Cordelia approaches Chasity. I hold my breath as she kneels down beside her and takes her face between her hands. She turns it from side to side as if she’s examining it, then she laughs. “It’s ironic! You look so similar to Marina…Mary. It’s ironic that Olivette would pick you as her best friend. You’re the exact opposite of her in looks. Just like Elizabeth was to Mary.” I never saw it coming until the spit lands on Cordelia’s face. At first, she is shocked and appalled, but it quickly turns into anger. Her hand comes up and wipes the spit before back handing Chasity across the face. Chasity yelps and falls to her side. I lose sight of her. Chasity sniffles and I release the breath I had been holding, at least she’s still alive.
Cordelia dusts her hands together as she stands up. I watch, slightly mesmerized, as she crosses the room to Trivitt. I watch as her deep red cape flows behind her. It’s hard to tell where her deep brown hair ends in the muted light. She moves with and elegance and grace that is unexpected. When she reaches Trivitt she nudges him with the toe of her shoe. Trivitt groans then coughs; more blood joins the growing puddle below. As much as I hate to admit it I’m relieved that he’s still alive as well. She makes a hmph sound and turns away.
Her dark eyes land on me. Cordelia’s eyes remind me of Oski’s but Oski’s hold a hint of warmth and kindness in the dark iris. Cordelia’s are cunning and angry. She makes her way towards me. I tell myself to not show any emotion on my face or in my eyes, but my body is stiff. Then again, my body was stiff before she appeared in the room. She kneels down to my eye level and runs a finger down my cheek. “You are the key to it all. You will be her ultimate undoing,” she says quietly.
“Who’s?” I ask.
“Olivette’s of course.”
At the sound of her name and the thought that Cordelia wants Olivette in some way sends my heart slamming around in my chest. “What about Olivette?”
“She will become the new Bloody Mary,” she says eyeing me with an evil gleam in her eyes.
The slamming of my heart abruptly stops as the blood in my veins runs cold. The realization that this has everything to do with Olivette is like being dropped into the Arctic Ocean. “How? Why?” I manage to ask. My voice is strong considering how my body is feeling right now.
She starts to pace back and forth in front of me. “Let’s start with why? Over the years Mary has become disobedient. I need a newer version of her, one that will listen to my commands. The immortality spell only works if she does. It’s then that I notice the fine lines that form around her eyes and mouth. The wrinkles on her neck. The few strands of graying hair in her dark mane. Mary’s disobedience is weakening the spell and stripping away Cordelia’s immortality. It’s starting to show on her.
“The how of the matter is quite simple in fact. Olivette will come willingly once she sees that I have the two of you,” Cordelia says motioning between Chasity and I. “I will give her the ultimate ultimatum. Your lives in exchange for hers. It was always my goal to claim Elizabeth’s but then she fell from that window and I had to move to plan B.”
“Olivette will never agree to be your slave,” I tell her through clenched teeth.
Cordelia gives me a smile that looks more menacing than welcoming. “Oh, she will. I’ve watched her for some time now. She is Elizabeth through and through. She’s caring and good hearted and she’ll do anything to protect those she cares about. Consequently, you two happen to be people she cares about.”
“And what about him?” I ask, motioning towards Trivitt.
She shrugs her shoulders. “He was just a wrong place, wrong time kind of thing.”
“Then let him go. He’s probably going to die if you don’t.”
She sighs. “Yes, I suppose he will, or I can just have Mary pull his soul and boost me. I think I like that idea better,” she tells me with a smile on her face. She turns around and heads out the door. The room falls dark again and so do my hopes. I need to get Trivitt and Chasity out of here but how?
Chapter 27
Olivette
Oski and I climb into my car and speed back to Newport. I drive faster than I should, but I can’t help but feel like time is of the essence. Cordelia took everyone. It’s up to me and Oski to get them back. I look over at him from the corner of my eye. I can’t believe how much he has aged already. I worry that he might not have much time left himself. The time that Cordelia kept from him seems to be catching up with him at a rapid pace. I press down harder on the accelerator.
