Indignation

  The sound of multiple rocks falling catches her attention. She leans on the walls trying to keep her heavy breathing to a minimum. She’s losing her energy too quickly. She can feel her body cringe at the lack of energy radiating through her. She’s growing weak with each step. The curse is too powerful for her to fight. She forces herself to go in deeper. She needs to see what made that noise. Then she hears the running of footsteps making its way towards her with rapid speed. Her ears pick up on the deep murmur of a chant. The voice so familiar.

  “Dagger est mei, quondam iterum, quondam iterum, carus sanctimonialis, ego mos animadverto vos iterum.”

  The chant grows louder as voice comes closer. Miranda knows Latin perfectly to know exactly what the chants means. The words frighten her. She falls to the grown with a thump. Her heavy breaths are becoming heavier. Her lack of energy is making her vision start to blur. She can hear the chants becoming even louder.

  ‘The dagger is mine, once again, once again, dear sister, I will see you again.’

  The footsteps stops right in front of her. Miranda looks up with the small energy she has. She looks up to see a woman with brown hair, and dark violet eyes. She’s covered in black material. “Annalisa?” The Elim’s voice is barely a whisper. Annalisa bends down with a devilish grin spreading across her face. A small dagger is in her hand.

  “Dagger est mei, quondam iterum, quondam iterum, carus sanctimonialis, ego mos animadverto vos iterum.”

  The chants disappear as Annalisa runs off. Miranda pants. Sweat is covering her entire body. The little clothing that covers her seems so suffocating. She doesn’t even have the energy to channel Gabriel’s energy.

  Rocks begin to fall one by one around her. The small pebbles slowly are replaced by bigger ones. The temple is finally falling. She’s trapped. Annalisa is leaving her to her own death. At this point Miranda is paralyzed to be able to move. She whispers for help, but the destruction of the sanctuary roars above her low whisper.

  Her vision blurs until she isn’t able to see anything. Before she feels herself slipping to unconsciousness, a thought runs through her mind. Annalisa is not in possession of the Dagger of Selene. And she’s after Alyssa.

  <><><>

  Gabriel stares at Miranda’s unconscious body on his bed. It’s been three days since he’s found her. He gently brushes her strawberry blonde hair away from her eye lids. She’s so beautiful, but she’s so out of his reach. Her hatred for him has grown more and more throughout the years. His need for her is second to the God himself. She needs to understand that his has no choice when it comes to the God. He has to do everything he is ordered. The price is high to pay when it involves her. If he just could have a choice he would choose her over and over again.

  He never wanted to have Julian trapped in the Underworld with the lost souls. The God ordered for him to not stand in the way. Only when his daughter was in danger did he order him to interfere. Dias is a good god, but he has many faults. Gabriel would never trap anyone willingly. If he is to fight, he will fight with honor. Honor is sometimes forgotten in Dias’s eyes. Whether the fight is fair or not, as long as he wins, he doesn’t care.

  The Authority Elim can’t fix the errors he’s done in the past. He forced Miranda into the life of immortality for his sick obsession to live for eternity. It seems like century after century the memory haunts him. She cried and begged him to give her mortality back. He couldn’t. They both died on the day that untied them. To everyone they were dead, but they only became immortals. They had to say goodbye to their friends and family in their small town without their acknowledgement. The couple gave up so much, but at the time he found it all worth it. That was until Miranda witnessed the death of the younger sister she raised. That was the day he opened his eyes to reality. Miranda had accepted her life as an immortal, as an Elim, but she never forgave him for the decision he made.

  “I love you.” He whispers softly to her. Her face is paler than usual and her hands are cold. She’s lost so much energy that he doesn’t know how long it will take for her to open those beautiful clear blue eyes of hers.

  In order to save her from the loss of energy, he gave her most of his. He doesn’t feel as strong as he should, but he would do anything for her that is in his reach. He remembers how close he was to really losing her. The temple was cursed, so if the temple fell completely to the grown it would mean the death of those stuck inside. The curse had been repeatly written on every square inch. Miranda was the only one he cared about.

