by Jennise K
She was advancing quicker than I was moving back. Gone was her milky, pale, skin, and her bright forest green eyes. All that remained was pure terror. Something out of the horror movies.
I was aware of the fact that Romanov and the guards had leaped forward as well. For a split second, I wondered how they planned on even capturing someone who was already dead.
Then suddenly, she was there, in front of me, and my heart dropped in my chest. She just materialised out of thin air! One second Yvette had almost reached me and the next someone was in between us, putting a barrier between Yvette and I!
“Edika…”
Her name came out in a whisper as I just sat there, panting while I watched her shield me from a heaving Yvette.
I could hear the collective number of gasps around the room at my whisper before strong arms wrapped around me.
“Your time has arrived, Yvette. It’s time for you to leave,” Rose spoke again and stepped forward until she was only a step away from both Yvette and Edika.
Yvette ignored her. Her attention remained on Edika.
“Move aside,” she commanded Edika, her raspy, straw-like voice making me shuffle closer to Romanov. I reminded myself again that I was in Romanov’s arms now. He had gotten to me. I was safe.
Before me, Edika shook her head.
“Move aside, girl!” Yvette commanded again, and this, time her voice was louder. Deadlier.
Edika shook her head.
“Take your body back. Just step aside and do not meddle!” Yvette hissed as she leaned forward, her melted ugly face moved back into place, and a blink later her fake beauty once again shone.
“Guards, position yourself around her with the candles. Quick!” King Alexander yelled, and in an instant, the guards rushed forward, forming a circle around the two spirits.
“Sophia, step aside!” Yvette screamed out loud. Her shrill, almost desperate voice echoed around the large, ruined room.
I froze.
Sophia…
Sophia…
My eyes snapped to the girl’s limp body that a guard was now holding. Slowly everything began to turn blurry. What was real and what was not? What was right and what was wrong? What was fact and what was just a dream? I couldn’t concentrate.
I couldn’t begin to understand.
So…the spirit that had been terrifying me for the past few months…the spirit that I had always thought was Edika, was actually Sophia?
Sophia’s real soul had been protecting me? Sophia’s real soul had been giving me clues?
My eyes snapped up to the damaged soul in front of me, her back remained facing me, her hands out in front of her as she kept Yvette at bay.
“I am not going to lose,” Yvette hissed at Rose this time, then she vanished into thin air. She was there and then she was not.
“What the fuck?” some protector said behind me in confusion.
I blinked. Where had she gone? Was this over for tonight? Had we lost?
“Continue forming the circle! Quick! I’ve circled around the room, so she cannot leave!” Rose announced, continuing to calmly light up the candles.
Sophia still sat in her spot before me. I stared at her back for a few minutes. How had her soul become so damaged? What had happened to her? Was she really like this?
Hesitantly, despite my better judgment, I slowly began reaching forward. The tips of my fingers buzzed with the energy that she exuded. Still, I reached forward until they touched her skin.
A shudder ran down my body at the feel of her oddly textured skin. Then she turned around.
“Sophia?” I whispered, reaching forward again. She visibly flinched at my movement, and I stopped.
“You’re Sophia?” I whispered again. Romanov wrapped his arms around me tightly, stopping me from moving them. Quickly, Matthew, Alexander, Adyl, Dominic, Gray, and Fin moved forward and formed another circle around me. They, too, held candles in their hands. Slowly, they turned around and they placed the candles behind them on the ground.
The soul nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re not Edika?”
She tilted her head and looked down.
“Argghhh!” Yvette’s scream filled the eerie silence of the bedroom as she suddenly appeared out of nowhere and landed on the floor, right in the middle of the circle.
“How could you forget, Yvette? You can’t touch Romanov, you bitch!” Rose said.
“Fuck off!” Yvette spat out at Rose, looking at the protectors before her eyes found mine beyond them.
“I’m not your Julius, Yvette!” Romanov spoke this time. Immediately, Yvette’s black orbs turned back into her normal green ones. Her eyes feasted on Romanov with blatant admiration.
