Letters to Romeo.

Music Recommendation: Mother Fights - Ben Frost

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Julie stared at the mirror, where the reflection of the woman had now disappeared once she had stepped away from the dressing table. Her eyes were wide, her heart beating faster than usual. 

"I think if things continue like this, one day I am going to have a heart attack," murmured Julie under her breath because the number of shocks that she had been experiencing since the last one week had been too much for her mind and her little heart. 

Goosebumps had formed all over her skin, running a shiver down her spine, which wasn't because of the cold weather. 

Who was that woman whom she had seen in the mirror? The more important question was, how did the person appear in the mirror?! From what she had learned about herself, she had the ability to look into the past, and she wondered if this room held some sort of past of its own. But there was something very peculiar about the way the woman had looked back at her, also her appearance. 

Julie took an apprehensive step towards the dressing table once again, but all she could see was her own reflection. Silence filled in the room, and all Julie could hear was her beating heart in her ear. 

Raising her hand, she went to touch the surface of the mirror.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Julie was startled by the sudden knocking sound on her room's door, and she retracted her hand to her side. Walking to the door, she unlocked the door before pulling it open. At the front stood a maid with an apron tied around her waist. She held the sides of the cart that had closed containers in it. 

"I have brought breakfast for you, miss," informed the maid and Julie's eyebrows furrowed. 

"I was told yesterday that they didn't provide food service in the motel," said Julie, wondering if the food was mixed with something that would make her sleep, and she would be kidnapped! Her imagination ran wild while trying to keep herself alert. 

The woman was as lean as the two people whom Julie had met last night. The woman's cheeks were hollow, and her black hair was tied into a small bun. 

"Usually we don't provide food service to our customers, but Mr. Nottingham said you are a special guest and to treat you with the best service that we can offer you," replied the woman, and saying that, she entered the room, walking towards the table before she pulled open one of the container's lids. 

Julie's eyes fell on the warm loaves of toast, butter, jam and eggs that had been cooked sunny side up. 

There was also a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice next to the plate. Seeing this was enough for Julie's mouth to water. She had been hungry since last night, and seeing food in front of her was nothing less than being in heaven. 

"I cooked the regular food, but if you have any preferences of what you would like to eat now, or for the meals later, I would be happy to serve it to you," said the woman, offering Julie a slight bow and Julie, who was not used to this bowed her head. 

"No, I think this is good. I think I will need to ask the owner, on how much I will need to pay for the food," said Julie with a smile. 

"The food service includes the motel room's charges. If you intend to take a bath now, I will have the servant boy to bring in the hot water," the woman's words were polite, and Julie nodded her head. 

"Yes, thank you very much. I would like to take a bath," replied Julie before asking the lady, "Is it going to rain today too?" She just wanted to make sure. 

"Nothing is certain in this town, miss. Rain comes and goes when it wants. I would advise you to carry an umbrella with you, maybe an umbrella with a better tip so that you don't trip and fall," advised the woman. She placed the plates and the glass of juice on the table before stepping out of the room. "I will come back after some time when you are done with your breakfast to clear the table." 

Julie noticed how the woman looked at her attire, where the shirt slightly fell near one side of her shoulder because it was oversized for her. But the woman didn't say anything and left from the front of the room. 

Closing the door, Julie quickly took a seat on the table and smeared the butter and jam on the bread toast, and she took a bite from it. 

"Mm," Julie hummed in appreciation, this was so good. She finished eating and drinking everything in less than three minutes. 

She wondered if this was how Roman felt when he needed blood to drink. 

She hoped he was doing fine and wasn't coughing any more blood than he had already coughed since the last time she had seen him. The empty plates were cleared, and once warm water was filled in the tub, she took a bath in it. After wearing her clothes that were still a little wet, she decided to look around in the town to draw money and see if she could buy a pair of extra clothes. 

She locked the room and slipped the key in her pocket, making her way through the narrow corridors, looking at the wallpapers on both sides of the walls, which were beige and had tiny lavender flowers on it. 

