by Ho, Jo
Locking the car, she quickly checked her phone — Si had already messaged to see what she was up to today… and to gently remind her that he would need the car back by tonight if possible. She sent back a quick reply so he would know she was still with the girls and safe when a flash of that yellow dress appeared in her mind. It was still in her bag, waiting for her to deal with it again.
As the other’s led the way, Eve hurried towards a trashcan. Making sure the girls had their back to her, she took out the yellow dress, throwing it into the bin before quickening her steps to join them.
The walk to the other side of the park felt long and arduous. The hot and humid sun beat down and there was barely any breeze to speak of. Added to the punishing weather, the place was packed with visitors who, as luck would have it, had come due to a recent new radio ad. Everywhere they went, they had to navigate past groups of sightseers and rowdy children with sticky fingers that they wanted to place everywhere.
Eve found herself wishing that she could just hide away at home with her computers and fantasy games, except she knew that her safe place wasn’t quite as safe now. It had been violated. Looking at Marley, Eve saw that her eyes didn’t have that same spark she had come to expect of her. Despite thinking that she had had a mental illness all her life, Marley was still one of the sunniest people she had ever met, so to see her subdued and quiet like this… to see that new awareness in her eyes… Eve felt for her.
As the sun rose into the midday sky, they finally arrived at the furthest building, the Blacksmith Shop. A large stone anvil took up one wall of the simple wood structure that wasn’t much bigger than Marley’s old living room. It was here where half-finished products from the forge would be turned into completed items. Eager to focus her mind on anything other than her attack yesterday, Marley examined the breadth of the room as the others did the same, hoping for that magic pull Eve had mentioned. Whatever it was they expected, however, a quick search found nothing of note.
From here, they worked their way back towards the parking lot to the Slitting Mill, then the forge, reading up on the odd bits of history dotted around the place, but still, there was nothing that jumped out at any of them, magic or otherwise. Growing increasingly more frustrated, they were making their way to the Blast Furnace when Tyler stopped, reading from a leaflet that formed the park guide. She looked at them, excitement blazing from her.
“Guys, I think I know where the seal is! These buildings we’ve been looking at, they’re all reconstructions! There’s actually only one building in here that’s an original property that dates back to the 17th century…”
She pointed at a building in the guide.
Chapter 17
The black painted timber-framed Colonial house loomed above them.
Only the faded red of the front door provided a hint of color to what was otherwise an oppressive looking house.
“This is it,” Tyler said. “This is the Iron Works House. It’s where the workers and owners lived.”
A tour guide opened the door just then, leading a group of visitors as he talked about the history of the house. The girls waited until the group moved away before heading inside. Gloominess pervaded. The small diamond-paned windows barely let any light in and what light came through, was quickly swallowed up by the dark furnishings inside.
Referencing the guide, Tyler led the way forward as they examined each room, but the tight confines proved quickly claustrophobic. Eve could feel her forehead turn clammy.
“We’ll cover more ground if we split up,” she advised. “I’ll go with Marley, Tyler, maybe you and Cassie can search the other end of the house.”
If Cassie noticed the deliberate pairings, she didn’t say anything. She nodded silently, her eyes seemingly overly large in the dimness. As they took off to the other side of the house, Eve followed Marley up a steep, winding staircase that had Eve clutching at the banister. She knew her fears were unfounded. The house was entirely stable, she just wasn’t used to the rickety steps or narrow hallways and low ceilings.
She knew too that it wasn’t only the structure of this place that had the sweat dripping down the back of her neck.
But those things shouldn’t be thought of right now. She had already experienced enough shocks today without her own mind torturing her with what had passed.
Marley entered a reconstructed bedroom. A single bed was shoved against the wall while a writing desk and chair sat beside it. She approached the desk, snuck a quick glance at the empty hallway outside, then started opening the draws on the desk as quietly and carefully as possible.
“When I was a kid, I used to like to hide things behind the drawers in my desk,” she offered as an explanation to Eve when she caught her curious stare.
“Smart kid,” Eve replied as she made her way to the only other piece of furniture in the room, a free-standing mahogany wardrobe. She reached for the door handle but froze, remembering what had happened this morning. Marley wasn’t busy with her own investigation by the desk, however, so Eve was safe for the moment. She pulled open the wardrobe door quickly.
There was nothing inside.
Not even pretend clothes or shoes to make up a display. It seemed the park’s visitors weren’t supposed to be quite this thorough. “I can’t find anything here,” she said, turning back to Marley, when her eyes shot to the bed.
Where it had been empty a second ago, her bloody yellow dress now lay across it. A half-strangled cry of fear left her mouth before she could stop it. Marley’s head swung to her, concerned, but Eve quickly glanced at her hand.
“What’s wrong?” Marley asked.
“Nothing,” Eve said, desperate to keep Marley’s eyes on her. “I caught a sliver in my finger is all.” Then she strategically placed her body in front of the bed, blocking the dress from Marley’s view. “Have you found anything?”
