Chapter Twenty Four: "Despair"

Alex Mendoza.

"What have you seen?" Diana says with concern when she sees my reaction.

The words don't come out of my mouth, they get stuck in my throat and even if I try to expel them they don't, frustrating me in the process. They all come up to me and help me sit back on the couch.

Diana kneels in front of me and puts her hands on my wet cheeks and closes her eyes. A small bluish light comes out of her hands and I feel the power of her travel through my entire body, relaxing my tense muscles and filling me with peace. I close my eyes enjoying that feeling of tranquility and calm leaving behind the pain, the suffering, the worries, I forget about Karla and Aradia for a few moments, knowing, deep down, that she is giving it to me.

When tranquility, or rather, stability runs through my body Diana moves away from me and I manage to open my eyes to look at the people who are looking at me expectantly. I see Ethan, Beth, Diana, Marcos, Alice; I see them all and reproach myself for not having cared even for my own brother. How did I not realize that he was not with us?

I suck.

"W-what happened?" Alice says cautiously.

"I've seen her," I manage to say after what seems like years.

"Ethan, do something," Marcos says impatiently.

I get up quickly attracting his attention again and when I speak I do it with all the serenity I can conjure:

"She was with Adam." They all look among themselves searching for him without success. "She's torturing him."

The gaze and features of everyone present decay and each one faces the problem in their own way: some sit unable to become strong enough to support their own weight and others stare into the void while rebellious tears flow from their eyes full of sadness. I join the sad looks again and the grief returns to my body, poisoning everything in its path.

"There'll be something we can do," Alice whispers.

"Let's put the cards on the table," Ethan says, taking control of the situation. "We know how ruthless Aradia can be and this year is the decisive one for her. This brings us to the next question: it affects us and mostly Karla - he begins to walk around the small room while he recites that as more for himself than for others -. Coming of age the spells made by Grandma Margarett and Alex have almost evaporated. Aradia is growing stronger with each appearance and with each appearance of her, she does more damage to those around her.

"We already know that," Sara says impatiently. "What we lack is the motivation for her actions. What does she want? What is she really looking for? What does she gain from all this? Why Adam?"

I freeze and stop listening to the vague discussion about Aradia. Could I save Karla? Could I save them both? And if so, how? I can not appear where she usually goes as if nothing. I have to have some reason, something with which I can approach her without raising suspicions. Something with which she does not know that I am trying to get information out of her.

I decisively get up from the sofa for the third time and leave the house, leaving my companions stunned and confused. Although I don't care too much. I am about to get in the car and cross the speed limit I go to my next destination with a single thought in mind: I must find Aradia and stop whatever she is up to.