Of course a bombshell like, "I saved you" had to be dropped on me when the only person who probably knew what she was talking about was comatose.
Getting up out of the chair I walked slowly over to Mitchell and brushed his hair back to kiss his forehead. "I will do everything in my power to save you. I'm your big sister, your protector."
Tears started running down my cheeks as I looked over his paralyzed body. Tubes and lines sticking out of his hands and mouth. "I love you, Mitch. I will be back soon."
Making my way over to Sebastian the pings of pain I felt in my chest was crippling. Two of the most important men in my life laid next to each other, dying. All because of me.
"I love you more than I thought was possible. You truly are my other half." I brushed my thumb over his cheeks as I held his face in my hands. I gently kissed his lips and lingered on them for a moment. I wanted him to kiss me back. To wake up and hold me, but that wasn't going to happen, at least not right now.
426Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpX7gqV6xAz
***
The path to the cottage was over grown. Rocks crawled out of the ground and hugged the dirt as the leaves laid gently over them. The bushes were wild, the branches hovering just above the walk way. The forest was extremely dense, perfect for werewolves to linger and hunt unnoticed.
Twenty minutes into the walk, I finally found my way to the cottage. I wouldn't have necessarily called it a cottage, a hut would have been a better word.
It looked as if it was taken straight from the swamp lined waters of Louisiana and placed here in the woods. A large wooden deck surrounded the A-framed house. The wood was a burnt brown color that was speckled with small black holes popping through the planks, speaking volumes of its true age.
The trees hung low, shading the house from the world around it. Wind chimes hung from the beams, the wind swaying the rods into each other creating the beautiful sound of metallic music.
"Don't just stand there and stare at the place, please come in." I heard through a small opened window.
A shiver shot down my spine as I slowly walked up the creaking wooden steps. I took in a deep breath, unsure of what I was getting myself into. "Please keep me safe." I prayed into the universe.
The door swung open, and an older woman in her 50s stood before me. "You don't have to pray to anyone my dear, I'm not going to hurt you. Come, come inside." She ushered, as she gently grabbed my shoulder to lead me into the house.
How does she always know what I'm thinking? It was starting to become creepy.
Stepping into a large room, my eyes widened as I looked around the cottage. Trinkets and knickknacks lined the walls, while crystal bowls and glasses were displayed in an old, oak china hutch.
"Wow, those are amazing." I said, directing her attention to the mass of gem stones that lined a cluster of crystals.
"Of course you like them. Very good." She smiled. "Crystals will be your new best friend."
She pushed away a strand of black hair that had fallen into her face and gently tucked it behind her ear. Her obsidian eyes were old and intense, adding to the mysteriousness that surrounded her.
"Sit with me. I made us some herbal tea." Patting the seat next to her, I took a few steps forward before stopping.
"Can you tell me your name?" I asked quietly.
"I am Abigail, the voodoo priestess of Cave Creek."
"A what?"
"A voodoo priestess. It really depends on who you're asking. Some of us practice with the dark arts, then others like myself, use spirits and our gifts to help others. If I sit here and explain all this to you it will take days. We are here about you, not me."
I walked over to the old, worn gray couch and took a seat. Brushing my hands over my legs, I was trying to stop the nervousness growing inside me. My legs bounced up and down as I tried to calm my pounding heart.
"Do you do that a lot with your hands?" She questioned.
"I- I don't know. I think it's just because I'm nervous." I lied, hoping she wouldn't know I fibbing. I was always fidgeting with my hands, it was pure habit.
"Well then. Take this into your hands and hold it."
Placing a beautiful crystal into my hands I looked at it with awe. I had never held a true crystal. I have only ever looked at them through glass at antique shops and metaphysical stores.
"Hold it in your hands and feel the energy that comes from it. Pull that energy into yourself."
I gave her a questioning look. I didn't know what she meant by that. I don't even know how crystals work.
I could see her eyebrows starting to furrow. "You really don't know what power you have, do you?" Her eyes were sad, like I had pushed away a part of me that was very important, a part of me I should have known.
"Hold the crystal tightly while I tell you a story."
I took in a deep breath, slowly released it, and tried to relax. "I can do this." I said to myself, "You're strong."
With my eyes closed she placed her hands on mine startling me for a second. "Just watch."
It was if a movie reel was moving across my eyes once again. My mom smiling and laughing with a large man. His hair darker than night, and his eyes the same as Abigail. He was rubbing my mother's belly as he gently placed a kiss on it. "My little Veronica." He whispered.
A burst of light pulled the frame to the same man standing off with another man. Both of their hands glowing blue as rays shot back and forth, sending the men tumbling to the ground.
Then another scene. My mother crying over a casket, her stomach larger than before. The man had lost the battle, her world obviously shattered.
Then I saw myself, only about 2 years old. The only father I had known standing along side my mother as they watched me play in a field of dead grass. "Watch her." She whispered into my fathers ear.
My hands slowly ran along the brown grass, as I chanted words I didn't understand. My eyes were closed tight, my head held high. Suddenly, sprigs of green started replacing the brown. Rich, luscious patches of grass grew from underneath my hands. "She's getting stronger, we need to stop it."
My eyes burst open, tears streaming down my face. Abigail pulled herself close to me and engulfed me in a hug. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but you needed to know. Your Father loved you very much. From the moment your mother told him she was pregnant. You were his world."
"What am I?" I cried. "Why didn't I know any of this?"
"You are a healer my dear, and a very special one. That is the power that lies dormant inside you."
There's no way my mother would take something like that from me. She just wouldn't. I tried over and over to convince myself of that, but I knew it wasn't true. My whole life everyone has lied to me, taken things from me. But not anymore.
"I want it back!" I yelled as I jumped to my feet. "Please show me, Grandma. Please!"
Clasping my hands over my mouth, I couldn't believe the words I had just said. "I'm sorry, I- I don't know why I called you that." I shook my head in embarrassment.
"Don't apologize, Veronica. I am your Grandmother, your Father was my son. That outburst was your powers, the crystal is helping you awaken them. Now let's get to work, we have no more time to waste."
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