Veronica smiles grimly as she sees the concerned faces of her friends. Holding hands, they surround the black candles, which are the main attraction of tonight. There is an apprehensive silence between them, until the seventeen-year-old speaks in a hoarse voice:
— Trust me. — Lucas opens his eyes wide, having a bad feeling when Veronica says those words. They always herald trouble. — I will end this nightmare.
Nicki swallows her saliva harder from nerves.
— You may have some paranormal abilities, but this is playing with demons. With this, there is no joke, Vera.
The seventeen-year-old sighs loudly, fed up with listening to their whining.
— Are you with me or not? If you are afraid, get out.
Lucas lets go of her hand and strokes her hair. He realizes how much she dislikes it.
— You're crazy, so we won't let you do it without our help.
Veronica looks into his eyes and grabs his chin, looking pleased.
— Great, but get your hand out of my hair because I'm going to put you down shortly.
Her warnings are a command to him.
— Remember that what we do now must remain between us until death.
— Do you think I'll run to my parents and give them an account of tonight? — Lucas rolls his eyes. — Dad warned me to be careful what I do with you because you are as abnormal as your old man.
— Shut your mouth. Say a word about my dad again, and I'll rip your earrings out of your ear!
The friends once again grasp each other's hands. The candle flame bends as if performing the dance of the dead.
— Let's put an end to the nightmare that has been weighing on my family for years.... and let's take this opportunity to use it for revenge.
— Do you think you're doing the right thing by hiding this from Erick? Maybe he should participate in this together with us? — Lucas speaks up.
The redhead pierces him with her eyes.
— I have no intention of involving my brother in this. He's been through enough in his life, and it's partly my fault. Now I will do everything to free him from this hell.
They let Veronica take charge of the dark show they agreed to participate in tonight to help her family. They are terrified, but they don't let it show. They don't want the redhead to call them cowards.
— Let's do it, but how about giving up revenge? I don't know if sacrificing Kevin is a good idea. What if we hurt him too much that way? — Nicki speaks up.
— He also hurt me. — Veronica is not going to let go. — He has brought me down to the bottom. I went from being the most popular girl to a scapegoat. I am the laughingstock of Horace Mann. I can hear everyone whispering behind my back that I am insane and should get psychiatric treatment. This moron must pay the price for insulting me.
— With that I will agree — Lucas interjects.
— But handing him over to a demon? I've heard that black magic extracted from the Internet is not the best idea for a fight. — Nicki is still trying to talk some sense into her friend. — Besides, he's Vanessa's brother. He was your buddy before you became a couple.
Lucas stares at the flames as if hypnotized.
— Dad told me that I should take revenge in a smart way.
— And you think that's a smart way? — Nicki looks at her with horror in her eyes. — With every passing minute, this idea stops appealing to me. You're my best friend, and you can call me a coward, but at this point I'm backing off. I will not be a part of this.
Veronica looks at the blonde with disbelief in her eyes as she gets up from the floor and heads for the door.
— Go. I'm not going to stop you. It's your decision.
Nicki leaves the cursed room without even hesitating for a moment.
— You have one last chance if you want to quit. — Veronica turns to the blonde guy.
— I once promised you that I would be able to give my life for you no matter what, so don't think to yourself that I will leave you here alone. — Dancing flames, illuminate their faces in the darkness as they look at each other for a long moment. — After all, you say yourself that I am your soulmate, so how could I let you do something dangerous without me?
The 17-year-old squeezes his hand tighter.
— That's why you are my soulmate, Lucas — she replies, then looks around the room. — He is here. He listens to every word we say. I know he is terrified, which is why he is silent. He is afraid of what we are about to do.
— Let him feel what fear is. Let him know what your family has faced for generations.
It seems to them that the cold in the room is becoming more and more unbearable. Lucas, who is not used to the presence of ghosts, feels it the worst.
The girl looks at the objects that are set up by the candles. Once again, she makes sure that everything matches. There is a picture of a wolf, aromatic oil, water and a sacrificial drink.
— Do you remember the words? — She turns to his friend in a whisper.
— Yes.
— So let's begin... — She closes his eyelids, takes a deep breath, then she and Lucas say the words of the incantation. — Candles three, black. Bring safety here on this night. The moon is full, the sky is clear. Failure and evil are gone. The mighty wolf will one day rule, and protect from harm and doom. Come here! Come here! The Spirit of the wolf, strong and great! To protect my family and their lives! In return, we give you an offering, we give you Kevin Gomez! — They open their eyes and look at each other, then look around inside, noticing that nothing is happening.
— Are you sure we're doing everything as instructed? — Lucas asks in a whisper. — It seems to me that there are no changes.
— The only change is that I don't feel the presence of the demon. He has left the room. I think he ran away...
At this point all the candles go out, and the only source of light is the moon.
— Should I be afraid? — Lucas does not dare to let go of his friend's hand. — What if I also start seeing ghosts?
— This is something you have to be born with. Don't panic — Veronica replies to him, vigilantly looking around herself. — Unless someone curses you....
— So if we did everything right, then there is a chance that Kevin will also see the spirit of the wolf?
— I don't know if we did everything right. It seems to me that something is wrong....
The 16-year-old swallows his saliva harder and moves closer to the girl.
— I defend you from guys, so you protect me from ghosts. You've been in contact with them since childhood, so you know how to fight.
The redhead rolls her eyes.
— Apart from the fact that they have extinguished the world, nothing is happening, so stop panicking. — She takes the cup with the sacrificial drink in her hand and wrinkles her eyebrows when she realizes that it is empty. — Lucas, when did you drink tomato juice?
— What are you talking about? After all, you know that I hate tomatoes, especially juice with that taste.
