Twinkle's Story: Chapter 56

FINNY

I'm nothing more than a traitor. I shouldn't have hugged him. After all I've done, he still thinks we're friends. But we're not. We're not. 

What kind of friend gets involved with people like that? Who teams up with people who want to torture their friend? 

I'm that friend. 

I don't know what to believe. He's ruining Jamaa. Putting it in danger. But hearing what they said isn't right either. Nothing is right.

I'm relieved that Calliah has Duke. Or at least had. Duke ran away from her. I don't know how I'll be able to live with myself knowing that I helped lead Duke to be hurt like that.

I'm thankful I got common sense knocked into me. I hate how I was tricked into hating Duke so much that hurting him would be a good deed. 

I wonder where Taurel and Risak are. If Calliah hadn't stopped them, then I'm sure that Duke would be with them. Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit. 

Why did I help them? Why did Sparkle want to work with them? She and Duke usually hung out together in school. 

Did she believe that she had to be his enemy after finding the information out? 

Everything confuses me. Our lives at school feel like they were last lived a lifetime ago. Our lives are totally different now. 

The phantom outbreak caused lots of places to shut down. There isn't a school left. Barely any place is safe anymore. It's a miracle that I'm still alive. 

There must be a reason that a few other people and I are still alive. So many have died. Yet I haven't. What significance do I possess? 

I make myself feel sick. I can't stand myself. 

Why did our past lives have to end? 

FIERDAN 

It's been a few days. Why won't it leave my head? They are gone. Why can't I let them go? 

I'm not a good person. Why do I keep on trying to tell myself the opposite? 

How long has it been? A few weeks? A month? More time than that? 

No. Soulless still had hold of me back then. She was directing that at them. 

No, no. She was directing that at me. She must have. 

I don't love anything or anyone. I don't deserve to be loved and forgiven. I'm selfish for wanting any good thing. 

I'm nothing more than a monster. I deserve this pain. 

If Duke wants to kill himself, then shouldn't I have just agreed with him? Why did I have to make things so much more complicated? 

I'm the one who wants to die. I can't. I hate how I can't. I'm making Duke do all the dirty work. 

I hate him. I hurt him. I only injected pain into him because I couldn't do it to myself. 

The black flames, the phantom flamed heart, the mother's hatred, the darkness in his head. It's all because of me. 

It's ridiculous of me to believe he would love me. After all the terrible things I've done. 

I only use people. Manipulating is what I do best. Thanks a lot, Soulless. 

Thanks a lot, me.

Lying down, those memories never leave. It isn't really happening. Soulless is gone now. The one who hurt me isn't here. They are gone. 

So why can't I let them go? Why can't I be left alone? And why do I enjoy this pain so much? 

Soulless isn't here anymore. But here I am still feeling them punishing me just like whenever I refused to do a task they insisted me on doing. 

The electric shocks run through my entire body. Soulless's punishments. 

Thank you, Soulless. 

TWINKLE

I walk towards Dawn. I almost stumble when I'm a few steps away from her. I grin when I look up at her. 

"Hi Dawn," I say. My words sound slurred. This wasn't a result of drinking that tea, right? 

She looks down at me. "Why are you on the ground, Twinkle? Are you okay?" 

I'm on the ground? Oh wait, I am. I laugh and get up. 

Dawn looks concerned. Since when did she care about me? Isn't she obsessed with loving Duke? Why are we together again? 

"When was the last time you slept?" Dawn asks. 

I laugh. Sleep? After that dream, I hadn't fallen asleep since. It's been two days since then. 

"I don't need sleep, Dawn," I say. 

Slurred words. Blurred images. Dawn prevents me from falling down. 

"Your eyes are starting to get red. You need to get some sleep, Twinkle."

I can't sleep though. Not after that dream. 

"No, I'm not going to sleep. I'm not going to risk dreaming about it again. I don't want any of it." 

I'm sick of playing this game of romance with Duke. 

I don't want it. I want it. Go away. Come back. 

Darn it. Get out of my head. 

"Please, I beg you. Go to sleep, Twinkle. I can't afford to have you sick while we still have to find Duke."

I glare at her. "Duke this, Duke that. Everything has to be about him, right? There's really no reason for me to be here. You're only using me to get to Duke. I'm only in your way, huh?"

"What? No, Twinkle, no. You're here not just for me to get Duke. I'm sorry for giving off that impression. How can I make it up to you?"

"Freaking Fennie," I mutter under my breath. 

"Anyway, you're kinda right. It's silly of me to chase Duke. He nearly killed me." 

I hear Dawn laugh. They're both crazy. Being here instead of back home is crazy. Life is such a mess.

My eyes light up. "Oh, I know how you can make it up to me."

She smiles. "Okay, how?"

I stand up, making me taller than her. 

"You promised Duke and I that you would train us. I'm sick of waiting around for him."