  Something happened in that temple though. She wouldn’t go there unless there was importance in it. What has she done? Or what is she doing?

  <><><>

  Miranda can feel a presence next to her. She slowly opens her eyes. Gabriel is sitting on the chair beside the bed she rests, but is too deep in his thought to notice that she has awakened. She scans the room. Her last memory is of being trapped in the temple, but she’s not there anymore? The room is neat and plain. Her eyes stare around in confusion. Why is she in Gabriel’s room?

  “What am I doing here?” Her voice is barely a whisper. She can feel his energy running through her veins. It’s taking an effect on her. In just a few seconds she’ll be able to stand and talk well enough.

  His dark blue eyes of night snap to clear blue ones with worry covering them. “I had to bring you here. You were on the verge of death. If it wasn’t for my energy, you would be in Hades’s realm right now. How are you feeling?”

  “Better.” She whispers a little loud now.

  “Good. Now tell me what were you thinking of entering a cursed temple on the forsaken dirt?” His anger clearly shows.

  She can feel her body returning back to normal. Her anger fires back at him. “It’s most definitely none of your business.”

  “Everything you do is my business! Your safety is my business.”

  “I don’t belong to you, Gabriel.” She spits his name. When she feels Gabriel’s energy coursing throughout her body, she gets off his bed. She rushes toward the door, but he blocks her exit almost instantly.

  He crosses his arms. “You’re not leaving until you tell me what where you doing in that temple.”

  “I don’t answer to you. Now, let me past. I have to go.” She tries pushing him away, but that backfires when he grips her upper arms with both of his hands. He begins to walk with her until her back hits against the wall. He’s not planning on letting her go until she tells him what her business was in that temple. She knows him too well.

  “Three days. I’ve seen you stuck in my bed for three days. I was worried sick that you wouldn’t wake. Now tell me, what did you do?”

  Her eyes widen. “Three days?” He doesn’t answer her rhetorical question. “Oh, God. No. No!” She shakes her head as she uproariously yells to herself. Her panic is suffocating her.

  She can hear Annalisa’s words fill her head.

  ‘The dagger is mine, once again, once again, dear sister, I will see you again.’

  “Give me your phone.” She commands Gabriel. He confusingly hands her his phone.

  She dials Julian’s number. Don’t let it be too late.

  He picks up after the first few rings. “Hello?”

  “Julian, Alyssa is in danger.”

  <><><>

  Alyssa smiles when she breathes in the fresh scent of her home. It might be only a few days since she has moved in with Julian, but she misses her house so much. She misses the feel of home that brightens the house. It was always her personal sanctuary. Julian’s condo is beautiful and has uptight security, but it just doesn’t feel right. He told her that she can turn it into whatever she wants, but it’s not her house to redecorate, even if she has his permission. The last few days seem so hectic with controlling Julian, easing her friends’ worries. She can’t even communicate with Miranda. The Elim has not visited her at all which is strange.

  She makes her way up her room. It seems as if years have passed since she has been in her room when in reality it has onl
y been a couple of days. Her phone beeps in alert. She opens the text message to find it’s from Julian. He’s asking her where she is. She quickly texts him back that she’s at the mall.

  Julian has not lost control since that day horrific day. He has changed somehow because of it though. He treats her like an equal, well most times at least. He has become too overprotective of her. It is annoying, but she will need to deal with it. It comes with loving him. She still doesn’t want him finding out that she has come alone to her house without any of his guards. Maybe the Elim guards will cover for her? She scrolls down her contact list until she finds the number. She calls the number and waits for an answer.

  “Hello?” The Head Elim Guard’s deep voice answers.

  “Hey Nathaniel.”

  “Is something wrong? Do you want me to come inside?”

