by Willow Rose
I looked again at Mai. She smiled at me.
“Shall we get going?” she asked.
Chapter 18
When we entered the chamber, the girls were excitedly talking about how much fun it was going to be. Rahmiel had just arrived and was talking to Alexandra. I felt like I could cry at any moment, but luckily no one seemed to notice. The girls all laughed and giggled. I really tried to be a part of it, even though my thoughts were somewhere else. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Jason lying on the floor and his step-dad bent over him with the baseball bat like I had seen in that book.
Alexandra stepped forward and we all admired her red dress and sparkling tiara. Everybody cheered and clapped except me. I felt a tear slip from my eye and roll down my cheek. I felt as if a fog descended over my head and everyone else in the room disappeared.
“Who is next?” I heard Rahmiel say in the distance.
“Meghan,” someone answered. I don’t know who. It was all still very blurry to me. And frankly I didn’t care. I sat down at a chair while the tears kept rolling quietly down my cheeks.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and warmth spread in my entire body. I looked up and Rahmiel was right next to me. She was shining, lighting up the entire room just by her presence.
“Meghan?” Her soft voice reminded me of my mother. I felt a little happiness inside. I was so happy to learn that I remembered my mother’s voice. It felt nice just thinking about it.
“You are the only one who hasn’t gotten her dress yet,” Rahmiel said.
I felt the pressure of more tears behind my eyes.
“I … don’t know if I feel up to it,” I said.
Rahmiel smiled. Then something strange happened. I heard her voice inside of my head.
“Don’t worry, Meghan. Everything will be fine. Trust me.”
I kept staring at her lips that never moved. To my surprise, I felt myself calm down a little. Then Rahmiel reached out her hand and wiped away a tear from my cheek.
“Let’s get you in a beautiful dress, what do you say? Blue is your favorite color, right?”
I sniffed and wiped the tears from my eyes. Then I nodded.
“Stand up, please,” she said and reached out her hand. I took it and now I was standing in front of her. All eyes in the room were on me.
Then Rahmiel closed her eyes and turned her hands in big circles in front of my body. Slowly something truly magical happened. First my shoes changed and next my legs were wrapped in this blue fairy-dust-like glitter that sparkled. As it moved its way up, it turned into a big blue ballroom gown. It sparkled and I felt like a girl in a fairytale. When I turned it flowed around me. I felt my hair being lifted and finally a blue diamante tiara appeared in it.
Rahmiel opened her eyes slowly and looked at me. Then she smiled.
“Wow,” Acacia and Mai said at the same time.
I blushed. “No Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo?” I asked trying to make a joke out of it.
Rahmiel kept smiling at all of us, like we were her daughters going off to the prom. We all looked at each other and I made the decision to enjoy it the best that I could. Rahmiel spoke just before we left.
“Remember. Just like in the fairytales the magic wears off at midnight.”
“Really?”
“No. But that is the only joke I know, so you’d better laugh.”
Dinner in Hornam Hall was spectacular. We had wine and champagne and everybody seemed so cheerful that rubbed off a little on me as well. I stretched my neck and looked around to see if I could see Mick anywhere, but unfortunately he was nowhere to be seen. Probably doing his duty in the kitchen, I assumed. Instead I sat next to Abhik and we had a nice time chatting and making fun of each others’ outfits. Apparently Salathiel had dressed up the boys in nice white ties and tails and even silk top hats. Abhik’s was a little too big for his head and he reminded me of a little boy dreaming about growing up to be a magician.
“Where are your rabbits?” I asked him.
“Where they always are,” he said with a smile.
“Making more rabbits?”
“You said it.”
Then dessert came in on big dishes, carried by second-year students. It was even more extravagant than the appetizers and the main course had been.
“Now that is the way I like it,” Abhik said when it landed in front of him. “Dessert is even bigger than the entrée.”
I smiled and ate a little. I hadn’t had much of an appetite through the dinner; every time I ate something it seemed to grow in my mouth and make me want to throw up. Feeling heartbroken and eating just wasn’t a good combination.
Later on, we moved to the ballroom and people started dancing. I began to wonder if anyone would notice if I just took off. I began thinking about how nice it would be to just curl up in my bed or maybe go for a fly in the starry night. The only problem was that I knew I would only be thinking about Jason. Stars and nighttime kind of did that to me ever since we had kissed while flying. So instead, I sighed and took another glass of champagne while staring at the people dancing on the dance floor. The band was really great and I liked the music. And I liked watching people dancing and enjoying themselves. It made me forget about Jason for a second.
“In the mood for a dance?”
I turned and looked into his blue eyes.
“Mick,” I said and threw myself at him. I held him tight for a while before it became awkward and I let him go.
“I am sorry,” I said. “I just really needed a hug.”
He smiled his comforting smile. “Me too.”
He stared at me for such a long time that I felt embarrassed. “Oh my. You look so … you look so … enchanting,” he said with his old-fashioned British accent. He took off his hat and kissed the top of my hand. Then he bowed in front of me.