“Julius…” she whispered, shuffling forward excitedly.
“I love Olivia. It’s time you understand that she’s the only adelfí psychí I have and will ever have!”
“Julius—” her voice broke as she continued to shuffle forward until she stopped when Sophia stood in front of her again. Still, her eyes remained on Romanov. “Why are you saying this? You—you told me you loved me. You told me that I was your only adelfí psychí. Even when I had to—to leave, you swore you would never love another again. You would never touch anyone else. I…I forgave you for marrying another. I even forgave you when you bedded her. I forgave you when you came back and bedded this girl. All I have ever wanted is to be with you again. Is—is that so wrong?”
“I cannot say anything about you and Julius. But what you’ve done is wrong! You’re wrong, Yvette! I’m not Julius! I am Romanov Naight! A completely different person with a completely different adelfí psychí. You have no place here. It’s time for you to leave!”
“Leave?” Yvette choked out, looking devastated. For a second, I wondered why I was feeling the inkling of sympathy I felt for her right now.
“Yes! Leave! This is not your place! You don’t belong here!”
“I don’t belong here? You had this castle built for me!”
“For fuck’s sake! Grandfather Julius did! Then you died!” Romanov shot back at her loudly. “Why can’t you just stay dead?”
I flinched at the harshness in his tone.
There was a moment of heavy silence in the room. I stared at the woman in front of me as she sat there heaving angrily.
“No!”
“Aaaaahh!” A loud scream ripped out of my lips as the windows in the room shattered. Immediately, all the men surrounding Romanov and I moved closer, guarding me from the flying glasses. Romanov instantly curled over me, cocooning me with his body.
“I have waited for hundreds of years! I have sacrificed so much! My children! My time! My peace! My abilities! I cannot let you go! I cannot lose just like that!” Yvette yelled as she stood up and began running towards me in great speed. Then she flew back as she reached the circle of protectors. Over and over again she ran towards me and fell back.
“Aaaahh!” she yelled as she vanished and reappeared above me and Romanov, flying down towards us. Again, she flew back from the large circle as she was just about to snatch us.
I curled into a ball as much as I could, completely terrified out of my mind. The lights kept flicking on and off. Everything around the room that was still intact began crashing by themselves. Yvette had finally lost her mind. Her patience had gone and so had her calm demeanour.
“For fuck’s sake stop it, Yvette! Leave me alone!” Romanov bellowed, standing up and glaring directly at her as he spoke. I looked up at him, still sitting there in my spot as I just continued to watch, absolutely terrified.
“Yvette. Give up. You’re his great grandmother. Please let your great grandson live peacefully,” Rose spoke, her voice as clear as a bell. Bringing out her bottle of salt and holy water, she began mumbling something under her breath.
“Stop it! Stop it!” Yvette yelled at Rose. Whatever Rose was doing, it was bad news for Yvette.
She turned towards me. “He is not my grandson! Sebastian was tha
t whore Edika’s son! If my powers weren’t so weak then, from not having a vessel, I would have finished that little rat as well!” Yvette spat back, her face getting redder and redder like red-hot fire was coursing through her veins. Still, she stood there, looking at me straight in my eyes, as resolute as ever.
“Give up, Yvette. It’s time to stop.” I sighed, getting up on my knees. I grabbed onto Romanov’s sweater. “I know it wasn’t fair. You had to leave your soulmate early. And then he found his second chance. All the promises he made to you disappeared. It’s not fair, but it’s life. Even Julius didn’t love you in the end. You had to use Edika. Romanov doesn’t love you. Now you want to use me. Aren’t you tired of being loved for someone else and not yourself? Don’t you feel ashamed?”
“Leave us alone. It’s over. You cannot escape!” Romanov exclaimed. His loud voice rung around the large walls of the room.
“I…I…” Yvette mumbled incoherently. Suddenly, she looked like a lost child. A lost child who had just had her favourite toy broken right in front of her. “I’m never leaving!”
