December 20th 2022 12:00 P.M.

I opened the door and saw my mom and Tasha on my mom’s bed.  My mom was staring into space as if the weight of everything was just too much for her.  She looked so exhausted that I just felt so bad for her.  She slowly turned to look at me and said, “You shouldn’t have left.  What if the school had killed you too?  We would have lost you, just like all those other people lost their own loved ones.  What if I lost you, just like I lost my daughters, and almost my other son?  I can’t go through that again.  We all need you.”

“I didn’t have a choice, mother.” I said. “All those people had no say in their deaths but I had a say in saving them from their untimely deaths.  Remember if we hadn’t gone back in time, Tasha, Maya, Victoria, and possibly Monte would all be dead and all you can say is that I shouldn’t have left.”

“You always have a choice.” My mom said. “You could have stayed here and been safe but no.  You had to risk your life for some people that I don’t even know!”

I looked down, “I helped save people from the school, mother.  I am not regretting it.” I looked back up. “I will help as many people as I want and you won’t stop me.  Okay?  I can make my own choices now.  I saved people from dying and all you can do is yell at me?  I can’t believe this.  Will you yell at me for saving my sisters?  My brother?  Or just the people that you don’t know and therefore don’t care about?  I’m sure it is just the people that you don’t know but I need to hear it from you.”

I headed back towards the door to leave the room and heard my mom say, “I wasn’t trying to stop you.  I was trying to make you see how much we care about you.  We can’t lose you.  We can’t lose anyone but we can’t lose you.  Not my beautiful child.”

I stood at the door, staring down at the handle and thought about leaving.  I started to turn the handle whenever Tasha said, “We care about you and I am not allowing you to get yourself killed.  You have been here for me my entire life and I am not letting you leave this easily, brother.  I can’t let you go whenever you have made me who I am today.  I would not be who I am today without you, Tarik.  I can’t handle life without you, so please stop making such rash decisions and rushing into things that you do not understand!”

I turned around quickly with a slightly annoyed expression on my face. “You can’t control what I decide to do!  I will do whatever I want whenever I want and you guys can do nothing about it.” I exploded, “So just leave me alone!”

I went to leave the room and heard a gasp as I reached the door again. “Tarik.” My mother whispered, “Your cousin died.  From Pneumonia.  Carina is dead.” My mom said as she called her sister Jessica.

“Wh-what?” I said. “How?”

I looked at Tasha.  I searched her face as if hoping that it wasn’t true, but the moment I looked at her I knew Carina was really truly dead.  She just looked down and told me I could leave now.

“Why?  When did this happen?” I asked, “And WHY..is all of my family dying?”

“The curse.  We are cursed to forever die young.  I was told that you would die before you turned fifteen.” My mother said. “That’s why I have been so worried about you.  You have a few months until you turn fifteen and I don’t want you to leave us just yet.”

I stood in shock before I opened the door and left the room.  I went into the living room and stood there for a minute before Tasha came in. 

“Are you okay?” She asked me. “You seem like something is wrong.” She grimaced, “I mean, other than everything involving the school.  Something deeper.”

“Not really.” I sat on the couch and grabbed the biggest pillow I could find before hiding behind it. “I can’t figure out what to do.  I am stuck.”

“You know that you can’t hide behind all of your troubles right?” Tasha quietly asked me. “I can tell you, give it time and you will find your way, my brother.  If you don’t give it time, you will get nowhere.  You know how you are writing your book?  What’s it called again?”

“Masters of the Mystic Arts?” I replied.

“Oh yeah!  You almost gave up, but you didn’t!  You faced that book and spent years trying to write it.  Eventually you got it published and made many people happy with your book.  Especially me.”

“I know.” I said, my voice muffled by the pillow. “Sometimes I do try to hide but it never goes well if I do.  I tried to hide from writing but it found me and pulled me back in.  Just like everything today is doing the same.”

“I know.  That’s what I am trying to protect you from, brother.” Tasha rushed over to me and sat next to me before grabbing my hand, making me look at her, and making me listen as she said, “I don’t want you to get lost in your fears like me.  I get lost and sometimes can’t find my way back out.  I don’t want that for you.”

“I appreciate your concern, Tasha.  I can handle my emotions though.” I said to her. “If I cannot handle my emotions then I couldn’t have been a writer!  I would have gotten mad at my book so many times that I couldn’t count!”

“I would sure hope so at this point but I never know anymore.” She gasped, “I don’t know how Carina died but it certainly wasn’t from Pneumonia.”

“Oh?” I questioned. “What could it have been from then?  There is nothing else logical that could have happened to her.”

