**Chapter Six**
Mae...
"Run faster baby girl run!!!" A woman looks back and shouts at the little girl holding her hand.
"Mama" the little girl cries, doing her best to follow her mother's lead but it is clear she is exhausted.
The rain pours heavily, thunderstroms clapping, lightning flashes every now and then. The gods are clearly angry on this night.
"George" the woman calls out. A man a little ahead turns back. "She can't go any farther" she woman says, sobbing.
He comes back and picks up the child and together they run.
The woman looks back for a nanosecond "they are catching up to us. We won't make" she cries heavily. "Oh George, this can't be it. It just can't."
He give her the child. "Go ahead. Don't look back."
"What are you doing?" She asks.
"I'll hold them off as long as I can. Go, fast."
"No George" she holds him, afraid. "Please don't do this. Please" she cries.
"It's the only way," he says quietly despite the rain. "I love you Amanda.Now go"
The woman screams
The child screams
*****
I wake up screaming. Another dream, this one worst of all. Who was coming for who? Is this even real? I remember a time when my mama would sing to m after any bad dream when i was a little girl. This was so much more than a bad dream. I miss her but i know i cannot go back. Nothing would make me go back, not until the killer is found and I'm finally freed.
It is my off day and i have the day all to myself. I go shopping for lingerie. I smile. Now that Nathan is around, i need sexier wears. For the past two weeks Nathan and i have become quite close. He is very much interested in me, taking me to movies, concerts, everywhere. He is hinting on moving in with me but we are not quite there yet. Something feels a little off but since i can't place a finger on it i will rather not think about it.
I also get my nails done; both manicure and pedicure. It's all sparkly and cute. I am so bubbly everyone asks me what the matter is. Happiness indeed is free.
By evening I'm exhausted and Nathan hasn't so much as sent a text the whole day. I'm upset at that but i don't think anything of it.
Just as i settle in to watch a nice movie, i hear the doorbell. I smile, maybe he did not text or call but i guess here he is.
I open up to see Dominick. I am puzzled.
"Sir? What's going on?" I ask perplexed.
He oushes me out of the way as he comes in. "Hurry up, pack a bag. We haven't got all night"
"Pack up for what? It's my off day and moreover it's evening, surely there's no official thing to see to tonight"
He looks at me as if he isn't even quite there. His eyes go strangely white and then he answers "yes"
Then he seems to notice i haven't moved an inch. "Why are u still standing here?"
"I'm not going anywhere with you sir till you tell me what is all this about."
"My name is Dominick" he sounds irritated. "If you don't want to be sacrificed this night, you will do exactly as i say."
"Sacrificed to who? For what? What's going on?" I still have not moved.
He shakes his head. "the hard way it is."
He carries me to the bedroom and locks the door behind him. He picks up the first bag he sees and starts shoving things in it.
"Hey Hey, wait. What do you think you are doing?" I ask
"Saving you."
We hear a crash right outside the door.
"What's that?" I whisper.
"They are here."
He grabs me with a hand and grabs the hastily packed bag with the other hand and that's all i can remember.
*****
Dominick...
"Wake up Mae" i whisper softly, worried. She's been out for two straight days. I did not mean to use that much magic but she was not cooperating and there was no time to explain it all.
"How much did u say you used, exactly?" Alex asks.
I gave him a dangerous look but deep down i am much more worried.
I have been here every single hour of the past two days. She has not steered.
Suddenly she sneezes.
"Bring her a glass of milk. I think she's coming to" Angela says. I rush out to get it.
*****
Mae...
This is heaven, wherever i am, whatever i am lying on is heaven. I know immediately i am not home. my bed is not this soft and sweet smelling. I open my eyes and shut them back quickly. The lights where too bright.
I then hear "reduce the brightness of the light. It burns her eyes"
Who's that? .
Wait where am I?
The lights are reduced and I'm able to open my eyes. I look around. Either i am dreaming or i am actually being surrounded by the Connors.
"Dominick?" I do not even know what to ask.
"Shhhh, you'll be fine. You are safe for now." He replies.
Safe from what? Was i in danger? I try to think back but everything is foggy
"Drink this and go back to sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up." He says again, feeding me a glass of milk.
Soon after i feel my eyelids heavy and they begin to close again. "Dominick?" I say panicked.