“There is no need to speed this much, Olivette,” he says to me calmly in a gravelly tone from the passenger seat.
“I feel like there is,” I tell him honestly. “Time is not being are friend right now.”
Oski chuckles. “Time is hardly anyone’s friend, my dear. Time creeps up on you when you aren’t looking.”
I feel tears spring in my eyes. Oski and his words of wisdom. Soon there will be no more of them and I can’t imagine that. It seems unfair but then again, the fact that he is still alive is unfair to the universe. It’s not the natural order of things. The car falls silent and Oski leans forward and turns up the volume of the radio. His head starts to bounce along to the beat of the song. Then he starts to move his arms, dancing to the song playing. He smiles over at me. “Who is this?”
I’m laughing and it’s real. It feels amazing. “Panic! At the Disco,” I reply.
“I like them, very much.” The rest of the ride to Newport is like this. Oski and I are dancing and singing along to the music. However, the mood sobers as soon as Newport comes into view. Oski gives me directions and before I know it I’m pulling over along the side of the road, close to where Leah was killed. Oski steps out of the car and I follow him but I’m unsure of where we are going. Oksi looks over his shoulder then points ahead to the woods. “Many years ago, there was a cemetery here. Victoria was buried here along with others in the bloodline. It is hollow ground still.”
I never knew any of this but then again, I was never much of a history buff unless it had to do with urban legends. We make our way through the changing trees. The fallen, dry leaves crunching under our feet. The misty rain clings to our clothes and exposed skin. The smell of wet dirt and wood fills my nose. We continue to hike through the woods, stumbling along from time to time thanks to roots and fallen branches.
Suddenly, Oski stops and takes a deep breath. “We’re here.”
I look around and see no indication that this was once a cemetery. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he tells me. “Take a moment and let yourself feel the difference in the air.”
I do as he says. Taking a deep breath, I let the air drift around me. He’s right there is a difference. The air feels cleaner here somehow. Oski starts to move forward, he’s counting his steps. Once he reaches sixteen he stops. “Here is where we need to summon her,” he tells me. He drops to the ground and begins to etch things into the dirt while saying things in a language I don’t understand.
I watch as the etchings start to glow in a beautiful blue light. The ground rolls before the wind picks up, scattering the fallen leaves, almost as if they are dancing. I watch in awe of them. They twist and turn while rearranging themselves to cover the etchings on the ground. I’ve always believed in magic but actually seeing it, well there are no words to describe it.
Oski tries to stand but he’s having trouble with his rapidly aging bones, so I rush forward to help him. He gives me a bashful smile and mumbles his gratitude. “Okay, step right here,” he tells me while pointing to the middle of the circle that he’s created with the etchings. He pulls a knife from behind him and holds it out to me. “Take this.” The blade is coated in a dark color, dried blood I believe. I raise my eyebrows in question. “It’s my blood. It will kill Cordelia. It won’t kill Mary, but it will slow her down. Keep it in a place you can reach easily, just in case.”
I nod and slip the knife in the back pocket of my jeans. “What now?”
Oski pulls a pocket knife out of his jeans po
cket. “You’re not going to like this. You need to cut yourself enough to connect the etchings in your blood. It doesn’t need to be a ton just a little bit. A thin circle. It’s the only way to summon Mary,” he tells me apologetically.
I take a deep breath then reach for the pocket knife. Our plan is for Oski to hide out of sight in the tree line in case I need back up. I wait for him to get situated before I cut my palm, it burns as the blade rips the skin. I bite down on my bottom lip to keep from making any noise. I kneel down and drizzle a thin red circle connecting the etchings. I stand up and wait.
It doesn’t take long before the sky darkens, and the wind begins to pick up. A thick fog begins to roll along the floor of the woods, swallowing the colorful leaves. I see her start to form in the fog. Some of her long dark hair has escaped from under her white hooded cape. Her eyes find me, and she looks lost at first. She approaches me slowly. I watch her carefully as she floats just above the ground. The cape touching the ground ever so often. When she’s close enough she starts to open her mouth, but I cut her off.
