Chapter 6 - Getting Bloody Sick of It

“Can… Can we lie down?” Echo panted, “Or take off the amulet or something, I can’t stand it anymore!”

“No can do. You’re going to be feeling this way more often - get used to it,” I laughed despite the pain.

Over the past week, Echo and I had finally settled into a good routine; understanding the main challenges of having privacy, using technology and gender differences. Though, the last one was definitely a work in process, much to my secret sadistic delight and Echo’s dismay. I didn’t blame him for having a hard time adapting, but there were some things that he was just going to have to take on the chin.

More specifically, having a period and the god awful cramps that accompany it.

“I will never underestimate women again. Who said they were weaker than men?”

I wrinkled my nose, “I mean physically? Sure. The rest? No. We’re not some alien species, but I’m glad there’s some differences. If anything we’re smarter, that’s for sure,” I tacked on playfully.

Nausea reared its head. I coughed lightly.

“Oh lord!” Echo gasped.

I looked into the bathroom mirror with disappointed pity.

“Fine, I’ll look for some painkillers and try one of them remedies or something,” I murmured.

“Try all of them.”

I rolled my eyes.

With a sigh, I begrudgingly descended the stairs and turned on the kettle before I yanked open the medicine cupboard in the kitchen.

Where on earth was that paracetamol?

Carefully, I got on my tippy-toes and rifled through the old various bandages, needles and the homemade antibiotics jar until I found a little blue box right at the back of the cupboard.

Aha!

I popped one out from the foil and swallowed it dry.

Echo gagged, “I feel it stuck in your throat.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth to stop the giggles from escaping as I poured some water out into a clear mug with my teabag in.

After a healthy dollop of honey, I stirred the mug carefully and took a long sip.

Syrupy sweetness coated my tongue, and I sighed in bliss.

“Mmm. That’s nice.”

“Maybe I should drink this more often,” I agreed.

The warmth of the tea penetrated my cold, clammy hands as I watched the bubbles in the tea swirl absentmindedly.

“Take another sip, I want another one!” Echo exclaimed.

“What are you, five?” I snorted, “Wait for it to cool down a bit more or-”

“Oh, you made tea? Make me a mug,” A cocky voice rang out from the entrance.

I spilled some of the burning tea onto the counter. Hastily, I grabbed a tea towel and began to mop up some of the mess before Mum could slap me for staining the cream carpets she got six months ago.

“Dave!” I exclaimed with gritted teeth. I turned around to face him, “What on earth brings swine like you here?”

“To use the woods for magic practice, you silly cow. You ask the stupidest questions. Just pour me a cup for now - it’s all you’re good for anyway!” He mocked.

“I see why you don’t like him,” Echo observed.

“No s**t, Sherlock.”

“Who’s Sherlock?” He questioned.

I grimaced.

Dated references were still a work in progress.

“Well, at least I can pour tea. What are you good for? Kissing a*s? Angelica’s more specifically.” I snapped back, “Pour it yourself - I’m going back to my room,” I spun on my heels to head upstairs, only for my hand with the mug to be grabbed roughly.

I hissed in agony as the mug bounced off the ground, splattering freshly boiled water over my arms and feet.

I lost it.

“F**k. OFF!” I threw his arm away from me, snapped his head upwards and hit my palm into his chest to push him back.

Dave wheezed as he toppled backwards into one of the settee chairs, trying desperately to breathe in some oxygen.

Just who did he think he was?

“Thanks a*****e - now I have to make another cup. And I only had one sip of it as well.” I griped.

“Well, that’s not very nice, Ember,” Angelica sniggered as she made her way to stand behind Dave. She held her hand out like a damsel, “I apologise on my sister’s behalf.”

“Water off a duck’s back,” Dave grasped her hand gently and kissed it like a medieval knight, before grabbing it to pull himself up.

