The Curse of Thelonious [✓]

thirty four

Lera had never been so scared in all her life as she was in that moment, watching Atlas fall to the ground without any warning. The intensity of her anger that had been building up was cut short and instead replaced with worry; hitting her so strongly that the golden light vanished and she dropped to the ground with the force.

She stumbled and stood, only then realising everyone was staring at her like she was a ghost. Or a monster.

The full thought of what had just happened crashed into her and she leant forwards, her head lowered as she tried not to throw up. She felt sick, unable to understand how it was possible but knowing that it was true all the same. She wasn't entirely human, was she? She couldn't be!

Her heart almost stopped when she noticed how still Atlas was, slumped along the ground with his head against a rock. She rushed over and knelt beside him, looking over him like an angel. His skin was paler than she had ever seen it, almost translucent and his hair was matted with dried blood and mud. Purple bruises had began to appear, like budding roses, against his skin and she could see the puddle of blood swarming out from around his head.

Lera felt all her energy drain when she realised his chest was barely moving, tears streaking down her flushed cheeks. "Atlas?" she whispered, whimpering when he didn't reply, the pool of blood staining her clothes as she sat still.

Her parents ran over when they saw the blood, forced out of their trance. The rest of the residents still standing around began to shuffle, whispering amongst themselves. Everyone was in shock and Ian stood still, fear painted across his face.

Mariha wrapped her arms around her daughter as Lera began to cry.

"His pulse is faint, barely there but its something. C'mon, Lera, darling. You have to get up, we can talk about this all later, but you need to move, he needs to get to the hospital immediately," her father said, looking around at the residents as a few rushed over to help.

Lera didn't react, ignoring his words as her body heaved with sobs. She was so tired of all that had happened, so tired. Her fingers automatically went to his chest, tugging at the chain until the small glistening ring was sitting in her palm.

There was nothing.

Nothing at all happened, no strange feelings, nothing. The jinn was gone and now, she remembered how.

She had killed it.

The power that had laid dormant inside her since birth was weak, having been split into two. Part of it was in her and part of it was in Anya. Her sister had been unaware of the strength inside them, unable to control it or use it to help herself when the jinn attacked, seeking her out as she wandered lost in the heavy rain that day. It had been able to overpower her, spilling her blood and ripping her soul out.

"Oh Anya," she wailed, her voice low, only now realising how much her sister had suffered.

The creature had destroyed her, feeding off her soul and using it to extend it's own life. It would have done the same to Lera, it should have, except...

"Oh Anya," she repeated, her voice growing louder and more shrill with realisation. When Lera had run without a thought into the forest to see Anya's body, the blood was fresh and her skin still slightly warm. It hadn't been long since she had died and her powers were still festering on the surface. When she had entered the clearing, pushing past the police officer and the coroner, had her body taken Anya's share of the powers? Was this why she had grown so strong?

She remembered Kevon's words when he had looked at her in awe, cupping her face in his wrinkled hands. 'You are the greatest weapon against all evil this world has ever seen, my child,' he had said, just before they left his strange store.

Everything was a blur: the way people were beginning to bustle around as they came to their senses. Dr Ross was kneeling on the floor, beckoning at Lera's father to help him move Atlas onto the stretcher they had lowered. Jubaida had come close, her mother following behind her as they too helped. But Lera sat still, her knees still buried in the damp mud and she prayed.

She prayed for Atlas to be okay, for herself to heal and most of all, she prayed for understanding.

Just as a stray tear fell off her lashes and onto Atlas's torso, landing directly on the ring, the air hummed. Mariha looked up in wonder, her eyes wide as she recognised the strange static feeling in the atmosphere. The air howled slightly, birds stopped chirping and the pathway was completely silent.

'You did it,' a voice rung across the clearing, sounding as though it was an extension of the wind. The residents looked all around in sheer desperation, for a source but there was nothing, only their recognition of the voice. 'You did it, Lera, you did it.'

Lera smiled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand as she stood up, giving the doctor room to get to Atlas properly. "Anya?" she whispered although she didn't need a confirmation, she would know her twin sister's voice anywhere. "Oh Anya, what am I?"

Her sister's voice giggled, sounding strangely like the rushing of waves although Clearford was miles away from any sea. Her parents were sitting in shock, as though they had never heard their daughter before, smiling sadly at the sky.

'Think back to where it all began, think back to the crime committed and then you'll realise what you are. What we are.'

Lera's eyebrows furrowed, her mind too occupied to remember the story of Thelonious Walho in detail. She could feel the air growing lighter and knew that she had only a few seconds before her sister's spirit would disappear. With frantic desperation, she asked one more question. "Will you ever come again?"

The air hummed before Anya's voice replied, growing quieter and quieter until it faded away. 'The evil you destroyed hadn't fed on all of my life when Atlas woke up and discovered my body. Some if it latched onto you. You don't just have my powers, Lera, you also have some of my soul. I'm with you, always. Always...'

And then it was gone, her sisters voice had faded and the air blew gently by, pushing her hair from her eyes as her mind spun.

Lera stood still for a few minutes before she felt her stomach churn. Ignoring her parent's gasps, she ran over to a tree and nestled her head against the bark, shaking as she threw up all over her shoes.

"Shit."