"HUFF!"
Zack opened his eyes, breath hitching, his whole body was in extreme strain like he had been deep down in an ocean where the pressure of water had made his muscles strained. He moved his eyes to see he was lying on his bed, shifting his gaze to the closed window; the rain had stopped for now.
He uses all his strength and gets up on his back on bed, panting, his face so his clothes were covered in sweat.
CREAK!
The door opened, Anne was standing there. Seeing him in this state, she quickened her pace to confront him.
"Don't move! You have a fever!"
She picked the napkin on the side table beside his bed, sweeping the sweat from his face.
"W– When did I... come here?"
He muttered, exhausted.
"Oh! Your class fellow found you unconscious on a bench, so she dragged you all the way here."
He got perplexed, thinking what had happened before and why he was here, nevertheless for confirmation he asked.
".. Her name?"
"Lisa."
She spoke with a smirk, meanwhile.. Zack's eyes bursted open. He remembered what had happened before, though it wasn't clear, all he could know was he asked her to see through his memories last time, after that; he didn't have any memories or whatsoever.
Sighing.. He mumbled.
"I am a bit hungry.."
"Ah! I know you would ask that, of course I have prepared porridge. Now.. don't denie.."
She said with a pleading face which was impossible for him to deny..
".. Fine."
She departs the room before coming again with porridge on a tray. Making Zack lean to the bed with the tray she started feeding him slowly and gently. Like a mother.. In the end she took care of him more than his own mother did, deep down Zack had considered Anne more than anyone else in the family..
He glanced at her, chewing gracefully. Even though she had her own child, her own daughter.. Yet the sweet face of her's, was like if she was his actual maternal mother..
Moments Later...
Even though a while ago Zack actually had a fever, he had his own healing factor excluding his supernatural powers. This was the result of countless experiments he had gone through to become a bio weapon.
He was getting ready to go, wearing a brown coat over his white shirt underneath with brown pants. Even right now his powers were unstable as he had that intuition. He shrugs it off and opens the door to find Anne standing, her expression a bit concerned.
"Where are you going?"
She had frustration in her eyes though her expression was anxious.
"I will come back.. I promised."
Zack pats her shoulder.
"Y– You were on vacation with your father, do you know what happened to Ender? And his family?"
Having no idea, he nodded with no, she gasped before declaring.
"They were murdered. The killer is still unknown, police are still confused about what had caused this such terrible outcome."
Zack stayed silent, he thought like he had a clone. Everyone has one. Maybe this was his clone. As he knows, there isn't a force on Earth which can kill them right now.
".. I know."
This made her surprised, before she could ask.
"When I was on my vacation with my father, we got the news about them."
Anne bit her lips, thinking of asking another question.
"When did you come here?"
"Yesterday, at night."
He said without a pause. Realizing she had no questions, Zack requested.
"Can I go now?"
He placed his hands on her hands. Offering a smile. She pinched his cheek, chuckling.
"Fine.. but come back fast.."
"Yep."
Anne could hear the steps of someone running downstairs, before closing the door. She stood there for a moment, praying for his safety before closing the door.
***
"Misha! Come here fast!"
Misha who was cleaning the mirror of her room, this Misha had different hair color and eye color. Hearing her mother's words, she went towards her without wasting any time.
There on the couch was her mother sitting with some other aunts on the other couch. She politely greeted them, standing on the door's frame.
Then her mother called her to sit beside her, she was holding a phone in her hands. As she sat, her mother showed her some young boys pictures. Confused, she blurted.
"What am I gonna do with this?"
The aunts laughed so her mother, after she announced.
"Your father's wish is to get you married while you're young, so you can have a home of your own."
She was stunned, clenching her fists while stuttering.
"M– My studies?"
"Oh! Don't worry, you can continue your studies after marriage."
Her mother added, she bit her lips, dumbfounded. Didn't know what to say, she got up.
"Give me some time.."
"Sure!"
One of her aunts exclaimed with excitement, she with no emotions on her face went straight to her room. Closing the door and locking it. She falls to her knees, hugging them.
"W– Why?... Me.."
She was tired of everything, she only had a small circle of friends whom she genuinely enjoyed. Now.. She had no idea where they were, in the news this morning she came to hear Ender and his family were dead. Ruis had gone to his master and Zack with his dad for vacations.
She had no contact with Sara and what happened to her. In the end.. Now, only she was left.
She took out her phone and stared at a photo. It was the college time photo she had with them when they had gone for a field trip.
