Lilith's Awakening Read online

Oh no! Alia and her husband were coming back from somewhere! I hoped they would not notice his car. Thank the Lord! They drove right by and did not see him!

  “Shia, let’s go see what is going on.”

  “Viktoria, don’t go close to the house.”

  “Who is that?”

  “It’s me, Babushka.”

  “What are you doing, Babushka?”

  “Watching over Alia.”

  “Then you know that Brandon is here.”

  “Yes, I do. Alia knows he is here too.”

  I was so confused. This case was like The Da Vinci Code; it was all puzzles.

  “Don’t worry, Viktoria; you will solve the puzzle soon.”

  “But, Babushka, why does it seem like Brandon is involved in this case?”

  “Alia has been diligent in not informing Brandon on this matter.”

  “Look over there, Babushka. Who is that person right next to Brandon’s car? I am going closer to see what’s going on.”

  “Viktoria, don’t. Go back home, and call Brandon right away and ask him to come home.”

  “Why, Babushka?”

  “That man is a demon.”

  “Why would a demon follow Brandon?”

  “Listen, instead of answering that question, I am going to say that you should just go back and do what I am asking you to do. Alia could be in danger.”

  Chapter 10

  Lilin

  When I tried to return to my body, I got the shock of my life.

  I could not see it.

  I knew Mom had taken over my body, but I needed it and thought she was downstairs as me.

  Fortunately, I was wrong. Mom was in Lacey’s room telling her that my body was being taken over by another soul.

  I went downstairs. There was my body walking around and checking the house with great care. Now she—I—was going into Nelly’s room.

  I went into Lacey’s room. At least Lacey could see and feel me.

  “Mom,” she said, “I am so glad you’re here. I heard Grandma saying some sort of … something like she had taken over your body. I didn’t know … I’m hoping for an explanation or something.”

  “I don’t know. I thought it was you. It sounded like you, looked like you, and said, ‘I am here now, Mom, you can leave.’ That soul took over your body,” Mom said.

  “Yes.”

  “What happened after she did?”

  “She told me I was not needed, that I could vanish.”

  “Mom, you know better; I would never talk to you like that. Really, Mom, when did I ever ask you to vanish?”

  “Come to think of it, you never did.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “She dressed and went down.”

  “I see. Mom, don’t distress yourself. I will figure it out … I hope.”

  “You have to locate your father and tell him everything. He might know what to do in this situation.”

  “All right. I’ll do that.”

  “Lacey, call you father, and tell him to come home. If he asks for me, make up an excuse. Also, inform Gabriellele and Azalea about this.”

  “On it.”

  “By the way, where is Gabriellele?”

  “She is trying to find out who has taken your place.”

  “I am going to find Babushka and see if he can help me with this.”

  “Please call Greg and tell him to come over pronto and observe. I do not want any of you guys taking any chances with this; just go and do your usual things as you normally would.”

  “Mom, what about Melisa and Cameron?”

  “Don’t tell them anything. Just watch for them; if you mention it to Melisa, she will overreact, and she will act different. That might aggravate the entity.”

  “Viktoria, Brandon just pulled into the driveway. He is going to feel the difference between her and you.”

  “We will find out now. I’m going to go downstairs. Lacey, you stay here.”

  “Viktoria, I’m home!”

  “I was worried about you, darling. Where were you?”

  “I can’t believe this! Now you’re pretending nothing happened?”

  “I am sorry, Brandon. Let’s not go through this again; I’m tired, and I want to go to bed.”

  “What the hell happened to you? Were you hit by a spirit or something? You never give up a fight that fast! I know you have something planned; otherwise, you would not be this calm.” He sighed. “Go ahead; go to bed. I will be up soon. First, I want to check on Mom.”

  “She is fine! Don’t disturb her.”

  “I just want to see her.”

  “Honey, I just told you that she’s fine. I checked up on her before; she’s sleeping.”

  “Who is she, Mom?” I asked, when I knew Brandon couldn’t hear me.

  “I don’t know, Viktoria. I have to find your dad.”

  “Someone is in the driveway.”

  “Must be Greg.”

  “Lacey called him and told him your father was here. He has to stay in this house overnight.”

  “All right, Mom.”

  “Hi, Uncle Greg,” Lacey said as she answered the door. “Mom said you have to find a reason to stay overnight here to find out who has taken over her body.”

  “Don’t worry, Lacey. I will tell your father that pipes are broken and my house is flooded and Viktoria said to come over and stay until the water is drained out.”

  “You are a genius, Uncle Greg!”

  “Where is your mother now?”

  “She is right next to me.”

  “Viktoria, how did this happen? You did not listen to any warnings. Why did you not have Shia stand by? He would have at least protected you and stopped the other soul from taking over!”

  “I did! But the soul I had watching me was my mother, and the entity parroted me so Mom released my body to it.”

  “How long were you out of your body?”

  “Good four hours.”

  “Viktoria, you know better than that! You can only leave the body for at most two hours!”

