“That is absurd.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Like you’d understand anyway. You’re a guy.”
“And therefore I am incapable of romance, is that what you think?”
I nodded. “Pretty much.”
He reached for my hand and tenderly stroked it. I thought he was showing me his romantic side, until his hand tightened around mine.
“I can see you are not going to give up on this,” he said. “Therefore I must do everything in my power to put a stop to this nonsense.”
Before I could protest, a ball of light surrounded us and when it disappeared we stood on the cabin patio. The door was wide open. Anne sat inside, nervously twisting her hands together. She leaped up from the couch when she saw us. I pulled myself out of William’s grip and raced into the cabin. Anne was my friend. Maybe I could request she have a harsh word to William about his unfair treatment.
Except that she doesn’t recognize me.
“Anne, it’s me, Ruby.”
She shook her head. “You are the young girl who visited us the day of Ruby’s funeral. You’re the witch.”
“I’m Ruby. I’ve borrowed Audrey’s spirit so I can spend time with Leo.”
Anne looked frightened, and disappointed. “If you have borrowed this other girl’s spirit, then where is yours?”
It was at this point I realized I had pretty much cemented my place in eternity alongside William and Anne because I had acted selfishly and disgracefully, and selfish and disgraced people didn’t get burdened with the reward of happily ever after. They got burdened with curses. It was at this point that I also realized there had to be more to Anne and William’s story than they let on, because if they were cursed then they were obviously selfish and disgraced, too.
Their fate wasn’t my immediate concern. I slumped down into the armchair. “My spirit is trapped in the hollow with Audrey. But it’s only temporary,” I added when Anne’s hands flew to cover her mouth. “I promise to release her the minute I’m done.”
She glared William. “You knew about this?”
William hung his head. “I told her of one possible way to be with Leo. In truth, I did not conceive it would work. And now the time has come to undo the damage.”
Anne got up and circled the room like a caged beast. When she stopped she stomped her foot. I was glad she was directing her wrath at William instead of me.
“William, you used magic. How many times have I warned you that spells and enchantments only lead to trouble?”
“How can I get better if I don’t practice?”
I almost choked. “Wait. You used me to practice magic?”
“The spell worked, didn’t it?” His eyes beseeched Anne to listen. “Think of it. We could be one step closer to breaking our curse.”
“What about me?” I cried. “What if it had backfired?”
He shot me an exhausted look. “You wanted it to work, so it did. That is the basis of all magic.”
Anne returned to pacing the room. “Everyone is acting poorly today. It seems as if love is to blame for this crazy behavior.” She stopped and faced the wall. “William, I am disappointed.”
“Yes, William. You’re a disappointment,” I chided.
Anne spun to face me and there was hostility in her eyes. “You are not better. You are supposed to accept your fate. We are all supposed to accept the consequences of our actions. We are certainly not supposed to defy the laws of nature and steal other people’s spirits. Ruby, your actions are irrational and dangerous. Although, I really should call you Audrey because that is who you are to me and that is who you are to Leo.”
“Admittedly, that is the giant flaw in this plan. But I’m so close to achieving my goal. I can’t stop now.”
William, who up until now had hung around in the doorway, spun on his heels and started down the steps. “If you refuse to release Audrey, I will do it myself.”
Watching my best chance at winning Leo’s heart disappear, I lunged at William and landed on his back, half expecting to fall through him, but astral spirits and ghosts could connect which was how I’d managed to trap Audrey so I really shouldn’t have been surprised that I piggy-backed William down the stairs.
“Don’t do this,” I shouted so loudly it was a wonder I wasn’t heard in the real world. “You can’t do this to me.”
“You did it to yourself.”
“At least let me undo the mess I’ve made of Audrey’s life first. She can’t return to the world I created for her.”
William stopped abruptly and stood erect. I slid down off his back. “You make a compelling argument. It would be a shame if the poor girl returned to the mess you created.”
He returned to the patio where Anne stood in the doorway with her arms folded across her chest. Her foot tapped in annoyance. All of a sudden the cozy cabin didn’t seem so welcoming anymore.
“What do you say, Anne?” William asked. “Should we give Ruby one more chance?”
“She releases this poor girl from her bind after she has reversed the damage and what then?” Anne asked.
I leaned against the doorframe, suddenly deflated. “I’m not sure. I only know I have to do everything I can to make sure Leo is okay. He’s dying without me.”
“He’s dying with you,” said Anne. “It’s the way of all things. And you’re torturing this poor girl by trapping her in the underworld. If you are to sort out this girl’s affairs you must do so quickly then immediately return here. Is that understood?”
I surveyed the inside of Caper’s Cabin. It was as lovely as the brochures presented, with its oak paneling on the walls, plush rugs on the floor, and shelves in the corner holding dozens of well-worn paperbacks. It also had a TV none of us could switch on, a hot tub none of us could sit in, and the promise of an eternity spent watching people coming and going. Watching people grow old and die while we did not.
I didn’t realize I’d started crying until Anne said, “Please don’t cry or you’ll start me off.”
