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ƬΉΣ ΛПΛƬΉΣMΛ

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omnis observator

Omnis Observator, Omnividens, omnia audiens, omnia sciens.

Sed quid fatum puero fracto reservaret?

Mulier maledicta quae noctem illam fatalem

rediit ut ultionem suam sumeret.

----------------

Two days after the incident, Kieran was discharged from the hospital all set to return home.

But now, something had shifted deep within him. Not fear, not anxiety.

A strange feeling of acceptance, and perhaps, a shift in power? Who knows. But he felt about himself.

He was packing his things within the cabin room as his parents were handling the discharge paperwork outside.

Then, Johnny walked in. whistling casually, spinning his motorcycle keys around his index.

"You feeling better now idiot?"

He turned around to face him, still holding his luggage. And for the first time..

He smirked. Didn't react with annoyance, didn't shrink away from the teasing. But a genuine and sincere confidence exuded from him.

Johnathan raised an eyebrow "Ah? What conspired, Mr. Lockhart? did the happy juices pushed in your veins do a double on you?"

"Not exactly, But.. I think I understand my nightmares now."

"Oh?" He let out, throwing his keys from one hand and catching it with the opposite. Then threw them at Kieran who caught it just as smoothly.

"What happened?"

"Had one of those horrid nightmares again, but.. this time I think this was a sign. because I dreamed of a key.."

"Yeah okay, stop doing meth."

he rolled his eyes, typical Johnathan not believing shit.

"Will you hear me out? thank you. anyways so.."

he held the small key up. He had washed it and had threaded a thread through it's loop and tied it around his wrist.

"That could be anything. where'd you even find a key in a hospital cabin?"

"exactly. i dreamed of throwing this key up."

"Okay? and so conveniently you have a key after that? Nice joke."

"Ugh, you either have no idea or have all the ideas but then choose to be ignorant"

"Aye man you freaky. That's what. Don't blame. You have such strange dreams which.."

"seem almost prophetic"

"seem almost prophetic, right?"

They stared at each other wide eyed.

"JINX!" they said in unison, and laughed.

Johnathan laughed a bit longer, then when calming down he said "Fine, take it that it's true. But what could the key be for?"

"That's what I'll find out."

"And how does thou intend on doing so?"

"Stop you sound stupid."

"No."

Kieran just stares at him like he's dumb.

Johnathan, meanwhile, fashioned a smug grin.

"Whatever. My dream spoke about some attic.. Which, in fact, our new house DOES have. The one upstairs above the hallway on the ceiling adjacent to my bedroom."

"Yikes. that one gives me the heebie jeebies, Kieran; are you sure you know what you're talking about?"

"Never been more sure in my life."

"You said that on the camping trip to the woods and we got l—"

"EXCEPT THAT ONE IDIOT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO POINT EVERY MISHAP OUT!"

Johnathan snickered "okayyyy as thou majesty wishes."

"You're a loser."

Johnathan gasped in offense.

"Take it back! I'm AMAZING!"

"Keep dreaming princess."

They chuckled anyways, sharing a high five and walked out.

Operation Attic, We begin now.

They headed downstairs, passing their parents who immediately turned to them.

Matthew asked, "And where are you two monkeys headed?"

Kieran spoke up with a smirk "Me and bro, on his bike, around the town."

"And I reckon he'll drive?" asked Karina, arms crossed.

Johnathan and Kieran shared a look that screamed "nada"

"Yeah, he'll bike. don't worry. I'm still sick you know."

"Better be that way, son. Because if I find out.."

Before Matthew could finish his speech, Johnathan and Kieran were gone and outside the automatic doors.

Karina just chuckled and said "These boys are something else."

Then Matthew said, "I bet you 100 bucks Kieran will drive."

Karina rolled her eyes and replied "200 Johnathan drives."

Well, safe to say, Matthew won this round.

................

Even after the harrowing time at the hospital, Kieran always had strength for a bike ride. Especially if it's him that's driving. And..

"KIERAN YOU SON OF A --- SLOW DOWN!!"

Yeah, to scare Johnathan out of his mind by his speed.

Johnathan sat behind him, clutching his waist for dear life as he did a 100 on a clear town road.

As it is, Johnathan got this bike brand new from his modelling gig money, so this was his everything, yet since Johnathan loved Kieran he let him drive it.

And Kieran drove like a man possessed, roughing up roads full speed.

Johnathan had offered this as a distraction to Kieran from his nightmares and illness

Now he himself felt sick. But in a strangely good way.

Kieran was in his own world, revving and biking ahead, both boys screaming and hollering knowing nobody was there that early.

after all, it was early in the morning, 5 am, empty streets and two teenagers on a motorcycle with nothing better to do.

They drove past the church..

A figure appeared and disappeared by the Priest's statue. Smiling ear to ear, jaw unhinged.

As they drove over the church porch.. a pentagram appeared and disappeared underneath the bike. Glowing ominously.

****************

They reached near their house, driving into the neighborhood whose people were still beginning to rise from slumber. Few women were outside on their porches hanging clothes on the racks to dry, few children playing by their yards.

They drove in and parked behind their house.

"Whooo it's actually chilly this morning huh?"

Said Kieran rubbing himself, and Johnathan hugged him, both brothers warming up.

