OCTAVIUS GRIMOIRE

There he lay, fragile on the sick bed, waiting for the angel of death to take his pitiful life away. His wife sat by his side staring into the air. He broke the silence when he spoke.

"Has he come?" Hanbity asked as he struggled to speak

"No one is coming for you my love, you're not going to die," Octavius said raising his weak hands and giving him a light kiss on his palms. She stared into his eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. To him, she had already given up on him but to her, his life was just beginning. She wouldn't and couldn't let her husband die.

Octavius was a powerful witch, the last of her kind. For the first time, she had never seen a disease that was so strong and hard to cure. She couldn't even do anything to help with the powers she had. But for every circumstance, there are always loopholes, and she was determined to find one.

She went through the grimoires of her late mother searching for something, anything and there the answer laid; the tonic that will end all deaths, the solution to her problem and the cure to her husband's illness. She couldn't believe her eyes. In it was also how to reverse the spell. While she read she came across a phrase which was written in Latin. It said;

"servare vivere est ad vitam"

"To save a life is to take a life" Octavius read aloud. Everything comes with a price. This phrase broke her heart to pieces. She looked at her infant daughter in a cradle as tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them off quickly and went to meet her dying husband.

"I've found a cure" she uttered sadly trying to control her tears.

"Why do you sound like that?" Hanbity asked confused

"It involves a sacrifice" Octavius responded ashamed. She had refused to look her husband in the eye whilst she spoke.

"Octavius look at me" Hanbity ordered frailly. She was reluctant. She whined on and on about the sacrifice but Hanbity just laid there helpless until he called out her name. She was in shock because since Hanbity's illness got severe, he had never used any pitch higher than a whisper.

"My life is gone, spare whomever's life you intend to take" Hanbity insisted, holding his wife's hands.

"When I'm gone you'll tell our daughter nice things about me," Hanbity said as he looked up to the ceiling, rubbing his wife's hands with his thumb.

"And what do you want me to tell her Han, that her father gave up on her, gave up on me, gave up on us?" Octavius retorted in tears staring into the eyes of her husband.

"Tell me Octavius, who's giving up their life for me?" Hanbity asked. Octavius was hesitant to speak. There was a brief silence.

"I can't bear the pain of losing you......but I can bear the pain of losing her"

"Octavius....."

"I'm sorry my love, but there's no turning back" Octavius replied standing up from the bed she took off. She locked the door behind her and went in search of the ingredients she needed to complete the spell.

Quite lucky she was, hours later, she had returned with the ingredients. She ground them in a bowl. Then went to her daughter's room. She looked her daughter in the eyes as she giggled and waved her tiny fingers at her mother. Octavius couldn't bring herself to kill her only child but her husband wasn't getting any healthier so she looked away and started mumbling some chants. The baby began crying. Hanbity heard the cry of his daughter and called out to Octavius, but nothing was going to stop her from killing their daughter.

Suddenly the cry stopped. Their daughter was dead. Octavius cut her dead daughter's left hand and took some blood from it mixing it in the bowl that contained what she had just ground and immediately it liquidised. She stormed off to her husband's room. He was almost lifeless. She hurriedly gave him the tonic. He drank it all and then passed out.

Hours later he had awoken with his head on the lap of his wife. She was singing to him. He was a bit weak still trying to regain consciousness. As soon as he was himself again, he hurriedly got up from Octavius' lap and stood at the other side of the bed.

"Where's our daughter?" He asked rather frank than happy.

"I had no other choice Han" Octavius retorted

"My life or our daughters should have never been an option!"

"It was to me......I could never lose you"

"Octavius!" Hanbity yelled in shock at his unremorseful wife's reply.

Octavius stood up from the bed and went to her husband. She held his face and stared into his eyes.

"Look at me Han, I love you. My love for you has no limits. I have no regrets. None." Octavius professed with zero tears in her eyes. Hanbity pulled his face out of her hands out of disgust. He walked out on her and she chased after him, calling out his name. He refused to look back. That was when she tripped over a lamp and it shattered into pieces. One of the broken glass had pierced her feet. She called out to Hanbity for help and he came rushing down.

He stared at the blood and so many thoughts ran through his head. Hanbity, Hanbity, Hanbity, Octavius called out but it was as though he wasn't physically there. It was the fourth call that jerked him back to reality. He pulled the glass out and Octavius cried out. Even though he was pissed at his wife he took her back to the house and treated the wound. Hanbity stayed in the babies room leaving Octavius all alone. He couldn't sleep. He was completely restless. He could hear noises from miles away. The beating of his heart, the sobbing of his injured wife, even the drips of water as it fell to the ground. He could hear them all. He was so dumbfounded. He felt this hunger that he has never before felt. He went to the kitchen to feed his starving stomach but it wasn't helping matters.

