‘This is ridiculous. How do I know you’re telling the truth? I hardly know you!’
‘Alice!’ scolded Grandad.
‘It’s OK,’ Christina assured him. ‘That is a fair comment. Come, Alice, I will show you what I mean.’ She walked towards the door.
Without saying another word, Alice followed her to the security room. Once inside Christina sat down and gestured to her to do the same.
‘I do not know if Kat told you, but I designed this security system. We built an extra level of sensitivity in to the camera filters – that is how I like to see things. Look.’ She selected the screen displaying her living room where the others were still sitting, talking quietly. When she enlarged the live feed a hazy yellow-green glow, perhaps an inch wide, could be seen around Thomas and Grandad’s bodies. On closer inspection Alice noticed a paler outline of the same colour around Matthias, Ralph and Daniela, though Ralph’s was slightly brighter.
‘Has ... has Ralph seen this?’ asked Alice.
Christina nodded. ‘Anyone can see it if they enlarge these images. The lens picks up ultra-high frequency radiation. But only I can see it in person. I asked him not to say anything until I had the chance to explain it to you. I had hoped to tell you in private, but Matthias ...’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ Alice stared at the screen in disbelief. Christina held down the rewind button beneath another screen until she found footage from a few minutes earlier. A bright light in the centre of the corridor was moving across the screen. It was accompanied by a female figure, comparatively in the shadows. How was she not blinded by that light? As she approached the camera Alice realised that it was Christina. The light itself also revealed a face and body. The light was Alice.
She pushed back her chair and leaped to her feet. ‘What ... what was that?’ she stuttered. ‘That can’t be me! What happened there? Is there a fault with the camera?’
‘There is no fault, Alice. That is your Finwip energy. That is what I see when I look at you. Incredible, is it not? Beautiful!’
In a state of shock, Alice burst in to tears. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled, wiping her face in embarrassment. ‘But I can’t take much more. I’ve had a few nasty surprises this week.’
‘This is not a nasty surprise, Alice,’ said Christina softly.
‘It is to me. Just when I thought I’d met someone the same as me, something has happened to make me different again – a freak of nature.’
‘The people who love you do not mind, so why do you?’ She handed Alice a box of tissues.
Alice blew her nose. ‘I thought I was happy with my life. Happy with who I am and what I am. But after the last few weeks I’m not sure any more.’
‘Oh, Alice!’ Christina put her arm around her. ‘It is not easy being a Finwip, I know. But Finwip or not, life rarely turns out how we expect. That does not mean it will be disappointing! As for this wonderful energy you radiate, it is nothing to worry about. No one can see it when they meet you apart from me.’
‘But I can pass it on! I changed Matthias’s life through Grandad. I had no right to do that!’
‘Is he complaining?’
‘No.’
‘He is delighted to be a Finwip, Alice. Please, stop worrying. If I had not told you about this, you may never have known. I thought I was doing the right thing.’
‘I suppose you were.’
‘There is something truly exceptional about you, Alice. I just wish I knew what it is.’
‘Me too,’ said Alice glumly.
Chapter 16
The Curse of Fate
The next morning Brigitte surprised everyone with a fantastic farewell breakfast. Her mood had certainly improved. In addition to the usual selection of meats, sausage and cheese with fresh bread from downstairs, she had prepared smoked salmon with scrambled eggs on rye bread, and baked a poppy seed cake. She even presented Grandma with a glass of bucks fizz.
‘Crikey! You must have been awake since the crack of dawn, Brigitte!’
Alice whispered to Thomas as they followed her in to the kitchen. ‘I knew she’d be glad to see the back of us but I wasn’t expecting a celebration before we left!’
Brigitte looked at her sternly. ‘In spite of what you think, your company will be missed.’
Alice kicked herself. Brigitte’s hearing was obviously better than she had thought. ‘Oh. Sorry. This looks wonderful, thank you.’
‘Nice one, mouth almighty!’ said Thomas, tucking in to his scrambled eggs.
Red-faced, Alice said nothing and kept her eyes down as she reached for a slice of cake. Although she would miss Ralph, she began to feel glad they were going home. They really had brought disruption to Aunt Brigitte’s quiet, organised life. The poor woman had experienced more chaos and destruction in the past week than she had in several years. It would be kindest to let her return to her daily routine.