Why was I convinced that knowing the depths of Leo’s love would release me from this land of limbo? Nothing so far had suggested there was a way for ghosts to set themselves free. Still, I had to try?
I had to try.
I felt Anne’s hand slip into mine. Then William’s slipped into my other hand. Through me, Anne and William were connected for the first time in centuries. Would the three of us remain this way for the next few centuries? Were we to spend forever with our only bubble of joy coming at Halloween when we could officially scare the crap out of kids who ventured into the woods?
Not if I could help it.
“I’m about to tell you something that nobody else knows,” I said. “The night I died, I came here to find out if Leo truly loved me, because a few hours earlier, I’d discovered I was going to have his baby. My mom raised me by herself and I didn’t want the same pressure. I came here to find out if Leo would stick by my side, because if not, maybe I would.” I paused as the next lot of words got stuck in my throat “You know, maybe I’d terminate the pregnancy.”
My eyes shifted to the floor. Ghost or not, the shame of what I’d considered doing chilled my blood. I was positive I’d never have gone through with the termination, but I was also positive I might have.
Anne lifted my chin with her free hand and forced me to look at her. The empathy flowing off her was enough to break my heart.
“Is that the real reason you came here?” she asked.
I squirmed beneath her scrutiny. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I get the feeling you are holding out of us. And until you can admit the truth, you will never be free.”
“It’s the truth.”
She sighed like she didn’t believe me. “Then would raising a child alone have been such a terrible curse to bear?”
She glanced at William and my shame deepened. It would not have been such a terrible curse to bear. What I was experiencing now was a terrib
le curse.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked.
“Because you seem determined not to be nice to yourself.”
I didn’t think I could ever repay their kindness. Then, an idea of how I could sprang to mind.
“Wait here,” I said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I broke my connection with the astral world and landed with a thud onto my bed. I instantly shifted back into my physical form and ran into the living room just as Teri switched off the TV with the remote and got up out of the couch.
“I need you to do something for me,” I said, startling her.
“I thought you were sulking in your room.”
“Too much other stuff happening to sulk. I need your help, only you can’t ask any questions till we get there.”
The good thing about having a mom who was a clairvoyant was she had an open mind. The bad thing about having a mom as a clairvoyant was she also had typical mom qualities. The telltale signs Teri wasn’t confident about trusting me were there – the furrowed brow, the shifting gaze, the volley of complaining groans as she put on her evening coat, the impatient tapping of her fingers against the steering wheel as she drove following only my instructions.
“You want to tell me where we’re going?” she asked.
We were almost at the turnoff to the woods. “Capers Cabin.”
“You want to tell me why I’m visiting the cabin of one of Providence’s founders? I take it we’re not going for the history lesson.”
I shook my head vigorously, almost dislodging vertebrae. “Can’t say anything till we get there.”
Why couldn’t I calm down? And why hadn’t I thought of this before?
“You can see spirits, right?” I asked Teri after a few minutes of unbearable silence.
Her face tightened – mistrust raised up another notch. “Why the sudden interest?”
“I asked you first.”
Teri’s whole body stiffened. “Audrey, you sound different. I guess you inherited more of your father’s genes than I realized.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
Teri slapped a hand against the steering wheel. “There you go again. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear Ruby had spent the past few weeks of her life coaching you. Your father said you were talking back, and I didn’t believe him.”
“Okay, I’ll be quiet.”
Easier to say than do. It was a twenty minute drive out to the cabin and millions of question marks swung around inside my head like monkeys. I had a hard time controlling them. Their chatter made it impossible for me to stay quiet.
“When you look at me, do you notice anything unusual?” I asked.
Teri flicked her gaze off the road for a split second. “Audrey, honey, you’re being very secretive and it’s late and I’m tired. Can you just tell me what’s on your mind?”
“It’s complicated.”
We drove once more in silence. If this were Mom and me in the car, we’d have fought over the choice of radio station, I’d have told her to speed up, she’d have told me to shift my focus onto which college I’d be attending instead of applying for scholarships at music academies.
“Do you still love Dad?” I asked Teri. The out-of-the-blue question startled even me.
Teri laughed so hard she practically snorted her dinner over the dash. “Oh, honey, is that what you think? That your dad is back in town to hook up with his ex-wives for old time’s sake? He has his charming side I’ll admit, but he’s too much of a child for me.”
I bit my lip, wondering if I’d ever rid myself of this annoying habit. “I’m not thinking you and Dad are gonna hook up. But I am curious. How can you love someone one minute and not the next? Don’t answer, it’s a rhetorical question. I mean, Leo loved Ruby, and Ruby loved Leo, but I think he has feelings for me.”
I ignored the scowl on Teri’s face. “Audrey, I should tell you something about Leo and Ruby.”
I shook my head. “I’m verbalizing. I actually don’t want Leo to have a crush on me.”