“Mary, can you understand me?” She nods in reply. “Okay, I can’t understand you. When you speak, none of us can understand what you are trying to say. Cordelia made part of the spell I guess. When you speak it’s just screaming. I need to know is Chasity, okay?” Mary’s head tilts to the side slightly before she nods slowly.
“You need to know that I forgive you, Mary. My death wasn’t your fault. It was just a freak accident. I tripped, and the window gave way, that wasn’t your fault. However, if Penn, Chasity or any of my other friends are hurt there will be no forgiveness. I can’t forgive an intentional act like that.” I take a deep breath to compose myself. “There is a way for us to speak to one another if you wish.”
She seems to think about it before finally nodding. “You have to place your feet on this ground, inside of the blood circle. It will allow us to communicate.” Mary seems hesitant at first but finally she floats within the circle. She looks down at the ground before slowly lowering herself. Once her feet touch the ground she becomes solid.
“Elizabeth,” she says softly. I have to strain to hear what she says over the wind and rustling leaves. Her voice is soft and easy, nothing like I expected.
As the name filters through my brain I start to feel lightheaded. I sway a little on my feet. Taking deep breaths, I try to calm myself down. Memories flood through my mind and my head swims in them. It begins to pound against my skull. My insides feel as if someone is taking a blow torch to them. It’s almost as if I can picture my skin bubbling over the heat. What is happening to me?
My feet become more unsteady. My mouth feels as if there is cotton in it. I can’t move my tongue around to form a word. The world begins to spin around me. The trees dancing along to a melody I can’t hear and as I follow them I collapse. I fall to the side and watch in horror as the ground comes toward me fast. I have no time to react but just as I’m bracing myself for impact a set of hands grab me. “Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” I hear Mary scream but the darkness is consuming me. The edges of my sight slowly start to turn black. The darkness is all I can see.
I awake to my body shaking. No, someone is shaking me. I open my eyes slowly. Mary and Oski are both kneeling next to me. Oski is shaking me while Mary continues to say my name. I think she’s crying but all I can see is red blood. It covers her cheeks and is staining the front of her white cape and dress. They help me sit up. “Are you okay?” Oski asks.
I nod slowly. “I don’t know what happened.”
“The part of you that is Elizabeth finally broke free,” he tells me.
I don’t have time to analyze what he tells me. I turn to Mary. “Do you know where Penn and the others are?”
Mary nods. “I can find them at all times through Cordelia.”
“We need to find them,” I tell her.
Mary starts to shake her head no and stands up. “That is not wise. Cordelia is very powerful. You will not stand a chance against her.”
“I will help you two,” Oski says. “I may not be as powerful as her, but I am powerful enough to help.”
I stand, still slightly off kilter but better enough to stand at least. “And I have this,” I tell her, pulling the knife out from behind me.
Mary covers her gasp with her hand. “Is that?” she asks after a few moments.
I nod. “The weapon we need to kill Cordelia once and for all.”
“Does killing her…free me?” she asks timidly.
I look over at Oski. “Yes, my dear it will.”
“I will help you,” Mary says without hesitation.
I smile. “Good because we can use it. Can you find Penn and the others now?”
“They are here,” she tells me while motioning around the woods. “In the woods.”
“Can you carry Oski the way you did Chasity?” Mary nods in reply. “Okay, take him and find them. I’ll follow you guys.”
“How will you know where to go?” Oski asks.
I look over at him. “I just feel it.” Mary steps out of the circle and I watch as she becomes a ghost like image of herself once again. It’s a strange thing to watch. Oski hugs me and I feel his frail body. I hope he can survive being flown through the woods with Mary. He steps out of the circle next to Mary and I watch as they rise above the ground then she hurries away through the threes.
I take a deep breath before running after them. This will all end tonight.
Chapter 28
Penn
I’m trying to come up with a plan when the door slowly opens back up. Some light comes in through the opened door. I squint but I can’t make anything out without my glasses. “Bannen?” Chasity gasps out from beside me.
