BLOOD LEGACIES
Chapter 223: The Summoner {1}

Chapter 223: The Summoner {1}

"Jean?" Owen said, stepping forward. Wait Owen knows her too?

"Isn’t that the girl who survived the last attack?" Sarah said. "What’s she doing here?"

"Jean," I said, keeping my eyes on her. She didn’t look well... because she was on her bare feet, and looked sort of troubled... Did she stay out late again?

"Are you okay?" I asked, watching her closely, she remained quiet, her eyes leveled on the floor. "Did the Manticore hurt you?"

"Why are you here, Emma?" she suddenly asked and I blinked puzzled. "You shouldn’t be here" she mumbled before shifting her gaze to me, slowly. Her eyes were both sad and lost. "You’re nice and I don’t want you to get hurt"

I felt a heavy feeling deep within my chest because her words held so much gravity "W-What do you mean?" I asked, taking a step forward but Grayson pulled me back. I faced him to demand why but his unmovable gaze on Jean told me otherwise and then it struck me hard... as well as his sudden sharp voice.

"She’s the fucking summoner!"

"W-What?" I mumbled as I shifted my orbs back to her, my shaking orbs made my vision blur. Then I heard it... deep growls were coming from where she stood, they came into view like a predator of the night, two Manticores emerged from the darkness and it only made Grayson’s words true. They stood beside her not even attempting to attack.

What the fuck is going on? Why is she the summoner? The same girl I came to save who was frightened shitless, it can’t possibly be her... I could still recall that day like yesterday, she was truly terrified and that thing was after her, or was it all a lie? Whatever it was I needed to understand it, to understand why she would summon these monsters and make them kill innocent people because it didn’t make any fucking sense.

"Jean," I said her name hoping to gain her attention. The Manticores beside her bellowed and their solemn sound made me jolt, they didn’t attack, just stood there like they were waiting for an order.

"Y-Your two friends..." I began and her indistinct eyes drift to mine. "... That thing killed them"

"They weren’t my friends" she wheezed and like a glass mask was broken I saw the resentment, the rage, and no remorse for the lives taken. "They deserved it" she added more profoundly and I saw the hollow that drifted into her orbs as she spoke about it. "You don’t know the hells those two put me through... you have no idea" she shook her head and from this angle, I could see the tears threatening to fall. "The bully... the names... the hate... no one to talk to... scared to even talk about it, the deaf teachers who can’t hear my cries. They made fun of it and they got what they want each time because I was too afraid to say a word"

Watching a broken girl saying all the unknown horrors she went through and it didn’t sound like it was over. "They made me stay in school after hours so that they can..." her teeth clenched and my bones shook. "They did it all the time, more pain, it never stopped"

I felt no remorse for the deceased anymore, I was angry for her sake, wanting to set judgment just like she did for the hell she went through but...

"The guard, the Janitor... those innocent people in that library, they don’t deserve any of it..." She didn’t say anything... just looked at me with her hollow orbs. "I know I don’t have a glimpse of the hell you went through but-"

"It was hell..." she cut me off. "You will never understand how scared I was"

"But that shouldn’t result in what you did"

"Emma" Owen said behind me but I chose to ignore him.

"I WAS scared" she began with a smile on her lips but it wasn’t one she was happy about. "Until my cries were finally heard... like a silent prayer they came and took my hell away... I didn’t understand it at first I thought they would hurt me too but they didn’t"

How could she have summoned them when she was merely human, she’s human, isn’t she? And like Owen told me only a witch could do that. I froze. Wait, does that mean...

"You’re a witch aren’t you?" Owen said breaking the shell, she must be a witch, that’s the only way she must have summoned these beasts.

"A witch?" like she doesn’t realize it herself, maybe she doesn’t. "Look I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t care... I must fulfill my promise to them" she leveled her gaze back to Manticore and they snarled in response.

Dread grasped me because I knew what she meant. "Y-You can’t let them control you, Jean. You can tell them to go back and you don’t have to repay them anymore"

If there was a way I would find it... because I don’t want her to sully her hands with blood anymore. She was nothing but a scared girl that went through horrors with her voice not being heard, she found comfort in these creatures because they took the pain away but that wasn’t the right course of action, she turned to them and now she’s living in yet another hell.... but maybe she wants this part of hell when I caught her smirk.

"You think I can?" she puffed. "I really wish you weren’t here Emma... because I like you. But..." the Manticores snarled at her response and she faced them, studying, and for a minute there she seemed like she could understand them, maybe she could. "They seem to like your scent Emma" she faced me and fear gripped me because she no longer held pity for me in her eyes like she wanted me dead right now if it was to fulfill their wishes.

"They want every inch of you, how can I say no?"