Infelix Fatum - Latin for "ill-fated" or "unfortunate fate"
Joshua burst into the room, his eyes darted around anxiously searching for some emergency, his paranoia growing by the second.
The raging ocean of ferocious anxiety in his heart calmed by the familiar yet distinct sounds of his parents pacing slowly around the room. As he approached, their voices became increasingly audible and distinct.
"What do we do?" Whispered Mr Barnett his voice quivering, filled with a vulnerability alien to Joshua who saw his stoic father as an impenetrable fortress, "How are we supposed to tell him" .
His mother replied "It's okay, he's better now."
Her voice growing with resolve as she was held in Mr Barnetts embrace like two cards propped up against the other supporting them and uplifting their spirits, "Its better he knows sooner or later so he can make the most of what's left".
Joshua stood absolutely still. The silence that arose in between the hushed whispers caused him to become immobile. He cursed inwardly as he fought off the desire to breathe in case he was noticed. He stood unmoved his senses heightened as he attempted to pick up every last word. Then it came. His heart strangled by the weak familiar voice that came after.
"It's alright you guys."
A girl whispered weakly, her voice itself clearly imbued with the last embers of strength in her body - A shadow of her former self.
"The only reason you didn't tell him in the first place is because I told you so -" she stops as she breaks into a fit of coughs, each one causing the remaining breath in Joshua's lung's to be ripped out, as he felt reality itself begin to suffocate him slowly. She continued, each word strung together sickly, "i couldn't bare to be the reason that he rebounded." She faltered before continuing on.
"you saw how he was then, with the Doctor, but he's getting better and can't afford to spiral over this"
"I love him too much for that" whispered Missy, her voice growing quieter as grim silence descended upon the room. If there was one thing Missy hated more than anything it was silence. Silence to her was where life went to die - awkward silence were where conversations died and almost ironically she thought in this silence she was also dying. But the worst part of her death was the guilt she felt towards Joshua who would be truly alone after she was gone. Only she knew just how much he depended on her. Her brother was more than a sibling to her, before her parents had taken him in she was absolutely against his adoption, afterall not only was she three years old but it meant she had to share everything from her toys to her parents love and affection. It sounded terrible but initially she had hated him and it was took a couple of years after he had come that she realised how special he really was, more special than even he knew. Joshua was a isolated, lonely and at the time grumpy boy but the more she knew the more her heart bled for him. She noticed that he was not lonely rather he was rejected by the world, and it was only when he was cradled by their father covered in blood crying his soul out that she had come to this realisation. The boy who was called the Cursed Child to everyone else, the boy possessed by the devil himself even feared by his own parents at times to her was like an angry cub who often had tantrums but was villainised for his sharp teeth.
Brother. The word resonated deep within Joshua's soul echoing through empty chambers of pain and suffering like a heavenly divine light cleansing all ailments. A powerful warmth emanated from within him stronger than ever before. Love. Then it came like a tsunami from the ocean of his heart turning every memory, every tableau of joy as he watched her run around the house to look for missing items, annoyance as they fought, even anger at times as he was pushed to the very edge. All tainted by a tsunami of sheer sadness. It felt like an essential part of himself, his life and his sanity had suddenly become enamoured by a tumour which infected him slowly ripping away all that was important. All that was left was void as his emotions and love streamed from his very soul meandering as if collecting every bit of happiness like the river styx and left like tidal waves as tears flooded down his pale sickly white cheek bones pooling around his neck.
"Josh, i know your standing there" Missy called, a vitality in her voice previously invisible as she giggled "you've never been one for hide and seek with your lacking physique" she joked causing Mr and Mrs Barnett to giggle in between tears.
Brushing away his tears to no avail as his eyes stung red he stepped into the room only to see a pale skinned girl coughing whilst being cradled and wrapped in blankets in between Mr and Mrs Barnett who held the girl as if she were fragile porcelain. She lay there limp and weak, the vitality and life drained from her face and her previously fiery auburn mane tame as if too weak to radiate life as it did before. Most noticeably there was a strip of silvery hair which cut through the autumnal strands, shining in an almost nebular hue.
"Hey..." Joshua whispered his voice growing weak and quiet.
"Why so glum brother? You've never been a quiet one" She replied slyly a weak grin flickering on her face before the realisation of pain wiped it away.
"Shut up." he answered curtly, attempting to rub the red out of his eyes to no avail.