I folded my arms and cringed, “Gross, go flirt somewhere else. No one wants to see you swap spit on Mum’s Persian rug. You and Angelica there can piss off. And when you piss off somewhere else, piss off from there too. Then piss off some more. Keep pissing off until you get back here. Then piss off again!” I spat, “I swear this is all you guys know how to do.”

I didn’t want to be in the same room as them for a second longer unless I wanted to vomit. Honey tea be damned.

Echo mourned for the tea.

“I’ll make more when they leave,” I promised him.

I stormed halfway up the stairs, only for a soft hand to hand me back hard.

My hair waved in front of me as I was free-falling. I knew there was a table with a mug stand on it, waiting.

I was done for.

Pain throbbed throughout my body as Echo tried to activate my magic, but it was too late.

It felt as if an arrow pierced my skull and kept me there - I couldn’t move, stand or speak. My fingers and toes were unresponsive, and my vision was heavily distorted, as if I went for thirty rounds on a rollercoaster with fifty loops.

Blood dribbled from my skull, running down the curve of my back as it became absorbed by my long sleeve and jeans.

Angelica cackled delightedly through warbles of static, “Just die already. You don’t have anything else to live for anyway.”

“I’ve got you!” Echo screamed in my mind, “Focus on my voice!”

I tried to respond but everything was jumbled - I ended up jerking my fingers instead.

My strength continued to drain as Echo got to work healing up my skull, but it was all too much.

“W-t’s… Emb-"” Dad’s voice cut off like the static of a TV.

My body was lifted roughly by the shoulders as my head was dropped quickly onto his lap.

Echo halted his progress and a different burning cold power rushed in from the outside, slowly stitching head back together.

Pain. Pain. PaIN. PAIN PAIN. IT HURTSHURTSHURTS.

MAKEITSTOPHELPHELPMEPLEASE-

“I can take over from here. Sleep.”

I woke up on my bed, still coated in drying blood.

Damn it, I was going to have to change the sheets after this.

“You were inches from death, went through unspeakable pain and that’s the first thing you think about when you wake up?” Echo sighed exasperatedly.

“But laundry is such a pain.”

Echo paused before reluctantly making a mental noise of agreement.

“So… what happened?” I asked.

“Angelica yanked you back and cracked-”

“Not that bit. Dad was fixing me up and then everything went blank.”

“Um, I ended up taking over your body by putting you to sleep in the amulet.”

Holy shi-

“I didn’t know I could do that! I swear. I tried to move to the front and cut off your pain, but it turns out I accidentally swapped places with you. Oh, but don’t worry! I’ve managed to put you back,” Echo rambled.

“How reassuring.” I muttered dryly.

A bolt of fear struck me regardless. Was it really that easy for him to take over? All this time and he could have taken my body to God-knows where?

Even with our pact, it was frightening to know how much control he had over me.

“I promise I won’t abuse this power, Ember. All I desire is my own body - not yours. Sorry, but the experience of having menstrual cramps ruined it for me.” He joked, but I could feel his anxiousness peek through.

“Lovely. Don’t get me wrong, I can feel your honesty, but trust takes time to build - on both sides. I can’t exactly put my blind faith in you yet. This ability, however, is something we are definitely testing out later.”

“Sure,” He mentally shrugged.

“Where the hell is Dad anyway?” I grimaced when I scratched some of the congealed blood off my scalp.

“Dad?” I called out.

“I’m here! Just a minute!” He called out from down the corridor.

I heard Dad curse as he tripped on the rug and slammed the door open hard enough to chip a bit more off the wall.

“Does your Dad have to open the door like this every time?” Echo muttered, “It startles me.”

“Unfortunately.”

“How are you doing?” He parted my tangled and matted hair as he rifled over parts of my scalp. “Any pain? Vision loss?”

“Um, no- ow!” He gripped my chin as he pointed my face upwards as he shone a light into my eyes, switching between each one.

“Okay, good. Thank God! I almost had a panic-”

“Can you let go of my cheeks? They hurt.” I interrupted him.

“Sorry. Force of habit.”

