Beasts Of Blackcastle

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Two: An Alignment of fates which all have a different ending but came to be about by the same forces

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The princess dreaded a fine line into uncharted territory and once she decided to stop, she found that her mind and her body wanted different things. She wanted to leave this darkness and finally fade to nothingness, to insignificance in the light; but the darkness refused to leave her alone. In the distance cried the very ones she was told to watch out for and they felt to be everywhere; they could not find her, she did not want to look the monsters in the eyes and smile at them. The creature had told her that the only way was to accept her fate but fate with monsters was not an unacceptable fate at all.

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The bloodcurdling scene that had adhered itself to her thoughts ever since she had witnessed it as a child had manifested itself into grueling nightmares that spun in her head like a broken record,iterating the same taunting episode.

"Save us Karmin, save us, it's them , don't let them kill us.

"Two familiar, distressed voices would capture her notice as she tottered through a dusky forest seeing nothing but clumps of woods and trees.

"Hurry Karmin, they are coming,hurry....." The voices would frantically yell but still she could not spot where they were coming from and would just exhaust himself rummaging through the dense, prickly woods, until silence would fill the air and Karmin would feel predatory eyes creeping on him and something with disturbing features would pounce on him as she would obvert to face behind him.

As always Karmin awoke with a suffocated sigh, her pyjamas soaked with sweat,shuddering and panting heavily. Having the same nightmare almost every night for seven years did not make it any less petrifying, in fact the more it haunted him,the more paranoid she became.

As of routine Karmin dashed to the window to survey the quite exurb neighborhood, nothing! just buildings and bulbs illuminating the empty street,no monster of any kind. After searching through closets and wardrobes whom she thought the monster could hide in she sat on her bed,stared at she ceiling as though it would give him answers.He was tired of always being deprived of a good night's rest, what she had to do to nullify the nightmares was obscure to him,if only there were not so vivid!

it would have been better if she forgot them but she couldn't; everytime she would think of letting her eyelids droop shut, traces of her nightmares would run through her mind, "Save us Karmin, save us..."

"I'm trying okay, I really am, I am going to save you ,I swear ! Just please stop staring at me like that, it's daunting." Karmin let out an accerbated yell,glaring at her wooden door with her eyes brimming with tears'Why are they staring at me like that,i don't like that look of disappointment in their eyes,why can't they see I am trying .'Karmin thought to himself her glare never leaving the white painted, polished piece of wood and she began sobbing.

"We are sorry our sweet girl, stop crying please. Smile, princess, just smile and embrace your destiny." A soothing voice crept closer to her, soft and delicate, pure of sin."So you’re not disappointed at me? What do you mean? I don't understand." Karmin asked between sobs.

"Of course not my brave flower, we know you are trying your best, to me you’re the epitome of what the world's greatest princess would be. You just have to look your destiny in the eyes and smile at it, no matter how frightening it appears to be. It can only be you, Karmin, only you."

"You mean it? You mean I am that important? Everyone hates me." She wiped off the last remaining salty drops of tears from her cheeks and her mouth widened to a smile.

"Yes, I absolutely mean it, you are far more important and far more special than you can ever imagine. You only need to make a sacrifice and you will fulfill your destiny but, sweetheart, that'll be all in due time. Now go to sleep, tomorrow an adventure awaits you,with concealed clues that could lead you to abound fortune and most importantly it'll bring you closer to your destiny and closer to the heavens." The soft feminine voice pacified Karmin, erased all thoughts of humid, clustered habitats where monsters lured.

"Good night, Pappy, good night nana." Her grandparents were on her side at least even though her own mother resented her and wanted to keep a distance from her. Her heavy eyes closed shut and she succumbed to sleep.

The shrill sound of the alarm awoke her from sleep, it was 06:30 ,time to get ready for school. Also known as humiliation land and hell.

Reluctantly she dragged her feet to the shower. Not taking into account what had recently happened and her encounter with the Black Forest Witch, Karmin hated school, high school especially.

It wasn't easy being an outcast at Ducunville High; with all the educable jocks degrading you while they knew that behind those bulging muscles, extravagant, sculpted wheels, captivating facial features and the jackets embroided with blue and red stripes and a golden patch with the school's football team initials sewn onto it retired an insecure moron with a pea-sized brain, only yet to discover if their birthing into their world wasn't a mistake. Besides the jocks and their equivalents; the dramaqueens beauty queens who were as shallow as a tried out puddle; Karmin hated the pretentious life everyone led, all with misconception of what life is all about which is not thousands of likes on Fancy, millions of followers on HiGlam, popularity attained by shaming the less fortunate, good attendance records at obstreperous parties, wearing skimpy clothes and tons of make-up like they've perceived.

Karmin perceived life as a stage for beings to execute their purpose, bring significant alterations to the putrefying earth! Yes, putrefying, as she saw it; grisly murders, uncensored crime, escalating corruption, societies where taboos were normalcy, imperishable thirst for perfection ignited by the demeaning, discerning judgements from a society composed of beings with a vexatious nature. The world as we know it was headed for doom. Karmin knew her purpose, to obliterate all the world's monsters, those who exist only to cause harm, to rescue the only two people she loved most in the world. But how was she to do that when everyone around her thought that she was insane and a danger to them

Karmin caught the piercing stare of her mother Nicole as she descended the flight of stairs to the well equipped kitchen,a kitchen counter with a coated surface at the center of oak fitting cupboards in alignment,two parallel large oven at the corners and a huge sink with tivoli taps that went to waste in her mother's idle hands.

"Morning mom." This was very awkward, was she now going to pretend that yesterday never happened?

"Morning Karmin,pour yourself some oatmeal or cereal, so we should get going, we are going to be late."

Karmin tacitly compiled afraid of what might happen if she eat any slower or defied her order in some way. Her mother must have been the most controlling person she would ever come across, a perfectionist too. Hence she was the biggest embarrassment to ever exist to her. Her mother spent hours scrambling through her closet for the perfect outfit, paying attention to the minimest of details and she wanted her to take after her.

"I'm grooming you," she would say,"to be the perfect woman,worthy of the prestigious Abridge name.

And by 'groom' her she meant assessing her interests and replacing them with 'better' alternatives, she was forbidden from playing soccer, taking up art classes,skateboarding like her peers who seemed to have taken quite an interest in the spot. By 'forbid' it wasn't exactly don't do this, it came more like "Art classes are for those looking to dawdle don't you think?" or "I have never heard skateboarding and business in one sentence nor have I heard of an acclaimed businessman who skates."or "I don't think any custom made english cut silhouette jacket and suit pants would suit you in a wheelchair which you're likely to find yourself bound to if you engage in these risky sports."

She was rather propelled into the world of event hosting, volunteering in charity -based organisations, interacting with socialites and their offsprings, playing chess for a hobby or writing speeches for upcoming events, things she absolutely hated, things she had to endure because of some murderers.

●|●|○ ♤•♤ DUCUNVILLE HIGH ●|●

Karmin walked in through the giant glass doors and already wondered when the dreadful day was to end, she wanted to go home, not to Nicole and her ridiculing demands,but home the place that invigorated her , molded her to a righteous being but unfortunately the place she longed for remained vacant,and deteriorated, probably a delicacy for birds or other animals, after the accident.

Time seemed to have been moving at a slugish tempo as the Biochemics teacher stretched the topic of co-ordination, from reflexes ,to sensetory response, to hormones. "grrrhhhhhh"

The sound of the bell evoked excitement in a class of sleepy teenagers who had been thinking of nothing but the gratifying moment the clicking sound of the electric bell would penetrate through the awful quietness and silence Mrs Emily Decker.

"Okay class, tomorrow we will be conducting a very exciting experiment,which will give you more enclaircissement on how systemetic organs correspond with each other to carry out body functions, their adaptations and so forth, its compulsory, and I expect full attendance, is that clear class?"

"Yes Mrs Decker."The addressees answered in chorus.

At least that voice and the woman behind it remained quiet through this class. All she had to do was to keep it up.

