Sight

Saint Peter's Basilica and Headmistress Cortez

Tired, my eyes are puffy from crying. I sniff controlling my dam not to break again. I can't keep on crying forever and wallow in things that never going to come back. I need to accept that no amount of tears will change the fact that my parents are dead and I am all alone. It is sad and depressing but it is my new reality. I have no choice but to look ahead of the tragic event.

I inhale deeply, wiping off my face with the blanket covering half of my body. Then, I take a survey of my surroundings. I glance at the bed once more, realizing I am not in my room or any place I am familiar with. The night play in my head for the umpteenth time, of how the man, Kane did something so I would fall asleep; the weird words he uttered to me. Making me do things out of my bodily control, like he used magic on me.

My head starts to hurt again.

I feel groggy as I stand up. I walk, rummaging my eyes through the vast place. The room seems to have been vomited from a movie scene. It is Victorian style: it has flowered wallpapers, heavy draperies, a big bed with four poster corners, tables with different flowers in it, a vanity mirror on the side, shelves, and an assortment of couches. It looks really beautiful but crowded at the same time that it makes me uneasy. And for the hundredth time, I wonder where I am. I walk further, finding the big wooden door with a heavy metal knob. I am about to turn it but someone beat me. The Kane man stands in front of me, holding a tray of food. I divert my attention to his face, analyzing him. He's blonde, I didn't notice it before and he got this weird scar on his face, just below the corner of his left eye. It's not ugly but rather charming. He is maybe in his early forty’s; I wonder if he got a kid too?

I am staring way too long. But I cannot keep my eyes off him. He clears his throat, getting my attention. I look down blushing to the meowing Boris at his feet.

"So, you're awake now," he comments closing the door as he enters the room.

I reach for the tray, silently making my way back to the bed; sitting down to the still-warm spot. I start stuffing food into my mouth; I have never been ravished before. Kane eyes me over the chair he's sitting on by the foot of the bed that he pulled from the vanity. "I'm hungry okay," I say as involuntary tears flow down my eyes.

He only shrugs his shoulders to answer me. “Have your fill.”

My mom used to make me the exact melon bread. I miss her and I hate using the past tense when referring to her. Damn it. I wipe away the tears and swallow the big lump on my throat. I can't be weak. I need to be strong for them. I inhale really deep, tucking away the fear inside me to a corner of my head, I won't let it dictate my every move. I promise to get strong to be able to avenge them. "You said my parents would possess if they didn't—” I trail off not wanting to finish the question. He just nods. "Then do you know who did it? Who would possess them? Is it that Beelzebub guy?" I spurt questions after questions. I got so much that I need to know and I think I am running out of time. I need to hurry or I won’t be able to catch the horrible monster who made them do what they did.

"No. It's not the lord of flies, Beelzebub. It might be Ammon and... or the devil's son," he says not looking me in the eyes, as if he too is not sure about it. Though, something about what he said caught my attention; what did he mean by the devil's son? What do I have to do with them?

"Devil's son? And what do all these demons need from me?" I ask in puzzlement.

Kane's face scrunches up, his brows furrow, thinking really hard. Somehow contemplating if he would answer me or hide it away from my grasp. He sighs, taking a long deep breath. "Yes, the devil's son, Cain." He finally manages to say, but not answering all my questions.

"Hey! You didn't answer all my questions!" I snap at him. "And, Cain as in Adam and Eve's son?" This information is making my head burst open. I can’t get a grip on them.

"Yes him, I can't really explain it to you. I'm more of an incantation and divination expert. That’s why I will let the headmistress answer all your questions."

Huh? Crap. There are way too many things to process. But wait, where exactly am I? And my friends and those people I left behind; the ones I've known my entire life. What happened to them?

"What about my parents...um bodies? Can I at least know where they were buried? Are they buried? I didn’t hold a wake for them! And my friends? The people there, won't they be looking for me? One more thing, wherein hell am I exactly?" I'm out of breath before I can finish my lines of questions. Nothing seems to register in my brain. It is so surreal like I'm still in that dream. These things are supposed to happen on screens, in movies, not in real life, especially not in someone like me. Ordinary people. The universe must be playing a goddamn trick on me!

"As far as they know, you're dead. Some psycho killer went to your home and killed your whole family. That's the story we gave them. We've taken care of it all, you don't have to worry. And I am sorry, they commit suicide so…"

“But it wasn’t their fault! You said it yourself!” I scream, pumping my fist in the air. “It’s not fair!”

