The Assassin's Curse

Chapter Seven

JESSE

Petra and I stumbled through the door into the next chamber- a large tower room- and gasped for breath as Petra slammed the door. I took a step back, blinded by the bright blue walls compared to the dark mirrored hell I'd just escaped. I turned and threw myself into her arms, desperate for some, any connection. She held me tightly and I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Petra pushed me back a little and stared into my eyes.

"You can't keep blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong, Jesse," she said. "Stop focusing on the few people we lost and think of everyone you've saved!"

I sniffed and wiped my eyes. "How? How do I put that behind me, Petra?"

"Well," she said, "you don't have to forget about it forever." She took my hand and squeezed it tight. "Just don't let it consume you."

"Thanks, Petra."

Petra smiled at me and started to walk towards the next room.

"Wait," I stopped her. "Do you want to talk about your mirrors? That was terrifying."

"Well..." Petra turned away and crossed her arms. "It wasn't mirrors, exactly. It was more like... an illusion?"

"What kind of illusion?"

"The scary kind."

"Petra, you know you can tell me anything."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes!" I walk towards her and put my hand on her shoulder. "Let me help, like you just helped me."

"Fine!" Petra said. "It just... it was, it was Lukas. He attacked me and said... you didn't... didn't want me around. That it'd be better for you if I... stayed away."

She turned back at me and faked a smile, but I could see the pain in her eyes.

"You know I would never let you go," I laced her fingers through mine. "You're too important to me."

She blushed as we walked towards the next door.

"Congratulations!" We turned around slowly at the sound of slow clapping. A figure clad in all black armor and a yellow mask leered at us.

That voice sounds familiar...

"You've made it to Stage Two of my Fun House! The games can truly begin now!"

"Wait a- all of those horrible things we saw, the illusions-" Petra stammered. "those were all your sick idea of games?!"

Games.

It can't be.

"Petra," I grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Be careful-"

"No!" Petra tugged away from me and turned to the man. "Do you have any idea how badly those last so-called 'challenges' affected us? Affected Jesse?! Who gave you the right to do this kind of thing?!"

"Petra-"

"What did we ever do to you anyway?!"

"What did YOU do to ME?" The man grumbled and then clapped his hands.

"GAH!" I wailed as pain radiated all through me. The stone started to burn a lot faster along my body. I fell to my knees as my head pounded.

"Jesse!" Petra ran to my side, then turned back to the man. "What the hell have you done to her? Who do you think you are?!"

I vaguely registered the sound of llama hooves behind me, heading towards the man.

"You might recently have known me as the Assassin." Lluna and the figure began to pulsate with a strange red light. I thought it was just my dizziness until I saw Petra's look of utter shock. "But you know me by a different, much older name. A name perhaps you hope you'd never hear again."