the charm of the hearts

As a young woman to most I was sweet, quiet, intelligent and cute to some guys. But also I was hated by many, wanted by plenty, disliked by some and confronted by none. I believe it’s because I have a really bad history with guys I dated. Every time I get into a new relationship the guy just leaves me and moves away. Well those are just rumors I hear. I was alone most of the time. I didn’t hate people, it felt better when they weren’t around. At a much younger age I found the perfect way to be alone but not to be alone. I believe it was a Friday in March in 2006. Ah yes, the 10^th I remember distinctly. As I was walking to class as always and out of the blue Owen showed up and started walking next to me. “Hey Karma, do you have anything planned this weekend?” He asked with tension in his voice. Thinking to myself. “What could he possibly want?” I stopped in my tracks. “Well…” All of a sudden Kalob snuck behind us and grabbed my long brown hair gently and started smelling it. “Hey hotness, you wanna go out with me?” He leans in closer and whispers in my ear. “If you do I’ll show you how to have a good time.” With those few words Owen grabbed my arm and steps in front of me. His eyes were filled with anger and his hand holds my arm tightly. With vexation he said. “Too late Kalob this Juliet’s already found her Romeo.” Kalob takes a step forward. “Why would she go for an ugly troll like you?” Owen also takes a step forward. “Excuse me I’m not a mirror!” Out of my own pure genius I thought. I think to myself. “This can work.” I move myself in between them. “Guys please! Tomorrow meet me at Starbucks on St. Johns Avenue ok? Both of you.” I shouted. Kalob flipped his blond hair to the side and acted like nothing happened. “So what time baby?” He asked. “Seven good for you boys?” They both nod their heads and walk away. The bell rings and I rush to class thinking to myself holding my necklace with the wooden bird charm on it. “So which heart will I be taking Owen’s or Kalob’s?”

The next day at seven pm both Kalob and Owen stood in front of Starbucks their countenance is very good. When I noticed them I start to get flustered and anxious. As I walk closer to them I can hear my heart pounding out of my chest and my hands started to shake. Thinking to myself.  “Why am I so nervous? I do this all the time why does this time feel so different?” They finally see me and walk over to me. “Hey beautiful, how you doing?” Kalob asks. “I’m fine.” I replied. “Are you alright Karma maybe we should go for a stroll or something?” Owen suggested. “I would really love it if we can go for a walk around first.” “Great, that sounds good.” Owen says with delight.  As we begin to walk down the block Owen grabs my hand softly. At that moment my heart felt like it was going to burn me alive. Soon we came across an old half burned downtall building that was abandoned. I stopped and looked at it for a bit. “Hey, guys let’s go inside it looks like fun.” Kalob passes by me trying to find the entrance. “You know me too well princess.” I turn my head to Owen, and he looks at me with unease. “You’re serious!?” he asked. I take his other hand. “It’s going to be fine I promise.”  He pulls me close to him. As he brushes my cheek with his other hand I look into his green eyes. As I do so I can feel his heart beating as fast as mine. “I want you to be mine not his. Tell me you’ll love me enough to love me.”  I turn around looking for Kalob. Owen pulls me back. “Please, Karma.” He lays his forehead on mine and leans forward on me. I started breathing really fast, as I did I closed my eyes. Just as our lips where about to touch Kalob calls for us. “Hey angel come on it’s really cool in here.” I ran back to him following his voice with Owen by my side. I think to myself. “After all this time could he break my spell of insanity?”

