The Darkness Inside You 7 Goodbye, Angela

Why did you do that... Why did you save me...

I was crying nonstop while holding Ash in my arms. He's bleeding a lot.

I kept on crying and telling him not to leave me, not to close his eyes, and not to stop breathing. He reached me and touched my face wiping the tears.

"Don't cry, Ela..."

And that was his last words for me. I wasn't prepared. I didn't even expect that would be the last time I'll be with him, with them. This is not the way I wanted on saying goodbye on them. I neither wanted them to die nor intended of killing them... I can't exactly remember a single thing on how I kill them, but it's already too late. What done is done. And it's me who killed them. I killed them... I'm a murderer, and that's the kind of life I have.

"Hey," the boy gets my attention, "The food is getting cold, it'll get wasted if you don't eat."

I didn't say anything or even utter a single word. I'm not in the mood to eat.

"Nayan, don't pressure her. She's still recovering." his grandma scolded him as she is picking up the laundry.

"Then you should eat a lot if you want to recover fast." he said.

I didn't respond but I did what he said. I eat the foods on the plate that they gave me and as I'm eating I caught him smiling widely while continuing his lunch.

All what I remember is that I was running away from that town till I came upon a forest. I was bleeding nonstop and I guess that I've lost a large amount of blood because until now I'm still weak. The last thing I remember is that I was crying last night and lost conscious, then woke up and found myself in a different environment. They save me and I'm with different people again.

I don't know if I should be happy, glad, blessed, or what that someone found me and that I'm saved. Right now... I just don't feel anything.

"You're s.p.a.cing out again, Miss." the boy said then he gets up and holds my hand, "You need some fresh air."

He pulls me up as we go straight outside the house. A mild fresh wind caresses my entire body as I step out the house and got amused by an enormous green field that surrounds us. This is such an uncommon place to live but it'll give you a never ending peace to the point that you wouldn't think of leaving here.

The fresh wind once again overflows me. I walk and let my bare feet get tickled by the silky green gra.s.s. It feels wonderful.

My eyes are closed to feel more the wind that is hugging me, but as I open my eyes the peaceful green field slowly turning into dark s.p.a.ce. The green field, the blue sky, the trees, and even the small house is getting swallowed by the dark s.p.a.ce.

Until I got surrounded by nothing but darkness.

I got confused. I started walking around with this endless darkness hoping to see the way out. Then I hear some voices and some weird b.u.mping sounds. It's coming from behind.

"What's going on there? Isn't that a royal room?"

"The third son of the King murdered by a girl."

"You mean that famous n.o.bleman Caleb?!"

I freeze the moment I heard his name. Caleb... I've already burned him in the past. I clenched my fist.

I don't know what's going on but this black thing is making me remember the past. And right now I'm seeing a lot of people pushing themselves to get in and see a n.o.ble man named Caleb laying on his own blood facing the front door. His face had a lot of cuts and a deep cut on his neck that got opened and then a broken piece of gla.s.s with his blood on its edge, found next to him.

I can clearly see him, and it's me who did that to him.

That's right. I remember now. At first, I thought why am I seeing this if this black thing is making me remember the past. Now I understand. What I'm seeing right now is also a part of the past and the reason why I'm having this kind of memory is because I was really in there. I was there standing and looking at his corpse with these people and acting like an innocent as if like it was nothing for me, as if like it wasn't me who kill him. And the reason why all of this time I was not aware of this is because that time the one who's controlling me and the one who's standing there was not me, it's the demon inside me.

Once again, the commotion get louder.

"The detective is coming."

"Move away, detective Khan is going in."

As the man said that, all the people in the corridor move away to give the three people a s.p.a.ce to walk. In the middle of them is a man wearing a red polo shirt that is being tucked in on his black moleskin pants. That man called detective Khan went inside the room as he pa.s.ses by on me. I get to stared at his face, on his side view. And he has a long silver earring on his right ear.

He was the same detective on that day. I felt a sudden pain on my chest. This feeling again.

Detective Khan is just staring at Caleb's corpse for few minutes then after, he looks all over the place of the room till his eyes landed on my position hiding myself in this commotion. He's looking at every person, trying to find something that will give as a clue. And then he smirks while his eyes are on me. He walks towards me and when he's in front of me he bends over to make an equal level as I was so small that time, then he wipes something on my right cheek as he is murmuring something on me.

"Caught you, little demon."

All of a sudden he disappears in front of me along with the people and Caleb. The scene is gone. Everything turns black again.

"Hey miss!!"

I get shocked as I open my eyes. I look around confusingly as I found myself in the green field. Everything went back to normal. There is no darkness around me anymore.

"I understand that our place is so beautiful but don't just stand there while eyes is closed. You can go and take a look around." the boy said then he runs towards to his grandpa.

I get stunned. What happened earlier feels real. And that detective Khan is no ordinary man. I shake my head to get a hold of myself as I started walking to roam around, but then I suddenly stop when I remember something very important to me.

"Finally! We made it!!" Nami shouted with so much happiness as she kept on jumping.

Everyone was looking so happy as we were looking at the necklaces that we've created whole night.

"I can't believe we finished it before sunrise." Seia uttered.

"It's a job well done, guys." Kano praised us.

"What are we waiting for? Let's wear this all together!" Jinno excitedly suggested.

"Wait Jinno, what if we missed something and it falls apart?" Akane asked.

"It won't be." Layla confirmed her.

