The Past (16) Splitted Bodies

She held the crystal cube and pointed it towards the wall the both of them were facing, and immediately, it slid open like the other time. "This is amazing." She gawked at the sliding wall while she held his arm, "It's open, let's go."

Ezekiel just nodded. He had been trying to think he was going to be okay staying so near with this kid but it wasn't. That specific aura was just so strong on him that sometimes, he just wanted to hold unto her and perceive her scent directly. It was like the smell of pure vanilla and roses. It was too calming, seductive. He smacked his head as he continued to think about it. He was sixteen, too young to be swayed away by attraction. She was just ... maybe ten? But why was this aura coming from her?

"What? Are you okay? Are you feeling weak? Do you need to rest?" Delilah rushed all her words together when she saw him touch his head like he was having a headache.

"It's alright. We can't stay here any longer."

They had already passed through the wall only to be visited by a dark corridor. "Are we going to pass through here?" She faced him, "a somewhat dark corridor? It's cold, are you sure this way leads to the sacred room?"

He nodded and she just had to keep walking with him. "It's amazing how you still know about something that happened when you were six. You seem to know every rule and room. You have a great re-ten-tive memory."

"Would you be able to forget about something that destroyed you? Of course not," he said sadly and became quiet.

"You must have gone through a lot," she innocently added and tucked his arm in hers, "Don't worry, I will help you regain your sight and be by your side."

He stopped inorder to hear what she already said. How was that even possible? Why was he insane? He was a bit disturbed. Why was he feeling pity that he wanted to use the girl to regain his sight? He shouldn't right? "You don't stand by a stranger. You said I was a stranger."

"Oh...I said so?" She looked up as if trying to remember, "I did. But you are here right now with me, in a haunted house, I wouldn't have followed you if you were a stranger to me."

"You didn't want to," he reminded her.

"But I did. Besides, you are Uncle Landon's nephew."

"Why do you call him, uncle?" He asked. Delilah had not expected that question but she tried not to hesitate,

"It's a kinda long story."

"That you don't want to say?" He questioned.

She sighed but brazened up, "Not really. Uncle Landon has been more than a father to me so we cut off formalities."

"And you call that a long story?" Ezekiel questioned, surprised.

"Yes it is." She rolled her eyes. "You are ugly when you feign concerned. Your swollen cheeks make you look cuter though -"

"I...I almost forgot I got beaten."

Delilah smiled and he did the same but in embarrassment.

They continued to walk until they got to a darker corridor. Delilah could barely see where they had entered again. It looked like a deserted corridor which at the end was an unadorned black door. A lot different from the previous one which was the entrance of the haunted house. Waking down the corridor, they past through rigid stone walls, and mysteriously lit candles until they reached the door.

Before Delilah could say anything, Ezekiel already held unto the door's handle, "It's the sacred room. Try not to be scared, it can read your emotions."

"Oh-kay."

He drew the doorknob downwards and it flipped open.

"It's...so cold." She squeezed her shoulders and removed her arm from Ezekiel's own so she could let her hair loose.

It took a lot of time before she fortunately let her hair down inorder to cover her shoulders. Her black curly lock hairs reached almost her waist. She felt smoothened as if she had let go of a heavy load. "Sorry...I just had to let my hair down."

He nodded again and they both walked into the room.

Surprisingly, the room was not the same as she had expected it. Though it was bright, it had no speckles of white like it was called. Instead, it was adorned with two mirrors that was facing themselves and many candles surrounding it. "It looks more like a shrine."

"Sacred doesn't mean holy."

"So what does it mean?" She argued.

"It won't be advisable to argue here, this is the sacred room and it is where I will regain my sight."

"Okay. So what are we going to do?"

"Seen the fourteen lit candles? Put them off, then stay in the middle of the mirrors."

"What? Am I the one- aren't you supposed to be the one to stay there? What would happen if I do?"

"I will come to join you."

"Okay. Just remember that I am doing this because I trust you."

He nodded and returned a smile.

He released her arm and she eyed at the two full mirrors. What could be those? What does it signify?

She was a bit scared but as he had warned her, she didn't want their coming here to be unsuccessful. She walked to the first candle, then put it off, the second candle and then blew it off, then the next, and next until it got to the fourteenth, and then she slowly smiled at him even though he couldn't see it and then, she blew it off. "I'm done. I'm about to stay in the middle of the mirrors now."

