The Enigma Within (Thorn Under Pedals Book 2)

Chapter 4:

“Do you recognize her, Cassandra?” The man who introduced himself to me in the morning asked. I stared at the girl taking in her appearance and black outfit. The girl seemed to be surprised by what the man had said to her. Was I supposed to remember her? Who was she to me?

“No.” I formed the word that seemed to be the only thing I had said all day. Every question the man or the nurses had asked me was answered with a no. I could see in their eyes they wanted something else but they were disappointed each time. Just like the girl in front of me. Her face fell to sadness but unlike the other times there were tears glossing the girls eyes. The man gazed at the girl by the door with a trying to comfort look I assume.

I sighed at the silence that was heavy in the room as we waited on the girl to introduce herself. I was exhausted from all this. All day since I opened up my eyes to the blinding light in this unfamiliar room I have been patient with each of the people coming in but I was getting pretty tired of this.

“Look.” Both of their eyes turned to me as I spoke. I looked straight at the girl ignoring the man. “I do not remember anything. If you are someone I am supposed to remember then you are going to have to tell me.” I then turned to the man having to tilt my head up at him since he was taller. “No more of this game, it's exhausting.”

“Yes of course.” He nodded though I could see he was concerned with the cold way I was acting but I did not care. Why should I care about how he was taking my words when he continuously pushed for me to remember whatever detail he wanted.

“Cassandra.” I turned to the girl. She spoke so softly. Was this her normal tone or was the girl just being emotional at the moment? “I’m your sister Isabella.”

Lies. An icy voice vibrated inside me. For the first time today my chilly gaze lifted. I felt my shoulders shake and a laugh vibrate through my throat. Both of them looked at me with concern. The man wasn’t sure how to take my reaction but the girl was concerned for a different reason. She wants you to believe her. The voice advised.

“Why should I believe you?” I was curious to see what she would say. The man was about to say something but I cut him off. “All any of you have done is question me. I’m not allowed to question you back?”

This made him frown. This was not the normal way people acted when they had memory loss. I could tell just by gazing at him the form of his thoughts. He thinks something is wrong with us. The voice says to me.

“I woke up in this unfamiliar room with all of you around me that I don’t know.” I felt myself triggering tears to water my eyes playing the cards that seemed too easy for me to play. “I don’t even know how I got here let alone who I am. I’m just supposed to trust your words.”

Sympathy. More. The voice requested.

“How could I not even know my own name?” I let the tears fall down my cheeks and wet my hands that were clenching the sheet as my blanket. “I don’t even know who I am.”

Warm hands ran around me to pull me in a comforting hug. A sense of peace was settling in me and the voice disappeared. I turned my head to see who had a hold of me. It was the girl that had looked heartbroken from not being recognized. The girl claimed to be my sister but the voice said it was a lie. One of the girl's hands creased my hair, making me cry onto her shoulder while the other was rubbing circles on my back soothingly.

“Shh. It’s okay.” The girl whispered with tears slipping down her cheeks as well. “I got you now. It will be okay.”

Usually the voice would tell me how to react like it had been all day but for once in this moment I wasn’t sure what to do or say. I didn’t know what to believe. “How can you say that when there are so many unknowns?” I asked which was muffled from her shirt.

“We are together.” Her voice was firm. “That is all we need. I won’t let anything hurt you again.” It was as if the girl was making a promise and reassuring both of us. Whichever it was I felt myself trusting her. Maybe the voice was wrong. Maybe this girl was my sister. Afterall how could someone else be able to give me this sense of peace if she wasn’t family?

I nodded slightly, feeling drowsy. The exhaustion of the events today were catching up to me. My vision was blurry from the tears and dropping from the tiredness. A part of me wanted to fight the darkness but it was winning over me all the same. My eyes closed. My ears heard the man saying, “Let’s lay her back down to let her sleep comfortably.” I wanted to protest. I had been sleeping for so long that I didn’t want to go back. My throat was thick like it had been when I first woke up telling me I was losing the battle.

