February 29

Chapter 27

I felt the Aura's immense rage before Dean even entered the room. My weak resolve to make sure the Aura lost couldn't make me have a mind of my own. Somewhere inside me, I realized that its rage was my rage, our hatred the same. As soon as he stepped into the room I lost the small amount of control I had over it. My eyes shifted from the large black mass in front of me to his swiftly moving shape, and I felt the dark energy flow into me, through my body. Dean didn't even make it to my side before the black veins started to travel across his face, and he stopped short, falling to his knees. At that moment I didn't care that he was my best friend. All I, no, all it cared and wanted was for him to die. I watched venomously narrowed as the veins grew fat, pulsating blackness through every channel, finally to his eyes. Dean's scleras darkened, his eyes rolling upwards. The familiarly unnatural bump formed at his Adam's apple, crawling up his esophagus like a lump of vomit.

And like a birth, he spit up a small ball of black fire.

The Aura was ecstatic. It laughed and giggled as it watched through my eyes, the death of my only friend. One of the flames licked and caught onto Dean's leg, and suddenly it was consuming him. The smell of cooking meat and burnt clothes wafted through my nostrils. His tortured cries raked the remains of my soul, killed whatever was left of me, but I could find no energy, not even the desire to fight back. I could do nothing but watch, watch as the fire charred his skin, turning it black and cracking from the heat. The baking organs underneath. The boiling red blood running on the floor. Even Mark's angry cries, not at me, at the monster known as the Aura.

"Help me!" Dean managed to choke through his bright red lips, like ruby among onyx. His green eyes met mine, pleading. "Make it...stop."

He collapsed on the ground as the rest of the flames ate at him. For about five seconds he flailed, then the flailing died to spontaneous jolts, then to stillness. I knew he was gone. His eyes. A sob clawed at my throat and scraped out of my mouth. Oh lord, his eyes, as cold and dull and dead an emerald that loses its shine. Like knives falling from clouds, guilt stabbed and impaled me. The Aura reared back a little to let the extent of my shame hit me full force.

Oh....

My own weak hatred fluttered through my body, momentarily shadowing the immense guilt. Somewhere, somewhere in I knew the Aura had done this, taken Dean from me.

Look now, Ethan. Look at what you've done, to your own best friend.

I screamed that it did. I screamed that I saw what it did right before my very eyes.

How could I have done such a thing? I can't do what you do. I can't make things happen. This was not my doing.

But, but I felt it. I know what I saw, what I felt. You did this. Not me.

If I were truly guilty, and you really believed that, then why do you feel this way?

I asked what it meant.

It bellowed in harsh laughter. You know what I'm talking about it. Stop being so EVASIVE ETHAN and FACE what you've done to one of the only people who cares about you. You can't hide anything from me, not even your emotions.

What was it saying?

You fool. You think I don't know? I felt it as soon as you did, you slug. The disappointment.

What?

The more you try to HIDE the more you see the truth. I know you were disappointed, as soon as you felt your friend's spirit drift away, you were sad. Why? Because you wanted him to suffer more. Just like I would.

I shook my head. It was wrong. No, it was all wrong. Shaking, I tumbled down from the bed, beads of sweat fleeing down my forehead. I army-crawled to Dean's burnt remains and stared at it, not recognizing the boy in front of me. Was it true? Was I happy that he was dead?

Of course it is! You selfish, heartless pig I know exactly what you felt! Any normal person would feel devastated that their friend has passed, but you? You felt DISAPPOINTED!

"No," I murmured, causing Mark to revert his gaze from the window back to me. He gave a questioning look. "No, you're wrong. All wrong."

YES! You were DISHEARTENED, because you KNEW that when he died we would focus our wrath back on you, you FILTHY SWINE.

"No, that's not true!" I yelled, shaking Dean's leg. "I swear! I swear you're lying!"

If you're so sure then why deep inside are you agreeing with me? I TOLD you Ethan, MANY TIMES BEFORE. We are one in the same. We are EXACTLY ALIKE.

The feeling was overwhelming, as if I were passing all the souls on earth to the other side. I gripped my hair and wailed like a baby, and distantly, I could hear Mark telling me to stop this.

To stop what, however, was beyond me.