INTO

CHAPTER FOUR

*Flashback*

"Come on, Dad," Adam whispered, holding on to his dad's hand tightly. "You can do this. Just stay strong."

Bernard let out a cough as he managed to get up. "Some things are pointless, son. I guess my time's really up."

"No! No don't say that," Adam cried. "Let's go to the hospital. Stop being so stubborn and come with me."

"Son-"

"Fine. I'll just call 911 and tell them it's an emergency," Adam said as he grabbed his phone to call 911.

Bernard held his hand, shaking his head. "Just seeing you worry about me like this is enough. It's good enough to know you care about me."

"Of course, I'm your only son," he replied looking at him straight in the eye. "And considering the fact that I'm your only son, don't you think it's too cruel for you to just plan to leave me here?"

"I'm not leaving you."

"You are. You don't use your drugs or go to hospital cause you want to die. You just want to die, don't you?"

"It's not a want. It's something I need."

"Please stop saying that!" Adam cried. "Don't die. Don't you get it? I'll never see you again if you die!"

"Yes, you will," he took Adam's hands into his and gave it a light squeeze. "I promise, you will."

*End of flashback*

The memories came rushing as Adam looked around him. Was this what his dad meant? If that was it did it mean it wasn't as a result of his wish of was it really just fate?

He looked around him and honestly, it felt like he was in the middle of nowhere. Were those fogs or clouds? Whatever they were they had a strange purplish color. The air was chilly but that didn't stop the birds and other flying creatures from flying around the way they wanted to. The floor had a deep green color that threatened to sink him with every step he took.

"Where are we?" Gwen asked, confused. "We were in your house one minute and the next we're here. What happened?"

"Adam," Miranda called out. The way she looked at him made him feel she knew exactly what was going on. "Did you make a wish? For us to disappear?"

"No...not really. Not disappear exactly," he was stuttering. "I just didn't want anything to happen to us and so i wished we were somewhere he wouldn't be able to find us."

"Wait a minute," Gwen interrupted. "So what you're both saying is that Adam wished we could disappear to somewhere he would never find us and that happened? Just like that? Your wish was granted?"

"I don't know," even his voice sounded unsure. "I really don't."

"That must be it!" Gwen clapped her hands. "Ha! If you knew you had such powers, just make another wish. Wish none of all these ever happened."

"I-"

"Don't bother," Miranda cut him off. "Do you really think things around here work that easily. C'mon Adam, let Gwen spew her nonsense, you don't have to pay attention to it."

"Both of you," Adam shook his head. "Why don't we try to figure out where we are first?"

"Exactly what I was about to say," Lucy spoke up. "That way we could prolly figure out a way to go back."

They all nodded and started walking around with the hope to see people they could talk to. After walking for a few minutes, they reached a place they could as well refer to as the center of wherever they were. It didn't have just people, it had tons of them. It looked like a town and had people walking around, doing things. Some were just casually walking around, some selling stuffs and some just looking unusual. One distinct feature about them was that not all of them looked like humans. Some had colored skin, some weirdly shaped faces or ears, some had more than two eyes and some looked just like them.

"I think we're in your world," Tina said, feeling goosebumps crawl over her skin. "All this weirdness, it isn't logically right. The aura feels wrong. We're in your world, I'm sure of that."

"I didn't know we had a...world," Adam commented as he kept on observing his surroundings.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you had no idea your little wish could bring us here," Miranda replied him. "There are a lot of things you don't seem to know."

"If this really happened as a result of my wish, then my dad should be here."

"Your dad?" Miranda asked. "Isn't he dead?"

"I just wanted to be with my dad."

"Oh my God," Miranda exclaimed. "So you really just brought us to the afterlife to meet your dead dad."

"He's your uncle, Miranda," Adam shook his head. "At least fake enthusiasm."

"Sorry, I can't," she shrugged. "If we're in the afterlife that means my parents might be here too. That doesn't make me want to meet them so why should I feel enthusiastic about meeting your dad?"

"Why are you so cold?" Gwen asked Miranda. They'd never really spoken to each other at school since they just hated each other for no particular reason but she had no idea Miranda was that cold and... heartless?

"Why do you b***h around at school?" Miranda asked her in reply.

"I don't b***h around. It's just the way i am and if you have a problem with it, deal with it."

