‘I understand, but I didn’t want to seem rude…’
‘I know you didn’t,’ Marla put her hand on Khaos’ shoulder, kindly. ‘My sister is very good at leading people astray, I can tell you. The amount of times we’d get into scrapes as kids, and I would always get into trouble, where she would get off scot-free!’ she laughed her forced laugh, a hint of resentment beneath. ‘You may as well take these.’ She loaded Khaos up with the clothes. ‘When you’re ready, you can go and see if Loka needs help sorting out that broken window.’
On Khaos’s way back to her room to put the clothes away, , she caught sight of Carmen in the window of one of the upper rooms as she was crossing the courtyard. Carmen was talking on her mobile phone. Whoever she was speaking to was making her laugh, and a pretty smile broke out across her face.
Khaos took the opportunity, since Carmen was unaware that she was being watched, to sneak a look at her, trying to work out what had happened between them in the mirror room earlier. Why did she feel so strange around her? Especially when Carmen had touched her. But there was nothing weird about what Carmen had done. They were two friends weren’t they? So why had she felt so awkward? For some reason, as she was gazing at Carmen, she felt that strange heat fill her face again. To her horror, Khaos realised she was blushing.
She checked herself and hurried to her room, dumping the clothes on her bed, before hastily struggling out of the dress and into her armour again, followed by a charcoal suit, picked at random out of the pile of new clothes she had been given.
She was waved away by Loka, who apparently did not need assistance with the broken window. An odd job type man in a navy boiler suit was screwing a piece of plywood over the hole, whilst the lady in the black tabard (the one who had served her lunch the day before) was busying herself cleaning up the glass and blood. Loka seemed to be arguing with someone on the phone, presumably a glass company, about the nearest date for the repair. She avoided Khaos’s eyes still.
At a loose end, Khaos decided to pay Nyx a visit, and found him at the bottom of the garden, grazing not far from the gate.
Just as she was about to greet him, she heard a voice behind her.
‘Cam! Wait up!’
Khaos turned to see Carmen running toward her. She immediately felt awkward, the blush threatening to rise to her face again.
‘Cam! Marla told me you had a horse, and I saw you walking down her to see him…’ She smiled at Nyx, who carried on grazing like a normal animal. ‘Hello horsey!’ she petted him enthusiastically. ‘What’s his name?’
‘Nyx.’ She decided not to lie about this one, it was difficult enough to keep up one alias, let alone two.
‘He’s very beautiful…’ she began to say, but stopped short, and stared intently at the gate in the near distance. Khaos turned to see what she was looking at, and saw a man standing there.
‘Mark?’ said Carmen, surprised. ‘Mark! What are you doing here?’ they ran to each other and embraced.
Khaos watched, feeling strangely hopeless as she took in Mark’s handsome face and physique. She had hoped he would be ugly, or at least plain. But no, he had floppy fair hair and bright blue eyes. He was like the perfect man, and in his arms, Carmen wasn’t merely happy. She glowed.
The smoking zone at the bottom corner of the station car park was blessedly empty as Detective Heel slipped out, needing a moment to gather her thoughts, alone. And she was desperate for a smoke. Two weeks ago she had made a big deal of quitting, and now realised what a mistake that had been. Right now, all she wanted was a pull on a cigarette, just one…
She pulled a small crumpled packet out of her pocket, and produced the last lonely cigarette, which she lit eagerly, finally getting that hit she wanted. Unfortunately, it did nothing really to alleviate the stress she felt, and even made her gag a little.
Why was this whole case of the coma girl surrounded by crazy people? First, the nature of the crimes themselves, the possible religious and/or terroristic motives. Then, there was the red herring report of the ‘flying horse’ that had supposedly spirited her away. Even the doctors and nurses, who should have sensible things to say, believed the coma girl to have ‘healing powers’. It was ludicrous just thinking about it all.
And now this. This time, the woman has the wings, but she’s not an angel. Yet she rescued a baby. So she’s not evil… but still… this terrorist group must be using brilliant disguises, to be able to convince apparently normal, educated people of these fantastical things.
