Chapter 13 : Friend Or Foe

Mia :-

I was screaming Tink's nave to wake her up. Suddenly a loud series of knocks was sounding from the door and the door swung open.

As the door swung open, the worried faces of Mr. and Mrs. DeLuca filled the doorway, with Elias and Butler Elis right behind them. Concern etched deep lines on their foreheads as they rushed into the room, taking in the chaos—the flickering candles, and Tink’s unconscious form sprawled on the floor along with the dead body of the guard who was possed.

“Mia! What happened?” Mrs. DeLuca knelt beside Tink, brushing her hair back from her pale face. “Is she okay?”

I , still trembling from the encounter, took a deep breath to steady herself. “the guard,”I looked toward the dead body but turned my head back to avoid looking at the body and explained, my voice shaky but urgent. “He broke through the wards. We were terrified, and then… something happened. He screamed and—then an oily substance came out of his mouth, it said something to us and then he vanished.”

Mr DeLuca's eyes widened. “Vanished? Just like that?” He glanced around the room, as if expecting the thing to materialize again at any moment. “What did he say?”

“He threatened us,” I replied, her voice gaining strength as I recounted the chilling exchange. “He said there are forces at play beyond our comprehension. And it killed the guard .”

Mr. DeLuca’s brow furrowed in thought. “This isn’t just a simple threat. If it’s tied to something greater, we need to understand what we’re dealing with.”

I nodded vigorously. “Exactly! . Tink fainted from the power drain, but we need to figure out what’s happening before he returns.”

As Tink began to stir, her eyelids fluttering open, Mrs. DeLuca gently cradled her head. “Tink, sweetheart, can you hear me? You’re safe now.”

Tink blinked slowly, confusion clouding her eyes as she took in the scene—the worried faces of her parents and Elias hovering above her. “What… what happened?” she murmured, trying to piece together the fragments of her memory.

“You collapsed,” I said softly, relief flooding her voice. “The guard broke through the wards, but then something came out of him which threatened us and killed the guard and vanished.”

Tink’s eyes widened in realization as she found Elias near her, a storm of emotions swirling within her. She scrambled to her feet, her heart racing, and grasped the collar of his shirt, shaking him slightly. “Why… why did you make Mia your puppet? Why are you trying to harm everyone in the house?”

Elias’s expression shifted from surprise to confusion. “I didn’t do anything to anyone,” he replied, his voice steady but laced with an undercurrent of hurt.

Mrs. DeLuca stepped forward, concern etched on her face. “What are you talking about, dear? What did he do?”

Tink’s breath came in quick bursts as she struggled to articulate her thoughts. “He manipulated everyone in this house!” Her voice trembled with urgency.

“How did you come to that conclusion?” Mr. DeLuca asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

Tink took a moment to gather her thoughts, the memories of dinner flooding back. “During dinner, he was oddly quiet,” she recalled, glancing at Elias, who looked taken aback. “ Mom was quiet too.Dad was irritated for no reason, and then I saw Mia’s eyes—they were glassy, like she wasn’t really there. It felt like someone was watching me, controlling everything.”

Elias shook his head vehemently. “You’re wrong! I would never—”

“Dad even talked about locking Mia up,” Tink pressed on, her voice rising with desperation. “He never does that! It was like something was twisting his mind.”

The DeLucas exchanged worried glances, the weight of Tink's words settling heavily in the air. Mrs. Elaine knelt beside Tink, her eyes searching her daughter’s face for clarity. “Sweetheart, are you sure? You know your father loves Mia—he would never want to harm her. I was quiet because I was thinking about something.”

“I know what I felt!” Tink insisted, her voice cracking with emotion. “It’s like there was a dark presence in the room—something that make everything feel wrong. I could sense it, like a shadow creeping over us.”

Elias stepped back, his expression shifting from confusion to something more profound—fear? “You think I’m responsible for that? You think I have control over your family? I literally reached here today.”

“Then explain it!” Tink challenged, her heart pounding in her chest. “If you’re not behind this, then What is happening? Why did things feel so twisted?”

Elias took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging under the weight of the accusation. “I don’t know what’s happening either,” he admitted, his voice is softer now. “But I promise you, I’m not trying to hurt anyone.”

Mr. DeLuca crossed his arms, skepticism still lingering in his gaze. “If that’s true, then we need to figure out what is going on before it escalates further.”

Tink felt a flicker of doubt creeping into her mind but pushed it aside.

Elias’s expression softened as he looked at Tink. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help Mia,” he said earnestly. “I care about her more than anything.”

 Mrs Elaine who was quiet for a moment suddenly spoke "this type of attacks needs more preparation. It can't be done overnight so I am sure Elias has nothing to do with it. "

"So it was just a coincidence?" Tink resorted.

Mrs Elaine calming Tink down "Yes darling, nobody except him and me knew when he was arriving. He directly teleported to my office. Even Eldridge didn't know about him. "

Mr DeLuca clearing his throat "What your mom is saying is correct. It was quite a surprise to see him and my sister. and we haven't been in contact for what? a decade or more"

“Let’s start by looking through the old family records,” Mr. DeLuca suggested. “There might be something there that connects your lineage to whatever darkness this substance represents.”

Tink without a thought plops on the bed "what's going on, why now! " she started to mumble herself.

Even being accused of manipulation Elias goes near her and places his hand on her shoulder "it's not you, it's all evils that are playing now. I have a feeling that both of them were being watched for a long time. " As he finished saying he looks up to Mr DeLuca.

"I know you are not going to be on board with me but someone or something was definitely watching both of them without your Knowledge and tried to attack them today. This is no coincidence but a proper planning and attack strategy ".

Elias, looking at Mr. DeLuca "There are forces at play here, older than you can imagine. Forces that feed on fear and distrust. Don't let them win." His words were cryptic, hinting at a larger conspiracy.

...****************...

◦•●◉✿Letter From the Author to the Readers✿◉●•◦

Dear Readers,

Recently I posted a small Snippet of the book in the Post story You can read the snippet . I wanted to post those little snippet ideas,so I won't forget about it and after the end of the book I will round off the snippets at one place with a few extra scenes. It would make me happy if You can follow and like the episodes as you read. you can also review the chapter.

Happy Reading 😁😁,

-Yours truly author

AR Fairchild.

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