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Zara

We drove to My Lady's Club, it was pretty much empty. There were only a few of them at the counter having mocktails and enjoying their time. We walked straight to the bartender, Harry inquired him, I glanced at the corner spot Avyanna danced at, my feet walking involuntarily in the direction, the memories of the previous vision flashing like a re-run movie. I could see the moves the Wicked Witch danced, her stunning body moving most seductively, if I didn't know better, I would have called her a rare beauty but no, I knew her for who she is. 

There were so many questions brewing from the previous vision, for a start, how can those men see her? She is a ghost-like me, or was it because of her power? Guess we need to find the Wicked Witch to know what actually happened. 

From the looks of things, we were not making any progress. We try our best, however, none of them seems like working. Leila looked defeated at me, that's when I noticed, she was more worried than us, there were black bags under her eyes, indicating she hadn't slept well for days. Constantly she tried to create her magical circle. I wondered how I missed her effort or her pain.

Hatred veils all the other emotions, ours and our loved ones. 

"I take it, failed?" I asked her, she looked at Harry, he was trying to narrate the appearance of the Wicked Witch to all the consumers, only it wasn't working.

I sighed, this was the club I saw, there was no mistake in it, the dark brown, black and red interiors were the same, so was the huge counter and setting of the glasses and drinks in the middle of the club. The walls looked the same too, it was dim though.

A quick remainder evoked, quickly I scanned the club's walls and the ceiling, there it was, CCTV. If those men can see her, so can the cameras, it's worth a try.

"Leila," I nudged her, "the CCTV," and pointed at it. 

~

There she was, dancing her head off. We asked the bartender to show us the footage but he declined to say he needs the permission of his boss who fortunately was at the spot, shaking mocktails, no one will ever call him a boss, he didn't have any tattoos on his body like the other club owner, not even a single one, it almost felt like a crime. He wore big glasses with an oversized hoodie, he looked young, under thirty maybe, his looks screamed nerd, unlike his position. 

When we approached him for the footage, he said a flat no but when harry started speaking about Aini's disappearance, he immediately agreed, guess he knows what love is about. Well, here we are, at the small CCTV room, checking the footage of the previous night with Luke, the owner.

"I can see her," Harry mumbled astonished at the discovery, breaking me out of my reverie. 

"She's a regular, new though," Luke remarked, Harry looked at him so he continued, "she comes here on Friday and Saturday night, don't drink much, it's just a glass or a mocktail. Really sweet, friendly, sexy, and outgoing, quite a catch actually." 

If ghosts could vomit, then this will be the right moment. Sexy, yes! But friendly? Seriously? 

What was the Wicked Witch playing at? 

"How can they see her?" I commented, unaware that I was speaking aloud.

"Maybe it was her powers, they grow over time and she's old," Leila whispered slowly. We didn't want the attention of Luke in our ghostly matters.

"Yeah, she's older than Monalisa," I mumbled agreeing with her.

"Monalisa is drawn in fifteen hundred," corrected Leila.

"Right!" Like it mattered.

"Does that mean we have to wait till next Friday? It's Sunday today!" We heard Harry whine.

"Is she from the neighborhood?" Implored Leila.

"Impressive thinking," I told Leila, she smiled but remained silent. 

"Uhm, she lives around but I don't know where exactly, you can ask someone down the lane, she was quite eminent here, in a short span."

"She's planning huge, I tell you," I briefed Leila.

Harry took a picture of the Wicked Witch from his phone, we thanked Luke and walked the streets, leaving the car parked in front of the club. if the Wicked Witch is famous like Luke said, many will recognize her from the picture. We walked into a lane filled with houses aligned neatly, they were modest houses with small parking and a garden, they were all same size, only the structure, and colors varied but the place was serene, perfect for a family. 

There were few kids playing soccer in a garden, we went towards them, kids don't lie.

"Hey! Can you help us?" Leila asked, smiling pleasantly at them. 

A sandy-haired boy came to us, with the football secured in his hands, Leila kneeled and spoke, "you live here?" 

"Yeah," he answered pointing at the house behind him.

"Do you know this girl?" She asked, showing the picture from Harry's phone, he nodded.

"where?" 

"She lives there," he pointed at the grey-colored house down the lane.

"Thank you, honey," Leila thanked him

Here we come Avyanna.