While Alice contemplated the daunting prospect of discovering the identity of her future husband when she got home, a text message alert rang out from her pocket. She glanced at the screen of her phone under the table. It was from Ralph.
You can relax during your flight home. Isabella is already back in England x
Alice couldn’t help smiling when she saw the kiss on the end.
‘Good news?’ asked Thomas.
‘Er, I’m not sure. I suppose so!’ she mumbled, determined to call Ralph as soon as she left the table. How did he know?
*
‘Explain!’ she demanded rudely when he answered her call.
‘Good morning to you too, Alice! Well, you know I can determine a person’s location when they think about me.’
Stunned, Alice said nothing for a moment. ‘Why would SHE be thinking about YOU?’
‘Do I detect a hint of jealousy?’
‘Just tell me!’ growled Alice.
‘Isabella will be thinking about me for a while,’ he replied calmly. ‘When Hermann raised his foot to crush her, she looked over at me. Before she managed to topple him, I could see the fear in her eyes. When she thought she was about to die, mine was the last face she saw. She will not forget that in a hurry.’
‘Hmm. Shame Hermann didn’t complete the job.’
‘Well, for now we will always be one step ahead. Each time I see a change in her location, I will let you know.’
Alice was still worried. ‘I suppose she’s back at her parents’ house for safety. Which means she’s too close to our house for my liking.’
‘No. You live in the Midlands, correct? Isabella is in London. So take it easy. Have a safe journey home. I shall be thinking of you.’
‘OK. Thanks. Me too,’ said Alice softly before she hung up. Aaargh! Me too? What a stupid thing to say! As if she would be thinking about herself as well! Ugh. Mushy talk didn’t come naturally to her. Ralph would think she was a heartless idiot. And he would be hearing these silly thoughts as well!
‘We must leave for the airport in twenty minutes,’ called Brigitte. ‘Suitcases packed?’
‘Of course,’ replied Thomas.
‘Nearly,’ said Alice.
Grandma had just been out to buy Brigitte some flowers. She seemed much happier this morning – probably because she was looking forward to seeing Grandad at the airport. When they had told her last night that he was in Finwip village she was surprised. But delighted that things had been cleared up with Ralph.
‘I can understand why he didn’t just turn up here,’ she whispered. ‘But he’ll be annoyed he missed that breakfast this morning!’
‘I wonder what they have in Finwip village here, though?’ Alice wondered. ‘I bet their breakfast is even better!’
*
At the airport they said goodbye to Brigitte and thanked her for letting them stay.
‘I’m sorry if we were a pain,’ said Alice. ‘But we have enjoyed our time here.’
Brigitte gave her a brief but crushingly strong hug. ‘I knew you would be trouble,’ she said with a wise smile. ‘You are like
your grandfather! Of course, your grandmother is to blame. She married that peculiar man.’
*
To Alice’s relief, the flight was smooth and without incident. She didn’t see anyone who bore even a passing resemblance to Isabella. Perhaps she had hurried back to England because Lukas’s death had frightened her. She’d had a near miss herself.
‘You do realise she was probably threatened by the Sinwips in Berlin?’ said Grandad as he drove them home from the airport. ‘She was new to their village and wiped out a valued member of their community. They will have rejected her and turned her away with a warning not to return to Berlin.’
‘Good for them. It says a lot about her if her own people have booted her out. Shame the Sinwips at home haven’t done the same.’
‘Well, that would be awkward, given that the entrance to the village is on her father’s property! And he’s the leader of Sinwip village!’
‘It depends how far she pushes him, I suppose,’ said Alice. ‘Grandad, can we stop at our village on the way home? I really need to find out about ... you know. Please. I can’t bear not knowing if he’s lying.’
‘If that’s what you want.’ He parked his beloved old Morris near the giant oak tree and glanced at Thomas in the rear view mirror. ‘We’ll stay in the car, Alice. I assume you’d rather do this bit of research on your own?’
Alice nodded. ‘I won’t be long.’
