L I S A

What on earth just happened? Such a simple question yet I’d give anyone anything if they could make me understand what just happened right now.

Words weren’t enough to describe this monstrosity and my heart wasn’t that strong right now to recall everything from the beginning.

But I wouldn’t stop questioning myself that. More like I couldn’t.

I was crying vociferously on the inside so much that my heart started to weigh more than it usually should’ve and the contractions and relaxations went out of the rhythm, making my heart ache inside my chest.

I wanted to hold my heart in between my clasps and make the sobs loud enough for my ears and not just for my feelings.

I wanted to run around and scream on top of my lungs such that the entire world could hear me.

That was all I wanted but instead of doing them, I sat lifeless on the ground. Though my heart was painfully beating against my chest, my breathing was short and barely recognizable.

My knees were brought closer to face and wrapped my arms around my legs, hugging all of me.

I was still petrified and shaken from his voice, his eyes which I’d always thought to be just a part of my dreams, my nightmares.

I’d never thought of him to really exist and yet he was, just a few moments ago, threatening me.

The night wasn’t doing any good to my fear. It had gone pitch-black all over the sky. There were no stars, no more illuminating moon, and no more blue sky just a desolate shadowy night.

The wind whispered things into my ears, vile promises that brushed against my naked skin but I didn’t shiver.

The howl was quite distinct from the rest of the despicable voices yet all the while my mind was wandering in a different place.

If you don’t, I’ll get rid of them all.

Blood Moon. I had to hand myself over to Mason before that wretched night.

I’d heard Jenna all my life telling me about horror stories. She’d tell me about the paranormal activities occurring on that particular night that was the source of power of every curse with the power to alleviate the curse residing in it.

She told me about the monsters that lurked in the shadows but I never believed her.

There must’ve been more company then just me and Julie but I wasn’t able to sense them.

I heard footsteps approaching us but I kept my gaze cold and towards the ground. I was lost in a sense I couldn’t comprehend what my mind was saying and my body was feeling.

I felt cold but not the kind to make me shiver, I felt cold on the outside like I had nothing left to look up to, nothing left to do. I was living but I felt as if to have been dead.

More steps approached me, all leaving piercing thumps into my ears. I could feel the ground being vibrated because of the weight and loud smacks.

I could smell the leaves being trodden under the feet of those who ran towards us. Yet I remained calm and still, unbothered by any of it and started sinking deeper into my ocean of grievances.

However, at this point I felt absolutely nothing at all, no grief or happy thought was able to make me cry or make me feel anything.

I was blank.

Hands reached towards me and before I knew I felt a touch shaking me like my mother waking me up from sleep.

I grudged against the thought of looking at those hands, I didn’t want to wake into a reality of miseries. I liked being numb, I liked feeling cold and no worries for anyone. I wanted it all to disappear. I wanted no hope and no disappointment.

“Lisa.” He whispered softly against my hair, trying to get me to look up at him.

His closeness brought a familiar scent of sandalwood to my nostrils. His voice didn’t compel me neither did the softness of his tone.

I kept my gaze low until I felt a cold touch beneath my chin lifting my face and I didn’t struggle against the touch.

I let it take me where it’d wanted to and my eyes collided with a pair of light brown eyes glistening with innocence and care.

He whispered my name again, this time with his lips inches away from mine and looked intently at my face, he watched me from top to bottom, scanning my body for a small scrape and then his eyes traveled back to mine.

As I looked into them I started to lose the track of time and got lost in their spark.

I used to have a spark to, before all of this, before him.

“Edward.” I whispered as my lips barely moved and my voice came out as a slight moan.

I kept looking at him as he wrapped his arms around mine and hurled me up on my two feet, holding me closer and making sure I wouldn’t tumble over my back. He hadn’t let go of me yet, his eyes were piercing deep into my own, perhaps looking for something.

“We should go back.” Another one of them suggested but I was too occupied to notice who was the cunning gentleman was.

Edward didn’t move either. He was looking at me with his caring gaze whilst mine held nothing more than a devouring emptiness.

I supposed that was what caught his attention towards me. He’d never perceived me like this, so broken to an extent that cannot be molded or so cold to a place that it had lost its caring warmth.

It wasn’t his fault, I had never even faced myself looking like that and if I would, I’d be gawking too either in disgust or awe.

With a swift move Edward snaked his arm underneath my knees and brought me up into his arms in bridal-style. I cuddled closer to his torso throwing my arms around his neck to avoid falling back down.

He was staring at me like I was some sort of a mystery that needed his whole attention to be solved. And I, too, looked at him as if he was something more than he let on; there was more to his story than what they’d told me about.

* * *

It was almost dawn and all of us stayed awake all night waiting for an incident—however, less did they know there wouldn’t be another possession before the Blood Moon.

