Spirit World

Save Her Mom

"What did you find out with almost half a day of reading?" Free asked Callie while he was still in the form of a cat and was perching on top of their marbled table, sitting prettily at the side while she was eating her dinner which was a cereal. Yeah, she knew it was for breakfast, but she actually didn't have anything anymore in their store food.

"How about you read it too so you would know?" she answered while she was frowning, stuffing her mouth full and glaring at the cat. "Can you not sit there? You still don't take a bath, and you stink just to inform you. I'm eating, too, if you cannot see."

It was weird seeing a cat in their house for the first time. If her mother was there, she might be sneezing her life out already because she was allergic to cat's fur, so no matter how much she wanted to adopt one, she was not allowed to. If that wasn't weird enough, then talking to a cat was certainly beyond weird. It was funny how this cute cat was talking with a huge voice, if someone would see this cat talking, they would certainly faint, but since she had already known what he was going to do as he informed her before going out, it was only making her snort in amusement.

The cat smelled its underarm. "I don't smell anything. Thinking like a cat, they probably think this smell is a smell of bravery and dignity for surviving the cruelty of the world and the humans on their own, and it is something that they should be proud of. So, you have to understand." He looked on his long, sleazy nails as if what he was talking about was something so easy to do.

"You are not a cat, you are a spirit! Stop thinking like a cat, please!" she grumbled in frustration. It was just earlier when this spirit promised her that he would help her find her mother whether by hook or by crook, and for some reason, Callie had believed the sincerity in his voice. Like he had something deep inside him that drove him to do his best. Big hearing him right now, she wanted to take back the admiration she felt toward him earlier. "Get lost if you're just going to stay like a fool right now."

The spirit scoffed, but it came out like a growl through the cat. "If you are not going to share what you have learned from the book I have told you to read, then everything would certainly be useless. We're already on the run by now if you had just told me earlier which way we should take."

It was Callie who scoffed at him this time. She let go of the spoon and crossed her arms to look at him. "See? You know what's in that book, you even know that there are ways written in it for us to take to find my mother. Why do you even have to make me tell you? After you left me for half a day without even single support, you'll expect me to relay something to you? Huh! You wish!"

She saw how the cat covered its face, and how its face soured with her immature remark. She was just pissing him off, though, she would tell him after she was sure that he was pissed enough that he had already avenged how she felt earlier when he left her alone with the book. It was kind of pleasing to know that she had someone to come with her to save her mother, also teasing someone as well, especially a Spirit that she didn't know the length of their patience.

The cat sighed and looked back at her again with the so-done face. "Look, if you're just going to tell me, then we can sketch now the directions we're going to take, or plan out everything before we go to your mother, or do whatever that pleased you as long as we're going to get your mother. Anything. I just want to finish all of this as soon as possible. I don't want to stay longer in this place."

"Why do you want to get out of the Human World so fast? Didn't you come from here before?" she tried to inquire, stirring the bowl of her cereal that she suddenly felt full already as she just got curious of this spirit's life.

As she was reading earlier, the book had somehow an introduction about different worlds, the Spirit World, the Human World, The Next World, the transmigration, that she bet would never be learned by someone else but here. The books that were in their basement were all the past copies of the books. They were all about the practices of her mother's kind which was something like those of sorcerers, but they were not the kind of witches or something. They don't have magic, do not hold a wand, they don't cast spells and enchantments. As far as she could remember, they were the chosen ones who could perform whatever it was in the book through deep fate and connection with the Most Sovereign of all that heard and allowed it all to happen.

They bore dangerous and privileged responsibilities, and again, as far as she knew, they were exiled because of being a freak before. Callie's grandparents just hid her mother in their very own basement along with their stored books so no one would be able to find her and she would continue their practices at least, that was according to her mother's account that she had read. It seemed like she was also traumatized at that time so she didn't want her daughter to experience that as well, if there would be another exhalation of her kind, it would end on her. Callie would not be included since she didn't know a thing about their practices.

About the Spirits, she had learned as it was written in the book that the Spirits were from the Hunan World who told their own lives for some personal reasons that would never be justifiable to the Sovereign of the Spirits. So, as a punishment, they would have to serve the Human World and their needs until the Sovereign had deemed them worthy for another granting of life that would be used in the Next World this time. It made her wonder what made Free, the spirit who seemed to be always smiling and a free-spirited spirit, take his life before.

It seemed like she had to know a lot more about him.

It was cool and confusing at the same time. She had learned a lot, especially the part where the Human World was like the Alternate Universe of the Next World. If they were poor in the Human World, they would be well-off in the Next World. They have different careers and lives in the Next World, and as she had heard, everyone in the Next World we're pretty much living well without other problems, especially not in the matter of money. The World in there was certainly outstanding.

"I believe we are not on that level where we share personal information with each other yet, Miss Cobb," the cat replied slyly, scratching the bottom part of its body as he felt it itchy and something was treading on it. "Why cats I to be dirty?"

"If you could have just gone to the bathroom and taken a bath, then both of us must have been silent now and settling things already instead of me watching you spread all of the insects you brought in my house through that cat," Callie replied, standing up as she took the bowl of cereal on the sink and washed it. She didn't press anymore on how he dismissed his question about him, after all, he was right. They were not on that part yet where they could divulge personal information with each other already. So she let that go. "You better head in the bathroom and wash that cat. I'll wait for you in the basement and I'll explain what I have learned to you so we can start our journey already."

The cat stood and jumped on the floor, stretching its back as it strode to the bathroom. "You should prepare pen and paper as well so we can take note. I'm sure the way to your mother would be one unforgettable journey of the century soon."

Callie prepared those things, but without checking the cat first because she knew everything would be a mess if she would just let Free in the bathroom in a form of a cat, but what she saw amazed her for a moment. The cat walked to the bathroom and immediately jumped on the small bathtub while Free left the cat's body which left it dead for a moment and did take it to an extreme bath. She watched as how Free whistled to a tune she didn't know while doing so.

She walked down to the basement after that. She had learned a lot with that book, and it really made her aware of the grave danger her mother was in now. But that also meant that if those men were so willing to bring her mother to this place where the tradition should always be done, then they would be experiencing everything as well that was said on the map. And if they would be coming after them, then it means, she would see everything that was in there.

Callie was scared, to say honestly, well how could she not when she had to go to different places to ask the people there for the key that would open the door of their main destination which was the 'Door of Another World'. She also learned that the process of immortalisation was something that should not be done. It would not affect the person that would become immortal after the process, it would not affect anyone around the world. It was dangerous because the person who did the process would be the one in grave danger.

The immortalisation required strength from the people who'd do the process, and if the people were not that strong, they might end up dead just after the process was done. She could say that her mother was pretty strong, but if all of those men would use her to be immortal then she would certainly be going down the same path.

She couldn't let that happen. She wanted her mother still by her side until both of them were old. She hadn't given back all of what she had given and sacrificed for her yet. Her mother was the most precious person in the world for her, and she wouldn't let those greedy men just take her mother away from her.

If she had to learn the process herself, she would. Her goal was to save her mother, even if it meant losing her own life.