He passed by his and his wife's room and he sighted her wounded leg. He was intrigued by that sight. He went over there and untied the cloth he used in tying her leg. There was still little blood clot left on her feet so he grabbed her legs and licked them off. He felt wonderful, fulfilled, but it wasn't satiable. So he left the house for a bar where they were a lot of drunk people. A young lady by the counter asked him what he would like to have. He held up her hand caressing it wonderfully well. She looked at him and suggested they go to the back of the bar. Hanbity left the bar and did as he was told and waited for the lady. As soon as she came out, Hanbity quickly grabbed her by the neck. He forcefully leaned her against the walls of the bar and brought out his fangs. The lady screams and immediately, he sinks his teeth right into her neck. He sucked her dry leaving her for dead. Still, he wasn't satisfied. He went back into the bar, stood on top of the counter, carried a shot glass and banged it on the floor. The noise attracted everybody. They looked up at him and saw blood on his mouth area. They became shocked mad afraid, though some who were completely drunk just laughed at the man.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, I don't know what I am. But I am very very very hungry and just a number of you will suffice" Hanbity said with a sinister smile then he jumped off the counter and began penetrating his fangs into their necks. Not all were lucky enough to escape Hanbity's speed. He sunk in his teeth into the necks of many. Some he left for dead while some he killed with his hands. When he was done he left the bar staggering back home. Octavius was up early. She noticed him come in with blood on his hands and face.

"And where are you coming from?" She asked quite concerned. Meanwhile, he just looked past her and walked away. Octavius was worried about her and her husband's relationship but more about why Hanbity came back looking like a serial killer. She knew her husband wasn't capable of killing a soul so could it be that he was fighting off a robber?

The next morning came. She had gone to the market to get some more foodstuff for the house when she overheard two women gossiping about what had happened in a bar from across the streets. One of the mentioned that there were many lives lost in the bar and that it was only one unarmed man that caused such havoc. Immediately she rushed home going to confront her husband.

"It was you wasn't it?" Octavius asked

"You're in no place to judge me after you just took the life of our only daughter" Hanbity retorted as he dressed up.

"I did it to save you, to save us!" Octavius cried out

"For God's sake it's enough, there is no us Octavius!" Hanbity yelled adjusting his clothes.

"Just like those people in the bar. There is no them because of you! What are you, Han?" Octavius asked concerned. She walked closer to him and grabbed his face with her smallish hands. She looked him in the eyes with tears in her eyes and asked;

"Who are you, my love?"

Already angry, he grabbed Octavius' hands and threw them away from his face. He grabbed her by the neck and forcefully leaned her to the wall. As he was about to sink his teeth into her neck, she brought him down to his knees with a spell she began mumbling. As she chanted the spell more and more blood began coming out of his eyes, nose and mouth.

"So is this what you want! To lose me after you just got me!" Hanbity asked as he struggled to talk with the blood coming out of his mouth.

" This is not the Hanbity that I love" Octavius retorted. She quickly went to the baby's room to get her mother's grimoire so she could reverse the spell. Before she could start the spell, Hanbity overcame her magic that held him down and went after Octavius. He pushed her to the ground and got hold of her mother's grimoire. She got up from the floor and started the spell. This action weakened them both. But Hanbity was strong. He tried overcoming her powers as he held the grimoire close to his chest. He found the strength to get up on his feet. As Octavius kept on chanting he got closer to her, but she wouldn't give in. As he got closer and closer, the grimoire left his hands and up in the air it went. It was separated into four parts. Hanbity watched what was going on in the air. One part of the grimoire suddenly disappeared as did the rest consecutively. Hanbity quickly realized that she wasn't performing the spell to fix him. So he quickly shoved his hands into the heart of his wife. The whole spell stopped as the last part of the grimoire stood still in the air. She looked at her husband's hands in her heart with tears in her eyes then looked at him.

"Sit quaerere incipere"

Octavius said which meant "let the search begin". As soon as she uttered those words the last part of the grimoire disappeared and her heart was out. She fell to the ground dead with her eyes opened.

