The Gift

[Zetti]

Topic Title The Gift

Topic Description – Tracy Thompson aka Vivian

Eve Jacobsen aka Laura

Type of story: one-shot

Rating: T

Main Characters: Tracy Thompson aka Vivian

Eve Jacobsen aka Laura

Genre: A mixture

Warnings: Horror

Is Story being proof read: No

Summary: Laura and Vivian go on ajourney because of the 'GIFT'

The Gift

Her hands were sweating, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel, she had so many questions running through her mind the biggest was why?

Why was she doing this? She thought she knew the answer but the closer she got to her final destination the more her doubt grew.

She always thought that she could live with her ‘gift’ but the older she grew the more it haunted her, until she finally realised that unless she tackled her demons head on they would always haunt her.

She knew she had to have some answers even if they were not what she wanted to hear. She had to know why she was chosen for this ‘gift’ that was a constant burden to her. And why had it always felt more like a curse than a ‘gift’?

There was only one person who could give Laura the answers she needed- Vivian; her aunt. The same aunt who willing caused Laura immense pain. Laura used to admire her aunt they were inseparable. Laura loved her aunt almost as much as her aunt loved her, but her aunt’s love was not the unconditional love that most people experience. This love was based on a dream. Vivian’s dream of losing her ‘gift’, but the only way for her to do this was by passing it onto someone who possessed the talent to explore its full potential. This person was her niece; Laura.

When Laura was about thirteen her aunt paid her one of her rare visits, she brought gifts and love for her young niece. Laura was ecstatic at her aunt’s surprise arrival. This however caused her to become gullible (a trait Laura was not normally guilty of). As a direct result of this, Laura mistook her aunt’s evilness for love. Little did she know this at the time but this was the biggest mistake of her life and every bad thing that had ever happened to her afterwards was a direct reminder of how much she now hated her aunt. She felt unable to trust any one again. And how could she after the torment she had been put through by the person she loved most in the world.

The pain she suffered during the initiation was nothing compared to the throbbing she had to live with afterwards. The pulsating agony stayed with her constantly. There was no escape from her reality and the only person Laura had to blame for this nightmare was her aunt.

On the day of the initiation, Vivian was very keen to keep her niece by her side to ensure that there were no last minute difficulties. The process was going to be exceptionally difficult and Vivian was keen to avoid any mishaps. So just before Vivian and Laura set of on there journey into the unknown Vivian told Laura’s parents that they would be going to a pop concert and staying overnight in a bed and breakfast to guarantee that they wouldn’t worry and come looking for her. With all obstacles out of the way Vivian was at last, free to do what she had dreamed of for all her life. The moment was finally here. It was her moment and she would not let any one or anything spoil it. It was going to be perfect. It was going to happen tonight no matter what the cost.

The Church where the initiation was to take place was old and run down, the windows which still existed had cracks in them and the graveyard to the front of the Church was riddled with muck and grime which meant that not even the dead wanted to be there, unfortunately for them they had no choice.

The church had not been used for years so the chances of anyone running into them were very slim, however if someone did happen to see anything they should not Vivian had the perfect weapon to keep them from saying anything to anyone. After all, how could they speak of what they saw if they were dead?

As they entered the Church Vivian’s excitement entered a new level. This was the moment she had been waiting for since forever. It was finally here and Vivian was adamant that nothing would spoil it. This was her dream it was all she had ever wanted. There was now only one thing to do before the process was able to happen; telling Laura what was about to take place.

Vivian told Laura that the initiation was a special gift for her. She said it would remind Laura continually of how deep her love for her stretched. She told her it would be a totally painless and a unique experience. For extra effect she also added that it would bond them in a way that no other being could ever possibly experience for it was an extra-ordinary bond that would bind there souls. Together. Forever. This bond was unbreakable.

For the initiation to take place Vivian would have to rip out a part of her soul and give it to Laura, which meant the only way to break this bond was if one or both of them died.

The entire initiation process however was not as simple as this. For one it took place before a group of chiefs. The job of the chiefs was principally to find the soul of the possessor and rip out the part, which held the ‘gift’. This alone would be an excruciating experience even with the permission of the person who was to inherit the ‘gift’ however, without their permission; the pain would be unbelievable. Most people however do come out alive- though only just.

Now that Laura knew what was going to happen she was excited. She believed everything her aunt told her and was keen to keep her aunt happy. She felt as though she had to confirm how much she loved her aunt and thought that this was the best way to do it.

There were only five people on the panel of chiefs and they all appeared genuine. Laura immediately warmed to them. She thought that if they were friends of her aunt they must be nice people.

