Tainted Wings

Chapter Fifteen

As they emerged from the restroom, Hekate kept her eyes firmly on the audience. Gymnastic competitions tended to have small audiences because of how long a meet could last. Not to mention each gymnast only performed a total of four routines, with at least an hour between each. Hekate and Marcia never judged their parents for rarely coming to support them. It was tedious after a while, even to them.

A few faces were familiar in the crowd, only because they were the parents of their teammates. Those they didn't recognize were here for the other teams involved in this competition. Nothing about them seemed to stand out as odd. At least, not in the demonically possessed sort of way.

Marcia nodded towards Hekate before walking to the vault section of the gym. She was only a few gymnasts away from her turn on the vaulting horse. Hekate's next event was the uneven bars, but she wondered if she'd be able to complete her routine without another interference.

Hekate watched all around her as she sat beside the judge's table. Marcia was about to run towards the vault. Jennifer was swinging into her dismount from the uneven bars. Parent's cameras were going off left and right but with the flash off. Hekate attempted to focus enough to try and sense any sort of demonic energy.

The last time she tried this, she couldn't get it to work without Moro's help. But now that Marcia had taken a portion of the brand's power, she felt the weight holding her back gone. It wasn't completely gone, but it wasn't hindering her abilities as it was before.

Around the bleachers, there was a faint green cloud on the ground. It circled the parents, as well as the entire gymnasium. The entire room was nearly flooded with it. But the source of the aura was unknown to her. It felt old, as if the source had left already. It didn't make any sense.

The sound of Jennifer's feet slamming to the ground pulled Hekate from her thoughts. Jennifer's arms lifted into the air, as if she were still reaching for the bar her ankles nearly clipped a moment ago. When she turned, her eyes met Hekate's for a split second. It was enough for her to grin smugly before passing, shoving her shoulder into Hekate's now bruised one.

She felt something begin to burn at the pit of her stomach. It was rage. A rage she was beginning to feel familiar with. But with the brand weakened, she was able to suppress it. The last thing she wanted to do was set Jennifer on fire...for the most part.

You're regaining control. That is good.

Hekate ignored Moro's compliment, walking towards the bars for her turn. Standing before the springboard, she turned and saluted the judges. Once acknowledged, her attention returned to the bars at her eye level and springboard at her feet.

As her feet slammed onto the board and her hands met the lower bar, she felt it. A shiver ran down her spine, and it took all of her focus to stay on the bar. The brand on her chest practically burst into flames. The heat spread through her body, nearly causing her to slip off of the bars. Hekate felt the energy around her shift as she attempted to concentrate on both her routine and her surroundings.

She was halfway through her routine when she felt the energy shift. It was hostile. In the portion of the routine where she should have performed a backward giant, she released. Hekate swung forward with a half turn to handstand on low bar. The move wasn't part of her routine, and would probably deduct points from her score. But it would cost her more than points.

For just a moment, Hekate thought she was in the clear. The sudden drop to the lower bar shifted her body in an unexpected way. Whoever was aiming to attack her, had missed. But when she swung back to the high bar and into an under swing with a front tuck finish, she heard it.

Someone to the left of her began to scream. One scream turned into two, which turned into twenty. Hekate turned to see the results of what her shift in routine had caused. One of the judges, a tall woman in a blue blazer was leaning forward, holding her neck. Blood danced through her fingers and down her neck. Her mouth was open, trying to scream, but no sound was coming out.