  “Well, Babushka told me to return, but I was more occupied with Brandon. I had to find out who the demon was that was following him and why.”

  “I suppose you never heard the saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’?”

  “This did not kill me, but it took my body!”

  “What about your father?”

  “I have not see him yet.”

  “Greg, you go inside and try to find out what is going on.”

  “Where is Brandon now?”

  “He is in Mom’s room.”

  “How is the other soul reacting to the change?”

  “Unfortunately too well.”

  “Viktoria, if I were you, I would be worried Brandon might decide to keep the other you.”

  “How can you be so flippant, Greg?”

  “I would have loved to have been here when the other Viktoria was so nice to your Brandon!”

  “Don’t forget, Greg, that payback is a big capital B! Did you ever think about doing stand-up instead of being a demonologist? You seem to be doing a good job,” I said sarcastically.

  “All right, calm down. I still believe you should think about what I said.”

  “You could not be funnier.”

  “Viktoria,” Mom said, “he is right. If we cannot get her to release your body, what are you going to do? What about the kids? What would they do without you? God, I do not want to think about this; it’s so horrible!”

  “I will hang around you and Babushka. This is like the old days!” I said, referring to when my parents were still alive.

  “Oh no, baby, do not joke about that. We need to consume some energy. I’m sorry.”

  “Are you rejecting my offer, Mom?”


  “No, baby, just trying to keep your spirits up.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I’ve had my share of exasperation today!” I said with a smile.

  “I see mother and daughter bonding.”

  “Oh my God, Babushka! I am so happy to see you!”

  “Why are you out of your body?”

  “Well, we don’t know how to explain …”

  “You mean you do not know how to describe, Viktoria.”

  “I was here observing everything and trying to figure out this problem that you have created.”

  I saw Greg coming back. “Do you know who the soul is that has taken over my body?”

  “Not yet, Viktoria, but we will find out.”

  “Greg, you’re going to have to try to keep Brandon away from her. Make sure they do not sleep in the same bed!”

  “How am I going to do that?”

  “I am sure you will find a way. Let Brandon go to sleep. Ask … Viktoria to stay up. Tell her … that it’s important and that you need to talk to her now.”

  “Let’s go in.”

  “I do apologize for imposing on you and Viktoria, Brandon, but the pipelines in my house are busted. The whole house is flooded, and I called Viktoria to ask her if I could stay the night. She said it was okay to stay for a few days.”

  “That’s fine, Greg,” Brandon said. “But Viktoria did not mention anything.”

  “It must have slipped out of my mind; I completely forgot about Greg,” said the fake Viktoria.

  “Oh, no, Babushka!” I said. “Nelly is coming out of her room!”

  “It’s okay, Viktoria, just go and try to whisper in her ear. She can hear you; tell her a lost soul has taken over your body, that that thing is not you.”

  “Is she going to understand that, Babushka? I don’t want to scare her.”

  “Viktoria, do as I am asking you to; she will understand.”

  I went to Nelly’s room. “Nelly, can you hear me?”

  “Yes, Viktoria, where are you?” she said, standing next to the door.

  “I’m right next to you, but you cannot see me. I was doing out-of-body traveling, but unfortunately, another soul has taken over me.”

  “Are you telling me that that body is yours, but the soul is not? Is that why you have been acting strange?”

  “Yes. Why, what did she do?”

  “She came into my room earlier, looked at me, and said, ‘Do you know who you’re dealing with?’

  “When I said, ‘Are you okay, Viktoria?’ she said, ‘How about calling me Lilin from now on?’”

  Oh my God! I said to myself. Who is Lilin? But I did not want to worry Nelly, so I said, “Not to worry. I will be back in my body as soon as we get a chance. When everything is ready, Greg will inform you of what you have to do. Just listen to him.”

  Someone knocked on the door. A second later, Greg walked in. “Good evening, Greg,” she said like she had no idea why he was there but was pleased nonetheless. “I thought I heard your voice. How are you?”

  “I am just fine.”

  “Ma … Nelly, did we disturb your sleep?”

  “No, dear, arthritis pain will not let me sleep at night. I need to get up and take my medicine. That may help me to sleep.”

  “Viktoria, since when do you call Nelly, ‘Ma’?” asked Greg.

  “Did I say ‘Ma,’ Nelly? I didn’t even realize that. I’m so exhausted; it’s been a long night.”

  “I need to talk to you about this case; something came up. It’s important that we agree on it, Viktoria.”

  “Well, people, if you have work to discuss, don’t let me keep you away from it; I’m going to bed.”

  “Not so fast,” Greg said to Nelly. “As I said, after we finish with the work, which Viktoria has not even looked at since you got sick—”

  “Greg, can’t we do this tomorrow? I’m tired; I can barely concentrate on work right now.”

  “It won’t take long. I have some pictures I want you to see; it’s very important. I had some clients come in who think that their daughter has been possessed by a demon. Lately, she’s been acting strange, they said, and she has been practicing rituals in the middle of the night.”

  “So? There is nothing wrong with people worshiping Lucifer; what can we do?”