The formalities took a long time they were however necessary. The chiefs asked Laura if she was aware of what was about to happen and the consequences that the ‘gift’ carried. They then outlined all the negatives of the ‘gift’, but Laura was adamant that she wanted to follow the procedure through. They then asked Vivian if she understood what giving up the ‘gift’ meant. She said she did- although a bit too quickly. Vivian’s enthusiasm at giving up the gift planted a seed of doubt in Laura’s mind- after all if the gift was so great why would her aunt be so keen to give it up? Laura however didn’t share her concern with anyone.

They then entered a room. In this room was a large candle lit circle. In the corner, there was a large fire, and in the centre of the circle, there were two chairs for both Vivian and Laura. Together they walked into the centre of the circle, slowly, with there heads bowed in respect for the chiefs. The chiefs stood around the circle with there hands joined. They circled the circle chanting a prayer, which was to summon the soul of possessor. A cloud of smoke rose from beneath Vivian’s seat. It was bright green and it enclosed her, it trapped her in her seat while it entered her through her nose, it was to find her soul and drag it out of her body. Therefore leaving her as an empty shell and unable to feel any emotion, the pain before the soul left her however made up for the emotionless state she was in after.

Vivian was now suffering immense pain as the smoke searched for her soul. It waded through ever corner of her body. And after what felt like a lifetime, the cloud emerged through her ears. Leaving her soul at the feet of the chiefs and her body looking like a limp piece of meat.

The hard part of the initiation was still to come: the finding of the ‘gift’. The head chief summoned the soul to stand in between Laura and Vivian while the chiefs chanted a plea to their superiors. After a small while, the soul started to dissect itself into different parts. The part of the soul, which held the ‘gift’, moved away from the rest of the soul towards the chiefs. The chiefs were now to insert the remainder of the soul back into Vivian. This process however was easy all that the chiefs had to do was inform the soul where the body was and leave the rest to nature.

The most difficult part of the procedure had now arrived. Laura was sent into a deep sleep to minimise her pain and her aunt was woken to witness that the procedure went according to plan. The head chief grabbed a staff and lit the sharp end from the burning fire in the corner of the room. He then pressed it against the back of Laura’s skull. A red cloud of smoke then emerged from Laura’s ear. One of the junior chiefs trapped the smoke in a jar. The smoke was the last ingredient to be added to the potion that was to complete the initiation process. While the junior chief was adding the finishing touches to the potion, the head chief woke Laura from her sleep.

Laura was given a cup of a potion to drink. The fear in her eyes was now showing but nonetheless she drank the potion without any queries.

A scream left Laura’s mouth for the pain she had just experienced was indescribable. Her soul was torn apart by the potion to make room for the ‘gift’. Blood poured out through every available opening. A large chunk of her soul left her body through her feet. But the part that caused the most pain was when the ‘gift’ entered her body through the hole left in her foot.

So now here, she was on a dark cold night. Alone. She knew no-body here and

No-body knew her; it was just how she wanted it. She did not want to feel the need to explain her actions or feelings to anyone. She knew they would all just regard her as a freak. And why shouldn’t they she was a freak. She was the only person around with such a shameful secret. She felt as though she was alone in the world. She was sure there was no-one else around like her and she was positive that they wouldn’t understand how she felt or why she was ashamed of herself as they wouldn’t have suffered the same torment as her, they wouldn’t have felt the need to hide their true feelings from there closest family and friends for fear of rejection; which was inevitable once they knew the truth about her.

She was intent that she would get the answers she wanted. The rage that filled her heart when she considered what her aunt had done to her almost ate her up inside and she was certain that unless she received the answers that she needed to be able to live with her ‘gift’ it would eat her up until she was an empty heartless shell.

She was about five minutes from her destination and her emotions were all mixed up. She thought she was certain that she wanted to see Vivian but now her feeling were confused. She stopped the car. Just as she was about to do a three point turn a voice in her head told her to carry on with her journey. So what if she regretted it at least she would know that she had tried. By now, her head was messed up. What was she to do? She thought she wanted to visit her aunt but still there was a niggling doubt in her mind. What if it went wrong and the answers were not what she wanted to hear? But the daredevil in her would not let her turn back as she knew that she would regret it. So she restarted the car and resumed her journey.

Vivian lived in the well off part of town. Her home was a large three bed roomed flat. She appeared to have done well for herself. Too well in Laura’s opinion. Vivian had all the luxuries in the world while Laura was suffering because of her evilness. Laura felt a shiver go down her spine; her hands were shaking while she was summoning up the courage to knock on the door of the cause of her nightmare.

