“Because of the loophole,” Annabella answers and her voice sounds like it’s fading. “The loophole made it so that in order for Helena to be able to keep me prisoner, she could not possess a person filled with undying love. You felt the electricity of Gemma’s kiss, right?”
“Yeah...” I tell her, unsure if what she’s saying is true. Love is what ended this. Our love. Gemma’s and mine.
“You sacrificed yourself for Gemma because you love her and she was too helpless to stop you because of Helena. She wanted to, though. She tried to keep Helena inside of her, instead of letting her possess you.”
“I knew she would,” I reply. “It’s what she always does.”
“When you completed the sacrifice, everything that Helena planned began to fall apart and Gemma’s kiss made it crumble until it didn’t exist. That was the loophole. You love one another endlessly and it’s very powerful.
“Forever,” I say underneath my breath.
Annabella continues, “You’re both free from Helena and the possession of her Lost Souls and I’m free to return to my Essences.”
“So that’s it?” I wonder with doubt. “Helena’s gone for good? Just like that? Because it seems too easy.”
“I didn’t say that she was gone,” she clarifies. “I said she can’t possess you anymore. She’ll still have reign over the Lost Souls that are roaming free and possessing people. She’ll seek her vision and try to change her past so she can have more power in the future.” There is sadness in her voice. “I want to thank you, Alex, both you and Gemma. The power of your love continues to amaze me every single time I’m graced with it. It proves to me that there is hope for the world and that true love still exists, even though it’s rare and seems to be becoming extinct more and more each day.” I feel her drifting away, leaving my body.
“Wait… Annabella, what about Laylen?” I ask. “What happens to him? Gemma… Gemma loves him, too.”
“It’ll be fixed,” she says softly.
“Do you mean it will be—” I start to ask, but I’m cut off as I feel her separate from my body and I’m left feeling empty.
I’m alone in my body. There are no extra voices, no whispers of evil. Everything is just as it should be. My body gradually recovers; my arms and legs returning to my control. My eyes open and I can hear Gemma crying from the opposite end of the castle, where Laylen lies dead. I try to get up so I can go to her—tell her everything will be okay—but I’m frozen. I can’t move my mouth, my arms or my legs. I’m paralyzed.
I hear her footsteps as she walks passed the open door and then she trots down the stairs. I try to yell to her, to tell her I am okay, but I can’t get the damn words out of my mouth. When I hear the front door to the castle slam shut, fear seeps into my veins because, for some strange reason, I can feel her pain, sadness, and hate coursing through me, like it’s my own. She’s not herself and I’m afraid of what she might do, not just to someone else, but also to herself.
Chapter 7
Gemma
I use my Foreseer power to transport me to the neighborhood where Nalina’s house resides. It’s a simple trick of concentration and blinking my eyes. Simple. That’s what I need at the moment.
I plant myself down into the road in front of her ancient looking Victorian home with crooked shutters and a concaved front deck. It blends in well with the rest of the tattered neighborhood; full of barking dogs, collapsing fences, peeling siding, and a lot of shouting. Clouds are covering the sky and there’s a chilly breeze to the air, blowing brown leaves across the dry grass and the murky gutter lining the street.
I’m glad to have my Foreseer power back, but I feel like the world’s most horrible person when I think about how I manipulated Nicholas and his affection to get it back, even if I was possessed. Because of me, he’s a prisoner, chained to the giant flaming Crystal Ball that feeds off his life force to provide energy in the City of Crystal and for all the Foreseers. I remember how I stuck the needles into Nicholas’s arms and then attached him to the ball. I feel responsible and need to find a way to set him free, even if he is a perverted jerk. I’m just unsure of how to go about it without Dyvinius stripping me of my power. Right now, I need to have it, so as terrible as it is, I decide to leave Nicholas in the chains, but I’ll get to him. Eventually.
A tall man comes walking down the sidewalk, whistling a tune as he kicks at the loose rocks. His hands are tucked into his pocket and he bends his legs in a strange way, like he’s trying hard to walk. When he glances at me, a smile rises across his face and he whispers something that sounds a lot like, “Helena.” I wonder if he’s a Lost Soul or just a very strange man, and I don’t dare move until he rounds the corner and disappears down the side street.