“Well, thank you,” I said and curtsied.
He glanced at the dance floor and the moving people floating around.
“So how about that dance?” He asked when the band started playing a slow song on a piano.
“I don’t know … I am not really up for it.”
Mick grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the floor. “Sure you are,” he said and put his hand on my back while guiding me. “You just need the right partner.”
Mick pressed his body against mine and took my hands in his. After a difficult beginning where I fumbled a bit, mostly because he made me so nervous, he put his arm around me. It felt strong, like he was holding not just me but also all of my problems. Together we floated. It was as if our bodies matched each other perfectly and one always knew what the other was doing. I found it to be a little strange but intriguing as well. What was it about Mick that always made me feel so comfortable, so at home? Was it in fact because we were soul mates like Mai had suggested? Were we destined to spend eternity together?
No matter what the answer, I felt like we shared a beautiful moment on that dance floor, one that I would cherish forever, and one that was so perfect, almost too perfect to be true.
“The music stopped,” Mick suddenly whispered.
I opened my eyes and stared right into his. I smiled and so did he.
Mick leaned over and whispered in my ear. He said something I will never forget. Something I never thought he would say.
“I think you should go to him.”
My eyes widened. What was he talking about? Could it be that he wanted me to …? No, that wasn’t possible.
“What?” I asked, staring into his eyes with confusion, searching for answers in them. Was he trying to be funny?
He put his mouth close to my ear again.
“I am very serious. I know for a fact that the mirror in the cellar is still set on Jason’s house.”
I looked at him in an investigative way. Was this a trick? Was he testing me or trying to get me in trouble?
“Why now?” I asked.
“Because in a few hours it will be too late.”
“No, I mean why have you changed your mind?”
>
“Because I feel your love for him. I am afraid of what it will do to you if you don’t at least attempt to save him. I am afraid of what it might do to your heart. If you get angry at God for this, it will turn your heart away from Him and make you an easy prey for the darkness to devour. I just don’t want you to end up like Portia.”
I sighed deeply. Again Mick was right. I had to go. If not for Jason’s sake then for my own.
I looked deeply in his eyes. I wanted to hug him, ask him to go with me, tell him how much I loved him for understanding me so well, but there was no more time. The decision was made, and I had to go.
“You must hurry, Meghan. Before it is too late,” said Mick.
I floated slowly away from him while still looking into his eyes. Then I turned around and flew quickly out of the ballroom. I felt his eyes on my back following my every move until he couldn’t see me anymore.
Chapter 19
Nothing had changed in the cellar since I had been there the last time. The body-sized mirror was still the only thing there, still providing the only light in the room. I touched the frame plated with gold and the small sculptures of praying Angels all around. I remembered when I had been there the last time, when Mick kissed me, and I felt myself smiling.
Then I took a couple of deep breaths before I put my palm on the mirror’s surface and pressed myself through. Even though I had definitely gotten better at going through solid objects, I still felt like my body was ripped to pieces and put back together again on the other side. But I wasn’t as exhausted as I used to be.
I found myself in Jason’s bathroom and immediately recognized it with a smile. I used to love coming to his house and spending time with him.
I sighed. First I would have to explain to him why I hadn’t come since the night he kissed me. He would probably be hurt and mad at me. It was three months to me, but more like a year to him, maybe even more, since time went so much faster on earth.
I made myself invisible before I carefully opened the door and flew out in the hallway.
It was very quiet—not a sound in the house. I looked out the window and realized it was still day here. Maybe Jason hadn’t even gotten home from school yet. I just hoped in my heart that I hadn’t come too late.
I flew to his bedroom and found it empty as well. So I decided to wait for him there. While I did, I took a look around. Nothing much had changed, except the puzzle that we had been doing; it was gone. I sighed. I hoped his heart wasn’t too broken.
I waited for what felt like an eternity, but it probably wasn’t more than half an hour. Then I heard the front door unlock and open. I hoped it was Jason and prepared myself. I stayed invisible, because I wanted to see him first, see how he was doing before I revealed myself.
Next I heard steps on the stairs and then the door to the room opened. I became excited and prepared myself. But it wasn’t Jason. I froze. The face appearing in the door belonged to his step-dad. He had a reddish face and his eyes were blurry. He was drunk. I held my breath and felt my heart racing. I hoped that I could manage to stay invisible and tried hard not to make a sound.
Jason’s step-dad entered the room and started looking in the drawers, pulling stuff out and throwing it on the floor. He was so drunk he swayed from one side to the other. He grumbled while searching through Jason’s stuff. Finally he found a twenty dollar bill and put it in his pocket. Then he turned and left the room.
I exhaled deeply when he was gone.
A moment later I heard the front door open again and loud voices coming from downstairs—a man and a woman. Neither of them belonged to Jason. I suddenly remembered the scene from the book took place in the kitchen, so I hurried down there. I found the step-dad and a woman I assumed to be Jason’s mother in a big argument. She was a tiny woman with the same brown eyes as Jason.