In the photo Marine was there as well..
She was quiet, yet desperately staring at the photo. Soon her vision blurred like she could feel her eyes burning. Her phone fell down, she lost control over herself, the lump on her throat felt like it was constricting violently.
~ I... I just wanted a normal life.
Gasping for air, she covered her face between her knees. Sobbing and sobbing there for a while, remembering the good memories felt like she was sparkling salt over her wounds so she tried less to think about them.
~ They destroyed everything..
"Do you want to avenge them?"
Hearing this voice echoing the whole room, she got confused, checking the handle lock which was all fine. Puzzled, she looked around to see someone in front of her, in her own bed.
Sitting a young girl, she had long dark brown hair with amber eyes, wearing a golden-red modest dress. Crossing one leg to another. Misha was startled by her beauty. So much, she didn't even recognize who she was..
"Who are you?"
This made her eyes widened like for real?
"H– How do you come here? Are you a–"
"I am a witch."
The girl stated, Misha got up, staring at her, she still didn't recognize who she was, seeing herself staring at her like that. The girl could also read her inner thoughts.
~ I... always wanted this same.. hair.. These same eyes..
Meanwhile hearing these thoughts, the girl had her own thoughts ongoing in her mind.
~ Did I change so much that I couldn't even recognize myself?
Her gaze went over the mirror, where both of them were visible, the one on the bed was elegant, delightful and perfect, almost the same as the other had wanted.
On the other side; Misha had blonde hair with blue eyes, it wasn't enough or so she always thought. The girl stared at the mirror for some seconds before brushing her gaze off.
"You wanted to kill them?"
The girl asked, Misha stayed silent, just looking at her. Nevertheless, the girl continued
"I will help you.."
At this moment, she used one of her authorities. She fooled the world.. more like the universe itself to believe she had a deadly poison in her palm. In the next moment, the universe was fooled by her.
She opened her palm in front of Misha, offering a smile.
"This is a poison. Mix it with lunch, and wipe them all at once."
Misha was seeing a liquid concealed in a small tube in her palm, she stretched her arm out, but she realized something, this girl had the same dot on her palm as she had, this confused her, but she didn't say anything, just taking the potion.
"Your aunts are pain in the ass right? No...more like everybody.."
She keeps her composure, her tone confident.
"How do you know me?"
Misha asked, her head down. The girl sighed, getting up. She was a bit taller than Misha, not much but still an inch difference between them. This surprised the girl more than it did to Misha. Nevertheless..
Misha stepped some steps back, while the girl walked towards her. When Misha's back pressed the door, the girl mumbled in a weirdly appealing feminine voice.
"I was watching you for a while, oh your poor child. You didn't deserve this."
She placed her palm over Misha's cheek. Though Misha didn't make eye contact with her, she tried to confess to herself.
".. But they are my family. My aunts have their little ones, if they pass away, who will take care of them."
"The same family who stealed your dream of becoming an idol.. The same aunts who always taunt you despite how much effort you give in everything.."
Misha bit her lips, the girl removed her palm from her cheek, turning around and walking the room.
".. They are my family.. You are saying I should do this to my own parents.."
This time she made eye contact with her. Seeing her checking her things on the side table.
"Your mother and your father never gave you your side, did they? Always choosing so called family traditions first and others opinion.. society's opinion.."
The girl spoke, staring at Misha, she was holding a small plushie in her hand, checking and examining it.
Misha looked at the poison in her palm, she glared at it for a while.
"I don't have the guts to do this.."
She said while glaring at her palm. In the next moment, the girl somehow closed her palm even though she was a bit afar from her, catching her off guard, she unconsciously headed her head up to see the girl giggling.
"Leave that to me.. You will feel like you are day dreaming or just high."
Misha stayed silent for a few seconds.
"You are persuading me to do this.."
"I just let your intrusive thoughts out loud, that's it. Instead, you should be grateful to me.."
The girl sat on her bed, playing with her plushie she was examining a bit earlier.
"Misha! You there! Open the door!"
It was her mother's voice, Misha did what she said, her mother checked the room, with quite an effort.
"Were you talking with someone?"
She asked, a bit furious as her eyes conveyed that.
"I– I was talking with my plushie.."
"Grow up you little girl. Your marriage time is near."
Her mother left the room, Misha closed the door, sighing. She was taken aback to see the girl playing with her plushie while sitting on her own bed.