"Now now how could you tell your dying sister to shut up" she pointed out letting out a melancholy smile.
"you're.... dying?" asked Joshua his hand's desperately clawing at his shirt as if trying to pull out the pained feeling growing in his chest.
No one spoke. The sombre silence once again screamed in agony and echoed the torment felt by everyone in this room.
The worst part for Joshua was the injustice. He felt cursed, wronged by god or whatever divine being took away one of the things he loved most. She was not supposed to die yet. She was supposed to grow old with him, a witness to each others mundane lives - through everything, the good , the bad and the ugly, university, heartbreak and even marriage. They were supposed to be the one to always be there for each other, she wasn't meant to die now. All of that life, the entire future he had envisioned collapsed under the overwhelming loss he felt. She was going to die and leave him alone. Alone to suffer. Alone to feel pain. The only person who truly understood him, the only person he felt kinship with. His parents whilst they loved him and he them could never understand the complexity of his life whilst he need not mention the isolation he felt from the rest of the world.
The fabric of reality distorted and transformed in front of him - like a monochrome filter had been placed over his eyes as the colour which gave the world life grew dark and silent. He would become truly alone. As the void within him grew voraciously consuming his emotions causing his eyes to become indifferent, detached like a monarch looking upon his suffering subjects a figure crawled out of his shadow visible only to him. It was a amalgamation of blood and darkness threading together into a stygian all-devouring blackhole shaped in the form of a scrawny boy with demonic blood-red eyes radiating black tendrils. It rose out of his shadow in a haunting manner as if a marionette pulled an invisible string on his head. As it loomed over Joshua he could feel it overtaking him slowly, infecting his senses, emotions and granting his unearthly power.
"Stop." Said Missy clearly her voice refreshingly distinct and containing a divine clarity, as she looked at Joshua deeply her eyes penetrating the demonic eyes which now overlayed his own creating a horrifying image. She reached her sickly pale hand out slowly before placing it unto Joshua's head rubbing his stygian hair into an awful nest-like mess. Her intervention caused the onslaught of darkness and blood to retreat from Joshua as his eyes cleared returning to the clear ruby iris and merlot ring which glinted as tears marbled his eyes. Her hand reached his as she forced his hand into doing a particular movement as his thumb tapped each of his fingers starting from the index finger causing him to jolt awake escaping his bloody trance.
"I heard that doing this with your hands can help fight anxiety" she said still gazing deep into his teary eyes.
"Hm" he said tearily nodding his head in recognition before continuing the calming gesture himself as the Crimson Creature slinked back into his shadow like a wounded wolf humiliated and scared.
"Its okay to have emotions" Missy advised in a soft tone as her eyes returned to there kind and affectionate state after seeing Joshua's teary eyes.
"Remember this always Josh, emotions aren't a weakness, they contain a strength like no other. They contain humanity. Love, sadness, melancholy, grief and even jealousy are all part of the human condition, such emotions carry unimaginable power and are a source of strength not a weakness to be suppressed. But as powerful as they are some emotions have more destructive inclinations such as the desire to hurt or the desire for blood but they too are part of the human condition. To be human is to embrace all emotions not matter how bad they may seem for they are all precious." Missy said, her angelic voice resonating throughout the room as if it was a celestial declaration as her eyes turned away from Joshua to the ceiling before her eyelids closed and she drifted to sleep, her face now ingrained with a peaceful expression making her seem almost like a celestial goddess only for that image to be destroyed by hushed snores.
Joshua's body collapsed from exhaustion as he lay at the foot of the sofa where his angelic and almost wise sister slept in between two protective unconscious parents. As he leaned into the sofa he felt troubled, still plagued by the thought of his sisters death as he vowed to enjoy at least one more single trouble-free day with her free from thoughts of death and tragedy. With his mind finally at ease he took a final look at the sight of family asleep without a whisper of unease on they're faces as if the world they had known was unchanged. Looking at them all together he vowed to do everything in his power, no matter what the cost to protect this happiness, to protect this scene. He would do everything he could to heal his sister and would make sure that nothing could ever touch them. He steeled his resolve as his determination to protect his family by any means was reflected by the change in his eyes as the sadness and pity left with the final tear leaving only a ferocious and intimidating look in his eyes as his ruby iris hid a bloody aura making him seem slightly maniacal.