Pristine's Problem | ONC 2024

13 | trapped

If eyes had the capability of generating fire, then the contract paper in Pristine's hands would have burnt to ashes.

Her eyes blurred her sight as tears brimmed them, flooding her thoughts. She was not scared or worried, but angry. Wrath obscured her consciousness, debarring her limbs to move, making her senses immobile to any kind of stimuli. Agitation reigned its powerful regime through her subconscious, nourishing poisonous seeds of homicide.

I have already been accused of a crime I did not commit... Why not make their allegations true?

The devil inside her cackled out loud, applauding her intrepid decision.

The world doesn't deserve all the goodness you give. To sustain in this realm of immorality, you'll have to use a thorn to remove another one.

Steadying her feet and focus, she decided to depart from the killer's room and meet the obnoxious boy who had saved her. Clenching the paper harder, she wanted to show this piece of crucial evidence to Alan and fling it on his face, making him irrevocably speechless.

As usual, she began braiding delusions where Alan stood dumbstruck, shocked by the truth and dormant due to her abrupt behaviour. Little did she notice that the back of her hair was being parted as slender fingers reached for the golden clasp of her necklace. As the fingers moved towards unbolting the clasp, the tingling sensation suddenly disrupted Pristine's delusions.

The golden vial that fell from her neck on unlatching was deftly caught by the slender hand that untangled it.

"See, Avril! I told you! Papers don't fly on their own, atleast not in Caperwood," a girl jeered.

Pristine turned behind to see the two people she only had wished to see dead. Avril sat on the linen couch, crossing his legs as he spread his arms, reclining his neck. Beside him was the notorious shape-shifter, Romine, spinning the necklace like a car key.

Pristine's feet froze, horrified by the encounter as her eyes forgot to blink and hands forgot to remain still. Moreover, she felt bare, naked and exposed as there was no shield of invisibility guarding her.

Her body quivered; her guts that had been valiant for barely a second hid themselves within her trembling body.

"This was why I got selected for being an agent, despite my young age. Though my family had a proud legacy of being shape-shifters, I was gifted with the ability to see invisible things. I could have pursued my career as a potion brewer focusing on invisibility, but family pressure landed me here. Also –"

"Romine!" the gentle stern from Avril silenced her vaunt, "We have a guest to attend and you are here talking about your history? Why do you want to bore them?"

Romine snickered as she glared at Pristine, who now had gone two steps behind.

"Welcome, Pristine!" Avril sprang up, his iris turning dangerously black, "I have always wanted to meet you."

"Avril," Pristine's voice wavered as she attempted to appear strong, "I know it's you. You will meet your end soon!"

"Aww, look who's all brave now?" Romine derided as the magenta shade of her hair gradually camouflaged to gray, her face taking the appearance of a very familiar figure, "My dear child! You are so beautiful when you try to be brave!"

Pristine flared, her eyes grew in turmoil. She couldn't stand the sight of the same old woman who had hypnotized her into witchcraft.

"You!" she clenched her fist, gritting her teeth as her mere attempt to punch was received by a cacophonous laughter.