I could not believe what my eyes were seeing, so I had to hide. As shocked as Mariah was, she stood there looking at my mum and couldn't hide with me. I watched as my mum feasted on the witch, draining out her life completely. She then tore her apart and pulled out her heart. Mariah kept shouting and begging my mum to let her go. Before I could help, my mum had vanished with Mariah. With no idea where my mum took her, I stood in shock. Mariah was my greatest concern. How was I going to locate Mariah? I had no idea where my mum took her. "I needed to find my friend, but first, I had to get the map. The Witcher said that was the only way I could get my answers. I went straight to the locker while still searching for the map. I heard a gun crack directly behind me. Before I could move, I was hit to the ground. I tried to defend myself, but two huge guys overpowered me, tied both my hands and legs, and threw me into a van. My eyes were covered, so I had no idea where I was being taken. Before I knew it, I slumped off. Could it be that the world is now upside down? I guess I was being tied upside down." I could hear footsteps; someone was approaching with great energy. 'Where is my daughter?' Surprisingly, it was Mariah's Dad, holding a hammer in his right hand and an electric shocker in his left. 'Does he really want to use these on me?' Mariah's Dad didn't appear as nice as I had thought. 'You think I wasn't tracking your location? I'm sure you convinced my daughter to take you to that deep forest. Now, tell me, where is Mariah?' I couldn't utter a word. He ordered his men to beat me, and after the beating, I was locked up in a room. At night, I could hear the voices of other ladies crying, shouting, and begging for help like me. It seemed that Mariah's Dad was involved in human trafficking." Minutes passed, hours passed, and by day three, my phone was down to five percent. I had tried saving the battery; that was the only thing that could get me out of this mess. Earlier, I had thought of calling the police, but for a second, the police? How would they believe me - my mom, a witch who disappears with Mariah? Calling the police was only going to make it worse. Instead, I tried calling my ex, Josh. However, a lady answered, 'Oh, sorry, he's taking a shower. Can I kno...' I hung up the call. There was nobody I could think of calling at a moment like this for help. 'What about Dad?' I wondered. Dad was far away, consumed with his own things. Asking him for help would be the worst thing I could imagine. I remembered the last time Mum was stranded and needed money for my surgery. She called Dad, and he was like, 'Do I look like a bank? If she dies, you would get another baby.' Can you imagine?" "What kind of a dad cares less about his daughter? Hunger wouldn't let me think straight; I was becoming too dizzy. My phone kept vibrating. 'Oh, thank goodness, the guard was fast asleep.' 'Hello, Caramel, it's been a long time. I really miss you.' For a moment, my ears couldn't believe it was Carlos. 'Should I be happy now that you left me? Should I!' Well, that's by the way. I need your help, Carlos. I have been kidnapped." "I kept waiting and waiting for Carlos. Part of me started to wonder if Carlos was actually going to show up, while the other part of me knew he was definitely going to come. I didn't realize I dozed off while waiting for Carlos until I heard the danger. 'Traffic light on, there was commotion,' the guards kept shouting. I could see a shadow on the wall. Relieved, of course, it was Carlos. I'm sure it didn't take him so long to locate me. I kept staring at him. 'Let's go. You'll have more time to stare at me when we are out,' he said. It wasn't easy getting out; we kept meeting more guards, but Carlos defeated them all. I didn't realize he was a good fighter." "It was a long drive to Cali, Carlos' new home. Bokota was not safe for me any longer, knowing that Mariah's Dad and his men would be looking for me. Carlos' new home had a nice setting, so luxurious, just by the sea. The house must be pretty expensive. I wondered where he got so much money. 'Would you like some coffee? Carlos, Carlos, excuse me, are you there?' Carlos groaned as he pulled off his shirt. 'Are you okay?' He nodded his head with a yes, no, as if he wasn't sure. It was his arm; he was still bleeding. I guess some of those bullets got him. 'Can I see it?' I applied spirit as I dressed the wound. while i dressed the wound I remembered how close we used to be back in Bokota."Oops! Our eyes met, it appeared he was also staring at me. For a moment, I was caught up. Carlos kept coming closer and closer, 'Should I kiss you?' he muttered. I just froze, still staring speechless, before I realized his lips were on mine. His hand on my thigh, moving up to my bra, struggling to take them off. I couldn't say no, neither could I say yes. I just stayed there like a fool, unable to resist his nice breath or his warm touch. ...............