Doctor Michell and Isabella laid Cassandra back on the bed. Isabella had felt her drifting off by the heavier weight on Isabella’s shoulder. Doctor Michell sighed once Cassandra was once again asleep at a loss of what to think. His patient seemed to be unstable one minute then the next was showing the signs that were common in this situation. Was it a delayed reaction? Or should he be looking into disorders?

“Are there any medical conditions or disorders in the family?” Doctor Michell carefully asked Isabella.

Isabella frowned at the doctor as she took the seat next to the bed feeling exhausted from all the emotions of the day. “No. Why?”

“Her behavior is…unusual.” He contemplated on what to say without worrying the girl. “She seemed to shift her cold demeanor rather quickly.”

Isabella bit her lip in thought. She had thought it was weird how one minute Cassandra was questioning them to crying. Isabella had thought that maybe her wall had just broken down. Could Elizabeth have a disorder that she had not known about? Isabella shook her head. She really had to stop interchanging the names otherwise she was going to slip up at one point.

“I don’t think she has any but maybe the attack caused something to happen?” Isabella said, taking Cassandra’s hand in hers.

Doctor Michell tapped his chin in thought. “Possibly. I will need to carefully observe and see in some tests. That is if you will allow me.”

Isabella nodded. She needed to know if something was wrong with Cassandra and how to help. Isabella could not help Elizabeth and had never really thought about the option of her grief flipping a switch for her mentally. As she was now going to live the life of Cassandra, Isabella was going to make sure that she helped her in the best way she could. If she could help it there would be no killings or violent acts. Isabella wanted Cassandra to live a normal life without crime.

“Doctor.” Isabella took a breath waiting for him to signal to continue. “I have two friends here in the waiting room. I know it is only family permitted but I was wondering if you could tell them I will be staying the night here with her. I just can not leave her here to wake up all alone again.”

“Of course.” Doctor Michell smiled. “I will ask one of the nurses to bring you dinner with your sister.”

“Thank you.” Isabella smiled back before turning back to her sister sleeping peacefully. Doctor Michell left the room to deliver her message. Isabella moved a strand of silver hair out of the center of her face to her ear gently. She began to wonder what was inside Cassandra’s mind. Would the doctor find some type of disorder or was it nothing?

Isabella had to also find a way to make Cassandra believe her lies. Something about how she had acted in questioning them made Isabella think it was going to be a difficult task. She was so deep in her thoughts. Cassandra’s hand squeezed Isabella, drawing her attention. Cassandra’s face was scrunched in discomfort. Concern gripped Isabella. Shooting up from her seat Isabella leaned forward.

“Cassandra. Are you okay?” Isabella called. “Do I need to call the doctor back?”

Isabella placed her other hand gently on Cassandra’s shoulder. The touch awoke the girl making Isabella jump back startled. Red eyes glared at Isabella making her wide eyed.

“I know what you have done.” The voice sent chills to Isabella’s bones. It was not the voice Cassandra had used before or even a tone similar. No it was harsh to Isabella’s ears like something she had never heard before. “I know what you are trying to do, human girl.”

Isabella gulped loudly, afraid. She was visibly shaking in the grip Cassandra had her in. “What a-are you?” This was not Cassandra. The goosebumps and chilling of the room told her such.

Crackling was the only way to describe the sound coming out of Cassandra’s mouth that was supposed to be a laugh. “What am I? I am the demon your beloved friend became.” Isabella flinched back an inch as Cassandra’s body shot up right in Isabella’s face. She wanted to gage at the horrible smell coming off of Cassandra’s mouth. Cassandra blew her hot scorching breath in Isabella’s face knowing that would cause the girl to gage at the smell of rotting flesh. “I am who you allowed to fester in your friend to seek revenge. The monster under her skin surfacing time and time again for each kill.”

Fear gripped Isabella. “N-no.” It had to be a lie. There was just no way that her friend had become this. She would have seen Elizabeth become this. Isabella would have seen the signs. Or would she have? “You’re wrong.”

“I am?” The horrific voice mocked her. Images of the nights Isabella had stayed up for Elizabeth to come home popped in her head. The small spots of red that Isabella had just written off as paint in the hall. “You knew that she was a murder.”

