by Darren Lewis
The girl's fists were clenched and her legs ached from the effort of simply standing in front of this girl, whose image had asked for her help. She felt her mind being pushed again and again as waves of contempt washed through her from Ellie.
“I only want two things.” The girl started quietly. “To help a girl, and why?” Her voice had dropped to a whisper and she lowered her head, and stared unseeing at the ground. She heard Ellie snickering.
“What? I'm afraid you'll have to speak up, or leave and get back to your task.”
The ground blurred as tears filled the girl's eyes but they were not symbols of fear or sorrow. Her fists clenched tighter and blood began to run from her closed hands as the nails bit into the flesh. A darkness seemed to surround her vision and she felt and heard the sound of a stormy ocean in her head, turbulent and crashing as if seeking a way out. A small calm voice came to her and broke through that fierce maelstrom.
“It's rage.” It told her.
The girl looked up her face, pale but with eyes full of power. Ellie titled her head in bemusement.
“I said WHY?” The sound and strength of the girl's cry was not unlike the power of a tornado being unleashed. Trees and bushes were uprooted and flung high into the air. The villagers were lifted up and caught in the intense winds. The girl kept her eyes firmly on her foe and thrust a hand behind her and positioned her hand, as if catching a ball. The villagers stopped their violent spin through the air and were lowered safely to the ground. Apart from the girl only two other things were not effected, the house and Ellie. Ellie glanced at the destruction about her and walked slowly towards the girl.
“Why? Why?” She laughed bitterly and shook her head. “I was there, remember, and I remember the truth you have so conveniently forgotten.” Ellie stepped up to the girl and started circling her. “But didn't you come here like the heroine to save someone? Someone trapped, held prisoner?” Ellie leaned in and whispered into the girl's ear. “In my house?” The girl nodded when Ellie was standing once again in front of her. Ellie looked deep into her eyes. “The girl in the mirror, oh, that's clever. She asked you to come here and rescue her?” The girl nodded again. Ellie's face screwed up with anger. “Allow me to show you who she really is!”
Ellie closed her eyes and intricately wove her hands in the air while speaking silently. A shimmering blue line appeared in front of the girl at eye level. It started to descend, creating a shimmering reflective surface. The girl, for the first time, saw herself in that rippling mirror. She tilted her head left and right and watched her reflection do the same.
“But…” The girl stammered.
“Yes?”
“You're me? I look like you! I'm….I'm Ellie!”
*
Ellie dropped to her knees. Looking in the twisting mirror had made the world start to spin and she thought she may faint. The voice in her head came back.
Now you know. But I'm still trapped here. You're not me yet, I'm much prettier.
Ellie looked up as understanding came to her. There was no one trapped or held prisoner inside the house, she was trapped inside her own mind and needed to free herself from the witch who somehow held sway over her. She looked over at her double to the figure that had pretended to be her. Ellie watched the duplicate of her face melt and run to create a new wrinkled form. The hair turned dull grey and shortened. The hands shrivelled and Ellie's double hunched to that of an old woman's stance. The witch's stance.
Though she now possessed the face, hair, body and clothes of an old woman, Ellie could see that the real power and strength was in the witch's eyes. There was also hatred and that was something Ellie did not understand. She heard a whisper, a man's voice from her memory. Dad!
“What does she want with you?”
The old woman clasped her hands together and the drab, grey, dull world was immediately replaced with ice blue skies and sunshine. Ellie's eyes had teared up in the glare and she rose on wobbly legs.
The shadows!
Ellie saw the dark arms of the witch reaching for her, travelling across the grass and gravel to her. Ellie knew that if she allowed them to touch her it would be over, perhaps permanently this time. She backed up a few paces and fumbled in the waistband of her trousers for what she had hidden there.
The dark figure of the witch cackled and spluttered, her face a terrible mixture of pleasure and loathing. The other Ellie, or proper Ellie, thought:
Careful!
The shadows lunged and Ellie flung herself sideways and to the ground. She rolled and quickly dived, arms outstretched and hands holding what she hoped would be her salvation. She heard the witch cry.
“No!” And the wooden stake Ellie had retrieved from the garden pierced the shadow and drove hard into the ground below. The witch screamed in agony and began to writhe and twist in an attempt to free her arm. There was an awful ripping sound and when Ellie looked up, she saw the witch's head and body was being torn in two. It didn't stop there, the large black tear continued on into the ground and ran through the road and village, creating a deep chasm. Ellie still held onto the stake and looked down into that deep darkness.
This is it, the cliff you wanted to jump off.
