Fallen Soul Series: The Evanescence Part 3

He doesn't move. His eyes are open, blue like the sea, but he's not blinking or moving. There's nothing going on inside him. Nothing. He's dead. Like really dead, not just Vampire dead.

Everyone's dead.

My dad's trapped in his mind, maybe forever, and my mom's dead. Not to mention I haven't seen Sophia in forever. I have no one left in my life.

Oh my G.o.d.

I'm alone.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head. "This can't be... You can't be dead." I start to hyperventilate, lungs shrinking, and my knees buckle from underneath me as I collapse onto the floor next to him. Clutching onto his lips, I lean down and kiss his cold lips. "I love you," I say, knowing that it's a different kind of love, but it's still love. In a different world, we would have been perfect together, made each other whole. Because he makes me smile, laugh, be happy. He's my best friend and always will be, even in death.

My entire world dissolves. Everyone I know is either dead or gone. "I really am alone."

Alone.

Alone.

Alone.

The word echoes for miles.

I'm not sure how long I lay soundlessly beside him. I'd cry, but my eyes are too raw to summon any more tears. Finally, I pull myself together the best that I can and trudge down the stairway, uncertain where I am going. I need to get away from this place and the memories it's carrying, along with their bodies. Bodies. I need to find a place where I can focus. I need a plan.

I hear the soft sound of a fire burning as I walk down the hall and when I pa.s.s Evan's room, he's standing with his back turned to me, staring at the fire with his head hung low. I don't make a noise as I turn away and head for the stairs.

As I step from the stairway and into the foyer, I catch sight of something silver and heart-shaped on a curio table just across from the stairs. It's s.h.i.+mmering from the sunlight streaming through the stain-gla.s.s window above the door. My locket. With my hand placed on the hollow of my neck, I walk over and pick it up. Running my finger along the violet stone pendant in the center, I remember when Alex gave it to me and how he kissed me right afterwards. Clasping it in my hand, I turn to leave, but notice another object on the curio. It's the teardrop-shaped Cornu Lepore that Helena stole from Nalina, my Aunt who I just found out I had not too long ago. I pick it up also, and dangle the golden chain from my fingers as I hold it up in front of my face to examine it. The light reflects off the pendant as the chain spins. I wonder what kind of power it holds and why Helena wanted it. It has to be important to her, but how?

I unfasten the clamp on the chain of my locket and secure it around my neck, the icy metal hitting my neck and causing me to gasp. I take the Cornu Lepore and tuck it away into the pocket of my jeans, just in case I end up needing it for some reason or another.

I turn for the door, preparing to leave, when I catch sight of my reflection in the mirror above the curio. I look like c.r.a.p; tearstained cheeks, bags under my violet eyes, and my hair's a tangled mess. My skin looks even paler than it normally does and my wrists are encrusted with blood. My eyes are also really wide, ma.s.sive in fact, like I'm still possessed. And maybe I am. Possessed by hate.

Turning around, I pull a face at the serpent mark on my shoulder as I trace my fingers along its curving patter. Thanks to Helena, I'm now branded with the d.a.m.n thing after she made Dyvinius put it on her-or her in my body. I'm remembering something about it though... something that might be important. With the Serpent's mark, I can control thoughts, which gives me a lot of power. And I have the Cornu Lepore, which has a lot of power also. I have a lot of power. I just don't know what for, but I need to find out.

What I need to do is talk to someone who can help me... someone like Nalina. The necklace was hers after all, so she would have to know something. Whether she'll tell me or not is a whole other story.

I give one last glance at my reflection, noting the numbness sedating my limbs, expression, and veins, but not in my eyes; there's rage there. Nalina will answer me because I'll make her. Ripping my gaze from the mirror, I swing the front door open and step outside into the cool air. I disregard the Sprites frolicking in the gra.s.s and the haunting way the lake moves like it's made of pieces of gla.s.s. None of that matters at the moment. I only need to focus on one thing.

Hate is a compelling emotion and it's taken over most of my body and mind. I'm not even sure if I'm Gemma anymore. I'm not sure who I am. I really don't care. All I care about is destroying Helena. Once that's done, then maybe there will still be a piece of me left to find love.

Maybe not.

Chapter 6.

Alex There's a battle going on inside of me. Helena and Annabella are p.i.s.sed off at one another. Each of them is trying to win the battle over who owns me, who gets my soul-who gets to keep me. Helena wants it for sheer greedy reasons and Annabella wants it so she can gain back her freedom from Helena. I think the two of them will rip me apart if they don't stop it, then neither one of them will have me.