Moments Later...
Everyone was sitting in the dining room, it was afternoon time. The women were giving rice to everyone, on the table had mainly aunts, Misha's mother and Misha herself.
"Won't David have a meal with us?"
One of the aunts picked it up as Misha's father wasn't with them.
"He's busy doing some paperwork in the study room, saying he isn't hungry right now."
Misha's mother spoke in a casual tone.
"Oh! Leave him be. Hahaha."
One of the aunts took a big bite of rice with meat, chewing vigorously. Others started mirroring her so her mother. Misha didn't start her lunch, her mind had drifted somewhere else.
[ Past Memories ]
"Remember to consume this pill first before starting lunch so the poison can be neutralized. The poison will work after several minutes by the time everyone had finished their lunch, then witness the beauty."
[ Present Scene ]
Misha subconsciously took a metal cup, drawing water and swiftly dropping the pill in it from her palm. Drinking water first before starting her lunch. No one noticed her as they were busy in their own chatter with themselves.
Several minutes later, Misha was roaming in the hallway, her heart beat racing fast. The rain had started again, amidst the teeming, she heard a scream.
"AHH!– COUGH!"
She goes to the room where her mother and aunts were there, seeing them coughing vigorously as bubbles were forming in their mouth. Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching towards her, so moving away from the scene. But as she could try, one of the aunts noticed her before going.
"David! Your daughter! Is a WITCH!"
David soon came to the room, seeing his sisters and his wife in this state, it was useless to call an ambulance. One of her aunts stuttered before passing away.
"K– Kill the wi – tch. B– Burn the... witch.."
She passed away saying these words. David was flabbergasted, shocked, every emotion could be visible on his face but the most dominant was rage.
"MISHA! WHY!?"
But Misha had already left home, nevertheless he goes to his room and takes out a gun from his drawer before going after her. Outside.. In the rain.
In the streets a girl was running, she crossed street to street, screaming yet the street remained silent as ever, as her screams were swallowed by the heavy rain.
She somehow managed to come under a bridge, exhausted, she fell on her knees, leaning against the wall.
~ Why.. Did I listen to her?
She clenched her tooth, though she thought she had left her father behind but now she couldn't understand what to do, her mind couldn't comprehend this such outcome.
BANG!
Her liver felt a burning pain, like if someone had struck a burning molten rod in it. The taste of adrenaline in her mouth, that feeling, she started breathing heavily, gasping for air.
"W– Why do you do this?"
David standing beside her a bit far, having a tired expression.
"If you want to cancel your marriage.. just say that to me. Why?... Why kill your own family!"
"The same family who gave me a life worse than an animal.. worse than even a street dog could get.."
Misha said in a flat tone. Her hands covered in her own blood as she was trying her best to stop the bleeding.
"What could I do? I wanted to do many things for you.. but I had no choice. Your aunts would break their relations with me if I did all that.. Give you everything.."
David muttered in a low voice, he realized what had happened to her daughter was injustice, not fair. Yet he let it be done..
"You choose your own sisters... before your own mother and daughter.."
This made him silent for some moments.
"I wanted to do everything like a father could do for his daughter, in the end you are my only child. My only daughter."
Amidst their conservation, they heard heavy footsteps approaching them. David turned out to see a girl, long dark brown hairs with amber eyes, she had striking beauty. Wearing a red-golden dress, nevertheless despite all this.
"Misha?"
A whisper could be heard from David. Despite how much the girl changed, her father recognized her. It was something special only parents had which made him recognize her.
The other Misha on the ground was stunned, the girl who persuaded her to all this, the girl whom she herself envied... was herself.
BANG!
"Humans are really pathetic beings.. Beings who submitted themselves to a system and not asking why things are like this.. how things are like.."
Misha stared at the headless body of her own father. She continued with a pause.
"You ruined everything I had.."
The other Misha now had understand, she knew she was merely a clone of her original self, yet she had a desire to live..
Misha shifted her gaze towards her, before strolling. Misha, using her hands, tries to get away. Yet it wasn't enough.
"You have nothing to live for right now.. if you survive.. Later you will drown in suffering, who will take care of you? Police will investigate the case, you will be caught then.. Spend your entire life in jail. Even if you escape from all this, you will face hardships harsher than ever."
She whispered to her ear, kneeling down to her knees.
"I understand it now.."
The bleedy Misha mumbled, continuing.
