Memories of the past flashed through my mind. All the dead people Noreen had left in her wake, the ferocious look on her face right before she died…
I felt like my brain was about to explode like an overfilled balloon.
Crystal’s POV
By the time I returned to my residence, my emotions were completely out of control.
I had no idea how things had come to this. If everything had been premeditated, that meant that I had become a willing prey.
My thoughts were clouded by an indescribable pain. It felt as though thousands of ants were crawling all over my skin, gnawing at my flesh.
I stumbled into my room and burrowed under the covers of my bed.
I was shivering. I felt hot and cold at the same time.
My head was pounding, too, and all I could think about was the pain. Images of death flashed in my vision-Leonard’s, Maya’s, Rufus’.
I saw Rufus with a cut on his throat, caused by the black thorn that adorned his body…
And now… Now, it was Beryl’s turn, wasn’t it?
Noreen had once told me that I would only bring misfortune to the people around me.
She was right. One by one, the people I loved and the people who loved me were slowly disappearing.
I had done my best to fight against my destiny, but it was all in vain.
I could feel the sheets turning damp as I sobbed, hoping against hope that this was all just a huge and terrible prank.
But of course, it was all wishful thinking.
The last five years were simply a grace period, the calm before the storm. What was fated was bound to happen sooner or later.
Another wave of pain wracked my body, almost choking me to death. It seemed like the ants from hell had already penetrated my skin, and were now crawling around my brain.
I rushed to the bathroom and turned the cold water on. I couldn’t even wait until it filled the bathtub, I just submerged my head into the water, praying that it would numb the pain, if only a little.
When I pulled myself back up, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. Through the haze, I could make out how red my cheeks were, and how my neck and arms were now decorated with scratch marks.
I blinked once, then twice, but my vision remained hazy. The feeling was not that different from when I got extremely drunk. But a voice inside my head told me that I wasn’t drunk. If that wasn’t it, then something else was wrong with my body. My mind was in a daze, and I was itching and burning all over.
I started scratching my arm again, but the itchiness only seemed to get worse. I scratched and scratched, until blood bloomed in my skin.
Just then, someone stormed into the room. I whipped around and stared helplessly at Rufus. Tears were streaming down my face as I held up my bleeding arm. “The itch won’t stop,” I whispered miserably. “What should I do?”
I raised my other hand, intending to scratch my arm again, but Rufus caught it in his grasp.
He pulled me into his arms and kissed my hair. “Calm down, Crystal,” he rasped. “It’s okay. Don’t think about the itch. Everything will be fine if you stop thinking about it.”
I choked on a sob and struggled in his embrace. “Stay away from me! I only bring death and misfortune to those around me. I don’t want to see anyone die again.”
“No one will die. Listen to me, we will be together forever. You and me, and Beryl and Arron.” Rufus pulled me flush against his chest and tightened his arms around me, so much so that I could barely squirm. “If it weren’t for me, Beryl wouldn’t have ended up like this,” I insisted through my tears. “It’s all my fault. Everything is my fault. I don’t deserve to be her mother.”
“Don’t say that, Crystal. It’s not your fault. No one could have expected Noreen to come back to life.” Rufus took a deep breath, then pulled back a little to look me in the eye. His tone turned serious.
“Noreen is taking advantage of your weaknesses. That’s what she does. She wants you to break down and let your defenses fall. You said it yourself-Noreen is good at bewitching people and manipulating them into doing her will. This is going to be a tough battle, Crystal. You need to calm down and keep a firm hold of your wits. Now, clear your mind and forget all about your worries for a while.”
I did as he said, taking slow, deep breaths and grounding myself. As soon as I calmed down, the haze cleared, and the horrific sensation of ants eating at me vanished. My mind had never been clearer.
I realized then that everything I had just suffered were nothing more than illusions.
Crystal’s POV
Rufus didn’t release me until I calmed down. He touched my arms with his fingers, which were covered in blood.
That was when I realized how badly I’d hurt myself when I lost control just now.
I frowned and dropped my gaze to the floor. “Summer is almost here. I want to wear beautiful dresses.”
Rufus rolled his eyes at me, turned around, and retrieved a box of ointment from the cabinet. “You ran faster than a rabbit just now. I was nearly scared to death. I’ve told you to tell me beforehand if anything is happening to you. Why do you always try to hide your emotions from me?”
Looking at his dark expression, I coyly replied, “I didn’t have a choice. That emotion overwhelmed me out of the blue and I couldn’t control it at all. “
Rufus scoffed and positioned my arms on his lap so that he could apply the ointment.
The icy medicine alleviated my pain.
I tilted my head and watched Rufus, who was carefully applying the ointment. “Are you mad at me?”
“Why should I be mad at you? You just told me that you couldn’t control your emotion. If I really want to be angry, I will direct my fury at Noreen. This is all her fault. When I capture her, I will make her suffer a fate worse than death,” Rufus said in a dark voice as he scowled.
I discretely stuck my tongue out at him, knowing that he was absolutely infuriated. “But catching Noreen is not an easy feat. She’s so cunning,” I mumbled sadly.
“There has to be a way,” Rufus replied lightly.
After applying the medicine, he thickly bandaged my arms and finished off my dressing with a plastic covering as the outer layer.
I waved my arm, which looked like a rolling pin, and felt amused. “Baby, I’ve just suffered a few scratches. Isn’t this a little over the top?”
“It’s to prevent your scratches from getting wet in the bath,” Rufus replied concisely and authoritatively.
Okay…
I pursed my lips, not having the courage to challenge his final say. He was already unhappy today.
Rufus bent forward and lifted me out of the bathtub. Then he took off my wet clothes. Once the water in the bathtub was warm, he placed me back inside.
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