Chapter 55 : Evil Transformation

Rakiza was even more sorry for what she saw in her mother. Even in the darkness of the night, she noticed her mother's strange gestures and speech on the porch of the house, and she regretted leaving her in the house alone.
"Mom? What's wrong with you? How are you feeling right now? " Rakiza held her mother's hand, and she was shocked at its coldness. Her mother's hands were like ice in the cold.
"Mom, let's go inside the house." Rakiza suggested, “It's cold out here. You need to eat. " But suddenly, her mother struggled and backed away. “You left me, Rakiza." And she cried.
Rakiza didn't expect her mother to tell her that. Her mother wanted her to study at a distant school. But now, her speech was different. And she remembered what Theo had said. You have to be sensitive to the contrast of your surroundings ever since.
Rakiza grabbed her mother by the elbow again, and she no longer struggled, so she invited her to enter the house again, and she agreed. When they got inside the house, she led her mother to sit at their old table and prepared the coffee for her.
While Rakiza was making coffee, she kept her gaze on her mother. Her mother did not say a word as she sat, nor did she move. Veronica still didn't seem to be on herself, so Rakiza was nervous.
Obviously, something had happened in her mother's mind. It wasn’t her mother’s usual habit. She was always enthusiastic and full of energy and had good energy. That's why they had a dispute, because her mother's wishes were always followed, like the day she was sent to a distant school.
And when she gave her mother the coffee, she didn't drink it. She doesn't seem to want coffee anymore.
"Mom, have a sip, and I'll put some sugar on."
But her mother still did not move, and did not speak. Rakiza was nervous. Something really happened to her mother. She just stared at her mother.
And a few minutes later, all of a sudden, she said, "I feel bad." Veronica mumbled.
"What? How are you feeling, Mom? Are you sick? If you're ever sick, I'll take you to the hospital, Mom. " Rakiza was concerned about what happened to her mother and wanted it resolved right away.
Her mother looked at her with blank eyes and said, "What is happening to me, Rakiza?" It was as if someone was speaking to my brain. It looks like someone is whispering to me. "
Rakiza panicked. Theo was right; there was a real difference in her mother's demeanor and the look in her eyes was different. Rakiza sat down next to her mother, and she asked, "What did you hear? Whom are you hearing, Mom?
"There, someone said something to me." Rakiza's mother frowned, confused, "There are many of them," as she looked at the table, "I don't understand what they’re saying." But...
"What, mom? Tell me what you hear. I will help you understand what it is. " Rakiza’s jaw tightened in fear of what she might hear from her mother. But she knew she needed to listen to what her mother had heard, even if it just came from her mind.
"They want me to take you to..." Veronica stopped talking and turned to look at her daughter, and Rakiza had a creepy feeling about what her mother had heard in her mind.
"Where do they want you to take me, Mom? Tell me and we will go to that place. " Rakiza pacified her mother, and her mother’s eyes glowed with hope and asked "Really? Will you come with me to the place they want me to take you? "
"Yes, mom. I will come with you."
Suddenly, her mother stood up, took her by the arm and pulled her out of the house. "Come on, we don't have time. We have to go to our old house."
Rakiza was shocked when her mother mentioned that their house was old, because as she observed from childhood, they didn't have an old house because she grew up just renting a house, and sometimes only one room that could fit the two of them.
"Where is that place, Mom? We don't have our own house, Mom. " She panicked even more at what her mother said. And as her mother pulled her, Rakiza saw that Theo was already on their tail. So, she just let her mother pull her.
They went to the back of the house and led to the garage of her mother’s old car.
"We're going back to our old house," as her mother pushed her into the seat next to the driver, and Veronica got in to drive. And quickly, they left the house.
"Where are we going, Mom?"
"I told you, in our old house," her mother exclaimed, clearly pleased to bring up the subject of their previous residence. Rakiza reacted as she sped up her car.
"Mom, slow down, we might get hurt."
"We have to be there sooner."
