Ghastly. (Jurdan)

Chapter Eight

The sun streamed through my windows, sending shocks of pain through my head. I grabbed the pillow next to me and smashed it over my face, trying to block out the light.  I breathed through the pillow, breathing in a nostalgic scent I couldn't quite put my finger on.  I heard Vivi bustling around the kitchen through my walls. I heard the hushing of words and the slamming of a door. 

My body groaned as I pushed myself up and I vowed to never drink again. I crept out of my room to see Heather in a slight daze on the couch and Vivi brewing coffee in the kitchen. She turned to look at me, seeming almost shocked that I was awake. 

"Look who it is!" She said, sarcastically. "How's the head?"

"Not great, Viv. Not great." I chuckled softly. "What happened last night?" 

Vivi took a moment, pouring out three black coffees before turning back to meet my gaze. "So you don't remember, huh?" I shook my head, of course I didn't remember. Why else would I have asked. "We lost you in a club, we looked for you but we couldn't find you. Then when we got back home you were asleep in bed."  

"I don't like this... not remembering I mean..." I muttered, taking a sip of my coffee. " Surely I can't have had that much to drink?"

"Like I said, we lost you. We didn't see what happened after that." It struck me that Vivi was choosing her words very carefully,  as if there was something she wasn't telling me. I turned my attention to Heather, who seemed just as confused as I was. 

"Heather. Do you remember what happened last night?" I pressed. "Anything you can tell me about what I was doing?" Her head snapped towards me as if she only just realised I was in the room with her. 

"I don't... I don't remember." She whispered. I crept further into the room as Vivi's cat eyes bored into me. "Why can't I remember?" The room reeked of residual magick, clinging to the air around Heather.  I narrowed my eyes towards Vivi.

"What aren't you telling me?" I demanded. 

"I can't tell you anymore. I didn't see what happened. You don't want to know." It sounded as though she was begging,  begging for a way out of this conversation. "I can't tell you anymore." I looked around the room, searching for clues as to what had happened.  Yes, something magickal had happen. That much was obvious. Thanks to my gease with the late Dain, I couldn't be glamoured but it was awfully convenient that neither Heather or myself could remember a thing.  I was struck with a deep feeling of betrayal, I knew that Heather's words were being cleverly strung together in order to deceive me without outright lying to me. It dawned on me all at once. 

"Who did you make your oath to?" The question seemed to take her by surprise, the shock clear in her flushed cheeks. 

"What?"

"The oath. Who did you swear to?"

"I cant..." She croaked.

I nodded slowly and backed away, trying desperately not to let the anguish show on my face. Heather still seemed dazed, obviously recovering from a glamour of some kind. Possibly binding her to the same secrecy my sister was obliged to. I returned to my room, shaking with rage. How could she swear to keep last night from me? How could she double-cross me like that? It made no sense, it wasn't in her character. I tried to breathe through my fury, to not let it consume me, I found myself laying back on my bed breathing in that distant memory, a smell that reminded me so much of home. 

A long time passed that way, until I heard a knock at my door. "What?" I demanded. The door swung open to reveal Vivi, standing solemn in the opening. 

"I didn't want to swear. I had no choice." She said. 

"We always have choices." I retorted. 

"Not this time." She lingered there, waiting for me to say something. I rolled over, not wanting to look at her for fear of saying something irreparable. "They said it was what you wanted, that you'll figure it out in your own time. We won't be bound any further from that point.  I just hope you can forgive me." 

I thought about it for a long moment. "I'm mad." I whispered, realising immediately how childish and immature I sounded. 

"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was in your best interest."  She slapped her hand against the wood of my doorframe.  "Heather asked if she can have her dress back, she really likes that one."

I sat up reluctantly, and hopped off my bed. I searched the floor and in my wardrobe but came up empty. I got down on my hands and knees to check under my bed but still, I could not find it. "That's weird..."

"Is it?" Vivi smirked.