“What’s your name?” the little girl asked Calla. “I am Mae-Mae, by the way. And this is my pet turtle, Isha.”

With a bit of hesitation, Calla also introduced herself, “Uhm… My Mama calls me ‘Calla’.”

“‘Calla’? Like the flower Calla Lily?”

Calla timidly nodded her head.

“What a pretty name!” Mae-Mae said. “It suits you. Hehe.”

“Th… Thanks…”

Suddenly, Isha crawled her way closer to the young Calla. “KRAAAAA~”

Still Ignorant of the creature, Calla jerked away out of fear.

“Don’t be scared. She’s a good turtle,” Mae-Mae assured. “I think she’s asking for a piece of bread.”

“KRAAAAA~”

Cautiously, the Young Calla handed over a piece of her food.

With slow and gentle motion, Isha nibbled the bread in Calla’s hand.

With curious eyes, Calla observed how the turtle ate the bread. Gradually, a smile formed on her face as she was getting fond of Isha’s gestures.

“She’s cute… but she’s big,” Calla uttered with adoration.

“We went here because Isha is finding fresh water to drink,” Mae-Mae narrated. She took a glance at the river, and with a disappointed face, she said, “But the river looks dirty. I think we’ll just search in other places.”

Calla had an idea. “I can create clean water,” she stated.

Mae-Mae tilted her head with confusion. “What do you mean?”

Calla didn’t explain further, she just proceeded with her idea; she clasped her hands to form a bowl, then she used a Word to manifest a potable water, “A… AQUA PURIFICA!”

Mae-mae's face brightened with amusement. “Wooaahh!! Magic!!” she uttered with excitement.

The turtle drank from Calla's hands, and after finishing the water, she gave Calla a look that seemed like she was thanking her. “KRAAAAA~”

Meanwhile, Mae-Mae’s mind was still occupied by the magic she witnessed. “How did you do that!?” she asked in a high-pitched tone, sparked with full enthrallment.

With limited knowledge, Calla did her best to explain everything to Mae-mae. She did that while demonstrating the Words again. “Uhm… I just say some words and water appears in my hands. I do this when I’m thirsty.”

“Woooow!” Mae-Mae uttered with fascination. “What else can you do?”

“Hmm… I can also create water in the air and make them fly…”

“That’s so cool! My Mama used to tell me stories about magical people. Are you one of them?”

“Uhm… I don’t know,” the young Calla answered genuinely and innocently. “But my Mama always tells me that I’m special.”

“I can see that!” Mae-Mae replied with a big smile. She went silent for a bit, as an idea formed in her mind. Moments later, she declared, “From now on, consider me as your best friend!”

Bright light shone and the perspective transitioned to another scene: Calla's sight was obstructed by something as if someone were covering her eyes. Moist air dampened her nose, and the background was filled with the noise of rushing water.

She heard a voice behind her. “No peeking! We’re almost there…” It appeared that Mae-Mae was guiding her somewhere.

“Where are we going, Mae-Mae?”

“Just one more step and…” Mae-Mae uncovered Calla’s eyes. “TADAAAAA!!!”

With eyes gleaming with excitement and a smile brimming with joy, Calla spotted a makeshift dwelling in the river bay.

Mae-Mae stated proudly, chin up and arms on her waist, “You said you don’t have a house. So I made you one.”

The improvised shelter was constructed from materials that a child could easily access: the pillars were made of twigs and branches, the roof was an old tarpaulin that was obviously stolen from a garage, and tattered rags were patched together to serve as the shelter’s bedding.

“Isha also helped me with that! Hehe,” Mae-Mae added.

“KRAAAA~”

While the shelter’s design may have appeared unsuitable for a sane person, it was enough to make an orphaned Calla jump up and down with joy.

The young Calla couldn't contain her happiness; she felt like her body would explode with bliss. All she could do was hug her friend. “Thank you so much, Mae-Mae!!”

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“Ehe. I told you, I’m your best friend.”

The light came in and the scene was changed.

“Where are we going, Calla?”

“Where almost there!”

