Chapter 5 Scars

Nadia stumbled back as the reality set in. It took all of her mental and physical strength just to focus on breathing.

Piper choked on her screams as she clutched her leg, but her eyes were glued to Mason's neck as he wheezed and gasped for air.

After gathering her wits about her, Nadia ignored the growing pain in her collarbone and made it to the bathroom. She grabbed a spare towel and soaked it under the tap, then took it to Mason to press down on his neck.

Mason's wheezing calmed down slightly when the cold towel made contact with his neck. His legs gave out, and he fell back into a chair as he pressed the towel on his neck desperately. He could breathe again.

Nadia sighed and slid down to the floor, groaning as she remembered her pain. Once Mason was stable, he stood up and soaked towels for the two girls.

They all sat in silence, pressing the towels against their respective wounds to ease the pain. Even when their wounds were dry and the pain had vanished, they still had no words.

"It was, all real? That monster was here?" Piper spoke first, rather hoarsely.

Mason traced a finger up his neck. The lacerations had closed up and left very faint scars, almost invisible.

More silence followed, once again, Piper cracked first.

"Nadia, how did you know, for sure?" Piper asked.

"What?"

"You mentioned earlier, that you'd been haunted ever since that afternoon when you were 10. How were you so sure something happened?"

Nadia closed her eyes and rolled up her sleeves to show them a thin scar on her right arm.

"When we were 10, Noelle and I both woke up on our beds that afternoon. The problem was we'd been playing outside before and it was evening then. How was it suddenly the afternoon? I didn't get it, so I asked my mom."

"And she, brushed you off, right?"

Nadia nodded and traced the scar mindlessly.

"Yes. She told me I had probably had a nice dream and was mixing it up with reality. But I knew she was lying. Noelle never gave it much thought, even after the shadows and whispers started. But it always haunted me."

"Okay, but what, about the scar?"

"After my mum had almost convinced me it was all a dream, I went down and had lunch with her and Noelle. Afterwards, Noelle wanted to play tag and hit my right arm. That was when I felt a dull pain."

Noelle opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, remembering the event as though it'd just happened.

"I rolled up my sleeve and saw a thin slit there. Noelle noticed and checked her arms as well. She had an identical one on her left arm. That was when I knew for sure, something had happened. Something our mom was determined to keep from us."

Piper nodded and looked at Mason, who had remained quiet all this time.

"Can you speak, Mason?"

He looked at both of them and parted his lips, but no sound came out. It wasn't that he couldn't speak; he was afraid that if he tried, he might find that he had become mute. Nadia picked up on this and placed a hand on his thigh.

"Whatever happened, happened. You choosing to remain mute won't change whether or not you can speak."

Mason's eyes softened, and he nodded but still made no attempt to speak; Nadia decided to leave him be.

"Now, what? Who do we, go to for, help?"

"To the only person in Aurealis openly associated with the occult."

"No!" Mason yelled.

This took both girls by surprise, though both were glad he could still talk. Mason, however, had not yet realized and carried on.

"We are not going to see that creepy old woman who lives in a dilapidated house, is blind, yet somehow recognizes every single person who walks by!"

"Well, what do you suggest then? That we sit around reading a book that only we can read, but is nonsense to everyone else and wait for whatever demonic entity attacked us to come to finish the job?" She asked.

Mason opened his mouth, but couldn't come up with a rebuttal.

"My sister nearly had a heart attack today because a shadow was near me. I am not going to just sit here and wait for whatever happened to us to target her. If you guys don't want to come along, that is fine, but I will be going to find her, and there is nothing either of you can say or do to stop me. Now, if you'll excuse I'm going to go make some tea for Piper's throat."

Nadia stormed out of the room and down to Mason's kitchen. They'd been friends since elementary school so she knew his house like the back of her hand. She was serving the tea into a cup when she heard them walk in.

She turned to them with the cup in her hand, waiting for their answer. Mason groaned and ran his hand through his barely packed bun.

"She only comes out during a full moon, so we have about five days to mentally prepare to go find her."

"Then we had best get all the info we can on her by then. Here's your tea Piper."

"Isn't it odd that she's the one with a fucked up throat even though I'm the one who got mauled in the neck, though?"

"At this point, I am not going to question anything until we know more. Oh, and keep this all a secret from my sister. I don't want to worry her."

Mason proceeded to tease her about actually loving Noelle despite all her complaints about her. Little did they know that choosing to keep her in the dark was the worst decision they could have possibly made.