Obsession 2

Chapter 10- Absolutely Anything

Sadie

I walk out onto the front porch and look from left to right. I don't see any sign of Sammy and I no longer hear the bustling I heard earlier. Maybe it was some kind of animal? There's lots of squirrels running around here.

I turn around to head back inside, but I freeze when I sense him close to me. It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand.

"You're trying to trick me, I can taste it," he growls.

I take a deep breath before turning around to face him. "I'm definitely not trying to trick you. I'm only trying to understand you."

I look around, but I don't see him anywhere.

"You've known me for years. Why are you just now showing an interest?" he asks, but I still don't see him.

I can't even tell where his voice is coming from. It kind of sounds like it's coming from...everywhere.

"I could ask you the same thing. You've never shown an interest in me before. Why now?" I ask.

"You've got me there," he says, suddenly appearing out of seemingly nowhere.

My heart starts to pound. Was all that crap Kai and Leo were talking about legit? Is there really some kind of curse that's causing Sammy to behave this way?

His eyes look so crazy. And his smile...the way he keeps looking me up and down, like he wants to devour me...probably literally.

"You hurt me last time. That's why I ran away," I say, trying to keep my voice steady as he moves closer and closer.

"I'm sorry about that. I really didn't mean to. It's just...when I get...turned on, something inside me starts to...heat up."

"No kidding," I chuckle nervously when he starts up the front porch steps.

I instinctively start to back up towards the door, but I stop myself. I can't ruin this chance for Mikey. If we can snap Sammy out of this, then I'm going to do everything I can to help.

"What about Mikey?" he asks, still coming closer.

"What about him?"

"Well, you were in love with him for years. You don't think he'd be a little upset about this?" he asks, motioning between us with his finger.

He stops in front of me and I can already feel the heat off his body. And though I try to be strong, it's so hard to not just run right now. I'm terrified of what he could do to me. I mean, I just saw him materialize out of thin air.

He leans closer, and while I think he's going to kiss me, he sniffs me instead. He pulls away with his face contorted in anger. "You smell like him. He's here."

"What? No," I lie, sounding fake to my own ears.

"Don't lie to me," he growls, punching the wall behind me and causing me to jump.

"He was here earlier! He's gone now!" I reply frantically.

"He knows about us. Doesn't he."

I fight the urge to wrinkle my nose in disgust. There wasn't and never will be an us. He kidnapped me and tried to force himself on me against my will. "I don't think that's something he needs to know."

"So he's not here? And this isn't a trap?" he asks, his tone suggesting he won't believe anything I say at this point.

"Just come inside and we can-"

"No!" he snaps, grabbing me by the wrist and causing me to cry out in pain when his hot skin meets mine.

"Mikey!" I cry out.

"No, no, no. Don't bother calling your boyfriend now. He can't save you," Sammy growls, grabbing me around my waist as soon as Mikey, Kai and Leo come outside.

"Sammy, no! Let her go!" Mikey shouts.

"Sammy, listen to us. We know what's going on with you," Kai says calmly, trying the reasoning approach. "I've been under this same curse before. You can beat it."

"Just come inside with us," Leo says, approaching us cautiously.

"Take one more step and I'll make her a pile of ashes," Sammy says, making my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.

I could die today. Right now. Oh my God, what am I doing? I shouldn't even be here.

I try my best to fight out of his grip, but it's not use. He's impossibly strong and his skin...it's so hot I feel I could pass out at any moment. There's so much heat, I can barely breathe. It's like being locked up in a car in the middle of Death Valley.

"Please Sammy, don't hurt her," Mikey begs. "You know how much she means to me."

"That was years ago, little brother. She's mine now," Sammy barks back, his grip on me tightening.

I can tell by the look in Mikey's eyes that he's about to lose it. Our plan isn't working. Seeing Mikey isn't causing Sammy to feel anything remotely close to remorse or regret. If anything, seeing Mikey is only making him more enraged.

So I am definitely in danger.

"Let her go, Sammy," Kai pleads. "You don't want to hurt anyone else. I know you don't."

"I'm not going to hurt her," Sammy laughs. "Sadie likes me, don't you Sadie."

"Uh...yeah, of course," I whimper.

I start to become lightheaded and dizzy. My knees give out, but Sammy's grip on me is so tight, I don't collapse to the ground like I want to. Instead, I sort of just limply hang, trying to hang on to my last shred of consciousness. Mikey, Kai and Leo are still trying to reason with Sammy, but their voices are muffled, as if they're speaking through a mouthful of cotton.

