Sofia's Curse

The Shelter

Wade opens the door to his house. He is surprised to see his classroom mates in front of it. What are they doing here? And why do they have so much baggage?

"Hey," his light eyebrows furrow slightly, "What's up?"

Victoria glances at Christopher shortly before locking her eyes to the ground. She can't look him in the eye. Not when asking for pity. Truth is, she knows Wade likes her. Not only as a friend. That is why they decided to ask him to crash at his place. Other reason being that he lives in a big house with only his older brother, since their parents live in San Francisco. They are good friends, but it has always been hard for her to admit she needs help. Especially when it comes to favors like these. "I..." she whispers, "We wanted to ask you a big favor," she looks up, her eyes expecting.

He twists his lips in confusion and nods twice. "Sure, what is it, Vic?" He glances to Chris who is silent.

"Our mother died. And we need a place to crash," she flushes, embarrassed to sound like a wounded puppy. "It'd only be for a couple of nights," she adds quickly.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," he says utterly shocked and lays a hand gently to her shoulder. Then he looks at Chris, "My condolences, Christopher."

He nods. "Thank you."

Wade wonders how their mother died, but knows asking it would be socially inappropriate on so many different levels. Seeing their faces, he realizes they know what he is thinking about. They don't offer any intel, though. There is a short moment of awkward silence, before Wade jumps aside and invites them to come in. It's obvious they don't want to talk about it.

His house is a typical American home. Vinyl siding, grey roof, lots of windows, and a nice porch. Inside, there are four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and although it should look like a student residence, it kind of resembles a castle. The old wooden floor creaks under the twins' feet as they slowly enter the foyer .

"Thank you so much, Wade," Victoria says once again, flushing.

"No biggie," he mutters, but thinks about "Come meet my brother. He's in the living room with his girlfriend."

She glances back at Christopher and as he gives her a short nod, they follow Wade through the ample hallway towards the living room.

Trophies of game and exotic wild animals decorate the walls and the orange light of the stack creates a cozy atmosphere. The unwashed dishes and clothes lying all over the room allude to the parent's absence. Even though Yasmine forbade them to use the fireside at her house, the warm and chaotic atmosphere of Wade's place reminds them of their former home.

For the first time in the last few hours they feel a little calmer and their heartbeat stabilizes as the adrenalin fades in their bloodstreams. At the same moment, an endless fatigue consumes their bodies.

Wade stifles a chuckle as he finds his brother unbuttoning his girlfriend's b*a below her tight black shirt. Victoria flushes and turns away.

Chris enters the room to see what is going on and Wade coughs, so as to announce their presence. His brother immediately pulls away and gazes up. He is at first confused, then slowly stretches a smile across his face. He is not handsome. He has the same pale tan as his brother, a crooked nose, eyes wide apart, and a narrow face. But he is charismatic with a big goofy grin on his face. More handsome than Wade. Victoria never liked Wade. She never liked anyone, really. Apart from Ian. Does she like Ian?

"Sorry to interrupt," Chris returns his grin, nodding in approval.

The girl fixes her sandy blond hair quickly, and tries to button up her b*a back, without turning back to face them.

"No problem. I'm Jake," he says and stands up.

"Christopher, nice to meet you," he takes a few steps forward to shake hands with him. He glances back to the girl as she has just turned his way to collect her glasses off the table. Her thick bold eyewear. One that he has seen before. She looks up and waves, smiling: "Hi, I'm Vanessa. Usually I look better from the front," she winks.

Why is she so familiar? Where have I seen her before?

She takes her iPhone off the table and checks for messages. Her mask is kitsch, green-yellow-blue crystal balls glued together. Why does it seem familiar, too?

Oh no, Chris thinks. It's the girl from that night on the gas station. It's the girl who sat in the car. In the car...next to Sophia.  It's her friend!

He tries to think of something to stall, to keep Victoria away, to push her away before the two met, but it is already too late.

The girl looks at his sister and her wince slowly fades away. Instead, she frowns. "Soph?" she seems genuinely surprised. "What are you doing here?"

#

Giovanna is out of his way. She cannot protect the twins. Not anymore. That is the thought with which Leeroy falls asleep, and his face wears a happy expression, which is a rare sight to see. Happy is not one of the emotions he's very familiar with. It's been a long time since he last felt true happiness. And he was the one to ruin it.

That brings us to another emotion – regret, one that he's very familiar with. If only he could bring back time, he would've...what? What would I have done? He thinks. It wasn't meant to be. It couldn't last.

It was all his fault. He's never been a man of regrets. Regrets make people weak. And he is a lot of things, but not weak. It is that one single mistake from his part that he cannot make peace with.

It could've worked, he corrects himself, if it weren't for them. He will never forgive them. Because, to forgive them, he would have to forgive himself first. And that is something he will never be able to do.

He makes himself forget it. Repress it. And he manages well. But from time to time, he remembers. And the emotion of regret reappears. Crawling its way to the surface. Eating him alive.

Regret is a dangerous emotion to entertain before falling asleep. Because it doesn't leave one's mind after the eyes have shut. To the contrary, it plays with it in wicked ways, digging deep into the f*******n, locked areas nobody wants to touch...

She is there. Standing in front of him, her wide dress decorating the rusty wooden tiles with its rough edges. Her hands are dirty with soil. She had been running away. How did she know he was coming? Did she feel it? She couldn't have felt it, she has no powers.

"Katrina," he says, but his voice is distant and blurry. She doesn't turn. He thinks she didn't hear him.

"Katrina!" he yells now, wanting her to hear him.

She is startled. She jerks her head back and flinches seeing him. Then she stands frozen.

Is she afraid of me? he thinks. How can she be afraid of me? Doesn't she know? Doesn't she know how much she means to me?

He could never hurt her. If there is one person he would protect from everything and everyone, it is her.

He is maddened by the acknowledgement of her fear, but then he gets an idea. He could use her fear to his advantage. Yes.

"Tell me," he orders, but his voice fades away quickly. "Tell me!" he repeats, this time louder.

"I will die before I tell you," she says, standing tall and proud.

His little angel is pretending to be tough. As per usual. "Be careful what you wish for," he says coldly, hiding his amusement behind a thick layer of anger.

"I told you a million times, Luther, I know what I want."

"If that is your wish, Katrina," he comes closer, "I can spare you from your miserable life. But first," he holds his hand out as if preparing to do a spell, "I will make you tell me," he says, even though he cannot do any spells to force their location out of her.

"Never," is the only word she says, just before she pulls out the dagger she held behind her back and thrusts it into her gut. But it seems a million nevers as her voice echoes throughout the ample room.

Leeroy is awakened from his nightmare. But he doesn't bolt upright. He isn't covered in sweat. He simply blinks.

It is a nightmare he's accustomed to. Although, he doesn't dream of it often. Usually, when he dreams of Katrina, he is happy. That is the only place he is happy at. With her. In those short moments they share together in the dark hallways of his mind. His mind is a labyrinth with many secrets, experiences, life-changing moments. And even though she isn't with him anymore, nobody can take away his memories.

That is why he doesn't let any light enter his premises – it brings him farther away from the place he wants to live in. 

His dream.