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Start reading now! Description: Bella is frustrated by what she has remembered because it's only making her miss her family even more. She seeks advice from another abduction victim, and plans to leave Strangetown. But the way home isn't as easy as she thought it would be, and a new hypnotherapy session turns her life upside down... What can it mean? Created: 26th December 2007 Last Updated: 10th January 2008 Number of Entries: 83 Rating on TheSims2.com: 4.84   The Fate of Alchemy - The Donnavi Prophecy - Chapter Five: Alchemy Welcome back to FOA! This is Chapter 5, and reading the first four is recommended, before getting on to this one. I hope you enjoy it! Note: One of the pictures near the beginning show something obvious, which is not mentioned in the text. This is a little extra, which will be explained later. Description: Bella is frustrated by what she has remembered because it's only making her miss her family even more. She seeks advice from another abduction victim, and plans to leave Strangetown. But the way home isn't as easy as she thought it would be, and a new hypnotherapy session turns her life upside down... What can it mean?   “It was Dina!” Bella exclaimed, now fully returned to her senses, but none the calmer. Pascal and Dr. Auster had asked her to follow them back to the office and just the trip down the hall had already longer than Bella could stand being silent for. “Bella, we need you to fill us in on what you saw. We only hear you speak every now and then, otherwise we just noticed the last fifteen minutes were physically intense for you we even considered pulling you out.” Bella sighed with frustration and began to explain what she had seen in her hypnotherapy session: her family and their home, Don and the evening at his house, which ended with her abduction, the aliens on the spaceship and finally, the sight of Dina behind the glass.   Dr. Auster sat down at his desk taking many notes, while Pascal listened intently to what she was saying. When she had finished, neither of them seemed to be feeling the surprise she was. She tried to press the matter on, to emphasize exactly what she had happened and how she knew Dina had been voluntarily involved: “I just can’t believe it! I already knew she was a witch, but I would have never thought she was actually a part of this; she’s the reason I disappeared.” “You know Bella,” Pascal started cautiously, as though afraid she might be angry at him too “there’s a chance that wasn’t Dina.” “It was, I’m sure of it, I recognized her, there’s no doubt about it.” “Remember, Ms. Goth, what you see is not necessarily what it seems.” Dr. Auster said matter-of-factly, hardly looking up from the paper he was still writing on.   “What do you mean?” Bella asked, wondering how exactly this comment was supposed to be important at the moment. “Well,” Pascal continued, “it’s not uncommon to have a replacement figure in the dream state. This means that your subconscious replaces a part of a memory, which it still can’t remember, by another element, which isn’t actually a part of it. It’s highly probable that Dina appeared there, only because you chose to associate her with a hostile memory, because you already dislike her.” “No, that’s not possible; I mean she actually intervened in the way the memory took place!” “Yes, that is possible with replacement figures. The dream state isn’t stable and doesn’t necessarily represent the physical dimension exactly. Things work fluently and your subconscious affects your experience there, to some extent, sometimes more than not. It’s like when you dream someone you know is doing something, even though you’ve never seen them do it before.”   “So, what are you saying, that everything I remember there is wrong?” “No, of course not, there’s always some part of truth in what you see there. It’s just highly improbable that Dina was on that ship. No humans actually go on a spaceship, unless they're abduction victims.” “But even before I knew about Dina, the day I was told about my abduction, I remembered her voice in the memory. How could I invent what she said, if I didn’t even know about her?” “Well, even though you didn’t consciously remember her, it’s very possible that your subconscious still associated her with something negative for you. You see, your whole memory is still subconsciously in you: that’s how we’re able to make you remember things now. You invented this replacement figure five years ago: being told about your abduction made you remember it to some extent, and you associated the day of your abduction with Dina’s negative presence in your life. It’s simple, really.”   “Simple?” Bella repeated blankly, “What part of this am I supposed to consider simple? You’ve just told me that I might be altering all my memories subconsciously and that everything I’ve remembered up to now may be false!” “Well, your memories can be altered by your subconscious, but that’s also where they come from in the first place. You needn’t worry: what you’re experiencing in the dream state is generally true. It’s just that Dina’s presence on that ship isn’t possible. Anyway, don’t you think it’s a little coincidental, that the woman you just so happen to dislike, and who just returned into your life before you were abducted, happened to be the very reason, for which you disappeared? I’m telling you, these are typical signs of replacement figures.” Bella sighed and felt confused. She wanted to believe that what she had seen in the dream state was true.   Even though she had just made immense progress, by remembering her whole family and the place she lived in, Bella couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She didn’t really know what to believe and she just wanted to remember more now. Seeing her sad expression, Pascal continued: “Bella, what you did today is wonderful. Some people have never even remembered so much in the whole time they’ve been here. It seems you have an ability to remember things quicker than others, like Margaretha. No one has ever remembered so much in one session before! You have to be proud of yourself.” “You know what? What I remembered today was huge, but it only made me remember that I haven’t seen my family for five years and now I just miss them. In the end, I didn’t learn anything new today, but I was able to remember who they are. A part of me feels really happy now, but another one also feels great pain from not being able to see them. I may sound ungrateful, but this is the way it is.”   “With time you’ll feel better, and you’ll remember today as a good day, I promise. Remember how you first felt when you remembered your abduction?” “This is different. When I remembered my abduction, I was scared by the newness and what it meant. There’s nothing new about my family; I’ve known about them for five years. Remembering them was emotional, and that’s what’s hurting. I don’t think that is a pain that can go away until I actually see them again.” “Bella you did well today, you should be proud.” “I’m sorry, I know I should be but I just can’t. I don’t think you can understand this.” Bella turned around and walked out of the office. She hadn’t wanted to sound so melodramatic, but in truth, no one really knew what it felt like, yet they all seemed to know how she should feel anyway.   Bella was only more and more frustrated as the week went on and everyone told her how great it was that she had remembered her family. The Smiths had been close to throwing a party, after they heard the news. Bella, on the other hand, was definitely not in the mood to celebrate; she had experienced these memories like the loss of something she loved so much. Jack had been thrilled and had called her lucky. It was strange how she felt far from that. In group therapy, everyone had been excited for details about what she had remembered, and they made Bella an example for the whole group. Didn’t they understand this wasn’t just a game, where they had to pick up the missing pieces like in a puzzle? Her life was at stake here! How ironic that everyone but she had been pleased to find out how “successful” her hypnotherapy had been.   