Uncertainty and Decisions

At Dolores and Javier's home, there was a heavy atmosphere. They had received the order to leave Espliego but, like many families, they had ignored it.In the department here weren’t only Javier's family there. Caleb, his parents, and even Alex and his mother were there.

Alex was speaking with his grandfather and begging him to accompany him. His reasoning was fair. He wanted to ensure that all the people he cared about were okay. Almost all of them, since he still didn't know Cristina's whereabouts. He was the only one speaking, the only one pacing back and forth across the room. Finally, he gave the address to his grandfather and hung up the phone.

“What are we supposed to do?” an angry Hilda asked her father. She looked upset.

Since the morning, she hadn't seen her sister, and the tremor she felt had scared her more than she could admit. She was the first one who decided not to escape. She was the one who wanted to stay because she knew her sister would return.

“Dad, do something!” ordered Hilda. The only mention of that word Dolores only got more angry, which confused her daughter.

“Stop saying that word!” shouted Dolores in an attempt to get Hilda to stay quiet.

Javier tried to calm Dolores. The rest of the group didn't say anything or intervene. Alex turned to look at the sky. It was orange, combined with a terrifying black color. It was evident that sunset would come soon, but not with this unnatural color.

Someone knocked the door. It was Sylvia, Maya's mother. Her mission was to convince the inhabitants of the Delta that they must escape, arguing that it was dangerous because an unexpected natural phenomenon had arrived.

“It's dangerous” Maya insisted when she saw that no one was moving. “You must…”

“I'm not leaving without my daughter!” Javier shouted. He tried to push Sylvia and get her out of his house, but he was stopped by Elias.

Sylvia observed. These were Cristina's friends and their respective families. That girl really had something special. It was a shame she didn't belong to the Rigel clan. Since that Liminal Entity had taken her, she didn't know where she was.

The building shook. Sylvia, more worried for the group of Magic-less, decided to do something. It wasn't just them. There were several other residents who had decided to do the same. Maya, her daughter, was also defending the place.

“Stay here!” ordered Sylvia as a large blue butterfly emerged from her hand.

The bug perched on the door. In the same way, some butterflies of the same size placed themselves on the windows. On every single one the apartment possessed. It was Hilda who first reacted by approaching one of the butterflies. 
They were warm, soft to the touch, and made Hilda calm down.

Dolores tried to pulled them away, believing them to be dangerous. What she felt was a spark. A warmth that was similar to burning herself with a hot object.

“Do not open the door for anyone and wait for orders” Sylvia commented, she began to walk toward the building's stairs.

“My grandparents are about to come” Alex said. But he was ignored. Sylvia saw at him with a look that made Alex take a few steps back.

“Alex, come inside” his mother told him calmly. Sylvia left and the door was closed.

Once she was gone, Dolores tried to remove the butterfly from the door. But every time she tried, her hands and fingers received that heat, that sensation of touching fire and getting burned.

“That's enough” Alisha commented upon seeing her friend insisting. Her hands were already reddened. “Sit down; I will prepare coffee and tea for everyone.”

Caleb remained silent the whole time. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He wanted to do something. If the adults weren't doing anything and were allowing some strange butterfly drawings to stop them, then that was fine by him. He ran to the door and tried to leave; he was stopped by his father.

“What are you doing?” Elias shouted while trying to stop his son.

“I'm going to look for Cristina” Caleb replied in a tone that denoted it was the logical thing to do. “If no one else does it, then…”

“Do you know where to search?” asked his father, trying to get him to return home.

Hilda and Alex watched. It seemed they, without words, had agreed on something. Waiting wasn't the option. Hilda, with a calmness that surprised everyone, took Elias's shoulder.

“I'm not going to keep waiting” said Hilda while turning to look at her father. “If you want, stay here while you obey that crazy woman. A magical butterfly won't stop me.”

“I'll go with you” said Alex as he walked toward the entrance. His mother didn't stop him. “I know where I can find her.”

“Really?” asked Caleb, surprised. 

“Maya is involved in all of this. Surely she knows something.” Answered Alex while he remembered when he and Maya found Cristina hours earlier.

“And if we find Maya we can find my sister” Hilda whispered excitedly. “I'm going.”

Alex looked at his mother who, in silence, gave her approval. She looked worried, anguished, with a fear that only a mother understands. Alisha took her husband's arm. It was time to let her son decide for himself.

“Please, take care” whispered Javier, looking at Hilda and Caleb. Both nodded, and walked, along with Alex, toward the building exit in search of Cristina.

Upon leaving the building and seeing the gardens, Hilda stopped. The gardens were destroyed, the trees withered. There were almost no cars, and those that remained had melted tires. The heat was intolerable. Those butterflies that Sylvia placed at their house do really were magical. 

“Magic really exists” commented Caleb once he noticed the same thing as Hilda. Alex looked at him with confusion. Caleb was irritated by that innocent look of confusion.

“Don't tell me you didn't know.”

“About what?” asked Alex, understanding Caleb's behavior. Only then did he realize that, technically, Caleb was also in love with Cristina.

“My sister always believed in magic” explained Hilda, inviting her friends to keep walking.

Having no where to go, she really didn't know well what to do. Without realizing it, Hilda was walking toward the school. Alex and Caleb followed her in silence.

“She used to say that the stars grant magic to those who believe in them” continued Caleb, explaining in a very pride tone. “She always prayed to Helios.”
“Helios…” Alex repeated in a whisper, thinking while looking at his feet. A name came to his mind: “Circe.”

Hilda and Alex stopped. Why did he mention Cristina's friend? Finally Hilda realized the relationship between Circe and her sister's constant faith in the star. Also, he remembered how that woman was the first person who mention that his sickness had return. She must know something.

“I know where we can go” commented Alex, smiling. It was a macabre smile that make Hilda and Caleb shivered; her eyes opened too wide. It seemed she was going to commit a crime. “A while ago, I heard Circe talk about a place north of Espliego. Threshold Hill. Surely we will find something there.”

“And how are we supposed to get there?” asked Caleb with annoyance. He was regretting having gone out to look for his friend—or at least having gone out without a plan.