Lilith's Awakening

by Viktoria Ballavoski

  “Perhaps that would be better, Gabriellele. Just be careful. Don’t let them see you.”

  ***

  It was getting late; I was starting to worry. What was taking Gabriellele so long? I just hoped everything was fine; she should have been back by then.

  “Viktoria,” Gabriellele said when she finally returned, “I’m back now, so you can go. It’s not that safe though. There is a jinn in the house! I did not go into your house, so they didn’t see me. I didn’t want them to get mad, so I watched them from outside. Everyone is in their room sleeping. Should be fine as long as we do not aggravate them or let them see us.”

  “Before that though, I need to put the cross on, spray holy water on myself, and make a circle with salt for my protection.”

  “Why holy water and salt?”

  “Because I don’t want evil spirits to obtain my body. We don’t have time to waste, so let’s go.”

  It took me a long time to get everything set up. I didn’t know what was wrong; this had never happened before. I couldn’t seem to concentrate. I was so scared that a demon would hurt my family or take over my body that I couldn’t grasp what I was doing. Finally, I cleared my mind and was spiritually at my home checking on the kids. I noticed all the religious symbols we had hanging around had been turned upside down.

  When I went into my bedroom, I saw two demon warriors standing there, guarding Brandon. It was strange. Why would they want him? I was scared that they might hurt him, but I had to get closer. As I neared him, Brandon shouted, “Lilith!” He didn’t sound so much scared as he did frustrated. I heard him saying that he had made a bad choice and that he had been praying since then. What in God’s name is he talking about? I wondered.

  “Oh, God,” he moaned. “They know we’re here.”

  “Gabriellele, we have to go right now,” I insisted.

  “Viktoria, you go ahead. Make sure they don’t follow you. I will confuse them. Go now, Viktoria! They are coming after you. I don’t want them to follow us.”

  As Gabriellele kept them focused on her, I went back into my body. I hoped that I had not been followed by any of them. I don’t think I had been. I wondered how Gabriellele was doing. I hoped they did not recognize her; if they did, they would capture her and take her to hell using whatever force necessary.

  “Viktoria, I’m here, and I’m fine,” Gabriellele said from the side of my bed. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “Start talking. What the hell is happening, Gabriellele? How is my husband involved with Lilith? I could hear him calling out her name! What is he doing with these evil spirits? I know for fact he does not practice any kind of black magic or rituals. I cannot deal with this by myself, Gabriellele. Do you know Brandon or anything about him?”

  “No, I don’t know anything about him, and that is the truth. I only know about Lilith. She is the reason for my birth as well as my death.”

  “As soon as I get out of here, I’m going to consult my friend, who is a demonologist.”

  “Please, Viktoria, do not involve another person. That will only make matters worse. Together, we can do it, and you have the power.”

  “Don’t worry. I am not going to involve anyone else … yet … unless I need to. But I have to find out what I am actually dealing with; I’m just inquiring about it. My biggest question is why are Lilith’s warriors guarding Brandon?” I sighed as I looked at the time. “It’s late. You can hang around if you want to, but I need a good rest.”

  All night long, I tossed and turned. I could not wait until the next day when Brandon could get me out of there. I decided not to tell anyone about what I had seen the night before. He was already complaining that I was putting the family in danger. I’d always disagreed with him up to the present moment.

  It was eight thirty in the morning. I had to call Greg before Brandon got there. A nurse walked into my room. What got me were her eyes. They were almost all black, but even the whites creeped me out. She wanted to give me medicine, but I refused to take it. She was persistent, saying I should take the medicine; it was the doctor’s orders. There was something about her that made me really uncomfortable, but I did not want to argue with her, so I pretended to place the pill in my mouth, but I kept it under my tongue.

  As she was walking out of the room, another nurse, named Judy, walked in. She asked, “Are you new? I’ve never seen you.” The other nurse just looked at her with a nasty smirk and walked away without saying anything.

  “That’s strange,” Nurse Judy said before coming over to the bed and looking at my file. “Never seen her before, and no one has said anything about a new nurse coming in. Viktoria, was she here all night?”

  “I don’t think so. I did see her last night; there was another nurse who came in. I think her name is Rosemary.”

  “Did the nurse mention her name to you? Why was she in your room?”

  “No, she didn’t say anything about her name. She was here to give me medicine; she said that it was the doctor’s orders and I had to take it.”

  “Do you know what the medicine looked like?”

  “I have it here. I did not feel comfortable taking it. I pretended that I did but hid it under my tongue. Here it is.” I opened my palm to show her the small pink pill.

  “Give it to me, Viktoria; I need to see what kind of medicine it is, because you were not supposed to take any medicine at all. You have a few more tests to do. Thank God you did not take it.”

  “You can say that again. What kind of medicine is it?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and let you know. I’ve never seen this medicine before, Viktoria. I’ll see you later.”

  I was desperate to call Greg as soon as possible before anything else happened. I thought I might need his protection as well.

  I reached across my bed to get the phone on the stand. I dialed the number and waited for him to pick up. “Good morning, Greg,” I said in answer to his “Hello?” “I know it’s early, but I had no choice; I need to see you as soon as possible.”

