The rabbit arrived with a piece of paper secured around its neck. My father drew a detailed map with instructions on what to bring. The ritual would take place tonight at the moon's peak hour. There wasn't time to waste. I hurriedly told Dilara and Rose about the matter, only that we needed to leave within ten minutes.

I immediately went straight into my room packing all the items I would need. My heart was pounding as I stuffed books, candles, and jars of salt. I strangely felt excited. Maybe nervous too. I felt like a hundred years passed and I was being let out to go home. I wished my mother and Matias were here—even my grandmother. I wished we all could've been going home together.

But my destination is not with the dead tonight, it is at Our Lady of Sorrows. My father waits there.

*****

Walking through the cold, dark, and muddy forest was a lot more difficult than we imagined. Trying to locate an abandoned church in the middle night with only relying on Dilara's fire-tipped fingers to guide us through the night sucked. We stumbled upon rocks and branches more than we would have liked. Rose was constantly tripping every two minutes and growing aggravated. But I couldn't ask Dilara to summon a stronger fire or it would alert other witches and warlocks nearby of our presence. Dilara assured me if any supernatural creature did feel our presence they would think a witch was cooking.

So we walked, hugging ourselves with no moon in sight. I quickened my pace since it had been an hour since we'd been walking in this damn forest. Every tree, rock, and plant looked the fucking same. It felt like we were going in circles.

"Could you make the fire bigger? I'm not getting any warmer over here." Rose shouted for the tenth time.

And I repeated. "You'll get warmer if you walk faster." She fell behind last and continued to complain under her breath. "It's like thirty degrees and we have been walking for more than an hour. My feet are cold and sore. Why am I even here?" she grumbled.

I halted my steps and sharply faced Rose as she came to a full stop. She gulped. "What?" My eyes narrow and Dilara shoots me a cautious gaze.

I'm not going to yell or bite her head off, although I would like to. Rose sniffed and hugged herself closer. In the flickering movement of Dilara's thin flames, I caught sight of her red nose. It wasn't entirely the cold wind's doing. In my sleepless nights, I would hear her cry, calling for her mom. I couldn't give her mother back but she can live her life again.

I swallowed, biting my tone down. "You're here because we're going to remove Lena." Her hazel eyes widened. "Unless you don't want to remove her then you can live the rest of your life permanently sharing your body with her until she decides she had enough of you." Fear strikes in her eyes as she imagines it. "So, what do you want? To be warm or to be free?" I asked.

It doesn't take that long for Rose to make her decision. She pushes past me and leads the trail. Much better. I look over at Dilara, meeting her questionable gaze. "What?" I said.

She raises a brow. "You could've said that more nicely."

I pointed toward the direction Rose went. "Maybe, but she is ahead of us now." She turns looking at her and at the same time, she moves her dancing flames to her face. My eyes catch a silver chain around her neck. She stretches her neck slightly revealing a skull looped through the necklace. I immediately recognize it.

Before she faces me again, I'm already looking at her as she says."We should catch up to her." I nodded as we started walking again. I couldn't see it anymore. The necklace was safely tucked in her shirt like a secret admirer.

Once we caught up with Rose, Dilara said, "Could I ask you something?" I nodded again.

She opens and closes her mouth hesitantly. "The other day when we were about to...die." she winces. "You said you came back because you needed to tell me something? What was it?" Oh, I didn't forget about that precious information. Although, I wanted Hans to be here. Watch them both squirm. Now, that's entertaining.

Then an idea came to my head. "Oh, it's nothing." Dilara shot me a glance of annoyance. "It's just something Hans mentioned." her eyes sparked with more curiosity than the flames on her fingers. "But I forgot you don't care. Unless you do?" I poked.

She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Please, as if that demon has anything useful to say. Forget I ever asked." She marched away as she matched Rose's pace. A faint smile played on my lips.

Dilara's pride was fragile and she was doing everything to redeem it. I don't blame her for not wanting to admit her feelings after having them trampled over and over again. It's not like Hans would ever admit his feelings either. His loyalty was stronger than his heart. He would never leave Grimm. He wouldn't let go of what he knew. I also understood him too.

I finally walked alongside Rose and Dilara. I noticed Dilara brought her fiery fingers closer to Rose, shivering less. I kept checking the map as we walked down the trail. If I was reading this correctly, we should've arrived at Our Lady of Sorrows long ago. But there was no church in sight.

I tilted my head back. The night sky was heavily obscured by gray clouds, it could rain any minute. The tall leafless trees didn't help either. With their claw-like branches ready to pluck us off the ground. Nothing in sight. Awful thoughts snuck into my head. What if my father had been caught? What if they took him? What if this was a trap? Uncertainty settled in.

I closed my eyes and inhaled as I tried to steady my senses. The sound of a river flowing nearby eased my mind a little. I opened my eyes and met Dilara's simmering fire. I couldn't keep making them walk forever. I cleared my throat, "I think we should—" A twig snaps.

