SUNNYVALE

(45) A TRAP INSIDE A MIND

Although every ounce of her body was screaming to her not to do it, Crystal still got discharged from the hospital - since the doctors did not find what caused her coma (obviously, they couldn't know it was 'cause of a witch) - as Shelina drove her straight to the Heath house, quite reluctantly because she was worried. 

When they got there, Crystal immediately warned Tobin, her long time friend, not to mess with Shelina even though she was an Eastsider. The brunette obviously knew about her friend's feelings toward the blondie, and she knew nobody loved Crystal more than Shelina - which made it okay for her to stick around.

They enter the room inside the Heath's house where Kristie is lying down on her bed, sound asleep this time, still tied up with chains to avoid violent episodes, as Crystal immediately makes her way sitting on the bed, staring at Krisite's hand nervously, scared of what she might see this time. 

"Crystal" Shelina warns her with her eyes - obviously, Crystal had to explain to her what her touching other people's hands was all about, and even though the Canadian trusted her with her life, she still was worried about the possible and unknown side effects of that power - settling her voice. As her eyes meets with two black ones, she just whispers: "I'm right next to you. If you're not ready-"

But the other girl puts her hand (still with a glove) on Shelina's, staring right into her eyes: she needed to do it.

Nodding her head, Shelina just leaves her some space, as Crystal removes her gloves and grabs Krisite's hand, immediately feeling this indescribable sensation within her whole body - and suddenly she is gone to another dimension it seems.

A lot of images go through her mind one by one very quickly, until the landscape of the Black Forest designs itself in Crystal's mind: she is standing in front of a tree, realising Krisite's eyes were stuck or something. When she turns her head as well, she sees Allie Long's body being crucified in between two trees, really like a female version of Jesus. Feeling nauseous, Crystal watches as Kristie starts to panic, looking around. The blonde would look at her hands, before starting to run through the forest.

Crystal follows her, but every turn seemed like a déjà-vu, as Krisite abruptly stops in the middle of the trees, bursting into tears.

"Leave me alone!" she then yells, her eyes staring a the sky. Crystal feels shivers down her spine, as Krisite's desperate cries continue: "You're making me do things I do not want to do... I ain't no murderer... Leave me the fuck alone!"

But, in response, breaking the unbearable silence after a few seconds, a mystic voice - a female's - raises in Kristie's mind, that Crystal can hear thanks to her ability:

I have chosen YOU, Kristie, to be my Right Hand - and there is no choice left for you, as you are my pawn and loyal subject when I chose to take control of you.

Kristie's tears are heartfelt, as Crystal immediately feels bad for the girl.

The scene ends with Krisite's heartbreaking scream, before the scenery changes, and the fog around them just dissipate slowly, revealing an empty street during a freezing night, during which Krisite was approached by a woman - probably the famous Dr Naeher Christen has been talking about. 

Soon, Crystal figures out it was the night before Kristie collapsed at school and was in this state ever since - she holds her breath back, as Kristie watches the older woman getting closer.

"Miss Mewis, what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you again so soon?" Dr Naeher asks in a calm voice, almost smirking.

But Kristie was not joking at all.

"This" she indicates, before throwing the medication at the doctor's face, "This is shit, doc. My headaches have become worse, and-"

"- And you still are killing innocent people, is that what this drama is all about, dear?"

Krisite's eyes go wide.

"I'm sorry, what-"

"Listen carefully, kid, because I ain't gonna say it twice" Naeher continues, before picking the medication up from the ground and throwing them at Kristie again, who catches them. Frowning, the blonde watches as the doctor continues: "I am aware of your situation, although I do not think a witch is causing all this: I believe you are sick, and-"

"You don't understand SHIT" Kristie exclaims, quite desperate. The headaches were getting worse, as she hisses: "You don't know the first thing about what's going on, and if you really believe that everything can be explained by fucking science, then you chose the wrong town!"

Naeher smirks, rolling her eyes at the younger girl, before saying:

"Oh, honey: take the pills, or else you might end up killing someone you love - for example, you beloved sister..."

Kristie's eyes go wide.

"Are you threatening me?" she aggressively asks, before it starts to make sense in her mind: "wait, is she controlling you too?"

"You are not as stupid as you look, Kristie Mewis: now, take the pills or your sister dies. But rest assured: you don't have to take them much more longer."

The scene starts getting blurry, as Crystal finds herself in what appears to be Kristie's room the morning before she collapsed. The blonde's body was shaking, and Crystal could tell her headaches were getting worse with every second passing by. Kristie's eyes were dilated, and she was in obvious pain.

Barely standing, she grabs a piece of paper and concentrates in order to write on the paper:

CRYSTAL, I KNOW YOU WILL SEE THIS, THE WITCH IS NOT ALONE: THERE ARE TWO HEIRS, TWINS WERE BORN AND THIS MESSED THE PROPHECY UP. I THINK THE WITCH ACCIDENTALLY LETS SOME IMAGES OF HER OWN LIFE WANDER THOUGH MY MIND BY ACCIDENT WHEN I AM POSSESSED, SO I ONLY HAVE SMALL MEMORIES - BUT YOU CAN SEE THEM. PLEASE, PROTECT MY SISTER.

And, as Kristie gets up and starts leaving the room, Crystal could've sworn that the blonde turned around to look straight into her eyes - but, as for now, she didn't know if she could be seen, or only if Krisite hoped so much that she'd actually see those memories that she was staring at emptiness with hope.

Suddenly, Crystal has trouble breathing, and she is snapped out of her trance by Shelina and Tobin, who stare at her, beyond worried: indeed, her eyes and nose had started to bleed, and she wasn't feeling too well. After reassuring her best friend and the girl she loves that she was alright, she closes her eyes.

She needed to get better - she needed to dig inside Krisite's mind, because it could as well be the witch's ultimate trap that she built herself.

***

Kelley gets on her knees, cutting the palm of her hand with a dark knife, before letting the blood water down her hand onto an ancient cup that starts lighting up in the dark, lightening Kelley's face in the process.

A violent growl that was anything but human comes out of the cave Kelley was in, located in the middle of the Black Forest, in an area that was protected and hidden by the witch. A smile was now on the brunette's face, as she starts laughing uncontrollably.

In front of her, a black bathtub is settled in the middle of the room, through the ancient writings and the candles - and, inside of it, a bloody liquid was moving slowly, filling the bathtub more and more.

"You are so close from rising now - and believe me, you will."