The Curse Of A Stranger's Gift

Everything inside her screamed of fear and confusion. As much as she wanted to grieve, the image of Celestine"s b.l.o.o.d.y face kept popping in her head. On top of that, the wound on her neck was clearly the same wound as the other victim. Was it possible that she was already dead even before the accident?

All of a sudden, a chilling shadow crawled to the moon. The sight made the hair on the back of her neck stood at its end. People gasped and pointed upward.

An unwanted shiver ran down her spine before she moved away from the horde of people. She much rather be alone than have a strangers" company. Her breathing quickened and cold sweat fell from her forehead. She wiped it with shaking hands.

Her knees wobbled. Before she knew it, she was acquainted to the rough ground; the impact draw some deep scratches on her flawless skin. She leaned to a brick wall to catch her breathe. Blowing some air kept the bruises on her knees from stinging.

As she relaxed, she felt a breeze pressed her skin. She shuddered when a crippling vibe mixed in the air. Her eyes wandered for any sign of a person. However, she found no one. It was then that she realized she"s alone. Her heart started beating erratically. The trees looked so serene while the darkness overwhelmed it. What made Zheira wonder was the aura it gave. Like someone"s prowling in its depth. With its sharp eyes staring at her. She shook her head. It might have been her imagination or something. An effect of being drawn to reading horror books.

"No need to be scared," a cold voice uttered. It almost made Zheira jump. The voice laugh. "I said no need to be scared." Her soul stood gracefully. She seemed to be transparent as she reflects everything that was on her back.

"D—do you want to kill me?" she hissed. A wave of anger like she"d never known before aroused inside her as the woman who caused the death of her father stood in front of her. Her eyes were as sharp as usual. She"s quite mistaken to expect her to, at least, feel remorse. Maybe, she had no emotion at all.

"Oh! What a beautiful look you have there! I didn"t know you can be as angry as that." Zheira"s soul shook her head. There was a small smile in her lips that made Zheira"s hand twitched.

"W—what are you doing here?" She gritted her teeth. All her life, she"d never been so mad. Why would she be? Her parents were so lovely that anger has no s.p.a.ce in her heart. Showering with their affection was the best thing she could ever feel.

"You don"t honestly think I"d be gone forever, do you?" Her thin brow raised.

Zheira made sure not to look at her golden irises. It was so intense that she felt as if she"d never been able to tilt her head with one glimpse of it. "Just get to the point."

Her soul crossed its arms. "You never fail to amaze me, Zheira. I thought you"d never stop crying but look at you, you"re doing fine now. You"re even glaring at me. Such a wonderful sight, indeed." She sighed heavily.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I suggest you leave now. I"m not in the mood." She looked down and clenched her small fist to the ground. Imagining it to be that b.i.t.c.h"s face.

"Fine!" Her soul yelled. "Your time is up. I"m taking that body with or without your permission—"

"You don"t have to," she whispered, "my life has no sense now, right? You can do whatever you want. I"ve lived a happy life." She forced a smile.

For the first time, her soul"s face screwed. A bubble of sympathy raged inside her. After all, they"re still connected to each other. Although, they might be separated at some point, sharing one body for eighteen years made them somehow intimately bonded. But, Zheira"s confirmation settled everything. Now, she could have the body all by herself.

A reddish gleam blessed their bodies. Both of them looked up at the same time. The moment they did so, all their senses were shut down. Like some anesthesia was injected into their flesh. For Zheira, it was beyond words. She couldn"t even hear her own screams, but her lips were parted, so she might have been shouting for all she knew.

Her hands shot in the air, locating some tangible things to touch; to a.s.sure her that she"s not lost into a void from which no light could seep through. She"s left wishing to be dead. This was worst than anything she"d experienced. The pain was a sign that she"s alive, but she couldn"t feel it. She could still walk, though. It all points out that she"s in the center of life and death. That thought freaked her out more than ever.

Zheira"s soul, on the other hand, felt relieved with it. She already felt this when she kept Zheira"s body alive. It"s not new to her now. What made her worried was Zheira. If she dies out of fright, she wouldn"t have her body. That means, she"ll die as well.

It didn"t take long before their senses started coming back. Zheira catches her breath and wiped the mixture of sweat and tears in her face. However, the sight of her soul becoming tangible was the most horrifying scene ever. She"s emitting a reddish light as her flesh solidifies. Her soul laughed, amusing herself with the sight of her newly-made body.

Zheira blinked. A chunk of her strength was draining out of her, together with her blood. She didn"t know why she could feel the liquids dripping out of her. All she could do was to wait for the death that was sure to come. She didn"t know that by giving up her body, she"s giving up her will to survive. She"d been so dumb. Of course, she didn"t really want to die. Acting out of impulse had never been her forte. Now, she"ll just have to die with regrets upon cutting the string that kept her from dying.

Her thoughts grew louder until her blood stopped draining. The red light vanished from her soul"s body. Then, she felt her skin being pierced with invisible knives. She writhed on the ground, which wasn"t a great idea at all. It"s like being on a bed of thorns. Her screams were louder when her eyes stung; thick blood was flowing from it instead of tears.

"What the h.e.l.l did you do?"Every time she tried touching her, it would send a series of pain. She became more desperate when Zheira stopped moving. Her red irises were moving upward, and blood continued drooling out of her mouth and eyes. As a last retort, she penetrated her body, deciding to buried herself within her.

The moment they were one, Zheira gasped wildly. She opened her eyes that were covered with a different color. The right was red while the other was golden. It"s mesmerizing. Whoever took a glimpse at it would be cursed to not stare away.

Her senses were somehow heightened. A lot of tickers were pounding in her ears. It had brought a mouth-watering smell that made her thirsty. She rubbed her neck with her long pale fingers, trying to ease the thirst she"s feeling.

As she stood, her bones crackled. The sound was music to her ears. It"s like she"s been asleep for a hundred years and now that she"s awake, no one"s going to stop her. Every step she took, the ground pressed deeper as cracks danced in its surface.

A grin curved her lips when she saw the dark small particles dancing in the air. She should really freak out now, but that wasn"t the case. It"s as if she"s already used to this.

In her attempt to test her body, she ran. It didn"t take seconds before she stopped ten meters away from where she"s standing earlier. She cackled, amazed by what she"d done. Her body"s capability was more than what she could imagine. It was paler and her new eyes made her see the lines curving with her thin furs.

She wondered whether or not her body could take a crash. So, she leaped. A gasp escaped her throat when she lifts for more than five feet. She let the gravity brought her down, using her shoulder as the balance. A loud thud rang as her weight pressed deeper to the ground. Not even a single bruise made its way to her body, making her delighted more than ever.

Her enjoyment didn"t last long. There was a cute little voice shouting for help. She tried ignoring it but the familiarity and its innocence took a toll of her curiosity.

The owner of the voice was the same little girl she saw at the hotel. The one who called her a mummy. She squinted and was beyond shock when she saw the culprit. He was wearing blue jeans and a tight sleeveless shirt. There wasn"t any sign of his arrogance nor his cheeky smile. What Zheira could see was a cold man trying to tie a little girl. When she"s about to tell him off. A soft voice murmured.

"Can you hurry up, Louise? I"m bored now!" She was sitting on a trunk with her legs crossed.

"Shut up, will you?" he countered. His voice was husky and deep.

Slowly, Zheira moved back. However, she stomped to a twig and it caused a little sound. She grabbed her hair with her stupidity.