Time to Come Home

The Tests

Sarah turns around and looks at the children. There's no evil creature spirits. There's only white wall.

Olivia gives Hugh the purple paper so that he can put it away.

"There are...are...are weird and dark spirits here. I saw them when I came into this house." Sarah starts.

"I know. And I know Fredrick and Cassandra wanted to make things right. Verna didn't really kill them. I saw the whole thing. They were...ummmm they were meant not to make it. Verna helped them suffered less and made sure u didn't see it" Olivia never leave her sight on the witch.

"I was born in a dark wizard and witch's house. How are u so sure I can be good? How are u so sure that I'm Lily?"

"Because I brought u back, honey" Verna appears behind Olivia and Hugh. "I brought Lily to Fredrick and Cassandra. We had a deal, well, more like an exchange. Either they died and u lived or they lived and u died. And at the end, they confessed and Olivia was so brokenhearted. She never got through the loss of Lily." Verna goes in front of Sarah. "And I needed u to learn and realise you're just like me. I wanted u to learn the witchcraft because u got the psychic abilities from both sides. And looks like you're worth living" Verna goes to the Crain children. "U protected your siblings with your life and sanity." She strokes Nellie's hair. "I offer the most honest conversation to people and you're worth living"

"What do u want from me now? U already said I'm worth living. We wanna get the hell out of here. I've had enough of the eerie spirits here"

"Well, that's another task I'm afraid." Verna gets up and turns to Olivia. "I never offered clarity. But this time I've given u more than usual. Prove that you're different" Verna's gaze fixes on Theo as well.

Just one blink, Verna disappears again.

Steve and Shirley go to the door. They walk in but come into the room again in another door.

"This won't work, Steve. I tried" Hugh says.

"Bc it's a boundary." Sarah says quietly. "Verna set it up. I saw the whole boundary from outside the room. When I was outside, I couldn't see all of u"

"What should we do now" Olivia asks.

"I need Theo to hold my hand" Sarah turns to the child. "I promise it won't be so scary. Just scream when u see something. I'll be here with u" She holds out the hand for the child to hold. "I need u to help me find the exit"

Theo hesitates. She knows how scary things can be. In the meantime, Olivia takes Theo's hand in hers.

"I'll do it with u, my love" Olivia assures.

Sarah finds a spot to sit down and closes her eyes. She enters the subconscious state with Theo and Olivia.

It's a big house and they are outside of the room. "Turn around to face the door" Sarah instructs. "Walk in"

Theo screams. No one knows what's happening beside the three.

"Don't open your eyes, Theo" Sarah says urgently. They see a room full of the spider like demons and snakes everywhere. But they are all illusions, all of them are Verna's tricks.

Sarah reaches out to her pocket and takes out a wooden compass. She throws it out and the wooden compass gets shattered immediately when it hits the floor.

Everything turns into smoke and fades away when they open their eyes. Their vision becomes clearer. The room is empty and it is completely different from the red room in Hill House. It's dark and big.

"There" sarah points at the door. "Let's go" she picks up Nellie. "Close your eyes, kiddos"

The children hold tight to their parents' hands and close their eyes.

Olivia is freaked out when she sees so many eerie creature spirits when she reaches the living room. She stops.

"Alright let's go. Don't stop" Sarah puts her hand, which has the cinnabar bracelet on, on Olivia's arm. Those spirits can't take another step close to the Crain. Instead, they make silent roars. "They can't get close to u. Not while I'm here"

"Wh...wh...what are those?" Olivia asks Sarah after they get out of the house.

"Those are the spirits the dark wizard raised"

"He raised spirits?" Hugh widens his eyes. He's trying to make sense of everything although he doesn't see the other dimension of the world.

"It's a way of saying. He kept those spirits as his puppets and controlled them to harm people. That's probably how my parents died"

Hugh and the children get into Sarah's car while Olivia is still staring at the witch.

"U asked me how I'm so sure you're Lily. Well...I know she has the kindest heart and ummm she's fearless. I feel those things in u and the connection we have doesn't lie. I think I connected u in the house. I almost got u in the corridor" Olivia can't help but strokes Sarah's hand.

"U did. I tried to grab your hand." Sarah is being thoughtful. "But I did dark magic. Lily wouldn't..."

"U didn't. U could do it but u didn't. It's true u know how to do dark magic but u choose not to do it. It's our choices. U have learnt it to break it. Wasn't that what Fredrick and Cassandra taught u?" Olivia smiles at Sarah. "And u came here all by yourself to save all of us. You're fearless and kind"

Olivia opens her arms to gather the young woman in her arms. "Welcome home, honey"

Verna stands at the roof of the haunted house. Her mission is done. The deal is fulfilled. The witch has learnt what she is. The broken hearts are mended. She flies away. Maybe one day they will come across each other again.