Marley stood up shaking her head, having replaced each of the drawers. “I’ve got nothing.”
“Let’s try another room,” Eve suggested, trying not to sound too desperate lest Marley pick up on it. Nodding, Marley left as Eve called out after her.
“I’ll join you in a sec, my phone’s ringing.”
It wasn’t, but Marley wasn’t to know that. Lunging towards the bed, Eve snatched up the dress for the third time that day and shoved it into the wardrobe. She knew it wouldn’t stay there for long, but it was all she could think to do.
How did you get rid of a dress that was haunting you?
She hoped she’d be able to find an answer before she completely lost her mind.
* * *
The living room housed only a few pieces of furniture.
Other than a simple wooden table and chairs, there was only a painting of the surrounding area on the wall and a fireplace where several plates hung over it as decoration. A plaque embossed with information but which was too small to make out sat on the wall opposite the fireplace. Cassie and Tyler were already exploring inside when Marley and Eve stepped in. At their appearance, Cassie, who had been speaking to Tyler, fell immediately silent, as shame flickered over her face.
“Have you found anything?” Marley asked though she directed her question at Tyler, still unable to face Cassie. Tyler picked up on the slight immediately, shooting an awkward look at Cassie.
“No.”
Marley opened her mouth to answer when the air changed. It was subtle, not perceivable by most, but she was beginning to understand that it meant a spirit was here.
Luckily, it was one they knew.
She wasn’t sure how she knew that exactly — call it intuition or maybe an extension of her power — but she knew without looking that Christian had joined them. She turned to face the side of the room where she could sense him standing and was rewarded by the sight of him, although he looked as confused as he could be.
“What is this, some kind of day trip?” His voice rose at the end of the sentence, not even trying to hide his incredulity.
Marley had to stifle th
e urge to snap at him. “We got a lead to this park, but we can’t find anything that could be the seal,” she replied as she gestured to the others that he was there.
“What lead? How?” he asked.
Although she felt irritated, she brought him up to speed knowing that he wouldn’t be much help to them until she did. He stood watching them now, a hand scratching at his chin as he stared around the room.
“The seal is magic so there should be something that makes it stand out. Like that cloud you saw or Eve’s magic pull. You need to look closer, and at everything.”
Marley hadn’t slept well the night before, and she hadn’t been particularly happy at having to deal with Cassie in any capacity today, so to have Christian making his usual disapproving comments was the last straw. She felt the anger flood her body but did nothing to stop it.
“What do you think we’ve been doing all day? I can’t believe you turn up like this — several hours after we’ve already spent our day off searching — and after what happened yesterday…” Her voice broke, but she pushed on, needing to finish. “Do you really have no idea how hard this is for us?”
Christian managed to look ashamed though not enough to back down. “Of course I do, but I also know how much is riding on this. What happened to you yesterday was terrible… but we can’t turn back the clock. We can’t change it, just like you can’t bring me back. All we can do is move forward and hope that we can stop Michael before he finishes whatever he is up to.”
Marley hated how reasonable he sounded. He was so much easier to deal with when he was annoying and unrealistic. She repeated his words miserably, so the others could understand what he was saying.
“I think he’s right,” came Cassie’s hesitant voice, surprising them all. She moved towards Marley, eyes looking beseechingly at her. “We can’t fix what’s already happened…”
Instantly, red-hot rage flared up in her chest. “Of course you would say that!” Marley snapped. “You’re the one who constantly messes up! First, you try to stiff Eve with the bill after making her go to that restaurant that she would obviously never feel comfortable in, then you go and do this to me! You’d love for us all to forget the stupid, horrible, things you’ve done, but maybe, instead of our forgetting, you should just stop being so horrible!”
Cassie flinched from the vitriol in Marley’s voice, wringing her hands.
“I’m sorry, Marley. I really am,” she tried again.
But Marley wasn’t sure she believed her. Ever since the moment they had met, Cassie had been scrutinizing her appearance, always watching her and generally being creepy. Marley had tried with her, but now everything was too much. Christian’s death, her part in it, and Cassie’s weird behavior. Marley couldn’t stop the eruption even if she wanted to.
“Are you though? Or are you just sorry we found out? If we hadn’t caught you, how much longer would you have carried on doing that?” Her voice rose in volume with every word as she gripped her hands by her sides.
Cassie looked utterly wretched and turned to Eve and Tyler for help but she could see they were torn. There was just no way she could justify her actions — she could barely make sense of them as it was. Biting her lip, she decided to let Marley take out her anger on her.
After all, she deserved it.
As Cassie’s inner voice started its vicious tirade, Marley mistakenly took her silence for something else… and her fury grew until the room began to hum from her anger.
Tyler felt it first. That telling thickening of the air, the static in her hair that caused her bob to start moving as if she were swimming in water.
“Marley…” she called out in warning, but Marley was too far gone to rein it all back in now. She felt a bolt of magic as Marley’s power blew outwards in a ring around them.
Then suddenly, the room began to vibrate.
First the plates on the wall, then the tables and chairs.
