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Perfectly Reflected

Page 28

by S. C. Ransom


  I needed to know the facts, and then I might be able to help her. If I couldn’t get the information from Olivia the only way to help would be to find Catherine again. I shuddered at the thought.

  A sudden breeze brought me back to the present and the London square I was sitting in. I felt like I had been existing in a box, away from everything else; but of course it was all still there. London was passing by, everyone making their way home, and I suddenly became reconnected with it all. Looking around the park I could see a cloud of little lights; all the office workers with their happy, going-home auras. The yellow lights bounced and leapt above their heads, and I was overwhelmed with relief that they were back.

  I sat back, exhausted. “I love you, Callum, and I really want to stay here with you, but I’m whacked and I need my painkillers. Can you come home with me? There’s still loads more I need to try and understand: why isn’t Rob dead? What happened this time that was different to last time?”

  His face was a picture of concern. “Of course. I’ll come with you to the station, and then go and find Matthew. He might have some answers, and I can come back later.”

  “If I have a decent night’s sleep, perhaps I can try to come back up here tomorrow, and meet you at the dome?”

  In the mirror his arm tightened around me again. “I can’t think of anything better. Come on then, let’s get you home.”

  I realised as I sat on the train that what I had told Callum had been more accurate than I realised: I was completely and utterly exhausted. I had been running on nothing but emotion and adrenalin for days, and now it was all spent. I wanted to curl up into a small ball and sleep for a month. Luckily the train terminated at my stop, so I didn’t have to worry about dropping off on the journey. At one point though I was woken up by an unsubtle dig in the ribs, and I found that I had been snoozing on the shoulder of the cross-looking commuter sitting next to me. I apologised and twisted slightly in my seat so that my head was leaning against the window. I couldn’t help smiling slightly to myself as I glimpsed the auras of the people on the passing platforms. It was strangely comforting, this weird talent that I shared with Callum, and I let my eyelids droop again as my thoughts became less focused.

  I was woken abruptly by the strident ringtone of a mobile, and it took me a few moments to realise it was mine. The clunky old phone had a really cheesy ring, and I looked apologetically at the commuters as I finally manoeuvred it out of my back pocket. This time the name registered on the display.

  “Hi, Josh, what’s up?”

  “Thought you might like an early warning that the parents are back,” he told me in a very quiet voice.

  “Oh, right, thanks. What’s the mood like?”

  His voice dropped even lower. “Mixed, I’d say. I’ve warned them about your face, but they’ll go ballistic if they see your arm. Where are you?”

  “On the train. I’ll be home in about half an hour, I guess.”

  “How are the bruises looking?”

  “I haven’t checked recently.”

  “Well, make sure they’re covered up.”

  “Good point.” I paused for a second. “Thanks, Josh, I appreciate the heads-up.”

  “No worries. Is everything else OK now? You’ve been gone all day.”

  “Yeah, it’s all sorted out. It took a while, but it’s done.”

  “Good. I’ll see you later. Bye.”

  I peered at the unfamiliar phone to work out how to cut the call, then put it back in my pocket. The little mirror was in there too, so I quickly glanced around the train but no one seemed to be watching. I had spent ages looking in the mirror earlier but I’d been focusing only on Callum and had taken absolutely no notice of what I actually looked like. It had been over a week since Catherine had hit me, but the bruises and scuff marks on my face were still bad. They were mostly green, which gave me rather an unpleasant complexion, but finally most of the scabs had gone. My arm still showed the obvious imprint of the club though. I sighed quietly. Josh was right; Mum would go up the wall if she saw it and realised that I had been keeping quiet about it. Luckily my sleeves were long enough to cover it completely.

  As the train pulled into the station I rummaged through my bag to see if I had any cover stick but drew a blank. Luckily my face could still be explained by the story about Beesley, so I was just going to have to wing it. I threw my bag over my shoulder and started the long walk home.

  Callum was there when I woke in the morning, holding me close while I slept away the day.

  “I can’t believe that she did this to you,” he breathed, kissing the angry welts on my arm.