  “Good morning, Viktoria. That’s okay. I’ve been waiting for your call. What is it? Hold on one second; who is next to you? I believe you have someone else there. I can feel the harmful energy around you.”

  “No one except Gabriellele, Greg,” I said. “It’s a long story; I’ll tell you everything when I see you at the café this afternoon. About one o’clock? Is that good for you?”

  “That’s fine with me. Be careful, Viktoria; you’re being followed by a harmful energy.”

  “I will be careful. I’ll see you later.”

  As soon as I hung up, Brandon walked in. “You’re up early this morning,” I noted before he gave me a kiss on the lips. As he settled in next to me on the bed, I asked, “You couldn’t sleep either?”

  “I took the kids to school and then came over here. The kids and I miss you. All night, Cameron kept asking for you. You know how he gets when he doesn’t see you home. He bombards us with questions.”

  “That’s my boy,” I said with a smile. “He is the most sensitive child I have ever seen.” I took a deep breath and changed the subject. “I was told that they have more tests to run. I just want to go home.”

  “Don’t rush, Viktoria. Dr Francis is not in yet; we have to wait for her. By the way, how do you feel?”

  “I’m much better. I’m glad I stayed over, though. I was knocked out.”

  “I got breakfast for you,” he said and then held up a bag. It smelled delicious. “Thought you might be hungry.”

  “Yes, I am. Starving, in fact, but they said I can’t eat anything. However, they didn’t say anything about not having anything to drink so I am assuming I can have coffee at least. Pass that to me please. I really need it.”

  He reached into the bag and took out a cup. “Michael called me up this morning and said you should stay out a couple of days and rest.
He also offered to get someone to pick up the kids from school.”

  I took a sip of the much-needed coffee. “That’s nice of him. I’m sure Cameron would love to be picked up by a police car. I don’t know about Lacey; she might complain about it. It’s an early dismissal today too. But he does not have to do that; I’m fine. I need to go out anyway. I have errands to run.”

  “All right then, but at least let the police pick up the kids. Don’t overdo it.” He looked out the open door. “Let me see if the doctor is here.” As he went to the doorway, Dr. Francis walked in. “Good morning, Dr. Francis. I was coming over to see you.”

  Dr. Francis walked up to the bed. “How is the patient doing today? You should be able to go home as soon as we take you to get an MRI just to make sure everything is okay.”

  “Why an MRI? I’m fine, Dr. Francis.”

  “Just to be sure. We need to do it. Better safe than sorry. Someone should be here shortly to take you. It won’t take long. By the way, Viktoria, Nurse Judy showed me the tablet. I’m glad you didn’t take it, or we would be trying to save your life right now.”

  “What did you say? What would it have done?”

  “Well, it was a radiation tablet. We usually give them to cancer patients. The nurse accidentally gave them to you. I suppose it was for the patient next door. We give her only one once a week; I don’t know how someone could make a mistake like that,” she said with a shake of her head. “No one has seen her before, and we haven’t seen her again.”

  “Thank the Lord!”

  “Viktoria, what’s gone on?” Brandon asked, worried. “Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier? I have a right to know about it! I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you; I should have stayed here last night.”

  “You may be right. I’m sorry, Brandon, I should have told you. But I didn’t want you to worry, and besides, nothing happened. I’m fine!”

  “If the patient is ready, we could take her to the MRI,” Dr. Francis said.

  “I’m coming too,” Brandon said, as he took my hand. “I won’t let you go by yourself; I need to be there with you.”

  “Don’t worry, Brandon,” I said, putting my hand over his and patting it. “You’re overreacting.”

  “I will be there, Brandon, at all times,” Dr. Francis assured him. “I will keep an eye on her, believe me. She is under my care from now on; I give you my word.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Francis. I believe you.”

  Just as they were about to wheel me away, I thought of something. “I don’t think I can stay forty-five minutes in that MRI machine; I am close to claustrophobic. I don’t think I would be able to sit in there for long.”

  “Don’t worry, Viktoria; it’s comfortable. If you think there’s a problem, let us know, and we will pull you out.”

  “Gabriellele, are you still here?” I whispered, hoping Dr. Francis couldn’t hear me.

  “Yes, Viktoria, I’m here. I think they did follow us last night, but don’t worry, it’s safe … for now.”

  “All right then. As soon as I am out of here, we’re going to see Greg.”

  “Did you say something, Viktoria?” Dr. Francis asked me.

  “No, just talking to myself,” I said weakly.

  I went into the machine and closed my eyes. I prayed that I would not panic. Before I knew it, the doctor was saying, “It’s all done, Viktoria. You see how easy it was? Soon, we’ll take you to your room, and then you can go home. I want to see you in two days to go over the results and give you a checkup, understand?”

  I nodded. She wheeled me back to my room, where I saw Gabriellele watching me. “You see?” I said, once the doctor was gone. “Nothing happened, I’m fine. The MRI was not as bad as I thought it would be. I just want to get dressed and get out of here as soon as possible.”

  “Are you still going to see Greg?” she asked as I changed in the bathroom. “What if he is one of them? There are a lot of people involved in this matter; psychics … people in government, hospitals, schools, restaurants—they’re everywhere! I’m afraid, Viktoria, after what happened today, and you should be too.”

