Selcouth

Eighteen

I

spat out blood, cringing at the metallic taste in my mouth. I glanced at Kara. I shook my head to get my hair out of my face. “Why would you do this to me?”

She looked at the tools on her table, studying each one. “Did the rat say something?” She looked at me, smirking.

Roman was somewhere else, and the thought of what they were doing to him was too painful to bear.

Kara came over to me and my hand. “This is where the magic comes from.” She grabbed a vile. “You’re going to produce some of your magic so I can keep it in here. I will have to figure out how it works so I can use it for myself.”

“And you assume I’m going to listen? Why is that?”

“Because if you don’t, Roman is going to deal with those consequences.” She tried to play off an innocent smile. I knew better now.

“How is that any different from what you’re already doing? You’ve been beating him without my doing anything wrong. No matter what I do for you, you’re going to tell them to beat him to a bloody pulp.” I struggled.

She laughed. “Ah, you’re right about that. You’re a smart girl. I’ll say that much about you.”

I shifted my body, trying to loosen the ropes. She gave me a look. “You think that’s going to work in your favor?”

“It doesn’t hurt to try.”

She slapped my cheek, leaving a red mark. “It does hurt to try.”

I swallowed, watching her study her tools again like they were a test she had to pass. “What’s wrong? You have nothing against me?”

She looked at me, narrowing her eyes. “I do.” She pressed a button on the wall. “Bring him in.”

I looked over at the door as the two men dragged Roman in the room. They dropped him on the floor in front of me. I swallowed, trying hard not to cry at the sight. He was bloody and bruised all over. This was all my fault. I had to do something.

Kara grabbed his hair, pulling his head up to look at his face. “I have love against you. You will listen to me or he’s going to be beaten to death. And as far as we all know, you can’t bring people back to life.”

I couldn’t stop the one tear that rolled down my cheek. I gritted my teeth, looking away from Roman. “Fine.”

“That’s a good girl.” She came over to me, grabbing my hand.

Roman was breathing but he looked so out of reality. It was painful to watch.

She grabbed a needle and stuck it into my arm, taking blood. “I have to study what’s different about you.” She smiled at me, grabbing a vile as she put it in, closing it up.

Still holding my hand, she grabbed about vile. “Put some of that magic in here.”

I produced some light, putting it in the vile. She closed the top and put both viles on the tables. “Perfect. You listened to me.” She looked at the other men. “Finish the job.”

“No!” I fought against the chair. “Stop, you said you wouldn’t kill him!” I yelled at her.

She laughed. “And I’m a liar, Rapunzel. I pretended to be your friend. I’m your worst enemy. Mother Gothel took away your childhood. I’m taking away the love of your life. I’m taking away your last will to keep living.” She looked at me, leaning against the table.

The men grabbed Roman, throwing more punches. Roman groaned and grunted from the impact with his body.

Roman was right all this time. People were awful. This world was cruel. Humanity had evil. Kara was deceitful. She pretended to be my friend just to rip me apart.

I screamed, stretching out my hands and fingers. The ball of lights in my hands burned hotter than ever before. They shot at both men beating Roman. They flew back into the wall, collapsing to the ground.

Kara stood up straight. “What the hell did you do?”

I panted, looking at her through my hair. “I had to protect him. I have to keep him safe. I made a promise.” I threw another ball of light at her, sending her backward and into the table. With all three of them unconscious, I looked at my ropes. I knew what I had to do.

I created light with one hand, pushing it to hover over the rope on my other hand. I yelled as the light began to burn through the rope, burning my own skin.

I let out a cry when the rope snapped. The light vanished.

I used my now free hand to untie the other rope. I untied both ropes around my ankles. I got up and ran over to Roman. I sat on the ground and pulled him into my lap. “Hey, look at me. Don’t you dare give up on us. Don’t give up. You are strong. Think of all those people at the hospital that need their hero.”

He choked a bit, trying to look up at me.

I pushed his hair back, trying to keep it out of his wounds. “I’ll make sure I keep my promise.” I held his head in my arms, trying to comfort him. It was so hard to see him like this. He needed a hospital.

Roman choked again, shifting a bit.

“Hey, hey. Don’t move.” I looked at his body. I touched one of his bruises, covering it with my hand. I put my chin on his head, holding back all my tears. I couldn’t cry. I had to be strong for him and let him believe it would be okay.

Roman’s fingers gripped my wrist.

I looked at him. “I love you.” I closed my eyes, beginning to sob. Even with my eyes closed, I couldn’t unsee the damage done to his body.

The sobs grew louder. My brain made it worse with the thoughts of Roman not making it out alive. He was so close to death. I was terrified of losing him. I whispered, “Don’t leave me.”

