"Lenora, you have to calm down!" She said, as she was trying to console her.
Mr. Bruce and Mr. Mason had left the room. Cole left, along with Kevin.
"Mum, why didn't you tell us?." She asked
"Like your dad said, it was for the best, okay?"
"Stop crying!" She added.
Cole walked into the kitchen, munching his remaining fried eggs, as he thought about it. "Am a Vampire?" He asked himself.
"Like Mr. Bruce said, you will have to accept it!" Miss Ponytail's vioce interrupted his thoughts.
"Ohhh. You are not human too, right?" He asked
"Everyone you get to see here, aren't normal earthlings"
"Not good!" Cole exclaimed
"Hey!" Percy walked in.
"My Mum said it's true"
"We aren't humans" He added
"She also said anyone here isn't human"
"But you know what?"
"What?" Cole asked
"I think it's kinda cool though." He smiled
"Cool?"
"Bro, we can't help but accept the fact that we are blood sucking demons and you're saying it's cool?" He asked, with anxiety.
"Not the blood part.... And I didn't even think about that. Come on!. We will be able to move fast, good reflexes and other extraordinary abilities too!. Don't you attend History classes. These are what Vampires abilities are!" He said
"We are not in the fantasy world!"
"But you just have to accept it. I did.... So quickly!"
"Your friend is right though." Miss Ponytail told Cole.
"I just pray we get back home soon. We have been stuck here..... For days now"
"Back to the U.S?"
"Am sure you don't wanna get chased again by those creepy things!" She added
"I can't remember telling you that we got in here because we were running from creepy beings" Percy thought
"Yh. But I know"
"Besides, what do you think this place is?..... A restaurant?... You must be kidding" She chuckled
"So, what is this place then?" Cole asked.
"Haven't you thought about it. Why those things didn't follow you guys in here?, why is this place in the middle of the forest?, why I welcomed you in like that?, why....."
"I think that's enough, Ma'am. We have thought about things way more than that" Percy said.
"Good. And you never asked why?"
"Okk... We are asking now.... Why?"
"It's because this place is a dock of safety. It's not meant for Earthlings." Miss Ponytail explained.
"That "Earthlings" word makes me sick" Cole whispered
"But what do you mean?"
"Well, you came in, no trouble. Immediately you all stepped in, the monsters lost track. That's because they can't enter..... And besides, it's invisible to them. Earthlings can't locate this place" She added
"So...?" Cole was trying to get something.
"It's meant for Supernatural beings?" Percy guessed
"And it has other amazing features too. Such smart kids. No wonder you were able to get away so quickly that night" She smiled
"Shit!. Were you there that night?" They asked, perplexed.
"Ok. Proper introduction. You should call me Miss Pinny. I am the guardian of the Umbra Gateway and nothing happens here, under my nose" She said
"Umbra Gateway??. I hope that's not another myth thing?" Cole asked
"Like I said,..... This place has many other features"
"Besides, I came to grab these" She carried a plate of cheese and fried chicken. She answered and walked out of the kitchen.
The teens were still finding it difficult to believe what was all happening. Kevin was with Mrs. Mason, who was consoling Lenora on her lap. Cole and Percy entered the room.
"Mum!"
"Since we have now realized something they call the truth..."
"You don't call it the truth, Cole. It's the truth" She cut in
"Ok. So, what's next?. The lady in charge of foods here told us that this place is very safe for us. What was her name again?" He turned to Percy.
"Miss Pinny" He answered
"Dad is saying the same thing too" Kevin said
"We will be leaving here today. Maybe when it's evening." Mrs. Mason said to them
"That's nice. But to where?. Aren't those creepy things still outside?" Lenora asked
"We won't be going outside. We will be leaving U.S, to somewhere very very safe"
"That's cool!" Kevin lightened up.
"To which country, Mum?" He asked
"When we get there, you will know"
"Ohh" He exclaimed
"So, please, you guys should get over this, go prepare because in the evening, we will be leaving. Am going to meet your Dad" She told them and walked out of the room
"So, preparation time, right??" Kevin asked
"Finally, we are leaving this creepy place!!!" He added
"What's the need for this preparation stuff?" Lenora asked
"We bought nothing in here" She also made her way out.
The World sighs and the night rolls in like a cool velvet blanket. Shadows stretch, merging the familiar into silhouettes. To the teens, it was Mid-night. Cole was seen in the big hall, gliding his eyes through a newspaper. Lenora was with Oliver and Dominic.
"It's time guys!" Mrs. Mason's vioce was heard. Kevin, Percy and Emma was with her, with backpacks hanging in their back.
They all assembled, with Mrs. Mason leading them.
"Just wanted to return this, Ma'am" Cole gave Miss Pinny the newspaper he was going through.
"The language was really difficult for me to understand. Besides, we are finally going back home. This is Goodbye" He added
"That's nice of you, Cole. But don't you think we will get to see each other again?" She asked him, Jokingly
"Well, what can I say?.... It's a small world. Maybe" He replied and joined the others.
After a long walk, with turns to the right and left, Kevin broke the silence
"This isn't the way we came in here, Mum. Are you sure we are going to the right exit door?"
"Of course dear." Mrs. Mason replied.
"Hey!" Cole whispered to Percy
"What are the backpacks for??" He asked
"Well, Your Mum gave them to us"
"We didn't bring anything in here, did we?"
"Lemme check inside....."
"Don't, Cole" Mrs. Mason interrupted him.
After a couple of minutes, Mrs. Mason finally stopped, and so did the teens. Ahead of them, was a weather-worn wooden door, its grain cracked like ancient bark, hinges rusted mute, paint flaking like dead skin — Standing dead.
"Why did we stop??" Percy asked
"That doesn't seem like the exit door" He added.
"Of course. It is!" Mrs. Mason said, held the handle and opened the door.
As she swung it open, a mournful crack — split the silence, as if the wood itself sighed its last breath.
A void of darkness swallowed the light, like a canvas of black ink spreading across the floor.
"Come on!.... It's so dark in there" Kevin said, out of anxiety.
"Right now, is the moment I need your attention than ever. You just have to listen to me, follow my instructions and that's all" Mrs. Mason were addressing the teens
"Mum, why are you nervous??. Is something wrong??" Questions were flying
"You just have to trust me and trust your instincts as well" She added
"So.... Since you opened the door, we are going out through it, right?" Cole asked
"Like I said, follow me and trust your instincts, okay?"
"Okay" The teens replied
Mrs. Mason entered the room and in a twinkle of an eye, she dissolved into the void. The teens were flabbergasted by what they saw. With anxiety, Kevin entered. So did Oliver, Emma and Dominic. Lenora took a while before she entered. Percy didn't waste time and then... Cole.
. As he stepped forward, his body rolled and tumbled into the emptiness, like a leaf on the windless day. The lack of visual cues played tricks in his mind, making it impossible to discern up and down or left from right. His stomach lurched and his senses reeled. Cole felt his body float, as the weightlessness was almost palpable.
Suddenly, the darkness began to dissipate like the curtains drawing open on a stage. A silver of light appeared, growing wider and brighter until the portal, disguised as the door, swung it open, revealing a new world beyond the threshold. Cole stumbled forward, blinking in the bright light, as the weightlessness gave way to solid ground beneath his feet.