Suddenly she saw something in the corner of her left eye. She shrieked and pulled her legs in under the blanket. It was coming for her; it was going to crawl all over her. She couldn't bear it. She reached out her hand and grabbed the magazine sitting by her bed. She waved it in front of her like a light sabre. She would whack it hard if she could just see it. Then there it was, dangling in front of her eyes, weaving to and fro on a silvery gossamer thread. It's eight legs hanging suspended in the air, twitching, searching for a place to land. She screamed a high-pitched scream, which turned into a wail of despair. She was convinced it was going to crawl on her and no rationale thinking would persuade her that it could do no harm. Indeed it was smaller than a penny, though it's legs were long and hairy. She swiped out with the magazine and the spider clung onto the glossy pages. It started to scurry up the small print towards her hand and she screamed again and threw it to the floor. She shuddered, wiping her hands over her arms and legs as though she were covered in a hundred spiders.
Sasha could never explain to anyone why she was scared of spiders, she just was. She thought it went back to a Facebook post she saw which said, ‘did you know, when you are sleeping, spiders wipe their willies on your face.' She had struggled to sleep for weeks after reading that.
She looked frantically over the edge of her bed and finally saw the spider crawling slowly up her white bedside table.
"Sasha, pull yourself together," she said to herself sternly. "This isn't real. I'm in Helheim. I am here to face my fears, so I must face them. I'm a goddess for goodness sake. A full-blown, practically immortal being. Not even a demigod like Alex. I'm the real thing...well I will be soon."
She started to wish she had her full powers now. Blasting bolts of electricity would come in use right now. She could have blasted the spider out of existence without even getting close to it.
"Right, let's do this," she said aloud. Somehow it helped when she spoke to herself.
She looked around for a weapon, the magazine was too far out of reach and she would have had to bend past the spider to get to it. Then she spotted the glass on the bedside table.
"Aha, there you go, you evil, demon spider," she said reaching for the glass. The spider had stopped moving much to her relief. She clasped the glass in her hand and maneuvered it right over the spider. She slammed it down, trapping it in a glass prison. With shaking hands she reached past to get the magazine and gingerly coaxed it under the glass, capturing the spider between the glass and the paper. Her hands were shaking badly and she was terrified the spider would slip out beneath the glass.
"Yes," she shouted in victory. "Die you sucker."
She carried the trapped spider into her ensuite bathroom and stood over the toilet, ready to flush it down but then she hesitated.
"No, this isn't right," she said to herself. "That's hardly conquering my fear."
She went back into her room, pushed up the sash window and released the spider into the garden.
"There you go. You can come back and haunt me another time you evil, demon spider."
Her eyes suddenly blurred and when she shook her head she saw Alex standing in front of her.
"You ok?" he asked, with a worried expression on his face.
"Just about," she grinned, relieved to be nowhere near her bedroom. That spider was probably creeping up the drainpipe already and hiding in her bathroom.
*
Becca took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she stepped through the force field. She wasn't sure what she would face, she was quite scared about a few things; she didn't like heights, snakes and creepy crawlies for a start and she was dreading what she would be put through. When she opened her eyes she found she was lying in her bed at home. She sat up and looked around. Opposite the bed she could see her reflection in the mirror on her wardrobe doors. A little girl who was about six years old looked back at her. She had long, brown, chestnut hair, which hung in soft waves over her shoulders. She moved her face from side to side and the little girl's reflection moved with her. Suddenly she realised what had happened. She was reliving a moment from when she was six years old. She had tried over the years to bury the memory deep and erase it but every now and then it resurfaced with a vengeance. She pulled the covers up under her chin and peered into the darkness. Her eyes were drawn to the toy chest, even though it was the last place she wanted to look. It was there, sitting upright with its blank, vacant eyes and a weird smile on its face. The doll. The creepiest doll in the world. Becca remembered one night when she was about six, when she woke in the night, convinced the doll was going to come alive, stand up and walk over to her, with its arms outstretched, calling, 'mama, mama.’
Becca trembled beneath the covers and felt a bead of sweat trickle down her back. It didn't matter what her mind told her, this doll was out to get her. It was going to wrap its tiny porcelain fingers around her throat and squeeze until she had no breath left.
"Wait," Becca said to herself, closing her eyes, trying to calm down. "This isn't real, it's just a doll. I just need to focus. Nothing is going to happen."
She opened her eyes and screamed shrilly. The creepy doll was staggering towards her, holding out her hands.
"Mama, mama," it called, stretching towards her.
Becca screamed again and lashed out at the doll with her foot. The doll grabbed hold of her leg and dug its tiny porcelain fingers into her calf. Becca cried out in pain and shook her leg hard, trying to shake the doll off her leg.
"Mama, mama. I love you," called the doll, trying to climb up Becca's leg.
Becca hopped over to the doorframe and swung her leg against the wood. The doll let go before it was smashed against the frame, bounced a couple of times and stood up again. It reached for Becca.
"Mama, mama cuddle me," it pleaded.
It's head turned around a full three sixty degrees and the doll suddenly launched itself at her head. It's hands grasped Becca around the neck and the little fingers dug into her windpipe.