"You need to go back to the Afterlife, Helena," Annabella says. "You must obey, Helena. You were never supposed to be here to begin with."

Helena fumes. "No, I don't. The loophole is not complete-I'm still here and so are you. You are still my prisoner. Mine!" She hisses at Annabella. "You can't make me go back!"

Their battle is freaking exhausting, even if I'm technically dead, well on the outside. On the inside, I'm still thriving; however, I'm growing weaker. I'm trying to fight the compulsion to surrender to one of them, but their bickering is smothering me. I feel like I'm dead on the inside, especially watching Gemma lying helplessly on the floor. I'm worried that she's lost the desire to fight and survive. Then Evan puts his hand on Gemma's head and tries to help her recover. Relief and happiness overpower me, knowing that she'll be okay.

Then suddenly, Gemma is crawling towards me with tears pouring from her beautiful violet eyes. My heart breaks and I desperately wish there were a way I could tell her everything will be okay-that I'm still here.

When she reaches me, she rests her head on my chest and sobs hysterically for what seems like hours. I lie powerlessly, knowing there's nothing I can do for her; that I am trapped on the brink of death.

After her tears stop, she leans over and kisses me through the remaining tears staining her face. Life sparks inside me, as if the electricity has returned, even though I know that's not possible. We got rid of that when we stopped the portal and destroyed the power of the fallen star, but it feels like it's back, pulling me to her, radiating through me. In fact, there was even a spark when Helena and Annabella transferred into me, and for a second, I'd thought Gemma had been placed inside me.

Helena and Annabella's voices grow quiet and, as the spark of life inside my body accelerates, I start to feel alive again.

"You see that," Annabella says. "It is just as I said. You can't have me and you can't have Alex or Gemma. You cannot cheat your way to get what you want, Helena, or things eventually fall apart."

"It's not true!" cries Helena. "I won't let you win again, Annabella."

"You have no choice." Annabella replies sternly. "It's the way things are. Why do you have to be so greedy? You've always been like this, ever since we were kids, and it's always gotten you into trouble, yet you continue to make the same mistakes over and over again."

"It's not about winning," Helena complains in a shrill voice. "It's about power and revenge. The power to rule the world and to get my revenge on the humans and their useless love that I don't see fit to exist."

"You act as if love is powerless, yet without it I'd still be trapped inside," Annabella replies. "But here I am free and ready to send you back to where you belong."

"You really think you are capable of sending me back, my dear sister?" Helena sneers. "Even if you do manage to send me back to the Afterlife my Lost Souls will still be able to roam the earth."

"Oh, I'm perfectly capable Helena," Annabella says. "The loophole has been found and I'm free. Love has conquered over your hate and self-loathing. As for the Lost Souls, I just hope they realize what you really are and find a way to resist your control over them because, if they don't, then they really are lost. Goodbye and good riddance, my sister."

"I can come back you know," she calls out in desperation. "I will change my vision-I will make things how I want them."

There's a loud snap, followed by a scream, and I feel Helena leave my body while Annabella stays behind. It feels like my limbs have been ripped off and then attached back to my body crookedly. I feel wrong, yet right. The spark from Gemma's kiss still burns inside me and it gives me comfort in the darkness I'm still imprisoned in.

"Alex," Annabella whispers. "Helena can't take possession of you or Gemma again. She has been banished to the Afterlife... and you won't die." She pauses. "The bond that you and Gemma share is unbreakable. It's because of this bond that I was set free."

"But I don't get how our bond sent Helena away," I confess to her. "I know love can be powerful and everything-that Gemma and I are proof of that-but how can our love destroy Helena's ability to possess us? It doesn't make any sense."

"Because of the loophole," Annabella answers and her voice sounds like it's fading. "The loophole made it so that in order for Helena to be able to keep me prisoner, she could not possess a person filled with undying love. You felt the electricity of Gemma's kiss, right?"

"Yeah..." I tell her, unsure if what she's saying is true. Love is what ended this. Our love. Gemma's and mine.

"You sacrificed yourself for Gemma because you love her and she was too helpless to stop you because of Helena. She wanted to, though. She tried to keep Helena inside of her, instead of letting her possess you."

"I knew she would," I reply. "It's what she always does."

"When you completed the sacrifice, everything that Helena planned began to fall apart and Gemma's kiss made it crumble until it didn't exist. That was the loophole. You love one another endlessly and it's very powerful.

"Forever," I say underneath my breath.

Annabella continues, "You're both free from Helena and the possession of her Lost Souls and I'm free to return to my Essences."

"So that's it?" I wonder with doubt. "Helena's gone for good? Just like that? Because it seems too easy."