“Her face was all bruised and she looked like she drowned.  It wasn’t Pneumonia.  There is no way that it was.” Tasha replied as she stood up and moved to sit across from me. “You know, we could always invite people over to help us in our dark times.  You could invite your friends Malachi and Paige and I could invite some people too so that we can cope with our pain better.  We all do better around our friends than we do by ourselves.  We need them, my brother.”

“No….but she was so good at water and fire Magyk.  I can’t believe that for a second.” I said to her,  “There is no way because she would have lived.”

“I know and I’m sorry.” Tasha said. “Now let's go see Monte, yes?”

“Yes please.” I said.

We then walked up the stairs towards my room.  I still couldn’t quite believe that Carina was dead.  No matter what anyone had told me, I still wouldn’t believe it.

I went into my room and saw no one there.  I closed the door and sat down on my bed with Tasha

“Where are you?” I asked myself. “I come here to see you, Monte, and then you aren’t even here?”

“Calm down, maybe he left for a minute.” Tasha responded but she looked really worried.  Her normally serene face was wrinkled with concern.

Something moved in the corner of the room.  I looked but there was nothing there and yet, the air was rippling.  I looked closer and before I could run from the room a person appeared.  As this person appeared I lurched for the closed door but as he reached out I instantly backed up against the wall and crossed my arms in front of me.  I raised my hands to protect my face whenever the person fully appeared.  It was Andrew and my first thought was to run but I didn’t.  I could see that he was covered in blood and I couldn’t bring myself to leave.  Even after all he had done, I was somehow….attached to him?  I stared at him all covered in blood and just covered my face with my hands and watched through my fingers as he fell to the floor and lay there.  He was so still that whenever I reached him I thought he was dead.  I stared down at him just waiting for him to wake up, but he didn’t.  I knelt down and noticed he was still breathing but by that time it was too late to leave.  I kept watching him and I jerked back when his eyes opened and he made eye contact with me.

“Tarik, back up.” Tasha said with a warning in her voice.

I looked at her and shook my head silently.

“I told you so.  I told you.  You should have left while you had the chance.” Andrew spoke.  “I can’t let you go.  You can’t get away from this.  You would die before you could do that, Tarik.”

A Few Minutes Before

“Tarik is so smart and yet, that will be his downfall.” Jenna said, “He worries me so much.  He always goes to save others with no regard whatsoever for his own well-being.  I can’t even imagine how he does it.”

“He will be okay though, you know.” Marcia said, “He always is in the end.  He always makes it through and perseveres through the day.  I know it is hard but people all make transitions in their lives and maybe this is just his transition.”

“I know, Marcia, but everything that happens to him and even just around him worries me so much.” Jenna replied, “He is like the son I never had; the brother you never had, and I will not ever lose him.  I couldn’t deal with it if I did.  I hope he is okay.”

“MOM!  People die though.  Tarik may be like family but if something happens then we will always live knowing that when we die, we can all be a family again.” Marcia said with a slight smile, “We can all be together again.  So don’t be too sad because we are always together no matter what happens.”

“To true, to true you are Marcia.” Jenna said as she wiped a tear from her cheek, “We will forever be with him and he will forever be with us.  Thank you, thank you for making me see that.  I would have gone on and on forever if you hadn’t stopped me.”

“I do hope he doesn’t die but if he does, whenever we die, we will be reunited together.” Marcia tried to calm Jenna.  “I know.  That’s why I stopped you.” Marcia laughed.

“I know but he is like the son I never had,” Jenna said sadly.  “I couldn’t manage if something happened to him.”

“Me either but sometimes, you just have to let fate have its turn.” Marcia said softly.

Present Time

I backed up until I hit the door.  Andrew dragged himself across the room towards me.  “You still have time.  We can still make things right.  We can still change the world to our liking.”

“No.  You just want to change the world to your liking.” I said. “I will not allow you to do that because you will ruin it.  You will ruin the entire world, Andrew!  I’m afraid that I cannot let that happen.”

He looked at me with a small smile before saying, “Maybe.  So what?  Are you going to get rid of my insolent self?  Or are you going to let me take over the world?  Whatever you do, how will you decide?  You seem to have a few too many personalities in my opinion.  I’m sure you will figure it out eventually but until then, you will do as I say!”

“I will get rid of you!”  I slammed into the door and I heard my Thirteen year old sister Victoria yell from her room next to mine.  They joined together through a door in the wall, “Tarik!  What is going on in there?”