The following week, Bella didn’t feel motivated to do anything. The children at the association surely noticed it, though she didn’t even care anymore. Was it so bad of her to want to see her family again? In truth, nobody around her could understand what she was going through: they didn’t know the pain and the sorrow of being held away from the people she loved. How was it that in what she had remembered, there hadn’t been a single memory of the actual location of her town? It was a kind of ironic twist of fate. Everywhere she looked, she could see happy people, with their families, complete. Even the other abduction victims didn’t seem so bothered by their situation: none of them had ever remembered anything significant enough to make them feel this way… except for Margaretha. Bella realized there was perhaps one person who could understand her situation. She had forgotten to ask her what she felt at the last group therapy meeting.   Bella didn’t want to have to wait a whole other three weeks to talk to Margaretha again and so, she decided to go and visit her. Margaretha lived in a house, covered in green paneling, along the main road of Strangetown, on the side of which was attached a small greenhouse, which was a floral shop, where she worked. It was somewhat unusual to have a flower shop in the desert, though it did come in handy when decorating. Bella walked into the greenhouse, making the door creak as she pushed it. The air inside was hot – hotter than the desert outside – and humid. Margaretha turned around at the sound of the door, from the bench she was working at, behind the counter, and smiled at Bella. Bella closed the door behind her and walked forward, to talk to her.   “Bella, how are you?” “I’m fine,” Bella answered neutrally, without really meaning it, not wanting to waste time in small talk. “Look, I’ve been feeling pretty confused ever since I remembered all that stuff last week, and I just don’t think anyone really understands how I feel about this. I wanted to talk to you, because of how much you have remembered. Has there ever been a moment like this, where you just feel so sad and lonely without them?” “Bella, the more you remember, the harder it’ll be to live without it. You need solid ground to walk on to not lose track of reality. Don’t let your memories trouble you in your real life.” Margaretha said, contemplating an exotic flower in her hand. “But, what I’m remembering also is my real life!” “No, it’s the past. We cannot get the past back; it stays behind and we must move on.” Margaretha said harshly. “So, what, for you it’s just a nice story, something that doesn’t involve you?”   “I’ve been here for forty years Bella; I’ve had time to know what it’s like to be an abduction victim in Strangetown. You came to me, because everyone says I’m the one who has remembered the most. Let me tell you, right now, that you can use your past to find out who you once were, but you’ll never get back to it. Your life is here now, accept that.” “So, everyone is trying to get their memories back, and when they get it, it’s useless; is that what you’re saying?” “It’s not useless, but you’re only trying to remember things that are in the past and which will all be gone by the time you do.” “How can you know that, if you don’t go back?” “There’s no need to go back! Don’t you understand? It’s something, which is now over. You belong here, and you will end your life here.” “You’re crazy.” Bella said, taking a step back from the counter.   “There’s no way I’ve been doing all this, just for the sake of knowledge. I plan on leaving Strangetown as soon as I remember where to go.” “Bella, you know that I am the best placed person to tell you how to go on. This is how it’s going to be. It’s not a question of location; you know that perfectly well! You haven’t gone back, because you don’t know what you’re going back to. You may remember some parts of your past, but you’ll never really relate to it enough to actually leave here. In Strangetown, you have a stable life and you’re surrounded by good people. Why attempt to go back to something you only remember bits and pieces of, when you have everything you need here? The more time you wait, the more the life you had before is getting out of reach, the more the places and things you once knew are changing or disappearing. By the time you get your whole memory back, the only place you’ll be able to find your past in, will be your mind.”   “You’re wrong!” Bella said, taking another step back. “I know my family; they’re waiting for me!” “What do you know exactly?” Margaretha asked in exasperation. “Just because you’ve remembered a few moments, and feelings, you think you have it all figured out? There are forty-five years for you to remember! I was like you before; I hoped that with a few petty clues and a bit of luck, I would be able to get everything I wanted back. That’s not going to happen; you are going to stay here and life will go on. In twenty years, you’ll be standing at my place, advising another abduction victim.” “No, I won’t turn into who you are.” Bella said turning for the door. “Bella,” Margaretha called after her, in a calmer voice “You came here because you wanted answers. I know the truth isn’t easy, but that’s the way it’s going to be. I just wanted to warn you.”   Bella could see sadness etched on the woman’s face, and for the first time, she could see Margaretha wasn’t as youthful and energetic as she always seemed. Behind this calm and peaceful attitude was an old woman, pained by years of living in oblivion. “If I don’t really relate to them,” she started, coming back towards her, “then why is it so painful to think of them? Why do I miss them so much, that I can’t take it anymore?” “You have residual feelings of love, which have emerged from your memory recently. They’re still fresh and so it hurts not to be close to the ones you love anymore.” “These feelings, do they go away with time?” Bella asked. “No, you just learn to get used to them. Your heart will always ache from the loss. You need to face the reality that this abduction will have affected our lives forever, and that those who want to go back to what they had before, are going to have a brutal awakening, someday.”   “So, that’s it? There’s nothing to do to prevent this?” Margaretha shook her head. “How do you make it look so easy, as if you don’t really have any pain because of your past?” Bella asked, tears in her voice “I have come to accept that it’s something I can’t have, but I can only try to remember. With that in mind, you can try to take a positive attitude to life in this town. You just need to know it isn’t possible to have anything back. Once you accept that, you can really move on.” Bella shook her head in disbelief; she was not ready to accept that. “Get closure for good; that’s the only way you’ll be all right.”   Bella didn’t want to settle for a life in Strangetown. No, it would be unfair to her family to stay here. And why bother with all these forms of therapy if, in the end, it wasn’t going to be useful to her here? Margaretha had been right, though, in saying Bella hadn’t tried to go home, simply because she didn’t know what she was going home to. Bella didn’t want to have to wait forty years to figure that out, and to have nothing left to actually go back to. She realized that if she continued to wait for her memory to come back, it would be long before she ever saw her family again. She may not have known where to go, but it seemed that in any case, staying in Strangetown was not going to get her any closer to home. It was as if for the last five years she had been constantly procrastinating, waiting for a better moment to go back to Pleasantview. The truth was she couldn’t envision herself ever going back, if she continued living her life this way.   