Anything that wasn’t nailed down in the room started to move.
Eve backed away from the phantom furniture. “What’s happening?” she cried.
Christian understood it first. “Marley! I think you’re summoning up the spirits from the past!”
Through the mist of fury in her head, his voice called out to her. Her head snapped round to him.
“What?”
“Your anger is causing you to use your magic. You’re summoning up the spirits that are attached to this place and these objects!”
“Maybe, they can help us?” Eve said hopefully when a plate tore off the wall and flew across the room at her! Eve ducked just in time for the plate to smash the wall just behind the space where her head had been.
Stunned, Marley could only watch as more plates lifted from the wall. Anticipating what was going to happen next, she raced for the table and turned it onto its side.
“Get behind the table!” she yelled just as the plates launched themselves off of the wall and flew at them. Nearest to the door, Tyler ran out of the room as Eve dove behind the table with Marley, just in time. The plates sailed over their heads to land behind them, smashing onto the floor, but Cassie — who was the furthest away from them — had more area to travel. She froze, standing there as an iron poker from the fireplace lifted into the air…
Aiming it’s wickedly pointed end straight for her.
“CASSIE!” Marley cried out. “LOOK OUT!”
Unable to make her feet react in time, Cassie stood there, eyes wide with terror as the poker flew straight for her face.
A cry came from Tyler from the doorway. “NO!” she screamed, her hand outstretched as if she could somehow stop the weapon from reaching its intended target.
Abruptly, the air around the poker changed, thickening around the metal and diverting its path. The poker curved away from Cassie at the last minute, missing her face by a whisker to impale itself onto the plaque in the wall. The plaque broke into two, falling to the floor.
Before any of them could react, a bright beacon of red light flared out from the broken plaque, covering the sky outside in that same eerie light they had seen before.
“Oh no. It was the sign,” Eve gasped. “The sign was the second seal…
“And I just broke it myself,” Tyler replied, sickened to the core.
Chapter 18
Marley had bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the plaque when she suddenly felt that magic pull Eve had described. It seemed that they could trace where and what the seals were, but only if they were very close to them. She didn’t know if there was anything they could do with the seal, but leaving it there for anyone to find didn’t seem like the right thing to do. They fled the park before anyone could spot the damage left in the Iron Works house.
The ride back was a somber affair as each girl contemplated their own part of the destruction of the seal. Even Christian didn’t seem himself, choosing to keep his thoughts to himself, which somehow made the whole thing more devastating. Marley was getting used to his outbursts now, so the fact that he wasn’t saying anything… well, that was more frightening than anything else he could have done.
At least one good thing had come out of this whole event, however.
Marley was back to talking to Cassie again, though it was still strained. Marley would need more time before she would fully warm up to Cassie again, but Cassie was happy that she was at least speaking to her without biting her head off.
She’d take whatever progress they made.
Eve had dropped them back at the dorm and taken off to the bar to help her brother at work. Marley unlocked the door to their room, but Cassie didn’t go inside after her.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” she said to Marley, who simply nodded, too exhausted and down to care about where Cassie was going.
Cassie waited until Tyler had let herself into her own room before stepping inside. Tyler looked up, surprised to find her in her room. “I’m sure Marley won’t object to you sleeping back in your own room again,” she began. Cassie didn’t answe
r until she had closed the door behind her.
“I’m not here because of that.”
Removing her shoes, Tyler rubbed her tired feet. “So, what is it?”
Cassie gestured to Tyler’s bag. “I want you to make me a potion.”
Tyler's fingers froze around her foot. Her shoulders tensed as she raised her eyes to Cassie. “What potion? I don’t know what you’re talking about…” She kept her voice even, hoping Cassie wouldn’t be able to tell she was lying.
Having expected this, Cassie lunged for Tyler’s bag, snatching it up before she could grab at it. Opening it, she took out Tyler’s water bottle, which still had some solution left inside. “This is what I’m talking about! You’ve been using your powers to make this energy drink, haven’t you?”
Tyler snatched it out of Cassie’s hands. “Give me that back!”
“Fine, but you can’t deny it. I already drank some of it earlier. I know what it is,” Cassie retorted, eyes flashing at her.
Tyler suddenly felt the room spin. She didn’t want the others to know what she had been doing, even though it wasn’t really that terrible. She had always prided herself on doing the right thing, on being a nice girl. Well, nice girls didn’t use their powers to make their own drugs, did they? All the fight left her. She sagged down onto the bed, deflated, but before she could speak, Cassie spoke again, wringing her hands.
“Please, Tyler. I need you to do this for me,” Cassie said desperately. “You have no idea what it’s like to be me. How could you when you look the way you do? I’ve had it my whole life, even when I was a little kid. People would say horrible things to me just because I wasn’t pretty like my parents. It was as if they didn’t consider me human as if I didn’t have feelings like everyone else. But now that I have this power, it’s too tempting to look like someone else — anyone else, but me. Please help me by making a potion, something that will help me to look better.”