'You are killing her!' I shouted and came out from my hiding.
They were obviously not expecting this; I took advantage of the fact that I had taken them by surprise and I immediately ran to Annie who was now lying on the ground.
'I beg you. Stop!' I said to Eric with tears in my eyes.
I signalled Mystic and the other man to stay out of this.
'Why must you always be in the wrong place at the wrong time?'
'Eric!?' Mystic called for him.
I was unable to control myself anymore and I panicked.
It was clear; I was going to end up in the same situation as the unconscious girl next to me. I wanted to help her. At least she was no longer surrounded by that light – for the time being...But my stupid courage also proved to be my death sentence. And I still could not believe that I had been so attracted to this guy.
'Cut it out', I heard a voice in my head saying.
I was delirious. This was surely one of their spells. I am going to die...I will slowly pass away and...Before I could finish my thought, the voice stopped me.
If you continue complaining like that then you will really end up dead.
Alright...now this was definitely not a spell.
Hey...you are a part of me. Are you my other part; the one that has been trying to take control over me? The one that created the wind, the one...?
Can we leave all this for later?
But... I tried to say.
Shut up and listen to me!
I did not say anything.
You can get yourself out of this and you can also save her. You are very powerful even if you don't realise that. You can kill all three of them, if that is what you want. I know I would love that, but I don't think you share my feelings. In any case, you can distract them. You are very special. In addition to everything else, you also have a sense of all the four elements of nature. You can summon the wind, the water, the earth and the fire. You can control nature – you can create a storm, you can set lightning or...
And how come you know all of this about me and I don't? I interrupted.
Because I am your rational part, I am the magic...I could make sense of what you are able to do a very long time ago. You have used your powers so many times and you were not even aware of that. Some of your dreams were in fact premonitions. You've never paid attention to what was going on around you and the least so to the details. Everything passed you by without you even noticing. You are unique. Your thoughts come to life when you want them to...or I...
Is that why you were trying to take control of me? I asked her ironically.
I was helping you.
This was so strange and crazy to be talking to someone in my head who...was not me. Or was it me? And how was this even possible?
And what is Eric doing? Why is he looking at me like that?
He is hesitant. Since he cannot play with your memories, he is thinking what to do with you. You're welcome, by the way. Thanks to me, he cannot hypnotize you. No constraining spells for you. Well...for us.
Aaa...thank you?
Anyway, Eric would never hurt you. You are too important. Your powers are extraordinary, Katelyn. He wants you for your powers.
Then why did you say I can end up dead if I continue to complain?
How else could I have distracted you? Eric was waiting for you to tell him something. Take advantage of the aces you've got.
Ok...that was weird, very weird. I felt like a crazy person. I was so angry with Eric and shocked at the same time that I did not know what to begin with.
'How can you be so cruel?' I asked him. 'Don't you have any feelings? Don't all of you have any feelings?' I looked at everyone. 'Or has none of you ever felt pain? Do you know how much it can hurt? Because sometimes it hurts so badly that you wish you were dead.'
The stranger looked fiercely at me. Had his look killed, I would be dead by now.
'Did you also feel pain?' the man asked me ironically. 'Or do you want to...'
Eric gave him a nasty look and he immediately swallowed his words. I sighed.
'You have no idea', I whispered more to myself.
But Eric heard me. He was watching me carefully.
who seemed to be very worried. He held a picture of me in his hand.
'Bring her to us before Eric finds out about her. We have to help her. To...'
And it stopped. We were now in the forest again.
'Don't you dare', Eric said and pulled me away from her.
I tried to resist but that obviously proved to be a useless effort from my part. Instead, I continued to look at Annie who died before my eyes just a few seconds later.
'Noooo', I yelled as I was trying to pull myself from Eric's strong arms.
'If you knew who she was you would not be reacting like that.'
'It doesn't matter. You've just killed her', I yelled even louder. 'Don't you have a conscience? What is it telling you right this instance?'
'Just shut up already' he said to me.
I shuddered in his arms. He felt that and I knew immediately that he regretted what he had said. The other part of me was right. I was never paying attention to details. He was looking at me in a strange way. The expression on his face was harsh and impenetrable – but his blue eyes were much too piercing. He was troubled. He was struggling to keep his calm. He who had probably always been in control of the situation was now fighting with the obstacle before him – and no matter how much he wanted to remove that obstacle, he could not. And this made him insane. The fact that I was the obstacle. The fact that he cared about me; well...for my powers.
