Robin Souls | Open Novella Contest 2019 | Completed

Chapter 11

"Put her here," Elise said, pointing to the bed where she'd taken care of Damien what felt like months ago. They'd wanted to put her on the sofa first but opted against it; it would be easier to shut her into the bedroom and lower the damage she'd cause.

Damien did what Elise instructed and lowered his mother ever so gently onto the bed, like the slightest abrupt movement would break the bones within her.

"It's her soul that's broken, not her body," Cameron said, amused. When Damien glared over at him, Cameron just lifted his arms in mock surrender and walked off, chuckling to himself about Damien's behaviour.

"Ignore him," Elise said, shutting the door behind her before making her way over. "He never knows when to be serious; he could hardly be serious when you were the patient on this bed either." Elise sighed thinking back to that time. "Don't take it to heart."

"Right." That was the only response Damien had to Elise's words, and they were silent for a while, focusing on his mother; Elise folded her arms.

"So how do we wake her up?" Damien asked, following Elise's actions and also folding his arms. "And what's still wrong with her now, anyway? She looks fine," he said, looking his mother up and down - she was now a far cry from the creature she'd been before.

"Cold water?" Elise suggested in an attempt at humour; she gave him a proper answer when Damien looked at her, unamused. "Cameron is preparing a mixture with the best chance right now. We'll just have to hope it works. As for what's wrong... The souls you put into her were too corrupt - so she has the evil of hundreds if not thousands of people inside her. No soul could survive that upon their reanimation."

Damien nodded slowly, unfolding his arms again. "How long will it take for Cameron to make the mixture?" he asked, effectively ignoring Elise's explanation of how he'd put his mother into this bad spot.

"Shouldn't be too long. Shall I make us tea while we wait?" Elise suggested, opting to go along with it.

Damien shook his head. "I've ingested nothing in forever and I don't think I'd be able to keep it down in this situation."

Elise felt guilty for having suggested it. "Then... Would you be all right waiting here if I make myself some?"

Damien nodded. "Go ahead. I won't go anywhere."

Elise nodded too. "Great. I'll see you in a few minutes then."

She opened the door to the room and closed it again behind her quietly, as though the slightest loud noise would unleash the beast that was Damien's mother once more.

Elise wasn't sure whether she should make tea for Cameron, so she decided she might as well. She was back to the bedroom in no time – though the door was now open. She entered just when Cameron was doing the last finishing touches on the spell and Elise put down the two cups of tea on the desk near the door in case anything should happen.

Cameron straightened up, no longer bent over Damien's mother, and they all held their breath while they waited for a response from her. After a few seconds, her eyes burst open, immediately putting Cameron and Elise on alert; Damien moved towards her with excitement.

"Wait—" Elise started, lifting her arm to stop him but to no avail; he'd already reached her.

"Mum?" he said, though he was still tentative.

"Damien..." his mother whispered, and he knew it was her at once. Damien looked at Elise with hope in his eyes.

"So how do we make her better?" he asked.

"There's nothing. We can't—" Cameron started.

"There's one way," Elise interrupted, earning a glare from Cameron, though she wasn't sure whether it was because of the interruption or because she was telling Damien of the method. "But it's fatal for the person doing the healing on the person with the affliction more often than it isn't."