As she pondered her future with a heavy heart, the tree lift never seemed to have travelled so slowly. Was she really going to marry Hugh? She couldn’t think of anything worse than spending her life with him. Even though he was a Finwip now, he was still strange. Not to mention unappealing.
Down in the village Alice wasn’t even tempted by the smell of homemade peach crumble. Her stomach was tying itself in knots over what she was about to discover. She found Imogen in the kitchen and asked her to retrieve one of her books from the vault. Imogen was the only key holder and kept it on a chain around her neck.
‘Are you sure?’ asked Imogen, knowing how Alice felt about ‘seeing’ the future. ‘Is everything all right? Did something happen during your holiday?’
‘Plenty happened. And I won’t know if everything is all right unless I look inside that book. I need to know what happens fifteen years from now.’
‘I see. You go and sit down in the library and I’ll bring the book to you.’
Alice waited impatiently, drumming her fingers on the table and breathing deeply. In just a few minutes she would know if her future was going to be unbearable. Imogen placed the book gently in front of her and turned to leave the room.
‘Wait! Don’t go, please,’ begged Alice. ‘I ... I don’t think I can do it.’
‘Would you like me to do it for you, my dear? What exactly am I looking for?’ asked Imogen kindly.
‘I need to know ... I need to know if I marry Hugh Rowbottom,’ whimpered Alice. The words stuck in her throat.
‘Oh!’ exclaimed Imogen. ‘Well, Nona informed me of recent ... er ... developments. I’m afraid he’s part of our village now, Alice, whether we like it or not. The fact is all Finwips are good people. So if we do find that you’re going to be with Hugh in the future ... it won’t necessarily be the end of the world.’
‘Please, just check for me.’
Imogen opened the book and flicked through the pages carefully. Alice could not interpret much from her facial expressions. A raised eyebrow, a few nods, a frown and finally a contented smile.
‘So?’
‘So ... you have nothing to worry about, Alice. The short answer is yes, you will marry Hugh. But of your own free will because you grow to love him.’
Tears streamed down Alice’s face. ‘I won’t!’ she croaked. ‘I can’t! Never!’
‘Shh, it’s all right,’ Imogen reassured her, clasping Alice’s hands in her own. ‘In fifteen years you will see things a lot differently. You will be a strong-minded, well-educated young woman. You will know who you can trust, and what you want to achieve in life. In fact, you will ask Hugh to marry you! He never plucks up the courage, he’s so in awe of you, Alice. Remember that.’
Her face buried in her hands, Alice sobbed quietly.
‘You need to be strong over this,’ Imogen continued. ‘You’re going to bump in to Hugh all the time in this village. I know he lives in London now, but he plans to move back here soon. Nona assures me that he’s one hundred percent Finwip now. I’m prepared to accept that. Can you, knowing that he will play a significant role in your future?’
‘I don’t know,’ sniffed Alice. ‘I’ve tried to think about the good things he’s done lately to help me and my family. I did think it was a bit weird at the time. And I’ve always suspected that his dad isn’t a true Sinwip.’
‘There you have it. Why do you think Brian Rowbottom treats his own brother so badly? He knows something isn’t quite right – in his eyes, anyway.’
‘But ... there’s something else I don’t understand. Apparently Brian leaves Hugh an enormous inheritance in the future. If Hugh’s one of us, why would Brian do that? He hates Finwips!’
Imogen paused for a moment. ‘Think about it,’ she said slowly. ‘Way in the future, if Brian becomes ill or needs help, who will look after him? Of course he can afford medical care, but who will bother to visit him? I suspect he’ll outlive Jacqueline. She drinks too much – but keep that to yourself. If Isabella continues to be out of control, Brian will wash his hands of her. Lucinda has been through so much, she will probably move far away from her family when she’s older, perhaps even abroad. Hugh, however, will be here, helping you to lead this village. Would he see Brian suffer or be lonely? I doubt it. Whatever Brian may think of Finwips, he’ll be glad that his nephew is there for him.’
‘Well, when you look at it like that, I suppose it makes sense,’ admitted Alice, drying her eyes. ‘You can close the book now, if you like.’