"No you don't, you little...," Becca gasped.
She grabbed the doll by the legs and heaved with all of her strength. The doll clung on and Becca pulled harder. Finally the doll let go and Becca got a firm grip on its blonde, curly hair. She pulled the hair and legs in opposite directions and the head pulled away with a satisfying pop. Becca flung it against the wall and the porcelain face shattered into hundreds of pieces.
"Hasta la vista baby," said Becca, panting and wiping her sweaty palms on her nightshirt.
Suddenly she felt a wave of dizziness engulf her and she closed her eyes and staggered. When she felt steady again she opened her eyes and fell into Alex's outstretched arms. She had survived.
*
Matt finally stopped thinking about giant marshmallow men. He held his breath, closed his eyes, because that is what the others did and stepped through the shimmering haze. When he opened his eyes, his nose was filled with the smell of antiseptic and cooked cabbage. He was in a hospital.
"Ok, not what I expected," he mumbled to himself.
He hadn't been sure what to expect, there was nothing obvious that he was scared of. He looked around completely confused. The hospital was bustling with activity and he poked his head into a couple of rooms, which were just off the corridor he was standing in. He stopped on the threshold of the third room, frozen to the spot. In the bed lay his mother and she looked terrible. Her short, dark, curly hair was matted, she had massive purple bruises under her eyes and her cheeks were sunken and gaunt.
"Mum?" he asked confused.
"Mattie, is that you baby?" she whispered, looking over towards him with glazed, pain filled eyes.
"Mum, what's the matter? What's going on? What are you doing here?" he asked aghast at the sight of her. She looked dreadful.
"Darling, I'm so sorry. I should have told you sooner. The tumour came back, but it's bigger this time. My head hurts so much I can't bear it. I don't think I have long now." Her voice trailed off and she reached over for his
hand.
He ran over quickly and grasped hold of it tightly. "Mum, mummy, you can't leave me. I need you. They can operate again. It'll be fine. Where's the doctor? I'll talk to him now, to see what they can do."
He ran to the door of the room and looked up the corridor for a doctor. There was nobody there; the corridor was empty.
"Hey, is someone there?" he shouted.
The sound of his voice echoed along the white corridor. There was just silence. The hospital had been full of people earlier and Matt was completely confused about where everyone had gone. He returned to his mother’s side and held her hand close to him. Her eyes were closed and he shook her gently.
"Mum, mum, can you hear me?"
She nodded wearily, opened her eyes and smiled. "Your hair is a mess. I wish you would comb it."
His brown hair was sticking up all over the place in what he had told her a few days ago was a fashionable mess. He ran his fingers through it, trying to flatten it down a bit but it just sprung up again as though it had a will of its own.
"Mattie, look after your brother when I'm gone. With dad gone, he will need you more than ever." She coughed and reached over for some water.
"Mum, it doesn't have to be this way. I'll figure something out. Just don't leave me ok? I can't do this on my own," he sobbed.
Tears ran down his cheeks and he cuffed them away with the back of his free hand.
"Mattie, you can be strong. I know you can do this. I'll always be watching over you sweetheart. You'll have Charlie. You won't be alone."
"Charlie's six. How can I look after him? We need you Mum, please fight it, stay with me."
"I'm tired of fighting. I just want to sleep. I love you baby."
She closed her eyes and sighed. Matt shook her gently again but she didn't respond.
"Mum, mum," he cried.
It was too late he realised, she had slipped away. Matt rubbed her hand gently and then placed it over her chest. Tears were streaming down his face. He burrowed his head in the hospital blanket by her side and sobbed his heart out.
"Matt, Matt, are you ok man?" he heard in the distance.
He lifted his head and looked around. The hospital and his mum were gone. He was sitting on a rock and Alex was shaking his shoulder gently.
"Matt, you're ok, it's over," said Alex gently.
"My mum, my mum died," sobbed Matt.
"No, it's ok, we're in Helheim remember? It wasn't real. You just faced your greatest fear. It's over," said Sasha coming over to hug him. "She's fine, she's at home with Charlie."
"I have to go check on her," said Matt, rubbing his face. " I have to make sure she's ok."
"Matt, you can't just yet, we have to see this through," she said rubbing his back reassuringly.
He nodded miserably, accepting that he couldn't do anything for now. He just clung to the hope they were right and his mum was ok.
*
Ellewen was the last one left. She had wanted to make sure they all went through ok and didn't bottle out. She strode forward and passed through the force field with her eyes wide open. On the other side, Alex ran over to her and grasped her arms tight.
"It's ok, you made it, you're safe now, it's all over," he said with a worried expression on his face.
"What are you talking about? I'm fine," she retorted.
"Look, you can tell us, we've all been sharing what happened. It's really helped. I know it's been bad, you just need to talk about it. You know, get it off your chest," he said squeezing her shoulder sympathetically.
"I really have no idea what you're on about. I just walked through and ended up here," she said amused at the expression on their faces.
"You what?" asked Becca confused.
"Seriously, I literally just walked through and I'm here, nothing happened."
