I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
She put her hand up again, and suddenly my tongue felt heavy. I couldn’t speak. I clamped my mouth shut and widened my eyes. What did she do?
“You have them. You don’t know how to use them.” She put her hand down, and instantly, I could use my mouth again.
“Is that why I have to stay here? I won’t use my powers if that’s what you’re worried about. Is that what caused my accident?” My brain was lighting up with the possibilities. That would make so much sense.
Magdalena nodded. “I have to protect you. I have to protect the others from your gifts.”
Guilt flooded through me. Had I hurt someone along with myself that night? It was no wonder no one would tell me what had happened to cause the memory loss.
“I promise I won’t ever use them again.” I put my hands up in innocence. “If they hurt someone, I don’t want them.”
“The full moon is soon.”
I furrowed my brow in confusion. Her eyes were still blank. If I didn’t know her well, I’d think she was blind. Still looking through me, she reached to the side and grabbed a large goblet of blood. She handed it to me. I took it and drank the sweet blood slowly.
“Does that mean something?” I asked.
“The accident in which you speak. It is time I tell you what happened.”
Eagerly, I sat up straighter. She nodded, and her eyes went even wider.
“Your gifts are great. We have spent many decades trying to calm the storm within you, but your mind resists. The evil takes over, and you can not control yourself. I was given the same gifts and struggled for many years. I was able to beat the evil. You were not.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “The evil? I’m evil?” I pointed to myself.
She shook her head.“No. You are good. You are pure. The devil does not like that. He wants to corrupt but can not corrupt if you fight back.”
“I don’t understand. What happened? What did I do?” I fired questions at her, one after the other. I was horrified by what she was telling me. Was I a monster, and I didn’t even know it?
“We found a way to save you. I would take your gifts, but a mistake was made.”
My heart was beating out of my chest. I could hear every single thump in my ears. The blood rushing through my veins sounded like a rushing river. My mouth fell open, and I could feel my face taking on a look of pure horror. What did I do?
“A sacrifice has to be made to complete the spell. A soul of pure evil.”
I blinked.
“The soul you took was not.”
Oh my God. I murdered someone in cold blood?
“Who was it?” I exclaimed.
She shook her head. “It does not matter. What matters is that this time, we do itexactly.” She stressed that last bit, and I nodded. Yes, of course. No more. I couldn’t live knowing what a monster I was— I am. Whatever powers my mind holds, I don’t want them.
“Fine. Let’s do this. We have to wait until the full moon?” I asked quickly.
“Yes. I will gather all the items we need to complete the ritual, but it is you who will need to collect the soul to sacrifice.”
“What makes you so sure I won’t get it wrong again? I don’t want to kill another innocent person.”
“We will keep trying until you are rid of the monster inside you,” she said and then collapsed back into the pillows behind her. “Tomorrow, you will leave this house, and you are not to return until you have a soul to break your curse.”
“Curse?” I said, my voice nearly a whisper. Were the powers inside of me that bad?
She waved me off, and I stood then, completely unsure of myself. As I walked back to my room, I looked at all the art on the walls, studying the decor. All of it felt so foreign to me, but I had supposedly grown up here. I had lost everything I held precious to me while trying to break my curse. It had to have been horrible.