We looked at each other and agreed to wear the necklaces together. And as we were doing it, Ash said something to us.

"This necklace will be the symbol of our bond. Wherever we are or whoever we are with.. No matter what happens, this symbol will be the proof of our bond, that we are a part of Mythics. That is our strength."

Tears flow down on my cheeks. That memories are so special. That was the time that we decided to create something that only us Mythics can have.

I search the necklace on my pockets but then I realize that I'm just wearing a plain white dress, then I run to go back and found no one in the house. I guess that boy and his grandparents went somewhere. I look for my clothes and found it on the side table of the bed where I slept. My clothes are already clean as well on my leather boots. That grandma must have cleaned it. I started looking the necklace on the pockets but I couldn't find it. Ugh. Just where did I put it?! I can't loss that. That's the only thing I have. It's very important. Inside of the pendant of that necklace is where I put our symbol and my grandpa's photo is also there. Without it I'll loss my purpose to live and I might loss control.

"Grandma, we're home!"

The door opens as the boy and his grandpa went in. I look at them and saw the boy wearing my necklace. He got shocked as I am walking hurriedly towards him. I grab his arm as I remove the necklace on his neck.

"This is not yours." I said while giving him a cold stare.

He shivers, "L-Let me go!" he pulls his arm from my grip.

"Young lady, calm down. He's not taking anything from you." his grandpa said while removing his outdoor shoes.

The boy looks at me angrily, "I know this is not mine, it's yours. It fell off that's why I kept it because it might lose."

I did not say anything. I'm just looking at him, and it seems like he's not making any excuses.

"You should be thanking me instead of getting angry at me---ah! Ah.. Awww! Grandma it hurts!"

His grandma comes back and heard what Nayan just said then she pinches his ear that makes Nayan screams.

"Even so, you made her think that you stole it because you didn't let her know." His grandma says as she lets go Nayan's ear.

"Apologize to her, brat." His grandpa commanded.

But I talk when he's about to apologize, "It's fine. It just made me panic that I lost the necklace."

It's really important and I'm glad that I didn't loss it. This is the only thing that make me remember all the good memories with them, those people who really accepted me. My family...

("Seems like you've gotten soft.")

I froze the moment I hear this demon voice. It gotten stronger since that incident happened four days ago. It's talking to me again. This demon voice started talking to me freely when Ash and the others left me.

("The kid stole your necklace, you should have give him a punishment.")

I ignore her. Why would I listen to this demon voice anyway? This is my life. Nowadays I'm getting used to her presence by suddenly talking to me and since then I know now how to control myself whenever she talks to me. I don't have to worry and there's no need for me to bite my arm anymore. I just don't have to listen to her and ignore her, that's it.

I look at my necklace. We made the pendant by crafting the wood and some special items for decoration while the golden lace was brought from the big city, and used a very rare stone to put our symbol mark on it. It's really a special treasure for me.

("You're ignoring me again huh. Well then, let me flatter you a bit~")

As the demon voice says that, my eyes got blurred. I fall down and sat on something. I feel dizzy suddenly.

"-Angela..."

I open my eyes as I heard Nami's voice. But I regretted it after what I just saw.

I'm inside the darkness again. Everywhere is just black and nothing else but.. But under my feet, I can see them laying dead. Ash, Nami, Seia, Kano, Jinno, Layla, the little girl Abby, and even that old maiden, there are all soaked in blood. It's like a b.l.o.o.d.y sea. Above me is darkness but underneath is blood. But there is another one dead body, among them, he's also here floating on the blood. It's Caleb.

("That's right. These are the people that you killed with your own hands.")

Is this what she meant by making me flatter a bit? It's no effect now. My heart doesn't feel anything now. I have already shut it down.

"Angela.."

I look down and see Nami crawling towards me. She's trying to say something. I tried to move closer to her but there're hands holding my feet.

"Run... Run away."

As she said that a memory flashes back on my head. It was that day when I killed them. I don't remember a single thing on how I killed them and all what I know is that I was just stuck in black thing the whole time then as I regained consciousness I found myself laying and saw them already dead. And then Nami was calling me. The Nami in front of me is saying the same thing on that incident. She kept on telling me to run away.

"Run away Ela..."

...

"Young lady, are you OK?"

My eyes open and see myself sitting on the bed. I look at the old woman.

"You drop this." the grandma said as she gives me the necklace.

She sits next to me, "You should just rest. The wound on your arm is not still recovering."

I didn't say anything. I don't want to talk. She's just looking at me and waiting for me to talk but I didn't then she lets out a sigh.

"A lot of bullets were removed on your wounded arm. It's a good thing that my grandson found you."

She lets out a sigh once again when I did not utter a single word.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk but can I know at least what is your name?" she asked.

I look at her. Right now, I'm not in that town anymore. I escaped, so there's no reason to keep that name. Besides, only the justice are looking for me with that name. There's no use of keeping it. It's time to let this go.

A words from him suddenly flashes back on my head...

"You will never be accepted by anyone if you yourself don't accept who you really are..."

I smile a bit. Really, whatever he said is always right. I think it's time for me to let things go while accepting who really am. There's no need for me to hide and fake my real ident.i.ty because in the end I'll just end up killing someone. And for sure I'm already in wanted list. That's right, I just have to live using the name that my parents, whom I don't even know, gave me.

"My name is... Zoey."

Goodbye, Angela and... Welcome back, Zoey.

To be continued...