Cursed

Chapter 13: Unwanted results

The town was quiet this early in the morning. A few birds, that usually fell to the background once the bustle of the day started, were chirping in the trees. The morning dew provided a ghostly scenery, it was only in the east that the orange sun started to warm up the forest. With my brown bear skin around my shoulders, I waved through the quiet houses of Helfarch.

The whirlwind in my mind made for a nice distraction from the morning cold and the throbbing pain all over my body. It felt like I was hit by a house-sized boulder - one specifically named princess Katherina of the vampires.

The water in both barrels sloshed with each step. Cold drops splashed on my hands, raising goosebumps on my skin and turning into soft caresses while they slid down my fingers. Her fingertips trailed along my hand, my whole body tensed and I almost dropped the barrels. She wasn't here. She was dangerous. There wasn't any question about that anymore after yesterday. There was a monster inside of her. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push down that inner turmoil.

Then, why didn't she scare me more? Why did my fear disappear the second her humanity seemed to have returned?

I switched the full barrel with the empty one in front of Ura's house. My eyes remained on her door a second longer than normal. After a shake, I turned around and walked up to the next house, switching the barrels. At least people could wash and drink when they woke up.

With lazy steps I returned to the well at the edge of our town. The carefully placed pile of white stones looked exactly how I felt - like only half a mind had worked on its creation. The empty barrels dropped next to the well, my body slipped along the side not much later. My body was at the edge of exhaustion; my legs felt like there were bricks coursing through my veins instead of blood and my joints seemed to have turned forty years older overnight.

Will she be okay? I wondered. Kate had gotten her pretty badly. Her leg had seemed crushed in multiple places and her jaw looked twice the size it had been.

My fingers traced mindlessly along my ribs, I winced at the sharp stab.

"That face speaks volumes." My eyes snapped up at the familiar voice.

Ura stood a few meters further, her weight resting on two wooden crutches. The splints attached to both sides of her left leg looked painful. My left hand fell to the ground and fisted the moist earth underneath it.

My lips curled up, I tried to smile - I really did-, but the genuineness just didn't reach the inside of my chest.

"You shouldn't be out of bed this soon," I said, my hand digging deeper in the earth next to me.

"Neither should you," she pointed out. Her words were mumbled and her face squinted in pain. She hopped towards me, I moved to get up but she shook her head. "She did quite a number on you as well I see."

Her crutch pointed quickly towards me, but I wasn't entirely sure which bruise she was referring to, I didn't look much better than she did. The only difference was that my injuries were purely superficial, whereas Ura would be struggling to recover for the upcoming weeks.

"I'm not the one with a broken leg and broken jaw."

Ura leaned against the well, she tried to hide the groans of pain, but they escaped her anyways.

"Yeah."

"You want some help?" I asked, seeing her struggle was painful.

She swatted my hand with her crutch and clicked her tongue.

"Stop doing that," her outburst came unexpectedly, it made me pull my hand back. She hissed at her abrupt movement.

"Just trying to help," I murmured. My hands trailed my ribs again, the painful jabs were already more sore than electric.