When Julie reached the front of the counter, she thanked the owner, who stood behind the desk, "Thank you for the breakfast."

"Breakfast?" the man stared at Julie, the expression on his face not changing much. 

"Yes, the one the woman brought to my room earlier," replied Julie, but the man didn't acknowledge it. He said, 

"It was probably a customer, who got the meal ordered to your room. It wasn't me," the owner stared at Julie through his small-framed glasses. He didn't? Julie asked herself. Then was it the boy who had come by the front of her room yesterday, who had got it arranged? 

A small frown appeared on Julie's face because the maid had told her that it was Mr. Nottingham who had provided her with breakfast, and now he denied it. 

"Ah, I see," responded Julie, and at the same time, a young couple appeared from the other side of the corridor, hand in hand while whispering something in each other's ears. 

"Mr. Nottingham," said the man, who wore a crisp suit. He stepped in front of the counter and said, "We would like to have some extra logs of wood added in our room by evening." 

At the same time, the man's eyes fell on Julie, who was standing next to him. He subtly took a whiff in the air and smelt the human. He internally hummed. 

"Consider it to be done, Mr. Kelvie," the owner of the motel offered a slight bow. The man named Mr. Kelvie, a customer in the motel, placed his hand on the counter. He pushed the dollar bill that was in his hand towards the owner. He then said, "I heard the food outside isn't that tasteful and I would like you to prepare something good for me and my wife."

Julie's eyes once again fell on the person behind the counter, and her eyes narrowed at the mention of food. Having nothing else to talk about, she quietly excused herself and headed out of the door. 

Seeing the human leave the place, the customer's eyes turned red, and he looked at the owner of the motel. "We would like to have something fresh like her. Young human blood is always a delight to taste." 

"I will see if there are other humans available in the list, better than her. If not..." the owner of the inn bowed his head, taking the dollar note, he put it in his pocket. 

On the other hand, Julie stepped out of the motel and looked around the town. The sky was turning gloomy, and she missed the rays of the sun. It was a quiet town, the streets holding fewer people, and when she found a clothing store, she headed in there. Once she brought a pair of clothes, she immediately changed into them and put her slightly wet clothes in the bag. Drawing money from the ATM, she slipped them into her jeans pocket. 

Julie didn't linger too much outside, and she was quick to return to the motel with a bag of snacks and a book and a pen, just because she didn't know what else to do with nothing to do in the room. 

When she got inside the motel, she caught sight of another customer leaving the motel, the person's eyes falling on her, and her eyes met for a brief moment before the person walked through the door. Unlocking the room, she stepped inside. Once inside, with her stomach filled, Julie looked around the room and decided to call, 

"Corvin? Are you here?" 

But all she received was nothing but silence. A tired sigh escaped from her lips. 

"I don't even know what to do in here but wait," she said, slightly frustrated. 

If the Corvin had come by, she would have at least tried to ask a few questions to understand the lineage of the witches. Also, she would have sent a letter to Roman through the Corvin. It was the fastest delivery service that didn't need a network.

Right now, she had no idea what was going on in Veteris, and she wished she knew. 

Julie wondered if her mother had ever planned to tell her the truth about who she was or if her mother had planned to keep it away from her so that she could lead a normal human life. But nothing had ever turned out to be as expected.

Her head turned to look at the mirror, wondering if the woman she had seen was still in there. Or in the room. For some reason, with every passing day, her life was turning darker and darker. She walked to the dressing table and once again touched the mirror, but all she saw was her reflection. 

'I was looking for you.'

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Julie, feeling her heart slip out of her chest because of the sudden voice.

She turned and saw that the Corvin was in the room. "Don't do that again, sneaking up from behind me." She stared at the creature that stood a few steps away from her. 

'Sorry.'

"Where did you go last night? I haven't seen you since yesterday," asked Julie, looking at it. 

