Todd dialed his mentor's line. He picked up and the young man relayed the message.
"I have sent her the parcel, just as you instructed."
"Very well, it's good she was warned."
"Yes, she has a great parcel in her hands." They laughed at the joke. Todd tried not to imagine the disappointment on Lily when she opened the large parcel and found out it was only a piece of paper! What a great feeling!
"Hope no one saw you, especially the head nurse."
"No one suspects me."
"Oh nice work. You've done your part now, it's left for me to do mine."
"Okay, I am glad you're satisfied with my services."
"I am very impressed." But Todd was no longer flowing with the conversation. He was busy thinking of his pay. When would his mentor pay him?
"Okay, thanks for your time. And Todd?"
"Yes?"
"I just credited your PayPal account."
"Oh … thank you so much, I …"
His mentor had already hung up. Todd excitedly checked his PayPal, $20,000 had been sent to him. $20,000! He was so happy and called back his mentor. But, there was no connection. He tried calling again and same thing happened. His mentor had finally let him go and had settled him. Todd was happy but he missed this man who had helped him. No one had ever done that for him. How would he ever see him again? Now I really wish I can at least see him and perhaps talk with him, he thought. Todd's new self imposed task was "finding his mentor". He would never defer until he accomplished that.
************
Lily sat still, paralysed with fear. The parcel she had been holding fell from her hand. Her hands were shaking terribly. A killer was in their home and he just came to eavesdrop on her. What would she do? Was he still at her door waiting? To hit her when she came out? Lily put a stop to the questions and decided to take action. She didn't just want to sit and wait for the said killer. She slowly got up unsteadily and walked to her table. There was a box on the table. Inside the box, there a golden dagger with a crown seal. Eucharia had given it to her on her 21st birthday. So she took it with the intent of defending herself and mum.
Lily gently walked to the door. If Magnus was still there, then he would be disappointed because, he had underestimated her. Lily opened the door very quickly in order to take down her attacker. To her dismay, he wasn't there. Her mother! She thought. Eucharia was alone with Magnus, she was unprotected. What would she do now? For all she knew, her attacker may have bounded her mum. So Lily quietly walked back to her room and called Philip. He picked up immediately.
"Hi." He said.
"Philip it's Lily." She said in short gasps.
"Oh darling, what's wrong?"
"He's here." There was stunned silence on the other end. Lily's fear reached the peak.
"Philip?" She was crying now.
"On my way. Please easy … Lily. I will be there immediately. Okay?"
"Please." The call ended.
The young lady sat very still, shaking and crying. Please let mum be okay, she prayed silently. Lily put the blame on herself for not telling her mum. If she had, the murderer would never had ventured into their home. As she was thinking, a thought or rather an image suddenly came to her. An image of her mother tied in the kitchen and brutally beaten up. That dissolved every fear in her and replaced with something else. Lily felt strength flow through her. No! She stood up, wiped her tears and quietly but now steadily walked out of her room, the dagger poised before her. Her blood had grown hot with fury. She would break every part of Magnus' body. Who the hell did he think he was to come to their own home and terrorize them? That was unforgivable. She headed for the sitting room. No one was there when she stepped in. The house was deadly quiet. Where could the depraved man have taken her mum? The young lady went to the kitchen, no one was there. She was frantic now!
"Mum! Mum!" She called out, searching the house for her mum. Silence greeted her. Had he abducted her mum? Please let it not be. Magnus was a dead man when she caught up with him. Where was Philip whom she had called? He had said "immediately", wasn't it now already? No, this couldn't be happening. She had learnt to take heed of warnings in the future. She would be more careful, particularly of people who came into their home.
"Mum! Mum!" She called out again. Lily was about lifting up an item to maybe smash as she was so pissed, when sounds of someone running into the house, stopped her. Her fury increased. It is Magnus, she thought. But the person said:
"Baby I'm here." It was her mum.
"Lily!" The young lady ran out from the room she had been searching and came towards her mum. She stopped short when her mother stared at her in what felt like fear or terror. What was wrong?
"Mum," Lily said, glad to see her mother in perfect condition and was about hugging her. But her mother screamed when Lily got close. What was wrong? Lily was baffled as she stared at her mum. The said mum lifted shaky fingers and pointed to the mirror behind the young lady. She was puzzled at Eucharia's expression. Her mother had never looked at her with such an expression. Lily looked at her mother's shaking hands which were still pointing to the mirror behind her. Was the older woman telling her to look behind at the mirror? What was there or rather, what was on her face? As she looked at her mother, the expression had somewhat changed to an understanding one.
"Look in the mirror Lily." Her mother's voice wasn't steady, meaning she was afraid? Oh… Lily nodded and slowly turned to look at the mirror. Instincts told her that what she would find there would be very strange. So now facing the mirror, what she saw was indeed very very strange.
*************
Lily stared dumbfounded at her reflection. No way. She wasn't the one. Lily lifted her hands to touch her face and saw her reflection or whatever it was, do the same. The person who faced her in the mirror was an animal. It's eyes were bloodshed and the said eyes bulged out. The Iris covered each eye. I am now a monster, she thought and hid her face. She heard her mum coming towards her. Eucharia hugged her so tight from behind, kissing her temple and soothing her hair.
"Its okay baby. Your emotions made it that way." She said kissing Lily's hair. Lily didn't look in the mirror again. She turned around to face her mum. They shared a tight hug. At this point, it was very obvious she wasn't a normal human being. What was she? She needed answers and so engaged her mum.
"Who am I mum?" She asked quietly, still in her mum's tight embrace. Eucharia released her and looked at her searchingly. This time around, she was very happy staring at Lily. The older woman looked on in awe. Hope I haven't changed to something stranger? She thought. Hope this time, I didn't grow horns? It all amused her. Anyway, she looked back in the mirror and discovered that her eyes were back to normal. She was now Lily, the normal Lily. The young lady was so glad and hugged her mum again. It was a great relief that she was back to normal. But Eucharia had answers to her questions. Mother and daughter disengaged from the tight embrace and walked slowly to sit down in Eucharia's room.
"You are Lily." That was her mother's answer when they eventually sat on the bed. Lily smiled at her tone.
"I know. Mum you know what I'm asking. Like … who really am I? I feel really strange. The whole weird things happening in my life … what are they? Where do I go from here? What does it all mean?"
"Lily it means you were born for something extraordinary. It's not yet time though. When the time comes, there's something you posses that can either save the world or completely destroy it."