Cursed

Astrid’s Point of View

"Astrid, let's get back to our house. This does not appear to be a church!" Atasha exclaimed as she came face to face with the altar, which really looked terrifying in its eerie state.

At the center of the altar was a goat’s head with a massive horn. As I looked at it, the more I became convinced that it was eyeing us too. It didn’t take a while before the witch appeared all of a sudden, and the next thing I knew, she took Atasha's arms in a flash.

Atasha was horrified as she stared at me, confused and scared, with tears falling from her eyes. I contemplated, even assessing myself if I would feel something toward this situation in front of me, but I couldn’t feel anything other than the feeling of being victorious. Still, I kept my emotions under control by refusing to grin and maintaining a blank expression.

And then it all started... My plan has been carried out. In front of my very eyes, the witch started casting a curse on Atasha with an eerie chant she intoned. Crossing my arms against my chest as I watched them, a glimpse of the Silver Moon pack’s future flashed into my mind. A future filled with nothing but anguish and pain.

"You'll be the one who will pay the price, Atasha."

As the ritual continued, all I heard was Atasha’s cry in agony and the witch who intoned her chant in a tongue I didn’t understand.

My eyes widened when I witnessed Atasha’s body floating in the air. As I took a closer look, I then saw something like a white smoke, or what could be a soul, which left her body. After that, the witch captured and sealed it in a jar.

"Is that her wolf?" I asked, under my breath.

After the ritual, Atasha's body was found comatose on the ground, and I turned to look at the witch, somehow panicking.

"You didn't kill her, did you?" I inquired when I noticed that Atasha was not moving at all. I couldn’t afford for her to be dead at this point, or else my plan would never work.

"Calm down, Astrid. I didn’t take her life. As you wished, I placed her under my spell," she responded, which gave me relief.

"That's good to hear. I'm grateful for everything you've done." I swallowed as I looked her in the eyes. "And by the way, please make sure to keep my eyes. I will claim it when the right time comes."

The witch laughed and added, "You best work hard, little mutt, because, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for."

She then walked back to a room behind the chancel and closed the door behind her.

"Is that supposed to be a warning statement?" My voice was firm as I said those words while shaking my head.

In the end, there was no way I could lose because I had already sold my soul to the devil. I didn’t waste more time and started making a move. I took Atasha's body out of the church and placed her there.

I waited for her to wake up, and while I did so, I hoped that the witch didn’t do something that would disrupt my plans. As I looked at my twin sister, it really seemed that the witch had done something to kill her. She was pale, like a corpse, probably because of the spell cast upon her. It didn’t take that long when I noticed that she had woken up. The normal color of her skin went back, and I examined every inch of her body to determine whether she was okay or if she had been hurt.

"I am done praying to the Moon Goddess, Atasha. I already told her what’s bothering me, and I apologize if I have caused you any trouble over the past few days. Now that I’ve confessed everything, I am feeling better now," I stated, and faked a sincere smile at her. "Thank you so much for staying with me, and I sincerely apologize for everything that I have done."

She simply thanked me too and then pulled me in for a hug. To be honest, I was tired of pretending to be this idiot’s good sister who needed to take care of her. But I knew I still had to do it or else our parents would be suspicious of my actions.

We finally made it back home. I simply described everything that had happened, including why our clothing was filthy, and how fortunate it was that our parents were understanding. As part of the lie, Atasha informed our parents that I had been able to attend Leo's birthday party, and they were delighted to learn that I had been able to meet some new people. They were so convinced, even though it was merely a false story as a cover up.

Atasha and I then went upstairs to our room.

"Thank you for taking care of me. I understand how difficult it is to lie to our parents. It's possible that you'll feel guilty afterward," I told her.

"Astrid, don't worry about it. We're sisters. We have a responsibility to look after one another. After all, it was only a small deception that we told them about, and it’s not going to happen anymore since you'll be alright now that you've had the opportunity to confess everything to the Moon Goddess," she explained softly.

"Thank you, Atasha. You’re the best…"

We both went to bed, but I couldn't get myself to sleep for some reason. I considered writing something in my journal. After all, it’s been a while since the last time I opened it. I got out of bed carefully, ensuring that Atasha wouldn’t notice my every movement.

I jotted down some of my thoughts and included the details regarding the witch I had a negotiation with. I did write everything there. So, once I realized how important my journal was, I made it a point to keep it hidden from everyone else, especially Atasha.

"You should stay hidden…" I mumbled under my breath and put the journal in a cabinet with a key. I locked it and was about to go back to bed when I noticed Atasha whimpering and making some strange noises.

I went to her and realized that she was soaked with sweat. I held her shoulders to wake her up.

"Atasha, wake up! Are you alright?"

Her eyes opened widely as she gasped for thin air.

"I had a horrible dream, Astrid…" she expressed. Bullets of sweat were collecting on her brow and on her chin. She caught her breath, then looked at me. "I’m alright, Astrid. I am sorry to be a bother," she paused as if she was pondering over something.

"What kind of dream?" I asked curiously.

"I dreamt about that old lady I met at the church. Her entire physique made me feel so afraid," she revealed. Her tone was low, scared, and a little bit quivering.

"There’s nothing for you to be afraid of, Atasha. Everything’s alright. Let me just get you some water," I said and simply smiled before I left the room.

I went downstairs, smirking. I took a glass and filled it with water, aware that the familiar shadow of the goat with a human body had been staring and smiling at me. Perhaps I got so used to his presence that it didn’t bother me anymore. After all, he simply watched every move I made. I returned upstairs and gave Atasha a glass of water so she would calm down.

"Let’s go back and take a rest. I didn’t see that old woman you were referring to back in the church. You're probably just too tired. It's all in your head," I said, and when I confirmed that she had gotten more relaxed, I decided to go back to my bed and sleep.

It was a peaceful night for me, knowing that I had already taken the first step toward my goal.