Entropy

I| Chapter II: Lovely Home in the Suburbs

I was shocked to find out that the house of the reported case is at the suburban end of Hampstead. It's odder because it's in a lush green town, where nice homes were constructed. There's little crime and little wild tourists. It's a happy place. Well, most of the time.

The house that my dad drives up to is a decent-looking home. A mic-mansion house with two, possibly three stories with neighbours decently spread out. It's not too far out if something bad happens in the house, they can still run to the neighbours. The neighbourhood is quieter than the streets of London. It's still likely to hear a faint car honk in the distance. I am still shocked that dad did find a nice and quiet spot for our home in London. He must've paid extra money for it or it was already there.

"Wanna come in or stay in the car for now?" I ask Markus.

"Come in," he answers out of boredom. He has no phone or laptop to keep himself occupied.

I open the van and push him out of it. I was kind of hoping that he would stay in the van because I also needed to be at the house and pushing him in a wheelchair is another chore that I have to do. Perhaps, he can be nice and use his powers for good. For once...

Dad knocks at the front door. The person that greets us is a woman, seemingly in her upper-twenties or mid-thirties. Her hair is mahogany with brown eyes. She is dressed in a floral top and skinny jeans.

"Hello, I'm Ella, the one in charge of the household, delighted to meet you," she says with a pretty smile.

"Greetings, Ella. This is my daughter, Naomi, and that's my brother-in-law, Markus," my dad says while gesturing his hand towards us.

"Nice to meet you both," Ella said.

"Thank you," I smile kindly.

"We received a call from your house about a case of possession," dad explains.

"Yes," she confirms, "Come on in. We will explain everything you need to know."

She let us in the house. She is not the only one in the household. There are five more. They look very young, either looking like they didn't graduate college or pass as a thirty-year-old. Well, most of them, there's an old man here too. By feeling their energies, I can tell they do occult practices and witchcraft. They feel like all a bunch of abilities and potentials pooled together into a coven. They are all diverse too. Energies can reveal someone's character. A familiar figure feels knowledgeable and caring. Ella feels strong and a leader. The elderly man feels wise and helpful. The blonde hair one feels secretly powerful. The darker-skinned woman feels broken but encouraging. She looks older than Ella. The other guy with brown hair and brown eyes, well, a bigot to put it nicely. That doesn't feel great. Some feel stronger than others while others feel more open. So why is a coven calling a priest from another religion for help? There is some tension between the religions. Pagans and Xtianity being one of them.

I look at one of the women that look far so familiar. A good friend of mine: Blathnaid. I give her a friendly smile. She smiles back and waves. We still have been in touch after all these years. None of them really questioned it though. I guess she is the one who called my father. My dad usually gets requests from the bishops about a certain exorcism. Maybe he did? I never asked at all.

Ella guides us to the living room of the house. The atmosphere went stiff. Everyone can feel it, but we all try to ignore it.

"May you tell us what's going on and how long this has been happening?" Father asks Ella.

"It all started last week. It first began with her harmless sleepwalking and aimlessly teleporting around the house. Now it's very hard to handle," she starts cautiously.