The wind carrying a smell of lushness blew in their faces, dry light flashed through their faces as the sun peeked through the canopies, and dry leaves crackled under their feet as Calla and Mae-Mae treaded on a woody hill.

Calla was pulling her best friend’s arm; this time, she was the one dragging Mae-Mae somewhere. Behind them was Isha, arduously trying to catch up with the 2 girls.

They stopped in a spot where the trees and shrubs were dense. While Calla was filled with excitement, Mae-Mae was so exhausted that her loud breathing drowned out the whistling of the wind.

“Wait here!”

Calla left Mae-Mae behind and ventured into a bushy area. She crawled beneath the twigs as if she were looking for a buried treasure.

After minutes of searching, she uttered with satisfaction, “I found it!!”

The excited girl went back to where she had left her best friend, but her body froze when she saw the alarming scene she had returned to.

Mae-Mae was backed against a tree, her legs shaking, fear evident on her face. A juvenile wild boar was slowly approaching. Isha stood towering in front of Mae-Mae as if she were protecting her from the curious beast.

Sensing her friends in danger, Calla’s instinct kicked in. She chanted some Words and launched an offensive on the wild boar.

“PARTUM AQUA! AQUA IMPETUM!”

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!!

“Skweeeee!!!”

Water balls knocked out the boar.

Calla rushed to aid her trembling best friend. “Are you okay?”

Mae-Mae didn’t answer; her eyes were still fixated on the wild boar. Slowly, she moved her legs and went to examine the dying swine.

“Poor piggy. I think she was just curious of me,” Mae-Mae uttered with remorse.

Mae-Mae's words deeply affected Calla, filling her with overwhelming guilt. She felt saddened by her best friend's disappointment in her. Her eyes became glossy with tears.

Mae-Mae quickly noticed Calla’s disheartened spirit. She immediately changed the topic to uplift the mood again.

“Ah - uhm… You said you were going to give me something, right?”

And just like that, Calla's mood shifted back to excitement. “Uh-hmm!” she uttered with a smile.

Calla presented her gift to Mae-Mae: a fancy-looking headpiece. It was a headband made of brass covered with silver plating, adorned with precious gems. Though the item was old, the gems still shimmered in beautiful colors.

“Woooow! This is for me!?”

“Yup! Hehe.”

With adoration, Mae-Mae examined every part of the headpiece. “Where did you find this?”

“Uh… eh… I just found it somewhere…” Calla shyly answered. “Do you like it?”

“Of, course! It’s so beautiful!!” Mae-Mae wore the item on her head. “Thank you so much, Calla!” she uttered as she hugged her best friend.

The light flashed again, but this time, it was shorter, indicating that the next scene followed shortly after the previous one.

The young Calla opened her eyes, having just woken up from a deep sleep. Rain dripped on the tarpaulin roof above her, and the rag beneath was slowly getting soaked with water.

The morning was mellow as the drizzle outside. But her senses were completely awoken by another noise, entirely different from the sound of light rain.

BLAM!!! CRACK!!! BRACK!!!

Her shelter shook in intervals as if something or someone was deliberately destroying it.

Calla went outside to see what was happening. There, she saw 2 boys wrecking her little house, kicking and hitting it with stones and wood.

BLAM!!! CRACK!!! BRACK!!!

Calla yelled, trying to stop the kids from completely ruining her shelter. “Hey, why are you destroying my house!? My best friend made it for me!” Her voice was full of bewilderment, clueless of the boys' motive.

“You do not belong here! You’re a freak!” one of the boys shouted.

“Get away from this place!” the other uttered with angst.

With furious eyes, the young Calla warned the boys, “Stop it, or else!...”

Fortunately, Mae-Mae and Isha came to the rescue.

“What are you doing!? Stop that!” Mae-Mae shouted.

However, the boys were too persistent; they kept hitting the house, showing no sign of stopping until they completely demolished the shelter.

“Why are you doing that!? My best friend did nothing to you!” Mae-Mae uttered with disappointment, hoping that the boys would feel guilty.

“Why are you defending her? She’s a freak!” the boy responded.