‘I’m glad you asked me to do this,’ said Imogen with a grin. ‘I’ve just found out that I live for at least another fifteen years! I shall be present at your wedding! I’ll look forward to buying a hat when I’m a hundred and nine! Let’s hope I still look young!’
Alice began to smile, but something flashed through her mind and wiped it from her lips.
‘I need to go,’ she said hurriedly.
‘Is someone here with you?’ asked Imogen, concerned.
‘They’re waiting outside,’ replied Alice. ‘Thanks for your help, Imogen. Will you lock the book away again?’
Imogen nodded and gazed after her as she rushed out of the library and back to the lift.
Her heart racing, Alice climbed back into the car and slammed the door. She glared at her Grandad as he and Grandma turned to look at her tear-streaked face.
‘You knew, didn’t you?’ she growled. ‘That’s why you were being so nice to Hugh!’
Grandad turned away. ‘There’s no point bearing malice, Alice.’
‘How poetic!’ smirked Thomas.
‘Shut up! And it’s another reason why you didn’t tell me about Ralph, isn’t it?’ Alice continued to rant. ‘You were afraid I’d like him and you knew it would be a waste of time!’
‘How could your grandad possibly have known about Hugh?’ asked Grandma.
‘Because he peeked inside one of my books earlier this year!’ screeched Alice. ‘Remember when he said Imogen couldn’t die yet, because she would be present at an event in the future? It was my wedding! He knew I would marry Hugh in the future and didn’t tell me!’
‘Can you blame him?’ asked Thomas. ‘You’re hysterical!’
‘Wouldn’t you be, if you thought you were going to marry Hugh?’
‘Oh, come on! He’s not my type.’
‘He’s not mine, either! I feel like my life has just been destroyed. I am fated. Cursed. Becoming a Finwip was the start of the curse.’
‘Hardly! You’ve always been a problem child.’
‘All right, all right,’ snapped Grandad. �
�I’m sorry, Alice, but I didn’t know how to tell you. More importantly, I didn’t think I should. I wish I’d never read that part, it’s been eating away at me for months. And yes, I have been acting strangely because of it. Not surprising, is it? I was just as shocked as you are now.’
Alice scowled. ‘No more secrets. That’s what you said last year.’
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment.
‘Let’s go home. This is pointless.’
‘I agree,’ said Grandad solemnly. ‘There’s no point fighting fate. It’s a battle that can’t be won.’
‘We’ll see about that.’
Chapter 17
Magician Impossible
Alice was glad that when they arrived home her parents were at work. The last thing she needed was her mother fussing round her, asking about the trip. She just wanted to be alone to think.
Jack was overjoyed to see her, tearing around the house barking with excitement, sniffing around the suitcases for evidence of a souvenir just for him. Mr Flavel was less enthusiastic, but then he was lazy during the day after patrolling the neighbourhood at night. He simply rubbed himself around Alice’s legs and swished his tail in contentment – more like a cat than a fox.
‘We’ll leave you to it, then,’ said Grandad after he and Grandma had greeted the family pets. He hugged Alice tightly. ‘We’re all right, aren’t we? You and me?’
‘I suppose so,’ replied Alice grouchily.
‘I’m glad. It’ll all turn out for the best, you’ll see. You’ve got a great future ahead of you, my love, I can feel it.’
‘Hmmph. I’ll let you know when it happens.’ Alice hugged Grandma and thanked her for the trip, then turned up the central heating and stomped upstairs to her room.
‘Things are back to normal already,’ complained Thomas, pulling a face. ‘I get suspicious when she’s in a good mood.’
In low spirits, Alice locked her door, lay on her bed and stared at a poster of three unicorns on her wall. They reminded her of Guinevere, Kallisto and Faunus. Not so long ago, meeting the unicorns in Finwip village had filled her with hope, excitement and a touch of magic. That’s what being a Finwip should feel like, she had thought. But she was wrong. Lately for her it seemed to be about worry, fear and now dread. At the age of fifteen she didn’t even want to be thinking about married life, but here she was cringing at the thought of her future husband. The springs in her mattress creaked as Jack jumped on the bed to lie beside her. He knew she was upset even though she was fighting the tears.
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