Beckoned Through The Dark

89 // Nthabiseng // Facade

I woke up feeling a bit dizzy, and my head hurt like I'd been knocked out by a truck.

My eyes and head were heavy, overall, I felt tired.

"Vincent?" I shook my husband up, but he didn't budge. "Ugh!" I groaned, getting up to check the time on my phone, but it was dead. I checked on the side clock and it read 10a.m. "You gotta be kidding me!" I said, looking at my husband who was still snoring away, he should have been awake by now, because he always wakes up at 6 o'clock every morning. "Vincent." I shook him up again, this time with the motive to wake him up.

"What?" I sighed in relief when he responded.

"Wake up, it is 10a.m."

That got his attention, and he said up instantly.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "My battery is dead." He climbed out of bed. "I'm sure they have finished breakfast already."

I scoffed. "Then you want to tell people how Lesego and I eat a lot." We walked together downstairs. "Why is it so quiet?" I asked once we got to the sitting room.

"Dunno." He shrugged.

"Hello! Lesego? They must be in their rooms." I said and headed back upstairs, but I ran into Duncan.

"Nthabiseng, I hope you saved some breakfast for me," He said while tiredly rubbing his eyes.

"No, she didn't. We just woke up," Vincent said from behind me.

"Morning, guys." Jack came from behind Duncan.

Okay, what's happening here? Vincent and I turned to look at each other.

"Something is not right! It is 10a.m.," I said, alarmed.

"It is still a day like any other to me," Jack commented.

"Yeah, cos you got nothing better to do," Vincent fired back.

Vincent and Jack were just like Betty and I; they did not get along.

Vincent has always preferred Trevor Clements to Jack as his twin sister's husband.

"Vincent." He frowned in response. "Is Betty still asleep?" I asked Jack, but he shook his head. "That is strange."

Duncan groaned in pain. "My head is spinning."

"Mine too!" Jack and Vincent said in Unison.

"Are your phones working?"

"No," Duncan answered, "My phone was dead, so I went to mom and dad's room to check the time, but his is also dead."

How is that even possible?

It finally hits me that this could be all a set up. "The girls!" We all run to Lesego's bedroom. "Lesego?" I called. Strangely, her door was left ajar.

I pushed the door open only to find her bed a mess, but there was no one. "Les–" I screamed when I found Karabelo lying on the floor.

"Karabelo?" I shook her up.

She woke in terror and looked around, bewildered.

"They took her!" She wept.

"Who? Who did they take?"

"Lesego."

"What?!" Vincent and I both asked in unison. "Where is your mom?" Vincent asked.

"She went after them!"

I knew immediately that she was lying.

"It's okay, go and take a shower. Everybody else, go and shower as well." I helped Karabelo to her feet. Everyone left the room, and I stayed behind.

Karabelo limped to the bathroom. "Bastards!" I cussed.

She knew where Lesego was, and so did Betty.

They must have freaked out after the ring gave her powers to see evil spirits.

What I didn't get was how they managed to take her when she had the ring; why didn't it protect her?

The only time the ring stops protecting its owner is when they take it off.

"That's it!" She must have removed it, which means that it was here somewhere. But where exactly?

I'd have to fix this mess first before searching around.

I pulled down all the bedcovers and something fell on the floor.

Something glowed from under the bed.

I keeled down and crawled closer to the bed, and grabbed the ring that was now glowing blood red.

Oh my! Blood red for great danger.

There was only one way to solve this.

"Karabelo, meet me downstairs when you are done!" I informed.

I fixed their bed and left their room.

I went to my current bedroom which was the guestroom. Vincent had just finished showering and was sitting on the bed while putting on his shoes.

"How is Karabelo? She must be devastated," he said.

Devastated? She was not devastated, maybe by guilt, yes! Otherwise... I didn't think so.

I ignored him and grabbed a gown and towel.

"Isn't that Karabelo's ring you are wearing?" He asked, pointing at my hand.

Now how was I supposed to escape that?

"Can you do me a favour and wait downstairs? I need you to watch Karabelo and make sure she does not leave."

"What? Why?"

"Ugh, she's devastated, and you know how she can be when she's like that." I lied.

He got up from the bed and held my left hand, placing a tender kiss on it.

"She's going to be okay. I'm sure her mother has already found her, and she is doing whatever it takes to protect her." With that said, he left the room.