‘Detective Heel?’ a familiar voice interrupted. Like a caught schoolgirl, she looked up guiltily. But she was met with the face of Doctor Kenning, who she had already cross-examined on two occasions.
‘Ah, Doctor. Have you come to tell me to stop smoking as well, to add insult to injury?’
‘Actually, I’ve come to apologise.’
‘Really? Why?’
‘I don’t like you, okay, or the way you do things. And I think you feel the same way about me. But I am still a professional, and I was not totally forthcoming with all the information you required.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I withheld something from you that I shouldn’t have. Information about the nameless coma girl.’
‘You do know that’s an offence?’
‘That’s why I came to see you like this. Perhaps, when you see what I have to show you, you won’t press charges.’
‘Why would I do that?’
‘Because no one is going to believe this is real. Perhaps even you will think it’s fake. But I’m telling you now, I swear on my wife’s grave, god rest her soul, that this is real.’ He held up an A4 brown envelope.
‘What is it?’
‘You look at it, maybe you can tell me. I know what I think it is.’
Detective Heel felt the slim envelope. There seemed to be hardly anything inside. ‘A document?’
‘The coma patient’s x-rays.’
Heel started to open it, as the doctor turned to walk away.
‘Hey! Wait a minute!’ she called after him.
‘I don’t know!’ he turned back and shouted. ‘Whatever you are going to ask, I don’t know. Don’t you think I know my profession? Don’t you think I’ve researched bone structures in all my medical training? I still can’t answer. There is no medical explanation. This time, I think you just have to have faith.’ The doctor walked away, leaving Heel staring after him, clutching the envelope. Whatever was he talking about? Why all the mystery? What’s the big deal…. She tore the envelope open, and pulled out the contents.
There was only one photo. It was an ordinary X ray of a female torso, from the back. There was the spine, the ribs, the ball and socket hinges of her shoulders, her shoulder blades… and then something else. More bones, attached to the spine, long and thin, and folded in on themselves. Heel moved the photo this way and that. It was impossible; but the more she tried to look at it, the more it looked like… wings, folded up. Under the coma girl’s skin.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Khaos stood on tiptoe at the end of the corridor, craning her head slightly. She could see straight down to the bottom of the garden , and watched the couple, undetected. She knew that she should give them some privacy, yet she couldn’t tear herself away. They mostly talked, their words muted because of the glass, never taking their eyes off each other. Mark reached for Carmen’s hand, and she dramatically turned away from him, but Khaos could see from her face that it was only to tempt him more. As they kissed, Khaos felt a strange anger bubbling inside, and recognised the emotion, with despair, as jealousy.
She finally turned away, sick with herself for spying on them like a child. But as she was about to leave, she noticed a movement through the glass in one of the lower rooms, and saw it was Marla, also watching the couple secretly. She did not realise Khaos was there too, and did not take her eyes off them, her face a picture of torment, a mixture of anger and despair. Otherwise known as envy. Khaos looked from the couple to Ma
rla, watching the subtle changes in her stance and expression, feeling her pain, but in a different, stranger, way. As she watched, Mark kneeled down on one knee in the grass and presented something small to Carmen, whose hands clapped to her face in happiness. Khaos did not have to hear what they were saying to know what was happening. When she turned to see Marla’s reaction, she saw her hand, which had been flat against the glass, ball into a fist, and the jealousy darken her expression further.
That evening, Khaos was once again summoned to join the sisters for a meal. Led by Loka, Khaos found herself in a grand dining hall, two walls of which were completely glass, giving a stunning view of the sun setting on the garden, and the woodland area beyond. Crystal chandeliers hung from the lofty ceiling and a long Victorian style banqueting table dominated the room, laid out with an array of choices; a whole cooked ham, red lobsters sliced in two, ready to eat, prawn tails hung down from the edge of an tall and ornate salad bowl, loaves of bread, tureens of vegetables and rice and condiments filled every vacant spot on the rich red table runner.
