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Hello fellow Steemians, I wanted to share with you a story project I started in high school for my creative writing class. It's always been a neat idea to me. It was inspired by the book and mini series Affinity by Sarah Waters. She is absolutely my most favorite author. I don't think I'm going to update this one at least for a long while, but I wanted to share what I had with the world instead of keeping my old stories hidden.
Prologue: 19th Century, England
“You can’t go!” Amy cried out, clinging onto the girl next to her. Her dark dress began to be soaked by her unstoppable tears that washed down her face. Cassandra held her tight, as they lay under the single tree in the courtyard.
“Amy…” Cassandra held her voice barely above a whisper making sure that no sign of weakness was there for her love to see, “Amelia, my love…please calm down.”
“Calm down? Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down?” her voice shook and grew louder, “We’ve been through so much, yet you’re still being pulled from me. Why? I thought it was over…I thought…” She choked on her tears as she buried her face into Cassandra’s chest. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t raise my voice.”
She lifted Amy’s face and stared at her eyes, “You have the most beautiful eyes,” she said as she wiped the flowing blackness. She forced out a smile and whispered her name, looking up.
In a mere second they were kissing. As if she would blow away from the smallest wind, Cassandra held her tight, running her hands through the long, silky black hair she adored so much.
How can I bare to tell her? Cassandra had been running this one question through her head for days and nights, yet no answer was there. She knew it would break her heart; she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it, but it had to be done.
Their lips moved away and Amy’s fears had almost gone until she spoke again. “It will never be over,” Cassandra whispered emotionlessly. Amy hoped that the next words to come were what she wanted, but her wishes were not in the favor of the stars.”It will never be over, at least not in this lifetime. They’ll keep tearing us apart again and again if something is not done.” The dreams she once shared with her began to fade and burn like scorching film strips in ablaze.
There has to be way around this!
And as if she read Amy’s mind Cassandra spoke once again; “There is only one way out,” she bit her lip and looked away.
“Cassie…”
“We mustn’t see each other again.”
Those words stabbed her heart, ripped Amy’s voice from her throat, and she immediately grew dizzy. There was no life without Cassandra, nothing at all.
“No…no, no, no, no!” Amy’s voice grew loud once again, “I can’t do that! You won’t leave me; I know you won’t…because you love me…”
“I’ll always love you, but our time is not here.”
She stood to her feet, keeping her weight balanced to seem calm and tried not to notice the flowing river that washed over Amy’s dress.
“Don’t leave me,” she cried out, “What will I do without you?”
“I have no other choice, but to go,” as she spoke, she traced her finger around a symbol that was marked onto the tree, “They won’t allow me to stay. You’ll find out what to do.” With those words spoken, she turned her back on the only light that made her heart warm and walked away, leaving that light stranded with nowhere to turn.
Amy spent hours upon hours crying her eyes out. She locked herself in her room refusing to speak to anyone, including her parents, and even refused to eat for days, thinking that somehow it would bring Cassandra back.
Her mother finally forced her to at least come down and sit at the dinner table. They had no idea what troubled their poor daughter, but hoped that in time she would come out and spill. Amy stared down at her food and felt her stomach turn at the sight of it. She excused herself from the table, feeling nauseous from the sight of food. Her mother tried to stop her, but her father grabbed her arm.
“Let her be,” he grunted, “she’ll come around sooner or later.”
Amelia didn’t stop running until she came to the edge of the main town bridge. Tears washed over her already pale face, her hands gripping the rock of the bridge.
Where did you go? Why? Why did you leave me my love? I thought what we had was beyond life and death, yet you leave me. You know I can’t live without you. You’re touch is what I need and without that I am nothing. My sanity has vanished dry and my hope of finding you somehow is over.
Her thoughts kept running frantically until every thread that once held her together snapped. She couldn’t, couldn’t at all, bear the thought of Cassandra not there anymore. Soon, Amy found herself on the other side of the bridge, holding onto the bricks, looking down at the icy, dark water. “In another life…” she whispered, then closed her eyes and let go.
