The Necromancer's Daughter

|| five ||

Rebecca froze in midair as Lucille levitated her outside of the bathroom. She wasn't really immobilized, but not having her feet on the floor unnerved her. The mother witch gently lowered her on the living room couch where neatly folded clothes lay, and said, "Get dressed. Breakfast is about to be ready." Rebecca looked up at her just before the woman turned around and swept a hand towards the gaping bathroom doorway. She heard her mutter a phrase, then the bathroom door materialized in a swirl of lights. Rebecca's eyes widened, but Lucille didn't look back. She just walked towards the kitchen and proceeded to prepare breakfast. 

Rebecca was left befuddled. She tried to explain to herself what happened, but without a concrete grasp on the things happening around her lately, she decided to get over it and dress herself. Lucille left her with a shirt, shorts that ended just an inch above the knees and undergarments. On the floor was a pair of fuzzy slippers. She slipped into them as her mind entertained more questions about what the hell was going on.

From what little she gathered, it was clear that she wasn't Lilian, not one bit. So why was she here now, in what seems to be Lilian's body and in Lilian's home? And where was the real Lilian? What happened to her? There was all these and more doing laps inside her head. She was so focused on these thoughts that she didn't notice the breakfast table was already set, and that Lucille was waiting for her, sitting on a plastic chair beside the table.

"Good morning." Lucille called out, startling Rebecca a bit. "Breakfast is ready." The woman continued. Rebecca stared at her and tried to read her expression. It was placid and a shudder ran down her back with the coldness of her stare. She found herself afraid of this woman, with what she did to the evil man last night, to the bathroom door just mere minutes ago. It was clear this woman was not to be crossed. 

"Come and join me." Lucille told her again. "You must be hungry." There was a hint of tenderness in her voice, but what really made Rebecca walk towards the table and sit opposite Lucille was the smell of bacon, eggs and toast. She could not remember the last time she ate, and she was starving.

"Before you eat, maybe try the orange juice first." Lucille said as Rebecca sat across from her. "That body probably isn't used to solids anymore so it would be better if you take in liquids first to test it out." Lucille poured her a glass of orange juice and she tentatively received it. She took tiny sips first, heeding the woman's advice, and when it felt like her insides weren't objecting, she gobbled the rest of the drink, tilting the glass' bottom high above her head.

"Ahhh..." She let out a sigh of satisfaction. She didn't feel the thirst until she finished it. "Can I have more?" She asked Lucille.

The woman poured her another glass in silence and Rebecca almost wondered if she thought it was rude to ask for seconds immediately. She drank in haste and when that was finished too, she put the empty glass on the table and said, "Maybe I shouldn't fill myself up right away." She looked over to Lucille and saw her watching closely, as if waiting for something from her.

Rebecca started feeling funny, her toes and fingers tingled in slightly electrifying sensations. Her hair felt fizzy, like they were standing on end with static. She heaved a deep breath and when she exhaled, her skin flickered, as if she was made of fluorescent tube running out of ballast. She looked up at Lucille for an explanation, but she only saw her staring, mouthing numbers in a countdown. "...four...three...two..."

"What's going on? What did you put in that juice!?" Rebecca stood up, knocking the table and sending the glass crashing to the floor. Lucille also stood up and held a defensive stance, palms facing outwards, ready to launch energy balls if needed be. 

"I laced it with a revealing potion." Lucille declared. "Now show me who you really are!"

Rebecca's body, or rather Lilian's, glowed brighter and soon she was beaming like a neon sign. She looked at her reflection in the window glass nearby and caught her breath with what she saw. An image of Rebecca, the girl she was in her vision, superimposed Lilian's body in a spectral. It was a projection of her true self.