Looking Through Crystal

“Wake up Jakob” the Master said softly, “Open your eyes so that we can see the magic within them”
Jakob did as he was told, feeling pain shoot through his head. A loud crash echoed throughout the silence of the Organization headquarters, making clamps around Jakob’s wrists shake violently.
“Control is everything Jakob” the Master said, “Do not make things clatter and smash around, will your powers to work for you, not the other way around. Now stay still and give the demon time to settle in, then we will do a small experiment”

Demon?

Jakob blinked furiously, attempting to make the ghostly, hooded figure standing before him disappears. Something deep inside him laughed evilly, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He became aware that he wasn’t controlling his own movements, someone, or something, was forcing him to blink his eyes and move his arms.
The other man, Brian, who had snatched him from the hospital, made his way over and surveyed Jakob carefully. He had removed the woolly jumper, to reveal a long sword like tattoo on his forearm, surrounded by strange symbols. He ran his fingers over the intricate designs on the wrist clamps and leaned closer although he was going to whisper something.
“Was there something you wanted to ask young Jakob?” the Master said scathingly, “Whatever it is, I’m sure you can say it in front of the rest of this organisation.”
Brian stared at the floor, suddenly looking like a schoolboy receiving a row from his teacher.
“There is nothing Master” he croaked, “Nothing at all”
The Master, seeming satisfied, reached into the pocket of his long, black robes, and removed a small gemstone. It sparkled in the darkness of their surroundings, making Jakob close his eyes and wince. The Master laid it on the filthy ground, and looked at Jakob expectantly.
“Well” he prompted, “Come on then”
Jakob looked blankly at him.
“Hurry up boy, we haven’t got all day” he said, his voice growing louder
The force within him raised one of his arms and bent his fingers painfully into a pointing position. Without really knowing why, Jakob willed the gemstone to move, to lift itself from the ground and dance before their eyes. In a matter of moments, it shifted slightly to the right with a loud, scraping sound.
“More, more” Brian said, hopping up and down
His voice ripped through Jakob, the demon inside him pumping him blood more furiously until red glowed before his eyes. Lost, Jakob watched helplessly as the stone leapt two feet in the air, hitting him in the face. Blood spurted from a gash across his forehead, making him cry out in pain. Tears falling down his face, Jakob gasped for breath, the stone still moving independently from side to side.
“Well done” the Master said colourlessly, “That wasn’t so hard, was it? You can go now”
As if by magic, the buckles around Jakob’s wrist suddenly opened, and a powerful force pulled him to his feet. In fear and panic, he attempted to run, but found his feet firmly rooted to the spot.
“We have fitted you with a small earpiece” the Master said, “I will be able to give you instructions through it. My Servant will escort you home, and I do not expect you to tell anyone about your powers, or about this organization. Remember you have a demon inside you Jakob.”
Bewildered, Jakob shook his head, trying to clear it of the laughs and voices controlling him. Brian gripped his shoulders firmly and steered him towards the exit, shaking slightly. With a look of significance, the Master lifted a bundle of keys, bound together with a length of rope, and threw them to Brian.
“I will expect you back here in two hours” he said, “When we will deal with Crystal. I have a number of experiments to carry out. I also wish to assess the boy’s brother before he is disposed of”
Blind with rage, Jakob struggled out of Brian’s grip and lunged at the Master. Every movement sent pain ripping through his body, as the demon tried to pull him back. His eyes, which had changed from sparkling emerald to deep, evil red, focused on the intimidating figure before him. With a single movement on his gnarled old hand, the Master created a blinding flash of light, knocking Jakob to the ground.
“Take him home” he ordered Brian, “Jakob knows what he has to do, and we have two others to deal with”
Lying perfectly still, unable to move and racked with pain and terror, Jakob closed his eyes. Somehow the whole situation was easier to bear without the Master’s contorted face swimming before his eyes.
“Master” Brian said, “Jakob can obviously fight this demon. Shouldn’t we keep him here, just in case he tries anything?”
The Master shook his head.
“There are things he cannot achieve in this Establishment; Jakob must harness his powers the way Crystal has. We will be linked up to him the entire time through his earpiece, now please take him home. And not a word about…what you told me”
Brian nodded.
“Get up” the Master ordered Jakob.
Feeling the same force rush through him, Jakob was pulled to his feet like a puppet, and walked woodenly to the van. With a sickening feeling of dread, he clambered in and pulled the seatbelt across his scratched and bruised body.
Brian arranged himself in the driver’s seat and started the engine violently, making Jakob jump. In silence, he reversed down a narrow road leading away from the cult headquarters. It was only after almost an hour’s solid driving, that he made any acknowledgment of the boy sitting shivering beside him.
“He’s hear everything” he said suddenly, “Through that earpiece you’re wearing. He’s probably listening right now.”
For the first time, Jakob ran his hand over the device. I felt just like an ordinary hearing aid.
“You know kid” Brian continued, “I’m kinda pleased I’ve met you. Maybe I’ll get thrown out of the organization now, but I don’t really know if I care. I…I want to tell you something Jakob”
Jakob held his breath, feeling the demon within him retreat back to its underworld. For a moment, he was almost himself, and for a moment he felt genuinely sorry for Brian. The man looked tired, his hair flopping in front of his face and lines etched deeply into his forehead.
“Crystal” Brian began, “She’s…she’s my daughter. I didn’t know that they were using her for their mission, I swear I didn’t Jakob. Please kid; please tell me if there’s anyway you can stop them. Can you do anything with your powers?”
His head spinning, Jakob felt the evil within him gurgle and roar in his ears. More than anything, he wanted to help Crystal, even if it meant working with Brian. He didn’t trust him, especially after what Adrienne had told him, but the thought of losing the sister he’d gotten used to having stabbed him in the heart. Meaning to nod, Jakob found his head being shaken by a firm, invisible grip. In a voice that wasn’t his own, he screamed –
“No I won’t fucking help you!”
Brian looked at him sadly.
“That’s not you Jakob” he said, “It’s the demon my master injected into your blood. You have to keep fighting it, please don’t let him control you, the way he controls me”
Suddenly Jakob understood.
The master, the evil man who had ordered him to be taken from the hospital, he had complete power over Brian. He had known that any child of Adrienne’s family had a good chance of being born with powers which could aid him in his quest for ultimate wealth and world domination. A quest which had spanned over three centauries and resulted in the death of dozens of people, wrongly suspected of having these powers.
Casting his mind back, Jakob recalled far fetched tales of member’s of his mother’s family mysteriously disappearing.
“It’s a curse” Joey had whispered one night, “They were never seen again, and it was always the youngest in the family. That means you Jakob; you’ll hear it one night, the ghostly hand reaching through the window to snatch you out your bed”
Jakob had hardly slept for weeks after that little story, but the reality of the curse seemed so much worse. The mysterious tattoos, the raging demon churning around inside him.
Even now that he knew about his powers, and Crystal’s, he still had no idea what their extent was. As Brian’s van sped down the motorway, Jakob found himself staring at buildings and wondering if he would be able to blow them up. He imagined flames dancing from their windows as they crumbled, collapsing onto the ground below, and a smile crept to his face. The demon laughed, and the master’s voice crackled through the earpiece.
“Do it”
“It’s wrong” Jakob argued, “I can’t, there are people in there. Hundreds of them, I can’t kill them”
Screwing his eyes up against it, Jakob felt a powerful wave sweep through him, knocking him back in his seat. His body jerked violently of its own accord, bending his arms painfully behind his back and shaking his head from side to side on his skinny neck.
“Shit” Brian muttered
He caught hold of Jakob’s shoulders.
“Hold still mate, don’t listen to him”
Slowly Jakob’s arms unwound themselves and settled at his sides, tingling with pain. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he gasped for breath, his chest heaving. From the corner of his eye, he saw several windows shatter the flats wobble slightly, but remain upright.
“You’ll have to keep fighting him” Brian said, turning his attention back to the road, “He’ll try to make you do other things, kill people, destroy places. It’s hard to fight him, and it hurts like hell, but it works. A few years ago, I couldn’t have had this conversation with you”
Curling his hands into fists, Jakob fought against the demon’s voice filling his head.

