Twisted Fate

Chapter 60

Blair

I screamed and cried until I was blue in the face, but no one truly heard me. No one understood the agonizing pain my body endured. It felt like my head was going to burst open at any minute and decorate the bedroom walls with my brains. I've never felt anything like this before. It was hell.

I barely cracked my eyes open from the sensitivity of my surroundings, but I could clearly see Louisa hovering over me. I hated to see my wife worry herself sick over me. Nothing I said could remove the worry lines from her forehead. She saw how badly my health had deteriorated.

"I'm sick of this!" Louisa stood up from the bed as I let out another earsplitting scream. "Stay angry with me, I could care less! She's your only hope of getting better."

I grip the bedsheets and try to breathe through the pain. I knew exactly what she was planning, and I had to stop her. "Don't summon her, Louisa," I gritted through clenched teeth. I didn't want to drag my mother into this catastrophe. Besides, if the best healers in the coven couldn't help me, then there was nothing my mom could do to save me. I was on my own.

A portal opened in the middle of our bedroom, and I slammed my fist on the nightstand, half out of anger and half the sharp twists in my head. "It's not me!" Louisa barked out before I could scold her. The portal had vanished as fast as it formed, spitting out the woman I hadn't seen for quite some time.

"Mom," I croaked as her hazel eyes met mine. As much as I refused to ask for her help, it was damn good to see her face. All I wanted was for her to wrap her arms around me and tell me everything would be okay.

"Oh, sweetie," she cooed, sitting at the edge of the bed. "You look like shit." Okay. Not the response I was expecting.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Mom."

"I wished I'd come to see you sooner." Oh, god. This is it. My mother must know that I'm going to die. Why else would she be acting so calm and regretting her decision to not visit more often. She's putting on a brave face for me so that I can die peacefully.

My wife is already barking out demands and rushing to my side. "Sylvia, I need you to tell me what this is and how to stop it. Why-"

"Quiet." Mom raises her hand with the command and Louisa falls to her side, unconscious. She's better off that way. Witnessing my death would only bring her to hysterics, and I'd rather not have that image in my mind when I pass. I wanna remember my wife's smile.

Tears run down my face, and I use the last bit of my strength to grab my mother's hand. My head feels like it's swelling by the minute, and my breaths are becoming shallow. I don't think I'll make it much longer, so it's now or never. "Please tell Louisa that I love her and that she was the best thing that ever happened to me." I bring my mother's hand up to my lips and kiss it. "Thank you for giving me this life. You were the best mother in the world."

My mom gapes at me for a moment before she erupts with laughter. Ouch. My feelings are hurt. I know we haven't always agreed on everything, but I at least thought she'd be sad about losing her only child.

She shakes her head and drops my hand, bewildering me even further. "Baby, you are not dying," she says.

"I'm not?"

"Of course not! What kind of mother do you think I am? I would fight through heaven and hell to keep you on this earth. And if that didn't work, then I'd trade my soul before my only child dies before me."

How foolish of me to second guess my mother's love for me. But if I'm not dying, then... "What's happening to me?" I cry.

"You're evolving, Blair." Mom moves closer and wraps her arms around my shoulders. Her dainty fingers push the sweat, drenched hair out of my face. "Get ready, sweetheart. The first few times are a real bitch." That's the last thing I'm able to comprehend.

Crack. My skull shifts, and I let out this deafening scream. Mom is rubbing my back and whispering things. I don't hear any of it. All I hear is the rearranging of my brain, like it's making space for more information. I'm vomiting in my lap and gasping for air.

And now I wish I was dying. I almost want to ask my mom to grab the dagger in the nightstand drawer and stab my heart with it. Quick and easy. Death is better than having to endure this pain. Although I don't have to endure it much longer.

When I open my eyes, I see darkness. The pain is gone and I'm standing on my two feet. My mother is nowhere to be found and I am not in my home anymore. I'm not in Salem anymore. I think I am in a dark place with dark things.

I breathe in the cold air and try listening to the whispers of those who have passed on. Something is not right. My Empath senses are connecting with the other side. Death is all around me.

"Hello!" I call out, but no one answers me. I look down at my hands and they're not my own. I'm in someone else's body. I look back up and a woman is walking ahead of me. I realize I am following her. She's leading me somewhere dangerous. What is happening?

The woman is suddenly facing me, but she only has a mouth, no eyes. And I'm standing on the edge of a cliff. She smiles and says jump. Mom was right. My power is evolving.

I'm having a vision of someone's death, but I can't identify the person.