Ellie rose to her feet and straightened her clothes. The jagged line began collapsing the village into the abyss. Swirling, vicious winds lifted houses and cars and threw them into that widening chasm. Ellie was unaffected by the winds and standing there she watched the entire neighbourhood being destroyed and then sucked down into the earth. Trees, grass and the roads were torn away from the land, sending massive dust clouds into the air. Soon there would be nothing left in this world. Then, in that deep, dark, jagged hole, Ellie saw movement. Creepers of what looked like metal climbed the walls of the chasm, moving faster than any plant tendril growing towards the light. Not only were they speeding fast towards Ellie, but they seemed to hold images within themselves. With a fantastic whoosh a countless number of metallic tendrils shot from the abyss and into the sky. Ellie stepped back. She wasn't afraid. In fact the appearance of this strange phenomenon filled her with joy. A large tendril erupted straight in front of her and curved over her head to impact the ground behind her. Ellie could see moving images held with the flowing metal. A man, woman and a young boy waving at her, laughing, reading, shouting, talking, pointing and hugging! Two girls running, the wind flinging their hair. Jumping into a pool of water, splashing, diving. A large building, more children dressed in uniform. Sitting down, a woman showing them a picture.
Memories! Ellie thought and she laughed. This is me! She looked over the edge of the chasm and the glistening pool of metal, and all the images she could see.
“Oh bloody hell.” She whispered and jumped.
Aftermath
They're coming.
Ellie opened her eyes and saw the blue sky and the sorrowful branches of the dead apple tree in the witch's garden. She vaguely remembered what had happened, but every time she tried to focus on a detail it slipped away. She heard sobbing and rolled towards the house. Ellie saw a young woman standing over the curled up form of the witch who was on the ground, painful sobs wracking her body. Ellie winced in sympathy and the young woman turned to look, revealing a kind and beautiful face. She smiled and walked over to Ellie, helping her to her feet and then leading her back to the woman on the ground in front of the house.
The younger woman kneeled down and caressed the older woman's shoulder.
“It's quite painful to have a spell broken, especially at my age.”
Ellie frowned.
“Who are you?”
The beautiful woman looked up at Ellie.
“I'm Isabelle and this,” her hand indicated the sobbing figure. “is me.” Isabelle sat back and sighed sadly. “This is what I become, then? An old woman full of bitterness and revenge?” Ellie stared at both these women who apparently were one and the same.
“I…” Ellie started but gave up. She didn't know where to begin. Flashes of the day's events s
eemed to strike like lightning within Ellie's memory. “Jack! Mum and Dad, my friends?” Ellie looked up into the blue sky and not the covering of wasps.
Isabelle pursed her lips as if listening to something, and then stood back up looking shamefaced at Ellie.
“I'm sorry, but I promise they're okay. When you broke the spell I managed to alter the effect slightly so I could come out and give them different memories. In fact, the whole village!” The young woman looked forlornly at the ground and whispered, almost to herself. “I frightened your brother, threatened him. I can't undo that, and this situation is about to get worse.” Isabelle started gnawing on a fingernail. “Magic has been performed and they're always on the lookout for that. I've gone three hundred years or so and kept quiet, but now they'll know.” She looked up at Ellie and could clearly see the look of confusion on her face, and Isabelle sighed. “Consider me a safety valve, I created this,” and she indicated herself. “To prevent me from performing magic. I would always be around to talk myself round and find another way, but when I, she, us, saw you, it was too much.”
Ellie shook her head.
“But why me? What have I ever done to you?”
“Nothing.” Isabelle snorted. “That's the thing it wasn't you.” Isabelle stepped closer to Ellie and held her shoulders. “But it was you.”
Ellie pulled away.
“Make some sense!” She demanded. Isabelle opened her mouth to speak, but violently twisted in pain and grabbed her chest. Ellie caught her and they both collapsed to the ground. The older version of Isabelle cried in pain. Ellie used her free hand to hold Isabelle's head as the young woman worked her way through this bolt of agony that had knocked her to the grass.
“Tell me, please.” Ellie pleaded. Isabelle gasped and grimaced, breathing heavily.
“Not much time. The broken spell is killing me.” She said between gasps. “Listen to me, they'll be coming and you need to protect yourself.” Isabelle raised a hand to Ellie's hair and stroked it. “I knew you so long ago. We were friends, you, me and Cole.”
Ellie's eyes widened at hearing this news. Though she had always remembered what had happened with the dragons, it hadn't been her. That Ellie had gone back in time.
“Then it went wrong,” Isabelle sobbed and held her breath as pain shot through her body once again. “No time, no time. The Institute!” Isabelle's hands gripped Ellie's arms tightly and her eyes briefly became clear of the pain she was feeling. “Inside, under the stairs. Something you need, then run and hide! I'm sorry, so sorry. Run, run!” Isabelle arched backwards and screamed. The older Isabelle did exactly the same, and Ellie winced in fear as she tried to hang on to the woman's body. Isabelle went stiff for a moment longer and then collapsed into Ellie's arms. A final breath emerged from the younger and older bodies. A soft white glow emanated from both the bodies. It swirled and passed over Ellie's head before wrapping around her and disappearing.
Ellie stared at the still form of Isabelle for a few minutes. In spite of the day and what had happened, Ellie felt immensely sad. She stroked Isabelle's long beautiful hair for a moment and then gently laid her on the grass.