"Exactly," Miranda smiled, Gwen mentally cursing as she realized what she said. "It's also just the way I am so deal it with if you can't stand me."

"Um, hello?" Adam called the attention of a boy. He was tall and looked like he was around their age. He looked normal too. "Sorry but do you have any idea where we are right now?"

"What type of ridiculous question is that?" the boy looked puzzled. "Did you, no, did y'all hit your heads on something?"

"Sorry, don't mind me. Ignore that question," Adam quickly apologized, dissing his question. "The question should be do you know Bernard? Bernard Caesar?"

"Bernard Caesar? The painter?"

"Yes yes!" Adam replied, excitedly. His father used to paint and was extremely good at it.

"Of course, who doesn't," the boy scoffed. "Are you lost? Do you need to find your way to him?"

"Yes. Yes, please."

"Ah, y'all really hit your heads on something," he laughed. "That's his workshop, right opposite you."

"What?" They all turned towards the direction the boy was pointing to. "Oh, thanks!"

"Whatever," the boy shook his head as he turned to leave.

"So that's your dad's workshop?" Gwen asked a frozen Adam. "Adam?"

"Yeah?" he was lost. Lost in thoughts. Was his dad really only a few inches away from him? Was he really in the afterlife to see his dad? Was he...

"Let's just go," Miranda said, leading the way. "I'm suddenly in the mood to say hi to Uncle Bernard."

Gwen nudged Adam as they all walked over to his workshop. It was just opposite. They had barely counted ten steps when they got there.

Miranda was confident and carefree. She stepped into the workshop announcing her arrival by making loud noises with her heeled boots. "Hello! Is anyone home? Uncle Bernard? Painter sir? Uncle Painter Bernard!"

"Who's it?" the voice came from inside followed by the sound of knocked over paint brushes.

Adam closed his eyes. His dad always knocked over paint brushes whenever he was about to get up from painting. He had told him several times to just lay his paint brushes on the floor instead of keeping them in a tin he always knocked over.

"Who's it and why are you being so loud?!"

The voice. The familiar voice.

"Who-"

Two people froze. One was Adam and the other was his dad.

Adam stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar man standing few inches away from him. He had his apron on, different colors of paint splattered all over it. He looked tired, wrinkles decorating his forehead. His hair was still black though it had lost its shine. He looked just like...

"Dad?"

"Adam?"

"Oh my God, Dad."

"Adam," his dad rushed towards him. "Good gracious, Adam. Son, is it really you? What are you doing here?"

Unable to answer his questions, Adam just pulled his dad into a hug. "I missed you. So so much, dad."

"I missed you too," he hugged his now taller than him son back. "I really did."

After hugging for a while, they pulled away and Bernard invited them all in properly.

"So, what happened? How are you here? Why are you here?" Bernard resumed his enquiries as they got seated. "You're not dead, are you? Did y'all die?"

"No, I don't think so," Adam replied. "Where are we, really? Are we really in the afterlife? You're dead."

Bernard smiled. "I'm not human, son. I'm not mortal. I died in the human world doesn't mean I actually died."

"What? I don't understand."

"Welcome to Movillster," his dad said, getting up. "Every single person you see here isn't human.

"Um, I'm human," Gwen raised her hands, slowly. "A hundred percent human."

"What?" he turned to look at Gwen. "Wait, what? You aren't joking. You're human."

He looked at Adam and then Miranda. Their expressions weren't answering his questions so he proceeded to vocalize them. "You're human? How? What exactly is going on?"

"Long story, dad."

"I can tell," he shook his head, eyeing Gwen suspiciously. "So one human."

"Um, I'm human too."

"Me too," Tina added.

Bernard looked away. "This is crazy but one thing I know is If I were you guys, I wouldn't go around saying that."

"Oh, sorry," Gwen whispered, earning a sneer from Miranda.

"So you're saying, when people like us die in the human world, we come back here?"

"Yes," Bernard nodded. "We're immortal. That's what the humans seem to forget. Now my question is how are you guys here? If you didn't die, what happened? There's no way you're supposed to be here if you didn't die in the human world. I could try understanding you and Miranda being here but the humans? It's unexplainable."

"Dad, remember the curse you warned me about?"

"What?" Bernard took a minute. "Oh, yes. Of course I do."

"Well, I fell in love with a human," Adam said, watching Bernard's head fall to his lap.