Though it was scary, though she didn’t know where to go, Bella decided there was nothing left for her in Strangetown. It was scary to imagine leaving the town she had lived in for five years, but there was also a sense of great liberty in it. It was bizarre to imagine that she hadn’t gone more than a few miles out of Strangetown since she had first arrived. It was as if she had been locally punished for being abducted. She didn’t know where she could go, but she needed to feel like she was doing something bringing her home, anything that wouldn’t leave her on the same path as Margaretha. Perhaps it was just the emotion of the moment, triggered by the memory of her family, or perhaps Bella had just reached her limit in waiting for an opportunity to go home to show up. Whatever it was that was making her feel and think this way, Bella decided she had to leave Strangetown, without waiting any longer.   Everyone tried to talk Bella out of her hasty and impulsive project. Jack tried to reassure her, saying he’d wanted to leave dozens of times, but the technology to get their memories back only existed in Strangetown. Jenny tried to reason with her, telling her how she wouldn’t know where to go, and she’d end up in a bad situation. Nervous was perhaps the most comprehensive of her friends: “I know what it’s like to not be able to go where you want, so I won’t hold you back.” he said, with a look of great sadness on his face. “I just want you to know that if you do leave, I’ll be very sad, and I’ll miss you.” Ironically, he had perhaps been the most effective one in convincing her to stay. But even Nervous’ words weren’t enough. Bella was tired and needed answers.   Bella made her decision very quickly, and was packed up to leave the day after her conversation with Margaretha. Jenny said it was absurd, that she should take time to plan this out properly, and to allow them to say goodbye. “I don’t know where I’m going, so I can’t start planning this out. I won’t be more ready tomorrow then I am today, so there’s no point in me staying here any longer.” she said with finality, as they all came to see her off – though really trying to hold her back – in front of her house. “As for goodbye, this isn’t it. Everything I have in my current life is still here, so I will be back. Don’t worry; I won’t forget any of you. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but eventually, I’ll return. I just need to get out of this closed environment, see some new places, and refresh my mind and thoughts.”   It took everyone a few minutes to say goodbye and to try to convince Bella to stay a bit more. Bella then put her girls in the backseats of her car, got in the driver’s seat, and drove off. She tried not to look back, as she drove away from her house, where her friends remained, waving at her. She was leaving Strangetown; it was something no one had done for fifty years. Iris and Hermione hadn’t asked questions, as Bella had told them they were leaving. They probably didn’t even really understand what was going on. She was just thankful she had them to stay by her side no matter what. She had no idea where she would go, where this road would lead them, but she felt that driving away from Strangetown, meant getting closer to her home, wherever it was.   Tears formed in her eyes, and ran down her cheeks, as she continued to drive. Strangetown was getting smaller and smaller, and Bella felt a part of her want to turn back. She had to continue, she knew it was the only way she could get things moving, but it wasn’t easy to leave behind the place that had been her home for five years. The Smiths drifted into her mind, and Bella thought about how good they had been with her, from the start. They had such great hearts and were wonderful friends. And there was Jack, who had been her guide during all these years, showing her how it was possible to build a life in Strangetown. Bella thought of the irony of all that, now that she was leaving. She couldn’t bear to think of Nervous’ face, as she had been leaving. It had been so heartbreaking to see him like that.   Bella stopped the car in the middle of the road. It was a straight, empty road, with no cars rolling on either side; Bella was completely alone. She leaned on the wheel for support, torn between moving forward and going back. If I go back, I’ll never know. I’ll never get the chance to try. Bella silently sniffed, not wanting the girls to realize she was crying. She took a few deep breaths and tried to think of her family, and the few pictures of them she had seen in her mind. They need me. Bella slowly pressed on the gas peddle, and the car started moving forward again. She passed the road leading off to La Fiesta Tech, the furthest point she’d ever been so far. Strangetown disappeared from view over the horizon; she was off.   The desert road was endlessly straight, and seemed to lead to nowhere and still Bella pressed on. There wasn’t a single sign of habitation for miles and miles. It didn’t turn once, and she just hoped she would find something on it before the end of the day. The afternoon desert sun penetrated through the windows and made the car air heavy and stifling hot. Bella made sure to stop every now and then, to get a bit of air and to have the girls drink some water. She started getting a bit worried after a couple of hours, as she continued to drive and she still hadn’t seen any place that witnessed of human presence, other than this road.   Finally, Bella saw some constructions off in the distance, after over three hours of driving. Her heart leapt as she finally saw a new mark of humanity. She could see now, why people had said Strangetown was isolated: three hours of driving were necessary to reach another community. For the first time in five years, Bella was going to be able to meet new people, who didn’t know about aliens, or abductions, or memory technology. The road home surely wouldn’t be easy, but at least, she was taking a step forward. She accelerated, holding her breath, anxious to know what was in this town. But as she approached, something wasn’t right.   She first noticed two tall radio towers in the distance, and then a field of wind turbines and closed water reservoirs. As she got closer, she saw a large circular hill on the left, with a house perched on top. Bella suddenly halted the car, scaring her daughters in the back. Her jaw dropped. She had driven right back into Strangetown.   Bella stopped the car again; her blood was pumping furiously through her veins in her temples. How was this possible? She had been driving on that straight road for hours, without turning once. Yet, she had left Strangetown by the south, and she was now reentering it by the north. She searched her mind, making sure she had not turned a single time throughout the whole ride. This didn’t make sense; how was it possible?   She started driving again, slowly, watching the town get closer like some strange dream. It seemed so surreal and impossible; Bella couldn’t understand what had happened. She crossed town again, seeing everything she had hoped to be far away from that night. She drove back to her house and parked the car. She let her daughters out and took them back inside. Everything was as she had left it.   Bella felt so confused after the long drive, she didn’t know what to do. Everyone expected her to be far away now, and here she was, back in her house. The girls ran off to their room, glad to get away from the hot and boring car. Bella walked into her room and closed the door behind her distractedly. She leaned back against it, looking for some kind of support. Her legs gave away, and she slowly descended to the floor, curling up at the doorstep. She started crying, letting out the overwhelming emotion that had laid over her, since she had realized she was back in Strangetown. Nothing made sense anymore! She felt like the forces were against her. She hadn’t expected to see her family anytime soon, but she had at least had hope that she was getting closer. Now she was back at the start.   