The Sinister blade

T W E N T Y F I V E: K A T A R I N A

'' How dare you! '' I push Cassiopeia with all my force, hitting her at the tree's trunk. I see Warwick and Lulu running towards us in order to save her from my grab.

'' What are you doing? '' Warwick comes in the speed of the wind. He tries to hold my dagger away from Cassiopeia's throat, but he fails. Garen holds him back before he reaches me. '' Leave her alone! '' He shouts from the back hoping I would listen to him, but I don't.

All I know now is that Cassiopeia is just like the rest. She deceived me. She fooled me. And what's worst than the others, she used me.

'' Listen wolf, just leave Kat do her job and get some truth out of the snake. '' Garen replies to Warwick. He still holds him to keep him away.

'' Just tell me how dare you lie to me! '' I heavily breath as I speak to Cassiopeia who's between my hands. I can feel her heart beats rising as I lay my hand over her throat, prepared to take action at any wrong answer from her. But I don't care, I only listen to my anger.

'' I have... '' Cassiopeia barely speaks out to defend herself. '' I have a reason Kat. ''

As she's trying to speak, Cassiopeia's yellow eyes get wider. Suddenly, her pupil gets big enough for me to see myself in her eyes. I focus on the image which shows in Cassiopeia's pupils and it changes, a little girl shows up. She has long dark hair, falling on her shoulders as she plays around with friends.

'' What happened just now? Who was that? '' I exclaim in shock of what I have seen.

'' That was Cassiopeia. '' Lulu says from behind. '' Before she gets poisoned and becomes a snake. '' She speaks and I shiver at her words.

'' What? '' I would have never guessed that Cassiopeia was a normal person. I always believed she was born as a snake-woman. '' How is this possible? '' I lower my dagger from Cassiopeia's throat and I release her from my tight grab.

'' There are so many things you don't know yet Kat. '' Lulu still defends her friend.

'' Then why don't you guys tell me those things! '' I wonder why every person I meet never tells the entire truth of himself. Everyone has something to hide. Except me. I chose to do not hide anything.

'' If we'd tell you everything from the beginning, you'd think we are crazy. Like her. '' Lulu points out towards Jinx who's playing around with her weapons trying to learn new skills. Not even wondering what's happening in the next corner.

'' If I were you, I'd never get myself involved with the jungle's creatures. '' Garen whispers as he stands behind me, trying to protect me.

'' It's none of your business who I deal with. '' I say out loud. '' I need explanations. '' I turn towards Lulu. '' Now. ''

Warwick is with Cassiopeia, trying to help her get herself back together after I attacked her.

'' No one of us will explain anything Kat. Go back to Ardshem which brought you here and ask the magical book all the questions you have. '' Lulu refuses to give any further explanations about their reality and Cassiopeia's past.

'' Why don't you simply explain? '' Garen still supports me.

'' She wouldn't believe any word we say. '' Lulu joins Warwick and she tries to check on Cassiopeia. '' The Du Couteaux's anger is the worst, and they keep proving this day after day. ''

Lulu and Warwick start walking away with Cassiopeia who's too weak to crawl away of us on her own. I keep looking at them trying to keep my anger with me, if I get rid of it I will feel weak. I will break.

'' It's okay Kat. '' Garen comforts me, putting his hand on my shoulder. For a second I almost forgot he was besides me.

'' What shall I do now? '' I remove his hands from top of my shoulder. '' Who should I believe? ''

I cannot express how dark it feels. I found a sign of hope and life when I met Cassiopeia, when she believed me, and when she supported me. Now everything is gone. I went back to zero, to the time when I felt helpless, clueless, and no power within me to carry on this mission to prove my innocence.

'' I had a friend to guide me, now I have no one. '' I think out loud.

'' Hey, '' Garen faces me. I try to hide my shaken voice but he seems to hear it. '' We'll figure it out. ''

'' How? I cannot trust anyone Garen. '' I try to explain how desperate I am. Every person I meet has a purpose and a reason to use me. No one is honest. No one is as good as they pretend to be.

'' You can always trust me. '' Garen takes my hands in his and he squeezes it gently.

'' I don't even know from where to start now. '' I insist.

'' Maybe you need to start from listening to the little witch. Give them a chance. You have nothing to lose if you check as she told you. '' Garen doesn't know that I don't have time to waste holding on empty promises and believing weak words. I've always had hope in the wrong people & the wrong places, and that's what destroyed me most.

'' You have no other chance Kat. '' He is right. I have no other chance but to listen to them. And to believe them.

Garen takes out a black bag from his pocket. Too little to hold anything inside of it. As he starts opening it up, it gets bigger, and bigger. It gets big enough to be in the size of a square. Garen puts his hand inside of the bag to take out a book out of it, a shinning book.

'' The Ardshem? '' I cannot believe he took the magical book out of his father's office.

'' It's the only solution we have. To ask the Ardshem and see everything that happened and made Cassiopeia the snake she is today. '' Garen explains as he tries to find a place where he should hide the book.

'' Why are you taking this risk and bringing the Ardshem out? '' I hold the book and try to take it away from Garen. '' What if someone will steal it from us? ''

'' No one ever seen the Ardshem. No one knows how it looks like. As long as you don't say the name this much loud nobody would steal this book, because these people don't actually read. '' Garen points out.

I give him back the Ardshem and he puts it on the floor. Garen hides the Ardshem between the tree's fallen leaves. When he taps on it, a hallucinating screen comes out. The screen covers enough space for us to see clearly through it.

'' Go ahead. Ask. '' Garen reminds me as he sees my frozen body and speechless expressions. '' Don't be scared. I'm here. '' He encourages me.

'' Who's Cassiopeia? What's her story? What does she want from me? '' I spell out the words with fear. Fear of knowing the truth.

I don't know if I will have enough courage to hear the truth or not, But I am sure as hell that I do not have enough power to handle losing more people in my life. Loneliness was very harsh on me. Even if I got used to it, it hurt. And I am tired of being hurt.

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