"You hated your own family.. This hate is what has made you.. These looks, so this charm, all came from this hate.. Y– You... really are a witch."
Misha gave a smirk like she was pointing things right. Suddenly she felt another presence behind her.
"Witch.. How nostalgic.. like those days.."
As their attention diverted, standing there was Lisa with a smile. A ridiculous smile..
"People used to call me a witch for my unique eyes and this pathetic face."
She continued, gently pinching her cheek.
"They accused me of bad luck. Everywhere I used to go, glares were always on me. Sometimes they mocked me, sometimes even tried to hurt me.. yet my father was of a high status, so Prof and others. They saved me from them... but in the end they only agreed to stop all this because I can't leave my house for 100 years.."
"Which had passed a while ago, in that time. I used to wander here, concealed from human gaze or other wonderful realms where only beauty was there."
Both Misha went silent, it shrouded them like a blanket, only the pouring of rain outside could be heard and the gasping of Misha who was bleeding.
"We are not very different.. aren't we?"
Standing Misha murmured, shattering the silence.
"They accused you of the beauty you were born with, I was accused of my free will.."
Dead silence shrouded them. Then, Lisa stated after a pause.
"In the end, I started to understand humanity in those years, humanity is really beautiful, beneath all the sins and whispers, it's a blessing.. Which you were born with.. A blessing bigger than this face. Yet you chased beauty while I chased humanity. In the end you lost your humanity while achieving your desire.. I found enlightenment in humanity.."
Misha went silent, her head facing downwards. Her fingers were twitching as she bit her lips.
"I– I didn't lose my humanity.. It's– The world is like this.. beauty can't save the world nor a messiah. This world needs a change, a change to–"
"You will kill me.. instead of helping me live.. You can do any wish right? Why not do this?"
The other Misha muttered, making her speechless for some moments. She turned towards her. Covering the space, she kneels in front of her, face to face.
"In the end.. you are just like our father.. you couldn't do anything about it.. and let it happen.. in the end.. you become the person you hated the most.."
Using her hands, Misha laid her down on the ground before strangling her neck. Despite this, the other Misha smiles at her, bloody dripping from her lips. No matter how hard Misha tried, her muscles couldn't let this happen. In the end, she placed her head on her chest and finally confessed.
"I– I see... no way.. rather than this.."
"I– It's okay... Hahaha.. you eradicate my desire to live now.. but at least fulfill one last wish of mine."
Then she murmurs something in her ear, Misha hearing it got surprised nevertheless, as she was about to place her palm at her forehead. The bleeding Misha took out a knife she had taken before leaving the house and stabbed her chest with all the remaining strength she had, it was kinda hard to penetrate her skin but it worked.
"Make sure to accomplish that.."
As the other Misha eyes froze, she had passed away because of blood loss. Misha put her fingers, breathing heavily. As a yellow light entered her body through her bloody fingers. Merging with herself..
"D– Do you.. absorb–"
"Yeah.."
Misha leaned herself to the wall, her healing factor could work but because she was having a crisis, it had been slowed down to a very low extent, nevertheless she had a high survivability so it doesn't matter.. but the pain did..
"It feels marvelous.."
Misha stated, witnessing this type of feeling for the first time was a unique experience. The rain had stopped now, as the sun rays spread everywhere. A black void appeared over David's body, swallowing it into void. The void stretched to the dead Misha, swallowing her as well. It was Lisa's doings.
Seeing the gorgeous sunset, Misha gets up, though her body could recover from this without an effort it was because of the crisis her mental state was heavily stressed. Affecting her healing factor.
She slowly, putting her bloody palm on the wall, trudged towards the end of an under bridge where sun rays were beaming. She falls at the last moment before she can escape this structure. Gasping and exhausted she suddenly felt a warm presence on her body to glance at Lisa helping her go there.
The clouds had cleared up, as Lisa made her sat on a bench beside the structure. The gorgeous brilliant collision of amber and violet. The sun dipped toward the horizon, spilling ribbons of molten gold that stretched across the sky.
Misha leaned her head to Lisa's shoulder.
"It's beautiful? Isn't it?"
Lisa mumbled, while Misha stayed silent, closing her eyes. Feeling the cold breeze passing through them. It was a wonderful moment, lovely moment. Like if things had finally come to an end.
Lisa concealed themselves from human's gaze, then leaned her head to Misha as well, closing her eyes. At the bench were sitting two witches, two witches which were rejected by their worlds. So they created their own worlds, so near yet so far.