Elif's POV

Brayden told me about Father's call earlier, so we agreed to leave right away. I picked up my purse which I dropped during that kiss. I was looking into my purse for that. "What happened?" Brayden asked me with a worried look. "Umm I was searching for that pendant. You know which I wear always." I spoke while looking at my purse. "Oh the one which has both of our pictures on both sides?" I looked up at him, a little flushed with what he said. "Yeah, that one." I stammered again. "Where did you see it last?" He enquired. "Umm l opened it when they were trying those necklaces on me. I think I may have dropped it in that shop then." I figured. "Okay then we will stop by the shop on our way back. Let's hurry. We shouldn't be late more." He suggested.

It was too dark. In these 10 years, I didn't even stayed out so long from home. It was always like being trapped in my own prison. Ofcourse the choice was mine, so need to face whatever hardships waiting in queue. "Brayden." He was too focused in his driving and seemed a little stressed too. "Could it be that? That he regrets proposing me? Maybe it was all a whim?" I was having this negative thoughts. "Yeah say?" He looked distant. "Are you having second thoughts?" I asked nervously. He stopped the car with a sudden jolt. I got frightened. "What happened? Did I do anything wrong?" I felt my breathe hitched. "Elif, do I look that much untrustworthy to you? Why are you thinking about such things? It's not you. It's me. It's me who feels that something bad is going to happen." Brayden looked at me and I saw the fear in his eyes. After everything I saw about him, this was the one thing which I witnessed the first time. He was worried about the future.

We reached the shop. "Brayden, you wait in the car. I'll get the pendant." I suggested. He nodded.

I went inside the shop but it was all too dark. The lights were off. "Hello. Is anyone here?" I called out. But there was pin drop silence apart from the  clicking of my heels. I found the switchboard and switched on the lights.  I walked cautiously to the trial room to look for the pendant. I searched everywhere but it wasn't there. I walked to the next room, the Salon, most likely I had dropped the pendant there. I moved aside the curtain and saw a woman sitting on the chair, her back facing the door. "I'm sorry. I entered without a permission. The doors were closed and the lights were off too. I called out many times but nobody responded so I just...." She didn't even bother to look at me and just sat there still like a statue. "Excuse me Miss? Are you listening?" My voice trailed off and I walked hesitantly near her. I noticed the pendant lying on the table. I took the privilege to take it and was about to lift my hand when suddenly she grabbed my hand. "Hey, what are you doing? This is mine. I'm taki-" I looked up and my body froze.

She was staring at me. Her eyes were completely white. Her face was full of scars and her hand was... was Ice cold, like a Corpse. I wanted to scream, but my voice won't come out. I was shivering at my spot. She stood up and started walking towards me. I tried to pulled out my hand but she was pressing it too hard. I was scared. She looked at me with those horrifying eyes. And suddenly, her other hand came and grabbed me by the throat. Her other hand came in too. She was driving the life out of me. I wasn't able to breathe. I tried to remove her hand but she was way too strong. I saw the hair straightener lying on the table. Her focus was keenly on me. I took the straightener and hit her on the head. She left me and fell down on the ground. I coughed and screamed. I took the pendant quickly and put it on me. I ran out of the room and heard her standing up again. I locked the door behind me.

I was running for the exit when the door locked by itself and the lights turned off. I screamed and cried. All the bad memories came rushing back... I was scared. I slumped down and cried and screamed. "Don't kill me, please." I screamed aloud. In the darkness, I saw a black figure coming towards me and I shivered. "Please don't. Don't kill me, please." I cried and pleaded. She grabbed me by my throat and lifted me in the air. "I ca-can't be-brea-the." I was feeling dizzy and my feets were turning cold. I was losing my consciousness when I heard someone broke the glass door behind me. "Leave her now. You want me, right? Then let her go." It was Brayden's voice. At once, she left my throat and I collapsed on the floor. The woman moved towards Brayden and grabbed his throat and pushed him against the wall. "Brayden..." I shouted. "I need to do something. She will kill him. No, I need to fìnd a way." I panicked. I remembered Father had given me the bottle of Holy Water. That should work. I stretched my arm and took the purse. The woman noticed that and came up for me but before that Brayden took the chance and stabbed her on the heart with a metal rod. She stumbled back holding the rod to her chest. She fell down and I saw blood was coming out from that wound. Blood. "It's okay. No one will hurt you. Let's go. We have to leave. Okay?" Brayden came infront and  blocked that terrible sight. I nodded and he held my hand and we fled from there.