"I didn't say that she was gone," she clarifies. "I said she can't possess you anymore. She'll still have reign over the Lost Souls that are roaming free and possessing people. She'll seek her vision and try to change her past so she can have more power in the future." There is sadness in her voice. "I want to thank you, Alex, both you and Gemma. The power of your love continues to amaze me every single time I'm graced with it. It proves to me that there is hope for the world and that true love still exists, even though it's rare and seems to be becoming extinct more and more each day." I feel her drifting away, leaving my body.

"Wait... Annabella, what about Laylen?" I ask. "What happens to him? Gemma... Gemma loves him, too."

"It'll be fixed," she says softly.

"Do you mean it will be-" I start to ask, but I'm cut off as I feel her separate from my body and I'm left feeling empty.

I'm alone in my body. There are no extra voices, no whispers of evil. Everything is just as it should be. My body gradually recovers; my arms and legs returning to my control. My eyes open and I can hear Gemma crying from the opposite end of the castle, where Laylen lies dead. I try to get up so I can go to her-tell her everything will be okay-but I'm frozen. I can't move my mouth, my arms or my legs. I'm paralyzed.

I hear her footsteps as she walks pa.s.sed the open door and then she trots down the stairs. I try to yell to her, to tell her I am okay, but I can't get the d.a.m.n words out of my mouth. When I hear the front door to the castle slam shut, fear seeps into my veins because, for some strange reason, I can feel her pain, sadness, and hate coursing through me, like it's my own. She's not herself and I'm afraid of what she might do, not just to someone else, but also to herself.

Chapter 7.

Gemma I use my Foreseer power to transport me to the neighborhood where Nalina's house resides. It's a simple trick of concentration and blinking my eyes. Simple. That's what I need at the moment.

I plant myself down into the road in front of her ancient looking Victorian home with crooked shutters and a concaved front deck. It blends in well with the rest of the tattered neighborhood; full of barking dogs, collapsing fences, peeling siding, and a lot of shouting. Clouds are covering the sky and there's a chilly breeze to the air, blowing brown leaves across the dry gra.s.s and the murky gutter lining the street.

I'm glad to have my Foreseer power back, but I feel like the world's most horrible person when I think about how I manipulated Nicholas and his affection to get it back, even if I was possessed. Because of me, he's a prisoner, chained to the giant flaming Crystal Ball that feeds off his life force to provide energy in the City of Crystal and for all the Foreseers. I remember how I stuck the needles into Nicholas's arms and then attached him to the ball. I feel responsible and need to find a way to set him free, even if he is a perverted jerk. I'm just unsure of how to go about it without Dyvinius stripping me of my power. Right now, I need to have it, so as terrible as it is, I decide to leave Nicholas in the chains, but I'll get to him. Eventually.

A tall man comes walking down the sidewalk, whistling a tune as he kicks at the loose rocks. His hands are tucked into his pocket and he bends his legs in a strange way, like he's trying hard to walk. When he glances at me, a smile rises across his face and he whispers something that sounds a lot like, "Helena." I wonder if he's a Lost Soul or just a very strange man, and I don't dare move until he rounds the corner and disappears down the side street.

I tread up the path that leads to Nalina's front door, my worn sneakers scuffing against the gravel, noting that the next door neighbor has their curtains pulled back and is watching me. Their hair looks bright purple and their lips match. From over their shoulder, two clear shaped structures sparrow out from their shoulder blades. I look away when they smile, not wanting to believe it could be a Faerie, but knowing I'm probably in denial.

I hear every shout and every bark. It's terrifying, yet it's not because part of me has shut down. I'm only feeling half the things I normally do and it's strangely kind of liberating. The curtain to Nalina's front window of her home is pulled back and I can see that she is watching me through it, her dark eyes full of suspicion, probably wondering why I'm here.

She'll most likely be apprehensive towards me because the last time I was here I became violent with her and smacked her in the side of the head, but it wasn't entirely my fault, seeing as how I was possessed. She might not trust me because of the incident. Well, that and the fact that I stole the Cornu Lepore from her. I just hope she doesn't try to sneak out the back door before I can talk to her. It doesn't mean this will end. I'll chase her down if I have to. I just don't want to.

Lucky, Nalina opens the front door and steps out onto the front porch, making it easy. She's dressed in a simple, floor-length, black dress, which seems to be her color of choice. Her eyes are unwelcoming as she looks me up and down, sizing me up.

"What do you want?" she asks coldly when her gaze arrives on my eyes. "Did you come back to finish me off?" Her grey hair blows in a breeze as I step onto the bottom stair.

