Elara bit her lip and drew in a shaky breath before heading toward the kitchen. Behind her, Rayna and Anya exchanged uneasy glances, their hands fidgeting on their laps as they waited for her return.
A few minutes later, Elara came back holding a small knife. Rayna's eyes widened in alarm, a soft gasp escaping her. Beside her, Anya's fingers instinctively gripped Rayna's hand.
Elara set the book down in front of them, her knuckles pale from the tight grip on the blade. "Let's sit and do this. We need to know what's in here to save Arin," she said quietly but firmly.
Both women nodded, and the three of them settled at the round table. Rayna reached across and laid her hand over Elara's trembling one.
"Elara… if you want, we can find another way," she murmured. "Besides, maybe we already know the name."
Anya gave a small nod. "She's right. You don't have to drain yourself for this."
Rayna shot her a sharp look, but Anya only tilted her head, lips pressing together. Rayna let out a huff and turned back to Elara.
"I want to know," Elara whispered, her voice tight. "We need to know the backstory of that soul if we're going to tear it away from Arin completely."
Rayna swallowed hard and squeezed Anya's hand. Elara drew in a breath, then slowly pressed the blade to her palm.
She hissed softly as the skin broke. Eyes shut tight, she held her bleeding hand over the book while her shoulders were trembling.
Please…Please let me know what happened. I need to know. I want my Arin back. I'll give as much blood as it takes. Just tell me how to cure Arin.
She thought desperately. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Her jaw clenched against the rising pain as she felt the book was draining the blood straight from her veins.
With her free hand, she gripped her lap hard enough to leave marks, head bowed. Her other hand remained still on the book. She wanted to know. Her urge to fix everything burned stronger than the pain.
Rayna's eyes widened in horror as red letters began to appear across the page. She turned to the side and saw Anya sitting with her eyes squeezed shut. She wrapped an arm around Anya and pulled her close, knowing too well how much Anya feared the sight of blood.
But then her head snapped back toward Elara. Elara's face had gone pale, her eyelids fluttering as dizziness took over her. Darkness swallowed her whole, and her head fell onto the table with a thud.
"Elara!" Rayna gasped, letting go of Anya. She rushed to Elara's side, tugging her bleeding hand away from the book.
"Anya, get the first aid kit! Now!" Rayna's voice was sharp with urgency.
Anya finally opened her eyes. Her eyes widen at the sight, her face draining of color. She swallowed hard and forced herself to stand on her shaky legs as she stumbled to get the first aid kit.
Rayna patted Elara's cheeks. "I warned you, but no one ever listens to me in this whole group."
Blood was still flowing from Elara's palm. Rayna held Elara's hand tightly, trying to stop the bleeding.
Anya came back with the first aid box. "H-here, Professor," she whispered.
Rayna took the box from Anya's shaky hand and began bandaging Elara's hand. "Anya, can you use your telekinesis to get Elara onto her bed? She needs rest now."
____________
Back in the hospital, Arin's hands were steady over a patient's wound as she worked to close it. But suddenly, her hands froze. A faint voice echoed behind her mind.
Princess Ariana.
Arin shook her head, but she could feel her hands trying to move on their own. She clenched her jaw and set the instruments down, looking at the nurse. "Take care of the patient. I'm not feeling well."
The nurse nodded, noticing the sweat on Arin's brow and the tremor in her hands. Arin took off her gloves and mask and stumbled toward her cabin, chest rising and falling as she gasped for air.
As she reached, she locked the door and walked to her desk. She opened the drawer, fumbling for a knife, but her hands suddenly began to move on their own.
She felt herself losing control over her own body. Her hand turned cold, and her vision turned blurry as the soul took over her body fully.
The temperature in the room dropped instantly, and the window slammed open under a sudden, sharp force of wind. A smirk curled on Arin's lips as she walked out of the hospital cabin.
____________
In Arin's apartment, Zara was making coffee when her phone rang. She walked into the other room and picked it up, her brows furrowing when she saw Anya's name on the screen.
She answered while heading back to the kitchen for her coffee. "Yes, Anya? What happened?"
Anya's urgent and shaky voice came from the other end, "Zara… maybe we found the name of the soul or spirit or... whatever it is. Her name is..."
"Don't." Zara snapped, setting her cup down. Her hands went cold at the information. "Anya… tell me you guys didn't say the name…"
"We did. We had to read it aloud." Anya swallowed hard. "Why?"
Zara's breath caught. She snatched up her car keys and rushed outside the apartment, "Because saying the name makes them more powerful," she snapped, fumbling to lock up the apartment behind her.
A sharp gasp came from Anya on the other end of the line, clear even through the phone. Zara heard the elevator doors sliding open, and her instincts screamed at her to run.
She drew in a shaky breath and cut the call. Biting her lip, she held her breath and took a step back from the door, standing perfectly still.
The elevator opened, and Zara saw Arin coming out, but she looked pale. Arin made her way toward the door and glanced around before tilting her head slightly.
"Feels like she figured out I've taken over her friend…" Arin let out a loud, chilling laugh. Zara didn't move an inch, nor did she blink, even though every part of her screamed to run.
Arin calmly opened the apartment door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. Zara slipped into the elevator once she was sure that thing was inside and wasn't watching. She pressed the button for the ground floor.
As the doors closed, she finally exhaled. "I thought my invisibility was useless," she muttered, "but it works well…"