Months later people knew of the name Hanbity. The monster with no compassion. And thanks to his wife Octavius, they knew about her grimoire and the spell which could make Hanbity mortal again. Hanbity could no longer live in his marital home knowing that people could come for him if they had found the grimoire, so he set out to join the hunt. Years passed and no one had found even a part of the grimoire. But Hanbity still lived in fear far away from civilization. With him was the heart of his dead wife, the body of his dead daughter and some of his wife's ancestral grimoires. Soon Hanbity became a myth. His name wore off on the sands of time, never to be spoken of, seen or heard before.

2 MONTHS AGO( SEBASTIAN'S STORY)

In a football game, the ref blows the whistle and the match between Norgam and Valley F.C starts. It was a home game for Norgam. The crowd cheers so loud for the Norgam football players. They sang praises and chants for a particular player; Sebastian Bailey.

'off the post and into the back of the net!!!!!!!, Sebastian makes it 1-0 for Norgam' said the commentator.

The match ended in a thrilling 5-0 win to Norgam city with Sebastian scoring a hat-trick. Sebastian lived what one would call a perfect life at least that's what everyone thought. He was the only child of his separated parents. He had been living with his grandmother since he was 3. Life hasn't been so pleasing for him at home.

"Sebastian!!" yelled his grandma.

"What!?!" he retorted

"how many times have I warned you, to stop bringing girls home after your stupid football match," his grandma said.

"and how many times have I told you to stop dictating how I live my goddamn life!"

"you're just 18 for godsakes"

"and you're old and sick and about to die- then he looks her in the eye- so why don't you worry about your own life" then he walks away.

PRESENT-DAY AT HMA( HANBITY'S MONTESSORI ACADEMY)

Deep down in the basement of Hanbity's Montessori three teens were chained to the walls with silver. Slowly they transformed while screaming in agonizing pain to the mystical creatures- WEREWOLVES. After the transformation, they all howled continuously back at the moon. Meanwhile in the dining room,

"Can they stop howling already it's getting annoying" Sebastian said

"At least they don't turn into a bloody fish anytime a single drop of water touches them" Julius replied agitated.

"Well said Julius, well said" Greta replied

"On a completely unrelated note- auriela said- iris where did you go yesterday?"

Everyone looked at iris in awe

"Like they say mind your business and you'll live longer" iris replied with a short grin on her face.

Amidst the chattering, Sebastian noticed iris arms and neck. Immediately iris saw him staring at her she quickly adjusted her hair and jacket. Alan came into the dining room wearing a tux. He adjusted his tie, took a glass cup and gently stroked the cup with a spoon 4 times to get the attention of the students.

"Everyone, tomorrow's is going to be a very busy day, so I advise we all go early to bed and- he was cut short by Hamilton

"We're not done eating plus the werewolves are still down there"

"Hamilton Gray if you'd like to join the wolves down there I could escort you," Alan said with a smirk on his face

"On second thought, I'm going to bed" Hamilton replied.

Everyone, one by one leaves the dining room. Iris was headed to her room when Sebastian grabbed her by the arms and said, "can we talk?" She pulled her hands from Sebastian's as she adjusted her jacket saying, "we have nothing to talk about" said sternly. "I might not know where you were yesterday but I know someone did something to you". At this point Iris looked scared, then she replied, "you don't know anything, just stop talking" then he replied "please let me see it", she refused and she said, "there's nothing to see".

Sebastian was keen on seeing her marks then he said "don't make me do this Iris" Iris was agitated before she could say anything Sebastian had already dragged the sleeve of her Jacket up to see the marks. He was shocked cause they were several. He looked at her with pity and lifted her hair to see the marks on her neck too. They both stared at each other, Iris was almost tearing up, while Sebastian took a trip down the memory lane.

2 MONTHS AGO (SEBASTIAN'S STORY)

Anita was facing her locker taking books out from it when Sebastian sneaked up on her.

"Oh my God," she said startled

"Don't do that Sebastian" she added

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry okay," he said while laughing hysterically.

"So how'd it go last night with Bella?" Anita asked, waiting eagerly for answers.

"We broke up," Sebastian said without flinching.

"Are you kidding me?" She said surprised

"Is she mad at you?" Anita asked concerned. Bella was walking through the hallway when she sighted Sebastian.

"F**k you!!" She yelled from afar with rage, then threw an apple at him. Anita and Sebastian both laughed discreetly.

"You know you're a fool right?" Anita said

"How? Elaborate please" Sebastian stressed.

