Kola
I grab the flatforms from where they lie before walking towards Terna, who's carrying Kanyin in his arms, his hand beneath her thighs and her head resting against his chest.
Deb is the first to speak from beside me.
"Is she okay?" she asks, inching closer to Kanyin, her eyes scouring for any sign of visible injuries.
Terna steps back, creating a distance between Deb and Kanyin.
"She's fine. Will someone tell me what happened to her?" he asks in a commanding voice.
I almost roll my eyes at his audacity, but I can't ignore the fact that he saved Kanyin from drowning. I at least owe him some ounce of respect.
"I'll explain, give her to me," I order, my hands outstretched for him to place Kanyin in them.
The veins on his arms become visible from how tightly his hold on Kanyin is.
"I saved her, so I'll be carrying her," he says with finality.
I inhale sharply, about to retort, but Deb motions for me to calm down, and I do. I turn around as Deb rushes to get her bike lying on the grass before riding it ahead of us as we walk quietly to the manor.
When we get to the library like Deb insists, Terna places Kanyin on an armchair, her body sinking into it from her lack of consciousness.
"Have you checked if she's breathing?" I ask Terna standing a few feet from Kanyin.
He hasn't let us near Kanyin since he saved her, like a territorial dog. It hurts me to see him touch my sister, who claims she despises boys. But the fact that she rode a bike in a miniskirt all the way to the lake makes me question if she made an exception for Terna.
"Seven times," he says, holding Kanyin's palm. "I've checked her pulse seven times. She's breathing. She just needs time to replenish," he says calmly.
I can't help but ask, "What are your intentions with my sister?"
"I'll answer that once you tell me what the hell happened to her," he says in an imposing voice, clenching his right fist.
Deb clears her throat from where she sits at the corner of the table.
"Kanyin was wearing a pair of magical flatforms. The owner of the shoes died from suicide, and whoever wears her shoes walks her path. Kanyin was about to do just that," Deb summarizes.
Terna lets go of Kanyin's palm crossing his arms. "Magical shoes? That's bullshit," he claims, furrowing his brows like he's offended.
I point at the flatforms on the table. "You saw how they took control of Kanyin, yourself. They are really magical shoes. Or do you think Kanyin would willingly drown herself?" I ask incredulously.
He taps his finger to his chin. "You've got a point," he mutters, staring at the ceiling.
"During the auditions for Macbeth, I wore a different pair of shoes, and I was delivering a modern take. I know nothing about Shakespeare, so when I say they're magic, I mean it," I continue.
"What we don't know is why? Why does a dorm that people claim is haunted have magical shoes?" Deb asks aloud, her lips twisted in deep thought.
Terna walks into a row of bookcases, searching through the books.
"Do you have any idea of how many of them there are?" he asks, immersed in his search.
YOU ARE READING
The Soles Of Damini Manor
FantasyFifteen-year-old Kola Damini thought his greatest worries were surviving crowded spaces and bickering with his diva of an older sister Kanyin-until his Mom mysteriously vanished without a trace. Like every other strange family, his workaholic Dad wh...
