The Deal

 "Where do we even start looking?" 

My question as we drove in her car– she gave no response. Claire seemed exhausted, she hadn't had much sleep and I felt a bit guilty for that. This morning was the perfect morning to go hunting for baba Yaga. I could feel it in my bones. Now more than ever I needed her to undo what she had done, I can't live in a world where I can't be with Chris, it isn't worth it. 

Dad has been trying to get close. He kind of feels me slipping away. Not like I do not want to be by his side or value this second chance I have got to make things right with him, it's just deep down I know the truth he doesn't. He isn't real, none of this is and I do not want to get hurt all over again.

Claire halted at a building. It looked normal on the outside but confusing once we got inside. Beaded curtains, burning incest, lit red candles, strange aura.   

"How do you even know a place like this?" I asked her.

"I guess I'd go any length for my best friend." She replied with a sigh.

"Sit."  We heard. 

Out of nowhere, this strange lady appeared to be sitting on the chair before a table. She wore weird makeup and was dressed in black. Her nails were long and natural, she just kept on caressing a certain white ball-like glass that sat on the table. 

"I know why you are here." She said, without looking up.

"And how is that even possible?" I questioned.

"Everything is possible in the universe." She replied in a creepy tone.

Claire gave me a look that said we best take our seats. We did.

"You seek to find someone." The creepy lady said, 

"Yes." Said Claire.

"She is someone, she is something, she is no one. " This lady said, 

"We know she is Baba Yaga." I cut in.

"You know nothing at all. What you seek to find is power so dark it overshadows the night." She said, 

"Are you going to help us or not?" I asked, 

"In this quest, you will need a lot more patience." She told me.

"These riddles are not helping," Claire told her.

"They are no riddles, she understands." Said the lady, fixing her eyes on me.

"Know what, from the minute we walked in here, I knew this was going to be nothing but a freak show!" I said, springing up.

"You see this as a curse but it is indeed a blessing in disguise." The lady said, 

I shook my head from side to side and turned towards the exit.

"Claire, let's go" I ordered. 

I don't know why she remained seated there for a bit. Isn't she tired of the lady's bullshit?

"She brought you here." The lady said, once Claire and I were a step closer to stepping out. 

"She will come for you." The lady added. 

I slowly turned my head towards her and I saw her give me a spooky smirk. It gave me goosebumps.

–––

"Things are beginning to get even more insane," I said once we got back in the car.

"You have got to understand Ann, we need all the help we can get if we want to get to the bottom of this."  She said, starting the car. 

–––

The night came.

I lay on my bed. I was back at Dad's and my eyes were fixed on the ceiling.  I had so many thoughts flowing through my mind. Most of it was about Chris. Where was he now? Was he with her? Doing what? Are they skin to skin? Making out? Doing all he does to me? How could I do this? Live like everything was fine till I come to a solution. Pretend I am strong, allowing him to be with someone else. It was all tormenting. 

Knock-knock.

I knew it was Dad. I hurriedly wiped my tears. A few had escaped my eyes and now I sat up. 

"Come in," I said, 

Carefully, he came in, shutting the door behind him. 

"Hey.." He said softly. "Everything okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah. Why?"  I asked.

He sat gently on the bed.

"You have been strange lately." He told me.

"Just some personal issues," I said, 

"Something you would like to talk about?" He asked me.

"Nothing to worry about, Dad." I faked a smile. He smiled back. 

"You know no matter what happens, I am always going to be right here."  He assured me.

"I know," I said,

He smiled at me again and got up to leave. I stopped him, placing my hand on his. Once his body turned towards me, I embraced him tightly. I knew it was unexpected and it took a while before I felt his hand wrap around me.  I watched him leave afterwards. I took a deep breath and then shut my eyes. Feeling all that pain flow through me over again. 

"And yet you remain unsatisfied." A voice said. I recognized it. I immediately opened up my eyes and there was a lady standing right in my room. I could tell the resemblance even though she wasn't as old.

"You!" I said trying to hide fright.

"Humans remain ingrates." She said,

"What did you do to me you demon!" I yelled.

"Careful there. To a lot of people I might be that but not you. To you, I am but a mirror."  She said,

"And what the f*CK is that supposed to mean?" I asked angrily.

"You wanted to live. I gave you life. What more do you want?" She replied.

"You call this living?" I asked . I had gotten brave all of a sudden and now got down from the bed. 

"You lied to me. Told me you could make it better. You only made it worse!" I said,

"Worse? You are alive." She said to me.