"You broke up with the daughter of your coach"

"So?" Sebastian said with no concern as he bit into the apple

"Don't you think you could get kicked out of the team, worse be a bench warmer" Anita stressed.

"Come on, Tom's not like that, besides it's none of his business and he definitely isn't concerned with the affairs of Bella" Sebastian said with confidence.

"Just saying, cause she looks broken," Anita said with her hands in the air

Dylan came in rushing to meet Sebastian and he said,

"What did you do to Bella?!" he asked with concern.

Sebastian was called to coach Tom's office immediately,

"What the actual f**k RAPE!!" Sebastian said perplexed.

"Don't raise your voice at me boy!" Coach Tom said in annoyance.

"You raped my daughter, I took you as a son and you take that for granted and decide to rape my daughter!!!!" Coach Tom said with rage.

"Coach I did not rape anyone," Sebastian said to defend himself

"She showed me pictures, pictures of the bloody marks on her body Bailey!!"

"Sir with all due respect it could be anyone's picture she showed not her's"

"In other words, you're calling my daughter a liar?" Coach Tom asked.

"Sir, I'm not calling her a liar, I did not rape her you have to believe me, sir," Sebastian said with fear in his eyes. Someone knocked on coach Tom's office door persistently.

"It's open!!" Coach Tom yelled

Bella came in crying, she gave Sebastian a wicked look in the eye and said to him,

"You f***ing bastard, I am bruised and pained because of you!" she screamed with a lot of tears in her eyes.

"Would you stop this lie already!" At this point, Sebastian was already annoyed.

"Lie!, Lie!, Is this- she pulled off her clothes to show him the mark- a f***ing lie"

Bella was in a bra, with her hoodie in her hands. The marks were nasty, there were red bruises everywhere on her back. Then she rose her hair up to show them one last mark on her neck. Coach Tom sorrowfully said,

"Put on your clothes honey."

"I have no idea what came into you yesterday but you were wild and wicked and violent, you were a monster, Sebastian". Bella said calmly to Sebastian.

All through Bella's display of her body bruises, Sebastian was in shock, his hands above his head, sometimes on his mouth, others times on his waist. He couldn't believe his eyes

"I did not do this Bella, I couldn't, the marks and the-the -the uh," he said stuttering when Coach Tom interrupted him.

"Pack your stuff Bailey, you're off the team," he said wearing a bleak look on his face.

"Coach, please I'm begging, I did not do this! Coach, you have to believe me," he begged almost in tears.

"Leave!!" Coach tom raised his voice.

In Sebastian's room, Anita and Sebastian lay down talking,

"RAPE?!" Anita screamed.

"That's low, low from Bella who the f**k does she think she is" Anita added.

"Tom kicked me off the team"

"What!?, No, are you serious?" she said surprised.

"Yup, I'm off Norgam F.C, my dreams of going to the footballing academy are over," Sebastian said with sadness.

"Hey-Anita said while placing her hands on his- you'll be alright" she assured him. Sebastian's grandma walks in on them.

"Oh, I thought it was one of those sluts you brought home yesterday," his grandma said.

"Grandma get the- wait wait did you say yesterday?" Sebastian asked in concern.

"Yes?" She answered

"Did you by any chance come up to my room yesterday?"

"Obviously" she answered with a short grin on her face.

"Of course, did you hear anything," Sebastian asked worriedly.

"I don't care what you did to her but you really got her screaming like some bloody banshee".

Sebastian was surprised, he was quiet folding his arms thinking

"Anything else" Anita added. Sebastian's grandma stood there thinking

"Oh yes, the slut ran away like she was scared of something, I'll tell you, of all the sluts and prostitutes you bring to this house this is the first time I'm witnessing such"

"Did she tell you anything" Anita asked with concern.

"I heard her saying something about foster, oysters- his grandma stood there guessing what Bella said yesterday- not stars, I don't remember what she said, something about.." before she was cut short by Sebastian.

"Monsters" he said. His mind was completely messed up. Troubled by the fact he could not remember anything from yesterday's drama with Bella. He was drowned by his thoughts while Anita and his grandma were talking,

"Yes monsters, that's what she said," his grandma said astonished.

"Why would she say monsters, isn't it strange Sebastian" She turned to Sebastian and asked. Sebastian was carried away, deep in his thoughts. She called his name three times before he came back to himself.

"Grandma you can leave now, thank you". Sebastian said. As his Grandma left the room he stood up and wore his joggers preparing to go out for a jog.