  I snuggled down in his embrace, feeling the gentle touch of his fingers tracing a path down from my shoulder. “I don’t want to spend a second more thinking about her. She’s gone, and good riddance to her. It’s time to worry about us now.”

  He sat back a little. “What are we worrying about this time then?”

  “Nothing, silly. It’s just a phrase. We have nothing to worry about except for being trapped in different dimensions, which is just a wee bit irritating, that’s all.”

  “Well, you seem to be feeling a bit better today,” he laughed, resuming the stroking.

  “I’m actually not so stiff, and I guess I had a decent night where my dreams weren’t being invaded, either,” I said, stretching carefully so as to not move the amulet.

  “You know, that’s a good point. I wonder if it has that effect on everyone.”

  “How many people do you visit in their sleep then? Are you a regular visitor to many heads?”

  “No, not really. I have one particular victim though, and he seems particularly susceptible. Much better than you, anyway.” He was looking hugely smug as he told me.

  “Go on then, who is it?”

  “John Reilly.”

  “And who might he be then?”

  “He, my love,” said Callum, his voice muffled as he kissed my neck, “is the head of maintenance at St Paul’s. He’s woken up really worried about the Golden Gallery this morning, and will be insisting that it’s kept closed.”

  “You little marvel!” I beamed at him. “I’ve been wondering how you did that.”

  “So you probably ought to get out of bed and into London so that we can make the most of it.”

  “Too right. I don’t want to be missing an opportunity like that. Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready for breakfast.” I thought back to the conversations I had had the night before. “Umm, are my parents around?”

  “No, they’ve both gone into work, and Josh is still asleep. They have left a note though, on the blackboard.”

  “I bet they have,” I muttered under my breath. They hadn’t been too happy when I had turned up last night with no good explanation of why I had been so difficult to contact over the last few days. “I guess it tells me that I’m grounded or something similar?”

  “Close. Not those exact words but I think they expect you to be around. Did they see this?” He pointed towards my shoulder.

  “No, they didn’t! If they had they would have been furious, and I would have spent another night talking to the police. I’m going to be wearing long sleeves for at least another week, I reckon.” I paused as Callum’s mesmerising blue eyes found mine and I momentarily lost all coherent thought. “Now, scoot; I need to get showered and dressed. I’ll be down in ten minutes.” I glimpsed the remnants of the bruises on my cheek in the mirror. “Make that twenty. I’m going to have to make some running repairs.”

  On the hour-long train ride from Shepperton to Waterloo I could sit back and relax, at long last able to spend some time thinking about everything. The three problems I needed to solve plaited themselves together inside my head. I knew that, somehow, they were interlinked. I just didn’t know how. What did Catherine know that had so devastated Olivia; why was Rob still alive; and where had Lucas gone? As usual my gaze returned to the amulet. The answers were in there; I just had to find a way of getting them out.

&nbs
p; I was suddenly disturbed by the hideous ring of my ancient phone. Not being able to identify the caller before I picked it up was really beginning to annoy me, and I vowed yet again to spend some time re-entering all my friends’ numbers.

  “Hello?” I asked warily, just in case it was Mum.

  “Ah, my protector! And how are you this morning, then?”

  “I’m sorry? Who is this?” I asked, confused.

  “It’s Rob, you daft bird. Whose life you apparently saved yesterday. Glad I mean so much to you!” There was a distinct teasing note in his tone. I was so surprised I didn’t think about the effect of my response.

  “Oh, hi, Rob, I was just thinking about you.” I tried to bite back the words immediately but they were already out there.

  “Excellent, excellent. You have great taste in thoughts. Now, I need to thank you properly. Where are you?”

  “Umm, actually, Rob, I’m on a train, and I’m kind of busy.”

  “Well, just tell me where you’re going and I’ll be there to meet you. I’ve been discharged from hospital, and I’ve got something special planned.” There wasn’t a hint of a question in his voice. In his world I was about to do exactly as he asked.

