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Music recommendation - Tell me where you've been by M.Bronx
They appeared in front of a one storey building with a signpost that said ST ANN'S FUNERAL HOME. The sign looked really old and it was obvious that it had served the building for longer than the building looked. The sign gave more impression that the building wasn't a new one which explains it was recently renovated because it looked new.
Riya's Dad stepped out of the portal last panting profusely, Riya quickly ran to help him calm down. Elijah waited as she did that still having no expression on. Riya looked around them to see that they were in the middle of an old street with dirt covering the buildings and windows and beverage packets flying around. There were few people on the street, some smoking, some taking a walk, others just minded their business like people didn't just appear from nowhere. Looking at it logically, it looked like a staged street for the wild west movie.
"Where are we?" Riya asked as she continued to rub her Dad's back.
"We're in Spain." Elijah said, still carrying her mother's corpse.
"This is a place that belongs to an old friend, it's safer." He added and turned to walk into the building.
"Ohhhh." Was all Riya could say.
Riya followed him in still holding her Dad. She pushed the door open and saw a moderate reception with an old woman probably in her 70s behind the front desk conversing with Elijah, and some men sitting in the corner smoking and conversing. she helped her Dad sit and tuned into Elijah's conversation with the woman.
"Elijah, Cómo estás?" The woman asked him smiling as she gestured for some men to take the body from him.
"Mi amor." Elijah said and leaned in to kiss her forehead.
"Long time no see friend." The woman spoke in English with a touch of accent.
"I've been quite busy." Elijah said as he leaned on the counter.
"We should have some tea sometime my friend, you don't come by so often." The woman said hitting him on the shoulder.
"I'll consider it." Elijah said smiling.
"What's the cause?" She asked.
"It's an ancient poison used by the witches, they're her family." Elijah said gesturing for Riya to come over.
Riya walked up to them and gave the woman a slight bow.
"I'm so sorry for your loss amigo." She said to Riya.
"Thank you." Riya said bowing slightly again.
Riya left them and walked back to sit close to her father. She looked at him closely and saw that he had developed stress lines under his eyes overnight. She felt sorry for him, he didn't get the chance to say goodbye to his wife...
"She was the only one that cared." He said immediately jolting her from her thoughts.
" After I lost my wife and kids in that accident, she was the only true friend I had at work. She'd check up on me, bring me food every morning, she'd say encouraging words. She did it for years nonstop, I owe her my life." Her father continued as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"I can't forget her, she was my world." He added as he continuously hit his chest lightly.
Riya scooted over and put her arms around him soothing him.
"You don't have to forget her, she'll always remain with us, I miss her too." Riya said trying to hold back the tears.
Riya remembered the first day her mother had brought him home, her mother had cooked that Sunday and they ate together while her mum and her step dad continuously talked about work and their colleagues and laughed. Riya at the time couldn't help but accept him into her heart because they looked happy, everyday from then was a happy one.
Leaving her thoughts behind, she continued to pat her father's shoulder as she returned her eyes to Elijah and the woman, they seemed to be contemplating and deciding on something.
After a few hours, the men that previously took her mother away came back into the room and went to tell Elijah and the woman something before going back to sit with the other men and continued smoking in the corner.
Elijah left the woman and started walking towards Riya and her Dad.
"You should call any family member you have to start preparing for her burial, we can't keep her for long, we need to bury her as the poison is already eating away at her skin." Elijah said calmly as he came to stand in front of them.
"Alright." Riya said still holding her Dad.
Few days later, Riya was standing with extended family members, her mum's coworkers and friends and some neighbors in the cemetery as the priest said prayers for her mother's rest. People went to put flowers on the coffin one by one, each saying a short farewell. Riya stole a look at her Dad, he looked pale just standing there with a black overcoat and a black hat. He seemed to be crying again.
After the whole ceremony, everyone came to meet her and her Dad each saying a word or two of encouragement to them before leaving. Even her maternal uncles that never reached out came that day.
She had told the family and everyone else that her mother had been sick for a while and it was her wish to keep it low till her last moment. She had said that her mother didn't want anyone's pity. Elijah had helped to use magic redress her skin as the casket was opened in the church before the burial at the cemetery.
When everyone had left and it was just her and her Dad, she knelt down in front of her mum's grave with her Dad quietly standing behind her and dropped the roses in her hand at the feet of the grave. She started to sob silently with her head bowed.
I'm so sorry Mum, I'm so sorry I didn't reach out quite often, I miss you, please don't go too far." She sobbed.
Her father stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder.
"She said to tell you that she was sorry and she did it all wrong." Riya turned to tell him.
Her father knelt close to her and started to sob silently.
Elijah watched everything from a safe distance in silence, he hadn't attended the burial to avoid raised questions. He continued to stand there for a while till he felt someone's presence beside him. Just then, Voleth Meir appeared beside him.
"When would you stop blaming yourself Elijah?" She asked him.
"Forever." He whispered.
"I'll blame myself forever." He added.
"Ohhh Elijah." Voleth Meir said softly as she put her arms around him in a hug.
Elijah stiffened for a moment from the gesture and just stepped out of her hold, gently taking her arms from his shoulders. Voleth Meir smiled knowing him and knowing he was always distant when he was hurt. They've known each other for thousands of years upon years and he still hadn't changed.
"What next?" She asked him as she joined him to watch Riya and her father from a distance.
"We get her father to safety and continue on our journey." He answered.
"It all just began." He added.
They watched as Riya and her father got up and started to walk towards the gate to the cemetery in silence with heads bowed. Voleth Meir felt for them, they didn't deserve any of this.
They got to the cemetery gate and stopped, Riya's father's car was just parked across from the cemetery. They crossed to the other side and started to discuss.
"I'll see you soon baby." Riya's father said as he hugged her and patted her head.
"I need to be alone right now, I just need to process everything that has happened, when that is aside I'll come back for you. Till then, stay safe hun." He added still hugging her.
"Are you going to really come back?". She asked sobbing silently.
"I promise." He said.
"Okay." She whispered.
He stepped slightly away from her to assess her face and smiled faintly. Riya returned the smile and stepped back so he could get into his car. He got into his car, closed the door and wind down.
"You trust them?". He asked her gesturing towards Elijah and the Witch.
Riya looked back to see Elijah and Voleth Meir now standing at the cemetery gate across from them.
"Yeah." She replied turning to face her Dad.
"Alright." He said.
"I love you." He added.
"I love you too Dad." She replied and waved him as he started the engine and drove off.
Justin continued to watch Riya from his rear view mirror as she stood there in the middle of the street. He immediately regretted leaving, but he needed to clear his head, he'll surely be back when he's better.
Riya continued to stare at the car till it was out of sight. She just stood in the middle of the street alone still watching the empty road, she immediately burst into tears.
Voleth Meir walked up to her and hugged her while Elijah just stood there staring into blank space. She stopped crying after a while.
"We have to go." Voleth Meir said
"Rick has been trying to reach you, I told him everything, we should head back and relax before planning our next move." She added.
"Okay." She whispered.
Voleth Meir gestured for Elijah to come over, she held Riya and whispered a spell and they vanished with Elijah following suit.