"Sebastian where are you going?" She asked. Sebastian replied, "out for a jog, I need to clear my head something's not right". "It's almost dark you can't just go out!" Anita suggested. Out of Paranoia Sebastian replied "Ani- he gives her a long worried look in the eye- you have no idea what it feels like to think you're going crazy, I remember nothing from last night, I remember nothing, the only thing I know is we broke up last night and to my surprise that didn't happen, it's either I hit my head real hard on a brick or I'm going crazy".

It was getting dark, Sebastian was still out jogging, he had his earpiece on his ears listening to daylight by maroon 5. He felt free, free from all the drama until the song he was listening to started changing to songs he had, songs he's never heard of, songs he knew but never downloaded, at this point he was disoriented.

"What the f**k," he said as he removed the earpiece surprised. He checked his phone and he saw everything was alright. He continued jogging as he puts on his earpiece. This time he heard music from every home in his neighbourhood. Louder than he could ever imagine. He stood with his hands on his ear screaming in agonizing pain. It finally stopped, by this time he was on the floor sobbing. He stood back up to get himself, as he did that he saw a girl with blonde hair from a far distance, he called on to her, "Hey! Hey!! Hey!!, Did you hear that- this time he looked around and stressed- Did anyone hear that!!!". Sebastian was so helpless. He looked down he saw an envelope, he picked it up and opened it, it read:

"HMA"

Sebastian was agitated at this point he yelled, "what the f**k does HMA mean!!!". He turns the back of the note and sees tiny writing which read: "there is no sin, there is no virtue, just things people do, HMA will explain the marks". Sebastian couldn't believe his eyes, he put the envelope in his pocket.

Sebastian walked to Anita's place. It was already dark. He looked up at her bedroom window, it was partially closed, he took a ladder and climbed up steadily to her bedroom window, when he approached it he knocked on her window. Anita was in the bathroom, taking her bath. She caressed her skin softly, the noise the shower created couldn't make her hear the knock on her window.

Sebastian kept on knocking, till he got tired and opened the windows himself and entered her room. She called out her name, but she didn't respond. Anita had already finished taking her bath. She wrapped a white towel around her head and her body, she came out of the bathroom shocked to see Sebastian.

"Oh my God!" Anita screamed astonished.

"Oh! No, no, no, no. I had no idea" he said as he covered his eyes and backed her.

"For f**k sakes what are you doing here!" Anita said as she slowly dressed into her Pj's.

Still backing Anita, Sebastian said, "I have something to show you."

Anita had already finished dressing. "You can look now." She said adjusting her hair.

"Something crazy is happening to me, I know it," Sebastian said with a worried look in his eyes as he pulled the envelope out from his pockets and gave them to Anita. Anita opened it and read it aloud; "HMA- I don't understand, what's HMA." Anita asked confused.

"Turn it around," Sebastian said with his hands on his waist. Anita turned the note around and read aloud it;

"There is no sin there is no virtue, just things people do. HMA will explain the marks- oh my God, oh my god, the marks." Anita said with upliftment. Anita was ranting about the whole situation whereas Sebastian's mind was already far gone, he was filled with rage, and he started panting rigorously. Anita concerned asked, "Sebastian? Sebastian, what's wrong?" She touched him on his chest. She could hear his heart racing fast, faster than the normal human heart. One could see fear in her eyes, she was puzzled she couldn't understand what was going on. Sebastian grabbed her hands, pulled her and went for a kiss. Anita forcefully removed herself from him and slapped him on the cheek,

"What the hell!!" She said agitated, using her hands to clean her mouth. Sebastian was out of his mind, he went to her bedroom door and locked it, he put the key in his pocket. Anita was terrified at this point,

"Sebastian what are you doing."

Sebastian couldn't care less if his own best friend was terrified, he was like a different person, he walked towards her with murderous intent, he pushed her on her bed, terrified Anita said, "Sebastian, this is not you, please don't do this, I'm begging you". She was filled with tears at this point.

Sebastian climbed on top of Anita, on her bed, he pinned her down forcefully, Anita struggled and cried out for help but to no avail. His eyes turned red and he preyed on Anita like he was an animal. He sucked on different parts of her body, her neck, and her arms. He left marks all over her body. That was it, Sebastian had gone rogue.

5 MONTHS AGO (IRIS AND APOLLO'S STORY)

A girl was running as fast as she could, she did not stop, deep in the dark forest. She was being chased by a dark spirit, "stop running!" it said in echoes. She was panting, running for her life she said with the little life left in her, "leave me alone, I'm not the one you want".

