Karin: The Demon Sleeping Within

Chapter 2: The Girl Who Was One with Nature

The sun was setting again, the leaves falling from the trees as if on cue, wanting to be a part of the day ending and the night beginning. The warm colors of fall covered the trees. Even the air smelt of fall, and you could feel the change from the transitioning of the seasons. I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes, letting the air breeze through my hair. It was calming and peaceful.

"Karin..."

I stopped drawing on the sidewalk and tilted my head up to look at my little sister, who was four years younger than me.

"Yes, Elizabeth?"

She gave me a warm smile before it soon turned into a frown. I hated seeing that look on her face. I furrowed my brows in response, my eyes dampening the more I witnessed her frown.

"I don't get it..."

"What do you not get?" She wasn't usually this vague. She was usually very direct and blunt whenever she spoke, for she knew exactly what she had wanted to say and how she wanted to express her thoughts. Somehow, this time was different.

"You," She phrased, a sense of grief in her words. It broke my heart.

"Me?" I questioned, trying to understand.

"Yea..." Her eyes then lowered, losing their contact with mine, as she stared at the image of a butterfly on the sidewalk- the one she had drawn. "You are such a good person. You are always thinking of others and being kind, yet... yet-"

My eyes widened. I already knew how her sentence would end, and I couldn't bare to let her finish and to hear those words from my little sister's lips. I quickly pulled her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her little body.

"I know," I whispered. "I don't get it either..."

***

"Get your fresh corn over here!"

"Non-GMO bread right here, non-GMO!"

"Rice! I have rice!"

People stood behind their stands shouting and advertising what they were selling. This was a small town, and, for some people, this was their best bet on getting any sort of money. The divide between the rich and poor had only expanded. The rich were getting richer, and the poor were getting poorer.

I adjusted my hoodie, lowering it so it would cover my eyes, as I stared at the ground, my hands held in front of me, locked in place with the metal chains I was forced to wear. My sister walked on the right of me and stayed close, adopting my protective behavior. It was kind of funny really. All throughout her life, I had wanted to be a great big sister to her, therefore, I would always be there for her and be protective towards her by instinct. I didn't want anyone to hurt her, yet, recently, she's been returning the gesture. I guess she hated the idea that her older sister was always getting slandered and ridiculed.

As we walked past a particular stand, I felt a man's cold eyes stare me down, sending darts my way. I gulped, feeling his dense gaze on me.

"The devil's spawn is here!" He shouted, pointing an accusing finger at me. I then felt my sister's hand on my arm, a comforting gesture. "Stay back from that one!" Her hand tightened.

It soon became quiet, and that's when I realized everyone's attention was on me, or on the chains that I was wearing, in particular.

"Mom, why is that girl wearing that on her-" The naive boy questioned but soon got cut off by an older woman, who could be assumed to be his mother.

"Don't look at her. You'll catch her curse." Ah yes, the curse.

I'd been cursed, so I'd always been told- cursed the moment I opened my eyes in this world, and what a wonderful world that was.

I had a rather different birth. I was born in a graveyard actually, and not just any graveyard, but the one in this town in which over half of it's population was wiped out by a mysterious global disaster or accident. This catastrophe happened on my birthday. My mom was in labor with me while my father was at the church on November 21st, 2001. 

Though I was only a new-born baby, I had a concurrent image in my head that had always reminded me of the day, though no one would believe me even if I had spoken about it.

No one remembers their birth.

Opening my eyes, I remembered seeing a faint image of a dark figure behind my mother. The figure stared down at me, with no expression evident on their face, except those eyes. I remembered their eyes and how beautiful they were to me at the time. After all, they were the first eyes I saw.

Golden.

They were a magnificent golden color that I now could compare to as the sun. How I began to wish I could see those eyes again.

I suddenly felt my neck being restrained for a moment as I felt the chain, connected to my throat, being tugged. I winced but tried to hide the brief pain I had experienced for the sake of my sister being beside me. I lifted my eyes up slightly to meet my mother's.

"Let's get out of the market," was all she uttered. We both nodded as we turned around towards our home.