Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  She looked away and folded her hands in front of her and I wondered just what I'd done wrong.

  "Tabitha?"

  "Just go fix it and let's get the hell outta here you ass," she said, turning her back on me.

  “What? Okay”.

  I turned towards the dark basement and descended into the darkness. Something was up with her; I knew I could surely get her to tell me what it was. She told me everything. I just had to fix the lever first.

  As I got to the generator, feeling my way towards it, I kicked something on the floor and bent to pick it. It turned out to be the flashlight and I used it to check the generator and I was surprised.

  The lever that had been missing was now there, looking like it had been there the whole time.

  I turned and looked towards the top of the stairs. Was this why she was upset? It seemed so reasonable the more I thought about it. Tabitha had removed the lever so she could have some alone time with me. But I'd taken too long getting back and that's why she was upset.

  I laughed as I reached up and pulled the lever. The generator came to life then. I wondered how I could have been so dense. Tabitha had been hinting at us being a bit more than secret playmates for a while now and I'd been ignoring the signs. But surely this was confirmation. I had some apologizing to do.

  I slowly made my way up the stairs, wondering how I could apologize. This was a new territory for us, so I had to be careful. As I walked up, something up on the ceiling caught my attention and I looked up, wondering what it could be. My heart jumped to my throat.

  Two yellow eyes stared at me from the ceiling, seemingly floating in the darkness of the basement. I remembered I had a flashlight and raised it. I had barely made out what it was when something lunged at me from the ceiling.

  It happened faster than I could have anticipated. One second I was looking up at the ceiling, wondering what the two floating orbs were, and the next, I was struggling to keep from choking on my own blood.

  I struggled to maintain my balance, but there was no helping it. I toppled over, landing on the ground with the sickening crack of my own breaking neck.

  After that, it was total darkness.

  Blake was taking his sweet time coming up and I was beyond angry now.

  First, he'd kept me waiting in the dark all so he could play a stupid prank and now he was keeping me waiting even after obviously fixing the light problem. What exactly was keeping him so long? Was he too busy laughing at the meagre success of his foolish prank?

  I stopped pacing and looked towards the dark entrance to the basement. Without further thought I took a step towards it, intending to find out what was taking him so long.

  Just as I took my second step, I heard a sound come from behind me and I turned sharply and gasped.

  Danielle Montgomery stood some yards in front of me, bleeding. I ran towards her, putting my arms around her. The smell of all the drinks she'd had clung firmly to her.

  "Danielle! Are you okay? What happened?"

  Her reply was a bit slurred, but I got the message. She slipped and fell on some broken glass. Her hands and knees were bloody and she had been crying. How had she even gotten out here in the first place?

  I shook my head as I looked around making sure we were alone. I had to get her inside before anyone saw what a mess she was. The night had already been messed with enough. There was no need to make it any worse.

  Together, Danielle and I staggered towards the mansion, making sure to keep from being seen by the guests who remained.

  The creature flexed its clawed hand still feeling the euphoric rush that came to ending the life of a target. Its yellow eyes glowed with excitement as he stared at the dead body of the boy.

  Blood oozed out of his torn neck and his face had a permanent look of surprise. As the creature moved, it turned towards the stairs and sniffed the air.

  Could it be? Ah yes. It sniffed again for confirmation. There was one more creature in the mansion. I wondered how it could have missed the creature before.

  It didn't matter though. There was something else to be taken care of. And that was exactly what it was going to do.

  8

  Tabitha stared at her phone in surprise. The worry I felt inside clutched at my chest and refused to let go. How could he? Would he? Well, I thought as I looked at my phone once more, it seemed like he had. I read the text message once more, wondering just what exactly had gotten into Blake.

  "Hey Tabi. Sorry I had to leave so soon, but I couldn't take it anymore and if I were you, I would leave as well. I don't like the vibe I'm getting from that place. You should get out like I have.

  Laterz. Blake ”

  I re-read it, noting the smile he always used in ending his messages. Asshole. What was funny about any of this? How could he have left without even telling anyone?

  I got up early and went to find him in his room, but I was shocked to see that his room was empty of all his belongings. I'd immediately gone to check if his car was still in the driveway, but it was gone as well. Then, I checked my phone and seen the text. What exactly could have gotten into him?

  I remembered yesterday’s events and shook my head. Taking Danielle had been a very arduous task and after settling her in, cleaning out her wounds and bandaging them up, I was too tired to go find out what Blake was up to. Perhaps if I had, he would have told me what was happening with him.

  The creature from last night flashed into my mind and I wondered if it had anything to do with all of this. No, it couldn't have. Wasn't the creature just a dummy Blake created? What if this disappearance was just another budding joke he was hatching. One could never tell with him.

  Another thought flashed inside my head. What if he had seen the creature and it freaked him out so much he had run away? The thought came with its own chilling implications, implications I did not want to consider. First things first, it cemented the fact that the creature was real and I could not accept that. If it was indeed real, why did it let me go?

  I remembered what I'd heard it say,

  "Run Tabitha. Run or die".