Knock, knock.

The door opened, there stood Vivian elegantly dressed in a flowing satin

Suit. Her head held high as though she did not have a care in the world then she saw who was at the door and a look of dread crossed her face. She silently moved from the doorway in order to let Laura enter her paradise. The paradise, which was a result of Laura’s, suffering.

Laura walked inside slowly, examining every detail in the hallway, breathing in the scent of lavender. She placed herself comfortably on the rich cream sofa. She gave of an air off self-confidence. She did not want Vivian to even think that she was scared of her.

“Come and join me?” Vivian asked pointing at the dining table.

Laura rose gracefully from her seat and crossed the room. She settled in the chair while Vivian set another place at the table. While dinner was being dished up, Laura admired the paintings on the wall. One in particular caught her eye, it was a painting of a church, and she gave an involuntary shiver. It was the same Church she saw whenever she closed her eyes. This picture confirmed her belief that her aunt was evil itself. Why else would she keep a painting of the church where her niece lost her life?

“What are you doing with a painting of that thing?” Laura demanded in a deadly whisper. “Wasn’t it enough that I lost my life in there? Why do you want to be constantly reminded of it? Were you born completely heartless or was it something you worked for?” Laura demanded. Her voice was now rising; her anger, which had been kept locked for 10 years, was finally erupting. The questions, which she needed, answered where finally leaving the confines of the brain and being shared.

“I will tell you, La...”

“Don’t you dare use my name you spiteful witch” Laura spat.

They sat in silence neither of them eating. Until…

“Are you ready to hear why I did it?” Vivian asked

Laura just nodded. Not trusting herself to speak.

“Ok then, here goes,” sighed Vivian. “I first realised that I couldn’t live with my ‘gift’ when I was a bit younger than you. It interfered with my life and at that age my social life was the centre of my universe. I felt as though I would explode if I did not find a way to escape from my nightmare. So imagine my relief when someone approached me and told me it was possible to escape my nightmare. I felt like I had been given my life back. It was all I had ever wanted and I was damned if I was going to let this chance escape. All I knew was that I was going to get rid of my so called ‘gift’ regardless of who got hurt in the process,” She paused for a drink.

“Do you regret it?” Laura asked inaudibly as though she was almost scared to hear the answer.

Vivian drew a sharp breath before she answered “No. I don’t it was the best thing I ever did” she saw the hurt in Laura’s eyes and added “I’m sorry”

“I think I understand” Laura said slowly “If I had the chance to eliminate this curse I would seriously consider it. I don’t know if I would be able to ruin someone else’s life though. It would be an unbearable weight on my shoulders”

They sat in silence for a while, until Laura was unable to contain herself. “What did you use your gift for?”

“I didn’t, I ignored it as much as possible unless it was Halloween when it was custom for us all to visit our local group for the annual reunion. I don’t think they do that any more though?”

“No, they don’t.”

There was another silence. They sat around the table and ate in the tranquillity that surrounded them.

“I should get going” Laura said. “Thanks for talking to me”

“I am sorry that you had to get hurt, but I don’t regret getting rid of the curse.”

Laura just nodded, turned around and walked out.

Once Laura was settled in the car, she let out a contented sigh. She was exceptionally glad that she went through with her “talk” to her aunt. She felt as though an as though an extraordinary weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was now almost felt content with her ‘gift’. The ride home was relaxing despite the traffic jams and the stormy weather. Once the queue started moving, again Laura felt in a rush to get home and live her life with her ‘gift’ but unfortunately for her that was not going to happen.

Laura saw a roadblock at the end of the highway and slowed down. She stopped at the end of the road and put a CD in the car stereo. The music was comforting. She felt happy as though she was invincible. She was finally able to accept herself; she was now looking forward to her life. She felt as though she had been given a new reason to live and she intended on taking her chance. As she continued on her journey, she felt less and less alert. The adrenaline rush she had felt when she left her aunt’s house was now slowly disappearing. She felt tired and groggy. She saw a shadow a few yards ahead of her but she thought that it was just her imagination playing tricks on her, so she accelerated. She thought she saw some staggering in front of her. So she moved to put her foot on the brakes. But she was too late.

CRASH.

The car skidded. She swerved to save the drunken man in the process however; she drove herself straight into a wall. The impact was too strong for her too survive. Her happy ending was no more. The bond was broken forever the only person who won in the end was Vivian. After all, she had everything she had always wanted.

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