by R. L. Wilson
Walking away from Burnt Ridge I had no idea where he could be. The coffee shop is closed and I guess I won’t find him tonight.
Thump, thump.
The sound is coming from the alley, followed by yelling. I sneak behind the garbage can and hold my breath. I’m breathing loud and I can’t control it.
Oh shit, it’s Kato. I cover my mouth to muffle my screams. I don’t want anyone to hear me.
There is a tall dude who drives his fist into Kato’s face while he’s held by another dude.
“Keep your motherfucking nose out of my business.”
The voice of Randy. Oh damn, they are beating Kato because of me. I bite the inside of my mouth. What should I do? Calling the police won’t help, the police don’t come to this area.
The tall dark dude punches Kato in the stomach. He doesn’t say anything, his face bruised, his right eye closed.
They will kill him. My chest is on fire. I didn’t know how long I could stay behind this garbage can. I wipe the tears from my cheeks. My heart beats ferociously, like it might explode. I’d never been this scared in my life.
My lungs are screaming for air. I can’t catch my breath fast enough.
“When I ask for your help, you can give it, but until then, stay away,” Randy says before he slaps the shit out of Kato. Sweat and saliva swing through the air with that slap.
They continue pounding on him over and over. It’s brutal, and on the inside, I’m screaming. If I say anything, will they kill me? I can’t take on three men. I get nauseated at Kato’s swollen, bruised, bloody face. I kneel on the ground wishing this was over.
The best thing Prentiss could have done is giving me my powers back. I know I can heal him. But only if he’s alive after this beating. A coward hiding behind a dumpster while a friend is beaten—what have I become?
“Harmony is someone you are to keep your hands off,” Randy says. He punches him again. “Do I make myself clear?”
Kato coughs and blood spills to the ground.
“I have taken measures to ensure Harmony stays under my protection,” Randy says.
What does he mean “protection”? I feel the metal collar around my neck. Is there something in this damn collar?
Randy swings one last punch, knocking Kato to the ground. The three men hop into a black SUV with tinted windows and peel out of the alley.
Kato’s lifeless body lies on the ground.
I’m scared to go over and see him lying there. What if he’s dead? There’s nothing I can do about the dead. I can’t bring anyone back to life.
Chapter 13
I nearly slip on a bottle racing to Kato’s side. The dim light from the moon shines on Kato’s body, and fear rips through my being. The rise and fall of his chest has ceased. His face, pale with no blush. His lips, blue. His body still with no movement.
How can I help him? I can’t raise the dead. I will be cursed for eternity with the pressure of carrying around the death of Kato on my shoulders. This isn’t for Kato, he did nothing.
A slight movement of his boot made my adrenaline rush. I’m tripping. I only assumed I saw his feet move. I drop to my knees and grab his wrist. The thrum of a faint pulse under my fingers gives me hope. He’s barely clinging to life, but this is all I need to save him.
I grab the small bottle of water from my pocket. Never leave home without it, I never know when I’d be summoned for healing.
I rub the water on my hands. As I dip into my magic, the feeling is not as intense. It’s a sense of cleansing, but not so calm. There is no overwhelming need to heal. I grab Kato’s arm anyway and I feel nothing. I’m not sure where the problem is, everything is hazy.
I exhale and rub my face. Something is wrong with my magic. My magic has been stolen from me. Maybe it has something to do with this damn collar that’s choking my neck.
Tugging at the collar, I nearly break a nail trying to pry it off. I unfasten it and pull, and it doesn’t move. I feel for the latch and it’s fastened again. What the fuck is wrong with this thing? I try to unfasten it again and I get it open, but I can’t get the collar off my neck.
Blood is now flowing from the lips of Kato. My heart is heavy. I have to do something. There has to be an internal bleed. It’s a matter of time before he dies.
“Kato! Kato,” I scream, nudging at his arm. Hoping he would awaken and say he is fine. But he didn’t.
I can’t believe my magic isn’t working. I graze him with my fingertips and there is no buzz or tingling. What kind of healer can’t do magic? On the inside, I’m screaming over why my magic is failing me now.
I can’t think straight. The tattoo is getting lighter, and the world around me is collapsing. I’m sure someone heard the commotion and called the police. No matter what, I won’t leave Kato’s side.
This is no time for me to freak out. Kato’s life is in my hands.
I close my eyes and dig deeper, hoping to get to my magic. A rush of adrenaline consumes me. A floating sensation enters my being. As if I’m sitting on a cloud. No tingling in my fingers, no magic. But it’s a euphoric feeling, as if I’m above the earth.
My being is telling me everything is fine and Kato will be fine. I open my eyes to make sure I’m still sitting on the ground in a dark alley. I was, but the alley looks different. A green highlight had consumed the alley. My heart races and I lean back.
What the hell is going on? Scanning the alley, I watch for someone shining a light. But no one is here except me and Kato.
Everywhere I turn, the green light is there. I put my hand in front of my eyes and my hand is green. Panic engulfs my stomach. I want to run, but I can’t leave Kato.
I look at the broken window, only to find it’s now repairing itself. I know now what’s going on; somehow my magic is coming from my eyes. And it’s stronger than ever. In the past I could only heal people, but now I can heal windows. This is intimidating.
