Page 111 of Castle of the Cursed
“You killed our parents.” I sound like I’ve been shot because I can’t catch my breath.
“Once Bast gave me his blood to seal our pact, I knew I could pull off any spell I wanted,” says Antonela, not noticing that I’ve gone catatonic. “Yet the magic I need to cast to regenerate my blood after Bastian drains you requires something more. The ultimate sacrifice. What I wanted most of all—to meet my creators.”
“You killed them,” I say again, still unable to swallow the words. It’s a truth too horrible to stomach.
“After Bastian drains you,” she goes on, unaffected, “he will return to his realm, and I will be released into your body. Then the same spell that took our parents’ lifeblood will return it to me, and once I am alive again, I will take up my throne in la Sombra. I will feed the castle all the blood it desires, and we will grow in power until we control this entire planet. I will be the human bruja Brálaga prophesied. They are my true creator.”
Now I know I’ve strayed far from reality and deep into some twisted fantasy. The culprit I have been seeking, the murderer of my parents—of the Subway 25—is my twin sister. And she plans to destroy the whole world, starting with me.
Worst of all, her plan doesn’t seem that far out of reach. In fact, she’s nearly succeeded—except…
I’m still alive.
“Sebastián hasn’t killed me,” I say, finding the hitch in her plans.
“I cannot understand why, but Bast was enjoying playing human with you.”
“That’s because you’ve never felt love before,” I say, and as much as I want to hate her for what she’s done, I also want to help her heal from what she’s endured. “Neither had Sebastián, but if he’s capable of caring about me, so are you.” I move closer to her. “We’re twins, Antonela. We shared the same womb!”
Maybe it’s because she’s in shadow form, but I don’t see any emotion in her gaze when she looks at me. “Now that he remembers you are the key to his shackles, I doubt he will resist the temptation to end this game.”
“I’m not giving you my body, and Sebastián isn’t going to kill me. I’m going to help you find another way.”
“You really believe he feels for you?” she taunts me. “How did he react after regaining his memories? Did he renounce his previous life and pledge himself yours? Or did he pull away in anticipation of what he knows he must do?”
I try to think of something cutting to say. I want to come up with some way of hurting her, but all she’s ever known is suffering, so I doubt it would make a difference. I wish I could despise her, but all I feel is heartbreak.
“You are alone, Estela,” she says, picking up on my defeat. “If you want to be sisters, let me lift this burden off your shoulders. Let me take over.”
I wonder why I’m even bothering to resist. Isn’t Antonela the escape route I’ve been seeking? Isn’t Sebastián right that I’m ambivalent about life? Haven’t I come to Oscuro to deliver myself to the past?
At least now, I’ll be sacrificing myself for something that matters. I’ll be giving my sister a chance at life.
“You know I am right,” Antonela says to me. “Do you even have anything here worth fighting for?”
Everything she says feels plucked from the dark side of my mind. My aunt and uncle destroyed our family. My parents lied. My sister murdered them. And then, on her orders, my uncle killed Felipe.
Sebastián hid the truth and broke up with me. Now the last thing Antonela needs is my death, and her path to becoming ruler of the world is clear.
I have no way to stop her. I have no one left. I have nothing.
Except myself.
I have me.
I got myself through the past seven months. I survived the worst moment of my life. I lost my parents. I moved to a new country. I fell in love.
I solved the case of the Subway 25 when no other investigator in the world could do it.
I consider all that Antonela has done and endured for just the chance of a future on Earth. How could I be so quick to throw mine away?
What would my parents think if I gave up now? How would they feel if they learned one of their daughters murdered the other? I can’t let that be their legacy. Nor my sister’s and my fates.
“You’re wrong,” says a new voice.
I feel a hand grip my shoulder, and I look up to see my aunt. “Estela is not alone,” she says. “She has me.”
I swallow and stare into Antonela’s black eyes, emboldened by Bea’s support. “We are going to find another way,” I insist.