Chapter One
I sat back into her chair, sipping on my cappuccino, reading a book. I came here when I could to take time to relax. I preferred this small coffee shop instead of mainstream people infested places where you could find at least 5 people on their laptops sucking the life out of the wifi; at least two of those would be “writing” a novel.
I pushed a strand of hair that fell in front of my hair to the side and sunk my mind deeper into the story. I was trying to distract her from my mind; from something I tried running from always... It followed me into this life. I laid my book onto the coffee table and threw my head back, closing my eyes. With that I let the memories flood me:
I ran like no other when I heard of the death of a young girl, only a week after I had left London. I remembered the sweat rolling down my cheeks, hoping, hoping with all her might that it wasn’t what I had thought. I jumped off the train and made my way to Amelia’s house where her parents resided. It took me all of my strength to lift my hand and knock on the door. The door slowly crept open and a woman of middle age stood there, paler than ever, deep dark circles hung about her eyes showing that she had been crying. “Cassie…” I remembered Amy’s mother crying out. I felt my face flood with tears that I had held back for so long. What I had feared was right.
Amy’s body was found by a fisherman and brought to the police to later be identified. Amelia’s parents cried out in deep sorrow for their loss. They still had no idea what had caused her daughter to go insane. I bit my lip, restraining from telling them that I loved Amy more than they knew; that I was the cause for her insanity.
After the confrontation with them I fled out of London, not able to swallow the weight of Amy’s dead presence lingering. I cursed the shadows that condemned my sorrow. They were the reason she was dead, not me.
Ding! I opened my eyes, watching a few people enter the doorway. I gathered my books and finished my coffee then stood to my feet, making my way out of the coffee shop. The streets were crowded with cars, carriages, and people; a typical day for Erasburg. All the sorts could be found here; it was a strange city.
“Step right up!” yelled a man on the corner, “and hear your amazing future. Visit our Lady Ameshia for only five gold!” A middle aged lady with streaks of gray hair stepped up to the man with a handful of bills. I sighed as I passed him, not even glancing their way. It was gibberish.
No one held the answers to the future, only you could make them. It was the forces in your path that you had to watch; they foremost you could not predict. The future was changing with every thought and action you made. I guess it was the wonder that made you curious, but you know what they say: curiosity killed the cat. “And what about you miss?” he asked my way.
I glanced over my shoulder and muttered, “Not your Fool today.” He asked me that every day with no luck and rolled my eyes every time. He could try tugging on the hearts of another lost soul but my curiosity would never take the bate. With that I sped to a faster pace, wanting nothing more than to be out of society.
I walked into the house and greeted the landlady. She smiled at me kindly as I made way for my room. The place overall was small, as were the rooms, but I didn’t need much. I kept to myself and was quiet as a mouse when I came and went. My stay here was coming to an end and I soon would be moving. It wasn’t that I didn’t like this place, but I tended not to stray in one place for too long. It was just my nature.
I entered my room, placing my book onto the shelf and lay across the bed. It was a comfort to not hear screams and wailing inside my head for once. It was a comfort not to hear that shadowy voice whispering into my ear. He hadn’t disturbed me in a day or so and I wondered if I had been somehow released from this curse. Even if I was, the memories from the past flooded me and sometimes brought tears to my eyes.
I came from a screwed up family; it was my aunt whom took care of me after my parents had died in a car wreck. Life became no better either. My aunt smoked like a freak train and drunk herself silly. Her husband would come home late, banging around things, drunk most nights a week. Their screaming and scratching at each other throats left me jaded and bitter. In addition to that I thought I was going insane and no one would listen to me let alone believe my fanciful tales. Besides, who would want to admit they had a voice talking to them in their head? It wasn’t till I had become older, that I realized it wasn’t an imaginary friend. He told me the tales in my mind weren’t fantasy, yet he refused to tell me who he was.
I think I had carried my past life into the next and they would come to me as vivid dreams. I didn’t understand them and was hardly closer to the truth now. I went from place to place still searching for a role in this world, feeling void of a purpose. The voice I spoke of was a voice I still hadn’t identified with. He was like a dark spirit who hung around me in my darkest times or even my brightest to make them dreary. His origin I did not know, but I had in time come to the conclusion that he was the reason for my curse.