His grip on my fingers loosened, and I opened my eyes, watching his life slowly fade away from him. I sobbed harder, wrapping my arms around his abdomen. “No. Don’t leave. Don’t you dare leave me.”

Roman coughed, tightening his grip on my wrist again. “What are you doing to me?”

“I’m sobbing because you’re leaving me. I can’t bear this thought.” I put my face into his shoulder. “I love you so much. I don’t regret meeting you. I don’t regret anything we did. I only regret that we didn’t fall in love sooner.”

Roman grabbed my hands, moving them to his face.

“What are you doing?” I didn’t lift my head from his shoulder ask I asked him.

He moved from my lap, making me lift my head. He put my hand on his nose. “I could ask you the same thing.”

He pulled my hand down, and I wiped my tears. “I don’t understand.”

Roman grabbed a cloth from the table, wiping the blood from his face. “Zel... You’ve gained a new ability. You’re your own doctor.”

“What?” I looked at my bloody hands.

He pushed my hair from my face. “My wounds are gone.” He put his hand on the back of my head, pulling our lips together.

I pulled away, dropping my hands at my sides. “You’re saying I saved you.”

“I’m saying the princess saved the prince.” He grabbed my hand.

“How disgusting,” Kara said.

I turned to look at her and widened my eyes. Her face was blistering. She would not be happy with that. I quickly stood up. “Don’t come near me. You know what I’m capable of.”

“And you know what’s I’m capable of.” There was an evil glint in her eye. “I don’t have to beat him to death to kill him. I have to shoot him in the head and he’s gone. You can heal wounds. You can’t restart hearts.” She stepped closer.

I held my hands at my sides, building the balls of light. “But I can kill threats.”

“Oh, you can kill threats?” She laughed. “Like you killed Mother Gothel?”

“How the hell do you know about her and my powers?” I stepped closer.

“Do you not understand?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “You were always the special one. I was left out.”

“What are you talking about?”

Kara showed me a scar on her arm. “See that? That’s your fault. I tried to save you. I was stupid at the time. I can’t believe you’ve never realized it. It surprises me that it took you this long to figure it out. Then again, you were just a baby. You don’t know anything about us.”

My face softened a bit. “Us?”

“Your family. You were a baby. I was supposed to be watching over you. I was supposed to be the big sister but I failed. I tried to stop Mother Gothel but she stabbed me. Our parents always blamed me. It was my fault that their favorite daughter was missing. You had the gift. I had nothing. I meant nothing to anyone. I had to raise myself when our parents killed themselves for losing you. I was the one who walked in on their hanging bodies. I had to see that! Do you understand how much trauma that is for a daughter? I wasn’t enough for them,” she yelled at me.

My balls of light disappeared. I stumbled, grabbing onto the wall. Sister. I had a sister. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know, Kara.”

“Of course not! You were too busy falling in love with Roman to care. I watched my parents give up on me. I had to live with the fact that everything was my fault. You get love and what do I get? I get to be the forgotten sister. Nobody knows me. Nobody has ever asked me how I’m doing. I want the power that you have.” She closed the gap between us.

I looked up at her, seeing her burnt face. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry is never good enough, Rapunzel. Sorry is never good enough.”

“I didn’t get to choose my fate. I didn’t choose to have this gift or get kidnapped. This is just how it worked out for me. Do you think it was easy being a victim to Mother? It wasn’t. I was starved. I was treated worse than an animal. Getting Roman is the one good thing I have. It’s the only thing I have. We could’ve been sisters but you destroyed everything, Kara.”

She threw her arms up. “Because it’s always my fault! Mom and dad said the same thing. This was supposed to be better for us. They promised a better life here and it didn’t work. Mother followed us from Germany. She found you and took you. Your powers have destroyed everything in both our lives.”

“Kara, stop,” Roman warned her.

She looked at him. “Keep your damn mouth shut. This is a sister talk.” She turned to me again.

“Kara, I was not the one who chose to have my powers. You have to know that. Please, let me be,” I begged.

She grabbed my neck, squeezing. “It’s unfortunate for you. I’ve watched our parents kill themselves over everything. I lived with all that guilt. I have the scar. I’m supposed to be the favorite. I’m supposed to make everything better. You get the happy ending and I get to be the bad guy. I won’t let that happen. You’ll never have your happy ending, little sister. You are going to suffer just as I did.” She squeezing tighter.

I grabbing her wrist, trying to breathe. The darkness was beginning to settle in.

My hands burned her enough to make her let go. I dropped to the floor as she cursed me. I coughed, trying to catch my breath again. She grabbed my hair, making me look at her. “This isn’t over yet.”