Whispers of the Damned

Trembling still overcame me as I went to the back of the villa and locked the door after throwing away the food the Chilean man had given me. I gazed back through the square glass window beside the door at the beach. There is no one.

He stopped following me.

My breathing was labored, my body was so limp, and trembling still overcame me as I pulled the curtain to close the window and leaned against the door. My body just slumped down limply. I sat before the door, pulling up my knees and burying my head there.

Never believe any of this. Hoping that this was just a dream. That, as always, he was only terrorizing me through my stormy night. Not my real life. Trying to tell myself that the one who appeared in front of the restaurant wasn't him. That it wasn't him who caught my attention while he was surfing with his three friends. It wasn't him that I saw, and it wasn't him that I met.

But whatever it was, it wasn't what I wanted.

It was real.

That he appeared. That he's around me. That I'm on his radar.

Among so many people, why did it have to be him again that I met?

I closed my eyes. And it only got worse when in the darkness, I found Magnan's eyes staring at me blankly. I found myself thrown back into that flat. I felt the pain in my heart because I saw Danzel deadly smile. At Abraham putting a gun to my head for accusing me of treason. On the blood. On Carlos Garcia placing a gun to my head.

It was all because of him. Danzel.

"Fuck. Fuck." I mumbled, my head throbbing so hard. I opened my eyes and immediately got up.

I went into the room Jason had given me to stay in, rummaging through my bag for my medication. I found them and went straight to the kitchen to get some water. I immediately took two large pills and sat on the bar stool to calm down.

>>>

"Daniella," a heavy voice with a thick Italian accent wakes me.

I frowned at the strokes on my face and opened my eyes. Looking at Jason, who sat on the edge of the bed, pulled a smile.

"Hey," I moved my body, groaning softly.

"Looks like you're really tired," he murmured, chuckling softly.

I frowned softly, squinting at the rectangular window that had been opened, revealing a view of the beach in... daylight? "What time is it?"

"Twelve o'clock," he replied. " Midday."

"What?!" I whispered in shock. I got here at noon, and... I took a walk on the beach, and then... damn it. I don't want to remember it anymore. "I've been sleeping since yesterday afternoon.. until now?" I rose from my sleep, the blanket falling from my chest.

"Yes, baby." He said.

Yeah, I just remembered I've taken my two sleeping pills at once. Normally, I would only sleep for five or eight hours, but this is double. "Oh god."

He chuckled softly. "That's understandable, you're tired."

"I'm not tired," I shook my head, denying it, but I didn't want him to know the real reason. "I just got a headache after a walk on the beach, so I took some paracetamol, and yeah, I didn't know it would be this bad." Jason's eyes turned worried. "Gosh, why didn't you call me?" his worried voice rang out.

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I smiled weakly. "It's just a headache."

"It could spread everywhere, dear." He replied. "We need to see a doctor now."

"I'm fine, Jason." I stroked his face, and he kissed the back of my hand. Oh, look how romantic this guy is. "I want breakfast-eh, lunch. I'm hungry."

"I forgot to offer you lunch," he chuckled. "The maid has prepared our lunch, let's eat."

"I have to take a shower first."

"I'll wait for you at the dining table, then."

I nodded and got off the bed. I picked up my towel and casual clothes. It was a good thing the birthday party was this afternoon, so I could relax a little. It would have been awful if they had held it at this hour, and I was still just waking up. Jason would have been distraught with me.

I stared at my face through the sink's glass. My eyes were swollen from so much sleep, and my blue eyes still gave off a lazy look of lingering sleepiness. I sighed softly, trying to tap into something else that lay beyond the veil, to what I've been trying to hide.

The truth is that I never became strong. I never changed. I was still in that apartment... with Magnan's blood on my hands, with Magnan's blank stare lurking in my darkness. Things had been going well for five years, but my body was still there. It didn't want to move away, and it didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay there with Magnan. To keep pretending that I was okay even though I wasn't. I was like a human without a soul.

And it only got worse when all the masterminds of the destruction of my life, of Magnan's life and Joanna's life, were here. Appearing suddenly in front of me like fate intended it to torment me.

I blinked, tears dripping from my eyes. I wiped them away and composed myself again. Placing both hands on the sink, I looked down, inhaled, and exhaled slowly. It's like the breath training I got from my martial arts training with Damien. I did it six times and tried to focus on myself.

Once I was calm enough, I straightened up. Staring at the glass with a smile. "Hey, I'm Daniella." I tried out my sweet voice to use in front of Jason's family later.

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My smile faded. I clucked and then walked towards the shower.

This is so ridiculous. I am totally a dork.

<<<

"How about your brother?" I asked between chewing on the deliciously sautéed pumpkin and mashed potatoes in front of me.

"He stay with us. Apparently, he came before you yesterday and went to play with his friends, who were invited by my father too," Jason said.

"Well, where is he now?" I asked, grinning. "I want to meet him," I continued.

"Patience," Jason winked at me. "Zane and Papa are discussing something, so maybe you'll meet him at the party later, and you'll meet Illiza too. She's already asked a lot about you. You guys will get along well. She's pretty fun, too, while my brother... I'm not sure."

I raised an eyebrow.

"He's a jerk, and he takes any woman. I'm afraid he took you." He looked at me seriously when I thought that he was just joking.

I laughed amusedly. "I've had enough drama, honey. I don't want to cause any more drama." I held out my hand since the dining table was small. I pinched his cheek anxiously. "My eyes are already on you." I smiled widely at him. "I love you so much, Daniella."

"Me too, me too." And I start eating my lunch with a heavy weight on my heart.

Fucking hypocrite. I'm such a hypocrite.

<<<