"Barely!" I yelled.

"I gave you your father, gave you your life. Did you really think you could have it all?" She said to me in a sarcastic tone. It made me inquisitive. 

"What are you talking about?" I enquired.

"Oh there is so much you are yet to find out and I hope you can handle it, Annette" she said,

"How– how do you know my name?" I couldn't understand it. 

"You believed our meeting on your deathbed was a coincidence?" She said,

"I have known you , ever since you were just a girl." She added. 

"You lie." I said,

"I had to wait for the perfect moment. Watched you grow, and how funny it was of you, thinking you would die . ignorance. You had no idea what you possess. Blame on your mother, that snake." She said,

"You can't possibly know about my mother and dont you dare talk about her like that, she was ten times the woman you could ever be." I warned.

"Yes. She was. Prettier, more intelligent. She had it all. And then she deemed it fit to take advantage and steal my man!" She said,

"You are insane!" I barked at her.

"We were best friends. She knew of my feelings for your father but didn't mind. She married him." She said,

"Shut up!" I warned.

"You must be strong . This is only the beginning." She told me.

"When my powers became out of control , we agreed it was not safe for him and I had to sacrifice. But she stabbed me in the back, came and told me she had no idea how it had happened, she was in love with him. My man." She added,

"You are Baba Yaga, a trickster. I let you trick me once, never again!" I assured her.

"I am no Baba Yaga . Just someone extraordinary–like you." She said,

"You must be out of your f*ckn mind." I said,

"Oh come on. I get that she  did all she could to hide your abilities from the world but open your eyes, all of this is really happening and if it is, what's there to doubt?" She asked me. 

"Get out of my room." I ordered.

"Childish." She said, rolling her eyes at me.

"If this is all about my father–" I tried to speak.

– " oh it isn't. We fought over him for long but you have always been the bigger fish." She said to me,

"Bigger fish?" I repeated.

" She wasn't as smart as she thought." She said,

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked,

"Ahh.." she voiced excitedly. I saw the smile on her face as she looked around my room. 

"I only used what I had to get what I wanted . Since he wouldn't  love me as me, he would as her. I shape-shifted, took her form." She said, moving closer to me.

"He made love to me that night. Didn't take long and I realised I was pregnant." She added.

I didn't like where the story was going or how it was going. I had already become extremely uncomfortable.

"Quit beating around the bush." I said,

"What better way to avenge the pain of her betrayal? I took the seed out of me and implanted it in her. She carried it , bore it, nurtured it, unknowingly ofcourse. Even when she perceived the extreme powers in you, she had to be a mother. Protected you the best she could with her powers." She replied.

"No no no no, you are mad!" I said,

"Accept it or not. You are my flesh and blood and I have only come for what is in you. My powers. " She said, lifting her hands up towards me in a strange manner. But I felt it. A shield around me. I could see the confusion on her face as she slowly took her hands down.

"She knew.."  She voiced. 

"I had to understand it. Why back at the hospital I couldn't come close enough, and when I tried to suck the powers out of you, it only took you away from that moment to another. My only choice was to break the trip and bring you to my own reality." She added.

"I must admit she's good but not good enough." She said,

"I know you want nothing to do with any of this and don't want anything to do with me–your biological mother . Let's just make this quick. You give me back my powers and I take you to a reality where you get to be with Chris." She told me.

"You said it yourself, it's not possible." I told her.

"It will only take time, I will figure it out , all you need to do is make yourself available for me to do so and once I am successful, you get to be with the man you love." She said,

"And I am supposed to trust you? " I scoffed.

"Your choice. But know this, to gain, you must lose." She told me.  

"Meaning?" I inquired.

"When you are ready, seek me and you will find me." She said, 

With a smirk.

Just before I could say a word, she had disappeared into thin air. Not a sight of her. I swept my hair to the back of my head with both my hands. It was then I began reflecting on all that had just played out. Did it really happen or I only imagined it? If it did, then I needed some explanation–ASAP!

–––

It was morning.

"I must admit, this is becoming super interesting." Claire said to me excitedly as she offered me a cup of coffee. 

"There is no way I am related to that psycho." I said,

"With all that's happening, anything is possible and it's super cool to know that my best friend has super powers…" She said joyfully as she sat beside me on the couch scrubbing my right forearm with her left forearm. 

"Oh get off me." I pushed her off. She smiled.

"So what have you decided?" She asked me.

"I really need Chris back." I said,

"Hold up. You are going to present yourself as some lab rat to that lunatic?" She asked me rather disappointedly.