He stands there in the doorway with an ominous presence and unsettling grin. His entire demeanor is different, whatever is before me is no longer my father. He takes one step forward and I jump out and over my bed so that we're on two different sides.
"W-what the hell is this, Helen?!" I ask in a panic.
"Where is your body?" Father asks, the woman's voice echoing louder than his in an unnatural way. Her words don't flow naturally, instead, they seem to stitch together and overlap like there are multiple people talking at once.
"No…this should be impossible…" Helen whispers, "you need to run."
"Run? Run where?!"
I screech for help. Shrieking loudly to make sure everyone on the ship can hear. His body takes another step forward and just when soldiers huddle outside of my door, it slams shut all on its own. The doorknob rattles and shakes as they try to open it. The soldiers then resort to kicking on the door profusely and still, it doesn't budge.
"My patience is running thin," the woman's voice overtakes Father's. His entire eye dyes red, sclera and all. The red vapor intensifies so much that his eyes look like they're on fire. "Where is your body?" She repeats.
"I-I don't know where her body is! I'm not Helen, I'm Alyssa!" I cry out.
"Alyssa? The baby? You've perfected the conjoining spell then, Helen?" She snickers. "I'm genuinely shocked, I never thought it'd work, being as though all of your magic is inferior to the real thing."
"I don't understand," Helen murmurs. "She shouldn't be able to possess a Valentine body."
"Who is she? What is she?" I ask her with a shared thought.
The woman walks around the bed and forces me to back away until I hit the closest wall. I can tell she's enjoying this moment and is even gloating at the fact that I'm terrified. My heart is pounding in parts of my body that it shouldn't. It feels like all of my veins are pulsating through my skin.
"Is she speaking to you?" She asks. "Bring her forth."
"I-I can't do that."
"Can't?" She grabs me by the face, pressing Father's nails into my cheeks as she leans in closer. "It wasn't a request. I'm beginning to sense that Helen hasn't mentioned me. Otherwise, you'd be quick to comply with my demand. That hurts, by the way, Helen, truly. How could you not tell your daughter about your old business partner?"
"Business partner…?" I struggle to speak with my mouth smushed.
"My name is Lilith." She releases me from her grip. "And as I said, I have very little patience. How do you suppose it looks when I lose the vessel, Helen? I held up my end of the deal, bestowing you a shadow seal. It's time you hold up yours. Now, I told you to-"
She suddenly freezes. "What is this sensation…?" She whispers. "His presence is within this child…! More than just his presence, he's here with us!"
Father's body falls to its knees and outside the door, Brianna is yelling my name followed by loud thumps as she tries to break the door in.
"Crafty one you are," Lilith talks to the ceiling. "How long do you think you'll be able to protect them, Mich-" Before she finishes her sentence, Father's eyes widen, and his mouth gapes open, both shining with blinding rays of white light for a moment before he simply slumps to the carpeted floors. The fiery red vapor dissipates as Brianna is finally able to kick the door open. She assesses the situation, analyzing me, then Father, before running over to check on him.
"What the fuck happened?" She barks out. She continues to talk but her words become echos until it finally drowns out. Father's body sits motionless on the ground. She's frantically trying to wake up him, calling soldiers in, and looking to me saying…something. I can't hear it. I'm tired, I'm sick of this, I want all of this to be over or to be just some bad dream I'm having. With my back still up against the wall, I slide down until I'm sitting on the carpet. My breathing is shallow, my hands are sweaty and shaking, and I want to throw up.
Once Elijah enters the room Brianna stands to her feet and walks over to me. She slaps me across the face with her right hand and tears in her eyes. The pain and shock from the slap woke me from whatever daze I was in. She readies her hand for more when Elijah comes over to grab her and carry her out of the room. Moments later, Elijah re-enters.
"Is he dead?" He asks the soldiers huddled around Father's body.
"No, he has a pulse, but we're still unable to wake him," one soldier responds.
"Get him to the sick bay and alert Rose immediately," Elijah commands.
The soldiers retrieve a stretcher and place Father's body upon it. Two soldiers escort him out of the room and Elijah tells the rest of them to give us the room.
Once they close the door his gaze turns to me and he takes a deep breath.
"Explain to me what happened."
"Why? It's not like anyone's going to believe me."
"Just try me, Alyssa."
"A woman….witch, I don't know, named Lilith took over his body."
"And did what exactly?"
"She wanted to know where Helen's body is located."
"This woman…Lilith. She would have to be here in person to perform a spell on Father, right? How else would-"
"There was no woman here, Elijah. I don't know what the fuck is going on anymore! I'm so sick of this."
"She appears to me as different people," Helen says. "Each time possessing someone different, I've never seen her real face or body. The ancient texts located in The Coven speak about beings of light and dark having no physical body but are able to possess us humans and elementals. They also state that the Valentine are immune to possession from those dark entities….which is why, I just don't understand how she-"
I relay what Helen just told me to Elijah and his expression looks as perplexed as I feel right now. This bottomless feeling of the unknown that I've been pitched into is out of my control. I just want it all to end.
"A week ago, I wouldn't have believed a word you just said," Elijah says. "But, considering everything that has happened up until now, It doesn't seem so out of the realm. Why is she after Helen's body?"
"She wants me as a vessel, for who…I don't know, and I didn't care at the time," Helen says. "I made a pact with her, in return, she gave me the power needed to achieve my goal."
I tell Elijah what I'm hearing and from his face I can tell it's all too much from him. But, at least he's trying. I feel rejected by everyone else.
"This on top of war…" he sighs. "We can't let things keep falling apart. I'll try my best to explain this to the council and Brianna tomorrow. Grandmother is likely to be there as well and she won't be exactly ecstatic about all of this news. I can't promise that your punishment won't become far worse than what it already is." He turns to the door. "Try not to worry so much though, get some rest. We'll figure this out."
He leaves the room and I stay seated where I am. It's not like I don't have the strength to me, my will seems to be all gone. I don't want to ever leave this spot, although I don't feel completely safe, I've found comfort here, even if it's only a small amount. Why me…? Why is all of this happening to me?
"Do you even care about me…?" I ask Helen.
"What prompts such a question?"
"What kind of mother drags her own daughter into situations such as these. Using my body to exact your own revenge? Revenge that has nothing to do with me."
"Nothing to do with you, huh? Your grandfather is dead, my father! Your family is the root cause of everything wrong in this world! I told you, all I want is my body."
"And what then? You're just going to leave me? What happens if Lilith finds you and turns you over to whomever she's working for?! After all of these years of seeing the world through my eyes, knowing my feelings, and how big of a hole is in my heart because I don't have a mother!
"You have a mother, darling. One who's trying to create a better world for you!"
"I didn't ask you to create a better world for me. And I'm sorry that you're in pain too! But this is no way to go about it!"
"You're only a child…I don't expect you to understand."
I ball myself up into a fetal position, bringing my knees to my chest, crossing my arms, and placing them over my knees to lay my head. Things go quiet as neither one of us speaks when I remember something Lilith said. 'His presence is within this child.' Whose? I'm sure the name she was going to say was Michael.