"Why?"
"Because they wanted us to be there," her mother spoke tensely.
They went to the back of the house and led to the garage of her mother’s old car.
"We're going back to our old house," as her mother pushed her into the seat next to the driver, and Veronica got in to drive. And quickly, they left the house.
"Where are we going, Mom?"
"I told you, in our old house," her mother exclaimed, clearly pleased to bring up the subject of their previous residence. Rakiza reacted as she sped up her car.
"Mom, slow down, we might get hurt."
"We have to be there sooner."
"Why?"
"Because they wanted us to be there," her mother spoke tensely.
Veronica still hadn't answered. So Rakiza no longer pushed her mother with her questions. She just waited for them to get to the place her mother said.
They had come a long way, and she remembered that she had not brought any clothes because her bag had been left at the motel. A few hours passed in their driving, and suddenly the road they were following became thicker.
"Mom, where are we? What is this place? " Rakiza is confused by what her mother did.
She was nervous and turned to the rough road they had come from, and she could no longer see the lights of Theo's car. She then thought that it was possible that Theo could no longer follow them.
And a few minutes after their entry into the thick forest, her mother suddenly parked in front of the enormous trunk. When Rakiza looked around, she saw that they were already in the middle of the vast woods, and she saw no house, just big trees.
"Here we are." Veronica mumbled.
"What is this place, mom?" Rakiza seems to be a child again, asking her mother, where are they? And the scene flashed back to her when she was young, that they were moving around the house for reasons she didn’t know because of her young mind. Sometimes, they would end up in a house that was unpleasant to her, like a rat’s house. And sometimes, they move into a big house, and sometimes into a small room, and eventually they end up in a pretty big old house that they rent currently. And she didn't think they had a house.
After a few moments, the mother and daughter were speechless when Veronica suddenly got out of the car and Rakiza followed. Veronica stopped under a big tree as if she was making sure they were in the right place
Rakiza approached her mother, "Mom, answer me. What place is this?"
"We are here at our house," Veronica said solemnly.
Rakiza scanned the area and saw nothing but trees, and she was even more confused by what her mother said. But when she turned to the rough road from which they came, she saw that there really was a road that seemed to be impassable. And Rakiza thought that there really was a house there because there is a road, but the question is where does the narrow road go?
Rakiza turned to her mother again, as she saw her facing her, and she asked, "What now, mom?"
"Follow me," Veronica said, moving to walk down a small path. And the path was illuminated with the light from the starry skies.
Rakiza started to follow her mother down, and she looked around to find even a shadow of Theo, but saw nothing from where they came. It was still dark.
Her mother's glow radiated from the darkness as she swayed her way into the woods. And Rakiza was confused and scared. So Rakiza thought that Theo could no longer follow them and the fact that she would be on her own. Rakiza had no even slight idea of where her mother would take her. She just followed where she would take her. She remembered nothing. That place was new to her. She didn't even recognize the slightest thing around her.
A few more minutes passed, and the trees in the forest they had walked through were thinning. It was a little windy in that place, and suddenly her mother stopped. Rakiza was amazed at what she saw. Even in the dark, she saw the small cabin in front of her. "What is this place, Mom?"
"We are here in our old house, Rakiza," Veronica said in a trance mood.
Rakiza was shocked by what her mother said. She didn't think they had a house in the remote forest. She just stood there and didn’t move at the mother’s new revelation, that she and her mother came from a forest, and Veronica didn't tell her.
Veronica slowly approached the door of the house. Even though it was dark, Rakiza could still clearly see the entirety of the one-story cottage. And suddenly, a memory floated to her.
It was also dark then, and they came from school with her mother. She picked her up from school early and hurriedly left the city. She saw when she was young, the fear on her mother's face. Like today, it was a long journey, and it was dark when they arrived in...
*This is the cabin we stayed in for a week. This is where we hide,* she thought at what she saw. It was like dejavu had happened. Rakiza remembers the past, when she was young.