Waking Up as in Coming Home

The Hand

Sarah goes back to her room and puts on the headphones blasting music in her ears. 'There's no coincidence that everything happened in the house' she thinks to herself.

She turns to face her bed. The same elderly woman spirit is on her bed this time. Sarah recognises the spirit. She's the one in the picture.

"What should we do to make u save this family? Time is running out" the spirit talks directly to Sarah this time.

"Olivia has seen through u. U don't know her, do u?" Another young boy spirit appears next to Sarah.

"I know what she is. She's just same as me." Sarah says quietly. "I won't do something until I know the whole thing which is the reason. I need to know about the connection."

"It's..." the third spirit, which is a man, appears. "It's..." he seems to wanna say something but he can't get the words out.

"P..." this is the elder spirit turn. "P..." again, nothing comes out.

Sarah looks at them. Someone is forbidding them to say it out loud. She opens the door and opposite of the room stands a female figure. Sarah can't see the face clearly. The female figure walks away.

"We don't wanna see other people turning into spirits and being trapped here for another 100 years like us, Sorceress"

Being a sorceress gets to help a lot of people but Sarah always needs to know why she has to help that person. It's the first rule of being one.

Knock knock!

"Sarah?" Theo stands by the doorframe. "Can I talk to u?"

"Sure! What's up sweetie" Sarah pats her bed to motion the kid to sit on it.

"Did u see that? Did u see what mummy becomes? Are u like me?" Theo asks softly.

"Yeah...I saw everything. I saw it from your head. Your mum will be fine. I'll look into it." Sarah holds Theo's hands and tightens the grip.

"How do u do it? All I see is the warm golden light. But I feel other weird feelings from other people"

Sarah raises her corner of her mouth and smiles slightly. "Just think about good things. That's what my mum taught me. I think u should talk to your mum. I'm sure she understands u"

"Does she?"

Sarah tilts her head. "Go find out"

Olivia takes out a pair of gloves from her wardrobe which were given to her by her mother when she was little. Her mother always knew Olivia was sensitive so that she gave her daughter a pair of gloves in case Olivia felt overwhelmed.

Theo wanders downstairs. She somehow finds her mother waiting for her in the dining room.

"Come here, my love" Olivia says. Theo goes to her mother. "U know those headaches I sometimes get?" Theo nods. "And when I get them, I see all sorts of uhhh...well, your grandmother got them too. She was sensitive. Sometimes I wonder if your siblings get them from me. And I notice u always wear sweaters in the house in mid summer. Why is that?"

"Because it's cold"

"Sensitive people...they need ahh...well..." Olivia pushes the box towards Theo.

Theo carefully opens the box to reveal a pair of gloves.

"They should help u with the cold" Olivia pauses. "And other things as well." Olivia watches her daughter putting on the gloves. "In the meantime, if you're overwhelmed, u can talk to me about anything. Or u can go to Sarah. I believe she's just like us" Olivia puts up her hand.

Theo nods and raises her hand to touch her mother's. Then Theo wanders off to somewhere with the gloves on.

Sarah is about to get her second cup of tea. While on her way down, she smiles at Theo as Theo going back upstairs. She notices the gloves.

Olivia never leaves sight of her sensitive daughter. She catches a glimpse of the babysitter.

"Sarah"

"Yeah?" Sarah goes sit down with the mother.

"This house is odd, isn't it?" Olivia looks up and looks around the dining room. "U know I asked Nellie about what she thought about this house. She said it's loud. What an odd word she used. U feel the same, don't u"

"This house isn't just odd. It's also heavy" apparently Olivia knows some secrets about Sarah. Sarah can't help but admits it.

"U know, u can come talk to me if it's too much for u. We are the same aren't we" Olivia says gently and take the young woman's hand. "I'm telling u this as your friend, not employer"

The cinnabar bracelet Sarah has on her wrist sends vibration through her hand which is holding Olivia's hand. Sarah tightens the grip. Olivia's hand isn't too cold, but it's still cold or cool. The vibration Sarah gets is a signal of the presence of negative energy.

"Then I'm asking u, as your friend, to leave this house ASAP. The sooner, the better." Sarah sends the energy from her, which Olivia feels warm air current through her arm to her body. Then Sarah witnesses grey smoke leaving Olivia's body. But it won't last long. The negative energy will come back.