"Really?" asked Alex, not believing her for one moment. "Are you saying you're not scared of anything?"
"Guess so," she said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.
"Damn, that is hot," said Matt approvingly.
She looked over at him and shuddered. His brown eyes were red rimmed and puffy and there were red splotches all over his face. He really wasn't looking his best right now.
"Ok, let's get a move on. We need to get through Tilgivelse next," she said, adjusting the rucksack on her back.
They all groaned but picked up their bags and followed her along the dusty road, which lay before them.
Chapter Four
They all walked in single file, alone with their thoughts of what they had just been through. A loud grumble made Becca turn around and face Alex.
"Are you hungry?" she asked him.
"Starving," he confessed sheepishly.
He hadn't wanted to say anything. Everyone except Ellewen had obviously just had a seriously traumatic time. He didn't think it was right to talk about food.
"We had better stop and eat. We'll probably need the energy to get through this Tilgivelse place," she said, motioning for the others to stop. "Modgud said something about seeking forgiveness from those we have harmed. That doesn't sound good, though I can't think of anyone I've hurt where I would need to seek their forgiveness."
"Yeah well, some of us didn't think we were scared of anything and look how wrong we were there," said Matt, coming to a stop. "Let's sit over there," he said, pointing to a bare, dead tree.
Ellewen reached into her rucksack and drew out a small blanket."Mikill," she said firmly.
The blanket grew in size until it was big enough for them all to sit on.
"Yay, a family picnic in the Underworld," said Sasha, nudging Alex with her elbow.
"Yeah, not very scenic though is it?" said Alex, looking around at the barren landscape.
The tree they were sitting under was the only feature as far as the eye could see. They were surrounded by wasteland with the odd rock scattered here and there. They sat down on the blanket and pulled out the food and drink they had packed into their bags. Alan and Nancy had been insistent that they go prepared and they were grateful for that advice now as they tucked into sandwiches and crisps.
"So, who is going first next time?" asked Ellewen between bites.
"Me," said Becca straight away.
"No way, I am," said Alex.
"No, I want to get it over with. This waiting is killing me, I would rather just get on with it," she insisted.
Alex looked at her appraisingly. She was brave as well as stunningly attractive. Her long, glossy hair had fallen out of the ponytail now and hung in waves around her pale face. He longed to reach over and kiss her but he just placed his hand gently on her knee.
"You're amazing," he said, smiling at her.
Becca's heart skipped a beat. She loved his smile and she felt reassured by the way he was looking at her. Whilst she had no idea what happened when he went to Asgard, she was pretty sure now that he still had feelings for her. Feeling brave she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Yeah well, it must have rubbed off from you," she said grinning.
"Oh Odin, I'm going to puke. Get a room you two," snarled Ellewen, flicking a crisp at Alex.
He caught it deftly and popped it into his mouth grinning.
"Jealousy doesn't suit you," he said, winking at her cheekily.
"It's not me who's going to be jealous," she warned.
Alex looked away, right now he was enjoying being with Becca, even if it was in the worst place he could ever imagine.
"Right, are we all done?" asked Sasha, stuffing empty crisp packets into her bag.
"What are you doing?" asked Matt. "Just leave the rubbish here. We don't want to carry that around with us."
"Matt, that's terrible. You should never litter, even if we are in the Underworld," she said tartly, stuffing more rubbish in her bag.
They gathered everything together and Ellewen shrunk the blanket with a quick muttered spell and popped it back into her bag.
"Come on then, let's find Tilgivelse," said Sasha, walking
back to the road and striding off confidently.
After twenty minutes they came across another shimmering barrier across their path.
"I guess this is it guys," said Alex.
Becca walked straight through the barrier without a second glance.
*
Her body tingled as she passed through the force field and she shuddered as she looked quickly around. She was standing in her living room at home and her fourteen-year-old brother was sitting in a brown leather armchair beside the wood-burning stove in the fireplace.
"Hey sis," he greeted her.
"Cole? What are you doing here?" she asked confused.
"If you don't know then that makes it worse," he said calmly.
His dark blue eyes looked at her scornfully.
"You really have no idea?" he asked.
"No. I'm meant to face someone whom I've harmed and seek their forgiveness. God Cole, we fight all the time but it doesn't mean anything. We're brother and sister, we're meant to fight," she said exasperated.
"It's more than that Becca. Yes we squabble, but you've ruined my life at school. I can't go back, they're all laughing at me. I've been bunking off for weeks now. Mum and Dad don't have a clue."
"What? Are you kidding me? What did I do?" she asked aghast.
She had no idea she had upset him about anything. Yes he had been quiet for a while but she figured he was just being a surly teenager as usual.
"You told Harry I was going to ask Kate out," he growled at her. "He told her and she told her friends. When I went in on Monday I had no idea. Everyone in class was pointing at me and sniggering behind their hands. They think I'm a joke that she's out of my league and I'm deluded. They were laughing at me all day and Kate, she was the worst one of them all. She looked down her nose at me at lunch and called me a loser when she passed me. I can't face it again. I'm never going back."
Helheim (The Nine Worlds Trilogy Book 2) Page 5