Their hosts sat at one end of the table already tucking in to the food. Marla and Carmen sat opposite one another, and Mark, Carmen’s handsome fiancé, sat at the head, enthusiastically breaking open lobster claws for Carmen to eat. Marla on the other hand, had a small, frugal plate of ham and vegetables, which she was eating very slowly. Her normally menacing presence was quelled by Carmen and Mark’s playfulness. And although they all sat together, Marla was clearly detached from the other two, saying nothing, only shooting them glares every so often when they were too loud. They all looked up when Khaos and Loka arrived and Carmen leapt to her feet, waving her ring finger in their faces enthusiastically.
‘Look! Mark proposed!’ she said so happily that she seemed about to burst. A sparkling, costly-looking diamond ring nestled on her finger, complimenting her beauty perfectly.
Khaos struggled to be completely happy for them, and found herself faking a smile.
‘Congratulations,’ she said softly, hating herself for the resentment she felt toward Mark. But how could she? He was faultless, and they were so happy together… She sat tentatively beside Carmen, trying to push the negative thoughts from her mind.
Loka sat opposite her, by Marla’s side. Her face barely cracked a smile, but it was more of a general disinterest than any direct resentment of the couple’s happiness.
‘Marly! I’m so excited! We’ve got so much to organise!’ said Carmen, hopping on her seat. ‘We’ve got to get an amazing venue, a beautiful church; the guest list is going to be huge… Oh my God, Marla, you’ve got to be my chief bridesmaid!’
Marla smiled her most convincing enthusiastic smile at the couple, but Khaos noticed that, her eyes remained cold.
Carmen chattered on, undeterred. ‘I’ve always wanted to be married on a beach, oh Mark, can we go to Mauritius? Or Fiji? No wait, Bora Bora! Oh my God, it would be so romantic...’
‘Maybe for the honeymoon, darling.’ He smiled at Carmen warmly, stroking her arm. ‘But what about the church wedding you wanted?’
‘Yes, yes of course. Or maybe an outdoor wedding, you know, in a beautiful ruin somewhere in the country? Oh my God, I know it’s a bit overdone, but instead of a wedding car, can we have a horse? Or no, wait, what about an old fashioned carriage, with four horses, and everyone in old fashioned clothes…’
‘Carmen, calm down honey. We’ll write down all our ideas, and then choose the best one.’ He took her hand and kissed it tenderly, gazing into her eyes. Khaos found herself following the hand to his mouth with her eyes, and looked away, conscious that she was staring at them too much.
Carmen was on some other planet, chattering relentlessly, and all the while getting more and more worked up with every idea that popped into her head.
‘Oh my God, Mark, this is going to be the wedding of the year you know! I’m calling my PA, we’ve got to get our pictures in OK magazine!’ She raised the phone to her cheek, barely taking a breath. ‘This is going to be amazing! Oh my God!’ She leapt to her feet and grabbed Marla’s arm in a very sudden, unexpected moment that took Marla completely by surprise. ‘Marla! The dress! Oh! My! God!!’
Mark calmly took the phone from her hand and gently pulled her back down into her seat. ‘Darling, lets finish dinner first. You’re getting way ahead of yourself, and there’s no need, we have plenty of time to plan everything.’ His pretty blue eyes looked across to Khaos’ own. ‘Cam, it is Cam, isn’t it? Help yourself to lobster. I’m afraid your host Carmen is too excited to remember her manners.’ He was so annoyingly charming.
‘Yes please, sorry Cam, eat up, there’s plenty of lobster. Or ham, if you are fussy, like Marly!’
Marla stared at her plate for a moment, not going along with the fun. She seemed, in stark contrast to Carmen’s joy, to be quite sombre. ‘I’m not fussy. I just don’t like seafood.’ Khaos looked at her plate, and noticed that all the while that Carmen had been chattering, Marla had cut up every piece of ham, vegetable and salad into perfectly square pieces.
Carmen’s eyes widened, as yet more ideas for her wedding popped into her mind.
‘Mark, we have so many people to invite, oh my God! I’m going to have at least ten bridesmaids, so you’ve got to have ten ushers!’
‘Well of course. I know all the guys at the gym will be up for it! Marla, maybe Tom would like to be an usher, what do you think?’
‘Oh, Mark… Marla and Tom… They’re… They’re not together anymore,’ explained Carmen.
