“Ksenia, you need to wake up, my dear, and drink and eat!”

“I don’t want to. I want to continue seeing!”

I opened my eyes. Baba Carlos was in front of me with a bowl of rice and tea.

“I know you want to see. You want to continue seeing, but a body needs fuel. You need to eat.”

I sat up. I felt calm, but I had a million questions in my mind.

“Baba Carlos, did they use magick to make Grandma sick so Maria could stay with them?”

“Yes, it’s quite possible, Ksenia.”

“But Baba Carlos, this is very bad. It’s like black magick. Making somebody sick is bad.”

“What is good or bad, Ksenia?”

“It’s bad to cause harm to people.”

“Yes, it is. But isn’t it also bad to kidnap a person, take away everything she knows, force her to grow up in a way she doesn’t want to, beat her, dye her hair, and give her almost no food?”

“Yes, it is bad.”

“Ksenia, good doesn’t exist, and neither does bad. What is good for me might be bad for you, and vice versa.”

“Killing is bad, and so are many other crimes.”

“You’re right, Ksenia. Those are crimes, and we’re not talking about crimes here.”

“I see, Baba.”

“What the witches did was give Maria freedom.”

“Freedom!”

I repeated the word in my head for a bit. FREEDOM.

“Baba Carlos?”

“Yes, Ksenia?”

“Does Zita still come to speak with you every evening?”

“Yes, she does! She’s here now, next to me.”

I looked around the room, searching for Zita, and suddenly…

“You want to see me, Ksenia? Look at me.”

I turned around. Zita was standing next to the door. She walked towards me.

Zita was taller than an average woman, even taller than Baba Carlos. Her long black dress was made of light fabric. It looked as though it had several layers of fabric together. Her hair was long and black, with some white strands like Maria’s.

And the smell of her perfume made me sleepy. I was falling asleep.

She touched me, and I…

“What just happened?” Maria asked, getting into the car.

“Well, you are moving into your real home, Maria, where you really belong.”

“But Mother…”

“Your mother will be very busy from now on, Maria. She’ll have to take care of your grandmother,” Zita said, laughing.

“But how did this happen? She didn’t even look at me properly. I was expecting something else.”

“Maria, what you were expecting was your fear talking, not what you manifested. Fear has no power.”

“I manifested?” Maria asked the two women.

“Yes, Maria.” Zita took her hand.

“During the ritual, while you were in the middle of the pentacle, what did you ask for? What did you manifest?”

“Freedom,” Maria answered, closing her eyes.

“Exactly!” Lúcia said.

“You mentalized and manifested freedom. Magick works, Maria.”

“Magick works,” Maria repeated.

“So I can do magick?”

“And many other things,” Lúcia continued. “Maria, your real life starts now. Now we are going back to the house that one day will be yours.”

“Mine?”

“Yes, yours.”

“But how?”

“The Master decided.”

“Who is the Master?”

“You saw him at Walpurgis Night.”

Maria closed her eyes as if remembering that night and all the people she’d seen!

“Was it one of the men sitting on those beautiful thrones?”

“Yes, Maria, on the most beautiful throne. Now we need to get ready for your fifteenth birthday celebrations,” Lúcia said, smiling.

“It’s coming, and you’ll be presented to the Master.”

Maria’s life had changed. There was no turning back.

When they arrived at the house, Maria was taken to her room. It was the biggest and most beautiful room in the house.

“This is my room?”

“Yes, Maria. Yours and Zita’s, of course.”

Zita danced around the room, singing, then hugged Maria.

“We are home, Maria.”

Maria smiled, but too many things had happened. She was tired.

“Maria, my child, I’m sorry. I forgot that inside of all that power, you’re a human. Come, sit here with me. Let me explain who you are.”