“Chasity?” I hear him ask into the darkness.
“Yes, hurry! No one else is here except Penn and Trivitt. Cordelia stepped out a few minutes ago. Suddenly, a flash light blinds us as it swings around the room. Danny rushes over to Trivitt while Bannen rushes toward me.
I shake my head. “No, get Chasity first.”
He nods once then moves over to cut her loose. “Help Danny with Trivitt, he’s in bad shape. I’ll help Penn,” she tells Bannen.
Chasity gets me loose while Bannen and Danny hoist Trivitt up between them. They each slip an arm around their shoulders. “Where are we?”
“It’s a little abandoned shack out here in the woods, not too far from where Leah was killed,” Danny tells me.
“Where did you guys have to park?” I ask while eyeing Chasity’s swollen ankle. I’m not sure she can make a very long hike through the uneven woods floor.
“We’re about a mile away. It’s the closest we could manage,” Bannen tells us.
I sigh. “Okay, you guys walk ahead with Trivitt. I’ll stay with Chasity then we’ll find Olivette,” I tell them as we make our way up the stairs. I scoop Chasity up in my arms to carry her up the stairs to save her ankle for some of the hike back to the vehicle when Bannen and Danny freeze. “What?” I ask.
“Olivette is in the woods somewhere,” Danny says.
“What?” I say loudly.
“We passed her Camaro on the way in. It was parked off the road,” Bannen says.
We all resume leaving the basement of the abandoned shed. Once we are outside I place Chasity back on her feet. “You guys stick together.”
“Wait! What?” Chasity asks.
I sigh and rub my forehead. “Olivette is in the woods. She always gets turned around in here, she always has. I have to go find her,” I explain.
“Then I’m coming with you,” Chasity tells me.
I shake my head. “No. You heard Cordelia she wants to use you as a bargaining chip with Olivette. We can’t afford for you to be out there. Plus, with your ankle in that shape you’d just slow me down. Go with them,” I tell her.
“I’ll come with you,” Danny says.
“What about Trivitt?”
“Chasity and Bannen can get him back to the Jeep,” he says. “You might n
eed back up.”
Reluctantly, I agree. We watch as Chasity, Bannen and Trivitt make their way back to the Jeep. I survey the woods in front of us. “I’m so lost in here right now.”
“We need to head this way,” Danny says pointing to the right.”
“How do you know?”
“I was a boy scout as a kid plus, I know these woods like the back of my hand. It’s about two miles from here to where we spotted her car,” Danny explains.
We start the hike through the woods. The fog is becoming thicker and the sky is darkening quickly. Suddenly, thunder fills the silent area. “Something is about to happen.”
Danny nods. “Can you jog?”
“Yeah,” I reply, and we take off in a jog.
“We’re almost there,” Danny tells me. The trees are beginning to thin out around us when we hear a scream. Both Danny and I stop dead in our tracks. I instantly start running towards the direction in which the scream came from. “The drop off!” Danny hollers to me.
The drop off! I can’t believe I forgot about that. The woods have a pretty slanted terrain once you hit a certain point. It’s almost impossible to hike down, you slide down it more than anything. Everyone has nicknamed it the drop off. The woods are silent once more. The fog is thicker than any fog I’ve ever seen now. I’ve lost sight of Danny completely, but I still hear his steady footfalls as he runs behind me. Before I know it, I reach the drop off, but I can’t see below me but somehow I know I have to go down it. I start to slide down the uneven ground. I stumble a few times, but I eventually reach the bottom. I trip over something when I look down I can make out the outline of a body.
The blonde curls stand out against the dark ground. I drop to my knees and see that she’s still breathing but her head is bleeding from the cut on her forehead. She must have hit a tree root on her way down. Gently, I shake her and pray her eyes open, but I get nothing. No response whatsoever. That’s when I feel it. That feeling you get when someone is watching you. Before I can turn around I’m off the ground and hurled into a tree a good twenty feet away from Olivette. My entire body feels like it’s been ripped into two pieces.
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