“Calm down kid.” He tries to reach for me but I back a step away from him.

"No! My poor parents and those people in Santa Monica, you can't do that! You made them believe a lie! My friends Connie and Milo, they would be heartbroken! I know those people there my entire life! You don't have the right to do that!" I jump off the bed, waving my hands in the air, swatting invisible flies, making emphasis on my every word.

"You might not understand any of this but it’s for your own safety and since your mom made me your guardian. I have a say on this matter."

"Guardian? No! My dying mom just wasn’t in her right mind!”

“And who do you think is the best to be your guardian?”

“Ah!” I shriek giving him a death glare. I know, acting like a five-year-old is not going to help me but no one can blame me though. My sadness just transforms into anger and frustrations that I don't have any idea where to unleash, making me more confused than I am ever been.

"Since your parents are dead and I made a promise to your dying mom. I will be your guardian, at least for now." He’s right, I don't have a choice. I don't have any relatives besides Karen and Hayden and Kane is the only one who knows the truth about what really happened. I continue to glare at him. I am so frustrated I don’t know what to do. I slump back down the bed. "One more thing, about what you were asking before. We're at Saint Peter's Basilica, well underneath it exactly.”

I stand and gawk at him. That cannot be, I haven't slept that long. He can’t just take me to the freaking Vatican within a couple of hours. That is freaking impossible! Right? But I guess I am not a good judge of what is possible and impossible.

"Yeah. Great, so we entered through a portal like the voodoo you used to make me sleep," I say sarcastically. These things only happen in the books I read!

"Yes, actually we did use a portal. You got that right. We got one stationed near Santa Monica and I don't use voodoo. Those are for witches. I am a demonist."

"You’re turning me into a lunatic," I say rolling my eyes to him. I refuse to believe even with everything I saw. My mind just can't fathom the possibility of everything that happened, I don't even believe in superstitions. It is as if my whole world is crashing down from all the lies, I have been living in my entire life. I don’t know what and who to believe anymore.

"Says the one who got attacked by demons," he says, clearly mocking me.

"What's this place?" I try ignoring his comment, redirecting the conversation.

"Let me show you." Kane leads me to the door, Boris following along behind him.

We walk in silence through a series of passages until we come to a big wooden door. He opens it and..."This is clearly not a church. We are not in Rome."

People are roaming the streets. They are all in uniforms; a school uniform to be specific! Animals in tow with them, much like Boris. I look up, we can't be underground there's a sky. As clear as it can be with freaking flying birds! No, kame must be messing with my head.

"That's a glamour, not a real sky," he explains looking at me as if reading my mind. He then holds up his pointer finger barely touching my lips to stop me from asking my endless lines of questions. "Come on." He grabs my arm and drags me to the street and again through a series of passages. Once more, we come to a stop in front of a door but unlike the one, before it is much bigger, a lot bigger. So big that someone ten times my height could get through. Kane looks at me before saying an incantation—as he calls it—to the door.

"Apertum." The door magically opens.

I take a good look at the door, and now this is Rome. People of different raise hustles through the streets with normal-looking clothes. But when I turn my back around to where we exit, it was just a big block of bricked walls. The door magically vanished through thin air.

"So, is this Rome now?" he asks me with a grin. His hands spread wide, welcoming me to the foreign place.

I punch him on the shoulders. It still makes me confused. How on earth? "Won't people see us walking out of that wall? Where’s that big door?" I point to my back to where we came from.

"I told you, it's glamour. Don't make me explain. I'm not really good at that. The headmistress could explain it to you much well."

I roll my eyes. As if that helps me through anything as if it will explain everything to me. “Whatever you say, Kane.” I cradle my head in one hand. "You keep saying about the headmistress. Is this some kind of a school?"

"Yes. This a school for very talented kids and you'll be attending it." I look at where the voice came from. It's from a woman with black hair in a tight bun, wearing big glasses and black clothes— a black sweater, a black pencil skirt, and black platform shoes. Everything screams, ninety’s show. It’s like she came out of a different era.

"Hi, welcome. I'm Headmistress Cortez. It is so nice meeting you Mariah." The woman extends her right hand to me, waiting for me to shake it. I take it with my cold clammy hand and we start shaking. My heart won't stop galloping, only one thing keeps running on my head: this is not going to be good.