Krystal's World Read online

great-great-great-grandfather’s side of the family. His sons had sons, and then his great-great-grandson finally had twin girls.

  “No one knows.” Its eyes were trained on me. “Don’t go any farther, unless you are an animal.”

  I train my eyes on it as its own darken and a shivering smile creeps across its long face.

  “Are you one, Krystal Ann Livingston?”

  “We are,” the twins said in unison and leapt out of the boat, transforming in mid-air.

  The spots on my skin grew darker while my skin changed to gold and a fur pattern appeared before becoming three-dimensional. A long tail sprouted from my spine. I could breathe better once again, and, now that I understand why, it didn’t freak me out. My ears slid up the sides of my face and rounded, as my light blonde hair became spotted and melted to complete the fur on the back of my neck. My teeth became sharp and my mind filled with mischievous thoughts, mixing with instincts from the animal I’d become.

  I let out a growl, the second one louder as the panther and tiger standing behind me join in. I was the cheetah in the picture I’d drawn. Literally.

  TEN

  IT’S TIME

  The animals returned to normal around us, everything once again becoming beautiful. The trees sighed a “Welcome,” as the birds chattered once again. Their words clarified in my brain and I understood them.

  “It’s her, so it must be time!”

  The frog called after us as we walked down the road, unable to leave the water.

  “Wait!” it called. “You don’t know the whole curse and prophecy!”

  The fog thickened as we walked, and soon we are unable to see ten feet in front of us. Lola complains about this, but Tigre and I stay silent, listening for any signs of the two monsters I’d faced at the beginning of all this.

  There it is. It’s only a claw in the greyness of the fog, but I know what’s waiting there. Tigre and I creep closer, ready to attack, while Lola stays behind, whimpering. Cerberus comes into full view, growling at us as Tigre and I disappeared into a shadow on either side of the road, casted by the trees. The creature turned his heads to focus on Lola, frozen in her place.

  Everything inside of me screamed at me to turn and run the other way. But something inside of me told me I needed to kill this beast, as if I were meant to. As if it was my destiny.

  I ran toward it and clamped my jaws on its neck. A few snakes fell off, hissing and jerking with the remaining life in their blood. Tigre and Lilaysh bit too, and we did that over an over, focusing on one head each, and all the snakes were finally off.

  Except for one. The tail.

  We ripped and tore at the throats and necks of Cerberus, something taking over me I’d never felt before. The animal’s instincts had kicked in and the human part of me seemed dethatched, as if I were just cheetah and not Krystal.

  My animal body grew exhausted and I backed away, the twins waiting for me. Horror filled my body with what I had done, the dog beginning to chew on his bleeding wounds, the want for blood taking over. The snake in the back whipped with fury, unable to help its master in any way. It knew it was close to death.

  We changed back.

  “It’s time!”

  I could hear the loud whisper from the trees.

  “Ungh!”

  A pain shot up my leg. I pulled out the notes that I had stuffed in my pockets before heading out this morning. All but one, it seemed, tumbled to the ground, my eyes darting over them. The animals, Hexinoide, Cerberus, the figure, the flower… they were all there and more. But which one do I hold? And why did it hurt me?

  I opened it up, wincing and dropping it as it slices through my skin. Paper cut.

  I pressed against my thumb with my tongue, tasting the earth and stench of Cerberus. I cringed at the bacteria entering into my body. Oh well. Can’t be any worse than turning into a cat.

  CONTINUE

  I opened the paper the rest of the way, my eyes eagerly reading the words as the twins guarded me from Cerberus, who was no threat at the moment.

  THREE HEADS ARE BETTER THAN TWO,

  AND DEFINITELY BETTER THAN ONE.

  LET IT EAT FAMILIAR FLESH

  THAT’S HOW THE FEAST IS DONE.

  My eyes traveled up to Cerberus, who was still gnawing at his wounds. One of the heads begins to tear a bit of muscle from its chest. The other two cried out and attacked it, blood splattering the ground as the other two attempt to crush it in its jaws.

  I turn away, sick to my stomach.

  Familiar flesh.

  Its own.

  The beast exploded, sending blood and gore all around and miraculously missing us three. I dry-heaved—I hadn’t eaten anything this morning.

  Clap… clap… clap…

  I looked up, wiping my mouth.