  “They’re asking for advice from me. I told them to go and consult an imam; he might be able to do an exorcism.”

  “So you told them that there is nothing else we can help them with?”

  “Maybe not, but they have something. They just need help.”

  “Zahra keeps mentioning Lilith and Samuel. Also, her birthday matches the others, and she is still alive! We can bring her over to the United States!”

  “I don’t think she will make it over here. Lilith or Samuel will be vanquishing her soon. It’s too late for that.”

  “Babushka, did you find out who she is, and why she is here? Who sent her over here?”

  “Viktoria, I believe she is Lilin, the daughter of Lilith and a jinn, who takes the form of a beautiful woman to seduce men. Lilith and Samuel sent her.”

  “What did you say?”

  “That’s what Nelly told me when she went to her room; she said, ‘How about calling me Lilin from now on?’”

  “Samuel and Lilith. Apparently, Brandon turned against them.”

  “Babushka, you’re going too fast. What are you telling me?” I asked.

  “Brandon had a deal with them. He did not know that they wanted him to pay the consequences.”

  “Babushka, what kind of a deal could Brandon have made with them? He is going to worship them?”

  “I don’t know, baby, but this has been going on for a long time. And he did not keep to his end of the bargain.”

  “You know, Babushka, you can be convincing. I’ve heard that name Samuel before.” I thought about it for a second before I remembered where I had heard it. “Yes, Gabriellele heard Brandon talking to someone named Samuel, and when I asked, he mumbled something about one of his a co-worker Samuel calling about his patients.”

  “Something is either threatening Brandon to find out what he has done or end him. He must be a threat to them.”

  “Babushka, we have to stop them! You have to do something!”

  “Don’t worry, Viktoria. Everything is under control. Just do not underestimate Lilin. She can be a force; after seducing Brandon, she could kill him. We have to be extra careful.”

  “As long as she is in your body, she can harm you as well as Brandon and the kids.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “She is here to finish all by seducing Brandon and killing the rest of the family.”

  “Are you saying what I am thinking?”

  “Calm down, Viktoria; don’t make matters worse.”

  “How can you tell me to calm down? How are we going to stop her? What happens if she goes upstairs and tries to seduce him and Brandon has no idea that she is not me? Babushka, we have to tell him somehow!”

  “No, Viktoria, we cannot mention anything to Brandon. The only thing we need to do is get him out of here. You need to talk to Greg and somehow get Brandon out of this house!”

  “Okay, Greg, we need to get Brandon out of the house. It is Lilin who has taken over my body. Lilith and Samuel sent her over to punish him for not keeping his end of the deal. So they have decided to use my body and finish it all—Brandon and whoever is in this house.”

  “What does this mean?”

  “Once she is done with my body, I naturally will take over, and when the cops find me, I will be covered with my family’s blood. And you know the rest.”

  “Oh my God, Viktoria, we have to stop them now!”

  “Please go into Nelly’s room, and tell her to call Brandon and ask him to take her to the hospital since she is not feeling
well. Whatever you do, don’t mention what I told you.”

  “All right, I’ll do it. But what if Lilin realizes something is going on? Would that be dangerous?”

  “Act normal. Don’t let her think otherwise. Go and tell Nelly so she will know.”

  He went to her room and knocked on the door. “Nelly, are you sleeping?”

  “No, Greg, I am still waiting for the medicine to do its trick. Come in. Is there something wrong?”

  “Yes. We have to get you and Brandon out of this house.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Please, Nelly, don’t ask anything. I may not be able to answer it.”

  “Okay. Is it something to do with that soul taking over Viktoria’s body?”

  “Yes, but we have to hurry.”

  “What would you like me to do?”

  “Call for Brandon. When he comes down, act as though you cannot breathe and say your chest hurts.”

  “Would she believe that? The other Viktoria, I mean.”

  “Yes, I think so. But that is why we want you to get Brandon out of this house, just in case.”

  “I will try my best, Greg.”

  “As soon as I go into the kitchen, call Viktoria. She thinks I am in the kitchen.”

  When Greg came into the kitchen, Nelly yelled out, “Viktoria? Do you think you can call Brandon downstairs for me? I do not feel good; I’m having a problem with my breathing. Also my chest hurts.”

  “You will be fine; you are just tired. Try to sleep.”

  “No, really, I think I should be taken to the hospital.”

  “If you feel that bad, I should call an ambulance.”

  “I think you should. I think I need to go to the hospital!”

  “Let me get him right away, Nelly.”

  She ran upstairs and shook Brandon awake. “Brandon, get up! Your mom is not feeling well! She has a pain in her chest! I called the ambulance already. We need to take her to the hospital fast!”

  Brandon immediately started putting his shoes on. “All right, coming down right away. Tell her not to panic.”

  “Is everything okay, Viktoria?” Greg asked, trying to be convincing.

  I, personally, thought he wasn’t pulling it off enough, but the other Viktoria must have believed him since she said, “No, not really. Nelly is having chest pains. Brandon and I are taking her to the hospital.”