11:30pm
Emma sighed, watching the grandfather’s clock in the cabin’s sitting room. It was just thirty minutes to go.
She looked around the room, inhaling the smell of the antiseptic she had used to clean the house, to wash every corner of the house, to get rid of the smell of despair, and medicines and coma.
She sunk deeper into the sofa and flexed her hands. She didn’t know why she had cleaned it. In hope of her mother returning? Emma wasn’t sure.
She looked at her hands, and flexed her fingers again. She, who had never cleaned. She chuckled dryly at herself. Where had she even gotten the initiative or the burst of strength to even clean the house after those mighty tears she had unleashed for more than thirty minutes?
She shook her head, jerking up on the sofa, when her sensitive ears picked up sounds from outside the cabin. Someone was trying to get inside here! Emma’s eyes widened at the realization and she jumped to her feet.
There was an onset of panic where she had wished that she had taken up her father’s offer of a hotel residence, until she remembered that she wasn’t truly alone. She had her powers. She flexed her finger again, and then sat down on the sofa. Whatever that was trying to get into the house, should get in. She bunched her fists. She will crush them.
There was silence, and then the sounds came up again, but this time from the back door. Emma thought to get to the back, and check if the door was locked, but she was curious, and so she stayed. She crossed her legs on each other, and just flexed her fingers at intervals.
Emma knew when the door was opened. And it was a surprise to note that what had stepped into the cabin wasn’t human. No. it was an animal. This was different then.
Emma stood up from the sofa, wondering if the antiseptic scent had somehow managed to attract some wild animal of the forest. She backed to the front door, when the unknown animal was right in her mother’s room.
A bear? A lion?
Emma wasn’t sure which. She was only sure that she had to kill the animal before she was killed.
Her eyes widened, her heart thumped crazily, her blood roared even into her eyes and ears, when she saw the jaguar that sauntered into the sitting room. However, it didn’t attack her, it just stood on its fours watching her.
Emma would have thought that the animal was calculating her escape possibility but then she saw the eyes. Familiar eyes. Her heart sank into her stomach.
Amelia.
***
“Wow, the prince is stupid! I’ve always known that though. Spoiled little brat!”
Ketura chuckled at the mock anger in Margo’s voice. The witch had kept pestering her with questions, that even the Queen Zipfarah had hung her own boots and had just listened to the questions and answers that kept going back and forth.
Ketura looked at Zipfarah now, the latter was sleeping. Or seemed to be sleeping. Ketura wondered if it was the right time to tell Margo about the plan to retrieve Prescott.
“Is there something you want to say, Ketura?”
Ketura flinched when Zipfarah’s eyes shot open, her gaze bearing on hers. Ketura shook her head with a misplaced smile on her lips.
Margo piqued an eyebrow.
“So, Ketura…is she done with her barrage of questions?”
Ketura chuckled then, a real chuckle. “I think she is done.” She answered, ignoring Margo’s snort.
“Then, I have a question for you.”
Ketura, with all intentionality calmed down her heart that had threatened to spike at the Queen’s statement. The Queen was so sensitive. Any slight mistake or pace in her heart beat, and she could tell that she was lying.
“Did you heal me?”
Ketura knew what the queen was talking about, and she knew the answers to give. No loopholes. No errors. She chanted mentally.
“Have you been sick, my Queen?” She kept a neutral face under the invisible onslaught of the Queen.
“You are not the one then. But how come you are working alone? How are you alive? Why didn’t you return to the community all these while?”
Mentally, Ketura sighed in relief first that she had passed the first hurdle. For the second hurdle; “I will give the answers my Queen when the time is right.” She bowed, another sigh of relief mentally when Zipfarah nodded, and closed her eyes again.
“So, you are keeping secrets now?”
“Well, am I the only one?” Ketura asked softly, causing Margo to scrunch her face.
“What are you talking about, Ketura?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Esther is your biological daughter.”
***
“What are you thinking, Yodah? What do you think happened?” Freya asked, in a voice that was barely over a whisper.
Yodah shrugged his shoulders, leaning by the doorpost, watching Melvina touch Eva at every chance. Esther had been put into another room, and the pack doctor, Jack, had been called. Agrip had followed too.
The only reason why Melvina had allowed them to treat the witch, to save her from death, was because Agrip had mentioned that Esther had been the one attacked. The Luna had thought the latter had attacked Eva to make her escape. Yodah knew it was the opposite.
Right now, Shane and Clem were scouting around the vicinity for the sign of the attacker, but Yodah knew she was right there in the room with them.
“You think it is her? You think she had used her powers on Esther? For revenge?” Yodah shrugged his shoulders again.
Maya sighed. “You know we don’t understand your shrugs right? You have to use your words.”
“Will you believe me then if I say that Eva has been possessed?” Yodah finally spoke, shocking the two ladies with him.
“You don’t think…” Maya raised up her hand to her lips. “Follow me, we are not taking chances.”
She too had noticed Eva’s awkward behavior since the Fayot’s experience.
The trio didn’t notice then, with their back turned, when Eva’s eyes slithered open, and stayed on their leaving silhouette, a wicked smile on her lips.