Cursed

2. Café

"Everything was going fine but then, one day, Juliette was found dead in her hostel room." Jason continued.

"Juliette?" I asked.

"She was her roommate." He answered.

"But I swear it wasn't Amanda. She'd never kill anyone. Juliette and she grew up together like sisters. She won't even kill a mosquito. Killing her was impossible. But all proofs were against her." A tear escaped his wet eyes.

"So did the cops put her in prison?" Louis asked thinking what was obvious.

Jason shook his head and again broke into tears.

"No, she's taken to a facility. But it's more like life imprisonment."

He took a big pause and after clearing his eyes,

"She's...she's going to be hanged soon, the coos said." He grabbed his handkerchief and placed it on his puffed eyes.

Now, even the intelligent lawyer Louis had lost track of events. Jason was skipping a few parts which made it hard to decipher what exactly had happened. Who exactly was Juliette? And why was a supposed murderer in a facility? While she thought, Jason had finally moved to the line of her interest.

"But Amanda didn't kill her." Jason continued. He removed the handkerchief and put it back on the table.

"It was-" He began but stopped.

"Anyway. Just leave me alone. You won't believe it. No one did. " Jason stared back at the coffee.

"No Jason, believe me. I can help." Louis said. A feeling of excitement washed over her when she realised he was finally getting to the thing she'd been waiting for.

Jason sighed. "It was...Amanda wasn't herself. She, she was possessed." He said after another pause. If Louis hadn't had read the letter earlier, she'd have called the mental hospital and fled as soon as possible.

Then Jason made a weird face. "You, you don't look surprised." Louis had expected this conversation to throw light on things she didn't know earlier. But whatever Jason said was what she'd figured out herself. So naturally she wasn't surprised.

"I, well, I'm a lawyer and. And I've worked on similar case." She answered and Jason's eyes gleamed with surprise and a million other thoughts.

"Really?" He asked, unable to digest the fact. Now Louis was used to such reactions. But people reacted like this once they were convinced of her identity. In Jason's case, he didn't even know her name. Was meeting a lawyer, well, a demonic-activity-believing-lawyer, such a great thing for him? After all, it did lit up the tiny spark of hope which had faded beneath infinite layers of darkness he'd been struggling against lately.

"Yes. Here. " She said and dug her hand in her purse. She pulled out a card and handed it over to Jason.

Louis Adams
Court of Burkingham

It read. Jason now became silent and again returned to his coffee staring self competition. Jason used to be a confident guy himself. But darkness can change everything. Even a ray of hope can suddenly change into a giant beam of darkness. Still, somehow, Jason couldn't ignore that light divine feeling.

"I know it's too much to ask."

"But can you-". Jason began politely, his eyes filling with a shade he never believed would reappear ever again- the bright shade of hope.

"Yes. I guess I will." Louis smiled and saw Jason's face lit up.

"Ms. Adams, the problem has been solved." Arthur arrived.

"Well, I guess we should get going now. I'm exhausted." She said. She obviously wanted to know more. But troubling a guy who just attempted suicide wasn't exactly what she wanted. If she kept her interrogation, either the poor guy would die of answering her questions, or he'd certainly do a second attempt for suicide. Since when Louis decided to do something, she seldom retreated. And her measures ranged from baby steps to extremely extreme.

"You sure your parents don't need to know." Louis said once she was back in the SUV. They were heading to Wisconsin High, a college where Jason and Amanda and almost the whole youth of town studied. Jason lived in the hostel there.

"No Miss. They shouldn't know. Please." He requested.

"Okay." Louis smiled. In about forty-five minutes, they were at the Wisconsin High. It was located a bit out of the town. So the entire college was enveloped by a giant cover of forest which made this part a bit aloof of the rest of Wisconsin. The heavy rains and stormy climate made it further remote. And on the east of the gigantic lands of the hostel, stretched the same lake she'd been stuck upon earlier.

When they narrowed down, Louis realised the main buildings were huddled together in the centre while two rows of hostels stretched on either sides of the main college. And surrounding them were the vast green lands and then the forest and lake. As it was evening now, the place seemed more creepy.

"You sure you can go from here? "Louis asked Jason when he urged them to halt about a kilometre away from the main gate.

"Yes. There's a short cut here. I'll meet you tomorrow, Miss Louis." He said and before Louis or Arthur could stop him, he brisk walked away.

"He sure is a weird guy." Arthur said once he'd left.

"Well, if what he claimed and what I read is true, if I were him, I think I'd have exploded long ago." Louis said.

Then they hurried back to the motel. Arthur said he's going to visit his brother that night so he dropped Louis at the motel and left. Louis sighed and hurried towards the receptionist who welcomed her and handed over the keys.

She then went to the elevator and hurried to her room. Once she opened the door, she immediately dropped on the comforting bed. Her head rested over the soft pillow while warm sheets relaxed her tired muscles. It was a familiar feeling. Amost everyday she'd drop on the bed when she'd come back from work, completely exhausted. But the blissful feeling she got when she laid motionless on the soft comforting surface remained the same everytime.

Then, against her will, she rose up. Removed her coat and went to bathroom. She took a quick shower and changed into leggings and a loose Tshirt. Normally she'd wear a proper night dress. But in the hurry of coming here, she didn't get time to pack up stuff properly.

She then adjusted the pillow at her back and fiddled in her purse until she felt the cold metal screen. She unlocked the phone and went through the messages and call logs. Few of them were from Dan but most didn't require immediate attention.

She could send the replies and drafts but she simply had no energy left. It wasn't more than 8 at night and she was so exhausted that all she could think about was sleep. She even cancelled her dinner plans and straight away went to bed. Today was itself a weird day. And she'd promised Jason she'd meet him tomorrow again. Perhaps he'd tell her more then. Or she might investigate a little herself. One thing was certain - Whatever she's about to discover was going to change her world so deeply that it'd make her question the fundamental laws of existence or rationality.