The dream

"Is it true?"

"Is a freshman being expelled?"

"I heard she's from the humanities."

"She's possessed. Can you believe she almost killed a sophomore?"

"Quiet, guys. Here she comes."

Charlene overheard the students whispering as she walked towards the hostel to gather her belongings. She held back her tears and kept her head down, feeling too embarrassed to look up and afraid that her presence might cause more trouble.

****

Mrs. Craig sat in her car, crying uncontrollably as various thoughts raced through her mind. "They haven't found her, right? No one is taking my baby away, right?"

she asked no one in particular through her tears.

"Maybe I shouldn't have insisted on coming here. I should have listened to Craig. What if they forcefully take her away from me? I can't bear losing her too," she cried, remembering the loss of her husband.

****

"Charlene, where have you been? I've been so worried about you," Hazel asked, rushing to meet Charlene as soon as she opened the door. Hazel wanted to hug her, but Charlene stepped back.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked.

"I'm a monster. Don't come any closer. I might hurt you," she muttered tearfully.

"You're not a monster. You just have special powers that are not appreciated here," Hazel replied, earning a suspicious glare from Charlene

. "Don't give me that look. Everyone is talking about it," Hazel said, hugging her.

"Thanks, Hazel. I need to pack my things. Mommy is waiting," she muttered, breaking away from the hug.

****

The drive out of Vintage College was silent, but not awkward.

Mother and daughter had a lot on their minds, but neither had the courage to start a conversation. Each was waiting for the other to speak first. Instead of taking the usual route home, Mrs. Craig took a different path.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" Charlene asked, scared that her mom was going to abandon her too.

"Somewhere peaceful and quiet, princess. We need to talk," Mrs. Craig reassured her with a smile.

"Mommy, I'm sorry. I don't know how it happened," Charlene sniffled.

"I understand, princess. We'll talk more when we reach our destination," Mrs. Craig replied.

An hour later...

"The park! Mom, you brought me to a park? How is that supposed to change the fact that I'm a monster? Mommy, I almost killed Jace," Charlene snapped tearfully.

"This is difficult for me too, princess. You just need to calm down and talk to mommy. You can cry on my shoulder too,"

Mrs. Craig said in a soothing tone.

Charlene was speechless. For a moment, she had thought her mom would abandon her to her fate, but now it seemed the opposite was true. Truly, a mother's love knows no bounds.

"Princess, talk to me. What really happened?"

"Mommy, does loyalty really exist? Are promises meant to be kept? Is friendship truly meant to be cherished?" she asked, sobbing softly.

"Of course, angel. But why all these questions? And what about Charlotte? How is she reacting to all of this?" Mrs. Craig asked, and Charlene could feel her anger rising. Once again, she burst into tears.

"Charl, talk to mommy. Let's have a better conversation on the swing,"

Mrs. Craig suggested.

"Wow, I never expected this," Mrs. Craig sighed after Charlene recounted the events.

A part of her wanted to judge Charlotte, but she couldn't bring herself to do so, considering her actions were childish.

"I love you, princess. No matter what happens, I'll be there for you. Don't ever feel bad about yourself,"

Mrs. Craig said, hugging Charlene and wiping away her tears.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but feel sadness. Sooner or later, they would find her princess, as the signs were becoming more apparent.

"Mommy, you're crying," Charlene said as they broke the hug.

"I can't help it, princess. I just can't," she whispered.

****

"You do realize I'm not a child anymore, right?" Melanie asked calmly.

"So you can talk, huh?" her stepmom scoffed.

"You're so foolish, Karina. I wonder why my dad married you. I asked for a babysitter," she hissed.

"I see your mom failed in her primary duty. You have no respect whatsoever," Karina spat in disgust.

"Do whatever you want, say whatever you want, but never, ever insult my mom," Melanie mumbled audibly, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Or what? You're going to call her from beyond the grave?" Karina smirked triumphantly, glad that she was finally getting under Melanie's skin. Nineteen-year-old Melanie frowned deeply, glaring at her stepmom before storming upstairs.

****

"Thank you, Mom. You're amazing," Charlene said with a genuine smile.

"I'm glad you're feeling better now. I'll register you at Lakeville College first thing tomorrow morning," Mrs. Craig smiled, but Charlene's smile quickly faded.

"What's the point, Mom? Why should I enroll when I'll just end up getting expelled again?" she snapped.

"No, princess. You can't give up so easily," Mrs. Craig said sadly.

"I can't help it, but I already have," she mumbled.

"Princess, I..." Mrs. Craig began, but Charlene interrupted her.

"Can we not talk about this, please? Mom, it's not easy getting expelled the day after starting because of some mysterious events. I just glared at Jace, and he lost consciousness. My yell shattered the mirrors and chandelier. And now you want me to start at another college? What if something similar happens and someone gets hurt? Then I'll be expelled again? You know what? Let's go. Let's go home," Charlene cried.

"Fine, let's go," Mrs. Craig mumbled, holding back her tears.

****

Melanie hurried to her room, fighting back the tears. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in a waterfall. When she opened her eyes, there was a waterfall right in front of her, surrounded by beautiful flowers and playful butterflies.

"This is so cool. I should have discovered this earlier," she grinned and began playing around.

****

"It's who you are, Charlene. It's who we are. You can't run away from it," an old man said, sitting down beside her.

"Who are you? How do you even know my name?" she asked, bewildered.

"All these questions are unnecessary, Charl. They don't matter. You don't belong here. You're special. You're a rare breed. You're an Amazon," he replied, staring intently at her.

"Amazon? Why does that sound familiar?" she asked, her expression filled with confusion.

"Your mom owes you an explanation. You need to go back home," he replied before disappearing.

"Ahhhhhhh!" she screamed and woke up drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest.

To Be Continued...#