HAUNTED PRINCE by DENIS DANIEL (children's ebooks free online txt) 📕

Alex looked at Rebecca who was busy checking on our victims, “he will be fine. He hasn’t fully recovered yet that’s why.” Then she kept on checking on them.

“Hey, my cousin can control minds, she can help you erase their memories.”

“No, there’s no need they won’t remember anything.” Rebecca said,

“You can control mind as well?” Alex asked surprised, which made me shoot my eyes up looking at Rebecca.

“No I can’t. When parasite leave their bodies normally their brains erase the memories as unwanted memories since the person wasn’t exactly a hundred percent conscious,” then she paused, “to the brain those memories are like a disease infection so it fight them off.”

I was confused at first and finally I understood what she was talking about. “So that means Iris did was trying to keep the memories in Layla’s mind?” I asked but it was mostly my brain way of processing what Rebecca said.

“I guess. Is that a bad thing?” Alex asked worried,

“Not exactly because it will help me find the person behind all this, but Layla is worried about the memories coming back.”

“You didn’t tell me Layla started to remember.” Alex accused,

“Hey, I’ve had a lot in my mind.” And I felt anger building up inside of me but I stopped it before it escalated, I knew this was no time to start arguing with her, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Actually wait a minute, I told you the other day.” I remembered,

Hint of realization hit her as well, “oh, yeah, you told me already. I don’t know what’s wrong with me now. I just forget things way too easily.”

“It’s okay. It’s been crazy couple of days. We need time to wrap our heads around everything that’s happening.”

“Who is Layla? And who is Iris?” Rebecca asked very suspiciously,

“Iris is my cousin who has mind control powers and Layla was a victim like these guy who Steven saved and my cousin helped her to keep her memories in, after being healed. Now she is remembering things she’d done when wasn’t herself. Steven thinks the memories can help us find the person behind all this madness. So, finally he can find the answers he is been looking for.” Alex explained.

Rebecca just stood there without saying anything and put her hand on her chin with her lips pierced. I guess she was processing what she was told, but I couldn’t tell if she thought it was a good idea or not,

“So, you think it can be done or what?” I asked after a moment of silence. And I finally stood after gaining some strength.

“Where is this Layla?” she asked,

“She goes to school with us but you can’t contact her. Only I can do that, because she trusts only me and I don’t want to freak her out.” I said,

“Okay, has she remembered anything yet?”

“Yes, she has but it’s foggy. She said she can’t see clearly but I think in couple days the memories will be better.”

“Well, I hope you are right. We don’t have lot of time he is almost here, I can feel him. You’ll be eighteen in a week and a half.”

“No, it isn’t.” I denied because my birthday was always at the beginning of fall and there was still almost a whole month until fall.

“What? It has to be. You wouldn’t have gone through transition if you weren’t a week away to maturity,” she stopped for a second, “either way it doesn’t matter, you need to get those information from that girl quickly, they might help.”

One of the guys was starting to wake up but she punched him hard on the face knocking him out again.

“Why did you do that?” I asked irritated.

“I didn’t want him to see where he was, it will complicate things.” Rebecca said like I was supposed to know why she did it. So, I looked at Alex for support,

“She is right Steven. He would’ve gone to the police and say he was kidnapped or something.” And I couldn’t argue with that.

“I need to take you back.” Rebecca said, “I’ll take care of these guys later.”

I wanted to ask her what she was going to do with them but some part of me knew she wouldn’t do anything bad to them, so I chose not to ask. When we got out, I looked on the other side where our house was and I was surprised to see mom’s car parking outside the garage door. I mean I always knew she came home early, but I didn’t know she always came back this early.

I kept on staring expecting her to park the car inside the garage, which she didn’t. Instead she got out of the car and looked around like she was expecting to see someone looking at her. But without even knowing the view disappeared then there was darkness and then out of nowhere I was in school again.

“What the hell Rebecca?” I asked her furiously,

“I didn’t want that woman to see us.”

“That woman is my mom.” I snarled,

“She can’t be your real mom.”

“Well, of course. I was adopted remember. My parents died when I was little.”

“Steven, you need to stay away from that woman.” She was talking but I wasn’t sure if I heard her right,

“Excuse me? What exactly did you say?” I asked my jaw tightening and eyes narrowed daring her to say it again, so I can hear it clearly.

