“Eight days.”
“Why does Ayva need to drink from the well again?” Michael asks. “If she gained immortality, why does she need it again?”
“She did not gain true immortality, her power and beauty are tied to the appearance of the Well. In order to stay alive she must drink again, or fade,” Noel answers.
Serenity walks away to look out the front window into the snow beyond. “I can feel her, watching us, waiting for another chance to attack. We need a plan and I think I have it.” She turns back to smile at them, her eyes glow reflecting the purple light of the Winter Queen.
Chapter 10
“Renity, please don’t go.” Sincere begs through his tears. “The bad one is watching you. She wants to hurt you!” He says rushing from his hiding place in the hallway to Serenity. Michael turns shocked by his son’s appearance and watches as he runs into her open arms. Serenity lifts the child into her arms and sits with him on her lap. He wraps his arms around her neck and holds on tight. “It’s okay, everything’s going to be okay,” she promises.
He pushes back and looks at her determined to be heard. “NO, you have to listen to me or she will hurt you, like she did mommy!”
The room falls silent as Michael whispers, “What did you say?”
Sincere buries his face in her neck and sobs, “She wants to hurt you, Renity, just like mommy.” His muffed answer becomes clearer when he lifts his face, “She hates you for coming! If you go, you will get killt!”
“Come here son.” Michael demands and plucks Sincere from her arms. He pats his back and sits with him on the couch near his mother. “Sincere, we will keep Serenity safe. I promise. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”
“No, Daddy. You said that Heaven listens and judges us by our promises,” he quotes his words back to him.
“That’s right, and I promise to keep Serenity safe, okay.”
Sincere cups his Father’s face with both hands and stares deeply into his eyes. Finding the answer he seeks, he smiles and hiccups, “Okay, Daddy.”
“Son, you said she wants to hurt Serenity like she did mommy, but your mom got sick, Sincere.” Before Michael even finishes the sentence, Sincere is shaking his head no.
“No the bad lady, killt her.” He climbs down and runs to his grandmother. “I’m hungry, Nana. Can I have a cookie?”
“Of course, Angel. But first can you tell me how you know that your mommy wasn’t sick?” Noel asks her grandson.
“Cause I saw it in a dream, Nana. Now can I have a cookie?”
Smiling Noel asks “Tell me about your dream and I will give you two cookies.”
His eyes get big and he smiles a toothless smile. “Yes! Mommy was sick and I watched Dr. Chow give her the bad medicine. It made mommy get killt.” Sincere yawns loudly and scrubs at his red nose.
Serenity reaches out and grasps Michaels hand in her own. She feels his rage building along with the guilt and shame. Noel kisses her grandson and hurries to the kitchen. “After cookies, bed for you little man,” they hear her saying to him.
“Michael, this is not your fault!” Nick attempts to say. Michael leaps up and disappears.
“Nick, if this is true then she was murdered! This doctor, where does she live! That’s where he’s going!” Serenity says panicked.
Nick grabs her hand and transports them following Michael’s lead. They arrive at the front door just as Michael kicks his way inside, screaming for her. “Show yourself you coward!” Michael’s rage can’t be contained. He rushes through her house hoping to find her and make her pay for destroying his family.
“Son! You can’t just barge through her home!” Nick yells from behind him. Serenity follows Nick and walks slowly through the house. Dust is everywhere, she turns to walk back into the kitchen and notices dirty dishes piled in the sink. The smell in the house is horrible and it looks like nobody has lived here for some time. Serenity walks through the kitchen, and decides to open the refrigerator to check for food, her scream echoes through the house. She sees a human head staring back at her through sightless eyes. The body has been shoved into the small space of the refrigerator and Serenity stumbles backwards in horror.
Her screams startles Michael out of his rage. Fear for her safety has him rushing through the house to her side. Nick has pulled her away from the refrigerator and has her in his arms. “Michael! Dr. Chow is inside of it!” he snarls.
Michael looks and slams the door quickly. “Let’s go.”
They return to the safety of Michael’s home and finds Noel waiting. Held in the safety of Michaels arms her tremors slow. “This is worse than I thought!” Nick tells them. “Ayva has to be dealt with now, I’m calling the hunters.”
Serenity backs away to let the family handle this. She needs to think. Slowly she walks over to the book on the table. In the background she hears Nick talking to Michael and Noel about calling the authorities. Things are handled differently in the North Pole. There is a council of elders who will meet and decide on the punishment. They will send out hunters who will attempt to capture Ayva. “Michael, I can stay with the boys. You should go, and meet with them, to search for clues at the doctor’s house.”
Michael kisses her head and turns to leave. “Will you watch over my boys for me, Serenity?”
“With my life, Michael,” she promises.
After they leave Serenity checks on the boys and find them fast asleep. Baron is sleeping in the hall between the two rooms. “Good boy, Baron.” She returns to
