THE JOURNEY OF SHEIRA HART

45 | I Am Not Too Fond of Sacrifices

I never knew how being tainted works before. I never knew until Mikhael told me one day. Until we encountered Monica. It was indeed possible for a ghost to become a tainted one. I never thought of how exactly they became one. I never thought of how they felt before they became one. 

See, if a ghost hurts a living person, it gives them a bad record. Thus, making them tainted souls. As the ghost starts being a tainted one, that ghost will lose control of his or herself. It’s not up for the Grim Reapers to decide who’s going to be considered or not. There are no considerations. You hurt a living person to the point of their almost death, you are already considered a tainted one. 

Mars was looking at the old man a few meters away now. His head lolled to the side and despite the dim light, I could see the blood trickling down his temple and dripping to his shirt. His eyes were closed and his arms looked lifeless beside him. I looked at Mars. 

“Are you okay?” I asked but he didn’t say anything. 

“He can’t hear you. He can feel your presence but he can’t hear you,” Mikhael said. He was looking at us now. My lips quivered but I couldn’t cry. And with the fact that I hurt a living person, I couldn’t bring myself to focus. 

“Marcial, what are you doing out here? What’s with all those noises?” 

We all looked at the door where my mother stood. She has his cardigan on and she was wrapping it to herself because of the cold. Mars couldn’t say anything and was still staring at the bloody man in front of him. My mother looked at what my brother was staring at and she gasped. 

“Oh my lord!” she exclaimed and went back to the house to call the ambulance. She had her phone in her hand as she got out of the house and helped Mars to get up. “Yes, I have to report an incident. There is a bloody man in front of my house—yes, a bloody man. He’s got blood on his face and he looked…he looked bad.” She looked at Marcial and cupped my brother’s face. “Are you OK?” she asked and checked my brother is he had any injuries. Mars was still not saying anything and just stared at the man whom I just sent flying away. 

“Yes, please hurry up. I don’t want to get near the body. I don’t know this man. There have been reports about an ex-convict on the loose and we can’t risk getting to the body…” My mother pulled Mars inside the house while her eyes roamed around. “My address is—“ 

We didn’t get to hear the rest of the conversation when my mother closed the door. 

“It’s OK,” Mikhael said. His voice was calm. Or he was making it sound calm. Maybe he sensed my nervousness. I looked at him. 

“It is not OK, Mikhael. I hurt him!” 

And when I blurted it out loud, it felt so real that panic started to build inside of me. I hurt a living person. Am I a tainted soul now? 

I frustratedly ran my hands through my hair. I wasn’t able to control myself. I don’t know how I got the strength to make that old man fly across the street when Mikhael wasn’t even able to do it. I don’t know how I managed to be that strong. 

Was it because he was hurting my little brother? Was that what triggered me?

I couldn’t think straight. Or rather, my mind was thinking about a lot of things that I couldn’t focus. It was when Mikhael grabbed both my shoulders and made me face him. His eyes stared back at mine. His face was serious. An expression I rarely get to see.

“You will be fine,” he said. “You will be fine,” he repeated. 

“But—“ He put his finger on my lips and shook his head. 

“You’re fine. This will be OK. Do you trust me?” he asked and I wasn’t sure what the question was all about to I couldn’t respond. 

He repeated, “Sheira, do you trust me?” 

I swallowed hard and was about to look at the bloody man but he blocked my view. “Do you trust me?” he asked again and closed my eyes firmly before I nodded. I clamped my lips to stop the tears from threatening to fall. Not only because I was scared but because I realized how heavy it was and having Mikhael say those things to me made me feel like I wasn’t alone and he’s there. He kept repeating I was fine and to trust him and I decided I should. 

“Good,” he said and squeezed my shoulders before he turned his back on me. But after a few steps, he stopped. I looked at him and he didn’t look back. But he said, “This will be quick.” He walked towards where the bloody man is and crouched down in front of it. He looked like he was checking the man but then later on I found out, he was trying to heal the man’s wounds. 

“di Angelo, what are you doing?” I asked. He didn’t answer and continued what he was doing. And I remembered what he said earlier. To trust him. So I waited for him to say anything. 

He remained crouching and had his hand on the side of the man’s face. I watched, panic still remained inside of me. It was when the light came out of his hand that I gasped. Mikhael removed his hand but the light remained on the old man’s face. I don’t know if mortals could see it but I could only hope not.

From a distance, I could hear the sirens wailing. The ambulance is coming. And Mikhael knew it too. He looked at me before he said, “I will be back.” He faced me and I furrowed my brows. 

“What? What do you mean you will be back?”  

He didn’t say anything but light started to emerge from him.

“Hey, Mikhael!” I called but he didn’t say anything. I started walking fast until I was finally running towards him, still calling his name. “Mikhael di Angelo!” I called, running towards him. But I couldn’t see his face. It was covered with light. Even the old man’s body was the same. Where are they going? Where is he going? Is he going to leave me here? 

“Are you going to leave me here? Answer me, Mikhael!” I yelled at this point. But he didn’t say anything. I ran fast and when I was about to reach him, I extended my hand for as long as I could and tried to reach him but I just dived right into the bins and through the pavement behind it. 

I groaned and stood up only to find Mikhael and the old man gone from their spot. 

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