Sometimes when I tried to remember things from my other life, they were blurry and I didn’t comprehend them. Why did I speak of a force keeping me from this girl? Who was she? I could never see her face; it was always blurred in my visions. Why had she cried and why had I shed tears for her? Did the spirit hold me from her and if he did then why? There were so many unanswered questions that needed to be enlightened. I was basically walking a life that I knew nothing about. I knew nothing about myself. I was indeed walking blindly in a life and knew no one or nowhere to turn.
“Your pondering hurts me,” I jumped at the dark voice. It was he again.
“How?” I whispered.
“You know I can sense your thoughts and feelings. Stop pondering on the past my dear.” His voice always sent chills down my spine.
“Get out…”I grumbled my face into a pillow, “Get out; get out! Get out!” I felt a small caress against my cheek: chilling, cold, and haunting. Tears began to sting my eyes once again and I sobbed into the pillow.
He tsked at me and I looked at where I might think he would be only to remind myself he wasn’t actually there.
“Why do you taunt me?”
“Why don’t you accept me?”
At his response I screamed into the pillow. You’re not real, I thought, you’re not here! This is all a dream; an illusion!
“Stop with your misleading thoughts!” he yelled inside my head. His voice always frightened me when he picked up aggravation. He couldn’t read my thoughts exact, but he could pick up bits and parts.
“I’m sorry…” I sighed, collecting myself, “I’m sorry, Atrumus, my Liege.”
I stood on the balcony, taking a quick inhale of my cigarette. I let out a long blow and watched the people walk across the sidewalk. I held out the nail coffin and stared at it for a mere second. When did I start smoking? I couldn’t even remember after everything. Sighing, I took another inhale and flicked it down onto the street.
“Can’t sleep, sweetheart,” came the voice inside my head.
I groaned; “What is it Atrumus?”
He always had me running around doing all of his dirty work. Just because he was a phantasm, didn’t mean he had nothing to do. This was also another reason why I could not stay in an area for too long. He never told me exactly what I was doing; just told me where to go and what to do.
At least there was always money in it. How? Where did it come from? I didn’t ask questions; I just abided. I learned at a young age to never doubt the loyal voice in my head. Atrumus would make my life manageable and spare me from life’s consequences as long as I did what was asked of me.
“Can I ever receive a break from you?”
“A break? But darling I left you for two days. Wasn’t that enough?”
“Yes, but I know you just kept quiet all that time. Perhaps you were trying to find a way into my mind completely.”
“That would seem a rather good idea, Cas, but honest, I was out running errands of my own.”
I laughed at his comment. “You? Doing things yourself? Oh, but Atrumus, that is so unlike you.” He didn’t reply. “May I be curious to ask, just what exactly you’ve been up to?”
“That is none of your concern!” he snapped fiercely. A wave of cold hit me and I silenced.
Even though he was the cause of my misery, he was still the reason I could maintain my life. As a child, he was a friend. He listened when I vented; didn’t bother to read my mind, but as time progressed I became closed. Now he ached to know my thoughts.
He had me go into town to do another round of what he called “collecting souls”. He lived off of spiritual energy. I could starve him, but then consequently I would starve myself. If his energies were weak, so were mine.
“Turn the corner here,” he whispered into my ear. I did so and walked further down until I came across a girl in an alleyway. She jumped at the fright of me and gave an embarrassed smile.
“I’m meeting someone here,” she said quietly, but nervous. Her eyes were dark and drooped and her clothes were dirty and ragged. I nodded and turned my back as if I would walk away.
“This is the soul you want?” I whispered too low for the girl to here.
“Yes, it’s just enough for me to do as I wish. I’ll be leaving for a bit after I get enough energy.”
“You plan to release me?” I felt my soul leap.
“Don’t be silly! I won’t be in human form; it will just give me enough energy to go off into the other planes to do work.”
“Work you forbid to tell me,” I muttered.
“As I have said, none of this is your concern, dear.”