'And what are you going to do? Are you going to kill me just like you killed her?' I asked him.
'Of course not', Mystic rushed to give me an answer. 'Look, Kate, this is all a big misunderstanding. She is not who you think she is. It is all...very complicated.'
Eric's look confirmed my suspicions. I should have kept my mouth shut. After all, I was meddling in his affairs. A person who takes the life of another should not have any feelings. No matter how curious he must have been about me, I still could not understand his way of thinking. What was he planning to do with me? He knew that if he'd just let me go I would not pretend that nothing had happened.
'Eric, this is too much for her and she won't understand if we try to explain it to her now. Just use your gift and make her forget all about this.'
'Again this forgetting thing?' I asked ironically.
'You are far too serious Mystic', the stranger interfered.
He was not very tall but he was big. He had rough and dark features. He had scruffy black hair and madman eyes. He frightened me.
He came close to me and pulled me out of Eric's arms. Despite my protests, he grabbed me by the chin and gave me a gentle pat on the face. Then he studied my body with this wild look on his face.
'We could have some fun', he said while he was holding me close to him.
'Jamie, cut it out! You are scaring her and you are giving her the wrong impression. Damn it, Eric; just erase that memory of hers already! It's much better than for her to find out the truth. Kate, we are not the bad guys here. Annie was with them. She was just one of their tools. But believe me, you don't want to find out who is behind her.'
What was Mystic talking about? All I knew was that this man who made me sick to my stomach wouldn't let me go from his arms.
'What's so special about her that you are both protecting her like that? You are hiding something from me and I don't plan on letting her go until you've told me what it is.'
Yes, it was about time. I could control nature, couldn't I? And so, what I wanted now was to be at one with the fire. I felt it releasing and spreading into my body; a kind of warmth that you could barely sense; one that was quite pleasant – for me; but not for him. He yelled and pushed me so hard that I lost my balance and I fell. He looked shocked at his burnt shirt and at the burns on his body.
I had done it! Inside me, I could feel my other part; and it was so proud.
'What did you do to me?' He yelled. 'You will pay for this.'
'In fact, I don't think you want to come close to me', I replied in mockery.
'There are other ways. In fact, since you like to play with fire, let's see how you'll manage this.'
He was furious. He had a strange look – full of satisfaction and pure madness. And he was talking to himself. He babbled some words quietly...
I held my breath realising that he was making a spell.
'Don't you dare do anything to her', Eric ordered him.
I was really wondering when he'll show up in the picture. A bit late, don't you think? He could have stopped him from the beginning.
'Jamie, cut it out! You have to learn to control yourself', Mystic told him – he definitely did not like that.
So everything that Eric and Mystic cared about were strictly my powers, I said disappointed. What was I expecting? After everything I had seen I still hoped deep down that they were actually the good guys.
How naive I can be sometimes. I find difficult to believe even what I see with my own eyes. After all, I did not really know either of them.
'Enough, Jamie', Eric shouted again seeing that he was not going to stop.
And that is when I saw them; a blinding light. In fact they were shiny snakes coming my way. I turned and closed my eyes. I could feel the other part of me struggling to come to the surface. I wanted to set it free, to let it take control...but nothing happened. When I opened my eyes, it was only Eric and I. No sign of Annie's body or the two lackeys. They were quick, no doubt about it.
'What were you thinking coming to the forest alone? Are you really that irresponsible? How come...'
'Cut it out', I shouted at him. 'How dare you behave as if nothing had happened? You've tortured a person Eric, and no reason could possibly make that alright.'
'I had no choice! Life is tough, Katelyn. Sometimes, we have to take decisions that we don't like just so that we can get some information. Hypnosis did not work on her, which means that she knew about my special power and that she had a protection charm with her.'
'Protection charm? Should I take it that anyone who has such a thing cannot be hypnotised anymore?'
'It is more complicated than that. Charms are unique. For example, the one Annie has only works against me, because it was made specifically to resist my constraining spell. You should not have seen this. I...'
'In fact, I don't want to know anything else. I just want to forget that this ever happened. Just make me forget. I will not resist anymore. Perhaps it will work.'
I think that he would have been less surprised had I told him that I have wings and that I can fly.
He came in front of me and stared at me; this time I could not feel any influence from him. I could only feel his long and warm fingers on my cheek. I flinched and I involuntarily moved back.
'It did not seem to bother you last time', he said to me.
'Last time I had no idea what a despicable person you are.'
I continued to move backwards.
'Stay away!'
But of course that he did not listen.