"I know dad's gonna end us for wasting electricity but THE HEATER NEEDS TO GO ON!"

"DIBS!"

"NOOO I SAID IT FIRST I GET THE HOT SEAT!"

The two boys laughed loudly and raced eachother into the house, hastily opening and discarding their shoes at the gate and running inside. Johnathan crashed on the couch in the living room, Kieran on top of him. fighting for the warmest space on the couch. Even if it's March, New Zealand was cooler during that time than usual. Especially the satellite cities. And Oaksville was especially cold due to little to no pollution that time of the year.

Kieran suddenly remembered something, the key clinked against his wrist.

"Johnny?" he spoke up. meeting his eyes.

"what's up?"

"the attic."

Johnathan raised an eyebrow "come on we just returned, you WANNA go up there right now?"

"I mean well I HAVE a key. you might as well, ya know?"

Johnathan sighed in exasperation, but nodded reluctantly

"Anything to get the sweat in I guess, let's do that before mom and dad come back from the hospital checkout, hurry."

The both boys got up and went upstairs. And looked up at the attic on the hallway ceiling.

"Well sh#t.. ladder?"

"now what?"

They then got an idea. And a very risky one.

----------------

These two clowns decided to climb on eachothers shoulders.

Johnathan on Kieran's shoulders while Kieran wobbled like a baby giraffe.

"DUDE HOLD STEADY IF I FALL YOU'RE F##KED!!"

"I'M TRYING YOU HIPPO!"

"I AM NOT A HIPPO YOU SKUNK!"

"FOCUS ON GETTING INTO THE ATTIC!"

Johnathan held the end of the attic door ledge and used his upper body strength to pull himself up and land inside the attic.

"Hold my hand!"

"ARE YOU STUPID, HOW?! I BARELY GOT YOU UP AND YOU EXPECT ME TO GO UP THERE EASILY?"

"Haha then you're weak"

Kieran grabbed Johnathan's hand and pulled himself up.

"You can take gay allegations but can't handle questions on your strength"

Kieran rolled his eyes, ignoring that comment and turns the flashlight on, immediately coughing because it was dusty everywhere.

But then they stood there absolutely stunned.

This looked nothing like any ordinary attic, at least not what you'd expect from a humble home's attic.

The ceiling was way too high, extending until roof and each end was pillared, the walls had what looked like symbols everywhere, along with pictures and windows nailed shut. and there were a lot of boxes and carts here and there which looked dusty and dysfunctional.

On the floor, at the centre was a HUGE pentagram.

Kieran stood frozen. Not because of the pentagram but because..

..The key around his wrist was growing hotter and hotter to the point of burning.

He yelped and dropped the key. Which FLEW like a magnet towards something, Both boys ran after it. Tripping over boxes and scraps until they reached..

there, they saw.

Among the boxes, a specifically ornate box, like a medicine box, made of wood and small copper carvings on it. Looking like flowers and vines draped around it's body. And on top of it.

In perpetuum clausa: Filia Luciferi.

A cold shiver ran down his spine.. but it was the kind where you found out what you need.

Like finding out the purpose of something aching within you for a long, long time.

He smiled.

Johnathan saw it, and smiled back unconsciously, because he realised they were right where they were meant to be.

...----------------...

They got down from the attic. Clutching the box.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up from within the house.

"Finished sneaking up there boys?"

They screamed in sync but then calmed when they realised it was someone they knew, they calmed down.

But it wasn't their parents, it was a girl..

WAIT!

Johnathan reacted before Kieran could and ran at the girl and scooped her up into his arms.

Then Kieran realised.

This, was Jessica Scott. also known as Johnathan's girlfriend.

She's from London too, but turns out she came here after learning Johnathan and Kieran had moved. And turns out NZ is her home country and she came back with the purpose to visit Johnathan and Kieran too.

"JESS! HOW ARE YOU?!" Kieran exclaimed joining the hug, all three teens laugh together as they settle down.

Kieran gives a brief over his journey and all his nightmares.

"Ooh, that sounds oddly cool! It's like crazy cool mystic vibes!"

Kieran groaned in exasperation "No Jess! it's NOT fun to get harrowing nightmares each night and then see them somehow coincidentally happen in real life, it's NOT fun!"

Jessica and Johnathan both laugh a little, Johnathan ruffles his hair and looks at Jessica, saying

"Our little man has a purpose now."

He said pointing to the box, which made Kieran realise he indeed was holding something.

"Ah this box.. found this in the attic. long story. i had a nightmare about a key.. and it kept pointing to an attic, so I went there and man.. this key literally went flying to this box so i came down with it."

Jessica nodded. Genuinely interested as she picked the box up and looked at it inspecting it with a keen eye.

"Seems old. It looks like it may belong to the 19th century."

Kieran placed the box at the centre of the coffee table.

"There's only one way to find out."

He took the key and put it in the lock hole. And twisted it.

The box untwisted with a 'click'!

All three gasped because they didn't expect it to work

Kieran opened the box and peered inside coughing due to the dust inside, then he opened it fully.

And inside..

An old book, browned pages and with a name written in liquid gold which is tapered..

'Belladonna..'

But the edge of the rest of the book was dusty, when he dusted it..