The girl who saves werewolves

14. Reckless

Air. It feels luxurious when you can fill your lungs with it. I remember laying on the floor and panting as my life had depended upon it. 

When my vision turned back to normal and I was able to control my own body, I dragged myself up on my knees. Mom and dad! Had the pale woman done something to them? Was she still in the house? I stood up ignoring my shaky legs and dragged myself out of my room. For my relief, I started to get back my strength before I reached the stairs.

"Mom! Dad!" I yelled as I flew them down.

Please God, the universe, or whatever possible being, let them be ok! I started to panic as they didn't reply.

"Mom!? Dad!?" I tried again. No reply. I rushed to the kitchen, but they were not there. Instead, I saw dirty dishes and countertops. That was so not my mom; she was a cleanliness freak. I turned around and headed to dad's office, but he wasn't there. His computer was on and there was a coffee mug next to the keyboard. I touched the mug and it was still hot.

I placed my hand against my chest trying to calm my raising heart. 

Suddenly the theme song of the local news broadcast started to play from the living room. Oddly loud.

"Mom! Dad!" I yelled once again and run to the living room. There an eery sight was waiting for me; my parents sat on the couch side by side and their eyes were fixated on the TV. I know that doesn't sound anything out of ordinary. Parents watch the news on the couch all the time all around the world. But the way their eyes resembled lifeless glass, made it very - very scary. They sat there, but they weren't there.

"Hey..." I said. I moved my hand before their eyes but got no reaction. I placed my hand on my dad's shoulder and gave him a nudge. His body was stiff and his glass eyes remained on the TV.

"Oh no," I whimpered. How long have they been like this? How am I supposed to get them out of this... this... Zombie-state?! I was getting overpowered by fear. The pale woman was nowhere to be seen, but she still had this power over my parents.

The doorbell rang and made me jump and nearly fall on my butt. How strangely normal it sounded in this far from the normal situation.

I hesitated to leave my parents and go to the door.

But as it rang again - and again, I stood up. 

"I'll be right back, ok. I'll just go see who's at the door," I whispered although I bet my parents couldn't hear a thing.

I walked to the door second-guessing my sanity at every step I took. Before opening the front door, I started to fear who or what was behind it. I picked mom's red polka dot umbrella from the umbrella holder and pretended it was a weapon that could even take down a fire-spitting dragon.

I pulled the door open and was ready to use my weapon. 

Fay. Fay from New York stood there with another woman by her side. Relief was a mutual feeling, I noticed.

"Lucy!" Fay cried out. The other woman was scanning the surroundings. She had that similar air about her as Fay.

"Thank God you're ok!" Fay said.

"I'm ok," I said feeling the insanity of this all. "But...how... Why are you here?"

Fay looked at the other woman and got a small nod from her.

"Can we come in?" Fay asked. "I think we need to talk."

I trusted Fay. She had this tenderness in her eyes that told me, she couldn't be evil. She would not harm me or my parents. Maybe she could help. After all, she wasn't normal. So I opened the door wider and let them in.

"There was someone here," I said as a closed the door.

"Yes, I know. That's why we're here. Did she harm you in any way?" Fay asked.

"No. Not me, but she did something to my parents." As I spoke I realized tears were running down my face, but I ignored them. "They can't move. They're like zombies."

The other woman gave Fay a meaningful look.

"Fay, this is reckless," she whispered, but loud enough for me to hear.

Fay touched the woman's arm and shook her head. Their wordless communication made me feel even worse than I already did.

"Hey... Don't cry. Everything will be alright. We're here to help," Fay tried to comfort me.

"Just tell me what is going on!"

Fay tried to touch my arm, but I pulled away. She lifted both her hands in surrender.

"We will tell you everything."

That made the other woman uneasy, but Fay didn't let that stop her.

"Your parents will be fine. They'll be back to normal when the... woman is far enough for her powers to affect them. They will not remember anything. So you don't have to worry about them."

"Then why is this reckless?" I asked the other woman's whisper still in my ears.

"Okay..." Fay took a deep breath. "You better sit down for this."