Obsession

Chapter 49

Leo

We make the hour long drive to Aunt Roma's house in silence. I'm expecting Kai to appear out of nowhere and scare us to death. I still can't explain what's going on with him. Is he dead? Is he just a figment of our imaginations? Are we creating this nightmare in our own heads?

Or is he really alive?

I can't explain how he would be after all I've seen. Mara stabbed him multiple times in the chest. And even before that, he was hit by a car and shot. There's no logical explanation anymore. So I'm no longer seeking logical answers.

When we arrive, Aunt Roma is standing outside waiting for us with worry etched across her face. She hurries towards us and warmly embraces Mara. "Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry things have been so hard for you. Anna told me what's been happening."

"Do you think you can help us?" I ask her.

She gives me a look, one I don't quite understand. "Come, let's go inside."

We follow her into the house and take a seat on the blood-red, crushed velvet sofa in the living room. Just being in this place gives me the creeps; but after all I've seen, I shouldn't be so easily frightened. Apparently, everything Aunt Roma has ever said was true. I just didn't believe her.

Monsters are real. Probably vampires and werewolves too. Who knows what else is out there that we pretend doesn't exist?

"So I hear you've been visited by your stalker again," Aunt Roma says, sitting down in the matching chair across from us.

Mara nods. "I keep seeing him everywhere, only...no one else sees him. Except for Leo."

"I only saw him once," I shrug. "But he was standing right in front of me. Just as real as you are right now."

"But my friends, my dad, the police, no one else can seem to see him," Mara goes on.

Aunt Roma nods. "He's manifesting when necessary. He only has so many times to do it before he's not able to anymore."

"What do you mean?" Mara asks, furrowing her brows.

"As we discussed before, Kai possesses a dark energy that allows him certain inhuman abilities. He can use it to do all kinds of things, but it's not unlimited. Eventually, it will run out," she answers.

"So...could he use it to heal himself?" I ask.

She nods. "Yes. If he's hurt or injured, the energy can be used to self-heal. It can also be used to appear and disappear. Or for excessive strength, or vision. There's really no limit to what he can do, just a limit on how long he can do it."

"What happens to him once the energy runs out?" I ask.

"He'll return to normal," she shrugs. "That is, if he hasn't over-spent himself. Using that kind of power takes a toll on the body. One he might not be ready for."

"How do we know once he's run out of energy?" Mara asks.

"Well, it won't be easy to figure out if you're trying to keep your distance from him. But eventually, he won't be able to stalk you so effortlessly. He'll become sloppy and careless. Tired. Weak."

"How did he even get this energy in the first place?" I ask.

Aunt Roma shakes her head. "There's many different ways to come into contact with black umbrage, but judging by what Anna's told me, it's possible he's passed some of it along to you, Mara. That's why you've been feeling the way you have."

"What?!" Mara gasps.

"Have you been more aggressive, agitated, short-tempered?"

I nod on her behalf while Mara continues to stare at Aunt Roma in disbelief.