“That little rat keeps stealing my money!” I heard the husband yell.
The woman sat down on a kitchen chair with her head bowed.
“I have tried to talk to him, but he says it isn’t him,” she said.
Her husband moved aggressively toward her.
“And you believed him?”
The woman looked at him. Her eyes were filled with tears. “Of course I believe him. He is my son,” she said with a heavy voice.
“Well maybe you are in it together, then.” He grabbed the back of another chair and pushed it. The tiny woman jumped nervously at the sound of the chair hitting the floor.
“Huh? Well answer me goddammit, woman! Have you been telling him to take my money?”
“No,” the woman said with a low squeaking voice.
The husband grabbed a glass and threw it against the wall, causing the liquid inside to make a mark on the white paint.
“I don’t believe you, woman!”
The wife started crying while he snorted.
“Oh come on. Again with the tears. ‘Boo-hoo … I am so sad that I have taken my husband’s money, and now he is mad at me … boo-hoo.’ ”
I felt so mad that I wanted to tip something over and scare the crap out of him or throw something at him. I was suddenly thrilled that Portia and the others had teased him the first time we had gone there. I tried hard to think of a way to let the mother know that it was in fact her husband who took money from Jason and not the other way around.
“Well, if neither you nor Jason has my money, where is it, then?” He yelled so loud it made his wife crumble in her chair.
He then hit the table with his fist and leaned over her. “Tell me, woman. How am I supposed to support my family? … That means you and that little rat. How am I supposed to pay for the food or the house, if everybody keeps taking my money? Look at me!”
The woman raised her head. Her eyes were red and swollen. The husband grabbed her chin and held it tight. His whole body was shaking in anger.
“Tell me! How?” he yelled.
The woman stuttered. “I don’t … I don’t … know.”
Then he raised his fist and hit her hard on her cheek. She screamed and tumbled on to the floor. I reacted by flying to her and trying to put my hand on her, to make her feel calm and protected like I had seen Mick do it to the children in the waiting room at the hospital. But I failed. I don’t think she felt it. Then I started wondering if I could lift a chair and throw it at him. I flew toward the one on the floor and tried to lift it. Meanwhile the husband approached his wife on the floor.
“Get up, woman!” he yelled.
She sat up and felt her cheek with her hand. Some blood dripped on her fingers from her nose.
“Come on, get up!” he said again with a smirk.
I saw her try but as she did, he kicked her in the stomach. A terrifying sound came from deep within her. She gasped for breath. It sounded like she was about to die. But I knew she wasn’t going to die. Not today. It wasn’t her turn yet.
I grabbed on to the chair the best I could and managed to lift it from the floor. No one saw it, since the husband had already approached his wife again and was getting ready to kick her once more.
“Please don’t hit me again, please,” the woman pleaded.
His fist hit her face again with a loud smack and she screamed so incredibly loud.
With all my strength, I pulled the chair backwards into the air before I swung it as hard as I could. And just before the man kicked the mother once again I hit him in the back of his head with it, causing him to tumble to the floor flat on his face.
The woman looked at the chair dangling in the air with a frightened look on her face. Then I dropped the chair with a loud clatter. She got back on her feet and stared with fear in her eyes, first at the man on the floor who wasn’t moving and then at the chair. She walked past it and went through the kitchen before she ran up the stairs. I followed her in the air and saw her run into Jason’s room where I heard her lock the door. She probably figured she would be safe there since her husband wouldn’t be looking in there. Maybe Jason could manage to protect her when he came h
ome.
Chapter 20
I went back to the kitchen. The man was still lifeless on the floor. I flew close to him and checked if he was breathing. He was. Heavily.
A few minutes later I heard a key turn in the kitchen door leading to the garage. I turned and stared at it, very happy to see Jason’s face when the door opened.
I made myself visible at once for him. The first thing he saw was his step-dad on the floor and then he looked up and saw me.
“What happened here?” He asked and stepped forward. “Did you do this?”
“Well, kind of.”
“Why?”
I sighed and flew closer to him. I wanted to hug him and tell him I had missed him, but this wasn’t exactly the moment.
“I had to do something. He was being really mean to your mother.”
Then I saw something change in Jason’s normally kind eyes. They became filled with a fiery blaze. I felt his rage even from the distance still between us. I felt it like a heat wave or the air from a blow dryer—a force so strong, it made me unable to come close to him. He became unreachable to me, as though he had a force field as a shield of anger around him, keeping me out. Every time I tried to come closer to him, it felt like I was burning.
“Where is she?” he asked.
“She’s hiding upstairs in your room …” I wanted to say more, but he just stormed past me and started running up the stairs.
“Wait, I have something I need to tell you,” I yelled after him. “It is really important.”
I flew after him and caught up with him at the top of the stairs. There I placed myself in front of him, blocking his way. When my eyes met his, he softened a little bit, calming him down. Yet the burning shield still surrounded him.
“Listen,” I said. “There is something you need to know.”
“Meghan, I am happy you are back but right now I have to check on my mother and see if she is all right.”