"It's fine. Trust me."
wake up again and even though I feel groggy, I am more alert than I was the first time. This time though, no one is in the room. I sit up with such force it sends me doubling over. I wait for the wave of pain to pass and then slowly I get out of bed and look around. The room is spacious, with its own toilet and bathroom housing a bath tub. I inspect everything and then i go out, down the stairs. I hear a discussion about me.
"We have to tell her, we can't just keep her here."
"What exactly o you want to tell her at this point that won't sound crazy?"
"The truth. C'mon. At this point, this is kidnap you know."
"Well if you are so sure why don't you do it?"
"I would love to but then again I'm not the one sure that she is…"
I cannot take it anymore. "Y'all might as well tell me what the heck is going on" four pairs of eyes turn to look at me; the Connor family.
Dominick rushes to my side. "Do you feel strong? You should be in bed."
"I'm not an invalid. If you lot did not put something in the milk I drag I would be as fit as a horse right now. Now why am I here?"
"erm.. ermm…" he stammers
"Oh for crying out loud" Alex thunders "You are a witch Mae. Everyone in this room is one. The reason you are here is because you are needed either as a saviour to our kind or in the wrong hands, as a destroyer. Dom snatched you before you could be used as a destroyer. Which part confuses you?" He laughs.
I laugh. "Ok now that we've had our fun, can we be serious? Why am I here?"
"And she doesn't believe me" Alex says mimicking someone's heart being broken. "I'll go pour myself a glass of wine."
I turn to Dominick. "You either speak up or you take me back to my apartment."
he sighs heavily. "He's right. You are a witch. I don't know why you don't know this and right now is not the time. You are here to fulfil a long ago prophecy and we need to get you ready in time else disaster looms."
"Y'all are insane. Take me home now." i start to walk towards the door, pissed.
Just then Alex lets out a loud screech. We all rush into see what happened. We see a dead black bird, with a long red tail, in the centre of the room. To me it is just a bird. To them however, it is clearly more.
Angela, white to the bones says "Quickly Diane get the salt and the red candles before it spreads." Diane rushes to get the requested items from a locked room which glows red.
Dominick and Alex starts shutting windows and closing blinds. I am left to stand in the middle alone.
Everything happening so fast leaves little space in my brain for processing. Diane gets back and they use the salt to create a circle with the candle facing the North, South, East and West. Then I am dragged to the centre of it alone again. The four of them link hands outside the circle and with eyes to the sky they start incanting.
"Mother of the north, princess of the south. Gods of the west, princes of the east. We summon here, calling on you. Cloak us, Cover us, Hide us, we cry."
Their eyes take on a faraway look. The lights in the house go off and breeze from nowhere circles round. I am scared right down to the bones but more so, amazed. The keep incanting while I look around at what else s going on.
"Hide us we seek from our enemies. Mother, princess, Gods, Prince, accept our sacrifice and take us yonder…"
Then just as suddenly as it all started, it stops. The come back to planet earth and the salt is then cleaned off.
"This will not last long Dom and we know it. We need to figure out a way to ensure we remain cloaked" Diane says. "They are now after us and I don't like it on bit."
"I know." this is his only reply to her. He looks at me. "Do you believe me now?"
I am speechless for about ten seconds.
"So, you are saying I can do what you just did?" I smile gleefully
He laughs. "You can but you need a lot of work."
"When do we start?"
No one replies me, they just talk among themselves.
"We need a protection spell round the house." Angela says.
"I need to call my husband and the kids. They need to know@ Diane says at the same time.
"We need to calm down. " Alex suggests sipping wine.
Someone immediately materialises in the room. Everyone jumps back.
He looks straight at me. "Ahh so this is the girl I have heard so much about."
"Chajrik." Dom sneers and spits in disgust.
Chajrik roars in laughter. "Now, now, no need to get your panties in a bunch. I just came to size up the competition and I must say I am insulted."
He laughs again and just as suddenly, he disappears, but his laugh still remains.
"Why did you let him go?" I ask no one in particular.
"He was not really here. He used the aura plane." Dom answers looking disturbed. "Besides we are not ready."
I decide to keep my mouth shut.
"What do we do?"
"Let's call mom and dad. They can help."
"And say what?"
"Well what do you suggest? We obviously can't do this alone. Besides she needs to learn right down to the basics and who do you think is better at teaching than our parents?" Alex says.
Dominick agrees. "Yeah you are right. Moreover they will not want to miss any of the action."
"They will literally have a cow if they here we found her." Diane laughs.
"I guess we are cutting short their trips." Angela does not sound thrilled like the rest. "Cheers to that."