“Don’t open the door Victoria.” I called as I turned the handle.  I opened the door and tried to leave the room at the same time as Victoria opened her door and came into my room.  She saw me trying to get out of the door and watched as I fell with Andrew's hands around my ankle.

“Stop!” Victoria cried.

“Get off of him!” Tasha yelled at the same time as I cried out, “Get off of me!”

“No.  You can’t get away from this.  You are bound for life until it has all been completed.” Andrew tightened his grip on my ankle.

Victoria came towards me.  As she reached me I reached up towards her with my palm facing up as a shield formed around Andrew and I.  It easily kept her out until I could figure out what to do.

“I don’t get it, Tarik.  What is the method of your madness?” Victoria asked me as she managed to barely avoid the shield. “Why are you protecting him?”

“Whatever are you doing?” Tasha shrieked, her face was full of rage, “Lower the shield at once!”

“No idea.” I muttered. “I am trying to understand myself.”

“Then how about you figure it out!” Victoria yelled at me.

“Just lower the shield!” Tasha yelled again. “We can’t help you if you don’t lower the shield!”

“What do you think I am doing?  My brain hurts!” I shrieked back at them. “I’m trying my best!  I can’t lower the shield.”

Victoria stared at me like I was insane after I said that.  I looked back at her and realized that I had somehow forgotten that Andrew was still holding onto me.

“Why can you not open the shield?” Victoria asked.

“I don’t know.” I looked at her.

“Just do it, brother.” Tasha pleaded with me but to no avail.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.  I think you guys even know that I can’t.” I said.

“Why can you not?” Tasha asked.  I realized then that she was just trying to distract me from keeping my shield up because she started to pound on it to try and destroy it.  She couldn’t manage to do that though.

I ended up looking at Andrew and somehow in all of the commotion managed to hear him speak.

“Don’t let me fall,” he said. “I don’t want to get hurt or die just yet.”

I tried to not say anything but failed, “You aren’t even off the ground, boy.  You might just deserve it though.”

“DON'T CALL ME BOY!” Andrew exclaimed.

“Stop yelling at him, Andrew.” Tasha said. “You need to stop.”

“No.” He replied.

I turned to face him, enraged, I grabbed his hand off of my ankle and grabbed his other hand and looked at him as I said “You should have thought of that before you decided to hurt me.  I will not let you touch my family.  BOY!”

“Seems like I managed to do something right.” he said. “I managed to do at least one thing right with you so all hope is not yet lost for you.”

“Are you insane???” I yelled at him. “You did nothing ever and I will never have any ties to you at all.  I will erase your name from my life and forget about you once you are gone.  I hate you so much, you have no idea, Andrew.  Go home, and don’t come back.  It would be better for everyone here anyway if you just left.”

“No.” He looked down at his hands. “There is still the contract that needs to be followed.”

I paused before looking down, “No.  I remember how that went and this doesn’t count.  Dangerous situations don’t count.  They don’t count.  They can’t.” I said. “You said so yourself that they don’t count!”

“Yes it does.  There was no danger.  A simple vision spell will work well for my purposes.” he explained. “I fooled you again, and not for the last time I’m sure.”

As he said that, I realized that I had been tricked.  As he finished talking I released the shield.  My concentration lifted from the shield spell and I started to feel extra energized.  I was so energized that I began to see lights in front of my eyes.  White dots.  As I fell forward, too tired and exhausted to do any more Magyk; my vision spell slipped away.  I lay still on the floor and I couldn’t move.  I still saw too many white lights.  I lay there looking up at Andrew, Tasha, and Victoria.

“Don’t touch me.” I whispered.  “Please…don’t touch me.”

Andrew grabbed my hands and pulled me off the floor roughly before letting go of my hands and letting me fall back to the ground.  He smiled and I knew then that he cared for nobody except himself.

“Why?” I asked softly. “Why did you change so much, Andrew?  You used to be such a kind boy.”  I slowly exhaled as I felt something rattle in my chest.  I could hardly breathe right and had to breathe super slowly.  I tried to move towards Victoria but soon gave up.  I couldn’t move so what was the point anyway?  I tried to speak but I couldn’t; I had such a sharp pain in my chest.

“Just don’t move.  Take this.  Just sleep.  Rest, Tarik.  Please, just rest, my brother.” Victoria said worriedly as she put some sort of liquid in my mouth.  The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Victoria’s concerned face and Andrew’s evil smile.  I could only imagine how much Andrew was laughing inside at my pain.  I could only just begin to imagine that.  I could barely even think about what Andrew may end up doing to me especially since I am now going unconscious.  I looked towards him as I closed my eyes and fell unconscious.