Possessed

Chapter 14: The Best friend's Secret

“Odette?” I called out loudly, my voice ricocheting off the empty walls of the empty corridor.

Odette hadn’t been at school today. To help her catch up, I’d made sure to collect all the homework assignments for the day and bring it over to her house. When I’d knocked on her front door, no one had answered. I didn’t know where Odette would be if not at home at this time of the day, but her dad was probably at work. Fortunately for me, the back door was unlocked and I had let myself in.

Now, as I wandered along the lengths of the long carpeted hallway that had a few portraits hanging on its walls, a feeling of uneasiness crept over me and wondered if it had been such a good idea after all. I didn’t want it to seem like I was imposing. I passed a closed red door that had ‘Kylie. Nock be4 enter’ scribbled on it with black crayon. Coming to the conclusion that Kylie was most likely sleeping soundly in there, I resumed my pace.

Upon arriving in front of my new best friend’s bedroom, I noticed the door was slightly ajar, a shadow falling out on the hallway carpet through the gap. It was dark inside; the window in her room was probably curtained to avoid possibilities of any escaping rays of daylight that might disturb the eerie darkness of the room.

A tight knot formed in my stomach slowly as I stood there, contemplating on whether to push the door open. What if it was an intruder? A burglar? My mind clenched in fear as it moved onto a more intimidating thought: Was Odette okay?

Overcoming my curiosity and fright, I rendered the polished wooden door open with the palm of my hands, ready to meet whatever was inside.

The scene that met my eyes left my mind vacant. I didn’t know what to, or didn’t want to, make sense of the fearsome sight before me. Odette was sitting Indian style in the middle of a triangle constructed by candles, her usually limp black hair now flying ferociously as sudden and invisible gusts of wind hit her face with immeasurable force. The golden glow of the candle flames outlined her features sharply, and in the obscurity, she looked as if she had an inhumanly aura surrounding her. She sat very still, except for her palm that was holding an onyx stone and facing upwards, her eyes clamped shut as she murmured words that were entirely unfamiliar with me. I myself, at this point, was derived of speech. Not knowing what to do, I turned back to head back the way I’d come, terror instilled in me now. What was she doing?

“Aries?” her wavering voice behind me stopped me for only a moment before I ran out of the house as fast as I could, determined not to let her catch up. I knew then that I hadn’t been the only one keeping a secret.

No matter how many times she tried to stop me in the hallway to talk, I would always mutter some excuse before rushing off. It wasn’t that I was frightened to talk to her; more like surprised at her for keeping a secret. Why didn’t she tell me she was connected with supernatural strengths?

When I felt like maybe I should give her a chance to explain herself to me, I let myself get cornered by her one Tuesday under the staircase during lunch.

“Aries,” she started, “About what you saw….”

I opened my mouth to speak but she held up her hand and interjected, “Aries, please let’s take some time to talk it out.” She looked so desperate I had to answer with an affirmative.

I sighed, “Fine.”

Immensely relieved, she asked eagerly, “How about after school today? Around 6 pm at the Green Square Park around the corner?”

“Okay.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” she gushed, wrapping her hands around me.

****

I drew my jacket tighter around me as another chilly breeze ruffled by. I sat on the slightly damp grass and put my arms around my knees to keep myself warm.

 Twilight was nearing. The sky was a breathtaking fusion of orange and yellow hues, the dying embers of the setting yolk throwing rays of light on patches of dark green grass. The clouds, outlined by indigo and a mixture of other nondescript colors, faded in the background as dusk set in. The pale moon of the day brightened so it was illuminated against the gradually darkening sky and the stars peeked out one by one, indicating the beginning of the night. 

I turned to face Odette who was seated next to me.

“So….,” she began uncertainly, “I wanted to say…”

“Yes?” I probed, not too gently, my arms crossed, as I shifted my weight.

“Look, my mom,” she inhaled deeply, “was an enchantress.”

Seeing as how I had discovered her occult powers last week accidentally, the fact that her mom had those too failed to surprise me. I looked at her searchingly and saw genuine pain etched across her iris. It obviously pained her to think of her mother.

I softened a little and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Odette appeared nervous and fidgety. She kept on plucking out blades of grass from beside her and her eyes continuously flickered around us so as to be aware of prowling ears.

“I didn’t want to be labeled a freak.”

I goggled my eyes at her. “A freak? Why would we label you a freak? We’re your friends, Odette!”

She didn’t reply; instead, she stared down at her shoes in silence. I expected her to say something more, and she didn’t disappoint me.

“I’m sorry I hid it from you, Aries. I didn’t want to, believe me. But I was scared myself. No one except my dad knows,” she said, then added as an afterthought, “And now you.”

“What about your…” my voice trailed off. Much as I knew speaking of her mother would cause heartaches that I didn’t want to contribute to, I couldn’t brush aside my burning curiosity.

“My mother?” she questioned, and then continued without an answer, “She died in a car crash. She was a very powerful enchantress, but magic is no match for fate. We witches are capable of death due to natural causes; nothing supernatural. I discovered my powers when I was ten, barely able to handle myself and terrified as to what was happening to me. My dad sat me down and talked me through it all. Unlike my mother, he is of human descendant, but he knows all about her gift. Naturally. He told me it was obvious I would inherit her uncommon gift and that when my sister, Kylie, comes of age, she would get it too. It’s usually the women in our family, you know.”

I digested her words in a hurry before inquiring, “So why were you absent yesterday?”

“Sometimes my power spins out of control,” she explained. Her tone hinted that this wasn’t an eccentricity. “It usually happens when I get overworked or stressed out. At times like that, I need to relax. So, once in a while, I skip school to balance my powers again. My dad’s okay with it, he understands.”   

I nodded in comprehension. “Let’s get back. It’s getting dark.”

Odette agreed and we began our short walk to my house, a comfortable silence hanging in the air.