It was last week, my mum decided that we should go hunting in the woods since it's been a long time since we had a good time together. My mum has been crazily busy for the last four years without even realizing it. Initially, I was reluctant, but I decided to make the best of this opportunity with my mom.I almost felt off, something drag down my leg what could that be? "Something shining almost blinded my eye. There, I saw a small, beautiful, shiny black box staring at me, out of curiosity i opened it but it turned out to be just a small piece of paper.Caramel! Caramel! I heard my mum calling, but I was determined to find out what the paper contained. The drive back home was long, and my mind couldn't shake off thoughts of the box. Who would leave such a fancy box in a secluded forest? With just a piece of paper inside, what could possibly be written on it? 🤔. "There is something strange about the box; it kept whispering something I couldn't understand. What type of box talks? Well, let's see what could possibly be written. there was something written that I didn't understand." (01100011 01100001 01110010 01100001 01101101 01100101 01101100 : 1509) , What could this possibly mean? "What could that be? "caramel!' Mum was calling as she headed to the nursing home for a night shift. It was already past seven, and I have a party to attend. However, I need to figure out the true meaning of the message. I decided to kill two birds with one stone – take the paper to the party. Of course, no one would know I took it from the box, right?" "It wasn't easy to locate Maria at the party. Maria has been my best friend since grade six, crazy and a real weirdo. Her parents were so wealthy, their house was like a castle, with lots of beautiful rooms and gardens. Maria lived like a princess. I do envy her a lot and sometimes feel we should switch places, though I had no idea what her Dad does in particular. 'Why is your Dad always traveling?' I asked Maria. She said her Dad owns a lot of business, which makes him pretty occupied." "The party was so noisy and crowded. I'm not a party freak; I wouldn't have come if Mariah hadn't insisted. I laid down against a carved stone by the pool. I wasn't really comfortable as I took a glance at the paper before someone snatched it out of my hand. It was Josh, my ex-boyfriend. He kept laughing and telling me I'm insane, asking, 'What are you doing with this paper? Aren't these binary numbers?' 'Give me that!' i demanded. I took it back forcefully. Josh had no idea what I've been through since I realized he was cheating with my friend Ella. I trusted him so much, gave him everything, and he chose to cheat on me, not only that he cheated but with my friend." I left the party angrily for the fact that I couldn't locate Mariah and Josh out of nowhere snatches my paper. Mariah kept calling, I can't pick her call, by the way am home already is of no use, I was upset and worried, I just wanted to to know what was on that paper."I woke up sweating and confused. I could hear my mum opening the door; she was already back. 'Are you okay, darling?' she asked. 'Yes, Mum, I am okay.' 'Are you sure? You don't look okay.' Of course, I wasn't okay; I had the same dream thrice repeatedly, a very frightening dream. I kept seeing a man covered in blood asking me to follow him to Ashland if I wanted to know what was written concerning me. 'Concerning me? Like what could possibly be written concerning me? And where the hell is Ashland? I've never heard of that place before. "I think there is really something strange about this box, but first, I need to know what was written. Josh mentioned something yesterday; maybe I should go see him. He might help me interpret the writing. I had to ask Mariah to help me talk to Josh because my pride wouldn't let me. School was on a public break, and I was going to meet Mariah at the school cafeteria; then we would proceed to Josh's house. Josh was on his video game when we came to him. He had always been serious with things like this than he was with his books, and he had always asked me for help during exams; he is such a lazy bratt.""Yes, I got it! Now I can listen to you two. He kept us waiting for more than twenty minutes without altering a word, as if we were some kind of wanderers. 'I need your help, Josh.' 'My help?' Josh laughed. 'The caramel I know would never ask for my help. Well, let me have the paper. I know this is binary, but I am no good with binary, so I would have to use my system to interpret this,' he said. I watched him as he typed all those binary numbers into the system. It reminded me of how we used to be together, how everything used to be so good. I was so much in love with him. I kept staring at his fingers as they typed; those fingers used to go through my breast and my thighs. 'No! No!' Caught up in thoughts, I didn't even realize what was happening. A man appeared on the screen, covered in blood...

