by Tanya Milne
But the floodgates had opened and I put my head in my hands and wept for what had happened to Elijah – what had been taken from him, possibly forever.
Elijah shuffled his chair closer to me and placed his arm around me. ‘I’m okay, really.’
My grief was pierced by a burning arrow, and I sat up and gazed into the identical eyes of my brother. ‘No, Elijah, you’re not okay and unless something changes, you may never be okay again.’
Elijah sat back as though I’d punched him in the stomach, but I didn’t hold back. ‘You may not want to hear this, but you need to. I’ll never be able to experience what you went through that night, but I know you’re still living it, every moment of every minute of every day. It’s like a disease and it’s taking over you, and if you don’t do something soon, the Elijah I know and love is going to disappear completely.’
In Elijah’s eyes I saw a flash of vile hate I’d never seen or known he could possess. It was angry and bitter and told me about his hell.
‘You think I want to be like this? So – messed up…broken?’ he said.
‘Of course not,’ I said quietly, his dark feelings radiating off him in waves.
‘Don’t you think I want to be the person I used to be?’ he shouted.
I kept my eyes on him as he struggled to contain his demons.
‘Tell me what happened,’ I said.
‘You want to know? You really want to know what happened to me?’
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘Apart from being physically tortured, do you know what Max told me, over and over again, what he would do when they were nearly finished with me?’
‘What?’ I whispered.
‘He said that he would bring you so I could watch them torture you…kill you.’
My breath caught in my throat as his deepest, darkest secret made its entrance into the room. Suddenly, it was as if there were no oxygen to breathe.
Elijah closed his eyes. ‘And they told me what they would do to you before they killed you. And now, every time I close my eyes, all I can see is the images they engraved inside me.’ He opened his eyes, which were as wild as a cut snake. ‘The torture will never, ever be over.’
I gasped as I watched my brother’s brutalised soul on full display.
‘Now you know why I’m not okay, may never be okay. Does that make you happy? Huh? Does it?’
I sat stunned, breathless, but still I would not look away.
‘Stop looking at me,’ he yelled, pulling at his hair as he bucked his head back and forth.
I found my breath. ‘NO!’ I shouted. ‘I will not stop looking at you. I will never stop looking at you. You are my brother and no matter what has happened to you, no matter what will happen to you, you will always be my brother. My twin. And nothing, not even this, can ever get in the way of that. Do you hear me?’
Elijah stopped, looking like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. I took his hands and held them in mine.
‘Elijah, look at me.’
His wild gaze darted left and right.
I took a deep breath. ‘Elijah, look at me!’
His gaze found mine and in it was a darkness that made every part of me recoil. Tears spilled down my face, but still I didn’t look away. ‘What do you see?’
He closed his eyes as tears ran down his face.
‘Open your eyes,’ I said, my voice sounding strange to my ears.
He cried out, but opened his eyes.
‘What do you see?’
He continued to cry out as he lived the visions that were etched inside him.
‘Answer me. What do you see now, here, inside me? LOOK AT ME!’
His eyes found mine and this time, he didn’t turn away – he stared at me, through my eyes and into my soul. I opened my heart wide and let him in.
Past his demons, past his pain, past his fears, I found him, hidden away, deep inside. I heard myself cry out. He was broken, scared, but still alive. I held out my arms and called to him. At first, he stayed where he was, but I continued to walk closer and call for him. He eyed me like a tortured dog eyes a new owner, but still I stayed, told him I loved him, that I would take care of him, and that he was to come with me.
He stepped closer and his cold hands took my warm ones. I held them close and together, step by step, we walked out of the darkness together. When I came back into the room, I realised that Elijah and I were wrapped in each other’s arms, crying.
We pulled away and for the first time since that night he was tortured, I saw my brother. He was weak and a shadow of who he used to be, but he was there, and that was something I’d never take for granted the rest of my days.
I grabbed a handful of tissues and passed them to Elijah. For a few minutes we sat together in silence as we returned to the land of the living. After a while Elijah closed his eyes and his head lolled to the side.
The boy I’d brought back from hell was exhausted and unwell. It was going to take time and love to restore Elijah to who he used to be.
‘Come on, time for bed,’ I said, holding out my hand.
Elijah took my hand and let me guide him across the floor, up the stairs and into bed, which he tumbled into. I pulled his doona up and over his great big body.
I leaned over and kissed his head. ‘Get some rest now. Everything is going to be okay.’
‘Love you, sis,’ he whispered.
‘Love you too,’ I said, walking to the window and looking out at the plump yellow moon that cast its powerful glow across the lands. I felt its magnetic pull as it stirred something primal and powerful in me. I had to wait two more nights until I could give in and become one with it.
I closed the curtains and, in the darkness, I watched my brother’s breaths lengthen as he settled into sleep. Somehow, by some miracle, I’d found him. Now, we needed to bring him back to life.
