The Stray Souls ["The Diary Keeper" Sequel; "The Dark Legacies" Series]

Chapter 41: Remnants of joy

It was Harper Clark. I spun around sharply, attempting to strike the uninvited guest, but in an instant, she became invisible and reappeared in another corner of the hotel room.

"I see you enjoy different competitions. So, maybe you'll play a game with me?"

Immediately after her words, something happened that was difficult to explain - she looked me straight in the eye, and suddenly an unknown force pressed me against the wall. It felt as if invisible ropes had bound me, and I began to gasp for air.

"What do you want from me?"

"Where have you hidden Kaira?"

"We didn't hide her anywhere. She ran away on her own, far away from such a crazy family."

"She's my own sister. I have the right to know."

"Do you even have the right to call yourself her sister?" I snarled in response.

I felt like I was losing consciousness. Everything I saw became blurred suddenly. I couldn't see the room clearly, only some of its outlines, and breathing became heavy and erratic. I knew she wouldn't kill me until she absolutely had to, but she was clearly succeeding in getting on my nerves.

"You idiot, now you're going to confess everything!" Even the timbre of her voice was enough to make me burn with anger.

Invisible strings tightened around me from all sides, and blood occasionally oozed from my skin because of their intense force. I hate you, Harper Clark, I hate your entire essence. You will pay in this life for any wrongdoing, for every unnecessary word, for the slightest misdeed.

"You'll die, Lia, if you're not careful. Just like Mia Lancaster and Hazel Fowler died - those girls also liked to play with fire."

"In that case, why don't you behave carefully yourself?" I asked sarcastically.

I watched as she tightly clenched her fists – so tightly that her long, dark purple acrylic nails dug into her skin, but apparently she didn't care about the pain. Paradoxically, the worse a person's soul is, the less often they feel bad about themselves.

"You're still too young to comprehend the value of silence," Harper sneered. "Your defiance will lead to nothing good."

"I don't care about your threats." I boldly replied.

"Don't care?" she chuckled. "And now?"

I screamed as if possessed. Electric currents ran through my body, and I felt the wild pain from this insane stream of sparks - I felt it, but I couldn't see it. Through half-closed eyes, I somehow caught the gaze of this wretch - Harper was smiling her wicked smile, her eyes radiating inhuman treachery. She couldn't smile kindly, because there was no trace of good qualities in her.

I'll make you pay, I'll bring you down to earth. You'll be nothing, no one, lost in time and space, lost forever and ever. And I want to say this to your face, mock your worthlessness, and then simply mercilessly end it. But instead, I can't say a word because I'm screaming furiously.

"If you don't care about yourself, then at least think about those you hold dear," Harper said. "Because the next victim won't be you."

And she vanished into thin air. From that moment on, I no longer felt the ropes around me.

***

Mia Lancaster appeared in my room the very next night, so I had plenty of time to sleep after the party and grasp everything that happened during my encounter with that jerk Harper. As you probably already guessed, I had a lot to tell Mia. Hopefully, I didn't speak too loudly, and my family didn't decide I was talking to myself at night. Although, who knows how far one's psyche can wander after all the recent events.