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"Hi Karmin ,over here."A hand waved at him, it belonged to Chelsea, her girlfriend whom she met through an acquaintance. Chelsea was an ecstatic human being, genuine and did'nt potray the "i am a rich girl and I can do and have whatever I want" persona like most other wealthy kids did which allured interest in Karmin.

"Hi babe."Jay embraced her in a hug.

"I was thinking we should out, have some doughnuts or something."

"Yeah ,that sounds nice but don't trick me into eating the triple frosted one again,i almost lost a tooth because of it not to mention my intestines." she joked

"You're such a baby!"Chelsea laughed

"Yeah, yeah ,yeah let's go."

●•|○●| Pastry Delights ♤○♤●|●

"Well it seems like it's full inside so we are gonna have to sit outside."Chelsea handed Karmin a small white box and a bottle of apple juice.

"Really now,I don't like sitting outside especially because the place is so adjacent to the buzzing,hooting cars on the congested road." Karmin grumbled. Chelsea gave her the stop talking like a posh psycho look and sighed lightly.

"Come on it's not that bad plus, it's shady ,a bonus from walking in the sultry sun to get to the park."Chelsea gestured her to a sit after teasing her with her selection of words.

"So what do you think the 'mystery ' experiment Mrs Decker was so frantic about is?" Chelsea asked in between chews, she adored Karmin, her drive,ambition, her acuity in spotting potential success and threats but what she found most intriguing was her runic character.

"I can't say but I know it's not going to be 'exciting as........"Karmin abruptly turned and eyed every corner of the street as though she were carrying out some illict deeds and wanted to make sure there were no prying eyes.

She was a weirdo though…not in a bad way.

"As I was saying," Chelsea snapped her fingers at her face to regain her attention, "Georgia and George's birhtdays are coming up and I was thinking we shou............"

"What is that noise?" Karmin interupted, fidgeting on her sit.

"What?"

"I know it's her- I mean them, I can hear her- hear the buzzing." Shele appended with a terrified look in her eyes.

"They're just flies hovering over a dustbin."Chelsea pointed to the a metallic can filled with heaps of gabbage inches from where they were seated.

"No , leave me alone, I'm not scared of you, do I look like a corpse?....come closer, I dare you!" Karmin spoke now on her feet ,her eyeballs bulging from their sockets,vigilant, like a woman waiting for advances from an invisible attacker.

"Who are you talking to? Karmin you're not being funny, you are beginning to scare me."Chelsea sounded deeply concerned, frightened by this display she had never seen Karmin potrary before. She had only heard about her episodes and she did not know what to do to control the situation.

"Let's go Chelsea , I don't want them to get to us."Karmin gripped on Chelsea's hand as she struggled, wondering what was going on.

"Let go of my hand! You're hurting me." Chelsea nearly yelled at her.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to, I just wanted to keep us safe."She liberated her hand from her grip and failed to comprehend the astounded look coating her face, had she not just saved her? Shouldn't she be exulting and showing gratitude?

"What is wrong with you Karmin? Do you think its right for you to man-handle me like that?" she blurted out in indignation.

"I can get that you are angry....."

"Yes i'm angry, you just dragged me off like some freaking paper bag, all because of some stupid flies,what is wrong with you?" Chelsea didn't understand, she just couldn't see what she saw and there was no way to make her understand. She could only keep her in the dark and protect her.

"I just really hate flies, okay. I know you don't understand it now, but you will thank me later, now i've got to go." she strutted off, leaving Chelsea with an ocean full of questions.

This was getting out of control. She was seriously losing grip of her sanity and she was going to seriously go insane if she did not solve this problem soon. What Chelsea saw as a bunch of flies; was actually three women dressed in cloaks that made them look like they belonged to a sinister cult or a powerful coven.

The women spoke to her, she never heard any buzzing, she only heard their wicked voices.

"Come to us, princess, your destiny awaits you." One of them kept chanting.

"What was will always be. You can't run, there is no where you can hide, they'll find you no matter where you go. You can't run, princess. Accept your destiny." The other chanted at the same time.

"If you do not obey you will die, do not upset the higher powers, princess."