Chapter Text
Wailing flames danced out of the windows of the house that was once alive and thriving. A cry escaped my throat at the sight before me. My whole body was frozen in place as everything around me continued with their chaos.
Villagers ran around the house; some with good intentions tried to kill the fire, the others were the ones responsible for the fire. They tried to stop the goodhearted people by yelling curses at them and even started throwing punches, which ultimately resulted in a big fight breaking out. The whole town turned automatically divided itself into two groups; good and evil.
The old lady from before in the alley stumbled up behind us and pushed a big bucket of water into my hands. "Please, go! Put it out! Oh my, help us Mother Miranda." she yelled, giving me a push towards my house. I shot into action, running towards my old home an dumped the whole bucket out in the front entrance, extinguishing the fire blocking the front door.
As I ran inside, I hoped my family had gotten out in time. The smoke inside was enough to make me gasp for breath in a matter of seconds but since I was immortal, I assumed I must have been resistant to dying of this.
I checked the small kitchen, the living room and then went up the stairs to the bedrooms. Every room was left empty and abandoned.
Iferra came running up the stairs behind me, pulling at my clothes to get me to move out of the house but I was panicking too much. She managed to pull me out of my sister's room right as the roof collapsed, sending debris and dust flying all around the hallway.
I turned, grabbing Iferra by the arm. Since she followed me into the house, my priorities now were with getting her out of there again safely. The stairs creaked and some even collapsed, making us stumble to the ground floor but when we raced back outside through the front door, we could finally breathe properly again.
The house looked worse than ever, literally on the brink of falling apart completely. There was no saving it and the villagers seemed to realize that fact too. They stopped their attempts at hauling water from the river to the house and stood, staring as one of their neighbors lost their home.
Behind me, I could hear Cassandra and Bela scold Iferra for going after me and putting her own life in danger. Daniela was the one who stepped over to me, resting a hand on my shoulder as that was the most she could do to console my grief.
We all stood, watching as the last beams supporting the house crashed down, leaving a trail of my house, that could no longer be a home.
-
My head was in my hands as I listened to Lady Dimitrescu talk on the phone with Mother Miranda. Iferra paced around her mother's office. She'd forced The Lady of the Castle to have a talk with Mother Miranda for me. Daniela, Bela and Cassandra were stood by the door, waiting for their sign to leave so they could go be with their lovers.
When Lady Dimitrescu put down the phone I could see she felt resentment towards the woman she had to obey. She sighed. "Aideen, I'm sincerely sorry. Mother Miranda said she did not play a part in the arson, but I believe otherwise."
Iferra growled. "That bi-"
"Iferra." Lady Dimitrescu interrupted her beloved child."Watch your words, dear."
"I need a moment." I mumbled, walking out of Lady Dimitrescu's office. I couldn't bare to think about my family's disappearance any longer. It killed me not knowing whether they were dead or somewhere in need of help. There was nothing I could.
I needed something to desperately distract me.
A mindless march throughout the castle ened me up at a little graveyard just outside the grounds of the castle. The place was surrounded by mountains so no outsider could have a pathway to the resting dead of Castle Dimitresu. I wondered who was even burried there.
I rested on one of the benches that looked out over a big tree in the middle of a few graves. Summer still showed it's sights brightly but this area was drenched in a dark air and the shadows of the mountains which were almost not pierceable by the human eye.
I wanted to call out to my parents and sisters, to see if there was a way they would answer in this godawful world. "If there's some way you can hear me, please be safe. Find your way back to me, please." I mumbled and hung my head. It was useless to think they would hear my begging.
I closed my eyes and sat there for a little while when my thoughts swirled back to Iferra and how even though she had rarely left my side since I woke up, I already craved her near me again. We hadn't had the time to really have a talk about our relationship. We weren't technically together but I hoped she already knew how much she started meaning to me this past time - I hoped we could soon have some peace and quiet so we could talk.
A thud rang out behind me and I was on my feet in seconds. I came face to face with a woman who looked to be in her mid-forties. She had pale skin - even paler than the Dimitrescu's - and dark brown hair that was put up in a very messy bun. Her clothes - an outfit that strangely looked a lot like one the maids wore - were torn and covered in mud and slop like she'd been underground.
"Who-"
"Aideen?" Iferra entered the graveyard, catching me and the woman off guard. Her eyes were wide as she watched Iferra come into view. When the two women made eye contact, Iferra froze.
"Viorica?"
I glanced between them. "Who?"
Iferra looked too stunned as she came to my side and held my arm, squeezing it tightly for support. "Viorica, she is- was mother's lover."
Viorica gasped wildly as she heard her name once again. Her hands felt over her own body and then her eyes fell on the gravestone behind her which held one name; Viorica Funar.
Iferra continued. "Mother's lover who died."
At that Viorica's head snapped back towards me. She raised her arm, shakily pointing a finger at me as her breathing labored. "You." she breathed. "You did this. I can feel it."
Viorica's hands tugged at the roots of her hair. "Let me go. I can't do this again. I've made my peace!" she yelled. She trashed around like she was in physical pain. "Get out of my head!"
Iferra glanced at me, eyebrows furrowed. "Aideen, tell her to calm down."
'Wha- why?"
"Just try it before she goes nuts!"
I looked back at the older woman and took a few steps closer to her, reaching out my hands as an attempt to comfort her. "Hey, Viorica. It's okay. You can calm down. Nothing is going to happen to you."
At this, the older woman's body completely relaxed. There wasn't any fear left in her eyes, instead, they looked almost empty.
Iferra took a sharp breath. "Oh my great Mother Miranda." she whispered, a smile quickly spreading on her lips.
"Aideen... I think we have figured out what your powers are."
Iferra grabbed my arm and pulled me to Viorica. She started waving her hand in front of the woman's face but got no reaction. She hummed. "Maybe try to snap your fingers? Or say something else to her."
I hesitated. There was no way I was able to control a spirit. I snapped my fingers and almost immediately, Viorica started blinking again looked alive like before. Her eyes widened when she focused on me once again, going into another wave of panic.
I held her in place by her shoulders, finding she wasn't transparent.
Iferra then asked the question the both of us had been anticipating. "How are you here?"
Viorica shook her head and scrunched her face up, trying to remember what happened to her. "All I saw was black for...God I don't even know for how long. It felt like centuries. Then all of a sudden I feel a presence like I had never felt before and someone called out. My body reacted and now I'm here."
She glanced down to her grave again. "I should be in there! Why am I not in there?" she screamed, pointing at the stone with her name on it.
Iferra shook her head. "We don't exactly know, but maybe mother does."
Viorica's face went pale, making her look like a real ghost. Her hand fell over her mouth in a silent scream and tear started running down her face. "Alcina?"
At that her mention of her past lover, Viorica's figure started flickering to transparent, making her look more like the ghost she was. Her eyelids seemed to grow heavy and her body swayed. She held her head as she started mumbling incoherent words.
Then, the next moment she disappeared into thin air, leaving Iferra and I in complete and utter confusion.