60 Past, Present and Future

"As we told you before that after dad found out about 'that' woman's special tea he flipped!" Laila started. "He refused to have her in his life anymore and tried to take us away from that demon." Loreley continued.

Olivia nodded as she narrowed her eyes "Right he was supposed to go to a business meeting somewhere but disappeared along with his plane." Laila and Loreley both nodded. "Right so after he disappeared 'that' thing put on a giant show, 'it' cried and destroyed things. Put up a reward for any information that would lead to his safe return. At one point we believe that demon... " Laila said with a sigh as her eyes reflected a deep pain from having to relive her memories by telling them their story.

"So a month later, 'that' woman called all our family and friends and cancelled our birthday celebration. She told everyone including us that there was a lead and we had to rush off as a family to Central Amazonian High Plateau to bring dad back home. Laila was the happiest to hear that our dad was spotted.... I will never forget the look on her face when we checked into the Western Cameroon Hotel." Loreley looked crestfallen as the words spilled from her lips.

"We were so small, we didn't know any better and now that we look back there were too many signs!" Laila started to cry, she hide her face with her hands and Loreley looked like she was ready to start crying too but she took a deep breath and in a shaky voice she continued.

"Agni stripped us of our clothes, left us naked and locked in the room. That demon would almost never take us out and if we were lucky 'it' would remember to bring us food but for a whole two months we barely survived with what was in the room... if we tried to get someone's attention from the outside that monster would punish us severely."

Laila started to wipe her tears away "I remember the one time Agni was outside and caught me peeking out the window... 'it' rushed back so fast to the room... 'that' thing gagged me and made Loreley rip off my toe nails while 'it' watched... that smile... that smile was so wicked..." Laila chocked on her words and new tears started to spill out.

Loreley violently shook as she tried to go on "When I started to refuse to hand out the punishments, 'that' thing took matters into 'its' own hands...." Loreley titled her head to the side, her eyes became wild as he pupils dilated from fear "Laila would be dragged by her hair, if she screamed that demon would kick her in the gut to shut her up. I would be tied to the toilet, 'it' made me watch, I couldn't do anything to help her... I could only watch..." Loreley was starting to slip into a dark place that Olivia knew all too well.

She grabbed Loreley and embraced her as hard as she could. "You're safe, don't remember anymore! Please we don't need to know! Please just let those memories go!" she started to shout. Loreley blinked her eyes and started to move. Olivia felt her wanting to be free and eased up on her embrace so that Loreley could position herself better.

Loreley sighed and let silent tears run down her face while Laila started to hiccup. Autumn and Blair wrapped their arms around Laila to try and calm her down, the girls felt horrible to ask them to go on but they needed to hear the rest. Loreley knew she couldn't stop midway and cleared her throat.

She was resting the back of her head on Olivia's chest and stared up towards the sky. She took a moment and shut her eyes, as more tears flowed delicately downwards. "That demon gave me instructions on how to perform CPR as she filled the bathtub. I was told that I needed to quickly understand the instructions as it was the only thing that was going to save my sister..."

Laila started to cry even harder as Loreley recalled the memory "That monster then turned and started to drown Laila in the bath, I couldn't scream I just watched as she would pull her up for a second so she could spit up so water and dunk her back in again... over and over again... until she stopped moving... 'it' pulled her out of the bath and tossed Laila's body towards me. I froze until 'it' yelled at me, 'Well if you don't care whether she lives or dies...' I fumbled and was able to do CPR...." Loreley finally moved herself away from Olivia's embrace and looked her in the eyes.

"That is how 'it' has control over me, I am... was the weakest out of us and if I wanted my sister to live and not go through that again I had to do what 'it' ordered... over the years I got better at CPR but I don't think I'm too proud of it." Loreley said as she scrunched up her face and started to ball her eyes out.

After the twins calmed down, it was almost time for them to leave the hot spring. Laila took a deep breath and looked at Olivia, she grabbed her shoulders and tried to keep herself together before she lost her nerve "Agni made that trip down there not to only to train us but to get more ingredients for her special tea... Olivia... she gave that tea to your mother..."

Olivia's face paled, she couldn't believe it and started to shake her head no. Laila shook her body slightly and tried to get Olivia to focus "I need you to listen! This might be the last time we can all be together and I need you to know it all!" she said fiercely through gritted teeth.

"Laila..." Loreley muttered under her breath as she reached out for her shoulder. "No!" Laila yelled "I don't care if 'that' woman finds out I need to let Olivia know!" Laila looked at everyone then back into Olivia's eyes "Using fresher ingredients makes it a lot more potent... we were her test subjects! So when they met at a social tea party, that demon gave it to her as a gift... Olivia don't look away from me there's more! Every bad thing that has happened to you 'that' woman has masterminded!"

"Please Laila that's enough! If 'it' finds out I don't know what will happen to you!" Loreley started to scream hysterically as she hugged her sister from behind. Laila never let he gaze falter from Olivia "Agni planned for me to die on Eli's birthday... I developed Thalassophobia, if I fell into the water I would have died but Loreley took the plunge instead of me, that demon wanted your father to feel responsible for what happened!"

"That monster also tried to sell you as a sex slave! Carl is that demon's most trusted minion, 'that' monster tried to train you with a watered down version of the special tea and at some point enlisted Quinn! I swear to you that the demon will find a way to get rid of you and us if it's that last thing 'it' will ever do! Don't be fooled with how things are quiet now, 'its' probably working behind the scenes trying to arrange marriages with old men for us to be married off to and gain more of it's demonic power!"

....

The girls stood despondently outsides as they waited for their rides to pick them up. No one said anything or bothered to look at each other for their last hour at the Little Garden. It was still early in the afternoon but after hearing everything Laila and Loreley had to say drained them completely.

Suddenly Olivia threw her arms around Laila and kissed her cheek. "Laila I love you!" she shouted. The girls looked at Olivia like the pressure finally got to her and she lost her mind while Olivia pulled out her phone and quickly dialed one of her favorite people.

"Edmond!" she shouted with delight, her smile was radiating to every direction. "How are you?.... Oh my god congratulations! .... When is the wedding?.... Next year!!! AFTER THE BABY IS BORN!!! You dog you took my advise!... uh huh.... ya... wait what?!.... No I don't... I... Edmond... I see... alright... I guess I'll see you... no, no, no.... they can't do that!... No you can't!..... Is there anyway I can stop this?!.... No! I don't want you too!... sob... Edmond... I... sob.... I love you too.... Bye...." Olivia's face became dreadful, tears were falling from her eyes as she slumped herself on to the ground.

Autumn and Blair rushed over and tried to pull her back up. Loreley touched her arm as Laila tried to get her to talk "What happened?" Olivia dropped her gaze, letting her tears hit the ground as she told them what she found out.

"Edmond proposed to Samantha, then she dropped the bomb on him and told him she pregnant. She is not that far along just three maybe four weeks but it's enough.... he tried to break his contract with the Steel family but dad isn't the one who made him enter it. It's the elders and it seems that they have been in contact with Agni...." Blair let go of Olivia and covered her mouth with both hands, while the rest of them looked dumbfounded.

Autumn and Loreley wrapped their arms around Olivia "Agni is to be considered his mistress and is to never appear before me again... I lost Edmond... I lost him for good and I don't even know if dad knows about it!" she started to scream.