  “Bravo, Brava!” The deathly smile let a chuckle slip past its lips as the body it belongs to drifts forward, nothing touching the ground. “You destroyed the clone of Cerberus.” He stops right before me. “Now let’s see if you can beat Hexerbrus.”

  He backed up and rose into the air, his arms outstretched.

  I nearly collapsed from the pain that shot through my leg again. One last paper, a small one, was wedged in the top part of my pocket. I pulled it out and opened it as the wind picked up once again.

  HEXERBRUS IS DANGEROUS

  BETRAYAL IS COMING FAST

  MAKE THE SOURCE TURN TO YOU

  FORCE ITS BOW TO LAST

  “Yes, I will,” I grimace, ready to take on the creature about to be thrown my way. But the question is: will I last?

  ELEVEN

  HEXERBRUS

  “It’s time,” Lola whispered fearfully.

  Hexinoide grew larger and his fangs extended as a long tail melted from his clothes. Cerberus came lunging up from the thick fog and collided with Hexinoide, a bright blast shaking the earth. Once the light disappeared, the morphed beast stood ten feet tall, its body made of green scales, grey skin poking out in places like joints and where the beast needed to move. The body was like Cerberus’ with three heads and it’s dog-like build, but a face peered out from its chest, the one that belonged to Hexinoide. He laughed loudly and, in a booming voice, with each head’s mouth moving, he said, “Come.”

  Lola stepped forward.

  “Lilaysh, no!” Tigre pleaded, his eyes filled with shock and disappointment.

  Red wings with black holes sprouted from her shoulder blades and she cried out in pain.

  “Stay away, Tigre,” she growled, peering over her shoulder, malice in her eyes.

  “What happened to you?” I gasped.

  “Remember the frog’s curse?”

  I nod. “But I thought that was for the oldest daughter—no, you guys can’t be—are you—”

  Tigre nodded. “You catch on quickly.”

  I swallowed my heart.

  “Come,” Hexerbrus said again, “and join me. make my transformation complete, first daughter of Livingston.”

  She opened her wings and flew upward. She landed on the creature’s back and melted into it, leaving behind her wings as they grew and grew, becoming large enough to lift the enormous beast from the ground.

  I knew what It meant. I understood the words.

  I transformed back into the cheetah and jumped on Hexerbrus’ back, clawing at its muscles.

  “Lola,” I shouted, “I know you’re in there. I know how you feel, listen to me.”

  “Silence!”

  Her voice. I hear it intertwining with Hexinoide’s words and Cerberus’ growl. She’s in there. I need her to get out.

  “Lola, we can fight him together, but Tigre and I can’t do it ourselves. I don’t want to hurt you. I’m going to find a cure for the curse. I didn’t know you were my—”

  “I said silence!”

  “Sister!” I cried over the voices.

  It seemed like everything stood still. A burst of air threw me off he back and I hit the ground. I knew today would be the day I would win, this nightmares wouldn’t control me, and I saw the light.

  Lola’s curse was history.

  She landed on the ground and shrunk back to her normal size as I returned to my normal self. She thanked me and, once we morphed once again, we charged him. But then I stopped dead in my tracks. I remembered the clues, the figure, my dad, the animals… the curse. There was more to it. We didn’t stay to listen to the frog.

  “What are you doing?” Tigre shouted as he lunged past me.

  I stood there.

  “He’s like a foot away,” Lola gets closer to the animal.

  I bared my teeth.

  Pounced.

  This is for you, dad.

  TWELVE

  EVERYONE

  I was furiously scratching him and tearing his skin with my jaws, the human part of me disappearing once again. Hexerbrus moaned aloud as we began to win. I jumped off, feeling him sway. His blood covered me like a coat. A gag built in my throat, but this time I kept my mouth shut as it ran over my face and dripped on the gravel below me.

  “You’re finished,” I grumbled, and slammed a paw on the drop of blood.

  He shouted as his body exploded, gore flying everywhere. Once the smoke cleared and the fog disappeared, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  The figure, Cerberus, my mom, my twin… my father.

  I returned to normal, most of the blood falling to the ground beneath me, and I slowly walked toward them.

  Their eyes were wide and filled with fear, and they embraced me, Cerberus darting off into the trees. Their tones were anxious and quick, flitting by my ears too fast for me to understand them. The shadow floats up and disappears into a nearby tree. Tears fell down my face in joy as Tigre and Lola introduced them
selves. My parents were overjoyed. They’d no