The woman noticed her and also stopped in her tracks. “Lia?”

Lia stared back in horror.

That was it. That was where her nagging feeling came from. The woman had been calling her by her name even if Lia did not introduce her name. In fact, she seemed like she knew Lia.

Unless…

Unless she really was Lia? Like the Lia from that damned book!?

“No way,” Lia said, bringing her hand to her forehead as if that would prevent her head from exploding from too much information.

Images — or maybe those were memories — rushed back at her like a sledgehammer. The onslaught of memories made her dizzy.

The woman steadied her. “Come inside first.”

Lia let the woman led her inside the house. The smell of leaves welcomed her and to her surprise, calmed down her nerves.

The woman sat her down to a stool and peered at her. She checked Lia’s temperature, checked her eyes like what a doctor would do, checked her pulse. Once she was satisfied, she, too, sat down and sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness it was nothing. Well, other than your extremely fast pulse, which I couldn’t tell if it was because of our walk or something else.”

She stared at Lia pointedly. “What is happening? You can tell me.”

She did not sound like she was cooing a child like most adult in Lia’s world.

Wrong, this was her new world now.

Lia stared at the woman in front of her. “It was just– just a headache,” she almost could not hold back the word Mother.

Now that she had gotten the memories back, it was clear who was this person in front of her. Yes, she was The Witch. She was also Lia’s mother.

Because of that Lia could not almost stop herself from saying “Mother,” the same way she called her own mother. Her one and only mother. Because she was really the only person for her. And now she left her alone in that cruel world.

But calling the witch mother would definitely invite suspicions from the woman. She could not afford that. Nor call her the same way as the owner of the body which was nothing but insults.

The woman smiled at her, looking finally at ease to figure out what was wrong with Lia. “I shouldn’t have let you gather those herbs at all if you are not feeling well. Rest on your bed while I prepare something to ease the pain.”

She touched Lia’s head, with full of love and care.

“Thank you, um, mo– um,”

The woman smiled knowingly albeit that tinge of sadness Lia saw flashed in her eyes. “Don’t force yourself to call me… that. Tamara is fine.”

Lia was troubled. She grew up, instilled to her that she should not address her elders casually. At the same time, she could not bring herself to call Tamara as her mother. The original Lia did not call her either so it would be weird if Lia would call her mother.

“Tamara…” she tested the word on her lips.

Tamara smiled and led her to her room.