Derek lifts his chin as he takes a deep breath, then turns his attention back to Victor.“If I tell you, I’m dead.”
“You’ll be dead even if you don’t answer me.”Victor points to the stream.“What color do you see?”
Derek squints to see the stream Victor is pointing to.“It looks blue, I guess.”
“Then you’re safe. So, who’s after me?”Victor reiterates.
Derek takes a moment to answer.“Superior Florence Maryweather.”
Victor looks down at the bush. It doesn’t grow.“Florence Maryweather took her own life years ago.”
“You would think that. But she’s still alive. She fooled your grandmother, didn’t she?”Derek comments smugly.
Victor remains calm at Derek’s remark.“For some reason, I don’t want to believe you.”
“You shouldn’t believe him.”
Victor and Derek look around to see who said that. They turn their heads when they hear someone approaching.
“Mom?!”Victor exclaims.“Why are you here?”
Victor’s mother appears behind a tree.“Florence Maryweather is dead. I see her all the time trying to walk upstream.”
Derek becomes upset.“What’s going on here? You knew I wasn’t lying. The bush didn’t grow. And who’s this?”
“This is my mother, and it seems you’re not telling the truth,”Victor responds.
Derek starts worrying.“But I am telling you the truth.”
“Then why are you worried?”Victor questions.
Derek points to the stream. Victor turns around and sees it’s now green. Victor looks down and notices he’s no longer wearing his full platinum silver suit. He’s wearing the black suit he has on in the corporeal plane. He turns to his mother and asks,“What’s going on?”
She places a hand on Victor’s shoulder.“You’ve been here for far too long. You need to wrap this up before it’s too late.”
Victor steps up to Derek.“Listen to me; if you want to get out of this alive, you need to tell me the truth.”
“I am telling you the truth,”Derek says aggressively.“The person who is after you is Florence Maryweather.”
Victor’s mother steps closer.“My dear, the person after my son is not Florence. That person is an impostor.”
Derek becomes more worried.“Look, I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Then you’re going to take me to her,”Victor demands.
“Impossible,”Derek refuses.
Victor takes out his dagger and points it at Derek’s throat.“I beg to differ.”
Derek shifts his eyes between Victor, Victor’s mother, and the stream.“I don’t know where she is, and I’ve never met her in person. She gives my orders to my contact. Just like when she told me to take care of the witch that cursed your grandmother.”
Victor presses the point of his dagger slowly into Derek’s neck and draws a little blood.“What did you just say?”
“You heard me,”Derek snarls.“I knew the witch who cursed your grandmother, Marie Russo. She was the one who messed up when covering her tracks.”
“What was her name?”Victor demands.
“I don’t know,”Derek states.