Brayden drove his car at full speed. Once in a while, he would look at the back if she was still following or not. We were just a few kilometres away from Church and suddenly a tree fell down in front of the way. Brayden's car hit the tree and his head hit on the steering wheel. "Brayden." I screamed. I tried to wake him but he fell unconscious. From the back, I heard a large roar and that woman came flying at us and threw a broken branch of the tree and I closed my eyes in fear. But I didn't feel any pain. I opened my eyes and saw Brayden covering me and the branch had pierced into his right arm. He was writhing in pain. My heart dropped at that sight. He looked at my eyes and hid his wound. His white shirt tainted in red. My tears started coming out. "Why did you?" I started but "I promised that I'll protect you." I placed my hand at his face. He weakly shook his head. "Give me that bottle." I shook my head. "It's gonna be alright. Give it to me." He urged me. I handed him the bottle. "Wait your wound." He took out his handkerchief and tied it over the wounded region. I stared at him in awe. He moved out of the car and locked it. The woman was limping towards us. "Wait for me here." He warned me and walked towards the woman. She came near him and held him by his collar. He took out the bottle from his pocket and opened the cap. The woman lifted him up and was about to throw him, but he spilled the holy water on her body and she screamed out. She left Brayden and started crying in pain, like her whole body was burning. After a few seconds, she collapsed on the ground, motionless. Brayden walked to the car and spoke "She is dead now."

We drove back to the Church. "You go ahead, I'll park the car and then follow." Brayden suggested. I nodded and went inside. "Elif, are you alright?" Uncle Matthews came running to me, with a scared look on his face. "Yeah, I'm fine." I said. Father came down the stairs, hearing our voices maybe. "Oh Jesus. I'm so glad that you're back home safe. Where is Brayden?" Father asked.
"Hey, did I miss something?" Brayden came in at the very moment and he had put on his blazer too. He smiled at everyone. "Oh you didn't get into any trouble right Young Master? It was getting so late and you haven't returned yet, so we were just worried about you both." Uncle still looked like he was hiding something. "Uncle, we had been to a trouble." I looked at Brayden, shocked a bit by his words. Father Xavier and Uncle's eyes widened in dismay. "Brayden, what do-" I started but Brayden didn't let me finish, "Woah woah, I was just Kidding. Sorry about that. Actually I had trouble babysitting this girl beside me. She would disappear every time I turn back and I have to keep an eye on her always." He said and everyone started laughing. "It was you, not me." He raised his eyebrow and we all started laughing.
"Father, you said about something bad is going to happen like that. Did something happen while we were out?" I asked to Father. "About that, I want to have a word with Elif. Come to my room." Brayden and I, both looked at each other.

I went inside Father's room. "Father." Father signalled me to take a seat. "The thing is about you, Elif. I didn't tell you before because you were very small back then. So I didn't speak about it." Father looked a little strange. "Father, what is it that I don't know?" I asked. I was just losing my mind with all of the things that happened earlier. "Elif, you know that you're the one who is carrying the Seal in you. It's the Seal which had kept that evil spirit locked inside that room till today. It was your decision to take this danger on yourself." Father's voice trailed off. "Yeah, I know. And I don't blame anyone for that and nor I regret it." I tried to convince but I figured it was not the point actually. "There are some restrictions to that Seal." Restrictions? "You know you can't live too far from the city. So we sent  you to Mt. Carmel and that too at a place where evil things can't infiltrate. Also, you should have a pure Soul. One who bears the Seal in them, cannot have any evil or sinful thoughts. Emotions such as Jealousy, Hatred, Greed, all give birth to an evil within us. People die, but Feelings doesn't. The Soul carry out the person's ambition. These thoughts can also rise from other thoughts like too much hurt, anxiety or Love." My eyes shot open. Till now, I was just listening with my head down but that last word made me shudder. "Love is not Evil. Loving the people around us is a Sin? This can't be true." I opposed.

"St Paul reminds Christians that: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20. This means that your spirit is a medium to connect with God. Being pure means being free of wordly relations. And only then can God reside in you and help you get through all Evils. Having sexual feelings and performing acts like copulation, breaks the chain between you and God. So if you commit such a sin, then you're guilty and your Soul is tainted. I know the world has changed a lot but religion still holds these beliefs and which in turn is also validated in case of your Seal. The phrases written in the Seal's scripture belongs to old Theologians. They believed that sexual desires is an act of conduct. Thus, the Seal will break if you commit such forbidden acts." I felt my chest aching. It was like someone telling me that my love for him was a crime. I don't believe  in this. "So, I hope you haven't done something like that. This thing was worrying me the whole time." His eyes were intimidating me like I was a sinner in his eyes. "What happens if someone unintentionally commits such a... an Act?" I stuttered. "Then the Seal will break and the Evil spirit will be Unleashed. And you know what that means." Just in one minute, all what I held dear to me started breaking me from within. I felt myself trapped in these social norms and beliefs. This was tearing me apart. But more than that there was this one thought in my head, "If this was all true, then it means the Seal is already broken and the Evil is out, following us. We are in danger."

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