CARMELLA

CHAPTER 14............MY MISERY

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Carmella hovered in the air, the vision necklace glowing bright red around her neck. Mrs. Emma watched anxiously. "You're doing great, Carmella!" she encouraged.

Grannie Nile’s eyes gleamed with determination. "The portal is almost open. Just a little more."

Suddenly, Carmella screamed, a sharp, piercing sound that filled the room. "Ahhhh! Ahhhh!! Ahhhhhhh!!!" Her voice cracked under the pressure.

Mrs. Emma’s worry deepened. "Mum! The power is too much. She’s getting tired!"

But Grannie Nile was unwavering. "Leave her! We must forge her into the weapon we never had... only then can we free your brother."

"But she’s just a kid," Mrs. Emma pleaded. "Let’s give her time."

"No," Grannie Nile said firmly. Carmella’s screams grew louder, her energy straining beyond her limits.

Meanwhile, at Carmella’s house, Mason lay on the couch with ice pressed to his head. His mother finally stopped massaging his scalp and sighed. "Okay Mason, your head should be fine now."

"But, Mum..." Mason started.

"I have to call your sister first, then I’ll check on you again," she said.

[12/2, 8:11 PM] ChatGPT: Mr. Andre, sitting nearby, nodded. "It’s midnight. Go get her now."

Mum left the room, and Mason whispered to Maya. "Try to stall Mum one more time."

Maya looked uncertain. "I’m not sure she really wants to get Carmella."

"Just try," Mason urged.

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*In Mrs. Emma’s backyard*, the air pulsed with tension. Carmella’s body hovered midair, arms stretched wide as the red glow of the vision necklace blazed against her chest. Her eyes were open, but vacant—locked into a trance.

“Why did she stop?” Mrs. Emma asked, panic rising in her voice. “She’s not screaming anymore.”

Grannie Nile didn’t answer at first. She stood still, her eyes fixed on the floating girl with a knowing calm.

“Mum, answer me,” Emma pressed. “Is she—dead?”

Grannie Nile finally responded, her tone steady. “She’s having a vision. It’s part of the process. Finding her portal place. The necklace draws it out.”

Mrs. Emma exhaled in relief, her hands falling to her sides.

*Inside the vision*, Carmella wandered slowly through an old, dimly lit house. The air smelled of dust and old magic. Wooden floorboards creaked under her feet. She looked around, puzzled, until a mysterious voice echoed from the air around her.

“You are in your grandmother’s house,” the voice said. “Your mother’s mother.”

Carmella turned in a slow circle. “And who are you?”

“I am your vision’s subconscious,” the voice replied calmly. “I’ve brought you to where it all began.”

: Carmella stepped deeper into the house and entered a shadowed room where a large black cauldron bubbled with green liquid. A figure stood hunched over it—an older woman stirring the contents with slow, deliberate movements.

“That potion,” the voice continued, “was made to destroy the human world.”

Carmella blinked, stunned. “That’s... wonderful.”

The voice answered flatly, “But watch this.”

Just then, a *younger version of Carmella’s mother* burst into the room, no older than sixteen. Her face was filled with panic as she shouted:

“Mum! What the heck are you doing?”

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