Everything that had happened – being visited by Max, becoming a girlfriend, discovering Orpheus was poisoning the bay, confronting Jet and bringing back Elijah from hell – finally caught up with me. All of a sudden, I felt heavy, as though I were being pressed against the ground.
I walked back onto the landing and glanced downstairs, which was bright, warm and empty. Up the stairs to my attic was shrouded in darkness. My hunger was long gone, and the only things I wanted were Pearl and my bed.
On cue, my pure-white Pearl made her appearance at the top of the stairs as she rubbed her body against the bannister. I pulled out my phone, then texted my parents to reassure them Elijah and I were okay before I climbed the stairs, collecting Pearl along the way. Without turning on the light, I took off my clothes, slipped under my cool sheets and let the darkness and all the demons that had been unleashed from my brother claim me.
Chapter Thirteen
The darkened streets of Melas were deathly quiet. Even the leaves above Elijah and me were still. The only sound came from our shoes hitting the pavement. I glanced up at Elijah, who was still recovering, but he was beginning to resemble the person he used to be. It had been two nights since I’d finally got through to my brother, and since then all he’d done was sleep, eat, then repeat.
I’d tried to convince him to stay at home tonight, that I could do the spell on my own, but he’d stood his ground, and in the end, I’d given in. As I glanced around at the picture-perfect houses with windows that looked like staring eyes, I was glad for his company.
Inside my backpack were the ingredients and materials I’d need to create a potion to cure people of death cap poisoning. I shuddered as I remembered my horrific visits to the hospital in the last few days.
School had been cancelled indefinitely, as most of the teachers had been mushroom lovers. Whoever wasn’t sick was helping the skeleton hospital staff try and manage a hospital not designed to take more than a handful of sick people at a time – a hospital insanely forbidden from bringing in outsiders.
The sense of terror inside the hospital walls was only matched by its smell, and it had taken e
verything in me to step inside. I’d worked there in the mornings, but my parents were there morning, noon and night. They were so tired they hadn’t put up a fight about letting me make the potion, only warning me to be careful.
The only good thing to come from these dark days was seeing Ezra. With his dad getting sicker by the hour, he was only allowed to leave the hospital to sleep. We’d worked together, side by side, and several times, we’d snuck outside for some fresh air to talk. He’d put on a brave face, but I knew the poison was now deep inside the bodies of its hosts, killing their organs. The oldies were suffering the most. Mrs Archer, Melas’s oldest resident, was on life support, not expected to live through the night.
Elijah and I left the suburban streets, and with one more glance around, we disappeared into the woods. Once inside the trees, I dropped my shoulders and took in a long, deep breath.
‘That’s better,’ said Elijah, mirroring my own thoughts.
‘If someone told me a year ago I’d feel safer in the woods at night than on the street, I’d have thought they were nuts,’ I said.
Elijah laughed and we continued on in silence, the full moon sprinkling its light through the leaves. Before long, we made it into the sacred space surrounded by the circle of trees.
‘Come on,’ I said, hurrying to the altar, where I laid out all of the herbs, flowers and roots that I’d prepared at home. Next to them, I placed the crystal angel, talisman, chalice, bottle of water and boline. Elijah stood by me as I measured and mixed the ingredients.
‘Stay where you are,’ I said as I set about casting the magic circle.
When I was finished, I glanced up at the large round moon, which was inching towards its highest point.
‘I want to help do the spell,’ said Elijah.
‘You’re not strong enough yet.’
‘I think that’s for me to decide.’
My cheeks flushed. ‘And what if you’re not, huh? What then?’
‘Well, that would be my problem.’
‘Would you learn not to be as stubborn as a mule?’
Elijah laughed. ‘Always a possibility. Come on, sis, what’s the worst thing that could happen? You have enough power to make the spell work, so I’m just a hanger-on anyhow.’
For the first time, I regretted bringing my brother. ‘Magic is not something you should take lightly. I…just…know it’s not a good idea for you to do magic tonight. Wait until you’re stronger.’
Elijah’s lips pressed into a hard line. ‘You’re not my boss.’
I put my hands up in the air. ‘Fine then, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
Elijah’s face broke out in a big grin that quickly disappeared when a wolf howled close by, making goosebumps break out all over my body.
‘Boy,’ I whispered to Elijah as Boy strode through the gap in the trees and into the clearing, where he stood like a sentry on guard.
‘It’s time,’ I said, taking Elijah’s cool hand in mine. I placed the spell on the altar and by the light of the moon, we read the words together.
* * *
By the light of the wicca moon
Take these flowers
Take these herbs
Take this water
And bless them by the magic of midnight
* * *
Take from them the essence of nature
The essence of their life
And mix them together
* * *
Deep within the earth
The mushroom has come
Its domed head hiding
The seeds of doom
Deep within its spores
* * *
Take them now
All of them
And infuse them with your glory
* * *
May these mushrooms now heal
And take away all pain they have caused.
* * *
When we finished our spell, our hands grew hotter and hotter until I wanted to pull my hands from his. I glanced at Elijah, who was sweating but still kept his hand in mine.
