Aria never liked the smell of hospitals. It was a relief to her in her childhood that she rarely fell sick. The only time that she had to come to see the doctors was for reviewing her prescription for her condition which never changed, not till recently.
"You are sure that Rayne and Gage are here?" Aria asked her newly married husband.
"I have no reason to lie to you. I told you what I know. But your best friend has a right to have another best friend whom she calls Riri" David warned.
"No, she doesn't. Not when it has been our name for the last seven years." Aria insisted.
At the reception, it was David who asked for an Aria Dumont and was promptly directed to a room on the fourth floor. It took both by surprise but nonetheless, they found Rayne sitting in a hospital chair with Gage having an arm wrapped around her for comfort. Opposite her stood a young girl whom Aria recognized as Ada Dumont, her younger sister.
"What's going on here?" Aria asked, approaching the two young women.
Rayne looked up startled at the familiar voice while Ada scowled.
"Who are you?" Rayne asked but Aria could already see the recognition in her eyes.
"What do you think of the new hair and eye color?" Aria asked while Rayne stared from Ada to Gage and back at her.
"Riri, but if you are here who is the woman who is inside? Granny Magenta said that it's you." Rayne explained.
"Your grandmother, the grandmother you were scared of, why is she here?" Aria asked confused by the terrifying stories that she had heard of the woman who had traumatized two generations of women.
"Granny said that she found you on the streets after an accident. You were conscious enough to reveal your identity. Then you fainted. She contacted your parents first and then she called mom. Mom called me but got Gage and informed him instead. You have been gone for so long. Who is the woman inside?" Rayne wondered.
"You think that this woman is your best friend?" Ada sneered.
Rayne looked at Ad with malice. "You don't even recognize your sister. How much more pathetic can you be?"
"Calm down ladies. There is no need for violence. What is important is to identify the imposter and find out why she wants to become Aria." David spoke up. "Ada, will you please contact either of your parents. Tell them that it is David Bellini, their son-in-law who wishes to talk to them." David informed.
Ada blinked but did as she was told. She went inside an adjacent room and brought forth a frail-looking man who did not look anything like Aria. However, David recognized something in him that startled him. "You are Aria's father?" he asked.
"You must be David. It must be horrible to know that your fiancee suffered such a terrible accident just the day before your wedding." he sympathized.
At that moment Aria stepped forward. "You are making a mistake. That girl inside isn't me." She exclaimed.
"Who are you?" Mr Dumont asked.
"I am Aria, your daughter. The one who got married yesterday, whose wedding you couldn't attend" Aria pointed out.
It was at this moment that an older woman came out of the same room where Mr Dumont was earlier. Unlike Rayne, who was of mixed descent, Magenta Cadence had the typical green eyes and silver-blonde hair of a Renarian witch. With time her hair was riddled with grey and her bronze complexion was covered with wrinkles.
"The magic is undone with the true Aria coming back to claim her place," she said ominously.
"What are you talking about?" Aria asked.
"Perhaps the hospital lobby is not the best place to discuss this. Let's go down to the cafeteria," Mr Dumont urged.
David, Aria, Rayne, Gage, Mr Dumont and Granny Magenta all went to the cafeteria while Ada was asked to go inside to be with their mother. They took a corner table at the cafeteria which was now almost vacant.
"Can you tell me now?" Aria asked after everyone was seated.
"You can't tell Agatha. She can't know. Promise me that," Mr Dumont asked.
Aria nodded impatiently. "When our daughter Aria was born, Agatha was in delicate health. So was our daughter. She died within the first twelve hours."
"What are you saying? I died?" Aria exclaimed.
Mr Dumont shook his head. "Not you. I found you in a dumpster near the hospital and replaced her with you. But before we could bury her body she started breathing again. She was critical. Agatha was not strong enough to take care of her. So I asked Magenta to take care of her. She knew medicines, and herbs that could keep Aria alive. Magenta said that she would return her when she turned twenty-one. But then Aria became restless and ran away from home. She met with an accident and Magenta had to call us." he explained.
Aria felt numb. "You named her Aria?" she asked in disbelief.
"Her name is Renaria." It was Magenta who spoke.
"What?" Rayne exclaimed. "But why?"
"She is the hidden one, Belshazzar's mate whom he will never find. She will lead to the fall of the monster," she exclaimed.
Aria looked from the old woman to her husband and back.
"Belshazzar has chosen to take a chosen mate," Rayne informed her grandmother.
"What are you saying, child?" Magenta urged.
"He found me. He came to me and tried to reject me as a mate. That is when he told me. All this was for nothing." Rayne challenged her grandmother.
"Foolish girl, you think your ancestors were powerless. The curse is forever. The monster can never have a chosen mate. No mate would choose him after his past sins." Magenta declared.
Subconsciously Aria reached under the table to clasp her husband's hand. "Can we meet her once?" Aria asked, knowing what her husband needed to do.
"Of course, you will meet her and bow to your future queen. Renaria is not just the monster's chosen mate, she is the reincarnation of our ancient queen." Magenta announced.
Aria did not notice the rage that burned in her husband's eyes as Rayne was flabbergasted by her grandmother. "Ignore her words. She is crazy."
"Rayne, I know about the paranormal," Aria whispered to her. Rayne was startled at her admission.
They were led up to an isolated room where a girl with blonde hair lay bandaged with a sling on her arms and gauge on her face. "What happened to her face?" Aria asked.
"The accident caused a part of her face to be heavily damaged. She underwent extensive cosmetic surgery to repair it." Rayne explained.
Aria felt a bit sorry for the woman whose identity she had been living with. "Is she unconscious?" David asked.
"No, she is just sleeping," Ada, who had not gone down to the cafeteria, explained. "Why are you all here to disturb her sleep?" she asked with venom.
"Ria" David called out and the woman opened her eyes and sat up. She was startled to find David standing in her hospital room.
"I have heard that name before, in my dream," she called out.
"Can you tell me about your dream?" David asked the woman.
"Who are you?" the girl asked.
David turned to Rayne. "Can you keep Magenta and the others outside. There is something I need to discuss with my sister-in-laws,"her requested.
Rayne nodded and headed out just in time to catch Magenta and Aria's father from barging in. David turned the doorknob locking the four of them inside the room. Ada was still too shocked to react. Renaria was curious and Aria was a keen observer.
"Do you know about the woman who was given your name?" he enquired.
"Not exactly my name. She was named Aria"
"I am Aria's husband"
"Oh! Do you know anything about witches?"
"My mother was part of a coven before she escaped and found my father. My grandmother found me later on and realizing that I wasn't a mage but a wizard, tried to introduce me to the coven as her heir. Wizards as you must know are extremely rare. Most male mages are born without power. But nonetheless I refused."
"I didn't know that you could refuse."
"Yes you can. To be connected with your coven you need to renounce your destined mate. I wasn't ready to do that before I met Aria."
"Aria is not your destined mate. Then she will make you weak."
"I have been living as a human for a while now. I prefer the subnormal ways. Do you want to be a witch, reject your mate and be bound to your coven forever?"
"I can't do it till I am twenty one."
"Actually you can do it at any time after you have received your first power. Witches receive their powers during puberty. If you haven't received your powers yet, you may be a mage. Female mages are not uncommon nowadays."
"I received my powers six years back" Renaria recalled.
"I did two years back", it was Ada who was being a silent audience all this time.
"I think your grandmother doesn't trust you with the full potential of your powers yet. That is why she is keeping you from undergoing the renouncement. Today is a new moon. If you want I can help you do the renouncement now." David offered.
"Here?" they both said together and David nodded.