That night we scanned the area, the lawn was pretty much empty at midnight. The neighbors were civilized humans, for they were silent at night and none of them roamed at night, so we decided to meet the wicked witch first thing in the morning.

In the meantime, we lodged at a hotel close by to the wicked witch's house, Leila settled in her room, she retreated immediately, Harry went to sleep as well, we had a huge task to do tomorrow and rest was a much-required habit in a human, anyway a ghost doesn't so I walked the streets. 

The moon was high, it will be full in less than a week. Aini adored the full moon, she often went out on dates with Harry on the days of the full moon or all three of us plan picnics at night together, those were few memories that I miss. The night picnics at the cliffs outside the city were the best, the stars were bright, illuminating an illusion of the galaxy, the lovebirds had their moments and I chilled in the midnight breeze.

Now I wondered if those rituals will be followed anymore, how long will I roam this earth as a ghost? Will those beautiful moments only be memories that cannot be recreated?

I looked up at the moon and made a silent promise, 'I will return her to you, you lone beauty.'

I returned to the hotel at dawn, it was time to meet the witch.

The Wicked Witch's house screamed homely, for god's sake bitch, what are you playing at? Her garden was skillfully organized, a part of it was planted with daisies and sunflowers, the other half was arranged with herbs and vegetation, a white Audi was parked on the other side, the walking path aligned with sand-colored stones and tiny pebbles. A small dream catcher hung at the wall with the inscription 'Bonjour!'

Why does a ghost need a car, a house? Things are getting complicated every passing second. Leila scanned the area for an evil spell, she often closed her eyes and touched things, harry looked around for cameras, they tried to find if the Wicked Witch was home but I knew she was, the parked car was a huge indicator and notably, I could feel the pull. 

"The lights are on, she's inside," I informed Leila.

"There is no veto spell, not even a single one," Leila spoke.

"There are no cameras, only the street CCTV. Should I check behind the garden?" Harry asked.

"No, let us meet the witch," Leila answered.

We walked to the door, her dreamcatcher irritated my eyes, so I plucked it from the wall, dumped it on the ground and trampled it, the Wicked Witch's face popped up in my mind and I tramped hard, Harry rolled his eyes, he knew it was me. he pressed the bell, we waited.

We pressed again, a voice traveled, "coming."

We heard her footfall inching closer, she opened the door with a friendly smile but when her eyes met ours, her smile disappeared in a flash. here she stands, in flesh! Was she that powerful to turn into a human? She's not a mirage, a cloud of black smoke, or a hazy illusion, the kinda ghost could appear to human eyes as, instead she was breathing, walking human. Has she erected a spell using her witch powers? I felt as my brain was going to explode.

Leila broke the ice, "where is my daughter?"

Harry stepped inside the house, we followed, this was better done inside. She kept still, shocked by our sudden arrival. Inside her house was as beautiful as her garden. The living room was arranged with a comfortable couch, a small coffee table, and a lot of plants, a little similar to Aini's place, modest and comfortable, it vibed home the very instance you step inside but what I looked for was a clue, any clue to find A but there wasn't any. She's smart and a step ahead of us. there were sketches of interior patterns on her table, a laptop displaying an empty room of an unknown house, different types of materials in various colors laid on the couch.

"Look at you witch," I mocked, hoping she could hear me, she turned in my direction and raised her eyebrows, but from the look on her face, one could say she was still puzzled at the situation, I continued, "tapered ends, hoodies, and jeans huh? Got rid of your ancient style already, I see! What did you do it Aini? Why are you here?" 

She smiled, in the most easy-going way and spoke in her melodic voice, "Finally! hello guys, found me huh?"

"Stop playing games Avyanna, where is Aini?" it was Harry's turn to speak, his face flounced in anger. 

"Tell us where she is Avyanna, we can end this here," Leila persuaded. 

The Wicked Witch didn't react, instead, she kept smiling pleasantly, walked to her couch and settled in with her laptop, started working on it, ignoring all of our questions.

"Where is she Avyanna?" Harry raised his voice, his fists held tightly. I threatened in a low tone, she can see and hear me, I was sure of it, "you better answer witch."

She looked from her laptop to my voice, stated simply, feigning innocence, "she's dead Zara."

1614 words

total word count - 35800.