Her hands trembled by her sides, and she slipped to the floor, crying as her body shuddered with tears.
She didn't know how long she had been crying but when she was done, Zesika and her son were gone, believing that the rain had caught up with her in the market.
It was still raining.
By Ignas, what an attitude.
Quickly, she stood up and cleaned the room. Took a bath and pretended that this had never happened.
She decided not to step out of her house that day so that whatever was triggering the thing in her would not come in contact with her again.
That dog.
That person.
Until she could figure things out, she wouldn't leave this place.
She didn't want to bring harm to anyone.
Her plan would have gone alright, but then, once again, there was a knock on her door.
She froze, hoping whosoever it was would go away.
"Aniya, are you home?"
Her eyes went wide beneath her veil, because she knew that voice.
Belladonna?!
Oh no.
If this had been any other time but now, she would have been ecstatic that her sister had decided to seek her out, over the moon that she was at the doorstep of their home once again.
But right now, she felt nothing but fear.
She didn't want this thing in her to hurt her sister.
The knock came again, and her memory started to fail her.
She would just stay here and hope for her to go away just as Zesika and her son had.
But her sight was fading into blackness and it seemed she had passed out for just a moment, but she hadn't.
The next time she blinked, panic rushed through her veins, to see that her sister was already seated on the sofa, looking up at her.
"Are you alright?" Belladonna's question sounded like a distant echo, while she blinked to clear her blurry sight and see through the nettings of her black veil properly.
When did that happen? When had she opened the door and invited her in?
This was getting out of hand!
"This is for you." Belladonna had a small basket with her and she settled it on the table. "Food. Some of the families I visited this evening gave me as a parting gift. I was around so I decided to see you." She stood up abruptly. Her upright in her light blue dress made her look ethereal and untouchable at the same time. "I have seen you. Goodnight."
"Stay the night, please." The words pushed through her teeth as she clenched and unclenched her fists by her sides, her nails were turning into something sharp, digging into her palms.
This thing again.
This curse!
She fought to stay in control and not "pass out" as she had done before.
That only promised danger.
"---If you need anything else, tell me." That sentence sounded incomplete and Aniya realized that what she was avoiding had happened again. The control was switching, she had to get rid of Belladonna right now!
It seemed like she had turned down the offer to stay the night though, because her sister looked like she was headed towards the door.
That was a good thing.
"Let us be the way we used to be. We are sisters, we were happy. We can be happy again. I am sorry for everything, just tell me what I have to do and I will. You are my only family, besides Arlo. Please, do not stay angry at me." The words slipped past her lips again.
They were words that she meant, but she didn't want to say them right now.
This thing was trying to stall her sister till it would take full control and she couldn't really even fight against it.
By Ignas!
"I am not angry, I just feel nothing."
"Let us go back to the way we used to be. I promise I will be better this time. Please, forgive me. Give me a chance."
"Many people are asking me for that now. I wonder why, maybe because they are seeking something they don't deserve. Greedy." Belladonna's voice was cold, as cold as her blue eyes that seemed to have lost their spark.
For that moment, everything seemed to have stood still for Aniya as she observed how much her sister had changed.
Her shoulders were rigid with tension and distrust, and she took an observation of the sitting room with disgust in her eyes.
It was understandable, her memory of this house was certainly not something to bring a smile to her face. Aniya remembered the confrontation they had right here, after she had slept with Lytio, and her face burned at the memory of the slap.
"Do you want to leave this place?" Belladonna finally asked.
"This village? Inaymi?" Aniya asked. Her sister must have heard some things about her, about how she took a lonesome road. This must be about the fire. Aniya knew that her veil was something Belladonna was purposely not talking about.
"Yes."
"No, Inaymi is my home. My son is here, my life is there."
Belladonna scoffed. It was so strange to hear Aniya sound like a mother, a responsible one at that, and not a messing crying child with stupid words sprouting from her mouth.
"What about this house? I can find you somewhere else."
"I want to stay."
"Of course, you want to stay." Her voice was so low, Aniya had barely heard her.
"But you are leaving."
"In a few days, maybe in a week."
The thing in her must have been agitated at hearing that its prey would soon be leaving.
Therefore, her struggle to stay in control started again.
Harder, this time.
"Will I ever see you again?" These were her words.
Belladonna's hand slipped around the doorknob, with her back turned to her. "I don't know. I don't think so." Then she turned to face her, watching the tears swindling in Aniya's eyes. "I don't want to."
Her voice trembled when she spoke. "Sister Bell---"
"Be happy, Aniya. Farewell."
The door slammed shut and Belladonna disappeared into the night.
"Sister Bell." Aniya cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her control slipped slightly and just like it, it was immediately yanked from her.
With an unfathomable speed, she got to the door and yanked it off its hinges. Then she disappeared right into the night to hunt down her prey under the pouring rain.