Chapter 55
Javier carefully placed her on the bench that stood in the middle of the enormous garden. She could finally breath properly, after 5 minutes of her being subjected to massive tension. She adjusted her hair that was all over her face. Breathing in sharply, she looked up to Javier
"It's beautiful" she muttered underneath her breath
"Yeah, My favourite spot in the house" Javier admitted, looking around the garden. He was right, this had to be her favourite place too. She just got here but she couldn't agree more. The wind that blew here was different, the natural scent was different, the calmness was different, everything about the place was really different. She looked up to Javier and tapped on the space left on the seat, beckoning him to sit down next to her
"Tell me about your childhood" she said with a slight smile as she watched him, adjust properly on the bench
"Why?" he asked giving her a puzzled look
"I just want to know more about you. I have been thinking about it lately and I realised that I don't really know much about you and you seem to know alot about me"
"Ohh" He said on realisation "my childhood wasn't as fun as you think" Javier noted
"Still" Hattie insisted
"What would you to know?"
"Everything, how you became a lashedta and all"
"My life was never really my own from the start" Javier sighed as he continued "I used to be a happy kid, until the demon in me started manifesting"
"At what age?"
"Age 9 to be precise but it came out fully at age 12"
"How did you know that it was a demon?"
"At first, I wasn't really sure what it was. But I was sure that something had to be wrong with me. I started emitting strange powers and it scared me"
"What did you do when you started noticing such powers?"
"Hmmm, someone has been taking investigation classes" He teased which resulted her into a warm laughter and for a split second, he felt lost. The way her lips curled upwards and the excitement in her eyes, made him want to keep his eyes on her all day and never take them off
"I just feel curious that's all" Hattie shrugged
"It's okay, I will feed your curiosity" he said. That was the least he owed her. Telling her everything about the underworld that she needed to know. "I told my sister, she also said that she was having the same experience and she found out that we portrayed the characteristics of an almost extincted mystical being, known as the lashedta"
"So you just leaved on like that, did you tell your parents?"
"My dad was long gone and we chose not to mention it, out of fear of chastisment" he exhaled deeply. "one night, I woke up and everywhere was different, It wasn't a dream, I knew at that time. That place was different, covered in thick fog, darkness filled, having only a little lighting but I could see. That was one of the abilities of a lashedta" He pointed out. "I wa confused, being a little kid and trust me, I was scared as hell. That place had a lot of people. Kids my age and even kids, younger than me. There was a man that sat on a huge throne. That man had to be the most beautiful thing I had ever set my eyes on." He stated and Hattie could see the pain in his eyes as he told the story "It was the devil, known as mephistopheles" He blurted out and he watched Hattie's eyes widen in shock
"You have met the devil?" Hattie asked in bewilderment
"Am a lashedta Hattie, lashedta are an advanced type of demons which means, I belong to the devil and I was never giving a choice"
"What happened in that place?"
"We were told who we were, I already knew, so it was not really new to me. I even witnessed a persecution of a man that defaulted and he was sent to hell for 200 years. Word cannot explain how scared I was. My hands were so shaky that I couldn't hold anything, I just prayed inwardly that is was all a dream and I still wish so too, That i would wake up one day and realise that all my life is a dream"
"Is that how they punish lashedta offenders, casting them to hell?"
"Most of the yeah and in my opinion, That fellow was lucky, some defaulters could be cast into hell for eternity, devil has no mercy"
"Can't you stop all of this?"
"No I can't, it's who I am. I can't stop being who I am"
"So you are forced to be someone that you don't want to be?" She asked with her voice already breaking up. He had been though alot even from childhood and it really sickened her
"Yes I was never given a choice."
"Why?"
"Because the world isn't a fair place, you should know that, Hattie" He said and she couldn't help but agree more. Life had always been cruel to her and she had always wondered why it had to be her. This was actually the first time, meeting someone that life had done wrong too. They had both had their taste of this cruel world but it seemed at the moment that Javier took the biggest bite of the cursed apple.
She looked at his expressionless face and she really felt heartbroken. She wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be fine. She wanted to tell him not to worry but she didn't have the courage to do so. She wished that life was different for him, less hard on him but she couldn't change anything
"What about Bella?"
"Bella has to be the strongest woman I have ever met" he said with a slight smile creeping into his cheek. A sad smile "She has always been strong, no matter how bad it got. She has never been the emotional type. Always like to give off the impression that she is okay but I know my sister, She is a softy behind all the mask and the happiness that she fake. Lashedta aren't happy creature, truth be told. I don't even blame Lagatha for being like that. Fustration can cause a lot of thing."