The 17-year-old opens her eyes wide and looks at her friend's face from a close distance.
— Fuck, Lucas, the juice is gone. Someone drank it.
The boy feels like screaming in horror, but at the last moment he bites his tongue. It's the middle of the night, and both of them would be in serious trouble if someone caught them there. He gets up from the floor and drags his friend behind him, wanting to leave this place as soon as possible.
— Never again, Vera, never once more — he says in a panicked voice as they walk down the corridor. He opens the door of her room, and to her surprise! He goes inside with her.
— What are you doing? — asks Veronica, watching the boy turn the lock.
Curious, Nicki, who is already in bed, rises to a sitting position.
— What's going on? Did you manage to do it?
— Be glad you escaped from there — claims Lucas, sitting down by the dressing table. — Maybe nothing terrible happened, but just the silence and the fact that the candles went out and the fact that the tomato juice from the cup mysteriously disappeared.... is terrifying.
The blonde girl crinkles her eyebrows.
— So that means everything went according to plan?
— I don't know, Nicki, I don't know. Let's wait until tomorrow and see what happens. — The redhead plops down on the bed, then, without changing her clothes, gets under the quilt. Lucas joins her, lying down next to her.
— Are you going to sleep together?
— Veronica promised to protect me from ghosts, so I had to sleep with her that night. — The 16-year-old embraces his friend and presses his face into her neck. — Good night.
Nicki looks at them with disbelief in her eyes, unable to believe that although they share such a profound relationship, they are still not together.
— In each other's arms you will surely find a peaceful sleep....
She drops her head on the pillow and turns her back to them.
— Good night, Lucas — whispers Veronica, feeling safe as she falls asleep in his arms.
*
The 17-year-old follows the corridor of Horace Mann, albeit not the place where she studies. The interior looks entirely unique. It is cold, gloomy, and scary. All around her are only walls and doors. From the rooms she hears strange screams, moans, and even howls.
She opens her eyes wider when a wolf with glowing eyes appears in front of her. She stands still, afraid to move, although its gentle gaze makes her realize that she should not fear it.
The animal walks slowly, then stops in front of one of the rooms. It glances in Veronica's direction, then disappears from her sight.
The teenager approaches the door uncertainly, and the closer she gets to it, the more clearly she hears the humming of a song.
It's a lullaby she knows well.
Chills run through her when she notices someone standing against the wall. Water from the shower is pouring over the body of a naked man. The teenager watches his mutilated skin with pain in her eyes.
— You still see demons, boy! — the woman's scream makes Veronica jump in place. She shifts her gaze to the middle-aged doctor, who walks toward him, tapping her heels. She grabs him by the neck and squeezes him. — What tactics should I use to knock you out! You are handsome, and so stupid....
The boy begins to cry as the woman forcefully attaches her lips to his lips.
— I come from a family of shamans.... I swear I can see them.
The woman slaps him violently in the face, at which he bursts into louder crying.
— Stop making things up! You are mentally ill! You are no different from all the insane people here!
Veronica puts her hand to her mouth, being shocked by this sight.
— I am sane, I swear — says the boy in a hoarse voice.
— Steven... every patient locked up here says he is healthy.
Steven. Steven. Steven.
The teenager girl leans with her back against the wall, unable to believe what she has just heard.
So she is witnessing a past event in Steven's life — a demon that has plagued her family for years?
Is it him? Is this the cruel demon who intends to take her and her brother to hell?
— Veronica, Veronica, wake up. — She opens her eyes and, breathing heavily, looks at her best friend. Lucas leans over her, looking thoughtfully at her face. — It's just a nightmare. Everything is fine.
The redhead looks around the interior, realizing that she is in her room.
— I had a terrible dream — she says, putting her hand to her forehead.
— Did you dream of a wolf ghost?
She rises to a sitting position, not taking her eyes off Lucas. It's bright in the room, considering that it's already dawn.
— How do you know?
— Because he dreamed to me, too. He shouldn't, should he? After all, I don't have paranormal abilities like you. Is it because we used black magic together?
— What did you dream, Lucas? — She looks at him with a caring gaze.
The 16-year-old swallows his saliva harder, then answers her:
— I saw death. I saw someone die. It was horrible, so realistic that I thought it was really happening.
— Didn't you see a face?
— I have a bad feeling, Vera.
Nicki, who is lying sideways, listens to their conversation.
A loud knocking sounds at the door.
— If it's the sitter, we're finished — mutters Veronica, jumping off the bed. She walks to the door and opens it wide, surprised to see a happy brother. — What about you? — she asks as he embraces her and squeezes her so tightly that the girl can't catch her breath at first.
— This is the first morning in my life when I woke up happy.
Lucas scratches his head, wondering what is going on with the youngest Scott. He looks like an entirely different person.
— Someone is distributing drugs at Horace Mann?
— It's gone, Vera. It's gone, do you understand? — He turns to his sister in a raspy voice. — I feel like I put a wall between him and myself that he can't break through. I am... kind of protected! I think I managed to defeat him! I defeated him with happiness! With thoughts of something good! You were right! — He would rather not admit that those good thoughts were Miranda's. He prefers to leave it to himself. — You have to defeat the darkness, and then it will go to hell.
Ore manages to get out of her brother's grasp. She turns to face Lucas, and her eyes seem terrified.
He understands what she wants to tell him.
It wasn't Eric who defeated the demon. It was Veronica and Lucas who put a protective barrier over him.
The wolf is not a figment of their imagination. These were not ordinary dreams, and now it is Veronica who is in the greatest danger.
The entire curse has passed to her. She sacrificed herself to protect her family.