I am writing this to you in hopes that the enduring nature of my written words will help you remember when my spoken ones have failed to move you.
To be possessed is not to be lost.
Forgive the crude emphasis, but you must remember that. You are still yourself, no matter what else lies within you.
Your name is Constance. In this place we have taken the Sirname de Vere. It is best if you have forgotten our former name. We can never have it back.
Always your loving brother,
Kiaran
The girl's hands trembled as she read and reread the only line that mattered in the entire letter, clinging onto it like the lifeline that it was. To be possessed is not to be lost. Was it true? Despair came close to strangling her as she felt the oppressive other beginning to overwhelm the brief moment of clarity her brother's letter had given her. It was difficult to remember who Constance was now. It seemed implausible that it was the girl reading the letter. That girl had another name...
The world slipped.
The girl's dark eyes narrowed and focusing upon the paper in front of her, she scowled and shredded the letter. Stomping a heeled boot to scatter the pieces upon the floor, she marched out the door to find the offending brother.
Kiaran jerked as the door to his workshop flew open and crashed against the wall, his head snapping up and his hand upon a chisel pulling away from his latest project. Despite his irritation at being disturbed he began to smile at the figure of his younger sister, but stopped when he saw the uncharacteristic, furious expression upon her face. With a slowness so as not to draw attention to the movement, he lowered the chisel to his worktable and released it.
Although he opened his mouth to speak, she shrieked at him before he could say anything. "Cease attempting to communicate with her!" Clenching her fists at her sides, she lowered her voice to reasonable communication range as she continued to upbraid him. "I destroyed your filthy letter. The more you do such things, the more she suffers. Her body is mine now and I won't brook your further interference."
"Con--"
She abruptly cut off his plaintive tone. "Hrodohaidis. Her-rod--o-hay-dis. That is my name! Forget her and allow her to die!" The acid of her contempt for his eventually futile attempts to rescue his sister sizzled in the fury of her words.
Taking a step towards her, his hands ached to touch his sister, but he refused when the creature aboded within her. "I will not do that! I will die before..."
"And so you shall." Hrodohaidis felt the stirring of the girl and growled in the back of her throat in annoyance. The possession wasn't complete yet, she couldn't afford to allow her grip to loosen now after she had come so far. With a final glare at the brother she turned sharply on her heels and stalked out of the workshop, leaving the door flung open.
Impotent, Kiaran watched his sister and the creature possessing her leave. He wanted to chase after her to ensure she didn't flee, but she still needed him for some reason, so he was certain she would not leave yet. Frustrated, he returned to his worktable and pounded his hands down on top of it, dislodging dust and small fragments of stones. Letting out a breath, he calmed himself and glanced over at his project. If Hrodohaidis suspected, she would not allow him to continue his work here. He had been fortunate that she had been too furious at him to pay attention. Feeling that he could no longer apply proper attention to the project, he drew a sheet over it. Though the thin fabric, he touched the stone and his last hope to save his sister. "I will save you, Constance. Please be strong." He whispered the words, though there was no chance of Hrodohaidis overhearing them. Having drawn renewed determination from the reaffirmation, he walked out of the workshop and locked it for the evening.
Hrodohaidis clung to her stolen body. Hurrying, she headed to the clearing behind the small house the brother was renting for their use while a more suitable house was being built. Once there, she began drilling combat moves, relying upon the alien movements to stupefy and subdue Constance. Within minutes she felt the girl's willpower weaken and desist from resisting her. Allowing a self-satisfied smile to spread across her lips, she continued practicing for the joy of it as well as the necessity of beating the weakness from the girl's body.
After having driven Constance's body as far as she could, she came to a weary halt. Breathing hard, she turned towards the house and paused, finding the brother leaning against a tree, watching her. Were it not for the fact that she required both of them, she'd drive the girl's body to the point of death, then steal the brother's body instead. He was far more suited to her needs than this frail female.
Irritated by his continued obsessive worry for his sister, she scowled at him and started towards the house, wanting a bath and meal more than another worthless argument with him. As she was about to brush past him, he had the temerity to reach out and arrest her by gripping her arm just above the elbow. "Release me." Sweat-drenched hair ruined the condescending look she leveled upon him, but the chill in her eyes was sufficient to make him clench his jaw.
Turning his head aside, he relaxed his grip and let his hand fall away from her. "I asked Alice to start the water for a bath. Eat with me tonight, please."
She frowned at him. Flicking golden hair over her shoulder, she ignored his request as she pushed past him. Kiaran started to follow her, but stopped after a step as she glanced over her shoulder to glower at him. He gestured for her to continue, inclining his head to her. After narrowing her eyes, she continued on to the house and entered through the back door. A few minutes later he followed her into the house and went to the dining room to wait to see if she would answer to his whim.