I turned back around to the girl and she gave a slight confused look. I looked down on the ground, finding a bottle of alcohol. Atrumus has chosen a fine one, I thought sarcastically, yet bitter. I hated doing what I did.
“You’re meeting has been cancelled,” I spoke, stepping closer. She fretted and stumbled back to the corner. What a sight it must have been in her eyes to have a woman trapping her in the corner instead of a man.
I unsheathed a knife on my side and drew it out. Intricate designs swirled around the curved blade. The athame was dark and ancient and meant the world to me, in a very strange way. I looked at her as she quivered and whispered, “Stay quiet and this won’t hurt much. Don’t make my job harder than it has to be.”
“J-job?” she cried. I hushed her and pinned her against the wall. There was only one way I knew of to obtain a person’s soul. Taking her hand, I slid the blade onto her palm and watched as the blood began to trickle down her fingers.
“Please…” she begged, “get off me!” Her voice became louder and I stapled my hand to her mouth.
Almost done, I looked at her, covered in ancient markings, and then back to my blade. It was splattered with specks of blood. She whimpered and squirmed beneath my grip, but I managed to keep her quiet. I closed my eyes and started whispering soft, dark words. This was the tongue of the otherworld, in which Atrumus had taught me.
I felt her teeth dig down into my hand and I gritted my teeth. My athame quivered within my hand and what I did next was the worst part of the job. I plunged it forward into her chest and heard her scream, but for only a few seconds as time distorted and slowed.
All around us faded to black and the girl’s body went limp, falling on the ground, but before me was her soul. It was a shadowy reflection of her human form.
“Where-” she stuttered, “where…am I?”
“Welcome to the shadow world, princess,” Atrumus’s dark voice enlightened her, “I can smell your fear, child.”
As they proceeded, I stood firmly, not looking at either of them. I was forbidden to ever glance upon his face. I took a deep breath and focused, soon finding myself in the physical world, staring down at the body.
“I hope you’ve had your fun,” I murmured inside my mind to him. He chuckled and caressed my cheek softly. The hair on my neck stood straight up again and I shivered.
I soon found myself alone and I knew it for sure this time. He had gone wherever his heart desired. Taking this opportunity, I ran to the library and began my research. What was Atrumus anyway? I knew he was a wraith, phantasm or ghost, but I still never understood any of it. My memories were getting way out of hand and Atrumus’ ways were becoming more and more mischievous and demanding.
An entire shelf of books was designated to the spiritual world. I grabbed as many as I could carry and went to check them out. The lady behind the glassed peered up at me through her glasses. “No more than two books permitted to leave the vicinity,” she said, her voice quiet bitter.
“Oh,” I sighed softly, “well then. I’ll take these two.” I placed them both upon the counter and the rest of them on return cart. She must’ve hated putting those books up each and every day. She signed them out then pushed them to me.
“Don’t be late.” She meant returning the books.
I made my way out of the library and into the small coffee shop. A lady at the counter looked towards the door and smiled. I placed my order for my coffee and sat down in the back with my books. I started flipping through the book pages when a young woman came forward with my coffee. I had never seen her before. Her skin was as fine as soft snow and her dark, walnut hair fell down her shoulders.
I thanked her kindly then saw she was staring at something. “Phantasms…what an interesting read,” she said this almost below a whisper.
“It seemed interesting.”
“I see,” she replied then slowly started turning away.
“I haven’t seen you before,” I caught her right in step, “You new here?”
“Why yes I am,” she smiled.
I held out my hand to her, “My name’s Cassandra.” I saw her face flush with a bit of pink.
“Amelia,” she answered and took shook my hand, “Nice to meet you.” She looked shyly back at the counter. “I uh gotta’ get back to work.”
I watched her skitter off then found myself sinking into the pages of my book. Though the words on the page seemed interesting, what was more intriguing was that girl, Amelia.
I'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts below! Stick around for more projects of mine. I have a big project I'm also reviving from high school! Here's a sneakpeak hint: It's called Bloodlust Crimson and it involves Witches and Vampires in the modern city!