♤ El Jardín De La Bruja. ♤

♤ A Tragic Backstory pt.1 ♤

I5.e, December 3rd.

Cold air whistled through the snowy cracks in the wall, leaving a frail, abandoned girl shivering on the ground. "Don't leave me." She cried. "I'm scared, Ama" She rolled to hug her cat, whom was practically frozen solid, in a deathly faze. Her sobbing slowly came to a stop, fading as she froze to death.

"Lucia" her mother's frightening voice shook the girl to the core, scaring her on its own. "Lucia. Tenemos que irnos." The girl rubbed her eyes, and pulled the frozen cat next to her into an embrace. "¿Por qué, Omi?" She whined, not at all wanting to leave. "Los cazadores de brujas estan aquí." The girl whimpered more at her mother's seriousness. "Babo?" She asked, looking around for her brother. Her mother's face pinched, she looked guilty. Her mother looked sad, it made Lucia sad too. "Lets not waste any time" her mother whispered, picking her up abruptly.

Lucia's mother speed-walked through the dusty narrow hallways, brushing her body against the cracked walls. Nursing Lucia in her hands, she slipped out of the hallways turning to the entry of the kitchen.

"Lucita, esperame aqui, okay?" Her mom whispered, plopping Lucia on the floor close to the window. "By the ventana, okay? Say ventana" She chuckled, repeating the word. Lucia shook her head, and leaned it against the wall. "Guess not tonight" Her mother whispered to herself.

Lucia's mom left her in the corner and searched through the cupboards, sliding spices and different jars passed each other. She finally found the bottle and slammed the cupboards closed. She scooped Lucia back into her arms, and whispered a spell under her breath. "Come and get us!" She yelled, as her, Lucia, and the frozen cat all went invisible.

A bunch of gunshots fired into the walls, somehow still missing them. Lucia's mother crouched down and crawled out of the kitchen, then wiggled her way through some holes in the ground, and was now following an underground trail.

Lucia's mother set her and the cat down. "Corre y no mires atrás" she said, for some reason even after all this, she refused to go with Lucia. "Where's Ama? Donde es Babo? Where are you go?" Lucia asked, her words scattered, her toddler language still understandable. "Babo is with Chachi. Remember Chachi?" Lucia's mother sniffed. "And Ama is waiting for you, so you must go to her" she wrapped her arms around the girl and stared at the cat. "Me and Zoey have to stay behind though, okay?" Lucia nodded her head, and turned around. "Dont you go too? And where do I?" Lucia asked spinning with questions, all too much for a 6 year old. "Your Ama will come to you. Just keep running- y corre rápido." Lucia's mother kissed her forehead, and pushed her front with a smile. "Adelante ahora, a Ama, a auntie"

Lucia ran on her legs, not thinking twice about it. Her only thought was that they were playing a new game, but Babo failed the game. That's why he was with Chachi now. "No estés preocupado, No estés preocupado" Lucia repeated to herself, her legs wobbled as she collapsed to the ground. How could she not worry? Lucia's starry tears stung a cut on her face and she screamed as the burning sensation numbed. "Omi, do for Omi" She whispered to herself, Babo had done it many times to keep himself calm, she figured she would do the same. Lucia jumped to her feet, and ran quicker than before.

"¡Lucía! Espera ahí-" She heard a familiar voice, Lucia tried to stop herself mid-run by forcefully slipping- and it worked. "Omi?" A hope lit up in her chest- "Not omi, ama.. it's Ama- Lucíta, Dios mío." The voice said, and knelt down to the girls side. "Where's omi?" She asked. Lucia looked down at her lap, nervous Ama would hit her for not knowing. "Hey, hey. It's alright- Just where is she?" Ama asked, patting Lucia's back. "She stayed home. With Zoey" Lucia coughed. Ama paused. "That frickin witch." She cursed under her breath. "Where's your brother? What'd you call him again- Bimbo?" Ama asked, stepping away from Lucia. "Omi said Babo is with Chachi" She smiled. "And everyone said I will be able to see Chachi when I'm 12! I only need 7 more years- wait. 6 Years!"

Ama froze up, she started to bawl her eyes out. "Am-Ama, you okay?" Lucia asked, curling up next to her. Ama sucked in a deep breath and swallowed her tears back, with unsteady and panicky breaths. She was trying to get red of it all too fast. "Yes dear, let's go." She smiled, sniffing a bit too. "Lets keep going now-"
Suddenly, the rocks started to fall from the ceiling. "Ay so this is what your Mamí was doing.. let's hurry" Ama scowled, dragging Lucia and rushing towards a tunnel. The tunnel led up, and then to a ladder. Above the ladder was a hole. They both jumped out the hole and walked through the eerie woods they've found themselves standing in.

Hours later, Lucia almost drowned into a walking sleep, barely keeping her eyes open. "Ama, where do we go? When do we get there?" Lucia asked, leaning her head and shoulder against Ama as she stopped. "A few more minutes, I recognize this area." Ama whispered. Lucia nodded drowsily and trotted behind Ama.

"Lucita, you need to run." A ghostly voice whispered. "Why? Where?" Lucia asked, not knowing who she was asking. "Home. Save Omi-" the voice answered, Lucia couldve sworn she saw a silvery-blue-ish fade, or fading silhouette, of Babo. Ama stopped. "No!" She bellowed. Lucia jumped, a chill running up her spine. The image of Babo dissapeared. "Lucia you will not listen to them, nobody listens to them. I know you can hear him- ignore him. Ignore them both!" Lucia shivered and started to tear up, Ama's jaw tightened, and she soon calmed down. Looking at Lucia, with a sympathetic look, she gently pulled Lucia's hair behind her ear, and wiped her tears. "W-what happened to Omi? Babo said we should save her, why dont we?"

Ama sighed. Clenching her fist and kneeling down to Lucia, she said,

"Omi's dead. Tu mamá está muerta, Lucía."