Her head snapped up again, and I shuffled back instantly when I noticed the same fire I had seen in her eyes when she had leaped to kill me. She turned towards Sophia.
Just then, Rose threw her water onto Yvette. Her mouth continued to mumble something I still couldn’t hear, let alone understand. And this time, Yvette’s skin clearly began melting into nothing.
“I’m not leaving!” Yvette hissed as she turned towards Rose and made a leap to get to her. Immediately, Rose threw the water at Yvette again, and Yvette flew back onto the floor, her skin hissing and sizzling under the water.
Her mouth opened in surprise, and she instantly brought her hands up to her face. “No!”
My grasp on Romanov’s shirt tightened.
We both just stood there, watching Rose continue mumbling as she kept throwing the water onto Yvette. Somehow, I had expected this moment to bring peace to my heart about what she did to River. Like justice had been fulfilled. But instead, all I felt was empty. This didn’t take away the pain of losing him. This didn’t take away the guilt.
“You think this is over? No! I am not leaving alone!” Yvette screamed at me before she suddenly vanished again.
Suddenly, Sophia’s limp body took in a loud breath. It wasn’t even a second before the girl’s small hands wrapped around the guard holding her and twisted it. The tall man instantly fell to the floor, and Sophia’s body immediately jumped onto the wall.
My mouth dropped open with shock and fear as I watched her take a large leap across the room’s walls until she stood in front of the balcony. My eyes snapped to a dead-looking Sophia still standing on her spot, blankly looking at her own body standing in front of the balcony door.
“No! Stop!” I screamed, trying to rip myself away from Romanov. I couldn’t let Yvette kill Sophia! We had to save her! We had to save the poor girl!
“I’m going to take her!” Sophia’s lips moved, but I knew the voice speaking wasn’t hers.
“You want to save her, do you not? Too late! If I die, she dies!” Yvette choked, blood spurting out of Sophia’s mouth, and I turned towards a still mumbling Rose.
“Rose, you’re hurting Sophia!” I screamed at the woman. My scream went ignored. Her eyes remained closed, and she continued mumbling whatever she was mumbling.
A chuckle ripped out of Sophia’s lips, and she said, “Goodbye, Olivia. I did like you better than that whore Edika.”
Then she made a move towards the balcony.
“No! Sophia, stop!” I screamed, leaping forward when all of a sudden Sophia’s soul stood up and began running towards her body.
As she merged into her body, the room shook. Sophia’s body seemed to struggle to contain the two souls that were now in her. Still, she moved towards the balcony with ease, out into the storm.
“She wants to sacrifice herself,” Alexander said beside me as he looked at the spectacle before us with shocked eyes.
“No! Sophia! Don’t!” I bellowed at the woman. Tears were pouring down my cheeks, I knew. I felt almost hysterical. Another soul was going to sacrifice herself for my sake! A soul that had gone through so much ever since she was young!
Sophia froze at my words. Turning around, her eyes found mine.
“You were always my friend. Do not regret a single thing. For once in my life, I am doing as I please. I will never regret it. I am going happily. This is not your fault.”
“No! No! Don’t! Please!” I reached for her, trying to leave the Romanov’s clutches. I wanted to save her. I wanted to get to her.
“Yvette Felicity Wynbrook! I command you to leave!” Rose yelled as she stepped forward and threw the water onto Sophia. Immediately, Sophia began to writhe in pain, twisting and turning and heaving.
I clawed at Romanov’s arms as I tried to get to her.
“Sophia! Fight! Please!” I begged, blinking away the tears that had begun to cloud my view.
Sophia forced to steady herself as her eyes found mine again, and a soft smile formed on her lips.
“Goodbye, my friend.”
Then she jumped.
“No!” I screamed as I ripped myself out of Romanov’s suddenly limp arms. My feet carried me towards the balcony with speed I didn’t know I possessed before. I didn’t even care about the rain as I reached the railing and gripped onto it, looking down.
“Sophia!” I cried as I looked at her. She still had that soft smile on her lips. Like she was content. Like she wanted this.
