So she did. She embraced Ollie with everything she had, and smiled at Lana. Tears fell out of their eyes as they took in the realization that Camana had brought to them through that one piece of tree bark.

"Mrs Lana Perez," Camana whispered. "You've done it."

"No," said Lana, with tears spilling out. "Camana Caterina, you've done it. We're saved. Thank you."

Camana released Ollie and held her face for a few seconds, then turned her gaze to Lana."Of course, Lana. You, Remmie and Joseph will always be my second family."

Lana grabbed the small hand of her daughter and bent down to face her. "Remmie, we're going to go on another trip. It's going to be hard, but at the end I'll do everything I can to make you happy. Okay?"

Remmie smiled up at her mother and nodded. "Okay mommy."

☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎◎☁︎

I was woken up by Harper after I had fallen asleep in the Servants' quarters the previous night. She helped me get dressed, as I was extremely tired, and she led me to the main house. Along the way, she apologized yet again for not being able to help with my mom, but she knew I understood.

Her younger brother had been sick for months, and, despite my efforts to help, he hadn't gotten any better. She had to worry about her family, just as I had to worry about mine.

After I had gotten dressed and eaten breakfast, Harper bid me goodbye and I set off to start my daily routine. Just as I was heading down the road, I knew I was being followed. It wasn't a warning, instead, this time was knowledge.

The road seemed empty. Almost too empty. I wrapped my shawl closer to my chest for the sake of comfort. As soon as I reached the property formerly owned by Mrs Adana, I heard the rush of water.

I stopped in my tracks, turning my head to face the noise. I noticed too late that I was standing adjacent to a blossoming rose bush. I felt a shiver from my toes to the top of my head. What I saw next will never leave my memories.

I saw blood. An entire stream, flowing down the road. It started as a trickle, but it soon grew into a massive flood. Every drop that passed covered my shoes and the hem of my skirt in a deep red coating. I became petrified, and soon unable to breathe. The stream seemed endless, continuously flowing.

Along with the blood flow came two more instances:

Another note made its way to my ankles, stopping once it reached my feet. I managed to bend down enough to grab the parchment and lift it up and out of the stream.

ᎽᎾᏬ ᏯᎨᏝᏝ ᏁᎬᏉᎬᏒ ᎬᏕᏨᎯᏢᎬ ᎷᎬ
ᎽᎾᏬ ᏯᎨᏝᏝ ᏁᎬᏉᎬᏒ ᎬᏕᏨᎯᏢᎬ ᎽᎾᏬᏒᏕᎬᏝᎰ
(You will never escape me
You will never escape yourself)

I shuddered, and tears of fear welled up in my eyes. I held the paper gingerly, somehow not willing to let it drop.

Then, a blood-drenched hand slipped itself over my mouth and under my nose. Another hand and arm slipped around my waste, trapping me. A deep, scratchy voice whispered in my ear, making me shudder:

"Evelyn Davidson. You're coming with me."