"We need to talk." I climb up the steps and onto the old wooden porch that sways unsteadily beneath my feet. I cautiously step over a broken board in my path, making sure my foot doesn't fall through the hole, and then come to a stop in front of her.

She measures me up with her frail arms folded. "Who are you?"

"Gemma," I answer. "Don't you remember me?"

Her eyes squint as she examines my eyes closely. "What I remember is that the last time you were here, you hit me over the head and that I'm pretty sure you were possessed."

"How did you know?"

"I know a lot of things. I've told you this."

I sigh. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm me now, and I'd like to chat with you about something... something important."

She hesitates, then, I guess, decides that I'm me because she nods and steps back to let me walk in. "Come in then. We do have a lot to talk about."

I follow her into the house and the floorboards creak below my feet as she shuts the door behind us. The living room looks the same as the last time I was here; a worn sofa is in the corner and there's still dust covering most of the tables and shelves. Nalina walks through the living room towards the kitchen and takes a seat at the table stationed between the oven and the sink.

"Have a seat." She motions for me to come in, then points to the empty chair across from her.

I pull out the chair and sit down, feeling uneasy. I usually don't do things solo and I feel a little defenseless in the house, especially because there are lavender marbles scattered around the floor. Praesidium, which makes it so I can't use my Foreseer power.

Nalina collects a yellow cup from the middle of the table and grips it in-between her hands. Steam rises over the brim as she blows on the liquid.

"I was just having some tea before you showed up. Would you like some?" A smile creeps across her lips.

The last time I had tea at her table she poisoned me so that Dyvinius could read my thoughts. He wanted to be able to get inside my mind to see if I was planning on saving my father from the Room of Forbidden, where he's been trapped for ages. When he found out that I was, he ripped my Foreseer power from me.

"No, thank you," I decline, frowning as I shake my head. "I remember the last tea you served me."

She tips her head, looking into her cup. "You have to remember that I had no choice over what I did. I was ordered by Divinius to help him, and I had to obey." Her fingers quiver along with her voice.

I want to believe her, but I still don't trust her. I could tell her that she's my aunt and that she should have protected me, but I stay calm and keep my lips sealed because I need to gain her trust. "I know that you had no choice," I say, clutching onto the edge of the table. "It wasn't your fault. Besides, I have my Foreseer power back now, so no harm no foul." I bite my lip as soon as I say it. I probably should have kept that piece of information to myself.

Her face fades of color as she clumsily sets the cup down on the table, spilling tea all over the place. "W-what do you mean you have your Foreseer power back? The only way you'd be able to get your power back is if Dyvinius gave it to you and I know my stepbrother well enough to know that he'd never willingly do that. He's very, very strict about his rules. So unless you forced him to give it back, the only other option would be to sacrifice someone as a prisoner to the Crystal." She pauses, waiting for me to deny it.

I stare at the cracks in the table, silently letting it sink in.

"Gemma, please tell me you didn't," she says, stunned. "Please, please tell me I'm wrong."

I glance down at my hands, which are trembling. Guilt creeps back inside of me as I'm bluntly reminded of what I'm capable of and what I did to Nicholas. The guilt spreads through me like venom and my stomach churns as I visualize him being chained to the ball. However, I can't fall apart right now. I'm on a mission. An unknown mission at the moment, but I'll figure it out once I get my answer.

Taking a deep breath, I shove the guilt away. I'm here to find out about the Cornu Lepore, not to cry over something I did to the half-Faerie. I lift my gaze up from the table and meet Nalina's horrified gaze.

"I'm not proud of it or anything that I did while I was under the influence of Helena, but I still feel responsible. I can't do anything about it right now, though." I lower my hands onto the table and splay my palms across the wood. "There are too many other things I have to do first and then I'll fix what I did."

Nalina studies me intently as she grasps the handle of the cup holding her tea. "You're a real mystery to me. The last time I saw you, you were a terrified little girl and now you just seem cold, sad, and confused."

I feel cold, sad, and confused. "I think that's the case for most people who meet me." I decide it's time to get down to business and get the answers I need. I reach into my pocket, retrieve out the Cornu Lepore, and drop it down on the table between us. Even in the dim lighting the gold chain s.h.i.+mmers like magic.

Nalina sucks in a sharp breath as she stares at it with her jaw hanging open, then she quickly shoves her chair back and rises to her feet without saying a word. She picks up the cup of tea and carries it to the sink. She keeps her back to me as she pours the tea down the drain. "Why did you bring that here?" she asks, turning the faucet on, and then rinses out the cup.