The Cursed Beauty (BEYNIKA) [ON HOLD]

Chapter 12: {The Photographer And The Unseen Chains}

Beyoncé.

I woke up with feeling like I hadn't slept a wink. A heaviness so thick seemed to have settled into my very bones, a strange kind of exhaustion that felt... unnatural had washed over me. The moment my eyelids fluttered open, I felt an eerie sense of being out of place, like something had tilted within me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. My whole body felt leaden, as though every muscle had already fought through an entire day, it ached. I was damn near exhausted already, and the day had just begun. Everything just felt... bleh, all so blank. The thought slinked away as I shook myself, pushing my legs over the side of the bed to stand up. A hot shower would shake this off, yeah... Definitely.

Wrong. As the steam filled the bathroom, I could almost feel the weight lifting, though barely. I let the water heat my skin, running over my face, my shoulders, my back, as my mind drifted off to the woman who imprinted herself on every fiber of my body. Onika. She was a steady force that had stormed her way into my life, quite literally as she had appeared out of chaotic air and a bloody eclipse. She was my soulmate―our connection was undeniable, binding. We were bound through the thickest of times and space, I mean... We had to be, for me to be able to be her soulmate once again in this time, and to be able to hear her thoughts in my head, and to know what she feels... It all just feels exhilarating, and I'm sure as hell that we still have so many others untapped powers, I ain't dumb or slow, if I have always been so obsessed with her, then I know almost every true thing about her, and I know more than I show. Our connection that dates back to ancient times is surely the main reason of me being so enamored with her. 

The thought of her warmed me, and I felt a small, reassuring hum under my skin, as if to remind me of her near presence, of our unity, and our bond. But, almost as quickly as it had come, the warmth vanished, replaced by an unfamiliar sense of dread that curled around my chest, coiling tighter the more I lingered on it. The passion that was consuming me turned ashen, as I felt a cold feeling wash over my whole being. This shit ain't made no sense to me, what is going on? I tried to dismiss it, shaking my head as I brushed off the feeling... the one that something was wrong.

I pulled myself out of the shower, wrapped a towel around myself, as I put on a comfortable white hoodie and went downstairs.

The moment I set foot in the living room, I found Onika, sitting with that poised elegance only she seemed to own so effortlessly. She wore a completely different saree than the one she came in, making me frown in confusion. She looked up, eyes glinting softly with a sort of quiet wisdom that only her ancient self could muster. "Grand rising, Angel." She said, the words resonating with a timeless cadence that felt ancient and yet oddly modern, like she's belonging here already.

"Grand rising, huh?" I asked her teasingly, making her squint her eyes at me. "Why acting so old like your actual self when you can just say good morning? And where did you get that saree from?" I asked her everything at once, as she shook her head at me.