She sits at the table, still wearing that horrible smirk. There is no explanation for what I am feeling, but I know. I know that this is not my mother. The feeling goes away as promptly as it came as the smirk disappears, and the familiar sadness reappears.
“Mom,” I asked reluctantly. I don’t know what is going on. I don’t if what I saw was just my imagination.
“Yes, honey?” She answered with a serene smile on her face. When I just look at her she tilts her head walking towards me. “Are you okay? You seem upset.”
She touches my forehead, and that feeling comes back. This is not my mother. It feels like her; it looks like her. But this is not the mother that I loved all of my life.
I didn’t realize until this very moment that I always felt a sense of comfort whenever she touched me. When she would hug me or even just touch my arm, I knew that I was home. Now her touch doesn’t feel like home. I just feel a void where she touches me.
“I’m fine, mom. Just conflicted about moving in with grandma.” I answered as relaxed as I could be. Something happened when she answered the door. I don’t know who it is, and I don’t know if whoever this is, it’s using my mother’s body or just a facsimile. So I have to play it slow and figure it out if I have a chance of getting my mother back.
“Look I know it is a tough decision.” She said. “But this is the best for you. You will be away from that horrible company and you will be closer to your family. And as a bonus, you will be with your favorite grandma!”
“She is my only grandma,” I replied with a smile of my own. My body still hurts from the hard fall that I took, but my heart is the one in genuine pain. Pretending to be okay when I have butterflies in my stomach and a chill goes down my spine is the most difficult thing that I have ever had to do in my life. My mother’s life is on the line and I have to joke around to keep her alive.
She chuckles before sitting down beside Tyler on the dining table. I stay glued to the ground, just breathing through all the emotions that are inundating me. I’m terrified of doing something that will tell them I know. But I am also terrified that my inaction will mean my mother’s death.
I feel my heart trying to flee my chest and I see black spots cover my vision. Panic is once more winning against logic, but I don’t think I can stop it from happening this time. My breathing picks up as I hyperventilate. I know I have to stop and think because Thomas is already looking at me with a frown on his face. Before I can reassure him that I’m fine, the world stops.
Are you panicking again?
The question pops up out of nowhere. I can see the dining room with my mother and brother still talking. But everything is in slow motion. I look at Thomas as he washes the dishes and I can see a single droplet of water fall down slowly to the sink.
What the hell is going on? I asked but instead of my voice coming out the question stayed only inside my head.
We are the ones doing that; we don’t want anyone to know that you can talk to us. So for now you can only talk in your head. We are also slowing everything down. He said like it was a common occurrence, someone talking inside my head and slowing everything down.
Who are you? And how can you talk to me in my head? Are you a psychic?
We are not psychics. We are a lot more complicated than that. But right now we don’t have the time to explain it to you. We have to deal with the imposter inhabiting your mother’s body.
How is it possible that we don’t have time when you slowed it down? I asked, annoyed with the obvious lie.
Because we have no control over this. It’s something that happens whenever we talk to you. And it doesn’t last for long. So you have to be careful of your surroundings. Case in point pay attention to her, she is noticing the blank look in your eyes.
Blinking, I focus on the scene in front of me again, and they were right. She is watching me. Not directly in a way that would alert my brothers. But she is definitely paying attention to what I am doing. The moment that they stopped talking to me, the world gets back to its normal speed.
The change is jarring and I shake my head to get rid of the faint sense of dizziness. She is still watching me so I pretend to hold the chair for support.
“Lisa, are you okay?” Thomas comes to my side supporting my back.
“Yeah. I think I stood too long on the sun today. I feel a little dizzy.” I answered, looking up at his beautiful brown eyes. They are the exact copy of our father’s eyes. I keep forgetting about that fact, then I see them up close and I remember once again. I shake my head again so I can sneak a look at her, but she doesn’t look suspicious anymore.
Now the only thing that’s on her face is smugness. I can feel the arrogance from here. The slight smile and the tilt of her head. She thinks she won whatever she wanted.
“Then sit down before you fall.” Thomas pulls the chair so I can sit. As I lean my head on the back of the chair and stare at the ceiling. I try to remember desperately the lessons about the different species that I had when I was in school. Those classes weren’t required in college, so the last time that I had those lessons was at least seven years ago.
You wouldn’t learn about them anyway.
The world slows down again and I don’t move a muscle, afraid that I will give myself up.
Who the hell are you? I asked angrily at the games they are playing with my mind. I have to save my mother and every second that I lose talking to them is another second that she could die.
I told you. It’s too complicated for us to explain it to you right now. But we can help you get your mother back.
How? I asked skeptically.
The being inhabiting your mother’s body is a psychophagos. They typically consume ghosts for their energy. But this one spent a lot of energy to possess your mother. There is probably an excellent reason for this, but we don’t have the time to ponder it.
Don’t I need to know the reason she went to so much trouble? I don’t want to know the reason right now. But their casual dismissal of it makes me suspicious this is actually really important.
Not right now. Now you have to focus on getting your mother back. You can try to figure out the reasons later. The only thing that you need to know is that they are vulnerable in this state. You just have to send a pulse of your energy outwards to expel them from your mother.
And how, pray tell, would I do that? I’m not a manipulare. I can’t manipulate energy to do what I want.
Well, here comes the part where you are going to have to trust us. You are not a manipulare. But you can manipulate energy.
Who the hell are you?
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