Teri’s face washed with relief. In the reflection of the window my face was saturated with misery. It had been a mistake to give Leo the love potion. I only hoped it would wear off. As William and Anne were only too happy to point out, while I remained in this body I was not Ruby. And the thought of Leo loving somebody else was too painful to bear.
Teri pulled up in front of the cabin. Everything was covered in darkness so the cabin and trees blended together to form a giant black blob against a sky dimly backlit by the moon bleaching through heavy patches of cloud. I didn’t give Teri the chance to question me; I got out and walked immediately up the steps.
She followed and once we were inside I said, “You should be able to see the ghost who haunts this cabin.”
Teri sucked in her breath. I took this as affirmation.
“The ghost who lives inside the cabin is Anne Louise Montgomery. Outside is another ghost by the name of William Tisk. They are lovers who were cursed by a witch to spend their afterlife never permitted to be in the same room. I figure, if magic got them into this, magic could get them out.”
Teri’s eyes were filled with disapproval. “I can detect spirits, but I can’t break curses. I don’t even believe in curses. And this sounds more like a fairy tale anyway. Young lady, you have some explaining to do. Why are you socializing with the dead?”
“I’m not. But I know they’re chained to this cabin and I figured you could help them. Every curse can be broken. Right?”
Teri’s face paled. “Audrey, honey, you’re scaring me. These past few weeks, you’ve been acting so strange and I’m doing my best to stay cool, and while I really do not want to admit this, your dad may be right. Maybe you do need to leave Providence for a while.”
I held my hands in front of me in defense. “Whoa. Let’s not get crazy. It’s just been a bad few weeks.”
Teri stabbed a finger at me. “There. Right there. You never talk back. You’re a good girl, Audrey. You’re a good student. Yeah, so what you don’t help around the house as much as I’d like, but insolence is not your style. What is going on?”
The truth pulsed through my veins, up into my muddled head, along my still-mending arm, pushing inside my never-to-be-whole-again heart, bursting to be set free. But I couldn’t tell her what was really going on.
“Nothing. I just want to fix things.”
“Fix what things? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
When I burst into tears, Teri rushed to me. She wrapped me in her arms and stroked my head while uttering soothing words. Nothing could stop the tears. I couldn’t even say why I was crying, despite her begging me to tell her everything.
Maybe I knew that it was time for me to stop playing games, time to stop the lies, time to accept that my reward for doubting the light of Leo’s love was that I would spend eternity as light’s shadow.
Chapter Eleven
Waking up the next morning, it was like I was a different person. The sun streamed in through the curtains, annoying me yes, but for once my impulses didn’t gear toward slamming closed the blinds so I could return to dreaming about Leo. This morning my mind was flooded with images of the Reach For The Stars audition which began in four hours.
A new day. A new me. And all I could think about was what I was going to wear and how four hours was not enough time to get ready.
I pulled everything out of Audrey’s closet and had a mild aneurism when I saw there was nothing suitable to impress Leo, whom this whole fiasco was dedicated to. Audrey had no clothes I deemed worthy of impressing the thousands – okay, hundreds, this was only a small town – of friends and family members who would dutifully turn up to watch a bunch of kids either humiliate or outshine ourselves. And there was certainly nothing in her closet to impress the judges.
By the time Natalie picked me up at ten o’clock I was still frazzled but dressed in a deep-green velvet dress with a flowing skirt that sat slightly above the kn
ees. It had sleeves lacing up from wrist to the shoulder. I’d borrowed the dress from Teri’s store after Audrey’s closet full of jeans and joggers spurred in me a desperate need to wear something pretty.
Sliding into the passenger seat, I wished I had time to go back and change.
Natalie smiled and slammed her foot hard on the accelerator. “That dress is divine.”
“Thanks. You look awesome,” I added begrudgingly. I was jealous. She wore black jeans and a billowy white see-though top with ties at the elbows and the neckline. She was the image of Cool Rock. Next to her I looked like Celtic Rock.
With music blasting in the car we headed to Shanessa’s house to collect her before we pulled into our next, yet by no means last, destination, Rock-A-Lilly’s. The studio was the busiest I’d ever seen it. A mix of noise seeped out of the vents in the walls and roof. Small groups had spilled out into the parking lot and were practicing. Rock was grilling sausages and bacon for the hordes of patrons, shouting at everyone to grab their food.
“You girls can use Studio 3 for thirty minutes,” Rock shouted, in between flipping a hundred pieces of bacon.
Studio 3 had the grand piano. I practically ran there with the girls following close on my heels. Shanessa beat me into the room and she raced to the piano, where she lifted the lid and placed her entire head inside.
“I’m in love,” she squealed.
Natalie paused in her reach for a violin and said with a sympathetic nod at my wrist, “Not many instruments can be played one handed. Tambourine?”
“What song have you chosen to perform?” I asked, hoping I sounded casual when inside I was bursting to take over their project.
Shanessa played a few notes and I recognized the piece as one of ours. “Natalie reckons we should play Every Night and I reckon we should play Nocturnal.” Without looking up she added, “What if we play both songs and let Audrey decide?”
Little Red Gem Page 17