‘Oh, sorry Marl. I didn’t know.’ The atmosphere in the room suddenly seemed strained and awkward.
Again, Marla stared at her plate, not looking up. ‘No it’s fine. He had to go to New York for work commitments.’
‘Oh. Ouch.’ Mark whistled through his teeth.
Marla shot him a glare. ‘What do you mean, “Ouch”?’
Mark backtracked. ‘Oh, nothing. Nothing. It just, you know, sounds like a line. That’s all.’
‘It’s not.’ She glared darkly at him. ‘He got a new job there, he had to go.’
‘I think it was an excuse,’ Carmen chimed in. ‘He was an idiot anyway, Marly, you can do so much better.’ Her words were intended to be supportive, but from the way Marla clutched at her knife and fork, teeth gritted, she clearly did not take it that way.
‘Just shut up, Car. What do you know? You’re not a relationship expert just because you’re getting married now!’ she snapped.
‘Marla, I was only trying…’
‘Shut up! I don’t need your help!’ she seethed, glaring down at her plate. There was a long, agonising silence. Carmen stared at Marla, clearly at a loss, biting her lower lip nervously. Then, thankfully, Mark tried to gloss it over by changing the subject back to the wedding.
‘Uh, Car, have you thought about the cake design you want?’
Carmen snapped back to reality. ‘Oh my God, Mark, I hadn’t thought of it! What about a giant cupcake? No, lots of little cupcakes! We will have to have thousands!’ Her eyes glimmered once more, and a further volley of wedding ideas filled the void the awkward atmosphere left. Mark smiled, the relief obvious on his handsome face.
Khaos looked on, observing the sister’s behaviour and body language. So much was said without words. It was quite amazing to see Marla reduced to this, sitting staring at her plate silently. Half the woman she had seemed to be two nights previously. All that arrogant confidence gone in the face of Carmen’s genuine, easy going dominance.
Marla left the dinner table early, and Loka stood up to follow her, beckoning Khaos to do the same. It would be inappropriate to stay behind. And no doubt the two lovebirds wanted to be alone together.
That evening, after Marla had apparently retired to bed early, and Carmen and Mark had returned to his apartment for the night, Khaos decided to attempt to get into the secret room again, despite Marla’s threats. Her head was filled with the events of the day; the tension between the sisters, the arrival of Mark, and her
own, confusing feelings… She needed to clear her mind. Focus, for once, on the task at hand. Furthermore, she knew that the demon Envy was in that secret room, waiting behind the glass, biding its time. It could manifest any day, so why did it wait? Khaos needed to look into that mirror once more.
The corridor was silent, and streaked with shadows as Khaos approached the bookcase room again. She half-expected Marla to appear from some dark corner, she had a knack of creeping up behind you silently. But Khaos was alone so far, the chairs and sofa within empty of any secret occupants. Khaos pulled the concealed catch in the bookcase. As the secret door clicked open, there was that strange atmosphere again, as if something had been disturbed, and as Khaos entered, she was sure the temperature dropped within the small room beyond.
The mirror was still uncovered, and stood silent and dark, reflected a thousand times in the surrounding walls. Khaos approached it, feeling the hair on the back of her neck rise up again in fear at what she would see. The whispering voice started again, just out of earshot.
Her normal reflection stared back at her. No monster, no demon. Yet as she gazed, the voice got louder and more distinct, and was she seeing things, or did the surface of the mirror ripple, like water?
A serpentine voice spoke. ‘You’ll never be with her.’
‘What?’ said Khaos, incredulous.
‘You’ll never be with her,’ repeated the slithering voice. ‘She doesn’t look at you that way, and she never will.’
‘What are you talking about?’ said Khaos, trying to appear baffled, but she already had an inkling as to who the voice was referring to.
‘Carmen,’ Khaos whispered, as the Portabello sister’s face appeared vaguely in the moving surface of the mirror. ‘You have feelings for her.’
‘I do not!’
‘Yesssss,’ it hissed cruelly. ‘Yes, you do.’
Khaos felt physically sick. How could the mirror know this? ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she denied.
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