  “No. If Julian calls you, can you please tell him I’m at the mall? I don’t want him worrying over nothing.”

  “Sure. I’ll tell him. Actually he’s calling me now. I’ll cover for you.”

  “Thanks Nathaniel.”

  “No problem Alyssa.”

  She retrieves her phone back into her jean pocket. Before she has a chance to lie down on her bed her phone goes

  Off again. This time it’s a call. She rolls her eyes knowing who is can be. Julian needs to lie off and let her breathe. She understands that his first priority is to keep her safe, but enough is enough. She’s not going to die by going to her own house.

  She’s surprise when she sees that it’s not Julian who’s calling, but Brandon. She quickly answers it. “Hey, Brady.”

  “Aly, long time no talk.”

  “It’s been just a few days.” She smiles at nothing.

  “Few days are a lot.”

  “Whatever.”

  “So how’s the mobster?” He sarcastically says.

  She rolls her eyes at his sarcasm. “Julian’s not a mobster.”

  “The amount of guards he has says otherwise.”

  She silently curses Julian’s indiscretion. “Not funny.”

  “Alyssa, are you okay? Are you sure Julian is harmless now?”

  Ever since the sleepover she had with Jim and Brandon, they have been very supportive of her newfound relationship with Julian. They don’t’ agree or like it, but they respect her decision. They had suspected it to happen, but they thought it would be later than sooner. Her friends still worry about her, especially since she has been missing too much school. She is being cautious on Julian’s state. She wants to make sure that will be fine before she goes back to school. The good thing is that she is caught up on all her assignments thanks to Nathaniel, who helped her stay awake all night last night.

  “I’m fine Brady. You tell Jim that too. I promise that will try to visit you both tomorrow if I can.”

  “When are you coming to back to school?”

  She pinches the bridge of her nose. “Whenever Julian gets better. He’s really sick and I don’t want to leave him alone.”

  “Alright. I have to go, but call me if you need anything Aly.”

  “I will, Brady.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Her phone chimes, this time she knows its Julian. She quickly turns off her phone. Julian needs to give her space. She loves him, but it seems like every time she tries to step foot out his sight, she’s in immortal danger. If he was someone else, he would tell him to find a nice girlfriend to go bother instead of her, but she is the girlfriend. It’s ironic.

  Alyssa slams her annoying phone on her bed stand. She lets out a breath of relief. Now that no one is able to interrupt her, she can finally just take a nap on her bed. She can finally enjoy the familiarity of her home. She jumps on her bed. Her eyes close from exhaustion.

  A loud bang fills her ears. Alyssa sits up. She confusingly scans her room, but she can’t find the reason for that sound. She is about to dismiss it when another sound is heard. This time it’s the sound of glass shattering to the floor. No one can possibly be inside her home. Nathaniel is outside. He would have told her or not let them in at all. She finds this strange. Then panic rises inside of her. Can Julian be right about her being in danger that’s why he always panics when she’s not with him? Who would want to harm her? She’s not a danger to anyone. Alyssa grabs the Katana of her mother that she left behind.

  She doesn’t really remember anyone who would harm her or follow her, other than Hades. Her own uncle is interested in her, but she doesn’t know why. Julian doesn’t know, or won’t tell her either. She silently opens her door and cautiously moves down the hallway. A tear of paper echoes around the hallway. She turns around, figuring out if it’s coming from behind her. The hallway is empty. Only she is here with her thoughts. She will be fairly annoyed if she finds out she’s dreaming, or having some kind of illusion.

  Something inside of her is pulling her towards the staircase. She stands tall on the top set of stairs, opening her senses to warn her. She scans around the view from the top of the stairs. Her Katana is firmly placed in front of her, ready for attack. She’s about to take a step down the stairs when a she feels shoved. Her body falls down merciless down the flight of stairs. Losing control of her Katana, she feels it pierce the side of her arm.

