CHAPTER 4

In one of Wayne Houses in Southern California, Wayne heard whimpering sounds coming from Gloria's room as he climbed up the stairs.

He stopped at the doorway to Gloria's room, opened the door and walked in. The room was dark and the whispering persisted. He quickly flipped on the light switch, illuminating the room, but there was no single soul inside.

"What the..." Surprised Wayne exclaimed in fear.

He hurriedly turned to leave, but bumped into Gloria, and was again, startled to shock.

"Dad? Are you okay?" Asked Gloria with little or no emotion on her face.

"Uhmmmn... Ahn... N.. N.. No. I.. I mean Yes! Thought I heard voices in here, but..." Stuttered Wayne.

"Common Dad there's no one here." Gloria interrupted.

"What are you doing up here in my room anyway?" She asked.

"Oh yes!" Wayne exclaimed, adjusting his glasses and smiling flirtingly at his daughter.

"I made some nice dishes and lots of popcorn," He said still smiling. "I want us to spend the night together watching Hansel and Gretel. You used to love that movie." He added, sheepishly.

"Yeah, I do?" Gloria asked as though not remembering the movie at all.

"Remember how we always act it up? I was Hansel, and you, Gretel. You've always wanted to be Gretel when you grow up." Wayne said trying to remind himself and his daughter of the good old times. "Honey, I'm sorry I wasn't always around for you. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me." He added, now sounding remorseful as he moved closer and hugged Gloria.

"Dad?" Called Gloria, under her father's arm.

"Yes?" Answered Wayne.

"Are you here to apologise for not being with me when I was kidnapped?" She asked and Chuckled.

"Hmmmmmn..." Wayne hummed with guilt in his voice.

"Oh, Dad!" She exclaimed, breaking the hug for a while, looked up at Wayne's face, then went back to hugging him.

"Really, it's nothing. What happened was never your fault. I mean, not that you can stop it from happening if you were there. I'm just happy I'm right here with you now." She expressed, with tears in her voice.

"Now can we go downstairs and be Hansel and Gretel?" She asked humorously and they both burst out in laughter, broke out the hug and started to head downstairs, with Wayne leading the way out.

In the sitting room, They both folded themselves on a couch with a huge bowl of popcorn in their midst, as they enjoyed themselves, engrossed in their movie.

"Baby, can you go get me my wine from the dining?" Wayne requested of Gloria politely.

"Sure!" Gloria answered as she stood up and left to get the wine.

"You know Dad," She called out from the dining.

"Yeah?" Wayne answered.

"Don't you think it's sad you had to dismiss all the help, just so we could spend time together?" She asked sounding concerned.

"Why? I mean, I didn't fire them, I just gave them a break." Wayne said defendingly.

"Oh! No, I meant it sad for us not them," She said confirming her reasons. She was now returning from the dining with a tumbler and bottle of wine in her right hand. "The foods we've been making and eating these days are bluuuh!" She continued. "Unlike the one that maid made for us the day we came here."

"Dorothy, you mean?" Wayne said trying to confirm the help's name.

"Yes her," She confirmed. "I mean, look, for instance, tonight you made popcorn enough for an entire village." She added, mockingly.

"Oh, that?! I was thinking we gonna eat them for the next couple of days, you know, microwave the leftovers and all." Wayne tried to defend.

"No way!" Gloria, now in the sitting room and handing her dad the wine, shouted at his idea of microwaving the leftover popcorns. She went back to her sitting position beside Wayne.

"Yeah..." Wayne said laughing.

"I see what you're doing, you know we are both bad cooks, so it's best we just make popcorn and eat it for the rest of our lives," she fired jokingly and they laughed their guts out.

Wayne brought his face closer to Gloria's, as the laugh disappeared from his face. He looked sternly at her and popped up the question, 'Who are you? Gloria laughed more, taking it for another drunk joke. She stopped laughing when she saw Wayne not laughing.

"What do you mean Dad?" She asked looking confused.

"The events that happened since the day my daughter was kidnapped, till now, still doesn't make any sense to me," Wayne said, now standing up. "You've been acting strange since I brought you back from New Orleans." He added.

"Strange how?" Gloria asked looking mischievous.

"I thought the whole event changed you somehow, that you are now calmed, more gentle, nice and all." Wayne continued.

"But the changes I've been observing are totally off point. I mean, you don't even know Dorothy's name? your very own Nanny?! I don't know who you are or what you've done to my daughter, but I know this, all these? is not my daughter." Wayne fired.

"H-How... What do you mean?" Gloria stuttered.

"My daughter and I never get along. She blames me for what happened to her mother. She never calls me Dad, but Wayne, since, when? I can't remember." He fired, now shouting.

"Gloria was left-handed. When I asked you to go get me my wine I wanted to confirm, and coupled with other times, you've proven to be right-handed. I'm a Scientist, and I know that doesn't just change overnight. So I'm going to ask you for the last time, Who are you?" He asked in rage, pulling out a gun and pointed it directly at Gloria's head.

Gloria slowly stood up, looking very surprised at her Dad holding a gun over her head.

"Woooh! Dad, calm down. I don't know what you are talking about, I'm Gloria. This is Gloria your daughter." She tried to defend.

"Jesus! Don't mess with me, I will pull the trigger. Look, just tell me who the hell you are and what you've done with my daughter!" Wayne spat out in anger.

"You need to stop this madness Dad, I don't know what you're talking about I'm Gloria." She said trying to act scared.

"Alright cut the crap! you caught me." She confessed, now looking emotionless with an evil grin on her face. She closed her eyes and started to chant some incantations in a strange language. An airy breeze filled the room, the electricity became static as light bulbs blew out.

"What are you doing?" Wayne asked looking scared.

Gloria stopped chanting, opened her eyes and gave a smirk, "Calling my children." She answered.

Immediately, the three people who earlier abducted Gloria, appeared in the room, beside Gloria.

"Holy darkness!" Wayne exclaimed.

"Darkness is unholy, dear Daddy." Gloria fired.

Her facial expression changed into some angry demon-like figure, as she made to rush close to Wayne.

Wayne pulled the trigger, but there was no shot being fired. He tried severely with hands shaking, but it seemed as though there were no bullets in the gun.

Gloria stopped walking towards him and laughed demonically. "Humans! How dumb you will always be." She said, with her voice sounding like a thousand other persons talking at the same time.

Luke, the male abductor, rushed close to Wayne, with a speed as fast as light and collected the gun from him. He pointed the gun towards the roof, pulled the trigger and the sound of a fired gun echoed in the room. Wayne in shock, moved backwards, only to be stopped by Celeste as he bumped into her. He jerked and turned in fear of how she got behind him that fast. His thoughts were immediately halted, as he heard her voice in his head.

"You're having a heart attack," Celeste said to Wayne with her mind, not moving her lips.

Wayne, immediately, held his chest crunchingly. He fell flat on the floor in pain, raising his other hand as though trying to reach for help.

"Now, You have a stroke." She added sternly, with her voice sounding loud in his head as Wayne immediately passed out.