Embers & Spells

1 - Nightmare Loop

There was always something relaxing in water drenching down my body. The sound of the soft pouring of the shower like calm rain in a tiring night made me lower my guard. It felt like home. It felt like I was in my own sanctuary.

A bitter smile curled my lips, a sob threatening to escape. Am I still safe here? I didn’t think so. I had just realized that I was never safe, not even before.

My life was an incredible tale. No, not the kind of tale that always began in Once-upon-a-time and usually ended in happily-ever-after. It was far from that. Mine had a plot twist, where the princess was bullied and got damned because she chose to be the heroine. Unfortunately, nobody told me that being a hero would only mean trouble. And trouble meant losing my soul to the devil.

My birth was not supposed to happen. I was told my mother bewitched my father into mating. He was the last blood of the black dragon-man, gods of their own world. They said I never should have lived because my bloodline was cursed. An abomination. And maybe they were right. And even though both of them came from royal clans and, technically, I was a princess by birth, that was not enough to overlook their treachery in the eyes of their people. They made a sin.

They made me.

I turned off the shower and sighed, welcoming the warmth in my body. I wiped the mirror with my hands to get rid of the fog. My round, cat-like grey eyes stared back at me, hundreds of questions ran down my head like a wild river stream. Why am I the way I am? Why am I not normal like most kids in school?

Shaking my head, I huffed and studied my face. I had never met my father and I always wondered what he looked like. Erin, my godmother, said I had my father's eyes, grey and sharp, with long eye lashes. My smile was from my mother, and how we could turn the darkest room radiate with sunshine with the curl on our lips.  I tried to seek my father’s face in mine, just like what I was doing now.

Would he be proud of the person I have become? Had he lived in this time, I wondered what he would do and the length he would go for just to save my soul from the devil.

The devil. Set. Just thinking of his name sent shiver down my spine. I tapped my chest, the pain of getting my soul ripped beat inside my head again, reminding me of my sin. The chaos and foul smell in the underworld was a nightmare itself, the anguish of the prisoners made my knees wobbled in fear. But what truly tormented me was the aftermath of the spell I did to the stranger that almost cost him his life. And the consequences it followed.

The devil held not only my soul in his hands, but also the afterlife of my godmother. It was Erin who made the deal with the devil to salvage my soul from the underworld. It was her who was imprisoned down there while I try to fulfil the mission given by Set. And it was not an easy mission. Killing a werewolf was never easy, much more the alpha. It was something I would never do.

But I had to.

For Erin.

****

Michaelson High was the most prestigious school in South Lox town. It was the very first school built in this place, and the old Greek-like architecture and castle-like vibe drew people’s attention. It was more looked like a royal castle than a school to me.

The semester just started. Being at school was my least favorite thing now that Erin was no longer with me to constantly nag about my studies. But I knew she would hate for me to give up without trying. After all, it was her life that was at risk because of my stupidity.

I was about to walk toward the register when a guy blocked my way, glancing at me with a crooked smile.

“Just a minute,” he said, holding a paper.

I groaned inside, turning to look behind me, seeing the long line of students who were as tired as me, waiting for their turn.

I heard the lady in the register spoke.  “That won’t do, Killian. You see those students waiting for their turn for, what, an hour now? Yeah, you have to fall in line too.”

The voice sounded familiar. I peeked over, seeing Agatha on the register, displaying her fiery round eyes.

“But this won’t take long, Agatha- “

“I don’t care,” she said. “I believe it’s Tana’s turn now.”

The guy named Killian looked over at me again, sighing. “Fine, whatever.” He walked away, shaking his head.

“Hi, Tana,” she greeted.

“Hey,” I replied, brushing my long black hair back as I walked toward the register. “I just need to get my schedule. Here’s my I.D.”

Agatha smiled. “Don’t need your ID, I know who you are Tana Axle Riva.” She sounded too friendly in my ears.

I chuckled. “That’s cool. Knowing you never really called my name before. But, sure.”

Her smile fell. I avoided her eyes, unknown what she was trying to get into. Since the incident on my eighteenth birthday, she constantly rang my phone, saying she was grateful and that she wanted to be friends. She actually became my distraction.

“You still think I’m a fake,” she whispered as she started to type onto the laptop. After a moment, the printer began to beep, slowly releasing the paper, with, what I assumed as my schedule for the semester. “I don’t blame you. I know what I did and I’m not trying to erase that.”

I stared at her. No matter how meaner she was back then, I had never used my power to fight back. My power was not for menial things. “What are you trying to do then?” I asked, tired of guessing what she really wanted.

She blinked, a slight frown on her face. “I told you I wanted to be friends with you.”

My brows furrowed. Nobody wanted to be friends with me since I was nine years old. “But why?”

She just stared at me as she picked up the copy of my schedule, sliding it toward me.

I shook my head, reaching for the paper. “You are thankful for what I did, I get it. But you don’t need to outcast yourself just to be my friend. Thanks, anyway.”

“Come on, Tana, it’s the last year of high school. I don’t think it’s late to start over.”

I shook my head, looking straight in her eyes. I could tell she was sincere but I just could not bring myself opening my life with someone right now.

“So, see you Monday.” She had a wide smile on her face. Surely, a lot of people would want to be her friend because of how popular she was at school.

Without a word, I just waved a goodbye and walked away.