Chapter Four: Into the Woods

The tree blow in the breeze

Birds chirp as crickets sing

Chipmunks scurry through the trees

The wolf howls to the moon

The last thing you hear before your doom

                                               Chapter 4: Into the Woods

The other side of the portal opened in a dense forest next to an old cottage. Astra and Angelica exited popped out the portal from the house.

Astra took in a deep breath and sighed, “It’s good to be home.”

“You lived here?” Angelica made a face as Astra gave her a sideways look. “This place is… nice.”

“Yes, this is my cottage. I lived here a long time before leaving to protect the two of you.” Astra said as she waved her hand to unlock the door. “The place is a little dusty but still intake.” She sapped her finger, and the dust sucked into an invisible vacuum. “We will be safe here. There is a protection spell over half the forest.”

“Wait, are we staying here; what about mom?” Angelica was confused and worried.

“You have to learn how to fight, how to control your powers. You are not ready for a fight; you got lucky with Jack.”

“How am I supposed to learn how to fight?” Angelica asked as she plopped herself onto a plush love seat.” Some leftover dust puffed up around her making her sneeze.

“I called in for some help. They will be here in the morning.” Astra said as she drew a door on a bare wall. She knocked three times, forming an actual door. “This is your room, no windows, so you cant sneak off.”

“I’ll update the plumbing; do you want a tub or a shower?” Astra asked as she opened a door.

“Surprise me; I really don’t care.” Angelica was fried and just needed to breathe. “Can I at least go out for some air?”

“Yes, but don’t go far, please,” Atra said as she went into the newly updated bathroom. “I am going to take a shower.”

Angelica agreed as she stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. The smell of pine filled her nose, and she was reminded of Christmas. All she needed was some cocoa to complete the mood. She sighed as she could almost smell the chocolate of the drink. Her hand felt oddly warm as she looked down to see a cup in her hands.

“What the fuck is going on? Do I have conjuration powers? That is so cool.” She taught for a moment and wished for Channing Tatum, but alas, he didn’t appear. “Shoot!” she said as she took a sip of her cocoa. She looked up to the sky as the stars shined next to the moon. The stars always gave her comfort.

“Angelica!” A male voice called to her from a distance. “Free me!” it was the voice from her nightmare.

“Who is there?” She called out as she looked around franticly. “Astra!” She called out as she ran back to the cottage, dropping the cocoa.

“Astra, I just heard A man call to me!” Angelica said as she ran into the bathroom.

“What that is impossible, no one can pass the barrier,” Astra said as she stuck her head from behind the curtain.

“That’s just it; no one was there, but I recognize the voice,” Angelica stated as she began to explain. “I have had the same nightmare for years now. I am running in the woods from someone, and I end up in a clearing with a marble mausoleum. The doors open up, and a man is lying inside it a marble coffin wrapped in chains. The chained disappear and the lid slides off. I reach down to touch him and grabs me. He said my name and that I need to free him. Then I wake up. He had fangs; now that I think about it, he may have been a vampire..”

“Hold on,” Astra said as she pulled back the shower curtain, fully dressed. She ran to the sitting room to a trunk in the far corner. She pulled a few things out before finding a photo. “Is this the man you saw?”

She looked at the photo to see Astra and her mother with a man but not just any man; it was the same man from her nightmare. She looked at Astra, confused. “Who is this?” She was so confused.

“Angelica, this is your father. If what you are saying is true, he is alive.” Astra said as she laughed in shock. “This whole time, we thought the vampiric mafia killed him. This entire time he was imprisoned.

“What do you mean he is alive?” Angelica asked, confused.

“Hold on, let me consult the mirror.” She waved her hand as a mirror appeared in her hand. “Where is Aleister?” A mausoleum in a clearing appeared. “Is this what you saw?”

“Yes, that is exactly the same color and shape.”

“Don’t worry, Aleister; we are coming.” The mirror blinked, showing that he heard her.

“He can hear us?” Angelica asked as she looked at the mirror. “Can I say something?”

“Sure, I will activate the mirror; you can just speak.”

“Dad, I am so sorry I didn’t realize you were calling out for help.” She said as a tear fell from her eye. The mirror blinked, and she began to cry.

"I will scout out his location and if he is being guarded or not. In the meantime, you need some sleep." Astra instructed before opening the door to her library.

Angelica was hit with a wave of exhaustion; she didn't realize how tired she was till that moment. She agreed with a silent nod of her head and went to her room and was amazed that it was a replica of her room at home. She curled up in bed and stared at the ceiling. Everything had changed in a matter of a day. Jack was dead, and to make things worse; he tried to kill her. Tears filled her eyes as she thought of her father and what it would have been like if they could have been together as a family. Her eyes grew heavy as she drifted to sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED