Living for the Dead

How? I should be hurt, shouldn't I? My sister has betrayed me, I've been bombarded with unimaginable grief from a curse I have no idea how to undo, so why am I more concerned with a single last wish? To live for the dead? Was it the guilt that powered it? was this really what she wanted as her last wish, or was it a lie too?

"Back from the party already?" I hear Zela's voice mocking me already, first thing, walking through the door. And I can't handle it after all the truth I just learned about her!

"Why are you here?" I ask her as she laughs, while my temper rises.

"I wanted to spend some quality time with my sister" She lies through her teeth as I resist the urge to punch her in the face.

"Really" I say. "Because I just had a nice talk with mom's attorney" I tell her as suddenly she stands from the kitchen chair in silence, fixing her skirt.

"Really?" She starts with as I roll my eyes. "What did she say?" She ask me as I take a flower arrangement from the many piled on the counter and start angrily trimming the ends.

"You should have really been there" I say, angrily cutting the vines. "Other than it being your own mother's funeral" I remark.

"I did-" She tries to explain herself as I don't even give her the time of day.

"But you had the time to meet with mom's attorney and secure your money for babysitting me?" I question her actions as her mouth drops. "Real shitty move Zela" I tell her as I gather the flowers, placing them in a vase.

"No!" She fights back with as I laugh. "I have been everything short of mom for you" She lets those words grace her lips as I grab the vase and hurdle them at the wall behind her.

"You haven't" I explain to her, clearly and concise. "YOU AREN'T A DAMN THING LIKE MOM!" I yell like a psychopath through the house. "All you have done since you've been here is parade me around as a home wrecking bastard and exploit me for money behind my back.

"Your right Francesca" She admits to me. "I'm nothing like mom" She says as I wait. "I would never have an affair behind the back of my husband and my child! And I would never break up a perfectly good family for a home wrecking child like you!" She finally airs out how she truly feels about me.

"Get out" I tell her as she cackles, taking my response as some poor joke. "I said" repeating myself, "GET OUT" I yell as she smashes a plate on the floor and walks out the front door.

In that moment I don't know what I had done. Looking at the ceramic remains of the plate on the floor, mixed with the light crystal shatters from the vase and the flowers scattered around the floor. I couldn't help but feel that overwhelming feeling of loneliness. Maybe it was better to be betrayed and still have somebody than lonely at all. But also maybe it was me.

Through the sheer curtains in the dining room, the sunshine parts as I can't help but hurt at its warmth. It has been a week, it will never really stop hurting. But life goes on right? Even though my spilt, pained heart bleeds, the world keeps turning. As I sit down of the floor of the shattered pieces and slowly start picking them up. Their slashes against my hands, and blood slowly emerging from the cuts and I blandly ignore them as I barely feel a thing.

And suddenly, like a burst of fate, the doorbell rings. As I stand up from the floor, emptying the contents of my hand in the trash can and slowly walking to the door as I stand up straight, reminding myself to hide it all.

"Hello?" I ask the person as I open the door. Opening the door to see a single white envelope on the doorstep as I sighed. On the envelope, written, was one single word, welcome. The word was a invite, and it did tempt me as I picked it up off the step, closing the door and walked it into the kitchen. Sitting it on the table as I sat down beside it, startled by it's presence. Why was this here? This was no get well soon, or I'm sorry for your loss, so what was it?

I rip open the seal and take the cream piece of paper into my hands and start to read the cursive letters.

Dearest Francesca Sanchez,

You have been invited to Mayor Knights party, celebrating the health of Nathaniel Knight. The dress code is formal, dresses and suits only!

The note read as I gasped at the notes contents. The shady mayor had invited me to his party? Why? My mother always told me that the man that ran this town was a rat, only out for himself. Rumor had it that he killed his wife, almost finishing the job on his son. But as soon as I read Nathaniel's name, I actually thought about it. Did he remember me? Or was it all in my head?

"It's not in your head" I hear from behind me as I swing around in the chair to see the old woman from before. "And you know that" She reassures me as I sigh, I knew deep down she was right.

"Why are you here?" I ask her as she smiles at me, her smile bringing me to stand up from the kitchen chair.

"I told you Francesca" She starts as I try to put as much space between us as I can. "You need to break the curse before you are held for all eternity to watch the curse devour others." She finally explains as I don't see her a threat anymore, just a unlucky messenger.

"What happened to you?" I ask her as her eyes darken, as the deep ocean. Hiding danger and secrets unknown to man.

"I am Thealen Evans" she announces her name as it suddenly rings a bell.

"And I am you in the future if you don't break this curse" She tells me as I'm still in awe of her true identity.

"You are Thealen Evans?" I ask her as she just nods her head to me as I take a deep breath. "You and Patrick Morris were the two high school kids that went missing in the 70's" I explain as she nods.

"And I know better than anyone what this curse can really do" She says as she grabs my hand. "Now listen to me Francesca" She tells me, "That is if you want to get out of this alive" She warns.