‘What happens now?’ he whispered.
‘We wait.’
The heat between us continued to grow, and just when it felt as if my hand were burning, the chalice began to bubble. I waited for the puff of smoke, but this time the ingredients formed a round orb that floated until it was at our eye height.
‘What’s going on?’ said Elijah.
I opened my mouth to reply, but then the orb caught on fire. I cried out and tried to grab it before it was destroyed, but Elijah held onto my hand.
‘What are you doing?’ I said, turning to Elijah, who looked to be in some kind of trance.
Out of nowhere came a brief downpour of rain that put out the flames, pushed the burning orb back into the chalice and filled the chalice to the brim. The rain stopped abruptly and Elijah opened his eyes, which danced with magic. Together, we gazed down at the chalice and our magic potion. It looked like any other drink.
‘How…did you make it rain?’ I asked.
Elijah pulled me into a bear hug. ‘Someone had to put out your fire.’
‘The power of two,’ I whispered.
‘How cool was that? I’ve never felt a rush like it in my life.’
I glanced up at my brother, witnessing another side of him I’d never seen before.
‘I guess we can safely assume that water will be your signature power?’ I said.
Elijah laughed and I found myself laughing with him. Together we felt the connections of the unknown universe that had been denied to us for so long. When we quietened down, I recited the words from the ancient witch prophecy.
* * *
‘Twin witches, together, we are a force to behold.
One twin, baby boy, born with a heart so bright.
The other, a girl, with a heart both light and shade.
She who has the power of darkness on her is able to persuade.
She will be hunted by the dark forces of nature,
For she is their leader, the Fire Queen, whom they wish to claim.’
* * *
The joy I’d felt only moments before faded away until I was left with an aching heart.
‘Hey, I’m not going to let any dark force come steal you away,’ said Elijah, putting his arm around me.
I thought back to the attempts the dark forces had already made – the snake when we were babies and the panther, not once, but twice.
‘I know I haven’t been here for you lately,’ said Elijah, pulling me closer. ‘And I’m sorry about that. But I promise to take better care of you.’
Tears filled my eyes as I stared at my brother.
‘So good to see you coming back… Thought I’d lost you forever.’
Elijah laughed. ‘Can’t get rid of me that easy, sis. And anyhow, who else is going to put out your fires?’
I laughed and wiped away my tears before I began packing up. The thought of getting this potion into the hospital and into the drips of the sick people weighed on my mind.
‘Ezra meeting us at the hospital?’ said Elijah, as though reading my thoughts.
‘He’s meeting me. You’re going home to bed,’ I said, turning to Elijah, whose short blast of energy had deserted him, leaving him looking weak and tired.
‘Not a chance,’ he said, grinning.
‘You’re almost as stubborn as…’
‘You,’ he said, before laughing.
‘Come on then,’ I said, placing the potion in my backpack.
Together, we walked towards the entrance where Boy waited. Elijah froze as he took in the white wolf that was bigger than him.
I squatted down and Boy nudged my neck and hair with his big nose.
‘Boy, do you remember Elijah?’
Boy fixed his golden eyes on Elijah.
‘Do you remember seeing him when you were really sick?’ I asked.
‘Nope,’ said Elijah, crouching down and holding out his hands. ‘Come here, Boy.’
Boy stopp
ed playing, stood tall and strutted towards Elijah, whose eyes grew wider with his every step.
‘Just how protective is he?’ asked Elijah quietly.
Boy’s body was rigid and his hair was on end. I’d seen Boy in action and knew he could rip Elijah apart in seconds. I held my breath as Boy stopped in front of Elijah, and they looked at each other, eye to eye.
‘Hey, Boy,’ said Elijah softly.
Boy stared him straight in the eye for a long moment before dropping onto his front paws and bowing his head.
What the…!
Elijah fell forward onto his knees and placed a hand on top of Boy’s head.
‘Hey, Boy,’ he said.
In a split second Boy jumped up and rushed at Elijah, pushed him over and licked his face. Elijah laughed and they rolled around together on the ground like a couple of toddlers. Finally, Elijah and Boy stood back up.
‘I don’t know whether to be happy or jealous,’ I said.
‘Choose “happy your brother wasn’t torn to shreds.”’
‘Come on then,’ I said, before we made our way out through the gap in the trees.
In silence, we headed back towards town, where the lights grew brighter. We were close to the road when my skin prickled. I stopped and turned to Elijah, who was a few steps behind me.
‘What was that?’ asked Elijah.
‘What did you hear?’ I asked.
As Elijah opened his mouth to reply, the ground he was standing on opened up underneath him. Boy leapt to where I stood, but Elijah was too slow and he began sliding into the hole, which was growing in size by the second.
I screamed, leaning forward, but he was just out of reach.
‘Grab my hand,’ I shouted.
Elijah tried to move, but the roots from the trees wrapped themselves around him and started pulling him down.
‘Stand back,’ yelled Elijah, who was frantically trying to pull himself free, but was sliding further down into the ground.