When we got inside it smelled like burned wood. Everything was black including the bricks on the wall. We were also able to hear the rats running in the walls. As the boys looked around I disappeared into the shadows. I started locking all the doors and made sure that the windows were well bordered up. Once finished I ran up several flights of stairs, at the top was a long dark hallway filled with more than one hundred rotting corpses. To most it would smell worse than a sewer. But to me it was like walking through a field of rose, it smelled so sweet. The blood all over the walls is truly the best art I could ever own. Stopping in front of a corps I say “Don’t worry soon you’ll have a new friend or two. So be patient.” At the end of the hallway was a room with many computers. On the screens it showed Owen and Kalob running around trying to find a way out. As they did, I heard them screaming my name over and over again. Finally, I use the intercom to tell them what’s happening:  “Hello my dears, you don’t have to worry about me I’m completely fine. But you might want to start worrying about yourselves. As you may have noticed you can’t get out and your phones are missing, its ok I have them so calm down! You see I can’t choose between you both so, whoever kills the other I will cherish and love their heart forever until the day I die. So I say to that may the best man win. Good luck.”  With that cheerful note I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. Owen looks around trying to find the cameras. “Karma this is crazy! Pure insanity! How can you possibly lose your humanity like this!” Owen shouted. Behind him Kalob takes a crowbar and walks slowly to Owen and hits him hard at the back of the head. Owen falls to the floor instantly.

Later around 10 pm Owen wakes up tied up to a chair. “It’s about time you woke up and I was worried I already killed you.” Kalob lays against a post, cleaning the crowbar with his shirt. “Kalob…Why?” Owen moans in pain. “You really think I didn’t see you kissing my girl!” Kalob stands up in front of him. Owen shakes his head side to side. “No not that! Why not kill me in one blow?” Kalob laughs. “What’s the fun of it if I kill you quickly? Anyway I want to make you feel the exactly same pain I felt when I watched you kiss my beloved.” Owen smirks at Kalob. “Do your worst.” Kalob starts ripping all of his nails and teeth out slowly. As he bled out from his mouth, hands and feet he screams in pain and agony. As he does I laugh so hard I couldn’t breathe. Then Owen stops screaming and starts to smile at the camera. “Why you smiling like that?” Kalob asked. “Time fly’s, the sun rises and shadow’s fall to love one and all is a treasure.” When I heard that I rushed down the stairs hoping to redresser what I’ve created. When I made it to the room, the boys were in front of me. Kalob took out a rapier and is about to cuts Owen’s eye out. But I couldn’t stop him, I just watched happily in the shadows with the big smile on my face. As Kalob was carving out Owen’s eye out his screams were like a beautiful melody so thrilling and enjoyable. Kalob started cutting out the other eye the room becomes silent. Kalob takes a step back a put the rapier in his back pocket. As Owen is losing his breath he starts losing faith in his face. Then he loses his life. Thinking to myself “A person dies only when he or she loses faith.” I snuck behind Kalob immerging from the darkness I took his hand gently. “That was amazing what you did.”  “Well you are my baby girl.” He raps his arms around me and said. “So do you love me enough to love me?” I asked. “Of course…” he smirked when he replied. Then he started kissing me roughly.

I pull his rapier from his back pocket, and stab him in his back. As he falls to the ground and bleeds out I laugh with so much glee and joy as he losing his breath. “Baby… You said you’d love me if… I killed him.” looking at him with confusion. “No, I said I’d cherish your heart forever so I’m going to keep it.” Then I cut out his heart and put it in my bag. Looking over at Owen’s corp. “I wished you survived. I want to kill you myself so bad.” I kissed him for the first and last time. Then I cut out his heart as well and stuffed it in my bag and walked back to my palazzo. When I get home I ran straight up to my room, put Kalob’s and Owen’s hearts in separate jars. I grab my bird charm and carve Owen’s name on it and put it in the jar with his heart. I also do the same thing with Kalob’s. Once finished opening my giant walk-in closet is filled with more than one hundred jars of hearts and bird charms with all different names. Iplaced the jars down on one of the shelves. “You see, this is how I’m alone but not to be alone. It’s so heavenly and pallid.” I go put another bird charm on. I wonder to myself. “Who’s name will you bare next?” I hear the doorbell ring. I walk down and open the door. There my eyes lay on this handsome guy at that moment my heart started beating so fast I could hear it loud and clear. He has black hair, brown eyes, he’s tall, very muscular and he looks just about the same age as me. My first impression of him is that he’s a football player. “Hi, I’m Brendan.”