One Hundred Nights

Chapter 5

Grace slammed the door open and as soon as she did that, she knew something had gone very wrong. Everything in her sight was chaotic. The rickety dining table was split into two halves, the fireplace had gone dim, the windows had shattered into millions of sharp fragments. She took a step forward very slowly, being prepared of what would come. Then, unable to hold her patience, she ran immediately to Gwen's bedroom and barged in.

"Gwe-," she was cut short when she found that her sister was gone.

Frantic, she went to Alice's bedroom but she didn't find her either. She began to panic. She ran to her bedroom, hoping she would find them.

"Alice," she said when she saw her, rather grateful and terrified. "Where's Gwen?"

"Gone," Alice whispered so faint as she stared into the night sky through a shattered window.

"What do you mean gone? Who took her?" Grace was almost crying. She had lost her parents and Gwen was the only family she had left. She couldn't lose her too.

Alice was still silent and continued staring into the sky, ignoring Grace's existence.

"Alice, who took her?" she asked again.

Alice faced her with a look she had never saw before. Fear. Terror. Agitation. It was the exact opposite of her cheerful one.

"She took her," Alice timidly said. "I didn't have a chance to stop her."

"Who's her?" Grace was getting annoyed by Alice's short answers.

"The witch," Alice whispered.

Grace widened her eyes in horror. "Witch? What witch?"

"It should've been me," Alice repeated to herself in a feeble tone. "It should've been me. I should've stopped her. It's my fault Gwen's taken away. It's my fault. It's always my fault."

Grace slapped Alice's cheek once, snapping her out of her trance. "Alice, calm down and tell me. What witch and what does this has anything to do with you?"

Alice took a deep breath and sighed. "Sit down, Grace. Let me tell you a story."

~~~~~

Deloris was sitting on a rocking chair, humming a soft, creepy tune. A little girl was sleeping, tied in the corner of the room. The little girl slowly opened her eyes and found herself to be in a different location. The room was pitch-black. The only light source was an oil lamp at the side of the room. There was nothing much. Somewhere in the room, she heard a creaking sound. At the source of the sound, she could see a silhouette of someone rocking back and forth.

"...and when she sees the bears as black as night, she run away screaming in fright," the silhouette softly sang. She knew that song. Her mother had sung it to her once, warning her not to enter stranger's house.

"Finally you're awake," Deloris lazily said.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked.

"You don't need to know my name," Deloris replied. "You just need to know that you're a prize now."

"A prize of what? Where's Aunt Alice-,"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Deloris mocked. "Auntie Alice has gone for a while to fetch some wild berries. You just need to-,"

"What is your name?" Gwen snapped back.

"It's Deloris."

"Where's my sister, Deloris?" she seethed, trying to sound brave.

Deloris was silent for a while but she regained her composure. "Sister?" Deloris raised an eyebrow. "Sister, you say? You have a sister?"

"I don't talk to strangers," Gwen snapped.

"Darling! I used to have a daughter, so I can be nice to you," Deloris said sweetly.

"A daughter? And who would possibly marry a witch like you?"

"I was never a witch!" she bawled. "I was forced to. I have no choice. Forced to become my mother," she whispered the last part to herself. "I used to be beautiful," the witch's voice cracked, obviously she missed being lovable. "Like Zara."

"Your daughter?" Gwen asked.

"Yes."

"Can you tell me about her?"

"No. But speaking of Zara, I think I should pay her a visit." Deloris got to her feet and put on her snakeskin boots.

"Where are you going?"

The witch turned to her, rotten face lit in the dark.

"To where I used to call home sweet home."

"Wait-,"

But the door slammed close and cold wind blew through the eerie, chilly room just before Gwen could finish her sentence. She diverted her eyes to a sudden red bright sparkle from a corner. Squinting, she then noticed what she was looking at. The infamous ruby heels from the land of Oz sparkled beautifully in the middle of the dark, gloomy cottage.

~~~~~

"Wait, so you make a deal with a witch to capture my mother?!" Grace snapped. She glared furiously at Alice who was filled with shame.

"Yes," Alice sighed. "But I was so young that time and I didn't know. I was a little girl who needed a place to stay. Please take that into consideration."

Grace got up and stomped the room. She cursed the witch for taking her sister. She cursed Alice for being dumb to accept an offer with a witch. She cursed the plaque for taking her parents. She cursed the world for being unfair.

"Grace, please," Alice pleaded. "Stop stomping around. I'm so sorry."

Grace yanked her hair in frustration. All she wanted to do was find her sister, cure her parents and get her normal life back. What was so hard in that?

Alice got up and approached her. She placed both hands on her shoulders and made her looked straight to her eyes. "Listen, Grace. I'm sorry for everything I've done and I regret every single one of them. I'm trying to fix things. And this, I promise you, that we will find your sister. Okay?"

Grace nodded. One of Alice's traits that she liked was her confidence and optimism; and she appreciated it in times like these.

"Do you have any idea where does the witch hide my sister?" she asked.

"No," Alice shook her head. She thought for a moment and recalled something in her past.

"But...," she trailed. "The witch told me that if I had any doubts, I should just ask someone named Mavuey"

"Wait...Mavuey?" Grace wondered if she had heard correctly. "Mavuey?"

"Yes, I'm positive it's Mavuey."

"Mavuey is involved in this?!" she shrieked.

"Yes but I haven't asked her anything. Wait, you know her?" Alice asked and Grace nodded.

"Well what are you waiting for?" she squeaked. "Lead the way!"