'Unstable body. Still trying to get back to stable to move freely,' answered the creature. 

The Corvin then looked left and right, moving its raven skeleton-like face to check the room and then said, 'Vampires.'

"Yeah, I realized it yesterday," replied Julie, "Rome told me to come here."

'Kill,' responded the Corvin and Julie frowned. 

"He didn't send me here to kill me. This must be a place he knows. His clothes are here," replied Julie, looking at the nightclothes she had worn last night. She then asked, "Where were you until now?"

'Trees.'

Did that mean forest? Asked Julie. She nodded her head and then said, "There is something that I want to ask you. You can sit if you want," she showed the empty chair, but the creature made no effort to move from where it stood. Her voice was low so that no possible vampire would eavesdrop on their conversation. "I dreamt of something. Actually I am not sure if it was a dream or if it happened, but yesterday I felt many Corvin's came to visit me." 

'Visit?' asked the creature. 

"Yes, visit me in the middle of the night," replied Julie, and she looked a little distressed when she remembered what she felt or saw last night. Unsure, she wanted answers, and she said, "But you weren't here with them, were you?"

The Corvin shook its head, and Julie released the air through her lips. "Do you know anyone who came to visit me? Or other Corvins whom you speak to?" 

'I don't. They must have come for help. Your help,' it added in the end, and Julie gave it a suspicious look. 

"What kind?" asked Julie, and for a few seconds, the Corvin didn't answer her. 

It then replied, 'You will need it.' 

Sometimes, the Corvin spoke in full sentences, and then there were times it spoke in broken English that she had to fill in the blanks herself, thought Julie. 

'Good that you leave Veteris.'

"I will be going back there, Mr. Corvin. I have to complete my education," Julie reminded the creature. She knew that if the creature had a face, she would have probably witnessed it grimace at her decision. "Is there a way to contact you next time? It is hard to know when I can speak to you."

The creature walked to where Julie stood. 

She noticed its feet, which looked the same as its twig-like hands. It was the first time she was looking at its feet. When she looked up, the Corvin had come to stand with a distance of three steps in front of her. 

The creature then raised its hand, stretching it towards her, and Julie noticed its fingers move. It was creepy but, at the same time, fascinating to look at. 

Wondering if it wanted her hand, Julie raised her hand and stretched it forward. When she did that, the creature touched her finger with its stick-like finger. The density in the air around them started to change. For a moment, it turned heavy as if she wasn't able to breathe, and the space around her was going to suffocate her. 

Suddenly, the air-swept away from them and her eyes caught sight of the thin thread-like fragments in the air wrapped around them like a shield. 

She felt something on the tip of her finger where the Corvin's finger touched her. It started to spread throughout her body. 

The thread-like fragments shimmered in the air like little lightning, and suddenly the air moved away from where they stood, shaking the objects that were present in the room. 

When the creature pulled its finger away from Julie's hand, it bowed its head and said, 'Now you can summon me when you want.'

Julie brought her hand to her side, looking at her finger, which the Corvin had touched. She noticed a thin sliver of light disappear in her finger, and she looked back at the Corvin. 

"You have abilities," whispered Julie. 

'Just little. But you,' the creature paused, looking at her before continuing, 'You can have more.'

"Do you know how I can achieve it?" Even a little to protect herself would be more than enough. Right now, Julie was trying to look to survive.

  'It must be locked somewhere. Young witches' power can be pulled out of their body and placed at a place so that they can reside along with the humans, without causing any suspicion.'

Did that mean her mother had separated the possible abilities from her?

'But, there's still residue present on you. Should be able to tap into some things,' said the Corvin. 'You see things.'

"And what about you?" asked Julie. The creature shook its head. 

'Nothing. We Corvins don't have abilities, and the ones that have are scarce.'

Looking at the Corvin with curious eyes, she asked, "Before coming here, did you visit the dungeon in Veteris?"

'He's still in the dungeon,' replied the creature, not moving an inch from where it stood. 'He's fine.'

