Aini

In our childhood, we were taught not to curse anyone, ask them to die, it was considered bad to even pronounce such a thing but for me, I was destined to die before I was born.

Death was a common phrase in a human's life, for me and everyone but the cruel part was that you were dying because of someone else fault, it hurts.

I'm shifted to the ritual of Avyanna's death, the witch spirits gathered with hooded faces, Halina was a spirit as well but her face was visible, she was the guide to witch-hood for me and Avyanna, we could tell.

It was a forest, the moon shone bright indicating it was a full moon day. They created a bonfire and stood around it, Avyanna was placed inside, next to the fire.

We heard Avyanna scream in pain, her baby minutes away from birth, through tears she begged the witch spirits, "let me hold my child for a minute, please," she chanted those words through her misery.

Halina however was the nicest amongst them, she consoled Avyanna but one of the witches started their ritual, they chanted loudly, words unknown to me but the meaning was clear, they were stealing Avyanna's soul as compensation for lessening the strength of the curse for all the other witches to come, except mine.

When we heard the outcries of the newborn baby, Avyanna was losing her consciousness, for the last time she raised her hand in the air and uttered, "my baby, please," but one of the witches stated.

"It's done!" They brought a knife from the ground, placed it on top of Avyanna's chest, and pushed her towards the fire, I was shocked and hurt, I screamed in agony, the sight was so hard to see.

Her body caught flames, I heard Halina shout, "she wanted to hold the baby," but it was done, I ran towards the fire and tried to pull her body out but it was feeble attempts for they were events done in the past, I felt useless standing there.

I cried for a long time, the witch spirits, the fire, and Halina vanished and I was kneeling on the floor alone, retired and sad, I heard Avyanna's voice inside my head in a melancholic whisper, "I just wanted to live for once."

I angrily punched at the ground, crying loudly at the forest, I felt my body shake and I blinked.

I opened my eyes in a hazy state, wondering where I was dumped for another time, I was in Avyanna's room but it wasn't a glimpse of Avyanna's life I was shown, instead I was here, in reality. I noticed Harry holding my hands, the happiness clear on his lips and with tears of joy in his eyes.

"Aini! Aini, you're fine, you're fine," he mumbled happily, hugging me sideways from the left.

"It's okay A, we are here, you are fine," it was Zara, on my right.

"We will not let anything happen to you honey, we are here," I heard my mom's voice.

I was happy to be united with my family, I hugged Harry, Zara, and my mom altogether. Scooped them all in my arms, and cherished their warmth. I missed them, they were the most important people in my life.

Momentarily my pains were forgotten, glad to feel the love again, when the happy tears subsided, I saw the figure lying on the floor, I withdrew myself from their hold and went closer to the figure.

It was Avyanna, I was happy and sad, I just saw her crumble to dust, looking at her lying on the ground was relieving, however, her unconscious state made me worry and go crazy instantly.

I quickly crouched next to her and patter her cheeks, "Avy, wake up, You're fine!" But she was unmoving.

The alarm prevailed in my system, for the time being, I checked for her breathing and found it missing, I placed my hands on her chest and applied some pressure on her heart, pumping in harder with tears streaming down my cheeks, "Avyanna, wake up!" I shouted at her out of control. 

A comforting hand was placed on my shaking shoulders, "stop Aini," I heard my mom say slowly.

"No mom, she needs to wake up, it was the smoke," I answered and kept pumping, it should be the smoke from the bonfire, I was not planning to give up one more time, her death was my guilt, regret that I was useless to stand idly on the spot, this time I want to try.  

"Stop, stop," it was Zara, she was pulling my hands back, halting my actions.

"No Ze, she needs to wake up, it was the same-"

"She's dead!" She interrupted my attempts. 

"No Zara, it's the smoke, she will be fine!" I announced strictly at her, I wondered why they were not understanding, the only way to prove was for Avyanna to wake up, so screamed more loudly.

"Wake up Avy!"

"Aini she's dead!" Mom repeated, why do they keep saying that.

"How do you know?" I challenged, I know Avyanna more than any of them do.

She is a fighter.

"Because we killed her," Zara cried out in frustration, the guilt visible in her face.

My mom patted Zara, Harry was looking everywhere except my face, I realized they were telling the truth, Avyanna died again on my watch and I couldn't do anything to save her, a foreign feeling draped my heart, it went numb again.

"Why," I muttered slowly, broken from the inside.

"We didn't have a choice," Harry answered in a small voice.

They kept their distance while narrating, didn't want to provoke me anymore and it was working, they knew about the curse, and the history of witches, I was shocked that my mom was one of them and it was more surprising how she believed her unborn sister to be the seventh born.

They assured me of their company throughout my hardship, my anger dissipated slowly, compensating it with hurt and pain. It was true Avyanna was my worst nightmare and I should be happy that my family to put an end card to my misery, however spending time with Avyanna, staring at the glimpses of her life has changed the viewpoint of I saw her.

I saw her for the girl she was, strong, naive and good but the fates were cruel upon her, and time, time changed her for the evildoer she was but she only did what was offered to her, the witches promised my soul and that's what she took.

I couldn't come to terms with it, Avyanna roamed the world as a spirit for centuries, that would have been bad, she might have realized how sinful the world is, or you should be the villain to survive the world of the bad. She was a naive girl who fell into the hands of the dark.

"We had to kill her to bring you back," Zara finished their part.

"The fact that she was killed for me really does make it worse," I answered them in guilt.

"No Aini, don't forget the torture she put you through," Zara tried to convince but I wasn't taking any of them.

I laughed at her and said, "she was a teenager Zara, none of this is her fault."

As a twenty-two-year-old, I could understand her mentality, her mental pressure when her husband sold her to the monsters, or when her stepmother auctioned her for Augar for the benefit of their business.

"Her life was not a piece of cake," I declared openly to them, I wanted to tell them what I experienced, change the hate that they hoarded for the young girl.

But first, she should for once be buried respectively, I voiced my thoughts out, with utter confusion of why I'm doing this to my tormentor and for the guilt that they killed a life to save mine, they agreed.

I tore a piece of my dress and wrapped it on her cut, cleaned her face and Harry carried her bridal style. She deserved this.

"Where to?" Harry asked.

"To the sunflower region," it was Avyanna's favorite place, she should rest upon her cherished flowers, they would take care of her, the thought was consoling.

We didn't have anything to dig the ground, I was perplexed at what to do, Harry placed Avyanna on the ground and I sat next to her, blankly digging the ground from my hands, but the sunflower region loved their lady as well for they opened up a space on its own, the sunflowers fell on inside making a makeshift with their petals and we placed her inside."

"Take care of your lady, for she is loved," I announced slowly, pluck another flower from the region and placed it on her chest, I noticed the tinge of steel when I touched her, the knife the witches placed on her chest before sacrificing her to the fire manifested.

I heard the voice of Halina inside my head once again, "it's for sister, Avyanna wants you to have it."

With a heavy heart, I took it in my hands and sensed the powers of the knife splurge through my never and I was transfixed for the moment. The ground swallowed Avyanna and closed on its own.

When we were done, we went back inside the mansion to take the bag, I heard my mom utter in dread, "we need to get out of the town fast, it's almost sunset."

It's dangerous for us to stay any longer, Harry announced quickly, "let's get out of here."

1600 words