Bella stayed on the floor for over twenty minutes, unable to get herself back up. She then pulled herself together and went to shower the day off, still lost in confusion. By the time she got out it was late afternoon. She looked out her bathroom window; the desert stretched out to the horizon for miles, just as she had seen it all day long. She felt lonely, and cut off from the world, as if she was locked up in this prison that was Strangetown. Even when she had the possibility to escape it, she was not able to. Something was wrong about this place. Bella could no longer stand this interior monologue going on in her mind, trying to explain what had happened. She needed to talk to someone about it, someone who knew the town and could give her an explanation. She decided to head off to Jenny’s, thinking she would need to tell her she was back anyway.   Iris and Hermione complained about leaving the house again. The trip had tired them and, even though they weren’t really aware of what was going on, they were noticing Bella’s attitude, and they didn’t like it. They had always preferred it, when their mother had just been normal and grounded. Bella walked to Jenny’s house, climbed up the front steps and knocked energetically on the door. She heard footsteps from inside and someone came to open. Jenny gasped in surprise as she saw Bella and her daughters waiting on the porch. She immediately hugged Bella and seemed very relieved. “You decided to turn back, thank God! I was so worried: I knew no good would come of it.”   Jenny pulled Bella inside, smiling fondly at the twins as they walked in behind her. The girls marched off to the den, where Jill was reading; her presence was much more appealing to them at the moment, than that of their mother. Jenny walked into her kitchen and started asking Bella if she wanted anything to eat or drink, though she poured two glasses of iced tea, without waiting for an answer. She asked if Bella wanted to sit down, but only then noticed she still hadn’t said a word. “I couldn’t leave.” Bella said, when Jenny questioned her with a look. “I know, this must be really hard for you, but you made the right choice. You know, with all that you’re remembering, I wouldn’t be surprised if you actually did get to go home sometime in the near…” “Jenny, you don’t understand. I wanted to leave, but it wasn’t possible.” “Yeah, I get it, I know this has been a tough week for you, but things are going to get better.”   “Jenny, stop.” Bella said suddenly. “Try to hear me: it isn’t physically possible to leave Strangetown.” “Bella, what are you talking about?” “I drove on that road for three hours, but I ended up right back where I started. There’s something here that doesn’t make sense.” There was a silence; Jenny didn’t seem to know what to say. “You know, Strangetown is really isolated, perhaps that road just ends up turning back around Strangetown, so that it just continues.” “No, Jenny, I didn’t turn once. That road is straight for miles, and miles… it just seems endless.” “Bella, you know what you’re saying is absurd! It just doesn’t make sense! That road must be a really big circle, so that it looks like a straight line but it isn’t really.” “I’m telling you, I didn’t need to turn once. Even if it was a big circle, I would still have to turn every now and then to stay on the road. I mean, I literally didn’t touch the wheel.”   “Bella, what you’re suggesting is simply not possible. I mean, look at the Earth, for instance: Even if you go in a straight line forever, in the end, you’re right back where you started.” “What are you saying; that I turned around the Earth in three hours? That we’re actually on another planet?” Jenny rolled her eyes at Bella. “Look, I know you feel like the world is against you, whenever it comes to your family and your past, but please don’t start speculating about this.” “You could drive on that road right now and you would see that I’m telling the truth.” “Bella, I’m not saying you’re lying, but there’s obviously an explanation for what happened to you. I mean, I know it’s strange, but if the road doesn’t turn at any moment, then what do you think is going on?” “I don’t know, but I just feel like something isn’t right here…” “The important thing is that you’re back home. When you’ll be ready to leave, which I’m sure you someday will be, we’ll see what the road to take is.”   Over the following week, Bella tried to do as Jenny said and to let go of the endless road problem. She told all her other friends she had decided to turn back, not wanting to share her speculations with them, and they were just glad to see her home. A part of her wanted to sink back into her previous routine and not have to worry about complicated things that seemed out of her reach. Yet, her curiosity had been peaked by what had happened, and now that she remembered her family, she knew things would never be the same in Strangetown, ever again. She started spending her free time trying to remember more things about her family, but it always ended up in her own fantasies, rather than reality. Answers were impossible to come by alone. Bella tried to reproduce the effects of her hypnotherapy as she fell asleep again, but with no success. She was so frustrated to now see each day go by, without being able to do anything more for her family.   Thankfully, a new hypnotherapy session came around the next week and Bella wanted to be sure to get as much results as the previous time. She felt like she now understood the technique; she knew what she had to do. Pascal tried to warn her, there were chances she would be unsuccessful again, but she wouldn’t have it. “I don’t know why, but I can just sense that I know how to do this, now.” she told him. “Last time didn’t happen by luck; I had the proper concentration and determination. I just need to get that right again and everything will be fine.” “Okay, I hope you’re right.” He returned to the observation room behind the window, and Bella started preparing herself for this new experience. She felt as if she was actually going to be able to see her family again, in a few minutes, even though she knew it was only in her mind. She didn’t want to fail them.   Bella waited for the usual countdown and uncomfortable sensations to end, and then she was projected out of her body at the speed of light. On Dr. Auster’s mark, she materialized the white room with the black stairs and without even waiting to be asked to do so she went up the stairs again. “Bella, try to focus on whatever you can, to get back into the dream-memory state” Pascal’s speaker reminded her. She continued to climb up the stairs, trying not to give into their power. They were so strong, pushing her away, shielding her from her memories. If all of this is in my head, Bella thought, then, these stairs are only difficult to climb because of me. I’m subconsciously trying to hold myself from the truth Bella felt more confident, knowing that only she was in power. Mortimer drifted into her mind, as though he were calling for her not to give up. She doubled with effort and concentration, not wanting to give in to these stairs. She needed to be victorious.   The light surrounded her, and Bella knew she had succeeded. She let it fill her, carry her away. She felt like she was floating, and she just abandoned herself to the movement, knowing that in a few moments she could see her family again. Her heart was racing in anticipation. When the light cleared, Bella found herself standing in the Goth manor foyer. Mortimer walked in and closed the front door; he was dressed so elegantly. “That was a wonderful evening.” he said, smiling at Bella. “I’m going to have to ask Michael to take Alexander a little more often.” she said, smiling back.   Mortimer led her by the arm to the living room, and they sat down on the loveseat in front of the fireplace. “What time is Cassandra coming home?” he asked her, holding her in his arms. “In a few hours.” Bella whispered with a smile. Mortimer held her closer and kissed her, not lightly like before, but with passion. Bella didn’t want to let go. She wanted to stay in this moment forever. Why couldn’t she just stay here, in this world, instead of going back to Strangetown? At least here, she could be with them, and not have to worry about it. As she enjoyed their kiss, Bella realized she could let the memory with Mortimer take place like before, and end her hypnotherapy disappointed like the last time, only craving to spend more time with her family, or she could look around this world for real clues that would actually help her go home.   “Mortimer, I don’t have a lot of time.” she said, breaking from their kiss. “Someone’s in a hurry.” Mortimer said with a mix of surprise and amusement on his face. “No, it’s not that.” she lightly laughed. “I don’t have a lot of time before I have to leave again.” “You don’t have to go anywhere, just stay here.” Mortimer whispered. “I wish that were true.” she replied sadly. “Bella, you worry too much. Just let life take its own course and you’ll see where it goes. Your stars may have answers but they’ll give you no solutions.” “What stars?” she asked in confusion. Mortimer put a finger to her lips. “No more questions; just let go of everything.” For a moment Bella did as she was told, and let herself sink into his arms. How good it felt to be embraced by him, with no worries! But yes, she did have worries: this wasn’t going to last.   “Mortimer, it’s been five years.” she said, pulling away. “I know, love. Enjoy the moment.” “No.” Bella sighed, now getting up from her seat. “This isn’t enough. I can’t spend a few minutes with you, once a month, and call myself satisfied. Mortimer you’re my husband, I need to be close to you everyday and to Cassandra and Alexander as well.” Mortimer rose from the couch and took Bella in his arm, hushing her. “I know; it is hard.” he said, before kissing her again. As he pulled away, Bella held him back, wanting to stay close to his face. She looked directly into his eyes, their noses just inches away from each other. “I want this to be real, Morti. Everything seems so real; I wonder how it can’t be. Is this all really in my head?” “It can be real if you choose it to be.” Mortimer smiled   “Mortimer, I need something more. I want to come home, but I don’t know how. I need an answer, something that’ll help me actually get back to you. Tell me where we live and how to get there.” “Bella, you know that even if I do tell you how to come home, you won’t be able to. You saw how the road wouldn’t let you out of Strangetown. You know, you won’t come home that way.” Bella gasped and pulled Mortimer closer to her, wanting to remember what every inch of his body felt like. “I’m scared. If I can’t leave here, how can I ever see you again?” “Search your memory for what you still haven’t remembered.” Bella looked into his eyes, questioningly. “I can’t help you, you know that. But you can find an answer upstairs.” Mortimer said, before pulling out of their embrace. “Mortimer, what do you mean?” Bella asked, desperate not to leave with only partial and cryptic answers. Mortimer said nothing, but took her by the hand and led her back into the entrance.   He stopped at the foot of the steps and gestured at them. “You know I can’t come with you. You’ll have to go alone.” he told her. “Up there?” Bella asked. “Yes, go and maybe then you can find us. Good luck and I’ll hopefully see you soon.” Mortimer began to walk away. “Mortimer, wait!” Bella called after him.   She caught him by the hand and spun him around. With all the love in her, she kissed him, throwing herself into his arms, making sure she would never forget this moment. She kissed him and he kissed her back, his arms now embracing her sensually and protectively. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter to Bella anymore. She just wanted to love Mortimer and feel loved, without caring about the physical world that separated them. At the same time as she was remembering what it felt like to kiss Mortimer, she missed his kiss, wanting it to last forever. Maybe if their love was strong enough, they would just be reunited, Bella hoped dreamily for a moment. Eventually, Mortimer pulled away, slightly out of breath and dazed. “I need to go now.” he said, his eyes lingering on Bella’s face, as if he were trying to take in every single detail. “Mortimer, I’m scared, please stay with me a little longer.”   “Bella, the longer you linger, the more time it will take for you to come home. You need to be strong for us: you are the only one who can reunite us again, we’re all depending on you.” “If you’re trying to relieve me of some of the pressure I’m feeling, you’re not doing a very remarkable job.” Bella smiled weakly, though tears were forming in her eyes. “I know; I’m terrible at that.” Mortimer said, caressing her cheek. “Now, go on, and be strong.” he said, pushing her towards the stairs. Mortimer started walking away, but turned his head back for a moment. “Goodbye, love.” he said, walking out the door, and leaving Bella alone in the foyer.   Bella shivered with sobs for a minute after Mortimer had left. She felt alone and scared, not knowing what she would find upstairs. The front door remained open and Bella knew she had the choice to follow Mortimer out and spend the rest of her time in the dream state with him. “No, I must be strong for them.” she said out loud, repeating Mortimer’s words. She slowly started walking up the Goth manor steps, exploring her old home. The first floor landing was deserted, but to the right, Bella recognized the door to her bedroom. She longed to go back inside, to sleep in the same bed with Mortimer as husband and wife, but she knew she couldn’t, not today. She knew Mortimer wanted her to go higher still, and so Bella climbed to the attic.   The attic was a small room, and the last floor of the Goth manor. As Bella reached it, it was flooded with bright and warm daylight. The walls were lined with bookcases, shelves with jars and dried herbs. More books and plants were laid across the wooden floor, and the balmy air smelled of amber and flowers. In the middle of the room was a long table, with a few more dusty books and jars. On the other side of the room was a small group of people. Bella could indistinctly hear their voices, and the windows behind them made only their silhouettes visible to her. She crossed the room to get a better look at them.   As Bella approached she saw there were three people in the room: two women, one of them was pregnant, and a little boy with dark black hair; Bella recognized him as a very young Mortimer. He looked unsure of himself and perhaps a bit scared. Bella now realized that the woman who wasn’t pregnant was Mortimer’s mother, Cornelia. She was holding a wooden bowl with many flower petals inside in one hand, while passing her other hand through them, singing a soft, melodious whisper. Bella now turned to look at the pregnant lady; she looked so familiar, Bella’s mind was racing for an answer. “Mother!” she gasped, suddenly recognizing her own mother, Jocasta. If this woman was her mother, then surely, that was her, Bella, who she was carrying. Bella looked at this strange scene, not able to understand what was happening. Was she inventing this? Technically, if she wasn’t born yet, this couldn’t be a memory. Yet, Bella felt there was some truth here, as if Mortimer had given it to her.   Cornelia lowered the bowl, and gave the others a knowing look. Mortimer and Jocasta both placed a hand in the bowl, and Bella noticed her mother wrapped her other hand around her pregnant belly. “It is declared today, that my son, Mortimer, and your daughter, Bella, are united through alchemical bonds for life, as wanted by the oracles, for the continuation of us, Alchemists.” Cornelia said solemnly. Jocasta repeated the same words. They put the bowl down on the table and Cornelia lit a candle, and put it in Mortimer’s hand, and guided the flame towards the petals. The flowers ignited slowly, and flames soon recovered them like a soft blanket. They didn’t seem to burn, and cripple, but just to support the glowing fire. What did this mean? Bella felt this had truly happened, even though she hadn’t been there to see it. She didn’t understand this ceremony and what it meant, but it had seemed important to Mortimer that she see it. Had Cornelia not spoken of “Alchemists”?   