for the plotting of the place and time when the Grand Master is to be summoned, his next move is to kill you because you are the Chosen One, a threat they must get rid of, but instead of letting him sweat it, lure him into following you out of the school to a safe house I will show you. But before you do, drug him with ketamine which delays for twenty minutes before its effects take place, so that immediately he gets to the house he will fall asleep. He has been informed not to kill you in public because it will cause them to be exposed, so he will fall for the idea of being in an isolated place with you" "Aires !" She heard someone call out from afar, her body was still motionless and her lips sealed, so she could not respond. For a second time she heard the other voice calling her name, this time she tried with all her might to break free from whatever was keeping her stiff, only to find out it was a dream and her Mom's was the voice calling her name, so she sighed and asked herself "Was it just a dream or a dream telepathy?"