“My father told me that she’s the daughter of a witch! She doesn’t deserve to live in our barrio!” the other said.

“I don’t care! She’s my best friend!” Mae-Mae yelled. “Stop that! Please!” she pleaded as she tried to pull the boys away from the half-destroyed shelter.

While all of these were happening, Calla was silently watching, slowly succumbing to fury.

“GO AWAY!” One of the boys shoved Mae-Mae, causing her to stumble and fall face-first onto the rocky floor, leaving a scar on her forehead. And to make it worse, the other kid kept throwing sticks at her.

This was the last straw for Calla; she was completely enraged. She aimed her hands at the 2 boys, and with gritting teeth, she chanted, “AQUA IMPETUM!”

Suddenly, streams of water sprung from the river and swirled around each of the boys. In a swift motion, the streams turned into water spheres, trapping the helpless kids inside.

Calla slowly lifted her hands. In sync, the spheres elevated from the ground, carrying the children in the air as they slowly drown.

Recovering to her feet, Mae-Mae witnessed how Calla slowly tortured the boys. With a voice filled with both terror and worry, she uttered, “Calla… You’re hurting them.”

Unfortunately, Calla wasn't responding; her mind was clouded by madness. Mae-Mae grew even more concerned when she saw the look in Calla's eyes - they were filled with murderous intent.

“Calla! Please stop! They’re drowning!!”

Isha helped by pulling Calla’s dress. “KRAA! KRAA!!”

With Calla not reacting to their pleas, Mae-Mae had to take drastic action. She dashed to Calla and slapped her face.

SLAP!!!

The smack disrupted the magic and forced Calla to snap back to her senses.

The water spheres burst, releasing the boys and dropping them to the ground. After catching their breath, filled with terror from their near-death experience, the kids cried out loudly. They scrambled away from the scene like frightened chickens.

On the other hand, Calla was also crying, feeling deeply guilty for her actions. “I’m soooorry!!!!” she whined.

Mae-Mae didn’t know how to respond. But seeing her friend in deep sorrow, all she did was hug her..”

Calla cried harder in Mae-Mae’s embrace. “Am I… Am I a bad friend?”

With a soft voice, Mae-Mae answered, “No… You were just protecting me.” However, fear could still be felt in her words.

The bright light came back, but this time it stayed for much longer. Gradually, it changed into a dark aura, accompanying it was a sense of ominous grief and horror.

Calla opened her eyes to a grim scene, the background blurred with shadowy smoke. But her gaze focused on one thing: her best friend standing in front of her.

Mae-Mae was in tears, and she was talking directly to Calla. “We… We can’t be friends anymore. My Mama told me you’re dangerous, so I need to stay away from you.”

“I… I thought we were best friends?”

“Not anymore! So, go away!!”

Abruptly, the smoke grew and clouded Calla’s eyes, completely covering her sight. Red bright lights appeared in front of her, bringing in a scorching sensation.

The situation became very chaotic as if the preceding memories became intertwined with each other. Voices from different people echoed everywhere.

“Can you teach me that?”

“Get her!!”

“That’s so cool!”

“KRAAAA~”

“You can have her…”

“I’m sorry…”

“YOU CAN NOT HIDE FROM US!!!”

“GO AWAY!!!”

FLIM!!!

The bright light appeared again, instantly, like a moon in a dark sky. It was so bright that it cleared the shadows from her eyes. The light continued intensifying until it covered her sight.

Then, all the preceding memories she knew began to replay like a film. Everything flashed before her eyes in a matter of seconds, up to the moment her consciousness returned to the present time.

“Are you back now, Dear?” Grace worriedly asked the dazed Calla.

With a rapid heartbeat and heavy breaths, Calla mumbled, “Y… Yes... I think so…”

“Are you okay, Calla?”

Calla didn't answer Triggs; she was still processing her uncovered memories. But when everything finally sank in, a wave of emotions flooded her overwhelmed consciousness.

Tears uncontrollably streamed from her eyes, and the only thing her mouth could utter was the word, "Why?..."