The Curse - Book 1 (Completed)

Chapter 24: The Loving Obsession

​Black limousine stops in front of 613 South Street, but nobody comes out.

Failure is not an outcome Leeroy is used to. How could he have been so childish, hoping that there is a chance he will find her? He should just quit. He knows there is little to no chance in ever finding her.

On the other hand, he is not a quitter.

But isn't pursuing an impossible course of action the definition of madness? If he was insane, he would not consider insanity as an option, would he? No, he is definitely pursuing an empty ambition. Only, Katrina is his dream. So, he is pursuing his dream. Can he be called a dreamer? Or a lunatic? Either one, he knows he cannot give up on her.

Regardless of the happenings of yesterday all he needs is another trace, even a tiniest one, to spur his hopes, and he would be off to pursuit her all over again. Damn, he realizes. Even in death, she remains his weak spot. Only...he does not believe in her death.

He forces himself to open the door and leaves the car. A bird twitters above his head. He looks up to chase it, but it keeps going into circles around him. That sound... It irritates him. He hurries towards the gate, and the limousine departs without honking a horn. He has a very distant relationship with his driver. He knows better than to pose questions to Leeroy.

Today, though, Leeroy is the one to bore himself with the questions. Why is he still so obsessed with her? It is clear to him that this obsession will never go away, but he needs to know there's hope. He needs a sign. It has been too long. He has been chasing her for too long. What was Baphomet's role in all of this? What was it that he wanted to say about Katrina? Did he know she was alive? Was he aware of her location? Or did he simply want to say he was chasing a shadow?

​Entering the house, his confusion-induced wrath hastily fades away. Sophia is seated on the staircase, and she is beaming at him. What did he do to deserve this?

​She usually isn't this welcoming, and he wonders what the underlying reason is. Has she done something wrong and now feels guilty for it? He wishes he learnt how to read her face. Not being able to interpret her expressions is driving him insane.
​"Hello," she says, still happy, and stands up to lay a kiss on his cheek.

​He stands frozen for a second, confused. She never behaves this way.

​"How was the trip?" she continues.

​It takes him a while to process her question and he has to shake off his thoughts before he answers. "It was...good," he says hesitantly. Why doesn't he say the truth? Maybe talking about it would make him feel better. He lingers on that thought for a bit, but rejects it quickly. He is not a kind of a man who shares his emotions. He knows what he needs to do to feel better. He nods shortly, in sign of departure, and walks past Sophia up the staircase.

​There is a weird smell in the house. Not an odor, but rather an aura lingering in the air. It's not Ian, because he recognizes Ian's. Was somebody else here? Who? Sophia doesn't have friends whom she would invite over.

​He shakes off the thoughts again, because he can't bother himself with that now. He has important things to do. In order to feel better about not finding Katrina, he has to get mad at her. It's what he always does when it becomes too difficult to cope with reality of her absence. And he knows exactly what to do to get angry. As he enters his bedroom, he determinedly steps toward the chest of drawers and opens one of them. He puts his hand in and lifts the fake bottom. He feels it with his hand, then frowns. He puts his head above it to see what is happening.
​It's...empty. The letter's gone.

​He realizes what happened in a nanosecond. Sophia's guilty behavior, the strange aura in the house ...It's Christopher...

​He doesn't know how, but with the speed of light, he finds himself out of his room and walking down the staircase.