"Who are you? Why have you been tormenting me in my dreams?" There was still blood dropping from his face as usual. He kept looking at me without saying a word. "Come, let me show you something," he said. "Should I follow him? I don't even know this man." "Let's go," I said. At that moment, my mum appeared out of nowhere. "Artemis, what are you doing with my daughter? And where are you taking my daughter? Leave her alone!" "I won't. She is now mine. She has found the box. She has opened the secret." My mum and Artemis started exchanging fire. "Magic! How was my mum doing that? How does she even know I am here? Where did she know this guy? Nothing was making any sense. How? But how?". " "Caramel, let's go," Mum said, breathing heavily. Artemis had disappeared. "Who is that? What is he doing here, and how did you do that...magic?" My mum was quiet. "Mum! I'm talking to you. Who is he, and what secret is he talking about?" "This place is not safe. Hurry, when I get home, I will explain everything." "We ate dinner in absolute silence. I kept staring at Mum, wondering if what happened out there was real or just a fantasy. Mum kept avoiding my eyes; she knew I had thousands of questions in mind. 'Why are you staring at me that way?' she said. 'Mum, you know why. I just need answers to those questions,' I replied. She stood for a minute, sat down, and then stood up again. 'You won't understand. These things happening are not ordinary. You would be endangering yourself. Forget about everything - that box, that paper. Forget it ever happened.' 'What do you mean, Mum? What are you hiding from me? Does that mean I can't trust you? I need nothing but the truth. I had endangered myself the moment I took that box.' I was getting angrier and angrier. 'No, Caramel, I won't tell you anything,' Mum said firmly. I could see anger in Mum's eyes, but there was also something strange about her at that moment. There was a fire in her eyes, her voice was getting deeper, and blood was also dropping down her face like that of Artemis. 'Mum! Mum!' I called out, but she had already run off." My mum did not show up for days, she only kept appearing in my dreams, each time a repeated scene of Artemis and her fighting. Everything was becoming strange to me, the house, school, food, nothing - I mean nothing - was making me happy. These days I spend most of my time with the guitar; it was the one thing my Dad ever got me on my twelfth birthday. I usually don't use it much because it reminded me of my Dad, and I always wanted to avoid that. One evening, I decided I was going to visit the nearest clinic; my mum claims she works there. Upon my arrival, I met an old woman. From the way she dressed, I'm sure she was a cleaner in the clinic. "Hello, dear, whom are you looking for? How can I help you?" she said. "My mum works here; I just wanted to check on her." The woman took me to the clinic attendant, who said she was not in the best position to find my mum. After a series of checks and a description of how my mum looks, it appeared my mum never worked there. I left for home very disappointed. At that moment, I felt my mum had been lying to me my whole life. I felt hatred for her; I was willing to know the truth, no matter what it would cost me. I am going to make sure I get to the bottom of this. My mum had a small shelf in her room where she used as her library. She kept some of her books there, and there was a drawer attached to the shelf with a lock. I had to use a hammer to break it. I was going through some files until I found a map. The map had markings of strange countries that I have never heard of. While trying to open the map wider, something fell off. "What could that be?" It was a picture, looks like an old picture. I could see my mum and two other guys. "This should when she was much younger. Who could these guys be? One of the guys from the picture was wearing a black hood like the one I saw Artemis with the other time." Wait! Oh my! This is Artemis, no doubt. So they knew each other all these years. I took the picture and the map as I headed my way to Mariah's house. I needed to see that witch again; at this point, she is the only one that can help. But first, I had to check on Miss Fatima in the hospital. "She has not been normal since she woke up. She kept calling names at nights. She is not getting any better; I am afraid we would have to take her to a psychiatrist for proper treatment. What really happened to her?" "I... I... don't really know, doctor. She just felt off." "Can I see her, doctor?" He looked at me with such an impression "Yes, you can go, you can go see her." "Don't come close to me, don't you, you're evil." "Miss Fatima." "Get out," she said. "I don't want to see you!" She kept shouting, so the doctor had to excuse himself out of the ward. For the first time, Mariah's parents were home. "Hello, my name is Mr. Melton. I am sure you're the lovely friend to Mariah my lovely angel.