"I knew this was going to happen," Bernard said after a short lived silence. "So...you woke someone? And he came after you?"

"Yes," Adam nodded. "And he tried to kill them. Us."

"Them? Us?"

Adam bit his lip. "This is Gwen, dad. The girl I fell for. That's Lucy...her friend and Tina... another friend, I guess."

They all bowed lightly, Bernard simply shaking his head.

"I guess humans are in full bloom. So, he came after the three of them?"

"Yes," Adam continued. "Not all at once though. He probably wouldn't have gotten them so easily if not for a certain someone."

Miranda laughed, all eyes turning towards her to wonder what was so funny.

"And then we were literally few inches away from him when he threatened to kill me if I tried to get in his way. Then I just wished you were there with me. I wished it'd all end and for me to take them away to a place where he'd never be able to find them and..."

"And you found yourself here," Bernard completed the story. "Shit."

"Why? What happened, dad?"

"I've told you before, Adam. You drezpires are the strongest of us all and each of you possess a unique power or strength," Bernard explained. "I guess yours is your desire. You have a strong desire and I guess when it gets really strong, whatever you desire for happens."

"What?"

"Woah."

"That's crazy."

"It is," Bernard got up. "You shouldn't have gotten into any of these."

"What's mine then?" Miranda asked, ignoring what he said. "My strength. What's it?"

"Strong hatred?" Gwen rolled her eyes, making the others laugh lightly.

"It might be true though," Adam added. "You seem to know very well how to hold a grudge and never let go or forgive."

"I wasn't asking any of you," Miranda glared. "I was talking to Uncle Bernard."

"I don't know, Miranda," Bernard laughed. "It's up to you to figure it out yourself."

"But you literally just figured out Adam's."

"I'm his father," he stated the obvious. "I raised him to an extent and have been observing him since he was a kid."

"Must be nice to have parents who observe you," Miranda said in a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I know right. Must be really nice."

Everyone turned to Gwen and Miranda who both seemed to be lost for a while.

"Did I say something wrong?" Bernard asked, wondering what caused the sudden grey atmosphere.

"Not one that I know of," Miranda's old self was back. "Why?"

"Nothing," Bernard smiled at her. "Forget it."

"Um," Lucy spoke up. "I'm sorry but how's no one talking about how we'll be leaving here? I do not belong here and I don't want to even stay here."

"It's wishful thinking to think even the people here want you."

"Oh, Miranda," Bernard laughed. "Same attitude ever since you were little. You just can't change, can you?"

"Nope."

"Miss... Lucy? I'm sorry but I really have no idea how to get you guys out of here."

"WHAT?!"

"I think your priority right now should be home go stay here without having any one figure out what you truly are. That's the only way you can stay safe and alive."

"Why?" It was Tina's turn to speak. "Why do you guys hate humans so much?"

"My ancestors? It's a long story. I don't hate humans though. Maybe it's because I have a very forgiving heart or because I fell in love with one, I just don't-"

"You fell in love with a human?" Gwen asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes, I did," Bernard replied, looking at Adam. "Adam's mum. She was human."

"Oh," Gwen muttered. "But it was okay for you? They didn't come after you, did they? Then why are they coming after Adam now?"

"They didn't come after me?" Bernard laughed, pain and sadness echoing in his laughter. "There's always a price to pay for being stubborn."

"Did they come after you too?" Adam asked his dad. "What exactly happened to mum, dad? You said she died while giving birth to me. That's not what happened, right?"

Bernard was silent, sighed then nodded. "You're right. That's not what happened. I was stubborn and fell in love and even got married to your mum. So, of course- I was able to protect you but not your mum."

Adam felt tears well up his eyes. Not because he heard about what really happened to his mum but because he could see tears in his dad's eyes as he remembered what happened.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Gwen quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay," Bernard tried to smile. "It's fine. I haven't really talked about her in a long time. Falling in love with a human isn't really something to be proud of around here."

"Thanks, dad. For protecting me."

Bernard nodded. "Now that's why until you all find a way to get out of here, you need to stay as hidden as possible. I'm not asking you to go into hiding or detach yourself cause that'll only cause suspicion. All I'm saying is, you have to live as one of us and live here as a normal monster."

"Monster...?"

"Adam, I know I never made you live like that and Gwen, Tina and Lucy, I know you guys are totally humans but as long as you intend on staying here alive for the time being, you'll have to become monsters."