"You killed me" it said angrily.

"I'm sorry, we're sorry, he didn't mean it" she said helplessly.

Back in real life, in the middle of the night Iris was on her bed sweating and murmuring faintly I'm sorry, we're sorry, he did not mean it repeatedly. Apollo was forced to wake up and attend to his sister's need. He woke her up using his night voice quietly he said "iris, iris , iris wake up, iris!". Immediately she woke up gasping, she was crying, "brother I saw her, I saw her" she said trepidly. Her brother, concerned asked her, "who, who did you see?". She said while trembling with fear, "Agnes". Apollo shocked and appalled he said "No, no no she's dead, I killed her. I made sure she was dead".

"She chased me Apollo, she wants us dead" she gave him a worried look in the eye.

PRESENT DAY AT HMA

12 of the the students came into the training ground astonished by what they saw, it looked like a war zone. They all wondered about the place. Gia moved together with Auriela,

"Have you told Jason you like him yet?" Gia whispered in Auriela's ears with excitement.

"No, what if he doesn't like me back" Auriela deplored in a lowered tone.

"Aurie, I've seen the way he looks at you, he definitely likes you" Gia stressed. They were both walking together wondering about the place when Gia bumped into Iris and Sebastian, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry" Gia said.

"It's okay" Sebastian assured her. Gia and Auriela continued walking about talking.

"You can't hide that for long" Sebastian turnee to Iris and said in a lowered tone.

"F**k off" Iris said in annoyance.

"I want to help you Iris, God knows what they'll do to you if they find out someone has been sucking on you" Sebastian stressed.

"Lower your god-damned voice" Iris said

"Listen, I care about you and you know that, just please let me help you" Sebastian begged.

"What makes you think you could help me get rid of this!" She said as dragged the sleeve of her jacket up in annoyance to show Sebastian. Iris gasped in pain and shock as she saw the marks were growing worse.

"It's getting worse" Sebastian said wearing a pity face.

"Yeah" Iris added as she adjusted her jacket.

Alexander, Julius and Mila also paired up to wonder about the place.

"So how was last night?" Julius asked interested. Mila and Alexander looked at themselves confused.

"I don't understand" Mila said shaking her head in confusion.

"Let's see, we were chained up like some f**king animal, and when the full moon came, every bone in our f**king body broke- " Alexander was interrupted by Julius,

"Every bone? Oh my God" Julius said terrified.

"Every bone." Mila added.

"How excruciating" Julius said. Mila and Alexander both looked at themselves again, this time with a grin on their faces.

"It's not that bad, you know." Mila said calmly.

"What?!, Are you delusional?!" Julius said to Mila.

"Yeah, she's right, it not that bad, the feeling after the excruciating pain makes it up for all the pain you endured." Alexander said smiling.

"It's europhic. Howling back at the moon." Mila added.

"It's like I'm telling my annoying elder sister shut the f**k up you don't own me!" Alexander said hysterically. They all laughed for a short while, "I do miss-" Alexander was cut short by Mila, "shhhh, don't, I know" she said as she went in for a hug.

Arthur and Jason moved together as they toured the room. Aurther saw a bowl of water and decided to do magic with it,

"Surge sursus." Which means rise up, the water begins to rise up slowly. Arthur was beamed with joy on his face, while Jason was surprised, "woah, how did you do that?" He asked in amazement.

"There are books in my room, grimoires even, Alan told me and Auriela all about them, they're in Latin though, if we just concentrate, and say any of the words on the grimoires, it executes itself. I learnt this one just yesterday." Arthur said.

Greta and Apollo paired up, as they both wondered about the place too, they walked passed Arthur and Jason. Jason as mischievous as he was carried a short mischievous looking grin on his face. "I have an idea, hold that water up Arthur." Jason said as he called out greta's name, Greta turned back wondering why Jason would be calling her.

"What do you want?" Greta asked as she walked closer to Jason and Arthur.

Jason turned to Arthur and asked, "how do you say splash in Latin."

"Respersio." Before Arthur could realize what was going on, the water had already splashed on Greta, Greta screamed with annoyance. It caught the attention of everyone in the room, they all watched as Greta turned into a full mermaid. Her straight dark hair became wet, her breasts were covered with the finest embroidery, she looked glorious as a ray of sun light graced her. Her tail wagging and hitting the floor as she begged for water. Everyone began to murmur at what glorious creature thier eyes gazed upon. Jason bursts out into laughter,

"I'm sorry" He said as he continued to laugh, he couldn't help it. Hamilton hands Greta a bottle of water, she gulped the water begging for more. Julius rushed to meet Greta to feed her two pieces of mermaid kelp; in order to change back into her human nature. Greta slowly transformed to her human self and wasted no time to confront Jason.