"Public Holiday was over and I still couldn't figure out what was on that paper, "worst of all", I was still having strange dreams","But the man covered in blood kept appearing in all my dreams." "I asked Josh if he could try helping again, he said he cannot be involved in such danger again," "I tried to convince Josh but to no avail." "Miss Fatima said the next class would focus on binary, but...next week is too far. After my first lecture, I took a stroll around the library to find something on binary. I'm sure it wasn't hard to interpret. 'Binary system and numbers, level four (4), good!' I found something. Suddenly, I heard my name whispered, sounding like the strange voice from my dream. It felt like I was lost for a moment; the room grew darker, and the pages turned as if by magic." Nothing was making any sense. Miss Fatima was in the principal's office when I arrived. I had to wait for her because this is important. "Thank God she's out," I thought. "Miss Fatima," I called out, "Yes, Caramel, are you okay? Is there a problem?" I stretched out my hand, handing the paper to her. "I know it's simple, but I need your help with this interpretation." "Miss Fatima! Miss Fatima!"Miss Fatima's body was lying lifeless on the floor. "Oh my," I exclaimed. "This could be the paper." The moment she laid her hands on that paper, she tumbled. "Is she okay, doctor?" I asked anxiously. The doctor replied, "Miss Fatima sustained some internal injuries and is unconscious." It's been three days I couldn't eat, neither did I go to school.The school group chat was all about what happened to Miss Fatima, everybody with versions of stories," I hope she is ok . I have been rejecting Mariah's calls." mom hasn't noticed because she has been absent, so busy with work. I was so worried about Miss Fatima. "Would she be okay?" I kept wondering. This piece of paper was causing more harm than good. The best thing is to return it along with the box from where I found it. I think it would be best if I forget it. "Who is there?" It was someone banging the door like a crazy nerd. "Why are you not picking my calls? And you have been missing class. Don't tell me it's still about that written note?" Mariah was just so crazy about the whole thing. "Okay, I know of this witcher that could help us. My Dad visits her a lot. She could help us." It was a two-hour drive, we kept moving into a thick forest. "Mariah, are you sure we aren't lost?" "Lost! I have been here a thousand times; we cannot be lost." The witcher was an old woman with no teeth; she was blind but could still distinguish who was who. Her house was filled with all kinds of bones, candles lighted all over the room. "Caramel, daughter of Ashland." "How do you know my name, and who is Ashland? My Dad never had Ashland as part of his name, I stood there confused; could it be that she knows everything about that paper, or is she part of the spirits tormenting me in my dreams? The witch said the spirits were too strong and powerful and would not like us to discover what was written, so we had to do some rituals first and invoke the Dragon spirit to protect us. She took out some dry bones from a box. "These are the bones of the great python and dragon." She took some blood in a bowl and sprinkled it on the dry bones. After that, she gave us to drink. I hesitated at first. "Whose blood is this? Why should I drink blood?" "Drink! I said drink!" At that moment, the place became dark, strange sounds, it was like the world was turning. I could see spirits; they were humans with heads of snakes and dragons. At a moment, I didn't know what happened. By the time I woke up, everything had calmed down. The witch wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to me. "What is this?" "The interpretation. I have done my part; now you can go before the spirits haunt me again." be careful Caramel were the witch's last words to me before she left us. 'CARAMEL 1509'," Mariah and I chorused. "What! What is my name doing on a piece of paper?" Later that same day, I took a walk to the woods where I found the box. It wasn't easy locating the exact spot where I found it. I kept looking for hours to find the location, but I couldn't spot it. I was so frustrated and wanted to know why my name was on a piece of paper inside a box in the middle of the forest. It was getting late, so I finally decided I was going to drop the box at any location and go. I could hear footsteps approaching. Someone is coming. Who could that be? The footsteps got louder and closer to me. Someone is coming. Who could that be? The footsteps got louder and closer to me. It was a man dressed in black, wearing a black hood like those used in ancient days. This can't be! This can't be!Oh no! The man from my dreams said, "Hello, Caramel. I have been waiting for you, for a long time."....