I tread up the path that leads to Nalina’s front door, my worn sneakers scuffing against the gravel, noting that the next door neighbor has their curtains pulled back and is watching me. Their hair looks bright purple and their lips match. From over their shoulder, two clear shaped structures sparrow out from their shoulder blades. I look away when they smile, not wanting to believe it could be a Faerie, but knowing I’m probably in denial.
I hear every shout and every bark. It’s terrifying, yet it’s not because part of me has shut down. I’m only feeling half the things I normally do and it’s strangely kind of liberating. The curtain to Nalina’s front window of her home is pulled back and I can see that she is watching me through it, her dark eyes full of suspicion, probably wondering why I’m here.
She’ll most likely be apprehensive towards me because the last time I was here I became violent with her and smacked her in the side of the head, but it wasn’t entirely my fault, seeing as how I was possessed. She might not trust me because of the incident. Well, that and the fact that I stole the Cornu Lepore from her. I just hope she doesn’t try to sneak out the back door before I can talk to her. It doesn’t mean this will end. I’ll chase her down if I have to. I just don’t want to.
Lucky, Nalina opens the front door and steps out onto the front porch, making it easy. She’s dressed in a simple, floor-length, black dress, which seems to be her color of choice. Her eyes are unwelcoming as she looks me up and down, sizing me up.
“What do you want?” she asks coldly when her gaze arrives on my eyes. “Did you come back to finish me off?” Her grey hair blows in a breeze as I step onto the bottom stair.
“We need to talk.” I climb up the steps and onto the old wooden porch that sways unsteadily beneath my feet. I cautiously step over a broken board in my path, making sure my foot doesn’t fall through the hole, and then come to a stop in front of her.
She measures me up with her frail arms folded. “Who are you?”
“Gemma,” I answer. “Don’t you remember me?”
Her eyes squint as she examines my eyes closely. “What I remember is that the last time you were here, you hit me over the head and that I’m pretty sure you were possessed.”
“How did you know?”
“I know a lot of things. I’ve told you this.”
I sigh. “Well, I’m sorry, but I’m me now, and I’d like to chat with you about something… something important.”
She hesitates, then, I guess, decides that I’m me because she nods and steps back to let me walk in. “Come in then. We do have a lot to talk about.”
I follow her into the house and the floorboards creak below my feet as she shuts the door behind us. The living room looks the same as the last time I was here; a worn sofa is in the corner and there’s still dust covering most of the tables and shelves. Nalina walks through the living room towards the kitchen and takes a seat at the table stationed between the oven and the sink.
“Have a seat.” She motions for me to come in, then points to the empty chair across from her.
I pull out the chair and sit down, feeling uneasy. I usually don’t do things solo and I feel a little defenseless in the house, especially because there are lavender marbles scattered around the floor. Praesidium, which makes it so I can’t use my Foreseer power.
Nalina collects a yellow cup from the middle of the table and grips it in-between her hands. Steam rises over the brim as she blows on the liquid.
“I was just having some tea before you showed up. Would you like some?” A smile creeps across her lips.
The last time I had tea at her table she poisoned me so that Dyvinius could read my thoughts. He wanted to be able to get inside my mind to see if I was planning on saving my father from the Room of Forbidden, where he’s been trapped for ages. When he found out that I was, he ripped my Foreseer power from me.
“No, thank you,” I decline, frowning as I shake my head. “I remember the last tea you served me.”
She tips her head, looking into her cup. “You have to remember that I had no choice over what I did. I was ordered by Divinius to help him, and I had to obey.” Her fingers quiver along with her voice.
I want to believe her, but I still don’t trust her. I could tell her that she’s my aunt and that she should have protected me, but I stay calm and keep my lips sealed because I need to gain her trust. “I know that you had no choice,” I say, clutching onto the edge of the table. “It wasn’t your fault. Besides, I have my Foreseer power back now, so no harm no foul.” I bite my lip as soon as I say it. I probably should have kept that piece of information to myself.
Her face fades of color as she clumsily sets the cup down on the table, spilling tea all over the place. “W-what do you mean you have your Foreseer power back? The only way you’d be able to get your power back is if Dyvinius gave it to you and I know my stepbrother well enough to know that he’d never willingly do that. He’s very, very strict about his rules. So unless you forced him to give it back, the only other option would be to sacrifice someone as a prisoner to the Crystal.” She pauses, waiting for me to deny it.