Purple Dandelion

7 Disappeared

(UNEDITED Please make me aware of mistakes )
*Past*

Believe is placed in the center of the ritual circle. By this time she is awake but not afraid. Believe looks at her Aunty, trying to not laugh at how silly her Aunty looks in the blue and red makeup she has on.

"Take of your clothes Believe." Aunty commands in a hoarse voice. Believe doesn't object but keeps her pink undies on.

"Drink." Melody whispers to Believe. Melody forces a blue liquid from a wooden cup down Believe's throat. Believe tries her best not to gag as the liquid tastes more bitter then Buscopan. The mixture makes Believe a little dizzy but she keeps standing. Her Aunty mixes some yellow feathers with an oil looking substance and some brown shrubs in a wooden bowl. Green flames dance on top of the mixture then thick red smoke takes over the flames.

Melody starts chanting and humming in the Ancient tongue while Believe chokes on the smoke. Believe sees her mum placing some crystals around her, unaffected by the smoke.

Drums starts beating to the sound of Melody's chanting, the drums grow louder as the chanting grows. It sounds as if there is a choir chanting but Believe didn't see anyone but her mother, Rosa and Aunty Melody. Slowly Believe starts falling asleep. She slips down into a foetus position and sleeps.

Aunty starts a different chant. This one sounds more like a command while the other sounded like a praise. Believes body rises from the floor with a bright light coming from within her. The red smoke looks even more enchanting with the light trying to escape past it. All the light dims and the drums start beating a sad melody, as if its losing something valuable, grieving.

The ritual comes to an end and Aunty leaves a sheep in the circle as a gift of gratitude.

Rosa places Believe in bed and the woman go out side to take a bath in the river near the ritual stones. Nobody says a word until they get in the house. Believes father is still in the trance his wife put him in.

"What did you do to her?" Lyric questions softly once the women are in the sitting room.

"I blocked her powers and hid every memory she has of using them. I also put a spell of Deceive on her so that all of the gifted that would bring harm to her, now or in the future, or are part of the dark side cannot see her unless she is with a family
member. If she is alone she will be completely invisible. If she is with us they will not be able to feel her power, they will think she's part of the giftless humans. I fear that the spells will not last forever because of fate and destiny. There is going to be due payment for asking the ancestors to hid the gifts they blessed Believe with. Power for power. I don't know when or what they are going to take, the sheep was not enough but it will hold them down for a while...." Melody trails off and seems out of it for a while. When she comes back her questions brings shivers down the other women's spins. "Where's David?"

"No!" Lyric jumps out of her seat. "There has to be another way." She pleads.

"Lyric imagine what would have happened if you didn't get there in time.... You know you have already lost the man you married and Believe already doesn't have a father. You may not want to accept this but he is already getting corrupted by the things he reads. His mind is weak and he has stumbled across a cursed book. There a little amount of time before he loses all his humanity... Spear him the torture of what follows..." Melody predicts, say what everybody has been ignoring. Tears escape Lyrics eyes as it dawns to her.

She still can not go through with it. She still has hope she can bring him back, she knows him better than anyone. She loves him better than anyone...

"Its not about him anymore... Its about Believe now." Rosa speaks for the first time since they got here. Something within Lyric snaps. Her daughter is all she has left. Life since Believe was born was about Believe... Not about anyone's happiness, pleasure or thoughts. Life for Lyric is Believe now, that's all there is and that's all they will be.

"I am not going to be part of it." Lyric sighs and goes into the bedroom Believe was placed in. There she cries her lungs out. In one day she manages to almost lose her child and she loses her husband. The latter was more of a sacrifice.... A consequence to David's actions, but that didn't mean she loves him any less.

David is still in a trance when Rosa and Melody lead him to the ritual stones. He keeps mumbling to himself and stumbling over his own feet. He seems as if he is high on drugs.

This is the last hour, day, week, month and year David walks this Earth. Nobody will ever see him dead or alive. The women cook up a story to his disappearance. They cut all ties with him.

There was a change to Melody's aura from that day. While ending the David something went wrong. Something entered her that day. Nobody thought it was due to that day, nobody really saw it expect Believe. Through her dreams Believe saw her Aunty lose her control slowly.

That was the catch to the spell placed upon Believe. It only blocked her from using her powers consciously, but through her dreams Believe had an abundance of power. She would wake up and forget all she dreamt, thinking she had a dreamless night. The only time she was granted permission to remember was when she dreamt of happenings, premonitions, or traveling through time.

......

*PRESENT*
(TWO DAYS AFTER BELIEVES ACCIDENT)

Rosa is in her room watching the the end of her romance series when the daily ten o'clock news comes on.

"Breaking news. A patient from the RED HEAVENS HOSPITAL Believe Goldenwood has gone missing. Believe was admitted to the hospital two days ago when she was involved in a motor accident which lead her to be quadriplegic and in a coma. Earlier today the doctor went to check on her progress when he found Believe missing her bed was also taken. The hospital checked the security cameras and found no sign that she was taken out of her room. Investigations regarding this matter have already begun but it seems nobody has any leads of what happened to Believe. With me I have Leonard Gibson who is HD of the faculty. Mr Gibson what is the protocol...." The monotoned woman continues on the screen but Rosa mutes her.

After a moment of staring into nothingness Rosa heads to Believes bedroom and takes out Believes sketch book. Staring at the monsters Believe drew Rosa can not prevent the sob building in her throat from coming out. Right now Rosa feels like the monsters Believe has draw. Rosa's overpowering feeling is that of regret. Regret that she didn't go see Believe in hospital because she couldn't bear looking at Believe without life in her eyes and body. Rosa regrets keeping a distance from Believe every time Believe was in her negative thoughts. Rosa regrets that she didn't bother to attempt to accept the relationship between Lazarus and Believe. Rosa regrets almost every decision she has taking regrading Believe, if only she has done better Believe could have been with her for longer. After Melody died Rosa lost a piece if herself. She blamed Believe for the death of Melody, Rosa believed that everything that went wrong supernaturally was Believes fault, including Melody's death.

Now Rosa sees that her actions were covered by her emotions. Rosa ignored Believes emotion on purpose in attempt to make Believe understand her grief, her loneliness. Now the only person Melody loved like her child is gone.

Rosa cries until she sleeps. Right in Believe's bed, awaiting Lazarus in hopes that this is all but a dream.