The Haunted’s Kiss of Regret and Repentance

“Shyne, hey, you have to wake up, sis. Mom and dad are here, and they want to talk to you before dinner starts.”

I realized that I had fallen asleep while checking out my old stuff, and Izzy was now back and shaking me.

“Okay, okay, I’m up. Sheesh, I thought there was an earthquake with the way you shook me. You could have just tapped my arms or cheeks gently.”

I had bed hair, and as my eyes scanned my bed, I saw that I moved a lot in my sleep. Based on my dream, it wasn’t a surprise that the bed was a mess.

“Well, forgive me, little miss sleeping beauty. I was too busy screaming your name outside your room to get your attention. Since you never bothered to wake up and respond, I already assumed I had the right to wake you up in any way I saw fit.”

“Fine, tell them I’ll get ready, and I’ll see them in a minute or two. I don’t want to go down there looking like I passed a hurricane.”

While I was busy fixing myself in the bathroom, Izzy decided to help me clean up the mess I made on my bed. It was nice that after leaving home and what happened to Rian, my sister and I gradually became closer.

“Hey sis, what is inside this notebook that has the word “mine” on it? Is this a diary or something?”

“Don’t open that, Izabella!”

I grabbed the notebook while my mouth had toothpaste on the corner. I was worried, and I saw the shocked expression on my sister’s face.

“I’m sorry for yelling, Izzy. Unfortunately, that notebook is an old diary, and I don’t want anyone reading it. It is off-limits, and I would like to keep it that way.”

“I respect that, but I hope you’re going to change your mind someday and show me. Judging from the fact that you’re making, that diary has something to do with Rian. Am I right?”

“Yes, it is about Rian and me. I think I’ll be able to show you, but now is not the right time.”

“Shyne! Izabela! Your mother and father are waiting for you downstairs! They said they have been waiting for ages, and you need to show yourselves to them this instant.”

Mrs. Jacobs was outside my bedroom’s door as she announced my parent’s instructions. Izzy and I answered politely and proceeded with fixing my things more quickly.

“Mom and dad would be asking you about your sudden decision to go home, sis. You know mol has a knack for separating the truths from the lies.”

“I know that, Izzy. Mom has always been blessed by God when it comes to telling whether I lie or not. However, I don’t plan on lying to her.”

Izzy only gave me a questioning look as we both proceeded to go downstairs to our impatient mother and father. The four of us sat on the couch as the maids served us tea and coffee.

“Shyne, sweetheart, when you said you wanted to go home, I assumed it would only be for a day or two. However, your sister told me that you planned on staying for at least a few days or a week. May I ask you why you decided that so suddenly?”

I could see the wheels on my mother’s mind turn as she waited for me to answer. My father, on the other hand, looked barely interested as he kept glancing at his watch.

“I just wanted to take a few days’ rest, mother. I have been so busy with school and my other clubs and extracurricular activities that I didn’t spend enough time to relax my brain.”

“You could have relaxed back at your flat or gone to the mall to shop, Shyne. This time, you rode the bus, avoided the secret bodyguards we gave you and went straight home when you could have asked them to accompany you. So, it is either you did all of that to rest, or you have something else planned during your stay here.”

The accusing tone of my mother’s voice was enough to divert my father’s attention back to me and away from his watch. This time, three sets of eyes looked at me, and I felt nervous.

“I don’t have anything else planned aside from relaxing and catching up with my siblings and old high school friends. You can’t expect me to just drown in my studies, mom.”

“Shyne, your mother and I want you to be the best, and that means best for your studies as well. You can’t just skip school to relax because you can do that there.”

My father was an intimidating man, but he was too busy to know his daughter’s attitude. I looked at my father’s eyes as I spoke, and I knew he would believe me.

“I know that, dad. However, I made sure everything was settled before I came here. Please, I just want to refresh myself, so I can focus even more in school.”

The look in my mother’s eyes told me she didn’t believe the things that were coming out of my mouth. She knew that I came here for other reasons that my father should never know.

“Honey, I think you should go back to your duty now. Shyne obviously wants to just take it easy and refresh herself before going back to school.”

My father agreed with my mother and left the three of us alone in the living room. I felt the tension shift, and I knew that J had to be honest with my mother as much as I could.

“Okay now, Shyne. I want to know the truth. Izzy, I want you to go back to your room and let me and your sister talk in private.”

Izzy left the two of us, and I felt more uneasy. I knew that I needed my mother’s help with that curse, but my mother was not who I expected to get help from.

“Mom, Rian died a few months ago. I don’t know if you knew, but I wanted to tell you. He took his own life, and aunt Agnes was one of the police officers who responded to the scene.”

My mother looked like she was taken aback for two seconds but quickly got back her composure. She cleared her throat and proceeded to look at my eyes without a hint of emotion.

“Well, Shyne. Since we both know that Rian is a drug addict, that revelation is not that shocking. What could we expect from someone who clearly had no plan for his own future.”

My mother must have seen the look of shock and sadness in my eyes. She suddenly had a soft expression on her face as she stared at me in pity.

“I know that you liked that boy, Shyne. I may not like him, but I pity how his life ended. All that we could do now, Shyne, is pray that he at least repented before he died.”

I knew my mother was just saying that to try and comfort me, but her words were different. I still felt the guilt inside me, and I knew that sooner or later, I would have a nightmare again.

In my mother’s eyes, I saw that I could never get the help I needed from her because of her distaste towards Rian. I decided that I couldn’t look at her straight in the eyes without breaking down and crying.

“I’ll go back to my room now, mom. You can just send someone to get me when dinner is ready. Please excuse me, I have to finish something for school so I can send it to my teacher while I’m here.”

I knew my mother wanted to say more, but I guess by the look on my face, she decided against the idea. I rushed to my room and decided to just take out a small box that I hid behind my cabinet. I was the only one who knew about it, and I knew that no one would find it because the room is never rearranged, only cleaned from time to time.

I saw all the photos that I had from when I was with Rian a few years ago. I never kept any pictures of him on my phone or my photo albums.

I knew that for me, he was never going to be permanent. What I never expected was the impact that the breakup would make. I suddenly remembered every tortured word Rian said to me in all of the nightmares I’ve had of him.

The guilt was eating me, and I could feel the dark presence inside my room. The presence grew whenever I was depressed, and I knew that I needed to get a hold of myself or start hallucinating again.

The hallucinations came whenever I was too engrossed with the thoughts of Rian. Over the past few months, I learned how to control my thoughts, so I could somehow get through the tortures.

However, every day it gets worse, and I always find myself guilty of what Rian tells me. A loud banging suddenly sounded beside me, and I felt like my heart was going to burst.

My eyes widened as I saw the person who opened the door. The man was staring at me with accusing eyes, and a deep frown was on his lips.

I felt both anger and shock as I looked at Alister’s form standing on my bedroom’s opened door.