Oh no...

This could be it for me. I may not wake up from this.

With that thought in mind, I muster up all the strength I have and look up at Mikey. "I love you...Mikey..." I get the words out just before everything goes black.

Michael

"They just...disappeared," I say in disbelief after Sammy and Sadie are gone.

"His powers are at their peak," Kai replies. "He has the power to materialize. That's exactly how Leo and I got to the place where...I ultimately gave up."

"Is that where he took Sadie?" I ask.

Kai gives me a sympathetic look, shrugging. "It's hard to say. He could take her anywhere when he's in this state. Hundreds or even thousands of miles away."

I feel like my entire body shuts down all at once. I'm stunned. Sadie could be gone forever because of me, because of what I let happen.

"Don't panic just yet, okay?" Leo says, patting my back. "Trust me, I've been in your shoes before. When Kai had Mara, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't do anything but wonder if I was ever going to see her again. But I did. You just have to trust that your brother will do the right thing in the end."

"But what if he doesn't, huh?!" I snap. "What if he kills her, because I led him straight to her! Because...I'm a f*****g idiot..."

"If you give up, she's as good as dead," Kai says. "Leo kept coming after me, he never stopped. Eventually, I realized he loved Mara more than I ever could. He risked his life for her. And that's why I let her go. That's why I gave up the powers of the curse. If Sammy is who you say he is, he can overcome the darkness. He just needs a good reason to do it."

"But how do I find him now if he could be anywhere?!" I ask in frustration.

Kai and Leo share a look. "There is a way, but it's going to be very, very dangerous," Kai answers.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You could infect yourself with the curse," Kai says.

"But if it turned Sammy bad, it will turn me bad too," I say, looking between them in disbelief. "There has to be a better way."

"I'm afraid it might be the only way, my friend," Kai frowns.

"How do I even curse myself? Do I have to go all the way to Japan?"

"Mara's friend has a crazy aunt that knows all sorts of things about curses and magic. She has lots of cursed objects from the Rokusai. She's the reason I found out how Kai was able to do all the strange things that seemed impossible at the time. I can take you to her," Leo offers.

"So...you want me to infect myself with the same curse...that caused my brother to murder two innocent girls...."

"We know how it sounds," Leo sighs. "But trust me, when someone you love is hanging in the balance, and in your case, two people you love, it's easy to do what you have to do to save them. I would've moved heaven and earth for Mara. And there's something about having that kind of grit and determination that causes the curse to react differently."

"You were cursed too?" I ask Leo.

"Not really. I mean, I was under the influence for a brief period of time," Leo shrugs. "But since my family is from the Hikari tribe of the Rokusai, the curse gave me all the same powers it gave Kai without turning me...evil."

I want to laugh at the pure stupidity of all this. Tribes and curses, evil and magic...if I hadn't seen Sammy disappear with my own eyes, I'd call bullshit on all of this. But it has to be real, there's no other explanation. 

"If Sammy turned evil, so will I. We're brothers. We come from the same bloodline," I scoff.

"True, but you know what you're getting yourself into, Sammy didn't. You could control your urges. I did it for a long time, so I know it can be done," Kai says.

"But it's very dangerous," Leo adds. "So if you want to do this, you have to go into with the right mindset. You have to stay focused. You can't falter, not even for a second."

Oh my God. This is so much pressure. I don't want to do anything to make this situation worse, but if I don't do anything at all, Sadie will die. The only chance I have at finding Sammy is to become like Sammy. Now that I know what I'm up against, maybe I can keep my wits about myself.

"If I do this, will you...be there with me?" I ask Kai. "You've been through it before. You know what's gonna happen. I'd feel a lot better if...you could help me through this. I know I'm asking for a lot-"

"Consider it done," Kai says, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You're my Rokusai brother, I'll fight with you until the end."

"And you get to meet Aunt Roma, which is going to be...fun..." Leo chuckles.

"So...where is Aunt Roma?" I ask.

"Santa Barbara," Leo answers.

"Yep. So it looks like we're going on a field trip to California," Kai says. "We'll have to get there quickly. Sadie's life is in Sammy's hands until you find him."

I nod, swallowing hard. I can't believe I'm doing this, but what other choice do I have? I want to save Sammy, but I have to save Sadie. It's my fault she's in this mess and I'd do anything to get her out of it.

Absolutely anything.