Retrace

Chapter Seven

I’m not cursed, I’m just miserable.

I hate to know that I’m thought to be cursed because of a silly superstition. It’s an old superstition of Grubenvale Trail. It was said that a child would come to the village and plague the land by taking the life of a person once a year. They say it’s more like a curse rather than a mere superstition.

I say it’s coincidence. Five years ago, when I came here, someone died one week after. Since then, every year, a person dies of unknown causes. The last one was Amy, but her death isn’t coincidence at all. Her death is bloody murder.

“My mother didn’t die because of some silly curse, she died of suffocation,” Eri said. She heard what happened to Gil and immediately rushed to our house the next day. She was willing to answer the questions I had in mind.

“So you knew that all along?” I asked. I just served her a cup of coffee. Now that Gil is bedridden, I have to do everything on my own.

“I was informed. All the other victims died of the same cause. But since people here are superstitious, they believed it’s because of the curse.”

“But you know it’s part of something bigger right?”

Eri nodded. “You don’t know how vicious these people are. the people who wants you dead already know you’re here even before the authorities.”

“So I have survived the enemy for five years already. I’m very surprised.”

“Don’t be surprised Keishi. Your uncle is here with you so you do not need to worry.”

I sighed. “You know, both Gil and I are keeping secrets. He didn’t even tell me he’s protecting Danior’s next heir.”

Eri giggled. “So you’ve accepted that you have a responsibility. But he would have thought that you’d think he’s just teasing you again.”

I lolled my head down. “Well, I figured as much. But it’s still very fast that a part of me has yet to register these events.” I stopped for a while. I’m hesitating to ask this question to her. “Did you even know that Gil had some special training?”

“I did. In fact, I was with him.”

My face fell.

“My mother took part in the militia training when she was young. When I was ten, I also took part with the training because of my mother.”

“How is Gil connected to this?” I asked. “And you were trained too?”

“Well, let’s see. Gil was determined to protect what his sister has left so he joined the training program five years ago.”

I clapped my hands in my face.

“So Gil and I are skilled in weapons, but Gil is better in hand-to-hand combat. He never liked the idea of using weapons for massacre, just like what he said.”

I sighed. Now I know. Gil is an idiot. He’s an idiot who loves his sister so much that he would pass through anything. Now that my mother’s gone, he’s doing everything he can to keep me safe. So that’s the reason why the idiot always tells me to put more value on my life. Starting today, I know that my life is too valuable to be lost early.

“It’s nice of you to stay and take care of Gil,” Eri said, patting my back.

I sat upright. “But Gil wants me to leave. That’s what makes him an idiot. He wants to die doesn’t he?”

“He was quite devastated when his sister died. He said at that time he wanted to join her. I think it’s a deep bond between twins that’s why he acted that way.”