Viewing the broken glass bottle, I watch it repair itself. Everything the green light touches is repairing itself.
I look at Kato and within seconds his hands move. His eyes are still closed. His breathing is now labored. But the bronze color has lightened his face, his lips now pink. I check his pulse, which is fast and thready.
He slightly adjusts his head.
“Kato.”
His eyes pop open, the light in his spirit dim but present.
He coughs and a small amount of blood comes from his mouth. “You saved me.”
He grimaces. “We are in trouble. We have to go.”
Chapter 14
I grab Kato’s arm and help him to his feet. He grabs his stomach and grimaces. His iris is red, the skin around his eye purple, his lip swollen. He takes a step and limps the rest of the way to the street. I hold his arm, helping him to a red sedan. He doesn’t need a vehicle. I didn’t know he had a car or drove. He always seems to pop up.
Police sirens wail in the background, a little too late since the brawl is over. The police car zooms past us. I’m crippled with fear Randy might return.
I’m having an out-of-body experience. This can’t be real. I’m trapped in the clouds that dance above our heads. I’m staring down on the tragedy. But I’m not. It’s real life, and Kato is bruised and battered.
I slip in the car and the stench of raw garlic invades my nostrils. I’m captured by the silence. I don’t know what to say. I almost got Kato killed. There is nothing I can say to make it better. He looks straight, not stopping at the red lights, not talking. He is in a hurry to get wherever our destination is. I’m scared to ask.
“Never mind the smell of garlic, it keeps the demons away,” he suddenly says.
I nod, although I never knew demons hate the smell of garlic. Perfuming my house with garlic might keep Prentiss away.
I tug at the collar and it slips off this time. Before, I couldn’t get this collar to move. I throw it to the floor of the car in frustration.
I felt helpless and hopeless for Kato and myself. My heart pounds
at the possibility I will never be free from Prentiss or this curse.
Kato glances at the collar. “Did Randy put the collar on you?”
He sounds different from when he had pain in his voice. Anger is apparent on his face. I had been flirting with danger, and now he came to destroy.
“He did.” I swallow hard.
I’m so lost; everything is illuminated. I’m seeing the world in 3D. Before, my vision was blurry, but now it’s amazing. The moon is a brighter white, the grass a richer green. The world is beautiful and vibrant.
I glare at a broken light; it repairs itself like the window did. Someone is playing an awful game. Or this magic is next level. I heal people, not things.
“Stop repairing everything,” Kato says.
“I can’t, it keeps happening.”
If I could stop, I would. My magic has gotten stronger. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. I didn’t ask for this magic. I had to dig deep to save Kato’s life, and this happened.
“Take a nap, it might wear off.”
“I’m not sleepy,” I yawn.
“Harmony, Harmony.”
I feel a nudge on my shoulder and I open my eyes. Kato stares at my face.
I sit up. “Where are we?”
“At my house.”
I wasn’t sleepy, but I fell asleep. I yawn. “Are you going to take me home?”
“No, you’ll be safer here. No one knows where I live.”
He is right. I’m sure Randy and Prentiss are at my house right now. He’s mysterious, he has a car and an apartment. I never envisioned him having these things. Is he married?
“Where are we?”
“In Troy, just a little quieter than the city.”
I raise an eyebrow in his direction. Is it safe to be alone in a house with him? At this point, there’s no other choice.
Troy…I’ve heard of Troy. A lot of Dragons live in Troy. He can’t be a dragon.
He waves his hand. “Come on in.”
My instincts are telling me to be careful. Did anyone follow us here? Here goes nothing. I follow him up concrete steps to a brick apartment with a black iron screen door. We go inside and my body temperature drops as goosebumps fill my arms. The apartment wasn’t cold, though. It’s the chickens with missing heads lying on the table. Is he sacrificing chickens? He is a Voodoo priest, but I consider him different, maybe because he’s young.
The odd furniture is neon yellow with specks of red. A large clock hangs on the wall—problem is, it doesn’t work. Who has a broken clock in their house?
I’m trying to be open-minded. Just because he’s different doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a good heart. But this is some freaky shit.
“Don’t be frightened, come in.”
I stall for a second then enter the front door and follow Kato to the kitchen. No way I’m sitting on the couch, and not because of the color. The couch is worn, ancient even. It sags in the center. If I take a seat on the couch, it will collapse.
I have a seat at the kitchen table. I find myself staring at the plaques on the walls.
“Do you want something to drink?” He grabs a bottle of water and takes a quick gulp.
“No, thanks.” I’m creeped out by the apartment. I won't be eating anything out of here.
“What happened?” he asks while taking a seat across the table from me.
I can’t get the words out fast enough. “That Randy dude, along with some others, kidnapped me. Randy slapped the collar on my neck.” I point to my neck.
“But why? I didn’t know Prentiss and Randy had any dealings,” Kato mutters.
“I didn’t either. Randy introduced himself as Prentiss’s Hoodoo priest.”
His eyes widen. “Yes, I know Randy, he practices. He also hangs out at Burnt Ridge. He’s dangerous for sure. If you want the curse lifted, it’s going to be a tedious task.”