  “Look, Rob,” I said as gently as I could, “do you not remember what I told you yesterday? We are not going out together, and neither of us wants to go out with the other. We tried it and decided against it.”

  “You’re just saying that, Alex, I know you are.” The arrogance of his assumption was breathtaking.

  “I’m not! We absolutely don’t want to, you’ve just forgotten.”

  “No, you’re teasing me, I can tell!”

  I was beginning to lose patience with him.

  “I’m going to say this just the once, do you understand, then I’m going to put the phone down. We are not going out, we will not be going out, and I will not be meeting you anywhere. Am I making myself absolutely clear?”

  “So is that a no, then? To meeting up today?”

  “Goodbye, Rob.” I clicked off the phone and glared at a woman across the carriage who had been listening.

  I looked out of the window and my irritation with Rob evaporated; central London was coming into view and within the hour I would be with Callum.

  I had a straightforward trip over to St Paul’s, and Callum met me at the Tube station. Both of us were in a more reflective mood than usual, and there was no inane chatter or gossip about the people we were passing. We were both focused on getting up to the Golden Gallery.

  “Did it work?” I asked as we rounded the corner and the full spectacle of the cathedral came into view.

  “I’m sorry?” replied Callum, puzzled at my sudden question.

  “The gallery. Is it shut today? Did the poor man’s nightmare do the trick?”

  “Oh, that, yes, yes, it’s shut again. You should have no problems. Do you want me to come up the stairs with you?”

  “Actually, no, I’d rather you didn’t. Gasping and wheezing is not a good look. Go and wait for me at the top.”

  I worked my way through the queues, past the ticket collector and into the vast, cool interior. As usual the little yellow lights were flicking on all over the place as people were overawed by the sheer scale and majesty of the place. Callum kissed me as I got to the bottom of the long spiral staircase. “Take your time, don’t rush. We have all day if we want.”

  “OK, I’ll see you in a bit.” I started to make my way up the stairs, and was soon not thinking about anything other than the pain in my legs and how dizzy I was getting walking in circles. At the Whispering Gallery I stopped, conscious as ever of the misty cloaked figures. This close to the top of the dome I could see all the Dirges without the mirror, but they were still semi-transparent. As I watched I could see them wafting out of my way, and I realised there was something else I needed to do. “Olivia?” I called gently. “Are you around? There’s something I want to tell you.”

  I scanned the circle of insubstantial figures sitting around the gallery, and slowly one got to her feet. I waited while she gently glided through all the tourists and stood in front of me.

  “Olivia?”

  The slight figure nodded and gently pushed back her hood. I gasped in horror. Her face was a mask of misery.

  “Oh, Olivia, please, please don’t be upset. None of it was your fault, truly!”

  Her hooded brown eyes couldn’t meet mine, and I wished that there was some way I could reach out and comfort her properly. “Sit down, please; sit with me for a moment and let’s talk.”

  I sat down on the long stone bench that circled the gallery, for once oblivious to the spectacular view of the cathedral floor. Slowly Olivia lowered herself into the seat next to me, her hands still folded under her cloak. I put my arm out towards her, amulet glinting in the bright lights. I resisted the temptation to try and get her to hurry; it was like coaxing a frightened kitten to come out from under the sofa. Finally her thin, delicate hand appeared and she slid her amulet into place with mine. The tingle told me when the connection had finally been made.

  “Hi, it’s really good to see you, really good.” I paused for a moment but she said nothing. “Do you know, Beesley has been begging me to get you out on our next walk. Every time he sees me he walks around behind me to see where you are. I might be able to borrow him tomorrow; would you like to come over?”

  There was still no response but I noticed a small movement in the semi-transparent mist. I wished I could get my mirror out to see her properly, but it seemed better somehow to try and have a conversation sat together like friends. I turned towards her and realised that the movement was tears, tears falling unheeded from her cheeks and on to her lap where they made no impression on the strange cloak.

  “Please don’t cry,” I whispered as someone walked past. “She’s gone now, and Rob can’t remember anything, so no harm has been done.” I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping that I wasn’t lying. I had no idea what Catherine was up to, but I wasn’t going to tell Olivia that.