The day in the hospital when Elizabeth was asleep crying came to her mind. Isabella wanted to wake her up so that she wasn’t sleeping in a nightmare when Elizabeth had spoken. At first Isabella had just thought it was part of her guilt labeling her as a killer. However, that was clarified when Elizabeth had sobbed clearly describing the death of her brother's old girlfriend. She had claimed to hear a voice in her head then.

“You’re the voice in her head.” Isabella whispered with a shaky voice.

Cassandra gave an ugly smirk at Isabella. “The one and only.” The voice answered and moved her head side to side cracking the neck muscles to loosen up the tension.

“She isn’t going back to that life.” Isabella was not sure where this strength had come from but she was glad for it. She stood taller in front of the demon's eyes. “I won’t let you take her back down that road.”

Again that horrible crackling laugh. “Oh? How are you going to stop me?” The voice asked curiously. Before her was a little coward of a victim girl. Easy prey in her eyes.

Isabella bit her lip unsure of what she could say. How could she stop a supernatural being from doing what it wished? “What will it take for you to stay dormant inside of her to have a normal life?” She asked.

“Nothing. She sold her soul to the king herself.” Cassandra pulled Isabella closer. “To seek her revenge. Nothing can be done about this deal.” Isabella squirmed from the hold not liking the look in the red eyes and evil smirk forming on the lips that were moving to her ear. A haunting whisper blew in her ear as the demon spoke, “Unless you want to add your soul to the list. Then we can arrange a deal.”

Everything in her was wanting to run from the very room. Yet the muscles in her body were locked in place. Her mind was racing in fear. The words whispered in her ear knotted her stomach. She should say no. “If I give over my soul you will stay dormant inside of Cassandra?” Isabella questioned. There was no way she could trust a demon to keep their word.

Sharp nails that had lengthened as the demon had surfaced grazed Isabella’s chin drawing blood. She flinched back at the sting of pain. The demon sucked the blood off her nail. “I will until she remembers the revenge she wanted.”

“You won’t force her to remember?” Isabella pushed, wanting there to be no loophole.

The demon smirked. “I will not force her to remember nor will I advize her to take any action.”

Isabella felt her body relax slightly. “What is the catch? There is always a catch is there not?”

“Can’t trust my word for it dear?” The demon snarled for effect. Isabella fell backwards as the demon released her. An oof sound came out of Isabella as her ass landed on the cold ground. “Do you have a choice if you want your poor friend to live a normal life again?”

Her eyes clenched shut and her hands fisted. She shouldn’t agree to this. Nothing ever works the way it’s supposed to. Didn’t watching all those movies with Elizabeth teach her that?

“I’ll do it!” Isabella forced out of her dry mouth. “You better keep your word on this deal.”

The crackling sound was not all that she heard. A deep low chuckle made Isabella open her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the form between Cassandra and her. The creature before her stood around 6 feet tall. He was tanned skin with a slightly muscular form like a human man except for the curled inward brown horns attached to his head. White hair flowed in the breeze. Piercing blue and yellow eyes stared down at Isabella.

“Lord Mammon.” The demon in Cassandra addressed.

“Aye. I’ll seal your deal to have her soul added to our wealth.” The demon Mammon declared. His voice was deep. It took Isabella a moment to realize who Mammon was. When it clicked she muttered her thoughts.

“The demon of greed and wealth.”

“Indeed and you are going to add nicely to my jewels at home.” He grinned.

Isabella made to move away when he bent down but he gripped her hand tightly. The burning feeling of three coins carved into her forearm. She cried out from the pain and fought the grip he held her in. Demon Lord Mammon did not budge and let the sound of her cries satisfy the hunger he had inside. Once the marks were fully embedded into her skin he released her.

“Now your soul and deal are set.” He chuckled looking forward to the greediness Isabella would make happen now that he had marked her. The inner desires she held would come to pass that had her make this deal. Little did she know that once her friend remembered who she was that he intended to collect her soul.

Isabella tried to catch her breath but it was hard to steady her heart rate. Darkness was edging her vision as she stared up at the demons before her. The coldness helped ease the burning she felt from her arm as she slumped down to the ground completely. Her body was convulsing from whatever the demon had infused his mark with. The last thing she remembered before the darkness took over was the demon inside of Cassandra saying, “Of course Lord Mammon.”