Alchemy! The word hit her so suddenly she felt like she was stumbling backwards, and the attic of the Goth manor disappeared from around her. Sudden flashes of her past emerged in front of her eyes. She was sitting in the garden with her mother, learning about the different flowers. She was in class, and Mortimer’s voice was filling her head, whispering sweet words to her. She was under an arch, covered with white roses, and Mortimer was kissing up her arm. Kids in the schoolyard were pointing at her, calling her a witch. She was looking at the stars through a telescope on the manor roof, and making notes on a chart… So many memories were flooding her mind, so quickly that Bella was saturated with information and couldn’t think of anything else. It was as if a door holding back a part of her memory had opened in her mind, and now all her recollections were falling out of it, making her remember it all… but she didn’t understand it.   Her fall ended as she landed back into her body, back in the hypnotherapy room. Bella gasped, as she woke up, as if she had been holding her breath the whole time. Her face was wet with the tears she didn’t know she had cried. She was back in Strangetown. Already she could see Pascal moving in the room behind the glass. He was going to come and talk to her, while she wanted to be alone with her thoughts and figure out what she had just remembered. “Bella, you are my angel!” he said, pushing the glass door. Didn’t he see she was tired and not in the mood to talk? “Thanks to you, I finally feel my memory recovery technology is working! Well, I should really say our technology, but Vicund and Lazlo aren’t here, so I’m going to enjoy this.” he laughed. Bella wiped her tears, and hoped that if she said nothing, Pascal would just stop talking as well. Unfortunately, Pascal was too happy with the success of the session to actually realize Bella was troubled.   “You are amazing, I really mean that. It seems you remembered quite a lot of stuff again. Why don’t we go back to the office now, and you can tell us all about it?” “Pascal,” she started with a strained voice, “can we not do the whole debrief thing today?” Pascal doubled back and his face fell. “Oh, but you have to tell us what happened; this session seems to have been very productive and it would be a shame not to analyze it.” “I know, just not today, please? I need time to figure out what I just remembered.” Pascal looked at Bella, and for the first time he noticed she wasn’t sharing his joy. He sighed, but he understood. “Yeah sure, sorry.” “It’s okay, I just need to think things over.” Bella didn’t want to wait any longer, for small talk and goodbyes. She got up from the chair, and left the room. She picked up her things in the vestibule outside, and courteously waved at Dr. Auster through the glass window as she left.   Bella walked out of the hospital, in deep thought about what she had seen in hypnotherapy, trying to find some meaning for it. She walked to Jenny’s house, where the twins were, while she was in hypnotherapy. She arrived at the front door, but couldn’t bring herself to knock. This is crazy… But it’s true, I know it is… Should I tell her? What would I say? What am I going to tell anyone?... It can’t have been a replacement figure… But how did I remember it? And how did Mortimer help me? Was it real? Unable to stand the inferno of her own head, Bella reluctantly knocked on the door, and waited for someone to come open.   As she expected, Jenny opened the door with her usual smile. However, it quickly disappeared when she saw Bella’s face. Jenny didn’t need any explanations, and knew there was only one reason Bella could be looking so horrible. “Oh God…” were her first words. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked straightforward. Bella opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. She had no idea where to begin, and how to even start telling Jenny what she had seen. Jenny sighed and put her hand on Bella’s arm. “Come inside.” she said. Bella hesitated to enter, because she knew it meant telling Jenny everything, and she wasn’t sure she could do it. Jenny looked into her eyes comfortingly, and tightened her grip on Bella’s arm. “Come on.” she said softly, pulling Bella inside.   The twins were sitting in the living room, watching television, completely unaware of what Bella was feeling. Usually when Bella arrived, they knew it was time to go, and they started shuffling on the couch, looking at her with puppy eyes as if to ask for more time. “Girls we’re going to stay here a little while.” she told them. They both smiled happily, before going back to being absorbed by the TV screen. “Not in front of them.” Bella told Jenny quietly. Jenny crossed the room and opened the sliding door to the back deck. Bella followed her nervously; unsure of what she was going to say.   The air outside was dry and warm, but it was windy. Jenny took a few steps on the deck and turned around to look at Bella. “Are you going to want to sit down for this?” she asked. “I’m fine standing.” Bella said shortly. “So, what happened?” There was a silence, during which Bella searched for words. Jenny could see her trouble to talk, and frowned. “Bella, what’s going on?” “I don’t know how to say this… It isn’t easy, really.” “You can tell me anything, you know that.” “Yeah… You remember the day you told me about my abduction?” “Of course” Jenny replied, surprised by the reference. “This is going to be a little like that, except we’ve changed places.” “Okay…” Jenny said in an unsure voice.   “I’m a Witch.” Bella said quickly. It was an eerie moment, as if she was hearing herself say it. There was silence that followed her words, in which Jenny looked confused. “Bella… what?” “I know this is strange, but I was born in a family of Alchemists… and so was Mortimer! Our parents knew each other before we were born, and that’s how we met….” “Bella, what are you talking about? What are alchemists?” “I know there’s a lot I need to explain; this really isn’t easy. Basically, I’m a witch… but I’m not evil!” she added hastily, in a childish manner. “Bella… I just…” “I know; I know it’s hard to understand…” “Understand? What do you mean understand? This isn’t about understanding! This is about you falling on your head!”   “Jenny, I know you tend to think all these things I say are just my imagination but I need you to trust me on this.” “Bella, you don’t get it! I’m still expecting you’re going to tell me this is a joke of some sort. I mean it is, isn’t it?” Bella didn’t answer right away, and a strange smirk appeared on her face. “Now, you know how I felt five years ago.” she said. “This isn’t the same as five years ago!” Jenny exclaimed. “Of course it isn’t! Now I’m the one who’s saying something strange.” “Yeah but… Bella, this is just absurd! It must be another replacement figure!” “No, it definitely isn’t! I’m willing to accept Dina was a replacement figure, because, well it makes sense that way, but this is my life, I know it! You know how I always felt there was something I was missing from my past? This is it; this is what I was missing!” “So what are you saying? You turn people into frogs? You make potions?”   Bella laughed as Jenny spoke. “No, of course I don’t turn people into frogs! Magic not about petty things like that, like you would see in a cartoon…” “Well then what? What is it?” “The best way I can define it is that Magic is a way of life. It’s a huge part of my life; it’s almost incredible I didn’t know about it before. A week ago, I thought I knew my past well enough to go home, but I was wrong.” “Bella, if this really was so huge, then why isn’t it mentioned in your journal?” Bella opened her mouth to answer, but no counterargument came. Jenny was saddened to see her friend so lost. “Maybe my journal just wasn’t the kind of place I wrote about that…” Bella said, not entirely convinced of what she was saying. “Bella…” Jenny started, on what seemed to be an almost apologetic tone.   “Look, just forget the journal for now. That’s not what’s important.” “Bella, what did the doctors say when you told them this?” “I didn’t tell them, for now. I didn’t want to talk about it in front of them just yet. I mean, I figured even in Strangetown, being a witch would be seen as bizarre. You’ve proven me I was right.” “Bella, I think you’re just confused right now…” “Seriously Jenny, you’re going to need to trust me on this right now. This isn’t a joke, or a lie, or a replacement figure. I remember this clearly as my own experience, and I need you to understand this is real.” “What is there to understand? You still haven’t told me anything, practically…” “I know, but I already need you to accept this, without explanations. I still need to figure this out a bit, to remember it all, but I know it’s true; there’s no doubt about that.” “Bella, you’re going to have to tell me something! You can’t just drop in here, tell me you’re a witch and then just ask me to believe you!” Jenny cried.   “Okay, you know how I like to gaze at the stars? That’s Alchemy: I predict the future based on the movement of the celestial bodies. You know how I like to take care of plants? That’s Alchemy: I use herbs and plants for their different properties to affect the mind and soul. There's a lot more, some parts I like more than others, but this is my life, I know it, I just don’t remember it precisely for now.” “Is it like magic?” “Well, yes we call it magic, though it’s not just spells and potions: that’s a manifestation of Alchemy on the physical level. Alchemy is a development of the body and the spirit, to a higher level than the physical. We do things that aren’t considered possible in the physical dimension” “Who do you mean by ‘We’?” “Well, we call Alchemists, all people who practice Alchemy. I’m part of a community called the Pleasant Alchemists, because we all come from Pleasantview. There are other groups, who also develop similar powers but differently.”   “And so how do you do what you do, if it’s not physically possible.” “Because, it doesn’t happen in the physical world.” Bella said. She was remembering it, at the same time as she was saying it. “Our power descends from another dimension: the Dream dimension.” Jenny’s face was wrinkled in confusion. “I know it’s all bizarre and difficult to understand but just try to hear me out. The Dream World regroups everything from the physical one, but it has more. It’s the place we go to in our dreams, at night. Naturally, you go there subconsciously, and you experience dreams there: which are really just a creation of your own mind in your subconscious. In Alchemy, you learn to go to the Dream World consciously and to see it in its truth. The world of our dreams is not just imaginary. Our imagination can influence it, yes, because the rules that govern that world are different, but it’s also a real place, Jenny.”   “Bella, are you and Pascal playing a joke on me or something? You sound like Pascal.” “No, this really isn’t a joke. However, I’ve come to realize that the techniques your brothers have worked on for memory recovery are largely based on the Dream dimension. The drugs they use send the patients into it consciously. You know how they’re saying I’m very good at remembering things? It’s because I already have training in the Dream World. I know it, and subconsciously, even when I didn’t remember it, I was able to use it like before. Sure, having forgotten it all did make me lose the power I had too. But in five years, it’s been rising inside of me, and now that I remember Alchemy I’m going to get it all back.” “Bella I don’t think I understand.” “I’m not asking you to. I’m just asking you to believe.” “I’m not sure I can.” “Well, then please try, for me.”   There was a silence and Jenny looked at the desert around them, as if wanting to reassure herself that some things were still real and simple for her. “Bella this is just too crazy, even for you.” “I know it’s bizarre…” “It’s more than bizarre! Yesterday you were just the wife of a scientist, and a normal mother. Now, you’re an Alchemist, you’re talking about other dimensions…” “Look, the Dream World is the place you go when you sleep. You’ve already been there: you go there every night! You experience it in dreams, because you can create a world by mere thought, there. Since you go there unconsciously, all your thoughts are expressed in your dreams and you don’t actually see the Dream World in its reality. Once you learn to control your thoughts and to be conscious there, it becomes a real world, as real as the one we’re in now. You can meet other people there and communicate with them!”   Bella suddenly realized something. “Cassandra! When I saw her the other week it was so real: it happened in the Dream World, I’m sure of it! I saw her as well as she saw me… She must be so worried…” “Wait, what are you saying? You saw your daughter, for real a few weeks ago?” Jenny asked. “Yes, that was really her.” Jenny laughed in disbelief and took a few steps on the deck, looking into her backyard. “This makes no sense.” she said. “It makes no sense in the physical world. In the Dream World, you exist through your strength of thought: you can create and communicate with the power of your mind. When you become strong enough in the Dream World, you can learn to express your power in the physical world as well. That’s what we call magic: we’re able to reproduce the elements of the Dream World in this world as well.”   “So what can you do?” “Well, Alchemy can intervene at just about any level of life. I still don’t remember the techniques, at least not very well, but I think if I start training again it’ll come back to me.” Jenny sighed, looking away. “Hey, I’m still me, you know that. This isn’t going to change anything between us.” “I hope it won’t. Just try to settle back into your life here; things have been a little crazy these past couple of weeks.” “Will you tell your family?” “Are you asking me to?” “I would like them to know; I don’t want this to stay between you and me. I don’t want everyone in Strangetown to know, but this is such a big part of me, I need my friends to know it.” Jenny smiled. “I still can’t believe you’re a witch.” “You make it sound all fantasy-like.” “Well, it pretty much is, you know.” Jenny laughed. “Yeah, but not to me… this is my reality.”   Bella went home with her daughters that evening, but she didn’t tell them about their unusual heritage. She knew the time would come, when they would need to know, and they would learn Alchemy too. Bella still couldn’t remember the details of Alchemy, though she felt familiar with the notion, and the community. It had been her whole life before. Mortimer had said this was going to help her come home, and she wondered how. She imagined the best way to figure it out, was to regain all of her Alchemical power first, but she wasn’t sure how to do that. Her journal hadn’t contained any reference to Alchemy. Bella tried reading it again to make sure, but she didn’t even need to; she already knew it by heart. It was very strange; she was sure Alchemy was something she would have written about in her journal, yet she knew there was nothing. Perhaps the journal she had only kept track of her physical activities. Bella went to bed that night, thinking of what a strange week it had been.   She tried to project herself into the Dream dimension, like she had done previously, but was unsuccessful. Five years without any Alchemical activities had largely affected her abilities, and she would need to get it all back. Yet, being a natural Alchemist, her power had slowly accumulated in the past years and had been suddenly released a few weeks ago, allowing her to project, and see Cassandra. Bella was frustrated and confused. She knew Alchemy was real, and her projection into the Dream World had given her enough proof to know this wasn’t another replacement figure. She needed to put all her efforts into remembering more and being strong again. Mortimer had said it was the only way they could reunite.   