42 Bad Feeling

As I walk out of the restaurant, I magically summon my black umbrella and flip it open as I walk out into the rain. Lightning crawls across the darkening sky as I wave down a cab. I give him my address and silently watch the city pass by in the back of the cab as my mind goes back to Tristan.

The tall dark-haired man with bright green eyes that showed up on my doorstep with a Church of Order badge. He claimed that he was from the Order and that he was a witch hunter but... if no one can get in touch with the Church of Order, who was Tristan?

And more importantly, why was he here and what did he want? Unease suddenly rolls through me as my mind drifts to my mother. I lean forward and say "Can you please hurry?" The cabbie sighs and says "Listen, lady, it's raining pretty bad and some of the roads are starting to flood. Did you not see the news?"

The sense of unease grows as I say "If you can get me there in five minutes, I'll give you a hundred. No, make that two hundred." The cabbie looks up to the rearview mirror in surprise before saying "Say no more!!" He floors it and we're soon flying down the street, whipping in and out of cars.

I pull my cell phone out and dial my mother's number but it just keeps ringing. I start bouncing my knee nervously as I try calling again but I still get nothing. I slip my phone away and nearly fall out of the seat when the cab driver slams on the breaks.

"Shit! I'm sorry, lady but the streets are completely flooded." The cab driver says with a sigh. I look forward and sure enough, the roads were completely flooded. I pull out the money and hand him two hundred as I open the door and say "Thanks"

Coldwater rushes up the sides of my boots as I start power walking through the flooded street, ignoring the cab driver's words of warning. My heart was pounding with worry and all I can think about is my mother.

Something's not right! Suddenly, I fall. As I hit the ground, cold water splashes up into my face as Binx sends me a mental image. Someone or something is attacking my house!! My mother unleashes a powerful blast of energy as my father lunges at it in his Snow Leopard form. My brother is right behind him as Binx and Eon work together with my mother.

"Protect her Binx!! I'm coming!!" I yell and immediately run to the house to my right. I use the trash can to climb up to the roof and instantly shift into my Snow Leopard. I can run faster and jump farther in this form.

I take off and as soon as I get to the ledge, I leap to the other roof and keep going. As I land on a roof made out of metal, I slip and fall! I fall straight through the porch ceiling and land on top of a glass coffee table, shattering it and cutting myself.

A woman screams bloody murder as I get up and crash through the screen door. I have no time to think about how much damage I'm doing when I hear my mother's scream through Binx's link. My claws dig in deep as I run as fast as I possibly can but when I finally reach my street, I have to run across the flooded street.

As I get to my front door, I see that the door is completely gone and everything inside is destroyed. When I rush into the living room, my heart drops. I quickly shift back and stumble over to my mother. She lays bloody and broken on the floor as rain pours down through the open hole in the ceiling.

"Mom! Mom, look at me." I say scooping her up into my arms and checking her wounds. Her blue eyes flutter open as she slowly reaches up to my face. When I see the large hole in her chest, my eyes start tearing up.

I shake my head and call my magic to me as I try to heal her wound but no matter how much magic I pour into her, nothing is happening! "No no no no... NO! You can't! You stay with me! You can't leave, do you hear me!?"

She gives me a sad smile and touches the side of my face as tears fall from my eyes. I continue shaking my head as I pour more and more magic into her but nothing seems to help. "I'm sorry..." 'gasp' "I wish I had more time... I'm sorry." She says gasping for me air as blood starts to come out of her mouth.

I continue to shake my head and pour so much magic into her that I start becoming lightheaded. She smiles at me kindly and struggles to say "Stop... you'll kill yourself." I sob and say "You can't go, Mommy, you can't."

Her smile grows as she slowly closes her eyes, a tear escaping the side of her eye as she whispers "It's been a long time since you've called me that... I missed it..." I sob again and pull her close to me as I beg her not to go.

"I need you, Mommy. You're the only one I have... please." I sob, holding her tight as the rain continues to soak us. "Not... alone... anymore..." She says as she goes completely limp. Everything stops as I hold her against me.

I can't bring myself to release her... to check to see if she's really gone but I know in my heart that she is. I felt it when her spirit left her body... The rain continues to fall as I hold my dead mother to me, wishing with everything in me that this is all some horrible dream.