  If such a creature were real, I doubted it would be one who failed to keep its word often. Especially when it involved killing.

  She considered his warning,

  "If I were you, I would leave as well".

  He had to be kidding with that part. How could he expect me to just up and leave? I mean, I was upset with everything and if there was even the remotest possibility that the creature was real, and I greatly doubted that it was, I still couldn't just up and leave my step-sister alone in the mansion.

  I read the text one last time and looked at the room. It sure did look like he had run out in a hurry. Scaredy-cat, I thought, laughing as I left the room. Surely the others had to be informed that he had left.

  They'd surely be surprised.

  I wondered if Faye-Minita had read my letter yet. I rubbed my head as I felt my headache returning. How could I have been so uncouth? Danielle was feeling so guilty for what nonsense spurted out of her mouth in a drunken banter.

  The hangover I felt was definitely what I deserved and there was no disputing that. I'd been completely out of line and I wondered if Faye-Minita would be able to find it in her heart to forgive me. At first, I'd been having a good time, trying to forget how I'd lost the scavenger hunt in my own mansion, then I'd taken one drink too many and I just didn't know what came over me.

  I cringed slightly as memories of my utterances came back in fragments. What was I thinking? Accusing her of such odd things. Where did all that come from?

  I only hoped she would be able to forgive me because I was having a hard time forgiving myself. I had acted like a child and in front of all those important guests. How could I, in good faith ever invite them for anything ever again after the show of shame at yesterdays party? It was a surprise the other remained even, I half expected to wake up to meet that they had all left in the middle of the night. They had every right to.

  I woke up
early to write the letter of apology, detailing just how pathetic I made myself look and just how sorry I was. Writing it had been hard considering the wounds to my palms and knees but I managed it. Tabitha had done a good job of cleaning me up.

  My mind went back to the letter. If the letter didn't make Faye-Minita at least forgive me a little, then I didn't think anything right. On my way to give her the letter, I ran into Juan. I sighed at the thought.

  He hadn't been very happy with me. He’d been knocking at her door but hadn't gotten any response when I arrived. He then told me that he, alongside Drayton and Ophelia, had searched for her everywhere without any success. According to him, they had only come back with the hope that she had, perhaps, slipped back into the mansion and into her room and wanted to be alone. He’d been knocking to find out if she was okay. He hadn't gotten any answer.

  I apologized to him for the accusation, I levelled against her, some of which concerned him and he'd told me that he didn't hold it against me; the person I really offended was Faye-Minita. I dropped the letter and left.

  Hopefully, by lunchtime, she would have come out of her room and I would know my fate.

  I sighed as I lay back down, feeling the headache returning. I had taken a few pills of aspirin and if I wasn't scared of overdosing, it seemed like I would be in need of more.

  With that thought, I closed my eyes, willing the headache away and briefly, I wondered where Tabitha was.

  The sounds of birds singing slowly seeped into my semi-conscious state, slowly guiding me out of my slumber and I opened my eyes, squinting slightly as the sun assaulted my cornea. Gradually, my eyes adjusted and I suddenly shot up and looked around. Where was I? thought Faye-Minita.

  Slowly, it all came back, Danielle's rant and me storming out and coming to sit in the chapel. I laughed slightly, shaking my head and then I yawned. I touched the blanket I had on; its warmth must have lulled me to sleep yesterday night.

  Oh, my. Juan and the others must be so worried, I thought, sitting upright.

  The sun was high in the sky and it was obvious I had slept for a long time. I stretched, hearing the bones crack in protest from being made to rest on a chapel bench.

  As I sat back waiting for the grogginess to pass, Danielle's face crossed my mind and I recalled everything she'd done and said at the party. I felt the familiar vague sadness, but it died down quickly. Now that I'd had time to digest it, it was clear to me that she had not been telling the truth. My uncanny ability to know when someone was lying had tried to alert me yesterday, but I'd been too busy being offended to take note.

  I laughed. It seemed the famous saying "Only three people tell the truth; children, angry people and drunk people" was not all that true. The irony was not lost on me.

  I got up and stretched once more. I had to get to the mansion, I was sure Juan and the others were wondering where I was. No need in making them think something untoward had happened to me.

  As I got to the door of the chapel, I stopped short of the exit and looked closely at what had caught my attention. There were strange footprints in front of the chapel. I moved in closer and examined it. They were not human prints, not from any human I'd ever seen at least. And they seemed to be leading away from the chapel and into the forest. I gazed at the footprints for a while, wondering what to do. I could feel a strong sense of curiosity grip me and it didn't seem eager to be going anywhere.

  With a heavy sigh, I decided to follow the prints. What was the worst that could happen? For some reason, my brain seemed unwilling to come up with answers to that question.

  As I followed the footprints, they led me further and further into the forest and I looked back from time to time to make sure I was still able to see the mansion. Getting lost and causing panic was the last thing she felt like doing. Looking at the mansion also kept me from venturing too far into the forest and getting lost.

  Soon enough, the footprints led me to a clearing in the forest. The clearing seemed natural, rather than man-made and I gazed around in awe. Then I caught movement from my peripheral vision and turned abruptly, alarmed.

