Behind |First book in The Risen Saga|

Chapter Two|Ava - A Maze With No Escape

"What?" I said, my voice sounding quieter than intended. I just wanted her to get away from my mom. All she needed to do was take a step away from her. "I don't know what you're talking about." I shook my head, looking down at my feet. 

"Don't lie to me," she spat, drawing my eyes back to her. She placed a hand on her hip, glaring at me. "I know that you know what I'm talking about. You saw." 

As she hooked her fingers in her belt, I began to study the odd clothes she wore. They were completely black but looked padded, almost like an armor of some sort. Black books covered her feet, belt buckles wrapped around them and what looked like sheaths. A glimmer of gold drew my attention to the small gold coin-like object embedded in her belt. 

I'd never seen anything like the clothes she was wearing. At the ends of her sleeves, it looked like there were clips, as if you'd hook something there, and there were definitely sheaths in her belt. And I didn't miss the sharp cleats at the soles of her boots that made her half an inch taller. 

"You do realize lying to me won't help you," she said, raising an eyebrow before gesturing to my mom. "Or her." 

"Okay, okay," I said, directing the words at her but watching my mom. She hadn't said a word since I'd come in and I wondered if she even knew I was here. What had this girl done to her? "I know what you're talking about—" I slipped the necklace out of my pocket, holding it up by the chain so that she could see the locket clearly "—but I can't give it to you unless you let my mom go." 

"And not yourself?" she wondered, cocking her head. 

I gulped and I was fairly sure it was audible, squeezing my eyes closed for a moment before I met the girl's eyes once again. "Just let her go." The truth was, I was terrified. I couldn't make sense of anything that had happened or anything that was happening, but all I knew was that my mom was in danger. 

And I couldn't lose her, too. 

"I don't want the necklace," she said, surprising me. "I need you to have it. As you can see, I'm not normal." She gestured down to herself and her transparent figure. "And I need to know why. You were the one who brought me back, so that means you must have something to do with it. As for your mother—" she turned so she could look at her "—she can go."

I exhaled, letting my hand fall, fiddling with the necklace chain in my hand. I knew this wasn't the end. I knew that today had started something I couldn't stop. 

"And I'll leave, but I'll need you to meet me again," she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned back to me. 

"Why?" I asked. "Just take the necklace and figure it out yourself." 

"I can't do that," she said, sighing. "Because you raised me and you disrupted the connection, so I can't do it without you." 

"Fine, but what about my mom? She wouldn't let me go after what you just did," I said. 

"She'll forget everything." Emma shrugged. "She won't remember anything that happened before I left." 

"So she won't be involved in...whatever this is?" I asked.

"Whether she's involved in this isn't up to me," Emma said. "But she won't know what is going on with you as long as you don't tell her." 

My mother wouldn't remember a thing. That was a good thing. It was definitely a good thing. So why didn't I want to agree with it? Maybe it was because I wanted my mom's help. But I wasn't sure she'd believe me.

This was safer for her. 

"Okay," I said, nodding. "I'll meet you. But just let her leave."