Oh my gosh, I can't find my diary, Mum! Did you see my diary? What's all this? Can't people just mind their own business? It was only four days ago when I went to the bathroom to fix my hair. It wasn't even a minute, and my mum started going through my stuff hat's it, I'm going to confront her about this. I deserve my own space and privacy, and she needs to respect that. I can't believe she would invade my personal thoughts and feelings like that. It's not fair. I need to have a serious talk with her about boundaries and trust. I won't stand for this invasion of privacy any longer. It's time for her to understand that I am growing up and need my own space to express myself without fear of judgment or intrusion. My name is Caramel, not Cameral Candy. My mum told me that caramel is a sweet and sticky confection made by heating sugar. Like was I born with a cube of sugar or what? I wonder why my mum chose caramel of all names. But I guess if not mistaken, the reason she gave me caramel was for my golden-brownish hair. Reason behind my name can just ask me directly instead of assuming things. Cario always jokes that I must have a sweet tooth because of my name. He often brings me caramel candies as a playful gesture. I don't mind though, I quite enjoy them. It's funny how a name can shape people's perceptions of you. But at the end of the day, I am who I am, regardless of what my name may suggest. And I wouldn't change it for anything.Carlos was one of the people who welcomed me warmly and showed me around when we first came to Bokota. He made me feel at home. When I was bored and had no friends, he was my friend. In fact, I slept at his place most nights when Mum went for the night shift. He was so caring, loving, and genial." but was also a bad guy when I say a bad guy I mean a bad guy. Do you know this guy slept with almost all the neighboring ladies, the worst episode that struck me was when he slept with the flat keeper Mrs Jelly , her two daughters and their cousin all in one day. This guy is worser than king Solomon the only difference is that he was broke as fuck to keep so many concubines , apart from the fact he is a womaniser do you know that he is also a serious drug dealer well, that's what Bogota is all about right? that was one of the headquarters of drug trafficking, did I forgot to mention that he actually gave me the first pof of smoke when I was just ...what age?.... what! age ten!.I saw him like the elder brother I never had. Well, there was this day when one of those tugs, Milla, who wanted me so badly, came making advances at me. When I resisted, he pushed me, touched my breasts, pinned me against the wall, and threatened me. But just then, he appeared out of nowhere and intervened, saving me from a potentially dangerous situation. Despite his flaws, he had a sense of loyalty and protection towards me that I couldn't ignore. It was a complicated relationship, but I couldn't deny the bond we shared. After the incident, Carlos was still trying to get his hands on Milla, which I warned him to let go since Milla didn't show up again. Not until a month ago, Carlos disappeared. I waited for a week to see if he would come home, but he didn't. His only friend. Gabon, who came around once in a while, said he hadn't heard from Carlos for two weeks. "Maybe he traveled. No! I don't think so. If he was traveling, he would have let me know right?" I couldn't convince myself that something bad had happened to him. I couldn't help but suspect that Milla had something to do with Carlos' disappearance. Or maybe there was a misunderstanding between Carlos and his friend, Gabon. Hmmm? I wonder what kind of friend spends two whole weeks without checking on his friend... or what? What could have happened to Carlos? I must find out what happened to Carlos. Nobody tampers with my friend and goes scot-free, nooo! That was, by the way, as I was saying, I was born in Jamaica, Kingston, precisely."Full of beautiful history with a great taste of music, Mom always told me that when I was four months old, I cried a lot, and the only thing that kept me quiet was the sound of music. Isn't that weird? I guess I had enjoyed a great time in Kingston until at age six when my mom came home rushing one day, packing our things in a hurry, and saying it wasn't safe, and that we needed to leave. I wanted to understand why, but she kept saying I would understand when I am older..." "We relocated from Chicago to Canada, and then to Bokota. Bokota has been the worst town with crazy and noisy neighbors all around. At first, I was hoping for the next relocation, but it's been seven years since my mum mentioned anything about moving. That's unlike her. I'm trying to make the best of my time here, but I've never really been happy. Oh no, it's already 7:30 am, getting late! I think I should get ready for school before I miss the train. Mum, I'm off to school! Why is she silent? Jesus! Blood! Mum... Mum! There was a giant dragon..