Dilara and I look at Rose, but she raises her hands. "That wasn't me." No, it wasn't her. She hadn't moved.

I whipped my head and Dilara positioned herself behind me in a defensive stand. Rose pushed her body between us. Slow footsteps approach us. I lift my free hand with an incantation ready in mind. But as they grow nearer, the clouds part like a curtain being drawn away.

The Moon descends her pale blue light slipping through the branches and sweeping the ground.

A tall figure with surrendering hands stays close to the shadows until he speaks. "Mija?" My hand falls at my side and relief washes through me. The Moon illuminates herself further as my father steps out of the dark, her hue of blue grazes his cheekbone like a doting mother.

Dilara seizes her flames and faces him. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Del Luna." Rose exhales.

He drops his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said worriedly. "I should've sent you another message. But I was afraid they would find you." I briefly thought about the Parmagis of Oregon and how they managed to find me. Dilara side-eyed me. I know she wanted me to tell my father what happened, but I was nervous that if I told him right now he would run away.

Ignoring Dilara's stare, I looked at my father. "You came back." His brown eyes, the same as mine, are pained. 

It's only been a couple of days since I last saw him, and I'm still getting used to the idea of my father being alive. All my life my mother waited for him to come home, and when she died I waited for him too. He was either a dream or dead. I believed he was dead because when my mother spoke about him, the man she created would have never left his family.

But he was alive and was standing right in front of me again. That's all that mattered.

"Pequeña," he whispers. "I'm not leaving you. Ni una luna más." he promised.

I wonder if these were the same promises he gave my mother. I simply nodded, only focusing on the thought of being someone's daughter again. I missed it. I missed it so much. He tilts his head to the side, looking over my shoulder. "I see you brought another friend?" I glanced over at Rose and signaled her to come and mutely did.

I present her. "This is Rose." My father's brows knit together, assessing her. "She is human," he says.

I corrected him. "A possessed human." He raises his brows. "A spirit inhabits her body and she is getting closer to a collision. Their souls are becoming more tangled like a spider's web. I was hoping you could help her. Given your experience..." I trail off as I see my father's shocked face. 

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked.

He blinks rapidly, shaking his head. "No, no, you did nothing wrong." He then smiles. "It's just that you've been reading my books. And you managed to do a revelation spell on her? Without any problems?" I nod slowly. 

He had a glint in his eye, not made by the Moon or sadness.

It was the same look my mother gave me when I first controlled the spirits by myself. She was so proud of me. Before I could say anything, my father said, "Let's head inside. We'll tie you to the Moon first and then we will help your friend. Maybe tonight could be your first exorcism." He turns walking away.

Rose whipped her head in my direction. "Exorcism?" she squealed. "You didn't say there would be an exorcism." Shit.

I assured her. "It's nothing like what they show in the movies." Based on what I read and my father's drawings it was much worse than what they showed in the movies. The movies made it look tame.

Rose didn't look convinced either. The three of us walked over to my father. I was about to ask him where we were going when he came to a sudden stop and stretched his arms then pulled them back into a swift arc. Trees quiver and leaves rustle in. The air becomes damp and then ripples like an electrical shock. His magic came off strong and without warning. His fingers stretched towards the Moon as if he was asking for permission. The Moon gives her blessing.

Moonlight poured over to a neglected church. This was an unveiling.

The church didn't stand at what its height used to be. It seemed like it used to be a classic stone-walled church. But mold had eaten away at it. Layers of green vines sprawled all over. The three arched windows in the front were broken. No doubt the others were too. The double wooden doors were chipped and left ajared. But surprisingly, the cross was still on the roof.

Recovering from the shock, Dilara was the first to comment. "How did you hide it? Most concealed items with magical influence should at least have their presence felt. And I couldn't feel it. This is beyond the mastery of concealment." she said admiringly.

My father grins, appearing youthful for a moment. "Our connection with the Moon makes it possible for us to conceal what we want to hide, even from magical beings. This gift is only, but a small fraction of the Moon's power." He then wistfully says. "I once veiled a parrot on your father's shoulder. It kept calling him 'chulo' and he thought he was going crazy. Those were some good times."

Dilara let out a small laugh. "Poor baba." She sighs, her gaze becoming homesick. She would be with them soon. I intend to keep my promise.

My father climbed up the stone steps and followed after him. He held the door open for us when I suddenly started examining his clothes. They oddly looked ceremonial and familiar. It was a long black robe with a white tab collar around his neck.

I squinted. "Are those priest clothes?"

He seemed rather comfortable in them as if it weren't his first time wearing them. A warlock disguised as a priest. Strangely, it made sense how he got to perform exorcisms without any suspicion. My father pulls out the white collar, tossing it to the ground.

Rose whispers. "That can't be right."

But my father responds, "Far worse men have worn this clothing. Vamos." Rose remained quiet. We climb the stone steps and the door slams behind us with an echo of warning.

Nobody paid any attention to it.