Ellie sniffed. The day, once again, was scorching. Ellie's eyes took in the witch's house and she calmly walked in. The darkness of the house did not spare it from the heat and the hallway was sweltering. As Ellie approached Isabelle's cupboard under the stairs, a list of questions circled her mind like a crazy carousel.
Ellie and Cole?
Ellie and Isabelle knew each other?
The betrayal, what was it?
The Institute. Do they look for magic? Are they the ones who are coming?
Do I hide from them?
Ellie slowly opened the door. Most people would keep junk in such a space but this one contained a shelf, and the shelf held only one item. The orange glow bathed Ellie's face and she gasped in wonder as she remembered what it was. She reached out and picked up the orange orb that Cole's father, Eridan, had created with Celestine. Celestine had given her life for it. As she held it she thought a voice whispered her name and looked around quickly for the source. There was no one there.
“What on earth is going on?” Ellie asked herself. She looked around sadly at the now empty house and went back outside, and walked to the street. The younger version of Isabelle had disappeared and Ellie quickly looked away from the small, sad form of the old Isabelle on the ground. Memories of the fake world Isabelle had created in her own mind were drifting further and further away, just like a dream leaves you as the day wears on. In the distance she heard a dull droning and looked up quickly, expecting to see the wasps return but only saw two helicopters in the sky. She remembered placing the emergency call and guessed there would be quite a few people here soon with questions, but they would find no answers and Ellie had no intention of bringing any attention to herself.
The village itself was quiet and Ellie questioned who the lucky ones were. The villagers as they wouldn't remember what happened or maybe it was her as she knew exactly what had occurred, even if she didn't know why? She sighed and set off down the road for home, the orange orb held close to her side.
Epilogue
The Institute
The suited man pulled up a three-year old report onto his computer screen to familiarise himself with the details.
Ref: BAUCODE/NRHH
In regards to the two supernatural events that were located by our spotters, the Institute dispatched field operatives to the area but found no physical evidence of these incidents. A time frame designated by our spotters placed the two events within sixty minutes of each other and in close proximity.
Location S.Park still maintained a high level energy reading but apart from animal tracks and one set of human footprints (child approx 6-7 years of age) no other evidence was gathered or conclusion drawn.
Location Helm continues to display an active reading, though spotters are unable to precisely locate the source or nature of the phenomenon. They have officially reported to the Institute that they have never encountered supernatural properties of this type. Location two will be monitored via satellite and by ground teams on a time scale to be determined.
There are indications of a faint trail of energy leading away from the two locations to a village situated nearby. The energy dissipates on the outskirts of the village and although an exact determination cannot be made at this time, it is possible that an ongoing threat exists.
“Sir, our spotters confirm another supernatural occurrence at location Helm.”
The man turned slowly towards his phone and pressed a button.
“Yes I've been watching the video feeds on the news channels. I assume all forward teams have been despatched?”
“Yes, an emergency call was then monitored and an email was sent to a local news source regarding what was happening. They are ready to capture or contain as necessary, as soon as that barrier comes down.”
“And what of location Spark?” he asked, using the nickname for the first location.
“Monitoring continues but the situation has remained the same. The temple and surrounding area have been quiet”.
“Deploy teams around that area, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I'm leaving for the command centre and will direct from there.”
“Very good, sir.”
The computer screen went blank. The man pushed a few files and notes into his briefcase, snapped it shut and left his office. It had been a long time since the Institute had acquired any new `residents' and the potential for something new excited the man. Before he had to leave he entered a lift and descended into the bowels of the building. His destination always gave him such a thrill. He had been a collector all his life, of art, wine and antique books, but none of that came close to what was stored down here.
The lift doors opened and filled the carriage with a blue glow. The man walked out with a small smile and tearful eyes. The basement was filled with row upon row of large glass tubes buil
t to accommodate their occupants. Each was filled with a glowing blue liquid. The blue liquid held in suspension a `resident', a man, woman or child. The man walked between them, his fingers lightly touching each as he passed by. Every time he came down here he would read the official designation of each glass tube, and this time was no different.
Telepath.
Kinetic.
Witch.
Warlock.
Pyro.
Shifter.
Each aspect or talent was designated a crime by the Institute. There was no trial by jury, no innocent until proven guilty, merely imprisonment. They were guilty by being what they were. The man may have admired each of these talents but he could never imagine a world where he allowed such things to walk free amongst the population. The Institute's main function was to insure the safety of the world by taking these measures. There had been a time when its goal was very different, before sensible, logical figures in power saw the inherent danger in what the Institute was doing.
Still, amongst all these great collection pieces there was one that he admired above all. At the very rear of the basement was an enormous glass tank. The glass itself was inches thick to keep that much liquid contained. It housed the Institute's greatest find. First he checked the computer monitor that was stationed next to the tank to appease the sense of worry he felt about the creature's health. But he needn't have. This animal was strong, powerful. The man walked to the glass and rested his head upon it. He gazed in pleasure at the figure distorted by the liquid and thick glass, and read the classification and smiled as if reading and seeing it for the very first time.
Dragon.
I think I've been patient long enough, he thought.