I took a shower, and then joined everyone in the sitting room where

Vincent was busy comforting Karabelo.

"It is going to be okay." He kissed her on the forehead.

This should be interesting, Karabelo hated him, and I knew he wasn't a huge fan of hers either.

I cleared my throat to earn their attention.

When Vincent saw my dress, he looked away while Karabelo stared at me with starstruck eyes.

"Why are you wearing that? Only Lesego can wear that ring!" She said with a trembling voice.

"Did she tell you that?" I asked and patched myself on the coffee table in front of her.

She frowned. "No. But mom said that anyone else who wears that ring will die."

I raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Really?" I prompted and took the ring off. "You know, I've just been thinking...You are her twin sister, it would only make sense if you wore the ring in her place. Maybe that would lead us to her." If anything, the only murderous thing here was the look in her eyes. "What do you say, Karabelo?" I gave her a tight-lipped smile.

Her eyes temporarily glowed a bloody red, but she blinked rapidly until they were neutral again. "There is a reason why Lesego wore that ring. It chose her," she defended.

"Cut the-" I am cut off by an intense pain in my chest. "Ah!" I cried.

It felt like my body was on fire and my lungs were closing on me.

Everyone shifted from the couch and Vincent picked me and placed me on the couch.

"It must be that ring, take it off!" Karabelo shouted standing at a distance.

Vincent tried removing the ring but failed.

"Or maybe this dress," he mumbled.

I shook my head. "No. It is Lesego, I think she's in danger."

"What?!" They all said at the same time.

I was sweating profusely, and I felt cold to my bones. "They have hurt her, she's in pain," I croaked. Karabelo tried to run away. "Don't let her get away!"

Jack and Duncan tried to go after her, but what happened next had my breath caught on my throat.

She released a loud roar, her eyes dark red as she pushed them back with an invisible force enough to cause an earthquake, and they came crashing against the wall.

The energy in the house changed, the dark aura weighing down on all of us.

The ring on my finger glowed a dangerous red like Karabelo's eyes.

She gave me a daring look as if waiting for me to lung at her, but I was too weak, and all I could do was watch.

She smirked in triumph when nobody dared to approach her, Duncan and Jack were out on the floor while Vincent remained with me.

"See you soon, dear aunt," she said deviously and turned to walk away, but the moment she opened the door, she was sent flying back as if she had just been electrocuted, landing on the dinner table with a thud.

Vincent and I watched in horror as she went into shock.

Chanting resounded from outside, and then a young woman walked in wrapped in Sangomas shawl.

She was holding a clay bowl and what looked like a horse tail, and she was using the tail to splash something all over the house.

The moment we caught a glimpse of her face, there was no need to ask who she was. One look at Vincent and I swore he was going to explode.

This young woman here looked exactly like Bridgette, a good friend of Vincent's late wife.

He hated her because he believed she was leading his wife astray by forcing her to pursue her calling when Rorisang found out she had a calling.

The girl continued chanting, and I stilled when she headed in my direction and opened her palm without a word.

The ring on my finger glowed a bright green, and I quickly took it off and handed it to her.

The powers that radiated from it were immense.

She moved away from me and went to where Karabelo laid, and Karabelo screamed like she was on fire.

"Please help me to sit up, there's something I want to tell you guys," I asked Vincent while trying to get up myself, but my body wouldn't allow it.

He stood there, looking rigid as if he was going to break. I understood that this picture right here took him back to bad times, but this was not the time to dwell on that, his niece was in danger.

"You are not going to get away with this, Abigail!" Karabelo growled, and that seemed to get Vincent back to his senses; he moved quickly and helped me up.

"Let go of me, let me go!" She screamed, giving the young lady a hard time.

"Abigail, I'll help." Jack limped to where she was and restrained Karabelo's arms, but Karabelo started kicking, forcing Duncan to come to the rescue.

With her legs and arms restrained, Karabelo struggled against the three of them. She was like an animal possessed.

"Abigail!" I called out, and the girl turned to me in question. "Ask her where Lesego is, she's gone, and we have no idea where they took her. She's in danger."

"I know," she said before turning back to the girl in question.

"Where is Lesego, Karabelo?" She asked in a robotic voice while hovering over her.

"You will have to kill me," Karabelo spat, "But you can't, can you?" Abigail went still as Karabelo broke into a maniacal laughter.