"You're a f**king cunt!!!!" Greta yelled at Jason.

"Calm down Greta." Hamilton tried to calm her down. She got agitated and started singing. Julius raised his voice at Jason and told him to cover his ears. He did likewise. Everyone was unease until, Alan entered the room,

"Welcome to one of finest and bewildering room in HMA!" Alan said with a smile on his face.

"How are we all feeling today?" Alan asked the students. They all composed themselves.

There were series of different answers, some said they were good, some said they were surviving, some said they were pumped.

"Good to hear- he joined both his hands together with delight- so, the agenda for the day" Alan said as he walked to something covered with a tarp. He pulls the tarp and said,

"The drawing board"

The whole students were baffled at what they saw. They all murmured indistinctively.

"Quiet, quiet now, what you see here is part of the reason you're here". Alan said.

"Though you are not complete, so I won't say too much. One more student will arrive this week, I trust you'll all treat her well?" Alan added.

"What is she to begin with?" Mila asked concerned.

"She'll decide" Alan said in a nefarious manner. At this point the students were perplexed.

"What do you mean she'll decide" Hamilton asked. Alan stood up in the podium smiling at all of them. While Iris and Apollo looked at themselves as they went down the memory lane.

5 MONTHS AGO

Apollo was at the supermarket with tattered clothings. He picked up some stuffs for him and his sister Iris. A man was watching him throughout. He went to the counter to pay for what he bought. He had only 10 dollars with him.

"I'm sorry, your 15 dollars short" the cashier said.

"What? Are you sure?" Apollo asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry" the cashier said.

"Okay what should I return, I have with me only 10 dollar" Apollo said wearing a long face. The man who's been watching him all along came up to him at the counter and gave him a 100 dollar note. He was shocked as to why a stranger will do such, by the time he could thank him he had already gone.

"Good people are hard to find these days" the cashier said with a smile on her face as she packaged the stuffs Apollo bought.

"Yeah" Apollo said in amazement. The cashier gave Apollo his stuffs and as he was ready to go she called him back,

"Hey!" She yelled. Apollo turned back, then the cashier raised a white envelope in the air. "A souvenir for our customers" The cashier said with a smile on her face. "Thank you" Apollo said and collected the souvenir from her and he left.

In their home, Apollo and Iris, Apollo came back with the packages, Iris gave him a big hug. She looked at his hands and she was shocked, "Apollo, how did 10 dollars afford all these?" Iris asked with concern. "It didn't, my love, a man, he saw me, he gave me the money when the cashier told me I was 15 dollars short" Apollo said with joy. Iris screamed and leaped for joy. They were both laughing and happy. Then Apollo remembered the envelope.

"Oh, the cashier also gave me a souvenir, she said they give it to all customers" He said with excitement.

"Well, open it" Iris said in awe. Apollo opened it. He saw a note inside, he opened the note and it read; "HMA". They both looked confused. "What's HMA" Iris asked her brother. "I have no idea, look there's something written at the back". They bought read it out loud, "Agnes is not dead, she'll come for you and your sister, she'll either kill you both or you kill her, you DECIDE." Iris started panicking, she was breathing so loud, she was scared, she was in tears now, "no, no, no!!!! Apollo, you told me, you told me she's dead, you told me you killed her, Apollo we're gonna die, we're gonna die" Apollo held her tightly, looked into her hazel nuts coloured eyes and said to her,

"we're not going to die, I killed her, I know it"

"Then what does this mean" Iris said holding the note. "It says, Agnes is alive, she's not dead!"

"The note also says either she kills us or we kill her we decide, she's going to die Iris. I promise you that" Apollo assured Iris and kissed her on her forehead.

PRESENT DAY AT HMA

At the Callum's, dinner was served. They were all on the dinning table eating, Ophelia looked down, "Ophelia, what's wrong?" asked Ophelia's mother. Ophelia was already tearing up. Ophelia's father looked at Ophelia's mum and they both nodded at each other. "My darling pls don't let it bother you" Ophelia's mother said.

"I know I'm going to die" Ophelia said hitting the table with her palms. After that she wiped her tears. Her mother and father looked at her siblings, they were all wearing long faces. Ophelia turned to look at them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make everyone so gloomy." Ophelia said sadly.