  The pale face finally turned towards me, the haunted look etched deep, and I realised just how much harm really had been done. “She was pure, pure evil,” she said eventually. “I got what I deserved taking something from her head.”

  “I’m going to try to help you, to figure out what it was that’s done this to you, I promise. Until then, can you just bury it?”

  “I can’t make it go away.” Her voice was suddenly like a child’s, and it tore my heart to remember that that was exactly what she was – a child. Her tears continued to fall.

  “Well, maybe we can crowd it out with something happier. Do you think that might work?”

  There was silence, and then she slowly shook her head. “It’s too awful.”

  “Callum told me that you can’t get any of the details, that you don’t know what it was that she was thinking.”

  “No, I just know it was dreadful, terrible, but I didn’t see the actual memory.” I cursed Catherine silently; what was it about saving the Dirges that could be so toxic? It would be so much easier if we could just lift the knowledge out of Olivia’s head.

  “Well, if you don’t have to live with the actual thought, I’m sure we can do something about the feeling. A feeling is just that – a mood, nothing more. Callum and I can help you to feel something else.” I paused for a moment, but that clearly wasn’t helping. I tried another tack. “I’m thinking of seeing if I can get the job as Beesley’s daytime walker during the holidays. So that would mean walking him every lunchtime and seeing how much we could teach him. Of course, it’ll be quite difficult for me on my own, but if there were two of us, well, that would make things so much easier.” I paused again and let that sink in.

  “Every day?” asked a small voice.

  “Every day when I can borrow the dog. What do you say?”

  “Can … can we start tomorrow?”

  “I’m sure I can arrange it, as long as he’s back.” I sneaked another look at her, watching her mak
e that constantly moving chain link with her thumbs and index fingers. It was all still a bit indistinct, but I was sure I saw a tiny spark of hope in her eyes. “I’ll talk to you later, Olivia, but we’ll make it better, I promise. I have to go now, Callum’s going to be waiting for me at the top.”

  She nodded briefly and shrugged back inside the hood of her cloak. I gave one last attempted squeeze of her arm and stood up, ready at last for Callum. As I scanned the gallery over towards the door to the next set of stairs I could see his familiar figure. Even here he was more substantial to me than his fellow Dirges, and I was thankful yet again for the deep connection our two amulets had, which made this strange magic work. As I reached him he quickly slid his amulet into position.

  “I was wondering where you had got to so I came back down. I caught the end of your conversation; that was a very nice thing to do for Olivia.”

  I made a non-committal grunting noise as a large tourist squeezed past me. “I know, you can’t talk right now. I’ll see you up there.” I smiled at his ghostly-looking face, in front of me but still obviously not solid. Then the tingle shifted and he was gone.

  Seeing Olivia only strengthened my resolve. Catherine said that she knew how to help all the Dirges to escape, and if that was true, then I had to find her, to find a way to help Olivia out of her misery. Leaving her like that was just too cruel. Finding Catherine was going to be a challenge, but with Grace to help me I reckoned I could do it. I smiled grimly to myself as I started up the next spiral staircase. There was no point in mentioning it to them until I was sure, but it looked like there was a chance. I just had to keep Olivia going until I could sort it out.

  I didn’t rush all the way to the top. Wearing myself out wasn’t a smart thing to do, so I took it steadily, jumping the barrier at the Stone Gallery to get to the last set of stairs. As usual, no one seemed to notice.

  On the way up I tried not to think of my last visit, when I had been helped back down by the staff. I never wanted to feel that crashing misery again, and although I knew Callum was up there ahead of me, I realised that I would never be able to walk up those stairs again without worrying that he would be gone. As I reached the little round room with the viewing panel to the floor I called his name softly. For the first time I saw him appear, gliding through the door at the top of the final steps, a concerned look on his face. The novelty of seeing him really walk towards me made me smile. This close to the top he was very nearly solid-looking; there was just a hint around the edges that gave away the fact that he wasn’t quite like me.

 

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