I lay still, and absently thought about how much better my life would be if it was as still as I was. There has been too much excitement lately. I sighed and looked at the clock, it was past noon. In typical Martha fashion, she has been bringing my breakfast to my room and her delicious pastries in the afternoon.
My mind wandered to Gabriel, we hadn’t spoken since the fight. My hands itched with the need to call him, hold him, kiss him. I thought about my uncle, I wondered if he had told my father about this ritual, and if he had, why hadn’t it been done yet? No matter. It was here now, and it lay on me to end it. I jumped out of bed, renewed strength and hope coursing through my veins. I picked up my phone, and my finger hovered over Gabriel’s ID before I sighed and scrolled past, looking for my Uncle David’s. Gabriel wouldn’t understand.
Just as my finger was about to hit the call button, grace silence filled my room, accompanied by a heavy fog and a figure standing in the fog.
“Gabriel is right.”
That voice again. I didn’t need to be told who it was.
“And how is that?” I asked, looking down and realizing that my phone was no longer in my hand.
“David is not to be trusted.”
I let out a dry laugh. “Of course, you’d think that. I’m finally going to be free of you and you…”
“You’ll never be free of me. The only way you’ll be free of me is in death.”
“That’s not true. Uncle David…”
“I’m not the villain you make me out to be, Oliver.”
I gasped as the fog cleared and the goddess stood in my room, her presence overpowering, as though forcing me to submission. She took a few steps towards me, stopping short of the bed.
“I’m trying to protect you,” she said.
I scoffed. “Protect me?! You tried to drown me!!”
“David will kill you. He’s using you for his gain. Be careful.”
And with that, she disappeared, the fog cleared and my phone was back in my hand with my finger still hovering over my Uncle David’s call ID. I took a deep breath and pressed the phone to my ear, listening absently the phone rang.
“Oliver?”
“Hello, Uncle…” I paused and thought about what the goddess had said. Was he to the trusted?
No. Uncle David would never hurt me.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, concern evident in his tone.
“I…I feel better.”
Silence reigned, my mind running agog with questions and doubts.
I sighed. “This ritual…how does it work?”
I could almost hear his smile on the other end of the line.
“It’s not a very complicated ritual.”
“What does it entail?” I asked.
“Well, you just need to bring some key things. First, something of sentimental value to you. Secondly, the presence of a direct descendant of the goddess; that’s you. And then the ritual would take place at the sacred site where the curse was placed, and she’ll demand a sacrifice but don’t worry about that.”
“This ritual, do my parents know another it?” J asked.
“Yes…but they were too afraid to do it. I’m not.
“Where is this place?”
“Don’t worry about it. I know where it is.”
I took a deep breath. I was going through with this.
“How soon can we get it done?” I asked.
“Whenever you’re ready. We can get it done today if you’re free.”
I nodded. “Yes. Let’s do it this evening.”
“Where should I pick you?” He asked.
“I’ll text you.”
The sooner we did it, the faster we got it over with. I hung up and ran my hands across my face. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was making a big mistake, I could smell trouble in the distance. There was something amiss, but for the life of me, I couldn’t place it. I looked at the mounted canvas that held a half-complete painting of a chained wolf with flaming eyes and at the brushes littered around from yesterday’s work. I sprang to my feet and threw on a shirt. I was going to see Gabriel.
I strode the short distance to his place. A one-story building housing four flats. I sighed when I got to his door and raised my hand. I wondered if he was still angry with me. Just as I was about to bring my hand down, the door opened and Gabriel stood there, shirtless, and the sweet aroma of fish stew drifted up my nose, and my stomach growled in response.
“Oliver…”
My name sounded like a prayer from his lips.
“Hi,” I replied.
Gabriel stepped out of the way, and I ventured into his apartment and admired the simplicity of the space. A large wooden art of a howling wolf stood on a wall, and the couches were arranged in a U-shaped fashion facing the television below the air conditioning unit. The open floor plan of the apartment allowed me to see the kitchen from the living room. Cabinets lined the walls, and a small dining sat next to the kitchen.
“Beautiful place you have here,” I said.
“I’m glad you liked it,” he replied and kissed me on the cheek.
I followed him into the kitchen and watched as he cooked, making small talk until he was done and paced a plate of steaming hot Mac and cheese in front of me. I thanked him and dug in, hating that I was going to disrupt the peace and tranquility of the atmosphere soon.
“I’m going through with the ritual,” I blurted out.
Gabriel sat frozen, food stuck in his mouth as his jaw stopped moving and eyes burning holes into the side of my face.
“He managed to convince you, huh?”
I shook my head. “No. I convinced myself. If there's a remote chance of me stopping this thing, I want to take it. I want to give it a try.”
“Do you think your ancestors didn’t try to find a way to be free of the goddess? Why didn’t they try this ritual? Why didn’t your parents try this ritual?”
“Uncle David said it was because they were afraid.”
Gabriel laughed sardonically, the food in front of him forgotten. “And you believe him?!”
“He’s my uncle!!”
“That man is not to be trusted!!”
“Speaking of trust, why didn’t you tell me that you were a werewolf?!”
The anger in his eyes gave way to guilt and he shoved food into his mouth. I calmly waited for him to chew and swallow.
“You’re not the only one with secrets, Oliver.”
“And when are you going to tell me about your secrets?” I asked.
Gabriel shrugged. “I’m not the one walking into a trap because I trust my uncle too much.”
I stared at him, concluding then and there that I would never have his support. When I had started, a tiny part of me had hoped against hope that I would be able to get through to him, to have him there with me while we navigated this ritual, but that hole was shattered. I picked up my phone and fired a quick text to Uncle David, telling him to come and pick me up from Gabriel’s place. We sat in silence, eating and stewing with our thoughts. Words swirled about in my head. All the things I wanted to say and yet nothing to say.
“My uncle’s here,” I said as my phone dinged with a message from my uncle.
“Don’t do this…” Gabriel said pleadingly.
I shook my head. “I have to try.”
I walked out of Gabriel’s apartment with a heavy heart to my uncle’s pickup truck parked conveniently in front of the building. As I climbed in, I was very aware of Gabriel’s eyes watching us and the presence of the goddess in the pickup with us.