"Okay dear."

"Okay dear?" She looked up at the blind boy, wasn't this the first time he was saying this? Or why did it suddenly feel so strange.

"Thank you, Delilah. I will forever be grateful to you once I regain my sight."

"You should. You should buy me a lot of strawberries once we get out of here."

He smiled but she saw that he was sad, "are you okay? Is your injury hurting?"

"Don't talk, just do it. Go between the mirrors."

She smiled and nodded and walked in between the mirrors that was barely some metres apart. She was looking at herself with a small smile on her face. Her hair was indeed beautiful and then she heard the blind boy say, "Just stay there and don't look other way, I am going to do the same now to the other mirror."

He walked slowly. She had already handed over to him his walking stick, so he was able to carefully walk and stand at the front of the second mirror.

He breathed hard before smiling, then he called unto her, "Repeat the words I am going to say. Specula in dextra, commuta et monstra sui."

Delilah smiled hearing him say the words in latin. She liked the language when she heard him speak in it. Looking at the mirror, she could see herself, and his back, and again, she could see his face. She laughed a bit before uttering the words, "Specula in dextra, commuta et monstra sui." She made no mistake, now. It was like she was possessed and latin was her father's language even though she had no idea what the words meant.

He continued, "Videre Delilah in commutatione Ezechielis."

She repeated the same and just immediately, the both mirrors broke into pieces. The pull made the both of them fall unconscious for a while before Ezekiel stood up. His eyes felt heavy. He tried to open them but couldn't.

At last, he did and the sacred room came into view. He looked ahead to see Delilah still asleep on the floor. She looked like she was terribly injured.

"Delilah, are you okay?" He questioned slowly as he walked her. He held her arm and slowly pulled her effortlessly so that she could face him, and when she did, he froze.

"Is...are you Delilah?" He questioned. He was surprised. He had never seen someone as beautiful as her. Her long curly hair covered her face and his fingers went to sway them behind her ear. They were weird. They were locks!

"Wake up!" He shouted. He was scared when the little girl looked like she was dead. Had the spell gone wrong? It couldn't have! He had regained his sight and she was supposed to be awake, only that she wouldn't be able to see again.

"Wake up!" He screamed, terrified.

"Don't be scared, she will." He heard a voice.

Ezekiel looked around only for his eyes to meet a young boy like him. The only difference between the boy and him was that, he was sitting down while the boy was standing. They were the same. The boy looked exactly like him. "What are you?"

"I am you." The boy replied slowly, "I am you, Ezekiel. We are the same, the only difference is that I am parallel."

Ezekiel closed his eyes, then opened them. "Who...who made you? What do you mean by parallel?"

"I have always been in you. I am like your twin, the only difference is that I act opposite. If you treat someone nicely, I treat him badly, If you kill a girl, I heal a girl."

"I...I don't understand."

"You created me. The mirror did and now...I guess I am free. I can make the world a fun place. Do not worry about me unable to act like you, I can. I have all your memories. I will make those who had treated you badly, suffer, okay?"

"What are you even saying?" Ezekiel questioned and before he could continue, the boy who looked like him waved his hand and something like a cage fell on him. "That will lock you for some time. I want to be with that little girl. She smells really nice. Don't worry I won't eat her raw. Only when she is ripe."

"What?" He questioned as he saw that he was caged while Delilah was far away from him, lying on the ground.

"What is what? You've regained your sight, that is what you want, let me have my way now. Delilah wouldn't be blind like you have requested. The god behind this sacred room gave up a punishment instead. To lock you up for a decade and half." He laughed hysterically, "why that face? At least, the pretty girl doesn't go blind because of your greediness."

"I wasn't greedy!"

"You were. You requested your sight in exchange of hers."

"I didn't want to, I planned to regain her sight back once I regain mine. That is the only way for both of us to be able to see. She loves me. The kid does and she pushed me into it."

"She didn't. You deceived her, instead."

Tears fell down his eyes as he held the metal cage. "Please wake her up. Why is she not waking up?"

"She will. And to make her not spread the news about this place, her memory of you has been wiped off."

"What?"

"It will be released when you are released."