Page 13 of Possession

“I’m sure you two have a lot of questions, but they’ll have to wait,” Cera says, bringing our conversation to a halt. She nods at the barrier. “You need to come with me now.”

“I don’t want to go,” I say quickly, wrapping my arms around my stomach.

Mary.

Aris, we need to stay here!

I hear some noise at the top of the basement stairs—someone rattling the doorknob, and my eyes go to the clock. It’s time for the shift change.

The woman finally loses her cocky grin. “We don’t have time for this,” she says and grabs my arm, hard.

“You’re hurting me!” I cry as she starts to pull me away, and Aris recoils in anger.

She shouldn’t be touching you, he hisses.

My response dies, pain forgotten, when I see what she’s bringing us towards: the energy field.

“No, please!” I scream and push against the floor with the heels of my feet. I’ve gone up against it before, and the field takes days to recover from—days of twitches and aches.

Aris said that our goals align, but I’ve no idea how electrocuting me is anywhere close to what I want.

For all my struggles, Cera keeps walking, grip tightening with each of my cries. I’ll have bruises tomorrow—if I make it to tomorrow.

“Let go!” I scream. My frustration and panic bleed into Aris’ brutal rage, and I let out a sudden, animalistic sound that does not sound like me.

My heart stutters at the noise, almost stops. It takes a second for either of us to realize what just happened—Aris took control of my mouth. I didn’t give it to him.

There isn’t time to dissect the realization, because the barrier is right there, and I shut my eyes and brace for pain.

Pain that doesn’t come.

There is no electric pulse, no trembling or vomiting.

Shock almost knocks me aside, Cera’s hand the only thing keeping me standing. Slowly, I open my eyes one at a time, anxious and confused, only to find myself on the other side of the energy field, standing just under the clock.

We’re… out.

I look back at our room, staring at my bed and our books, and I make a sudden and desperate attempt to go back, throwing myself away from Cera, but she isn’t having it. She flips me onto my back with a move like something from an action movie, putting a boot to my throat.

It’s a struggle to swallow; it’s a struggle to breathe and nod when she grits out, “Are you going to behave?”

As she pulls me up again, my limbs go loose, and I think I might be fainting when I suddenly catch myself against the wall… though it isn’t me moving my arms. It isn’t me whose fingers are on the concrete, and it isn’t me moving my head to give Cera a glare so vicious I wouldn’t have thought my face could contort like that.

My hand shoots to her grip on my arm, prying Cera away. “Don’t. Touch. Her.” The words come out of my mouth, but they are not my own and this is not my voice.

Cera’s eyes go wide, but she says nothing as she looks at me. She’s so surprised I doubt can say anything.

I feel Aris inside of me; I feel his displeasure. My hold on her hand tightens until her bones begin to crack and she gasps. Still, I don’t release her. Her knees buckle and she lashes out with a weapon, but my free hand catches it, the blade shattering against my skin. My hand goes to her arm and twists it at an unnatural angle, until it just snaps.

“I won’t touch her!” Cera screams.

I keep her in the position for a moment longer before slowly releasing my hold. My hands go back to my sides; my face relaxes.

Aris?

As soon as I say his name, my body seems to return to me. I move my leg, and it’s me moving it. Aris settles back in my chest, content but alert, watching Cera out of our shared vision.

How did you do that? I ask as Cera begins to haphazardly draw runes on the ground with one hand. She’s working a circular pattern, minding the guard’s body and keeping the blood away from her chalk. Sporadically, she glances up at me and then at the basement door, which is now being banged against by several people. There are voices shouting, but I can’t make out any of them; my astonishment has muted the world around me.

---