Shadow Cursed

Chapter 9: Anna

The rain softly tapping my window woke up the next day. I looked outside to see grey skies. The rain was calming to my nerves.

My mind was still confused. What was that dream. Wulfric said I looked like Ethelyn. Was she my mother that I never knew? And another thing, how did I get there. I was in the other realm, it felt real, but I was still here.

Pushing the thoughts aside I stretched my arms and legs. Checking my side, I noticed the wound was healing and would leave a scar when it healed. I sighed and took a deep breath before forcing myself to stand up.

Taking my time to go downstairs I was met with Alric's voice talking to someone else. "Hello?" I saw a woman talking talking with Alric in the kitchen. "Oh was I interrupting? I'll just go back to my room and let you two be."

As I was turning around to leave Alric put his hand on my shoulder to stop me. "Wait, this is my friend. She just wanted to tell me something then she was going." Awkwardly introducing me to her, "This is Isabella." She gave me a smile.

"Hi," I returned an awkward smile. "So you are his friend? Nice to meet you."

She replied, "I just came to visit since I heard he was in the human world and he rarely ever visists anymore."

"Only cause I prefer to be with Ethelyn." The name.

"Ethelyn. You know who she is." I got upset. "Why doesn't anyone tell me who she is? I am not a child anymore."

Alric had an expression of being surprised. "Who told you her name?"

"A wolf, he almost killed me cause I looked like her." My hands were crossed on my chest expecting answers.

"Wulfric." He paused in his train of thought. "He's alive, I thought he died." He paused again, "Isabella, I think we need to tal-"

"No," I stood my guard. "Why did you wait until I brought up her name to tell me this information."

"Wait, I can explain." He tried to stop me from leaving.

I pushed him to the floor, "Don't talk to me who ever you are. I don't know who you are. I never knew."

I ran to my room and locked the door. I took down my photo album I opened it to the page it was open to a few days ago. I sat there on my floor staring at the picture. I took it out of the sleeve and noticed the writing on the back of it, I didn't remember writing anything on the picture. The writing was messy, almost illegible. Looking closely at the words to try to read them it said a date, I couldn't make it out. That was one of the few picture with a date, the rest had nothing on their backs. Suddenly a darkness had taken over my body putting me to sleep.
I awoke with my head pounding against my skull. Looking around I found myself in the massive courtyard of a house. A girl stood in the corner of one of the gardens picking petals off of a flower in her hand.

I slowly walked over, her back was facing me. She was humming to herself a little song. " I'll kill her. I won't kill her. I'l kill her. I won't kill her. "I'll kill her." One by one each petal fell from her hand floating onto the ground. She took a deep breath as she reached the last petal on the flower, "I'll kill her."

Reaching for her braid, my hand went through it. Another flashback just like the one in the winter forest.

A voice distracted her, a young girl's voice like mine rung through the air "Anna?" That was my voice... Without hesitation, she dropped the flower and crushed it beneath her feet mercilessly.

I repeated after the girl in a curious manner, "Anna?"

Footsteps came running the courtyard. She was coming closer, I mean I was coming closer. Anna's eyes quickly flashed over to the bushes to her left and she quickly looked away. Under the bush I discovered a dagger, sharpened to its point. Anna had made the choice to kill me.

The footsteps reached the courtyard. She stopped at the stairs. I slowly turned around to see myself in a yellow dress. She looked so innocent still. A reflection of who I used to be.
In her hands, sat a paper flower folded to perfection. " I found you!" Her voice was a carbon copy of mine, with a slightly higher pitch. "I made you this sist-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she had been interrupted by a slap from Anna, "We are not related at all. Got it?" She took the flower and crushed it on the ground like she did with the other petal less flower. "Don't even say my name anymore."

In a quiet voice she replied, "What makes you think you can do that." She just kept staring at the ground at her flower now destroyed and tears were running down her face.

"You're human," the words were spoken with the poisionous scorpian. "You don't belong here, you should of went back across the realms."

Still her her quiet voice, "Human or not, at least I'm not a servant slaving away to serve demons in the promise of power."

That had shut Anna up. Raged and at the breaking point, she launched her self at my reflection knocking her to the ground. The sudden attack had knocked her unaware for a few seconds. With little time she found her dagger hidden in the bushes and positioned it to strike. Anna had her beneath her in a mount position.

I fell to my knees watching helpless. I couldn't help Anna find the light and instead ended her.

"They told me this would happen, that you would get in the way. They had suggested I should of killed you when I had the chance. Remove the threat and higher chances of success." Anna was not going back now, it was too late to convince her.

The dagger barely missed due to her shaking hands gripping it tightly.
"Anna, you don't need to do this. You can tell Alric that you took the wrong path, and he can forgive you. If you keep going down this path, he may never be able to." She was crying, "See the light inside of you that hasn't been comsumed by the darkness of your heart."

Anna stabbed at her again, missing again. "I can't go back Isabella. I have swore my allegiance and I have my marque." The marque was branded into her skin and there permanently. "I will not turn my back on the dark ones."

"Anna!" The dagger cut her palm as she threw Anna off her body and Anna struggled to her feet. The wound started healing leaving a scar to remain. "Anna, if you come to kill me. I won't go down without a fight, I will not die in vain."

It was easy to tell Anna was running out of adrenaline to continue the fight. "Isabella, you made a mistake." She took off and attacked only to stumble to the ground clumsily. The dagger fell to the ground.

She picked up the weapon and examined it. "Anna, I hate to do this but, I can't forgive you for this." Her voice was shaking at the thought of the deed she was about to commit.

Anna smiled while she was on the ground. "Go ahead and kill me then, but this is not the end. I will come back for you, I promise." Without regret, the girl plunged the dagger into her chest and fell back. She watched until she stopped breathing and her chest fell still. Then she sobbed while removing the dagger. The blood spread around the fountain.

"Isabella!" Two voices were calling my name as I faded from the nightmare. "Isabella! Please be okay!"

I opened my eyes and found myself on the floor of my bedroom with Alric and the woman by my side keeping a distance. The photo album was a foot away from me where I had dropped it. My wandering eyes panicked. Where did that flashback come from, what was happening to me.

"Calm down, it's okay. You're safe now." The woman's voice helped me relax a little. "That's better. Breath. In and out, in and out."

"Alric," I whispered. "Help me, I don't know what's happening." He held me in his arms as I cried uncontrollably. "It's Anna... I saw the memory." That was all I could say.

"Isabella..." He couldn't find the words to help me. I was in shock from what I just saw. "I can explain everything. Just let me explain. I owe you that much."

Before he could explain anything, she said, "Hold on, let me sedate her and I'll see what I can do to help." She had a small vial with a dark blue liquid and a needle.

"No! Don't touch me!" I tried to turn away but Alric held me down. "Why!" That was the last thing I could say before the needle made its way into my skin and caused my vision to blur causing darkness to put me out of my misery.