Thinking of my mother and how for a short period she is fine and normal. Yes, let’s break this fucker.
Chapter 15
The bang and bump from the next room is terrifying. What is Kato doing?
Kato comes from a bedroom tucked in a corner next to the back door carrying a large brown box labeled MAGIC. He sits the box on the floor next to the table and rummages.
I’m sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for him to pull the contents from the box. I silently pray it’s something to remove this curse once and for all.
My stomach rumbles, reminding me how hungry I am. I haven’t eaten since earlier today. And since the altercation where Kato was beaten, hunger is the last thing on my mind.
He pulls out a large book. A spell book. I know what it is, I had one at my house. It was given to me by my father. It was given to him by his mother, who received it from her mother. I’ve never used it, don’t know how.
The ceiling fan turns above my head and I realize I’m freezing. It’s humid outside so I won’t complain. We can’t stay long. I have to get home and check on Morgan.
He pulls a colorful arcane object from the box, a purple crystal, and some herbs. Why does he need all this stuff? I thought he was a Voodoo priest. This is dark magic.
The purple crystal is the prettiest I’ve seen. The sight of the crystal has me mesmerized. But there’s a crack in it. It’s sick…it needs healing.
“Don’t touch anything,” Kato yells, moving the objects to the left side of the table.
I blink, realizing I’m staring at the crystal.
I’m nervous. He has never said anything so forceful and now he’s an angry grizzly bear, growling. But all the objects needed healing. The crystal appears in dire need of help. The feeling I get from the crystal is overwhelming.
If he’s going to heal me with the spell book, I want to view it first. I don’t want any more of those scary-ass visions he showed me before.
Maybe the crystal is what I needed to break this curse; it sticks out so much. I stare at the crystal hard and it repairs itself. And now it’s glowing neon green like my tattoo was earlier. I grab the crystal. I need to touch it; the warmth soothes my cold hands.
Kato leaps across the table and snatches the crystal from my hands. His face is red with rage. I jerk back in my chair. My pulse skyrockets. What’s wrong with him? Since we got here, he has been on edge.
“Not everything needs to be healed.” Wrinkles appear on his forehead like cracking ice. He paces the floor back and forth from the sink to the kitchen table.
“Um, I know, but the crystal had a crack. It’s okay.” Forcing my mouth to make words. I didn’t know he had such a dark side. I’m in shock, where is the nice guy with the contagious smile.
“Do you know what you have done? Damn it!” He slaps the table, causing the crystal to shake, then grabs his hand and winces in pain.
I flinch at the tone of his voice. There is a different person in there. Maybe he got hit upside the head one too many times. I will let him blow off some steam and deescalate.
He takes a seat in the chair. The balls of his feet must be on fire from the pacing. “I’m sorry if I scared you. The owner of the crystal is a man I cursed. He deserved to be cursed and never forgiven.”
There is pain in his voice when he speaks of the man he cursed. I don’t know what the man did, I’m not sure I want to know, but whatever it is wasn’t good.
“It’s ok, I understand you’re frustrated.”
“Yeah, but I have no right to take it out on you.” He hangs his head.
He excuses himself from the table and goes into the bathroom. Even though I’m angry at what he said, I’m still responsible for the beating he took. And he has been helping me. I didn’t pay him anything.
He comes back from the bathroom with a heating pad in his hand. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
“My shoulders. They are sore, but it’s fine.”
“No,” I stand and walk over to him. “Let me help you, I’m good with massaging the pain away.”
He slips off his shirt, exposing his chest and his chiseled abs
. It’s a shock; I didn’t know he had a six-pack under those weird clothes he wears. I don’t know how I’m thinking of Kato in a sexual way, but it’s something about him. His warm touch, his white straight teeth, the way his eyes twinkle when he smiles.
I edge around the chair facing his back to massage his shoulders. His back is filled with red and purple bruises. I touch his shoulder and he groans. I massage his shoulders slowly at first, then a little deeper. He groans but the soreness will go away once my magic touches his internal flesh.
He holds his right hand up, signaling me to stop. I freeze with my hands still on his shoulders. He shrugs his shoulders and moves his head from side to side. A cracking sound comes from the neck area. He lets out a sigh and his shoulders drop. The tension slides off his neck. My job is done. I know he feels better, and it didn’t take much magic. My fingers barely tingled.
I go back to my seat. He sits with his eyes closed as if he’s meditating. We sit in silence; the suspense is killing me. Is he going to say anything? All I can see is his six-pack staring at me.
“I feel better; the pain is gone. You have a gift.” He opens his eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready to get rid of your gift?”
I hesitantly nod my head. I’m sure I want to be free, but if I couldn’t perform healings, Kato would be dead right now.
He slides the herbs to the middle of the table. “This is the first step. You could lose some of your memories.”
Chapter 16
“This will be painful and tedious. It might not work,” Kato says.
I clutch my invisible pearls. What if I go through this process and the curse remains?
“The person who placed this curse on your family is powerful. The curse is one of the strongest I’ve ever seen.” His eyes grow bigger and wider. He grabs the book of spells and flips through the pages.