“You’ll be home soon Jakob, your Mum will be waiting. It’s her fault you’re in this mess, it’s her fault that you’re sister is about to die. Strangle her Jakob, put your hands around her neck and choke her until she’s dead”

“I’M NOT DOING IT” he screamed, “I’m not doing anything for you, I hate you”
Almost the second the words left his lips, a deafening bang echoed from somewhere far away. A rush of heat blew in Jakob’s face, causing him to throw his arms up to protect his face. Shards of glass dug into his body, blood pouring from deep cuts and soaking through his clothes. The van spun, and flipped onto its back, as helpless as the beetles Joey captured and kept in jars. Its roof caved inwards, crushing Jakob and forcing more blood to pump from his head. He could taste it, running into his mouth and choking him. Coughing weakly, Jakob reached into the darkness for something, anything to hold onto. Finding nothing, he lay back and closed his eyes, sharp pieces of metal piercing the skin on his back. Pain and fear engulfed him as his world grew darker.

“Didn’t I tell you to obey me” the master cackled through the earpiece, “I’ll give you one last chance Jakob. If you obey me, if you do as I say, I’ll allow you to live. Get out of the car, now”

To weak and exhausted to argue, Jakob wrenched open the door and flopped onto the ground. Several gasps followed, and someone dashed forward, wrapping a coat around his filthy body. Lying perfectly still, Jakob looked up at her. She smiled gently.
“It’s okay, there’s an ambulance on its way” she said, “You wanna tell me your name”
Finding himself unable to speak, Jakob shook his head. The demon wrapped itself around his tongue, silencing him. He wriggled it inside his mouth, choking and spluttering until it loosened.
“Get away” he raised his head and screamed at the woman, “Get back, he’ll make me kill you”
She smiled again.
“Shh, calm down” she whispered, “We’ll get someone to help you, keep talking to me”
Feeling every drop of strength leave his body, Jakob lay back down on the ground now soaked in his blood. His head felt strangely foggy, and the woman was fading in and out of view. He grew hot, so hot that sweat stung his wounds, then so cold that he shivered uncontrollably. Clutching feebly at the coat tucked around him, Jakob closed his eyes. The voice still rang in his ears-
“Kill her, just lift a piece of glass and shove it into her neck”
He shook his head, feeling the rough pavement scrape against a deep gash under his hair.
“I’m going to die anyway” he murmured, “You’ve already killed me, what’s the point in anyone else suffering?”
One thought still haunted him. Crystal was still being held at the organisation headquarters. He remembered the Master telling Brian that someone would be snatching her from the hospital, and testing her powers. Until he’d been kidnapped, he’d had no idea either he or Crystal were in anyway magical. But the Master had said that Crystal had harnessed her powers. The entire time he’d known her, she’d never mentioned them. She had let him be dragged into her mess, with no warning.

Too tired to think about it anymore, Jakob closed his eyes and allowed warmth to wash over him. The voice ceased, the woman disappeared, and he drifted into a deep sleep…