The Rite Twins

6: Over

Yet I was not standing alone. I turned towards the street and came face to face with Cassandra. Where is she?, my mind echoed. I don’t know.

“I will find her, and when I do, you will all die.” And she was gone.

In the distance, a baby cried. Charlie moved past. Come here, Charlie. How you doing, you crazy cat? Where’s Noelle? Is that Kristina crying? I haven’t seen her yet. I bet she’s beautiful. Why is she crying? What’s going on? No, Adrian, stay away! They haven’t done anything to you. She’s just a baby. No... NO!

I woke up to a glow of red under the curtains. The sun was going down. Where was Marlina? I walked into the bathroom and splashed my cold dead face with cold water. I felt strangely warm. I looked into the mirror and saw... myself... but barely. I could see every inch of the wall behind me through my own reflection. Something was happening. Why had I dreamt of my sister? And Adrian? And my cat?! Who was Kristina? Did my sister have a child, or was this just my imagination working? Can I imagine? I am, after all, dead by all technical means.

“I noticed, too.” Oh, Marcus. You scared me. “Sorry,” he said, and grinned. “Touch me.” I lifted my hand, and brushed his face gently, and he seemed to purr in the silence. “No,” he grabbed my hand. “Right there.” He roped my arm around him and put my right hand against his right ass cheek. He then pushed his body against mine and licked my neck, nibbling without breaking the flesh.

Suddenly, he stopped. We turned towards the door seconds before it crashed open. There she was again. Cassandra. And in a moment, a moment I cannot remember, there was darkness, and we were gone.

I want to watch you die. Suffer the pain you have caused me. You don’t deserve to live. We lost our parents. I lost you a long time a go. I don’t believe you. No, I will not stop. Die... die... die...

When I finally came to, I saw Marlina strapped to a tall wall upside down. Wait, SHE was not upside down. I was. Where am I? I looked around and realized what had happened to my body. My arms would broken and tied behind my back. I could not fix them until they were back in place. I was left hanging by my ankles. I could hear a soft cry and pounding. I managed to spin my body to the other direction where a large cement box... no, coffin... was lying against another wall. My brother was in there. We were all trapped, but why? Cassandra. The Slayer. We were meant to die, but not yet.

This is the room, the room where I was reunited with my love, Marial. Oh, but where are you now, Lilias? Where are you when I need you the most?

“You will see her soon.” The face, the unsmiling face, was looking up at me. The same face that had meant so little in Healing was now here to save my life.

As I laid on the ground, I could feel my arms healing slowly, as fast as I could really. I looked over at my brother, whose legs were still misshapen, to see Aiska reaching to release Marlina. Why was she fighting?

“We have to go.”

“No, leave me here. She wants me. Go, and she will not find you.” But it was too late, she was here. She screamed as she rushed towards Charles Aiska and Marlina. She struggled against Aiska, until she pushed him away, and forced herself upon Marlina. Gone. Air. Marlina was no more.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Well, I did. What can you do, Charles? What do you really think you can do?”

Silence. Darkness. Emptiness.

“So good to see you again, Cassandra. It’s been so long.” Adrian... Adrian, you’re here. Still... hollow air... nothing here but smoke and words. I looked around. I could hear Marcus crying out for me. I tried to call back, but all still seemed silent. I closed my eyes.

Marcus... Marcus, I am here. I am here. I opened my eyes and spun around and suddenly, Adrian stood at my side. “It’s nice to have you here, my child.”

“Nice to see you, too.” It was Cassandra... and he was gone. I screamed... I cried out for Adrian. No. Where are you? I wept tears of blood. The drops fell into the emptiness below... and I fell. I fell to where? There was nothing left. My creator was destroyed. Where was I to go now? What am I to do? How am I to live?

“Luke, baby? Wake up... Wake up.” My eyes opened, and in front of me stood a beautiful woman with dark red hair. She kissed my forehead. “C’mon, we have to make breakfast before class. Mark and Davis are on their way over.”

“What? What happened?”

“It’s all over. We’re living a new life.”

I looked out the window... sunlight. It had been so long, and it felt so good. I looked out towards the sky and saw buildings for miles. Etik City. And below was ECU, Etik City University. I graduated... it was appearing now. New memories mixed with the old. My life was given back. But Marlina... I turned to look at her. She just smiled.

Was she given a second chance? Is this our second chance? True, her sister is trapped forever in Abole once more, but she... she had outlived her mistakes. It was time to move on. And it was all over. It’s all over.

Thank God it was all over.