  Alyssa holds her bleeding arm when she finally reaches the bottom. She takes a sharp breath from the pain. Her eyes scan up the stairs to find herself smirking. No, not herself, it’s someone else. The leather warobe hugs the woman’s body tight unlike Alyssa’s sweats. Her pale skin matches hers. The way the woman’s light brown hair is straight down her side makes her waves look less natural. Alyssa’s violet eyes are a couple of shades lighter than the woman’s dark purple ones. She can tell the difference, but they are almost identical. It’s like looking at a mirror and seeing her reflection.

  “What-?”

  The woman maliciously grins. “Abyssus. Hello, sister.”

  “Why do you look like me?” Alyssa demands an answer.

  The woman walks down the stairs with a dark look on her face mixed with amusement. A dagger is held up to her chest with admiration. Before Alyssa can stop her, the woman takes her hand roughly and slices the palm of her hand open. Alyssa’s scrunches her nose from the sharp pain her arm feels at the movement. Her blood drips to the floor. The woman in front of her wipes the blood that resides on dagger with her leather pants.

  “Vos es venalicium per Dagger of Selene. My name is Annalisa.”

  “That can’t be possible. I’m Annalisa.”

  Annalisa laughs darkly. “You will never compare to me. I am the chosen one while you’re just a failed clone. Selene was stupid enough to you create you after me. I am thankful though. You will lift a weight off my shoulders, sister.” She spits out.

  Alyssa is more confused that she has ever been. Annalisa isn’t her. It’s her twin sister? This all seems like a nightmare, but the punctures caused by Annalisa feel real. “This doesn’t make any sense. Everyone says I’m Annalisa. They all told me I’m her-you.” She corrects.

  “Children also say that there are monsters in their closet. That’s not true either. The monsters are the parent that created the weak child. You ever show your weakness to anyone. You do and you die. It’s that simple.”

  “Julian says that. He always tells me to never show weakness.”

  Annalisa closes her eyes at the mention of his name. “Julian.” She whispers with longing.

  Black tear drops drip down the blade of the dagger in her sister’s hand. “The dagger its-”

  Annalisa’s head snaps back from her trance-like state. “It’s waiting to enter Julian’s heart again.” Her voice is filled with pride.

  Alyssa stands up from the floor with difficulty. Her eyes widen at insinuation. “You killed him? You’re the one who killed Julian?”

  “You’re too weak to do it yourself. You always hid between the portals like the good girl you were created to be. I had to be a slave to two powerful beings who never ac
knowledged me as their daughter.”

  “How are you proud of that? You killed him. He loves us and you killed him. You’re the one that betrayed him, not me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. He doesn’t love you. He loves me. I’m the Annalisa he fell in love with before his fall. It has always been me. You just have taken my place until now. I’m here to claim what is mine, but not before you come with me to find Selene’s transcript.”

  “I’m not going to go anywhere with you. You stabbed me twice after pushing me down the stairs. I don’t think I really trust you even if you are my long lost twin or whatever.”

  “You see, I was hoping you would say that because unlike Julian, I don’t give a shit.”

  Alyssa is confused when her sister’s malicious grin reappears. She feels the crush of her skull before she falls to the floor with a thump. Her last view is Annalisa’s laughter radiating off the walls. She now wishes she would have listened to Julian. He was right. She was in danger all along.

  <><><>

  Annalisa orders Merlin to transport them into the car without being noticed. He follows her orders instantly. The sorcerer always does as he’s told, especially when it comes to the dangerous beauty. He has been her consort for a very long time after Julian’s fall. If it wasn’t for him, she would be dead at the hands of Dias.

  Her father never acknowledged her as his daughter, only Alyssa. She has no jealous for her weak sister. There is nothing to be jealous about. Annalisa has strength, a manipulative mind, and the love of Julian and Merlin. Who would dare compete with that? Alyssa has only had the acceptance of Selene and the protection of the God. Annalisa has so much more.