Chapter 109 - SNOOPING GONE WRONG

"What are you doing here?" 

A voice asked, startling Emma as she tried to unwrap the roll of thick white paper.

Out of shock at being caught, she dropped the painting on the floor, as she stood up erect.

"Turn, let me see you!" The voice said, its tone rising up a bit.

Emma swallowed her spittle, her heart beat increasing a bit, as she slowly turned around, preparing herself for whatever might happen.

Her eyes widened in fear, as she beheld an older woman, who she was sure was Clem's and Claire's mother. She had their blonde hair and eyes, but her own eyes, her own eyes were cold and calculative.

Emma knew she had just fallen into a deep cauldron of hot boiling oil.

"Who are you? How did you come here? Where are you from?" The older woman asked, turning up her lips in disgust, as she trailed her eyes from the hair on Emma's head, to the sole of her feet.

"I..." Emma stuttered, opening and closing her mouth intermittently.

"Are you dumb? Quit stuttering!" The woman shouted, causing Emma to step back a bit. Couldn't the woman talk without shouting? She thought, almost rolling her eyes, but for the fear of being hassled by the mean looking woman, whose meaness and cold eyes were threatening to overshadow her beauty.

"No ma'am. I'm Emma." Emma stated robotically, standing at attention like a soldier, her arms behind her.

"Emma??.." The woman muttered, bowing her head a bit, as if in deep thought, as if ruminating on the name.

"Yes ma." Emma replied.

" Oh, I think I've heard of you from my daughter. You're the human who doesn't know her place, or respect certain boundaries." The older woman stated, staring at a befuddled Emma with contempt and sheer hatred which shook Emma to the roots.

Wasn't she a human too? Emma thought, referring to the older woman who was taking candid steps towards her.

"I don't understand what you're saying ma." She said, sweating out a bit from the cold gaze of the woman.

"I'm sorry for snooping around your house. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. " She added, thinking that the boundaries the woman was talking about was her entering into Clem's room without his permission.

"Oh, you're sorry?" The woman queried, laughing wickedly. A laugh which brought chills to Emma's body. Her thoughts ran far and wide. Was Clem's mother another witch? She thought, concluding that the woman wasn't human; If she was, she wouldn't be referring to her as "the human." Something was off with that statement.

"Yes ma." She replied, bowing down a bit in respect. "But I have to be going now." She added.

"You are not going anywhere." The woman stated, laughing evilly.

" Excuse me?" Emma asked, started to get annoyed already. What was wrong with the human? She already apologize. She didn't want to cause trouble on Clem's birthday.

" I said, you are not going anywhere." The woman repeated. "I think my daughter would be glad to meet you here." She added, smirking at the same time.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you ma; but I'm out of here." Emma mentioned, before trying to step around the woman, and walk out of the door.

But her movement was cut short, as the woman seized her arm, compressing it painfully, that she didn't know when she screamed out in pain. It was as if her bones were being broken.

"I said you were not going anywhere, till my daughter comes. I've already called for her. So be patient, human." The woman stated, still grasping unto her arm.

She tried back kicking the woman on her thighs, but the woman dodged it expertly, before throwing her roughly on the ground.

"Ohhhh..You think you're smart. Huh." The woman taunted, squatting and holding Emma's chin on her hands. Although she thought that Emma looked familiar, she didn't go further in reasoning it. What use could a weak human offer?

"Let me go!" Emma shouted through gritted teeth, as she nursed her pain, wondering where Derek and others were. Haven't they noticed her presence? She thought, staring at the woman whom she thought was a psycho. A psycho that wasn't human.

What was she? And how could she have Claire, without shouting for her? She thought, biting her lips which seem to have torn, and let out a small pintbof blood.

"Who is screaming like a cat here?" A voice which Emma could tell was Claire's, said in contempt.

"Good. You're here." The woman stated, letting go of her chin, before turning away to face her daughter.

"How could I not?" Claire queried. "I had planned it differently, but it's still the same product. She came right into my hands." She added, before squatting down before Emma.

"Hello Emma.." She said, twirling her fingers on Emma's red hair, before grasping it tightly by the base, causing Emma to shriek out in pain.

"Scream it out baby!" Claire said, laughing. "When I'm done with you, you wouldn't think of Derek, ever again, because you would be dead." She stated, causing Emma to shudder, even as a lone tear slipped out of her teary eyes.

So all these because of Derek? She thought, biting her lips, as pain assailed her.

"Stop it." She managed to say, feeling relieved as the blondie heeded to her plea. But it was all cut short, when she, the Blondie, slapped her.

Before she could even assimilate the pain, another one came, more stronger than the other, almost making her deaf to noises.

She could literally taste blood in her mouth. She thought that the blond's hands were too strong for a female.

"What are you?" She asked Claire, staring eyeball to eyeball with the Blondie, as she cleaned the blood flowing out from the corner of her mouth. She refused to back down

If she was going to die, then she was going to die bravely. She wasn't dying, until she knows exactly what this county was all about.

"What am I?" Claire repeated, laughing hysterically.

"Mother, she is asking of what we are." She stated, standing up and turning around to face her mother, who stood by the side, with folded arms across her chest, watching the scene. 

"Seems the others weren't too discreet about their dealings around her." She said. " She's smart though, coming here to snoop around." She added, before turning and squatting down before Emma again.

"But it seems that smartness of yours has finally led to your death." She muttered to Emma's ears, before grasping her tightly by the neck.

Emma shook her legs sporadically, beating her hands on Claire's hands as her breath seized, watching helplessly as the Blondie kept choking her, feeling a bit lightheaded as life was leaving her slowly.

"What's going on here?" A voice asked, causing Emma to shut her eyes in relief, and pray.