Friendship of a Blue Jay

Chapter 10: Unmagical Encounter

The morning routine of the Smiths was much smoother the next morning, it turns out, and this wasn't so bad that Johnna was in charge. She let her do whatever she wanted Mia realized that morning.

For the first time it was true when Mia said it, she was simply going on a walk. She wanted to venture a bit farther then the forest. Since they had moved there she was pretty restricted to one area. She wanted to walk about town a little; she knew it was safe, since it was an extremely little town with no crime beside stolen bikes and graffiti if you really consider that crime. It was really just youngsters being youngsters.

She found a 89 cents store and bought herself a two chocolate bars. Mmh chocolate! Mia hadn't had it in two months because her mother never let the children eat candy in fear they might get a cavity. Eyeing a library Mia did a little jump for joy. She missed books also. They had not taken any because they were "to heavy". She quickly applied for a library card and paid the little fee of five dollars.

Meanwhile exploring the town she was writing a little map of everything in her notebook. On her way home she saw an older women tending to her garden and politely said "Hello. How are you?"

"Oh hello, are you Mia?"

She looked around nervously. How would she know her name? This is odd...

"Your mother told me about you and your siblings" she added quickly. Inside Mia sighed from relief.

"Oh I understand now."

"Can I ask what you are always doing around that forest? I think I know what is going on."

No, Mia almost laughed. She could not wait to hear the lady´s assumptions on what was happening in the forest. This would be hilarious! Nobody had anybody idea about what was happening with the labyrinth. Or did they? No there is no way. Mia erased the thought from her mind.

The older woman, named Ms. Grayson invited her in to talk and gave her a cup of lemonade. She sat Mia down in the kitchen as the women quickly went to the powder room. The kitchen looked extremely retro. Like it wasn't the 80´s anymore, it was the 50´s now! She was sitting at a bright yellow table made of plastic. The floorboards had a black and white checkerboard design on them. The cupboards, stove, oven, and sink were painted a light pink.

Ms. Grayson appeared suddenly from one of the hallways.

"OK straight to the point I know everything."

"I don't think so."

"You know my name; my first name is also Mia."

"OK."

"Does Okon ring a bell? How about the Underworld"

Mia´s eyes widened. How could she have known but...? It just didn't make sense.

"See when I was hmm, nine, ten maybe they lured me in using a beautiful bird. I had no choice but to follow it. Then came Okon, he told I was princess of hmm... what was it?"

"Aba" muttered Mia in pure shock.

"Yes! Yes! That is it. Then they gave me a book and they said that I was royalty, all I had to do was prove it. So I was assigned some tasks. Not especially difficult, but detailed around me, what I feared. What I disliked. All fun, all good, but then I realized something. They knew everything about me! It was terrifying, but you see the same time I confronted them about that was the same time I failed one of those tasks."

Mia gulped.

"So Okon and Blu, was it? Yes they took me into a room, the same room where they first told me I was allegedly princess and said I wasn´t the right Mia. They tried to force feed me a potion, to make me forget everything. But I tricked them! I drank a completely harmless thing and remembered everything! So I warn, you mustn´t go there again, alright Mia? You understand it’s not safe."

Her gaze was locked on her knees as tears started streaming down her checks. Was she the right Mia? Or was there even an Underworld or were they just trying to trick her and do something terrible. It was the moronic books fault she almost drowned in the first place! How could she have not thought of that before?!

Without warning Mia ran outside of the house in panicking mode. So they knew everything about her. Everything suddenly clicked in Mia´s mind. That's what the fish had meant one said "Okon really got the right Mia this time". And all those paintings from the desk of her and her family. That wasn't a coincidence. But we were their hair and clothes styling so odd? Mia quickly shook that one of, realizing it was a minor detail. But still...

Everything had made sense and now it was all crumbling. And that picture, where an artist writes this name was written Okon in a strange almost cursive form. How would Okon have ever painted pictures of her, more importantly, her family whom he had never even seen before?

It was all getting to confusing when Mia sunk down near her garage and started full on crying. The only thing that was important in her life had turned upside down. Mia heard the front open and thought quickly. She grabbed a rock and made a deep scratch on her elbow.

"Mia, Mia what are you doing? Are you crying?" Johnna asked walking still casually towards Mia.

"Yeah, I'm OK, I just tripped that’s all"

"Oh I see c´mon inside I will get you some cream. Because you know how much mom loves infections"

Infections from a scratch she had done on purpose were the least of her problems.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okon smiled as he looked through a mini-pearl that was in the potion room.

"Oh, Blu, everything is going so well, I just know have the right Mia!"

PS: This story takes place in the 80´s if it helps u get it more

PPS: Im using really formal language so please let me know if it bugs you or anything