Cursed To Kill Me by Evelyna at Inkitt

Chapter 1

There is one thing every child in this world knows.

No one is born without a Shadow.

A Shadow is not merely the darkness that follows your footsteps. It is your soul, your past, and your destiny. Without it, you do not exist. Without it, you are a mistake that must be erased.

That is why, for eighteen years, I lived hidden deep within a forest, far away from anyone.

I was never allowed to leave. I was never allowed to be seen. The only people I had ever known were my aunt, Ciaris, and my brother, Erin.

Every night, Erin would tell me that one day I would see the world.

Every night, I believed him.

Neither of us knew that the day I finally stepped out of hiding, I would lose everything.

TWELVE YEARS EARLIER

That morning, birds sang through the treetops while a fox patiently stalked its prey.

Erin and I were searching for a rare flower for our aunt's potion.

— Didn't Aunt say it was called... Gahata? I asked, peering through the orange grass.

— Who even remembers? Let's just find it.

Erin looked up at the sky, studying the position of the sun.

— It's already two in the afternoon, and we haven't eaten a thing.

My stomach growled so loudly that, for a moment, neither of us moved.

Then my brother suddenly burst out laughing.

— You sound like a Reflexian!

My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I hurled the basket full of purple unicorn bones at him.

— That's not funny!

He dodged at the last second, and the basket crashed into a tree, scattering the bones across the ground.

He stopped laughing and looked at me.

I looked back at him.

Neither of us dared touch the bones.

When he realized I wasn't saying anything, Erin tore a large, thick mustard-colored leaf from a nearby tree.

Careful not to touch the bones with his skin, he began picking them up one by one.

Feeling guilty for what I had done, I grabbed another leaf and started collecting the purple unicorn bones as well.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the ground.

A thick greenish-yellow cloud rose between the trees, swallowing the sky.

None of the animals seemed frightened. They simply carried on as though explosions were part of everyday life.

I looked up at the heavy green cloud and sighed.

— Looks like we're too late.

Erin placed the last bone into the basket and picked it up.

— Let's go before she blows the house up.

I stood and brushed the dust from my dress.

My legs ached, and I was exhausted, but I still wanted to finish what we had started.

— But what about the plant?

— There's no point looking anymore, Nyra. The potion has already failed.

He walked ahead without waiting for me.

When I realized he wasn't stopping, I ran after him.

Even though he was only five years older than me, he was unusually tall for a fifteen-year-old.

— But, Erin...!

I stumbled and nearly fell before his Shadow caught me.

— You'd think you had two left feet.

He turned back toward me with a teasing smile.

His Shadow wrapped around my waist and lifted me into the air.

It was cool, like a refreshing summer breeze. Its texture was strange, somewhere between gas and solid, and it moved like water.

— This will be faster.

Without another word, he started walking again, his Shadow carrying me through the air behind him.

I sighed, feeling like a little child, but I didn't complain.

Eventually, we arrived at a large house built of stone and wood, with steep roofs, arched windows, and climbing ivy, hidden deep within the forest.

When my feet finally touched the stone steps at the entrance, Erin stopped in front of the door, gathering the courage to open it. The moment he pushed it open, a wave of green smoke hit him straight in the face.

We both started coughing and hurried inside, searching for the source of the disaster.

— No way! I messed it up again!

My aunt's voice echoed from the laboratory, followed by another loud bang.

I sighed. It was the third explosion that week.

The color drained from Erin's face before quickly turning bright red.

— Aunt Ciaris!

he shouted, staring at the house, now covered in a lumpy green slime.

I wanted to run outside before I threw up. It smelled like burnt rubber mixed with boiled eggs. Somehow, despite the horrible stench, I stayed.

— What the hell did you do this time?!

He stormed toward the laboratory at the end of the hallway. Before following him, I rushed outside for a breath of fresh air.

— I'd be better off packing my bags and living in the forest, I muttered.

I took a deep breath, pinched my nose shut, and stepped back inside.

Following the trail left by the slime, I walked past the living room, the only place that didn't look like a swamp. Erin's Shadow sat down at the table where Yioi, Ciaris's owl, and Zulina, my fox, were playing cards, then happily joined their game.

I entered the dark room everyone called the laboratory. It was now illuminated by a huge hole in the roof, through which I could see the sky and the treetops.

The room smelled just like the slime covering the house, only weaker. Beneath it lingered the scent of burnt herbs and smoke.

Wooden shelves lined the walls, filled with jars containing lizard eyes, kangaroo ears, crocodile noses, dragonfly powder, and countless other strange ingredients.

A fire burned in the middle of the room, with a cauldron floating above it that looked as though it couldn't survive another potion.

Something bumped into my foot.

I looked down and saw several little plants running around, laughing as they proudly carried Erin's underwear before disappearing into a mouse hole.

My aunt stood bent over a table, completely absorbed in a spellbook. She hadn't even noticed we had come in, and Erin was already standing behind her.

— Auntie!

She flinched and looked up.

Her black hair, streaked with a few white strands, stuck out wildly in every direction.

From what I'd heard, the white streaks weren't caused by age but by a spell she had used the day my parents died. I had never learned anything more than that. Erin had always refused to tell me what had happened.

— When did you two get here? she asked, covered from head to toe in the green substance.

— Do you have any idea how long it's going to take us to clean this house?! Erin shot back.

— Don't be so dramatic. It'll only take a week.

Behind her, the woman's Shadow pressed a hand against its forehead, as if even it had run out of patience.

My brother clenched his fists.

It was obvious he hated cleaning up the strange slimes our aunt created. Some climbed onto you. Others sprayed toxic liquid. The only thing we'd learned from experience was that before touching one, you always had to poke it with a stick first.

While they argued, something on the wall caught my attention.

Letters suddenly appeared, the dark red color of blood. They kept forming until only one sentence remained.

I'M COMING FOR YOU.

My heart tightened painfully for no reason I could understand.

I took a step back.

It became harder and harder to breathe.

The room spun around me, and I lost my balance.

— Nyra!

My brother caught me by the shoulders just in time.

— Are you okay?

I nodded.

— Yes... I'm just a little dizzy.