Though they kept awake all night effortlessly I, now and then, would fall on the couch I was sitting on.

They made it pretty clear that no one was to sleep and be alone at anytime so I was accompanied by Christophe, Edward and momentarily by Malcolm as well. He would come, stare at me and then leave without a single word—which I appreciated.

Whenever I’d fall flat on the couch I’d tell them I was ‘straightening my back.’ But that plan didn’t go well when Edward came and sat beside me the whole night.

I doubted if he had even taken his eyes off of me for even a moment but I didn’t point it out.

Another thing I was glad about was that none of them inquired me about what happened and I guessed my little knight had something to do with it.

I giggled at his nickname in my brain. That’s what I’m going to call him, my little knight.

Also I felt quite better when I came in the company of my friend and enemies. Except Malcolm, that guy gave me creeps.

Martha and others had gotten well by last night, a little after the incident but Julie hadn’t opened her eyes till just a few moments ago.

They suggested I should go and spend the night awake in another room since I wouldn’t want to be near her when she was awake but I knew better. Besides there were a lot I needed to discuss with her about the possession so I stayed in the same room.

Julie was on the bed chatting lightly with Martha and Malcolm, Edward was by my side and Christophe was far away into a corner so no one could feel his presence.

I would give him a glance or two, moment after another and he returned my gazes with a slight smile. Now that I thought about it maybe he wasn’t that bad, maybe it was that he just had a bad company.

But I didn’t think about him. My sole focus now was Julie and Malcolm who was carefully investigating her and thinking that I might be the next one to be questioned made my heartbeat uneven.

I wouldn’t feel this good then.

I listened to each and every word of Julie that she muttered between her sobs and a throbbing headache.

I was more terrified when I thought she might’ve listened to my small talk with him when she was possessed.

“I can’t remember. It’s like a vague memory I don’t have access to. Though I might’ve been the one living it but I was not awaked that moment, I was in the body but my mind wasn’t mine.” A great relief passed through me at her declaration.

I must’ve sighed too loud unwittingly to catch Malcolm’s attention.

All the relief vanished into thin air as his dark eyes pierced into mine. Something told me he wasn’t going to take it easy on me.

I just hoped my heart would stop vibrating inside my chest so that Malcolm couldn’t hear my nervousness but just like tears, my heartbeat betrayed me.

He towered over me from where he stood in front of me and I kept averting my gaze to different places I could find. I could control my appearance in front of him but not my insides that were bursting out at the fear of him.

I felt a light touch around my hand and saw Edward’s fingers intertwining with mine. I looked up at him as he gave me a comforting smile.

I was convinced to some extent but I knew my heart wasn’t and it would betray me when I was going to lie and somehow I felt I’d be lying a lot.

Malcolm took a stool in front of me and perched comfortably on it before he began with his torture, “Julie doesn’t remember what happened at the pool and neither Martha nor anyone of them.”

He made me look up at him with his hand holding my free one. “And when we arrived everything was normal—even Aurora couldn’t sense anything around there.”

He paused as his eyes became more focused on me, “I wouldn’t be pressuring you into recalling such a drastic piece of memory if you weren’t the only one to escape the spell.”

“What do you want to know?” I asked cutting to the chase.

“Everything.” He said without hesitation, “From the beginning.”

I took a deep breath before starting with the most horrible experience of my life,

“The thing that took my notice was that Julie was losing herself into a trance sort of thing. Her whole body was becoming black and there were small veins in black color slithering all over her body just like snakes. The blackness then traveled to water from her veins and everyone started floating on it. The water had become dark and thick and I didn’t have the sense to run until . . .”

I saw Rory was also listening to my story standing behind Malcolm. Julie and everyone else were gazing fixedly at me to continue but I knew my words were going to hurt someone.

I exhaled out and shut my eyes to open them again and meet with Malcolm’s patient ones, “Until I saw Julie’s eyes turning into a deep crimson as she stared at me.”

I heard a hiccup from across where I sat and I didn’t even need to look up to tell who it belonged to, “I ran and ran until I couldn’t and then she tried to . . . kill me.” I heard a loud gasp as I finished my sentence.

“Is that all?” He asked looking suspicious.

I knew it wasn’t that easy to suffice him.

“Yes.” I said boldly which made him feeling even more skeptical.

“Are you sure?” He asked again.

There was a long pause and I could hear almost nothing except for my mounting heartbeat. Sweat tended to slither down my temples but I knew better.

I can’t let him intimidate me! I growled without a voice.

“Of course.” I said with my voice void of any emotion.

“Then why did you look so scared when we found you? You looked like someone who’d lost every will to live.” He murmured against my face. I hadn’t realized until now just how closed we were.

I wanted to laugh at that. Why was I scared? He surely didn’t look that stupid. I even held a momentary smirk on my face as I answered, “It’s not every day you get chased by your friend to your death, right?”