I clenched my teeth.

“That shouldn’t even be a habit, what disrespect!” Echo fumed.

Our fury fused together into a swirling sea of flames, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Force of habit?” I bit out, folding my arms, “Manhandling your daughter is a force of habit? Are you even listening to yourself?” I growled.

Speaking like this wasn’t going to fix anything.

I turned away before I completely exploded on him.

He scratched his head, “...Right. Sorry, Ember.”

My head snapped forward in surprise and my eyes widened. “Right, um. Thanks. Don’t do it again,” I coughed awkwardly as my anger slowly turned down to a simmer.

“So… what happened?” He questioned.

His hand cupped my cheeks and my eyes almost watered from that scalding, gentle warmth.

My mouth opened, then closed again as I gazed at his gentle expression. I cupped his hand with longing, desperation and fear that I would never feel it again.

How cruel did fate have to be to give me such false hope that he’d ever love me like before?

I was nothing but a f**k-up and a disaster. All I knew was how to struggle against everyone around me. I didn’t do softness. He would never accept what I said. Never.

I was going to hurt him. Him, and everyone else around me - I always did.

My eyes shut tightly and I ripped my hand away from my face. I already mourned for what was to come, but I didn’t want to hide how I felt anymore.

“You won’t like what I’m about to say, Dad. It doesn’t matter anyway,” I smiled sadly.

“Try me,” He folded his arms and nodded for me to spill the tea.

I bit my lip nervously, “Someone - either Angelica or Dave, I’m not sure which - decided to yank me down the stairs so hard that I bashed my head open on the table. Angelica left me there to bleed out. I heard her laugh as my blood coated the floor before I blanked out.”

“Are you sure you weren’t hallucinating or something? It seems very out of character for her.”

My eyes darkened. He didn’t even humour the notion.

I’d had enough.

“Look, this is what I heard alright? I don’t care if you believe it or not, I didn’t expect a solution from you anyway. I’m done! I don’t want to be in the same house as Angelica anymore! I’m tired of the constant danger, the lies, the hurt I feel when I’m with all of you here. If Angelica and Dave keep doing this, I swear to God I’m going to - Ugh!” Frustrated, I punched the pillow as hard as I could.

“Calm down,” Dad grabbed my shoulder.

“Do not tell me to calm down!” I shook him off hard, “You don’t care enough to say that to me, you really don’t. No one here is on my side.”

“Of course I do - I healed you for God’s sake. Talk like a civilised person for once and we can try and work through your problems with Angelica.”

Gently, he pushed me back down to the bed, but I slapped his arm away.

I laughed bitterly at his naivety, “You haven’t been my father for years, and you don’t even know it! A father would, I don’t know, not treat me worse than the bird s**t on top of your Stefano Beamers. I tried so hard to be loved by you and I have gotten nothing but scorn! I am a social pariah for the whole town to gawk at because my own family treats me so! You pretend to be the perfect man with a perfect family, but I am the only shadow. Your picture perfect family will fall apart sooner or later, so get your head out of your a*s and open your damn eyes you-”

My head flung back and my cheek stung as if he stuck about a thousand needles into it.

He just slapped me-

“I am ordering you to calm down. This is not up for negotiation. Calm down, or I’m kicking you out of the house for the night. Spend it on the benches of town for all I care.”

I laughed harder. 

This was it! It always ended like this! It was how it was always going to be. 

Everything was useless.

“Ember…” Echo trailed off.

“Yeah, thanks Dad. I think I’ll take you up on that offer. I won’t change myself for you anymore. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t even want to see you anymore. Have fun figuring out how I ended up in that state in your perfect, safe house, and have fun having a go at Angelica for snogging Dave in the living room last week. I was surprised she hadn't lost her tongue down his throat with how much they were going at it.”

I opened the window and jumped out with practiced ease.

“Ember! Get back here and explain!”

I flipped him the bird, grabbed my bag and sprinted away, turning my back on him once again.