GRAVE MISTAKE

23. CONFESS

Lady Jenna lifted her head up in his direction when she felt his presence. Her eyes lingered on him for a while before she shifted her attention back to Clara.

       "It's alright Clara, please try to control your emotions. Do you think Jecinta will be happy to see you this way?"

At her question, Torren gritted his teeth.

Clara sniffled and wiped her face with her clothe.

       "It's not easy Aunty, she will understand," Clara mumbled and Lady Jenna sighed.

A gentle breeze blew and Torren sighed because he knew who caused the cool wind to blow in.

        'How do you feel Torren? Guilty?'

His head turned to his right to stare down at her because she stood beside him.

She didn't look at him but her eyes were focused on her friend, Clara.

Torren didn't give a reply to her question, rather, he watched her expression. She was hurting badly even though her eyes were hollow with no emotion.

His lips parted and he asked a question she never expected him to ask.

         "How do I end you suffering and let you rest?"

Lady Jenna looked in his direction with a frown but when she saw he was looking in another direction with all concentration, she became curious.

Jecinta slowly turned her head to face him and for the first time since when he encountered her spirit, he saw tears in her eyes.

          "Tell me and I'll do it in a heartbeat, I don't mind if I live an awful life, I just want you to go to rest."

Worry and concern filled his eyes and a tear escaped his left eye and rolled down his cheek.

She looked so innocent and harmless even though she was covered in blood, and he felt like holding her but he knew that it was impossible.

Her lips parted and he feared what she might ask but he put on a strong face, masking his fear.

        'Confess.'

That one word felt like thousands of arrows shot at him.

        'Confess and leave,' she added.

He blinked twice but she stared at him innocently, waiting for him to do as she said.

        "Torren? Are you alright?"

Lady Jenna came to stand in front of him with a worried and curious look.

He turned his head to his front to face her and his heart shuddered.

The way Jecinta's mother looked at him made him nearly weep profusely. He didn't want to make her suffer again by telling her, it would shatter her.

         'Go on, tell her,' Jecinta's spirit coaxed him and his jaw clenched as he thought of a possible way to say it without hurting her.

However, the painful truth was that there was absolutely no possible way to say it without hurting her, it had to hurt her.

         "Torren," she called his name and it was filled with concern.

Another tear fell from his eyes as he parted his lips to speak but not a single word came out. His chest felt heavy as if there were rocks inside.

         "Who were you talking to?" She queried.

Clara also stood up and came to meet them, her eyes were red because she had cried so much. She wanted to know what Lady Jenna was asking him.

         "Jecinta…she's here," he answered her question and Lady Jenna gasped in shock and clasped her hands over her mouth.

        "Jecinta is here? Where?"

Clara inquired as her eyes roamed about the room in search for her dearest friend. Torren swallowed his saliva, it was harder than he imagined.

        "Beside me on my right," came his response to Clara's question.

        "Oh my goodness!" Lady Jenna exclaimed in fright as she looked at his side but found no one, only an empty space.

But what they didn't know was that Jecinta stood there, staring at them with tears in her eyes.

Clara's eyes were wide and she was bewildered by his response.

        "I'd like to confess something but first I want you both to know that I was under an influence, I don't do things without reason." He briefed them.

Lady Jenna frowned deeply in confusion and her hands slowly lowered from her lips as she looked at him.

        "Did she tell you what happened?" Clara wanted to know.

His chest felt heavier like they had added more rocks to his chest and he turned to look at his side once more and Jecinta looked at him. What surprised him was that this time around she gave him a smile, an encouraging one.

For a moment he wanted to bask in that glory but he had to confess his sins. He had to tell them what he did, but he couldn't quite remember how it all happened in detail, he could only remember some of it.

With his eyes still watching Jecinta, he confessed.

         "I killed Jecinta."

Those words held weight as they left his lips and for some odd reason, his chest felt light and he felt energy return back to his body. He felt strong again and it was too good to be true.

His eyes widened as he kept staring at Jecinta's spirit and her smile brightened as her appearance changed.

One question came to his mind; 'Was she the one who had taken away his strength? But how?'

          "W-What?"

Lady Jenna brought him back to reality and he turned to face her. She had a look of horror and disbelief.

         "You killed Jecinta! You!"

Clara exclaimed in disbelief as she wept louder and fell to the floor hopelessly. Lady Jenna's eyes were wide as she tried to digest the news.

Her heart felt even more heavy and her breathing came out with difficulty as she looked at him.

         "I was the one who killed Jecinta," he confirmed it and took full responsibility for what he had done.