"I know this cancer is eating me up, you don't have to act like it isn't, I'm going to die and that should be my daily reminder, excuse me" Ophelia said terrified. She went up to her room slammed the door closed and there herself on her bed. She laid there for some minutes, then she stood up, looked for her bag, sat down on her bed and brought out a green, red and purple tonic in a bottle. She gave them a long stare. Then she had a flash back to when she opened her envelope and it read;

"Cheat death, you know you're dying, take either one of them and see what happens, take all and embrace whatever happens, or take none and suffer the consequences, you DECIDE"

Ophelia comes back to the present and still gave a long and decisive look at the three tonics. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. She takes a picture of her mom and dad with her siblings and stares at it with tears in her eyes.

5 MONTHS AGO (IRIS AND APOLLO'S STORY)

Apollo ran into the room as fast as he could, he called Iris, "Iris!! Iris!! Where are you!! Iris!" He was very angry and scared at the same time. He saw a note filled with blood which read; "I'm back". Filled with rage Apollo destroyed everything in the room. He screamed in anger. He saw something shiny by the corner, 4 bottles of tonic, two red, another green, and the other purple, he goes closer to them, he picks them up by the side of the bottled he saw a note, he read it aloud, "it changes it all, drink either one, drink all or drink none, you DECIDE." He sets out to find Iris. It was already raining, he kept on screaming under the rain Iris, Iris, Iris. Until he found her with Agnes, he was already soaking wet as brittle as he were he screamed at Agnes,

"leave my sister alone you f**king bastard."

"Oh, Apollo welcome! I've been waiting for you." She said with a grin on her face.

"It's me you want! I was the one that killed you!" Apollo said wailing.

Agnes steps down from the shade dragging Iris by the hair along the waters, under the ugly rain.

"Apollo go!" Iris cried out

Agnes let's go of Iris and grabs Apollo by the neck. Agnes looks Apollo straight in the eye, "What an unfortunate boy!, You're going to die and what better audience to witness it than your unfortunate sister."

"No," Apollo said faintly, "you either kill us or we kill you"

Agnes laughed in a mischievous manner, "you fool!! How could you possibly kill me? You're the one who's neck is in my hands and almost about to walk with the angels in heaven"

Apollo shouted, "Iris now!!" Iris took the knife on the floor and stabbed Agnes repeatedly on the back crying and screaming. Agnes hands left the neck of Apollo. She fell down, dead. Apollo ran to Iris who was miserable, he brought his bag and removed the bottles and gave Iris to drink the red, purple and green bottles of tonic, "here take this, drink it Iris, it changes it all." while he took the other red bottle.

PRESENT DAY

Ophelia was still staring at the bottles, "okay, here it goes, cheers to cheating death." Ophelia drank the first one, she felt nothing, she drank the second one, she felt different then she drank the third one, that's when she she felt something changing in her body, she fell down, staggering, she was breathing heavily, "what's going on." She said In distress. She began to scream uncontrollably. She was in great pains. She continued screaming.

5 MONTHS AGO (IRIS AND APOLLO'S STORY)

Iris and Apollo took shelter from in a damaged uncompleted building. Iris shouted, " Arrrrghh!!!" Apollo was carrying her then he stopped, "what happened?" Apollo asked concerned.

"Something's happening." She continued screaming, she did not stop. Apollo ran to her to try to calm her down, "Iris what's going on, everything's alright now, Agnes is dead, Iris?" Iris looked Apollo straight in the eye, her eye colour had changed into red, her bones breaking, she was in anguishing pain. She was transforming into a jaguar, Apollo frightened tried running away, she chased after him, then she stopped she was changing, she began to belching like a gorilla, she was slowly transforming into a gorilla.

Apollo watched as his sister turned into an ape, he was in tears. She continued chasing him then she stopped, he made a mighty roar, she began to spit fire from her mouth, she rose to the sky and turned into a dragon, Apollo watched all that in disbelieve and pure sadness and sorrow for his sister. Few moments, a man came with his arrow, he targeted it at Iris, way up in the sky, he shot her with it, and she fell like a mighty iroko tree. Apollo saw this too, he ran to his sister, she had already changed to her human self, frail and weak. Apollo asked the man that shot his sister with an arrow,

"who are you!!, What have you done to her".

The man took some powder from his pocket and blew it at Apollo, he fell on his knees then to the floor, out cold.