  I heaved a sigh as I saw what had caught my attention. The sun reflected off a necklace that laid in the middle of the clearing. The necklace glimmered in the sunlight and I felt pulled in by it. It was partially covered in dirt and I approached it slowly, feeling apprehension growing in my chest. Who'd leave a necklace like this in such a place?

  I bent and picked it up, wiping off the dust and inspecting the necklace. It looked like it had been there for a while and there was a strange symbol on it.

  Only, the symbol was not so strange.

  As I looked closer, it seemed almost familiar and I wondered where I'd seen it before.

  Suddenly, a branch snapped somewhere behind me and I whipped my head around, instantly on edge. I scanned the shrubs and saw nothing. Then, a figure emerged from the trees and I almost screamed.

  Vagner looked up at me and tilted his head, obviously worried about the terrified way in which I was staring at him. I eased down a bit. He seemed slightly startled. I didn't blame him.

  "Faye-Minita? What are you doing here? Everyone's been looking for you; the guys think you're inside. How are you?" he asked,

  He had equipment I couldn't recognize in his hands and a large bag.

  "I'm fine, what are you doing here?" I asked quickly.

  "Err, well...I'm studying some forest animals and thought the day was warm enough for some of them to be photographed". I recognized the equipment he held as a disassembled camera. I slowly shoved the necklace in my pocket, careful not to allow him to see.

  "Okay then, I guess I should leave you to your work then. I just came out here to think. I'll go back to the mansion now. Good luck" I said quickly, smiling and I made my way out of the clearing, back towards the mansion, breathing a sigh of relief. I didn't know why, but I didn't want Vagner to see the necklace. I touched my pocket feeling the weight inside and I smiled not knowing why I felt the way I did, but not minding much either.

  When I got back to my room, I noticed that there was something shoved under it, halfway. The door was built really close to the ground and for anything to be shoved completely through, one needed to actually force it through, especially if it was something bulky. I reached down and picked it up, realizing it was a letter and could have entered easily. Perhaps the person wasn't quite sure I was in the room and wanted it to be the first thing I saw whether I was going in or going out.

  It was addressed, “from Danielle Montgomery to Faye-Minita MacDougal”. Danielle, I thought, always so official. I smiled as I reached for my keys in my pocket and opened the door. I closed the door behind me and headed towards the bed opening the letter as I did.

  The handwriting was vaguely familiar and I felt slightly nostalgic for a second as I sat down on the bed and began reading the letter.

  Wow, I thought, she'd really taken her time writing it. I read the letter and felt my heart melt. She mentioned quite a few things and it was clear that she had poured her heart and mind into writing the letter. Even if she hadn't said all she had, and even if I didn't have the ability to know when a person was being dishonest, I could certainly appreciate the effort she'd put into the letter. She'd even signed at the end.

  I laughed as I began reading it again, noting the various things she asked for forgiveness for, including what she called 'ruining my victory at the scavenger hunt'. I laughed again. As far as I was concerned, she was already forgiven.

  I didn't know how or why, but I was suddenly aware of the presence of another in the room and I turned sharply to my left and almost collapsed from shock.

  Juan sat beside me, arms folded on his chest and instinctively, I screamed.

  His reaction was quick and his hand clamped over my mouth, muting my yell for help. I grabbed his hand with both of mine, terrified and confused at the same time. I looked around the room when I came in and he most definitely had not been there. How did he suddenly emerge beside me wi
thout me even being aware of it? And why was he so hell bent on keeping me quiet?

  As I watched him, eyes widened in shock, he raised a finger to his lips and asked me to stop struggling. He whispered harshly for me to keep quiet and I finally calmed down. He wasn't going to hurt me. This was Juan for crying out loud. I was simply overreacting. I nodded my head and he arched an eyebrow as though he didn't quite believe that I was not going to scream and alert everyone.

  Then he slowly began to remove his hand, all the while looking at me and seemingly watching for any sign that I was about to sound the alarm once more.

  I had no intention of doing that. Not when I had one very important question that needed answering.

  I got up and paced around the room for a while and he watched me. I thought about it once more. I remembered opening the door myself. I'd slipped the key in and entered and locked it behind me. Right?

  I walked to the door and tried it. Sure enough, it was locked.

  Had Juan picked my lock? And if he had, how then did he manage to re-lock the door?

  I stared at him and he stared up at me, seemingly waiting for me to finish my inspection of the room and come to my own conclusion or seek an answer from him. Considering how baffled I was, I decided going with the latter would be of greater help to me.

  “How did you get into my room?” I asked. From his sigh I could tell that he had been expecting the question.

  “Well, Faye-Minita, that’s a long story, but I’m going to tell it. In fact, that’s why I’m here. I needed to speak to you, explain a few things to you, and in turn, you could shed some light on the more baffling parts that I don’t get myself”.

  I took in his words quietly, watching him for any signs that he might be having me on. What did he mean he needed to explain things to me and get some explanation from me? Explanation concerning what? And what kind of an answer was that anyway? Was he stalling? What for?