Julie nodded her head, "Thank you for checking on him… By the way, do you feel anything in this room? Any presence of a ghost or in this… mirror?'

The creature walked towards the dressing table and brought its hand forward to touch the mirror, 'Nothing here. Why?' 

Julie followed it, coming to stand next to it. Watching the mirror, she noticed the stark difference in the height between the Corvin and her. 

She said, "This morning, I saw a woman's reflection in the mirror. She appeared to be old, and her hair tied behind her head and she wore a black dress, or maybe it was a cloak." 

Her eyebrows furrowed, and as if wanting to test it again, she moved closer and placed her hand on the mirror. To her surprise, she noticed the surface of the mirror move, as if she had touched still water, and it wavered. The mirror looked nothing less than it was experiencing a ripple effect.

When Julie pulled her hand away, the ripple stopped, and the surface started to turn stable. The woman reappeared in the mirror.

'Witch. Opaline La Fay,' came the raspy response from the Corvin. 'The witch who was burnt after the execution of her children.'

Julie turned to look at the creature with a frown and asked, "Wait. Are you speaking about the witch from Willow Creek?"

'Yes.'

Curious, Julie tried to touch the surface of the mirror once again, and this time, her hand dipped into it. "Do you know what this is?" inquired Julie, holding her breath. 

'Never seen anything like this before,' said the Corvin, its voice the same. It moved its hands, which dipped into the wavering surface of the mirror. Julie doubted it was the mirror that had the ability, and it was her very own hand that had initiated something in here. 'Hot,' said the Corvin.

When it brought its hand back from the mirror, Julie's eyes widened, seeing the twigs that had caught fire. She quickly moved forward, blowing air for it to extinguish the fire. 

So the Corvin didn't know what was behind it, and Julie was curious about what was behind the mirror's surface. If it was a portal to another world, but if it was, the question was to where? Where did it lead to?

Hell? It was the only place that was burning with fire, thought Julie in her mind. 

There was another ripple caused on the mirror because of the Corvin pulling its hand away. After some thought, Julie said,

"Let me take a quick look. Give me your hand," she said, looking at the Corvin, and held its woody twig-like hand. She decided to use the creature as an anchor if something were to happen. When she stepped closer to the mirror, the creature warned her,

'Careful. Mirrors are no one's friends. It is easy to get lost.'

Taking a deep breath, Julie let her head enter the wavering water-like surface of the mirror. She felt the cold wind hitting her face, and when she opened her eyes, she saw trees. A lot of trees and somewhere at a distance, she heard the echo of a bell. 

With the help of the Corvin, Julie was pulled back, and she said, "I didn't see any fire." She stepped away from the mirror, noticing the mirror's surface stop wavering, and it turned solid.

When the Corvin went to put its hand back into the mirror, its hand didn't submerge itself into the surface, 'It's closed. Your abilities are still under manifestation.'

In the past, Julie had placed her hand on multiple mirrors, but never has she been able to see another world through it. The Corvin was of very little help, holding only a little guidance, but she took what she could get. 

Suddenly someone knocked on the room's door from outside, and the Corvin instantly disappeared from her side. 

"Where did you go?" whispered Julie, but the Corvin had disappeared. 

Walking to the door, Julie opened it and saw it was the motel's owner, Mr. Nottingham. 

She wondered what he was doing here, "Yes?" 

"The motel's kitchen staff cooked for the customers and I thought you might want to have some of it," Mr. Nottingham spoke to Julie in a polite tone. 

Julie's eyes then fell on the trolley that stood next to him, and each item was covered in a glass case that looked delicious. 

But before she could accept, she asked him, "Will you be charging me for this?"

"Absolutely not, miss. This is a free service to keep the customers happy," replied the motel's owner, and Julie nodded her head. 

"Okay then," and she took the food inside the room. "Thank you," she said to him. 

The man watched the human close the door, and he said in a low voice, "No, thank you." 

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