Chapter 54: 40|Curse

"Dad!" "Mr Parker!" "Henry!" "Someone call the ambulance!" "He's got a heart attack!" This time, everybody screamed and I stayed rooted on pavement. Not that I didn't want to but because I couldn't. I couldn't move. Guilt weighed me down. The intensity of my attack burned me. And I stayed rooted on ground. Aiden rushed inside for keys as Asher held dad and cried. Everyone was either by his side or starting their vehicles. I finally found the courage to lift myself up as Asher laid him on Alex's car's backseat, Rose took the shotgun and Alex started his car. "I-I want to c-come too." I choked out and everybody froze. "Go." Aiden gritted and Alex looked torn between me and Aiden before he chose his side and pulled out of driveway in hurry. Felix, Lizette and Liam had fear written all over their face as they took in Aiden's furious face. "I-" "Don't!" he growled. "Don't you dare?!" And I thought that I ran out of tears. "Since the day, you came in our lives, you've bought nothing but devastation. My mother died protecting you when I was 7 and now my father is dying for protecting you at 18. What have we ever done to you?! What kind of curse are you to take away everything loved by us?! That women who burned alive in car that day was 6 months pregnant with my sister! We lost them but we believed that we found you. That we found happiness in you! But we were so wrong. You, Cygnet Law, are a curse that not only destroyed a whole kingdom but also destroyed our life!" I looked at him with defeated eyes as every single word killed me. "Ever thought why we protected you so much?! We didn't! We were only keeping our promise. We were only respecting our dying mother's last wish! We don't fucking care for you!" I gasped and cupped my mouth. "You've figured it right, Princess! We never loved you. We are your fake family, right? We're fake! That's why we spent every second of our life to protect you, to never let you know the truth, to never let you feel like an outsider! We spent our nights to practise shooting when according to you we were partying. Your 'fake' dad shifted halfway through America leaving his wife's memories for you. But you never cared! Did you? Why? Because we aren't your blood, right?" I inhaled sharply. "You are a disgrace, Cygnet. You are a hurricane who brings destruction everywhere. Now you realise why everybody leaves you? Let me tell you why, it's because you are a curse! I wish I never let mom go that day. She wouldn't have found you and would've been alive! My sister would've been alive. My dad would've been alright! Hell, if you didn't exist, your own family, your own blood would've been alive! But guess what, you killed them all." He laughed without mirth as he back walked towards his car. "You killed them all." He drove away and I stayed rooted. "Astrid-" "He didn't-" I didn't listen to the left three. I ran away. I ran away until the pain in my feet, the pain in my lungs and the pain in my head, overshadowed the hollowness in my chest. This time, even rain didn't dare to drown my silence. ~~~~~ "Please bottle, land on right?" I batted my eyelashes at the tinted green bottle, innocently as I spun it. I pouted as it landed on left side. "Why are you doing this?" I whined and spun again. Left side again. "Bad bottle." I chided. Frowning at the lifeless piece of glass, I stood up with wobbly steps. "You won't go on right? Fine!" I huffed and went towards the railing of the bridge. "I will not listen to you. I will do what I want to. I will-" I stepped on the rail and giggled when my wet sneakers slipped from rail, landing me on my butt. "You can't stop me! I will-" I stepped again and this time, without shoes. I managed to stand straight on the guard rails with a half empty bottle in hand and a light pole as support. "-free this world of the biggest curse alive!" I roared and kissed the bottle's mouth as I drank alcohol greedily. "Oops! I wasn't even supposed to be alive!" I giggled and looked at the bottle with seriousness. "Listen, buddy. I am going to drop you, okay?" I motioned the bottle as if it nodded. "Good. Fear nothing! Because when you will fall down, like the good person I am, I will jump to save you." I smiled at it and kissed it lightly. "Momma will die, but momma won't let her little princess die, okay?" "1..." "2..." "3..." I dropped the bottle and heard a splash almost immediately as I gasped loudly. "Don't worry, princess. Mommy is-Ahhhh!" I screamed as arms enclosed my waist. "Leave me, you monster! Princess is dying! I can't let her have an easy death! I want her to be crushed and burned in recycle! I have to save her life for that! Let go of me! Let me go, you filthy asshole!" The arms only kept tightening. "A-Astrid. Don't." "I am not Astrid! Who is she?! Wait, are you talking about that cruel murderer?" I gasped. "Did you know that she murdered her whole family? Stay away from her, okay?" I gasped again. "Oh wait, it's me! Can I kill you? Can I? Please?" I laughed at my own joke but then I sobered up. My laugh died and tears fell freely. I gave up struggling against their arms. What is the point? I wanna die anyway. They rounded me and pressed my face into their solid chest as fingers caressed my hair and hand rubbed my back. "Cry it out." And that's what I did. I didn't care if it was a stranger or a murderer. I just didn't wanted to let go. I felt safe and protected in their arms. "W-What d-did I even d-do?" I hiccupped. "W-Why-?" "You can never do anything wrong, Astrid." I pushed them away and looked up. "Don't you get it?! I am not Astrid! I am a murderer!" squinting my eyes, I gained my focus back. Xavier. "Oh! Missed the show, didn't you?" I pouted. "Sorry, Watson. You can enjoy my live death, though." I smiled sinisterly and stepped back. "See, Watson. See, I am going to murder myself." I took a step back with every word and he kept moving towards me while calling my name. "Okay. Here is the climax. One, two-" "Shut up!" Xavier grabbed my arms and tugged me towards him before shaking me violently. I looked at him with wide eyes. "Snap out of it, Astrid!" In a moment, he picked me up and took me away from bridge as he stood me back on my feet under a tree at some distance. "What has gotten into you?! Are you crazy? What were you even thinking?!" I was completely sober now and that was the last thing I wanted. "I-I-I t-thought-" "No!" he growled. "You didn't thought! What the hell was that supposed to be?! Did you even think about-?" How I wish that he was able to complete that sentence and how I wish I was able to fight him for one last time. Two people came out of nowhere and shot Xavier. I screamed and before I could even touch him, a cloth covered my mouth, lulling me into a much needed sleep.