Beckoned Through The Dark

77 // Lesego // Spooky

"Please come in with me. What am I going to say to my family?" I begged, standing outside his car.

I couldn’t believe I’d asked him for help finding my sister.

"Lesego, just tell them what you know and get it over with," he said and started the car. "And no, I can't come with you; I already sent someone, remember?"

I stepped away from his car as he drove off.

I felt heartbroken and disappointed as I walked towards my front door holding my two trunks.

I knocked on the door twice and on the third knock my mother opened the door.

"Lesego!" She pulled me into a hug, not mindful of my possessions. She finally let go of me and looked at my hands, her eyes going wide in panic. "Lesego–"

"Mom, please," I said and walked past her into the house.

I walked through to the kitchen and placed the trunks on the sink.

Then out of nowhere, a booming voice struck me. "Lesego, where the hell is my daughter?"

I turned swiftly to be greeted by Jack, and the look in his eyes made me swallow.

"Where is my daughter?" He gritted, and when I didn't answer, he lunged at me. "I am going to kill you! Where is my daughter?" He yelled while tightening his hands around my neck.

"Jack," I choked.

My mother tried to intervene and pull us apart but failed. "Jack, let go of my daughter!" She said and pulled out a knife, putting the sharp end right on his neck. "Let her go." Jack let go of me. "Step away from her." He did not waste any second and left the kitchen.

My mom dropped the knife on the floor and pulled me into a hug.

"Mom, I'm sorry," I cried.

"I know...shush," she soothed while caressing my back. "It's okay." She kissed my hair and then stepped back. "You went to the mansion?" She nodded at my parcels on the sink. "How was it?"

"Dirty. Quiet. Comfortable. Full of memories. Huge. Beautiful. Tempting. A lot more memories and regrets," I said, taking a breather between every description. "I only went to the basement to get these."

She stilled like a dry stick before quickly loosening up. "What's in there?"

"Beads to replace those." I pointed to the ones on her wrists. She nodded. "I think you should call the rest of the family so that you can distribute them." Great idea. "Isabelle?" I looked up. "Do you know where Dineo is?" She asked.

"If I knew, I would have told you," I lied. I already knew where she was, but I was keeping quiet for her own sake. Plus, I didn't trust my mother. I opened the truck and took out five white beaded bracelets. "Take these and give it to everyone else in here, I'll handle the rest," I said and closed the trunk. "Whatever you do, please do not take them off. Whether you believe in these things or not, keep these on always. It is for your own safety," I explained, waving the bracelets in the air.

She snatched them out of my hands. "Fine." She sighed. "Go ahead and rest."

"Is Karabelo home?"

She shook her head. "No, she went out about an hour ago. She should be back soon."

How convenient! She said she was not feeling well earlier today, she was acting strange. Now suddenly, she went MIA.

I went to my room and placed the two trunks on my bed, and then took a shower first.

After the shower, I put on my Cinderella pyjamas and jumped into bed.

I open the red trunk.

I had to do this before my sister returned."

If I was not mistaken, uncle was going to sleep in the guestroom, so Karabelo and I had to share a room.

And a bed, I thought gravely.

I searched the red trunk and found that it had only one jewel, a priceless emerald ring.

"What the...?" What if the detective was right – what if I took the wrong trunk?

But it said that you would be protected from all forces of evil, my subconscious said.

Hopefully, I argued.

I picked the fine jewel, and I was amazed by how heavy it was, and on top of that, the size – it was too big for me.

My inner voice kept screaming for me to put it on.

"But it's big," I whined, but put it anyway; I wore the ring on my right index finger and the next moment it fitted.

I didn't know whether that was incredible or strange, but the most amazing part was how I felt energized after wearing it.

It felt as if I'd gained new strength.

The ring started to light up like a torch, and I started to move involuntarily.

What's happening? I wondered.

Before I knew it, a voice spoke in my head.

I shook my head and tried to take off the ring, but it wouldn't budge.

"Oh, no!" I breathed.

'You will wear this ring every single day of your life. You will see lost souls and you will hear them and speak to them, but that's only after you've gotten rid of every dark force in your presence.'

The voice suddenly shuts.

"Lesego!" I'm snapped back to life by my dear sister banging on my door. "Open up," she shouted.

Oh shoot! Must have locked the door.

"I'm coming," I said before opening the door for her.

She pushed past me and barged into my room. "I know you don't like sharing your bed, little sis, but looks like we will be roomies from now on. Isn’t that great?" She said sarcastically.

"You are welcome to leave anytime you feel like it, I promise I'm not going to try and stop you," I retorted.

She burst out laughing, and I felt the hair on my arms rise. "Nice try." She settled down on my bed after putting her luggage on the side. "Nice ring," she muttered when she spotted the ring on my finger.

I hid my hand from her, and she rolled her eyes. "Wait a minute, isn't that grandmother's emerald ring?" She asked, backing away from me. "Why are you wearing her ring?"

"Who are you talking about?" I asked innocently, but she glared at me. "Karabelo, are you okay?" She was acting strange, she looked possessed as her body shivered visibly.

"Did she give you that?" She almost whimpered.

I frowned at her. Who was she talking about?

"Karabelo?"

"Huh?" She replied absentmindedly. "Grandma is not going to like this."

I was about to go and make space in my closet so that she could unpack her clothes, but something caught my attention. I turned to face her. "Why did you refer to grandmother as if she was alive?" I asked, and she froze as if she had just been snapped back to the present. "Karabelo?" I prompted, folding my arms.

She shook her head and quickly got off the bed. "Nothing! I'm just...sometimes I wish she was here," she said quickly.

"Hmm..." I narrowed my eyes at her but did not say anything else concerning the matter.

You know what was strange? Karabelo 'missing' grandmother; from all my visions and memories, they did not get along.  She always pushed our grandmother away just like mom did.

She released a long breath as I turned towards the closet, muttering something in the lines of 'that was close'.

I wanted to confront her, but something told me not to. So instead I told her to take a bracelet from the brownish trunk.

"Mom already gave me, but I don't want it."

I sighed tiredly. "Suit yourself, twinnie," I said before leaving her in the room