  I came out of the bathroom and put my hospital gown on the bed. “No, I am not afraid. I believe that I deserve some sort of explanation. As soon as I get home, I will make an excuse to leave the house for a short time. I told you, Gabriellele, I cannot wait to see Greg. Let’s see what explanation he has for me.”

  ***

  At last, home sweet home, but since the night before, the house looked different to me. I thought I was still under the influence of what happened then.

  “Hi, kids, I’m home!” I yelled out. I could hear Melisa, Lacey, and Cameron running down the stairs. “Oh God!” I said with much joy as I wrapped my arms around them. “It’s so good to hear your voices! I missed you all and love you all so much!”

  “Viktoria,” Brandon said. It surprised me since I did not think he would be home. “If anyone heard you talking like this, they might think you had been a way for years, not overnight.” He came closer to me and gave me a hug. “Welcome home, honey. It did feel as long as a year without you.”

  As much as I loved seeing Brandon, I couldn’t understand why he would be home. As I pulled back, I asked him, “Brandon, aren’t you supposed to be at work? Go ahead. I’m fine. Don’t worry, the kids are here.”

  He refused at first, but after much persuasion, he agreed. Before he left, though, he made sure the kids understood what they needed to do and reminded them to call him if any kind of emergency came up. Then he left.

  Lacey came to stand next to me. She was very sensitive but did not like to show any affection. I was surprised when she hugged me and told me how much she had missed me even though I’d been gone only for one night. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she asked, “Who is that woman next to you, Mom?”

  That was when I realized she could see Gabriellele. “Do you see her?”

  “Yes, Mom. I realize that Cameron and Melisa do not, but she’s been next to you since you came in. No one said anything, but last night, I saw her. She was watching us through the window.”

  “Her name is Gabriellele. We’ll talk about this later.” To the rest of the group, I said, “Come on, let’s go upstairs. I need a shower, and you kids need to finish your homework. Then later tonight, we can go out and celebrate Mommy’s homecoming.”

  “Can I have an ice cream?” Cameron asked hopefully.

  “Of course,” I said as I lightly touched the top of his head. “You can have as much as you want.”

  “Love you, Mom!”

  I smiled as I said, “However, you have to hurry up and finish your homework!”

  They ran upstairs and went into their respective rooms. As I got closer to my room, I hesitated to go in. I felt the coldness from last night again. Lilith really had been in my room, but why?

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” Lacey asked as she came out of her room holding an empty cup. “Why don’t you go in?”

  I didn’t want to scare her, so I lied. “I thought I heard something, but it was … it was nothing, Lacey.”

  “Is it about last night, Mom?” she asked as she came closer to me. “I know you were here with Gabriellele; I heard you. I didn’t come out of my room, as you told me, but I saw her. I don’t know why, but recently, I’ve been having a premonition. The day you got sick, I felt like I had I been seeing and hearing things, and I did not know what was happening. I was so frightened! Then Grandma, she explained it to me—”

  I cut her off. I was surprised. “You see Grandma? Since when, Lacey?”

  “I’ve seen her since she passed away a few years ago. We talk after everyone has gone to bed. She said she and Babushka are watching over the family, and she also said, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ She said I have something special, and I should use it wisely, but only when it is needed. Whenever we need one of th
em, she told me to just chant her name or Babushka’s and they will be with us.”

  “Lacey, honey, I know you are going through changes, and we will talk about it tonight, but right now, I need to go to Uncle Greg’s. I want you to take care of your brother. If your dad calls, tell him I went to pick up a prescription; don’t mention anything about Uncle Greg, understand?”

  “Why don’t you want Dad to know that you’re going to see Uncle Greg? Mom, I’m scared something is going to happen to you. Can you please stay?”

  “He won’t understand, sweetie. We’ll tell him later. He’ll stop me from going over there after what just happened.”

  As usual, Cameron came in complaining he was hungry. “Mom, can we order a pizza?”

  Sighing, I said, “Okay, go ahead. Order pizza.” I turned back to my daughter. “I need to leave now, Lacey.”

  “Is Gabriellele coming with you?” she asked me.

  “Yes, she is. Why?”

  She shrugged. “I just don’t want you to go anywhere alone. Please call us.”

  “All right, Lacey. Please, I don’t want you to worry about me. I will be just fine.”

  As I was driving away, I saw Brandon coming. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do.

  He came up to the car. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he joked. “Where are you going?”

  “Just running errands. I need to pick up a prescription. Then I will stop by the store to get some ice cream and coffee.”

  “Why didn’t you give it to me before I left? I would have dropped it off at the pharmacy and picked it up for you later.”

  “I totally forgot about it when you left. Thanks anyway, honey. I won’t be long; I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  “Viktoria, do you really need to go? I will get it for you.”

  “Baby, it’s okay. I need fresh air; it may do me some good. Also, I might stop by a nail salon and get a manicure, so don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Trust me. By the way, can you pick up Grandma Nelly; we are going out for dinner.”

  “Okay, then I’ll see you later. Call me if you need me.”