Twisted Returns

"Wait... what?"

"The necklace makes you stronger."

"What's going on?" Lorraine asks. "What about a necklace?"

"It's complicated, Lorraine. Not enough time to explain," Dean says. "Dana, we have to go."

"Where? Why?"

"Sorry, Lorraine. We'll explain later," he says. "If all goes well."

"But..." she says, her eyes wide, "what if it doesn't?"

"Then we'll just have to wait and see."

"Where are we going?" I ask. I've never been in this section of the castle. Not in this lifetime.

"I don't know, exactly," he says. "But I know we have to. Something is telling me that this is it. This is the big secret."

"This could be a trap..." I say. With the knowledge of magic transfer, I realize that my own safety is more important than ever. I don't have my magic anymore, but still...

"I know it is." He leads me down more stairs, basically jumping down the steps.

"Are we... underground?" I ask. It's impossible to tell these days, because of the lockdown. There are no windows and I haven't seen natural light in ages.

"I think so," he says. "We've gone down more than six flights of stairs, so probably."

"Well, that's great." I've always found the underground creepy. Of course, some people consider it safer bomb shelters are underground, after all. But I see it a different way. If someone traps you down there, there's no way out. It's not like you could break the walls, or jump out a window. You're just... stuck.

Dean keeps walking, and I follow. We pass by doors, hallways, rooms. They all seem familiar, but I can't pinpoint it, exactly. And I notice how long we've been walking, and how far we've traveled.

"Dean..." I say as it finally strikes me, "are we - are we in the right wing?"

He stops. "I - I think so. I guess the underground part wasn't sealed off. Obviously, it didn't collapse."

"Why is it so... deserted?" The place is eerily empty. It gives me the chills. "There has to be something down here. Something bad."

He doesn't say anything and continues walking. My steps falter, because it first crosses my mind that maybe he can't be trusted. He knows secrets about me. He's close. I don't know why it never really occurred to me before. Maybe it's because I want to hold on to this trust. Because I need something constant, something that will always be there.

But that's not the way it is. Nothing is ever certain now. I want this to be over, to feel the bliss I once felt on Earth, and in my past life. I have to figure this out, no matter what it takes. I can't stand this much longer.

I don't want to die, but sometimes it feels as if there's nothing left to live for.

"This is it," Dean says, stopping before a door. It's unmarked, so I wonder how he knows that this is it.

He reaches to turn the doorknob. I can feel my heart thumping in my throat. It happens in seconds, but it feels like eternities. And at the same time, it seems to happen too fast. He pushes the door open.

I can't see anything. The room is too dark. Dean flips on a light switch by the door, but it doesn't help much. It doesn't do much more than slightly improve the faint glow of the walls that all of the rooms in this castle have. I can make out a few shapes. A bed. A dresser.

My eyes start adjusting, much faster than my human eyes ever would. I can see that this is definitely a bedroom. But whose?

I feel my stomach lurch when I see an ominous black stain on the ground. It's actually more of a scorch than a stain, but still not quite. I don't think I want to know what left it.

"What is this room?" I ask. My pretty voice is steady, like it would never be if I was still human. If I was, my voice would be shaking so much that the words would be incoherent.

"If I remember correctly... this is the room I died in." He hesitates, then walks into the room. I can hear my own heart thudding, feeling fear for every step he takes.

"Dean, I don't like it here," I say. "What are we looking for?"

"Something is in here. I can feel it." This raises goosebumps on my arms. My mind automatically jumps to vicious monsters and heavy breathing.

"Dean, it might not be good. We should leave."

"I know it may be bad. But the key to everything is here." He walks over to the bed, slowly sitting down on it. "We can't leave. Not yet."

I follow him. If something happens, at least I won't be alone. I cautiously lower myself onto the cold sheets.

"There's a reason I came down here," he tells me. "When the disaster happened, I didn't stay with everyone else. I came here, instead."

"Maybe you needed to get something," I suggest. "Alina did say you were in your bedroom."

"That's not it. I know why I was here. But I can't remember. It's driving me crazy."

"Well, uh," I say, "what was it you said before? 'The necklace makes you stronger'?"

"Yes," he says slowly. I can see his eyes light up with realization. Is this it? I wonder. Is this what we came here for?

He walks over to the dresser, opening drawers. From what I see, they're empty. He checks them all, from top to bottom.

The last one has something in it. I get up to get a closer look and I can see that it's a messy pile of collared shirts. He tosses them aside.

At the bottom of the drawer is a necklace.

Gingerly, Dean picks it up. He holds it up by the thin chain. "Do you - do you remember this?"

I don't answer, because my memories suck me in.

----

I climb up the grassy hill, getting closer to the lake. As soon as I can see the sparkles of the water, my eyes involuntarily search the shore. My lips curl up into a smile as I spot the tall figure I was looking for. He stands up and holds out his arms, his smile mirroring my own. I rush into them and reach into my pocket, my thin fingers closing around a thin chain. I hold it out to him. On the chain dangles a glowing pendant.

"This will let you do magic too. I hope it makes you happy."

"I don't need this. You're the one who makes me happy, Diana. I love you."

"You don't need it, but I'm giving it to you. And I love you too." I reach up and embrace him. "Just don't tell anyone about this. Don't use magic in front of anyone else."

"What would happen if I did?"

I move my lips to his ear, breathing my next words. "The effects would be disastrous."