VI - Dreams

"...have you forgotten that I am your mother and I am Willow?", she uttered with such coldness that you'll feel her words flowing in your veins coldly.

Tara froze from her position and remained cautious. "What secrets are you talking about?", she blurted out. Willow crossed her arms around her chest and looked at Tara with disappointment, making sure she's masking her fear and worry well.

"Now it sounds like you have a lot of secrets keeping from me", she insisted trying to squeeze out everything from Tara. She stepped towards her, closing their distance from each other. "Tell me everything that you've been keeping to yourself"

She watches Tara fidgets with her finger and behind those uneasiness, Tara was sure she's not spilling anything. "Yes, we were skipping training", she declared as if it was the only secret she's keeping to herself.

"May I know why?"

She heaved out a sigh and look at her mother and she realize that she was really keeping a lot from her lately. Something true. An inevitable truth. "I don't feel like the training's helping me. Everyone at my age already grew out from their old wings while I still don't have one", she said bitterly, eyes warming from the tears forming at the side of her eye.

"I have always did what you said I was supposed to. I live through your rules and Lilith's because I wanted to be like you. The strong and respected one so I could proudly call myself the daughter of the Great Willow and granddaughter of the respected Fairy God, Lilith. But no, it was not easy for me because I feel like I do not belong here. That despite this blood running through my veins, I am somewhat far different. I've been yearning to find my purpose", she continued with a hint of frustration.

As if there's a lump on her throat, Willow wasn't able to respond. It hurts her that it was what's running through her daughter's mind. Through the years, she did everything to make Tara feel that she belongs in their world. That she was not different. That everything was alright and she just had to wait, but upon hearing her thoughts and what she's feeling all along, she felt like she failed as her mother.

She stretched her arms to pull her daughter close to her. She enveloped her for a hug and silenced filled the place. It hurts to hear Tara's muffled crying as she keeps on burrying her face on Willow's shoulder, scared to let her see in a situation like this.

Willow closed her eyes trying to clear every negative thoughts on her head. Her heart hurts with her as she hears her silent sobbing. She softly caressed her hair and let her take her time.

"You know, you can always tell me about what you're feeling", she whispered to her daughter. They stayed like that for a moment until Tara's completely calm.

-

Karma has been skipping school a lot lately and unlike before, she doesn't get to spend time with her brother anymore. Kieran has been wondering about whereabouts and what she's up to because she's always no where to be found.

"Where's Karma?", a friend of her asked when Kieran bumped into her at school. With a smug look on his face, he shrugged his shoulder and walk past through her.

"What's wrong with him?"

Unusually, Kieran attended all of his class without uttering a word. People who saw him did not even try to approach him because they knew that is not how he usually is. He's oozing with bad aura and faulty mood, making the people around him move away.

Meanwhile, Karma is walking around the forest beyond Eastwood trying to trace the path she took before. Hours of trying to finda hint of pathway or portal, she got only disappointed to found nothing. "I was so sure this is when I went", she mumbled to herself.

"Was I mistaken? Am I overthinking things?", all the thoughts running through her mind made her doubt her conclusion about Odette and Tara. She thought that she was obssessing too much on finding the red serpent that she tried hard to connect everything that may not really connected from each other.

She tried to remember the pendants she saw from the two girls. Trying hard to distinguish it from what she saw in the books, her head only hurts. She's been up all night, four days in a row, researching everything she can about the fairies and the red serpent. All the information she tried to digest might be confusing her making her conclude into something unsure.

Tried from roaming around the forest looking for clues, she decided to went home where Carmen was patiently waiting.

"My, where have you been?", as always, Carmen was in a red maxi dress, almost flowing to the ground with her long curly hair down swaying along with her dress as she strut towards Karma who just got home.

"To some friends" she replied dismissively, trying to avoid conversation.

"Mind if I go with you and read books together?" Carmen replied like a mock that alerted her.

"Have you gone to my room?" she asked, voice slightly rising. Carmen smirked and fished the wine glass from the table beside her. Taking a sip, she raise a brow at her.

"What are you trying to learn? The fairies? Why? Have you met one?" she placed her glass back to the table and closed the distance with her daughter, making them meet chest-to-chest. "I'm not against whatever you're trying to do but what I want you to do is to be careful with your actions and try to put more effort in hiding it", she whispered to her ears and vanished like a ghost.

Karma heave out a sigh. Smile plastered on her face as she realised her mother got her back.

"Wow, you exist" she turned to face the voice behind her and saw Kieran, eyes darkened, mouth set in a grim line.

