Elena froze. Her hands began to shake. She had been living a lie for as long as she could remember.
"Tell me this is a joke, Leo…" she muttered, shaking her head.
"Tell me it's some sick game you're playing. You're just messing with me like you always do, aren't you?"
"I'm not lying to you," he said passionately. "My mother isn't your father's sister."
"Then who is Aunt Kate to me?" Elena asked, her voice barely steady.
"Look, I don't know all the details," Leo said. "I overheard my dad talking to someone once. I didn't hear everything—but I heard that much."
He tightened his grip on her arm. "That's why I've been holding my feelings back all these years. We thought we were cousins. But the heavens made a way for us. We're meant to be together—"
"We are not meant to be anything," Elena snapped, her voice low and trembling.
"You and I can never have anything. I don't like you."
"I'm sure you do," Leo said desperately. "You just don't know it yet. Let me show you—"
He pulled her head toward his and searched for her lips.
Elena's eyes widened in horror as realization hit her.
She did the most logical thing any girl would do.
She kicked him hard between the legs.
Leo let out a groan and dropped to his knees.
"How could you!" he gasped. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"That should teach you never to try something like that with me again."
"I'm not giving up on you, Elena," he said through clenched teeth. "We are meant to be."
Elena hissed in disgust. The urge to clean up left her entirely. She hurried upstairs and locked herself inside her room, afraid the mad fool might try to sneak in.
She had no bed, so she lay on the floor atop old blankets piled together.
Too many bombshells in a single day.
She didn't even know when sleep took her.
The next morning was a blur. Leo was nowhere to be found, and she thanked the heavens for that.
Aunt Kate still wasn't her usual self, but Elena couldn't care less.
She left before noon after telling her aunt she was going to visit Amber. The fear on Kate's face made Elena assume she had no objections.
As she made her way through the village, she asked passersby about Dante.
None of them knew where he lived. The girls especially looked at her with jealousy, assuming she was just another admirer.
She ignored them. Her purpose was far more important.
When she arrived at Amber's house, her mother sat outside, staring into space.
"Aunt?" Elena called gently.
No response.
She stepped closer and tapped her softly. Mrs. Cedric shuddered, as if waking from a trance.
"Elena… what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.
"I came to see Amber. Is she in?"
"Thank God you're here, child." She grabbed Elena's hands tightly.
"You need to talk some sense into her."
The desperation in her voice made Elena uneasy.
"She's acting strange," Mrs. Cedric continued. "Talking about going after the people who killed her father."
"What?" Dread settled over Elena like a heavy shroud.
Dante's warnings echoed in her mind. Regret followed instantly.
"Where is she now?" Elena asked quickly.
"She's inside."
Elena moved to go in, but Mrs. Cedric held her back.
"Please," she begged. "Don't let her go anywhere. She's all I have. If the villagers find out, they'll only confirm their suspicions. They might even kill her."
Elena understood too well.
Amber had fallen under the curse.
She nodded reassuringly, even as something inside her began to break.
The house creaked as Elena stepped inside.
"Amber?" she called softly.
The living room was in disarray. Chairs lay scattered, the table pushed aside.
A chill crawled down her spine.
Almost instinctively, she turned toward the old storeroom. It was dark and dusty.
"If you came to stop me from going after my father's murderers," a low, rasping voice said,
"you might as well leave right now."
"Amber…?" Elena whispered. "Is that you?"
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Amber sat on the floor, a bag filled with supplies beside her.
"What?" she chuckled darkly. "You don't recognize me anymore?"
Her voice shifted—layered, unnatural. As if two people spoke at once.
"You shouldn't do this, Amber."
"And why not?" she snapped.
"Look at what it's turning you into. This isn't you—"
"Then maybe you never knew me," Amber said, rising slowly. Her green eyes glowed faintly red.
"Unlike you, Elena, I stand up for myself. I don't wait for others to act."
Elena stepped back.
"I can help you. You're just emotional right now. Dante and I—"
"Oh, I see," Amber sneered. "You and that idiot are close now. Why don't you make him your best friend and leave me alone!"
A gust of wind blasted through the room, knocking Elena off her feet.
She groaned in pain.
Regret flickered briefly in Amber's eyes.
"Are you okay?" she murmured. "I—I didn't mean to—"
Her expression hardened again.
"You're so weak. It's pathetic."
Tears welled in Elena's eyes. "This isn't you. It's the curse."
Amber clutched her head.
"Don't be like the people who killed your father—"
"Don't you dare compare me to those bastards!" Amber shouted.
"I'm different. I'll use my power to help people in despair. Neither you nor my mother will stop me."
She grabbed her bag and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Elena collapsed as Mrs. Cedric's muffled cries filled the air.
Amber reached the outskirts of the village and stopped beneath a tree, watching the sun sink westward.
"There you are," a voice said smoothly. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
She spun around.
"Of course you did," Amber snapped.
"I'm sorry," the man said with a sly smile. "But I'm glad you came. You made the right choice."
An axe was strapped across his back, its blade glinting in the fading light.