I could feel my feet becoming unstable. I hit a tree and before I could make any move, Eric leaned his hands on it on either side of me.
'You are afraid of me', he said and then sighed.
He looked sad and that made me even more confused.
'What a revelation.'
I did not want to seem too vulnerable but his blue eyes – that were fixating me – only made me even more intimidated. I whispered the next words that came out of my mouth although I wished I would have put more strength in them.
'Just do your damn spell from afar...'
'Oh, Kate, I wish there were some other solution. But it is better if you just forget what happened instead of despising me. Nothing is easy in life, and when magic is involved also, things just get even more complicated. The magic world is tougher and sometimes you have to make decisions that you don't like. Do you think that I enjoyed seeing her hurt? It is just that sometimes torture is the best method of making someone talk.'
'Just do your damn spell and after that stay away from me. I don't want to know anything about that.'
I could feel his influence again and that desire to please him; although I did not resist, it still did not work. Or perhaps because, although I did not resist, the other part of me did. That is to say, if the conversation in my mind was not just in my imagination. I really felt I was going crazy.
'Nothing', I said to him angrily and pushed him away from me. Your stupid spell did not work!'
Eric sighed.
'I am sorry; things just should not have worked out the way they did.'
'Just stay away from me. I don't want to have anything to do with you, and I hate the fact that there is a part of me that likes you. Stupid prophecy', I added and went away; I chose the direction I thought was best.
'Katelyn?'
'What?' I shouted.
'You're going the wrong way.'
I turned. He was right. I had no idea how to get out of this forest so I needed him to help me with that.
'Can you walk faster?'
'Why are you in such a hurry?'
'Could it be because I was supposed to be in school right about now? Moreover, I want to spend the least possible time with you.'
'Ouch. That hurt, but I guess I had it coming. Kate, you cannot possibly think that I would hurt you?'
I did not reply because, truth be told, I did not know what to tell him. A part of me was really terrified of him.
'I have done many unscrupulous things. I am not a person that you can trust. In fact, although I will probably regret saying this, I think it is best if you stay away from me. My world is turned upside-down. You would not last for long in my company. But despite everything, I want you to know that I would never ever hurt you. You are tired. Go to your room. You can skip the rest of the classes today.'
I did not know what to say, but Eric was right. Although I was confused, I had to stay away from him. Going to my room sounded like a good option, but I was not going to please him. I built up courage and decided I was going to do it my way.
'I don't need any special treatment from you, Eric. I will be just fine on my own. And if my deeds have not always been the result of the best decisions, I will take responsibility for the consequences. Now, I am going to school.'
I tried to appear as brave as I could. If my mother had heard me she would have definitely wondered who I was and what had I done with her daughter.
'Then take that as an order.'
Oh, he was only adding fuel to the fire.
'You have no right to order me around.'
'You are a student in my campus; I think that gives me the right.'
'Well said; a student, not a slave that takes orders. Next time choose your words carefully. Straight ahead, right?'
'Yes, why?'
'Good. I hope this is our last discussion and that I won't be seeing you any time soon. And if we do see each other, you should pretend not to know me. Good bye, Eric', I told him and then I ran.
I did not know what to do. I wished I had someone to talk to about that. I have a lot on my mind and my heart is aching; I wish I could tell Chris and Maggie all about that – and clear my soul. But I would only prove to be selfish. I did not have to get them involved in this – I was deep enough in it. But shouldn't I warn them about the two?
I don't know what's coming next but, for the time being, I only had two options.
1. Stay away from Eric and Mystic and continue to accept these things and pretend that it had all been an ugly chapter in my life.
2. Find out everything I could about those two and about what they were up to.
The first option did not sound like something Katelyn Lambert would do. The second one was totally crazy and did not make any sense – but it was definitely something that I would have done.
I wanted to go to classes, I really did, but I changed my mind on the way there and I changed direction to the medical office. Luckily I ran into an old lady; I did not need to do much to convince her that I was not well – my noisy stomach helped me with that. And that is how I managed to get the rest of the day off.
Christine was also free. She was alright but just a bit shaken by all that had happened. It is a lot more difficult for her because she must always struggle to keep her control. Otherwise, she would be overwhelmed by the flow of emotions coming from those around her. Thank God, Sarah was also alright, although I heard that she took advantage to the maximum of her victim situation. And there was no news about the person that had hurt her. They were still looking for the guilty one. It seems that I, a novice and doing so bad, was the last on their list. I did not have to worry about that.