-

Unfamiliar settings filled her sight as she opened her eyes. Fully grown flowers and trees surround her making the air fresh as ever. Not far from her was a bench with a familiar figure seated on it. Curious with the foreign feelings around her, she closed the distance to the only one familiar to her. Her body feels like floating as she gets close to the figure.

Later on, she realised that she was not walking. She was flying with wings she never saw before. She felt a pair of glimmering yellow wings swifly moving along the calm breeze. The moment felt like a bliss her that she felt her eyes heat up from the fluid forming inside it.

"It's a wings... and I have it" she whispered like she couldn't believe it.

"It is", a man answered making her turn to look at his position. There she saw the familiar figure became clearly visible in her sight.

She went down to reach the ground and finally faced him. A smile grew from her lips as she examined his features. There he really was, existing infront of her. She thought.

"Where have you been?" his voice echoed around. As if their distance wasn't close enough, he steps towards her completely eating the distance between them.

"I-I was just here", she pinched her other hands, annoyed at herself for stuttering. He smiled as a reply and reached her cheeks with his right hand.

As if they were sculpted to fit each other, they felt how his hand was perfect around the shape of her face. The tension between them created a force to pull them closer together.

"Tara, I've been looking for you everywhere", he whispered before crashing their lips together in union. He kissed her deeply making her aware that he was longing that much for her. To her, it felt so foreign yet she felt like she owned that feeling for a long time. Overwhelmed, the kiss felt like a bliss of moment making her sanity flew light years away from them.

-

A smile was plastered on his face ever since they came together. He closely watched her as she sleeps on his arms with his angelic features. He softly brushed the hair strands covering her face.

The memories they shared together kept playing on his head that he finds it hard to brush the happiness etched on his face. He felt a slight movement beside him and noticed that she's already awake. "Hey, how was your sleep?" he said it so softly that the people who knew him would be shocked if they get to witness him this way.

Tara smiled at him and bring herself close to him to plant a kiss on his lips. He bit his lips as he watched her get shy after what she did. "It was fine", her voice was muffled for burrying her face on his naked chest.

"Now you get all shy", he said following a hearty laugh.

Tara teasingly slapped his shoulder before turning to face him again, leaning her head on his chest. His smile grew wider as he just stay there, admiring her beauty.

-

She found herself walking in the familiar forest looking for something unknown to her again. The smell of wood and grass filled her nose as she stood in the middle roaming her eyes around. Across from where she's standing was a girl in green dress. There was a glowing wings on her back blending with the ray of sun infront of her.

One would think that the view was majestic. That it was straight out of a magical movie. She gripped her jacket tightly and walked towards the girl across her, making sure she's on her sight.

"Odette", she called firmly. The girl ignored her.

Annoyed by her action, she harshly brushed her hair with her fingers before deciding to grab her by her arm but as soon as she gets to touch her, Odette's figure fainted along the rays of sun. She was not even blinking when she noticed that Odette completely vanished from her sight.

-

A loud blasting music enveloped the familiar house. Flashing and blinking lights are everywhere, providing colours to the dimly lit house. On the table at the middle was a bunch of bottles filled with different types of alcohol. Everything was chaotic, but it is what fun means to them.

She fidgets with her necklace and took the way familiar to her. It was the path leading to the pantry. A place that was familiar to her.

Unconsciously walking there, she found herself alone in the pantry. Unusually, she felt everything was familiar. Like it's not new to her. Like she has been there already.

She roamed her eyes around and it stopped at the doorway. She sight a tall girl standing there with both her hands inside her pocket. Her aura screams power and dominance considering that she was just standing there. Her red-colored hair added darkness to her presence. It was the famous Karma, wearing her famous smirk on her face.

"Are you going to keep staring at me like that?", she asked, completely closing their distance in a blink.

She felt the coldness oozing out of her presence. Knowing nothing what to say, she remained frozen in her position as Karma shamelessly examined her.

Karma leaned to her making her feel her breathe on her neck. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart.

Her eyes widen when she felt feathery kisses on her neck. The kisses sent electricity through her system making her knees weak. She unconsciously held Karma's arm for support which resulted to her chuckling beside her ears.

It was a short pause before Karma proceeds on planting soft and feathery kisses on her neck. Her eyes felt heavy from the sensation she was feeling until she felt something sharp on her neck.

-

"Tanya Radella!"

"This asshole just won't wake up. Kieran Blake!"

"Karma, wake up dear"

"Odette"

It was a dream, they thought to themselves.