Only The Young | ✔

Chapter Twelve

All four of them found themselves huddled together in the psychic's little shop illuminated by lanterns that gave off a bright yellow glow. Grave dirt was smeared on their clothes, hands and faces, to Castor they felt a little too close to blood, there was something about being in a cemetery that never sat well with him.

Contrary to what people thought, ghosts never lingered in cemeteries, they were always haunting places that was full of life, homes, parks or anywhere that they could get that reminder of the life they once had but tonight at the cemetery, he had felt them, restless and the feeling stuck to him like the dirt on his clothes.

The psychic didn't look like she cared that they were staining her pretty fur carpet, Yurika was staring at it with distaste.

"Let me see the marking on your wrists," She commanded, at once they stretched their hand forth in front of her. She gazed at them for a moment before looking up with a grim expression.

"There have been four people killed in this mystery, and now you seem to be the last four, these marks appeared after the deaths of the first four." She said.

"Four years ago too, there were eight deaths but one was a result of suicide."

Tehani leaned in, something glittering in her eyes.

"One of the girls, you told me. What if that's why the ritual wasn't complete four years ago, because the last sacrifice took her own life." Tehani added.

Salome, that was her name nodded.

"Perhaps."

"So if we kill ourselves then whatever this thing is won't be able to return to our timeline which it came from?" Pollux asked, he said it like he was considering it. Castor leaned into his brother.

"Don't you even think of it," He hissed. "Or I'll kill you myself."

His twin smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

Salome raised the headstone they had retrieved from the cemetery, turning it in her hands and closing her eyes, after a moment, she opened them, Castor was disappointed that she didn't gasp or anything like it usually happened in the movies, followed by a revelation.

"This thing was sealed away by an octagram." Salome said.

Tehani nodded.

"It's an ancient symbol of magic." She said.

"And how many triangles are in an octagram?" Salome asked, a wan smile on her lips.

"Eight, there are eight, each triangle seems to represent a sacrifice. It ends with us." Yuri said, she had been silent since, only speaking now.

"How insightful, it confirms we are actually going to die." Castor said sarcastically, he sighed when they all blanched. No one ever got his jokes.

"I have an idea on what to do." Tehani said, she was already rising to her feet. Castor took one look at her face and knew he wouldn't like what she had to say, it might even be dangerous.

"If this is what I think it is, I strongly advise you against it." The witch warned, shaking her head.

Surprisingly, none of them sided with her, they has tried playing Sherlock Holmes and it hadn't worked. Now was not the time to play hero.

"What do you need us to do?" Castor asked once they were outside.

"I need some chalk, salt, a knife and a whole lot of guts for what I'm about to do."

"I hope you don't mean that literally." Pollux joked, it was so sudden that it coerced a laugh out of all of them but the tension never left their shoulders.

***

It was drizzling again, but Yuri knew it wouldn't remain that way for long. She had always been able to sense storms and rainfall, knowing how heavy it would be and this one would not end well, it might even wreck a few buildings.

They were gathered around the grave they had just dug, the body was still fresh on the ground, wet from the rain. Castor and Tehani were drawing chalk on the sand, chalk borrowed from Salome who had been hesitant to give it, uncaring that the rain would wash it away in a matter of minutes, which meant they has to be quick with whatever they were doing.

They were drawing up an pentagram while Yuri and Pollux were sprinkling salt around the grave, to ward off spirits with evil intentions, Tehani had said.

"I'm shit scared." Pollux admitted quietly when they wee done, he looked haggard, a day's stubble on his chin.

"Me too." She said and that was that, when he reached for her hand to hold, she did not pull away.

Castor and Tehani dragged the woman into the pentagram when they were done, dusting their palms. They stood at the hem of the pentagram and Tehani was head.

"Will the rain not fuck things up?" Castor asked worriedly, for once Yuri did not mind that he did.

Her best friend smiled tiredly. "Magic thrives mostly on intention and desperation and tonight, we have both."

"Hand me the knife, Yuri." Tehani commanded. Yuri's hand shook as she did. "Hold hands and whatever you do, don't let the link break."

Tehani stretched forth her left palm and at the moment, Yuri knew what her friend was planning to do; blood magic, the type for the truly desperate, the type that included payment.

She waited for anyone to object, Pollux grinded his jaw, Castor did the same but nobody said a word.

She sliced her palm open, letting out a breathy cry as blood flowed onto the dead woman, on her white clothe and Yuri wanted to look away. The rain had began to fall harder now.

"We summon the spirit of Matilda Keye, we rebuke spirits with Ill intentions." Tehani said in a clear voice, like she had done it before.

She chanted her sentence thrice again and after that it seemed they had failed, Yuri was almost dropping her hands from the Duhaime brothers when she saw something shimmer in the air between them.

She might not have been as visible, but there was no mistaking this woman that looked so much like Tehani.

When she didn't speak, Tehani did, her voice wavering.

"Who killed you, Matilda?"

"She is among you." The ghost said, she spoke like a living person would, clear, if not a little low.

"She?" Castor asked.

At that moment, lightening streaked across the sky, followed by rumbling thunder. The rains was falling in heavy torrents now, and the ghost was fading away.

But the ghost was pointing at something, no, someone.

It was when all eyes turned to Yurika that her heart sank in realization, the ghost had been pointing at her.