All of a sudden, she convulsed in the air, and I watched as Yvette’s soul ripped out of her body then burst into ashes.
My eyes snapped to Sophia’s again, and I just let myself sob.
Darkness began to cloud my senses, and I suddenly found my feet swaying.
“Goodbye…Sophia,” I whispered as my sight went black again. I felt arms wrap around me as I found myself sinking to my feet.
To live is such a funny experience.
When people are born,
the days when they feel the saddest are the days when they smile the brightest, and the days when they feel the brightest, they breathe. They laugh, they love, they cry.
Then in the end…they all just die.
To live is such a funny experience.
People are born just to die. Each day they live just to die in the end.
Death is such a funny thing.
I felt my lips curl into a bitter smile. And then all went black.
Goodbye, my friend…
Epilogue
Two months later
The graveyard is neatly mowed; the gravestones look like they’re well taken care of. Overlooking the tiny town that is scattered around the Oakenfield Castle, this seems like a good final resting place. I inhale the clean air, as it helps to calm down my nerves just as it always does every time I visit. The soles of our shoes drag against the concrete pathway as we continue to walk towards our destination.
It’s a nice, sunny day. Despite the sunshine, it isn’t too hot nor is it too chilly, just right to be outside. I smile as a bird began to sing somewhere. This really is a good resting place.
The bright white grave comes into view, and we stop walking as we come to a stop before it. I smile at the gravestone that holds his picture. He’s smiling in it. It makes me smile, too.
River A. Welshnit
A loving son, brother, and friend
(2002–2023)
As I always do, I kneel down until the warm concrete touches my knees. My hands reach for the fallen leaves on his grave, and I carefully brush each one away with my hands. I pick up the withered bouquet of white lilies that I had brought last week and replace it with a fresh bunch. Not a lot of people knew this about him, but River really liked white lilies.
“Hey.” I look up at his picture. “We all miss you a lot.”
I choke down a sob that’s beginning to bubble out of my throat—just like it always does on the random times that I think of
River. Immediately, Romanov kneels down beside me. His arms wrap around me just as they always do when I’m down, and I smile sadly as I lean my head onto his chest.
Still, he doesn’t say anything, just stays beside me, giving me his silent support, his comforting warmth.
“Everyone is doing fine.” My smile brightens at the thought of the events occurring in everyone else’s lives for the last two months. “Jay proposed to Aby. You know they won’t get married anytime soon, but I think he’s getting nervous now that there’s this person in class that really likes her. I think Victor will propose very soon, too, although Prue isn’t willing to admit to anything. The lady is still very delusional.
“Letty is doing very well as well. She’s growing up to be a very smart, young lady. When we left in the morning, she was playing with Grandma Liz. I think she’s growing onto Gran. Gran apologised to Rome as well. It’s still patchy between them, though. But hey, there’s hope for the future, isn’t there? Romanov is doing extremely well. He’s getting richer by the hour. He’s still as moody as ever as well. I think I’m kind of used to that now.
“As for me? School holidays are starting soon. Romanov and I have decided that I’ll be returning to London. My own family’s hard-earned businesses need my attention as well. You know how it is. I’m going to pay attention to it for the holidays. Of course, I’ll have to come back when school starts. But I’ve decided to prioritise it more. I’ve resigned at Madam Crawfort’s as well, although I still go and help her out. I guess it’s become a habit, hasn’t it?”
“Hey, what about us?” Romanov whispers from beside me, and I can’t help but grin. I always purposely leave news of us behind. It’s always fun to see him demand I update River about us.
“Alright, alright.” I chuckle, twisting away from Romanov’s pokes to my side. “Rome and I are wonderful! We’re moving out of Oakenfield Castle and putting it up as restaurant slash hotel. After everything that’s happened there, I suppose it’s for the best. Rome and I have actually bought another house for us to live in. It’s huge! It was a bit expensive, but it’s our first home together and it’s absolutely gorgeous. He’s sold his old one, though. Your mom and dad bought it after they moved to Germany to be closer to you.