She looks taken aback by my words. "The training?"

"When we first met you, training was what you promised us. Or was that another one of your lies?" 

"Oh, oh that's right. Training. That totally wasn't a lie. Ha, ha." 

I frown. "You promised. You said all three of us in the prophecy were gonna do training of some sort."

Dawn takes a few steps back and laughs. "Training isn't required anymore. You and Duke are getting better with controlling your powers. Unless you mean using weapons. That could be fun."

Weaponry? Dawn? Who even is this girl? 

"And by the way, Twinkle. Us three only make up part of the prophecy." 

The prophecy? Wasn't that the reason why Duke and I went out here to find Dawn? To find answers to the prophecy? What ever happened to that? 

The whole Fierdan thing must have distracted him. 

I realize something. "All three of us haven't been together. One of us is always separated from the other two. Maybe that has something to do with it." 

The next thing I know is being on the ground again. This is strange. I don't remember falling. 

Maybe Dawn is right. I should sleep at least for a little while. 

I don't know how much time has passed before I open my eyes. 

Dawn is on top of me. 

Instead of wearing her dress with its torn ends that she told me were because of Duke, I now see her in pants and what could barely pass as a shirt. A shirt that only covers her chest. 

And she holds a pale green sword, the blade aimed at my throat. 

Her hair is tied up. Her eyes are shining so brightly. The green hurts my eyes. 

"If you insist, Twinkle. This is gonna be fun." 

DAWN 

I get off of Twinkle. I let the blade brush the side of my right leg. 

"Get up or go to sleep. Your choice," I tell her. 

She immediately sits up. "I'm not going to sleep. Geez Dawn, what the heck even was that?" 

I feel relieved by the fact that she knows barely anything about me. It's way too complicated for her, anyway. 

I'm sure that Twinkle wouldn't look at me the same way again if she finds out what I did. Things that involved Fierdan, Duke, and Calliah. 

Even Duke doesn't know what happened between Calliah and I. I'm not sure if Fierdan knows either. I'm scared of thinking about them finding out. 

I worked with her to make them forget some memories. Some crucial memories. 

They're the weak ones for not knowing. We blocked them from knowing too much. I'm the only one who knows. Calliah took part by giving Duke that potion. But that's all she really knows. I was the one who made it. 

He doesn't remember his life from back then. He doesn't remember the black; the bodies. He doesn't remember his name. 

I'm the one who never forgot. And I don't plan on making them remember. 

Magic is fun to possess. Being a green witch is fun. Potion-making is fun. Being myself is fun. 

It was me who told Calliah that her son was closely connected to Fierdan. I told her. The mother with phantom powers. 

We have a history together. Just like how I had a previous history with Fierdan. 

I hold so many secrets. I laugh and point the sword at Twinkle again. Her reaction is priceless when she sees herself wearing a different outfit. 

She gets up, the pale blue sword in her paw. 

"Bring it on, Dawn," she says as her eyes blaze that signature blue color. 

Finally. 

DUKE

Fierdan...

I suddenly stop. I feel my heart beating, my breathing; my trembling paws and legs. 

That strange little wolf turns around and looks at me. "Are you okay?" 

"Oh, oh yeah. I'm fine," I say in a single breath. 

"Are you sure?" he asks. 

I glare at him. "Did you not hear me?" 

"Oh okay," he whimpers. 

We walk in silence for a few minutes. I sigh when he breaks it. 

"We've been walking through this forest for a while now. Why are you wearing sunglasses, Duke? To look cool?" 

"Pfft. To look cool? No."

"Then why?" 

I make Ardere look directly at me. "Listen here, little kid. I'm not going to take these sunglasses off when I'm out in public. If you don't know by now, many people are hunting me down and want to kill me." 

He looks confused. I sigh again. 

"There's nobody here though. Sunglasses don't really hide your identity, Duke."

I put my paw on his shoulder. "Please shut up." 

Wow, I'm so good with little kids. Incredible. 

But this kid? He's on a whole different level of weird. And that's not only because he's a wolf. How does he know so much about Twinkle? About her Elemental Power? 

Who even is he? 

This time, walking in silence makes me even more uncomfortable. Feeling every heart beat, every breath enter and leave my body, makes me feel sick. 

I can't wait to make it all stop. 

When are you going to tell them that you're planning on dying very soon? When are you going to tell her? 

I stop walking. She doesn't have to know. I don't want to hurt her again. 

Never, ever again. 

If you die without telling her, you're hurting her. Don't you know anything, you foolish boy? 

"Shut up, gosh darn it," I growl under my breath. "Shut the hell up." 

I take off the sunglasses, nearly snapping them in half in the process. 

I face Ardere. A single tear rolls down my face. 

"This is what you wanted, right?" 

This is what you wanted, right? 

Fierdan...