“You need to stay away from that woman.” She said it again,

The nerves she had to tell me that. How could she dare to tell me to stay away from my family? I didn’t know the most hurtful word I could say to her so that she could understand how what she said made me feel. Who gave her the right to choose who I live with and who I don’t?

“Why does he need to stay away from her?” Alex asked calmly which was surprising to me.

“That woman is dangerous. She can’t be near him.”

She shouldn’t have said that. I couldn’t take it anymore, “what did you say?” I spoke and both of them could hear the venom in my voice.

For once I saw Rebecca hesitate but she found the courage to say it again, “that woman is dangerous, Steven.”

I couldn’t speak. My hands started to shake and my chest felt like it was going to explode with anger. Even though there was a voice inside of me warning me, but I couldn’t stop myself.

“No one talks about my family.” I said through clenched teeth. Rebecca stepped back and Alex looked worried but it didn’t matter. There was no looking back, the inner person insisted I calm down but I couldn’t. I was so angry, “and no one accuses it.” I continued,

Rebecca stepped back up some more and Alex stayed out of my way. I felt my face burning with anger and my fist hurt from folding it too tight. In a matter of seconds I punched Rebecca and I saw her flying across the parking lot and it was a good thing no one was at the parking lot at that time. And with a speed I never knew I had I raced towards her and in flash I was choking her so hard I could see her face getting redder by each second.

“Steven stop, you are killing her.” I heard a voice shouting but it was just an echo on the background to me.

“Stop, stop.” The voice inside of me warned intensely.

“Steven, stop please.” The voice on the background pleaded and my grip relaxed on her neck a little. Then someone held my hands and the soft touch jolted my senses back on and I could see clearly.

Quickly I released her neck and she started coughing and gulping for air. Beside her was Alex on her knees and her cheeks were wet with tears. I collapsed on the concrete, my hands shaking like crazy not out of anger this time, but out of fear.

I sat there trying to understand what the hell took over me, but I couldn’t understand anything. But I knew one thing I didn’t want to see Rebecca’s face ever again. She was the one at fault here, no one messes with my family. I couldn’t look at Alex face though, I was ashamed of what I did. I was ashamed I made her cry.

“Hey, it’s not your fault.” To my surprise she was trying to encourage me even after see what I could do.

“What?” I asked out of devastation, “it is my fault Alex, I should’ve maintain my anger. If she was a normal person her neck would’ve snapped and I would’ve been a murderer.”

“Well. It’s a good thing she is not a normal person.” She said with a nervous smile.

I got up and so did Rebecca who seemed to recover quicker than I’d expect, but she didn’t say anything.

“My business with you is done. I don’t want to see your face ever again.” I said curtly. I turned holding Alex’s hand without looking back, but what she said next made me angry again,

“You need me Steven and you know it.” She said confidently which annoyed me.

I went back to where she was standing and looked straight in her eyes, “I don’t know what powers you have over me, but let me tell you; I don’t care whether I need you or not. Go back to wherever you came from and never come back.” I turned to leave but I remembered something, “and one more thing, leave my family out of your madness or I’ll do something I won’t be proud of.”

This time she didn’t say anything, she just disappeared as she always did. I went back to where I parked my car and finally tried to calm down for real. I expected Alex to be more afraid of me or freaked but she wasn’t, and that was impressive.

I leaned on the car with my back and Alex was beside me,

“I’m sorry about what I did back there, I couldn’t stop myself. She me very angry sometimes.”

“Yah, I saw that. And it was pretty scary.”

“I’m sorry.” I didn’t want to scare her and I definitely didn’t want her to see that part of me.

“It’s fine. Nothing too serious happened so I guess the situation wasn’t that bad.”

“You know, you are quite extraordinary. Most people run for the hills after seeing a person do something like that. You must be thinking I’m monster right now.” I said curiously.

“First, I’m not most people and I know you are not a monster. I’ve seen monsters and you are not one of them.” She stayed quiet for a moment and looked into my eyes, “And I’m not going anywhere, you are stuck with me.” Then she kissed me.

I didn’t have anything to say. I was speechless. I couldn’t understand what she saw in me that everyone else couldn’t, and unfortunately even myself couldn’t see it either. Then she put her arms around me and we just stayed there. Since we decided to skip art class without saying out loud we had time.

“What am I going to do now?” I asked her because I literally had no clue what I was supposed to do without Rebecca bossing me around.

“Well,