The next day, Bella went back to Jenny’s with her journal wanting to explore the subject more with her friend. Overnight, Jenny had told Poli and her children about Bella’s special powers, and they were all there the next day to talk to her. They were all ready to accept what she was saying but they still had questions, and Bella didn’t blame them for it; even for her, some parts were still difficult to understand. Johnny greeted her by saying he thought it was “cool”, and that he would respect whatever she believed in. Jill mostly listened, and Poli was very interested in knowing more. Bella was just thankful that the Strangetown community was so open minded, due to all the strange things that happened there. Like aliens, and like Nervous, Bella’s power would probably soon be accepted, as well.   “I’m still very troubled about this journal.” Bella said, sitting at the table, after having explained to Johnny, Jill and Poli all the things she had told Jenny the previous day. “I’m just surprised I never wrote about Alchemy in here. I’m thinking that maybe I didn’t mention it in here, because I was afraid I would lose it or something. I mean, I always had this journal with me, so were I to accidentally leave it somewhere, people would then be able to read it, and I didn’t want them to know about Alchemy.” Jenny looked at her and shrugged. She was sitting across from her, reading some work papers from the hospital. “Look, I know you’re still inclined not to believe me, but this is true.” “Bella, if you say it is, then I believe you.”   “Maybe Alchemy was so big in your life that you didn’t need to write about it.” Johnny suggested, walking around the kitchen. “That doesn’t even make sense.” Bella frowned. “Sure it does! Maybe your journal is just about the smaller things in your life you needed to note down to remember, while Alchemy was just constantly present for you.” “Clearly, you’ve never kept a journal.” Bella smiled. “If it was constantly present in my life, it would have appeared, in one way or another, don’t you think?” “Hey, I don’t know. I’m just trying to find you an answer, here.” Johnny said, taking some bottles out of the refrigerator and juggling them. “Johnny, stop that!” Jenny said, looking up from her papers. “I’m trying to work here!” Johnny raised his eyebrows at Bella and they both smiled. Bella turned back to her journal trying to find some kind of hint to Alchemy.   “Listen to this, in my first entry,” she told them after a few minutes. “ ‘ Morty regards Astrology and the rest as pseudo-sciences. Do you think I was talking about Alchemy there. I mean, what was I referring to by all the rest? What do you think?” “I think you’re obsessing way too much over this.” Jenny sighed, and Johnny laughed. “Wouldn’t you?” “Yeah, I probably would, but I know it’s unhealthy to obsess, which is why I think you need someone to tell you to calm down, you know? Let it rest a few days and let things come together.” “I can’t and I don’t want to. There’s something here and I need to explore it. In my hypnotherapy session yesterday, Mortimer said this was the way I’d be able to go home.” “If we’re going to keep doing this, I think I’m going to need some coffee.” Jenny said, getting up. “You want some?” “Sure” Bella said, getting up, as well, to help her.   “Well who knows what you did when you were a witch?” Johnny said walking out of the kitchen backwards, to keep facing the two women, while they started heating water and taking mugs out of the cupboards. “Maybe, as a witch, you didn’t want to write about your witch activities in your journal.” “I don’t know.” Bella sighed. Bella started measuring coffee grounds in a teaspoon, when she heard a crash back near the table. She turned her head and saw that Johnny, who had been walking backwards, had not seen the dining table and had bumped into it, making Bella’s journal and Jenny’s work papers fall to the floor.”   “Johnny!” Jenny cried in exasperation. “Have you regressed to your child self today?” “Sorry” Johnny mumbled, embarrassed. “Please pick everything up.” she said with a sigh. Bella continued to prepare the coffee, just hoping her journal was still intact. “Hey, guys?” Johnny called, bent over on the floor. “Johnny, you’re talking to two ladies.” Jenny said, decided on correcting her son’s attitude. “This is really strange.” he continued, ignoring his mother’s remark. “What is?” Bella asked, her curiosity peaked “Have you ever noticed that the paper from your journal is exactly like the paper from the hospital?” he said, turning around, holding Bella’s journal in one hand, and Jenny’s hospital papers in the other. “What do you mean? It’s just paper…” “Not around here, it isn’t.”   “Johnny what are you talking about?” Bella said, walking forward, to look at the papers he was holding out. “We make our own paper here in Strangetown. All the paper for the town is made in the chemistry building I work at. The paper from your journal has the exact same quality as the one we make…” “Aren’t all papers the same?” Bella asked “Each factory makes paper with a unique quality. This journal is from Strangetown.” “What are you suggesting?” Bella asked, confused. “I don’t think this is your journal…” Johnny said, sounding worried by his own words. “No!” came Jenny’s voice from behind them. “I’m sorry, but this is too much! I mean first you say that the road is endless, and then you say you’re an Alchemist, and now you’re going to tell me your journal isn’t real?” Jenny said, looking at Bella. “I’m not the one who said it…” Bella replied, looking at Johnny for help. “Mom, this is a fake.” he assured her.   “It’s fine. It’s a journal.” Jenny said, taking her work papers from Johnny’s hands, as though it would end all speculation. “It would explain some things.” Bella said. “I mean, in a way it would make sense.” “What part of this is supposed to make sense? The world is not against you Bella. I’m sorry, but you’re going too far with all of this, you need to stop obsessing!” “Jenny, something is not right, here, you need to see that!” “And you need to see that…” Jenny stopped talking. “That?” “That if what all you’re suggesting is true, then we’re really caught in the middle of something bad.” “I already am caught in the middle of something bad!” Bella shouted. “And I’m not going to close my eyes and live in denial, just because the truth is too scary to look at.” Jenny looked scared, and Bella knew she didn’t want to see her peaceful family life disrupted. She felt partly guilty, because she was the one causing all these problems. “How can we know for sure if it is a fake?” she asked Johnny.   “Well, I’m already pretty sure it is. You see how the ink sort of gleams when you put it in the light? That shows it was printed. If this was hand written, the ink would be absorbed by the paper” “I don’t get it, this doesn’t look printed; that’s my handwriting.” “My guess is that someone took your real journal, copied the pages onto a computer, and took out some parts they didn’t want you to see, and then printed this out.” “But we found Bella with her journal, you remember that! We gave it to the hospital and they were the only ones who had it when Bella didn’t!” Jenny exclaimed. “Then there’s someone at the hospital who has been messing with Bella’s journal and who doesn’t want her to know about Alchemy.” “Johnny, how sure are you about this?” Jenny asked him, as if pleading him to tell her it wasn’t true. “I’m very sure. But I’m going to run some tests to make sure; there’s no fooling tests. In the meanwhile, you can’t tell anyone at the hospital about this.” he warned the both of them.   Bella needed patience over the next few days as she waited for Johnny’s test results. In a few weeks her pleasant and mundane town life had turned into something suspicious and strange. She still didn’t know what everything meant, but she knew something wasn’t right in Strangetown. She tried to focus her energy on her youth association. Even though she felt like finding more answers about her past, she knew she needed to let things take their own course for the following days. She looked at the kids that surrounded her during the day and wondered what kind of future was possible for them in