"And Andrew?"
"No Andrew is a psychopath and I blame him alot" Javier snapped
"I agree with you" Hattie said with full sincerity. "I'm scared" She blurted out
"Of what?"
"Fay is still with the cartels and I can barely sleep at night because of her" Hattie said and Javier could see the sadness in her eyes
"I will get her out of there, I told you already. You don't have to worry about any thing"
"I hope so" Hattie sighed.
***
Agatha looked at the pendant in her hand as a smile crept into her cheeks. Finally, she had what she wanted and her plans were a few steps to coming true. She smiled at Stephanie
"I didn't know you could be this efficient"
"Then I guess you don't know me at all" Stephanie sat down on her couch "when do I get my powers back?"
"Easy" Agatha snickered. "Once I am able to come back to life fully, you will get your powers back"
"It better be quick and don't try to play smart with me" Stephanie warned
"Your mouth still has that sharp blade. It was what got you in this mess in the first place"
"Don't you bring that up again. I already fulfilled my own part of the deal, you have to fulfil your own part"
"Calm down dear" Agatha beam "I always keep to my words"
"Hattie is back" Stephanie blurted out
"I know" Agatha said with no atom of emotion
"What are you going to do with her?"
"She will finally be with her mother" Agatha smirked
"Fay is still with the Cartels. Are you going to get her out?"
"No, Javier plans on doing it"
"I don't know how you are everywhere but you can't seem to get your self a damn pendant" Stephanie asked in bewilderment
"Well now I have it" she smiled, looking at the pendant that started glowing, emiting a dark red colour which also made her eyes shine in respect to the pendant.
**
Hattie was about placing her medication back on the little wooden table, when the door flung open. It was Javier
"What happened to knocking" She rolled her eyes at him
"It's my room" Javier said stating the obvious
"Still, courtesy demands that you knock" She said knowing fully well that a man like Javier wouldn't care about courtesy so she was wasting her time telling him about it
"Daphne is here to see you" he said and her eyes widened in astonishment
"She is?" She beamed with excitement "You told her I am back?"
"Yes I did. She has been on my neck ever since and she being your friend, I feel she has the right to know" he said
"Oh goody" Hattie said, bouncing on her bed, at the same time, clapping her hands slightly together like a highschool girl
She slipped out of her bed and wore her flip flops
"Are you sure you would be alright" Javier asked
"Yes, my legs are doing much better" She reassured him and the worried look in his eyes disappeared. She rushed to the door and held the knob
"You can't tell her exactly what happened, you know" Javier called out from behind her and she nodded
Hattie made her way down the stairs, in anticipation. It had really been a long time she saw Daphne and she was aching to see her best friend. She made her way to the sitting room and there she was, sitting on one of the couch. Daphne looked up and the moment her eyes landed on her, she stood up and rushed to where Hattie stood, giving her a warm embrace
"Oh my God, Hattie" her voice came our shakily as she tightened the hug "I was so scared. I missed you so much" she said and Hattie knew that she was crying. Hattie could not hold back her tears too, as she let the tears roll down her cheeks, freely
"What happened?" She asked as she withdrew the embrace, at the same time, cleaning off the bits of tears on her cheek "You really have a lot of explaining to do"
"Yeah" Hattie said, racking her brain to think of a suitable explanation
"Well?" Daphne asked, hands akimbo
"I was kidnapped" Hattie blurted out "but I managed to escape" of course Hattie wasn't going to tell her about Andrew and all. She couldn't lie, so she just told her what was close to the truth
"What?" Daphne asked in disbelief
"Yes" Hattie said accompanied with a nod
"How did it happen?"
"I was adopted from my house" Hattie said trying her best to give off a convincing expression
"But why did the kidnapper not ask for a ransom?" Daphne asked with a confused expression on her face
Why does she have to be so smart. Hattie thought inwardly
"I don't know" Hattie shrugged
"And what are you doing in Javier's house. I though you two broke up, Why the sudden reunion?"
"No Daphne we were never dating in the first place and.... you know what, never mind. You would never understand"
"Truth is, I don't really trust that guy"
"Javier?"
"Who else"
"You and your trust issues" Hattie said, rolling her eyes playfully
"Am just saying" Daphne shrugged
"Whatever" Hattie said? Knowing how her best friend can be when it came to trust issues
"You know what, that doesn't matter. What matters is that you are back. Those bloody police can go to hell" Daphne said with little smile on her face and Hattie smiled back
It was indeed good to be back. Hattie thought inwardly.