The Sibyl

by James Hold

Chapter Four

  I will forever remember the two weeks following our meeting with Connor Garrison as a blur. Elliot was right when he said Connor had set up movers to ship my stuff across the country. All I was responsible for was selling the things I didn’t want to take with me and packing the necessities I would need for the two days I would be without my belongings.

  Once we arrived back in Los Angeles, my days were filled with appointments with studio stylists. I was pampered and petted to the point where it had become annoying. When I wasn’t being transformed, Elliot and I were in training sessions. I learned how to block a scene, where to stand for the best lighting, and how to raise my voice so that the microphones could pick up my words without me shouting.

  I was exhausted by the time we landed in New York to attend Paracon. Even Elliot, who thrived on deadlines and crammed schedules, had dark circles under his eyes. Thankfully, Theia Productions put us up in the same hotel so we didn’t have to drive through New York traffic to get here on time.

  “Are you sure we have to go?” I tugged at Elliot’s sleeve as we entered into the area of the hotel where the conference was being held. “We can just make something up. I’ll pretend I’m sick or something. You know as well as I do that I’m really good at coming up with excuses.”

  Elliot chuckled as we approached the sign in table. “Maybe we could skip out early this afternoon. Be tourists for awhile. But only if you behave. No laughing out loud at the psychics.”

  “You know I can’t make any promises.” I shuffled up to the table and managed to smile at the older woman handing out the name badges. “Eva McRayne.”

  “Welcome, Ms. McRayne.” She handed me a manila envelope filled to the brim with papers and pamphlets. “Your name badge is inside as well as the schedule of events. I hope you enjoy yourself.”

  I nodded then stepped aside so Elliot could repeat the process I just went through. We stepped through a pair of glass doors when he had his envelope in hand and I could have sworn I’d fallen down the proverbial rabbit hole. Although it was only nine in the morning, the place was swarming with people. Most were in groups, going from table to table with banners proclaiming the names of ghost hunting societies and psychics willing to sell the answers to all of your questions. Other tables were filled to their edges with merchandise of all kinds.

  I suppose such crowds were normal at a convention. It was the patrons who gave me reason to feel so disoriented. For every one person dressed in jeans, there were three more dressed as witches or demons. There were more than a few girls dressed in fairy wings and angel costumes. Elliot had to raise his voice so that I could hear him over the crescendo of voices around us.

  “Well? What do you think?”

  “I think I’m overdressed.” I waved off a man in a silver alien costume handing out flyers as he started to approach me. “You didn’t say I needed to visit a Halloween store before we left L.A.”

  He placed his hand on my lower back and led me towards an area where the organizers had set up benches for the conference goers to rest on.

  “Come on. I want to take a look at this schedule. It’s packed.”

  I opened the folder and pulled out the papers the moment we sat down. Connor had emailed this same document to us several days before but neither of us had taken the time to look it over. Elliot was right. For every time slot, there were three to four classes being offered. Everything from how to sell your spells to spirit photography was listed. At night, there was a promise of parties. Each night had an event lined up so the convention goers could get drunk and socialize with those of their own kind.

  “So how long are we here for again?”

  Elliot stopped marking on his paper but he didn’t look away from it. “Three days.”

  “Alright. And what do you suggest we go to?” I had decided from the moment we stepped off the plane to let Elliot take the lead on this one. I knew if I didn’t, there would be no way I could trust myself to take any of this seriously. Even now, I wasn’t sure if I could. “Chose wisely. I swear, I will punch you if you say you want to go to the session about flying through the astral plane.”

  “Today it’ll be the history of spirit photography, then video.” Elliot was back to making those marks on his paper. “And scrying. The presentation is led by Kathy Carter. It should be a very interesting day.”

  “Scrying?” I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “Sounds like a good way to clean your stove.”

  “Hardy har.” Elliot smiled. “Look, Eva, I know you don’t believe in this. But maybe something here will change your mind.”

  “Yeah?” I gestured towards the booth announcing that the Yeti had been found. “Like an authentic picture of a Yeti? Or the eighty-five year old woman who says she can give me the lottery numbers for a small donation?”

  “Always go with the lottery numbers. Photographs can be altered.”

  I didn’t realize he was joking until he grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the bench. “Come on. Spirit photography starts in twenty minutes. I want to get a good seat.”

  “Oh, right. I can’t wait.” I mumbled as I let him drag me through the crowd. “Hey, did you know photographs can be altered? Maybe we should go get coffee instead.”

  “I’ve heard about that somewhere before.” Elliot was still smirking when we found the conference room where the class was being held. “If you are going to be discrediting my findings, you need to know how to do it. Remember, you promised not to laugh.”

  “I promised to try. I was going to try not to laugh.” I made sure to stress my words as I collapsed in the first seat in the back row. “But you promised we could leave early if I didn’t. A deal is a deal, Eli. I’m holding you to it.”

  “Shush, it’s starting.” Elliot lowered himself into the chair next to mine as the man behind us shut the door. I shifted down into my own, preparing myself for the boredom sure to come from a man droning on about cameras, lenses, and lighting techniques.

  I was not disappointed.

  

  I was ready to head up to my room by the time Elliot’s scrying session was scheduled to start. In fact, I considered slipping out when we got back from lunch. But Elliot was right. If I was going to be on television trying to debunk any evidence he found of the paranormal, I had to know just what I was trying to disprove. This was supposed to be the fun lesson. It was an introduction into one of the methods people use to contact the spirit world. So I played along and followed Elliot into the same conference room we had been in just that morning.

  This time, it was packed. So much so that Elliot had to nudge his way through the crowd so we could grab the last two empty chairs by the aisle on the front row. When we were seated, I leaned over so he could hear me over the noise of those around us.

  “Wow. This one must put on quite the show.”

  “I’m not surprised. Kathy Carter is one of the most well known names in the paranormal field. She’s been doing this for decades.” Elliot leaned in until our heads were touching. “Scrying has been around forever. But it’s making a resurgence these days.”

  “You mean these things can fall out of favor?” I raised an eyebrow. “I thought trends were only for fashion and stockbrokers.”

  “Not so, my dear. Not so.” Elliot chuckled. “I have to say I’m proud of you though.”

  “Oh?” I smirked. “For not laughing?”

  “Yes.” He looked like he was going to say more, but he was interrupted by the small woman who walked up to the front of the room waving to her audience as if she were a queen. Even I had to admit she had a commanding presence. What I couldn’t believe was what Elliot had told me. The woman who turned to face us looked as if she were my age. Her thick black hair was pulled up in a bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were a strange golden color; gleaming as she looked us over. I wondered why she seemed so focused on us, but shrugged it off. We were right in her line of sight, after all. Maybe my day filled with all things spooky was starting to take i
ts toll on me.

  “When did she start scrying? In the cradle?” I whispered to Elliot before he could pull away. His only response was to nudge me in the ribs.

  “Merry meet, everyone.” The scryer raised her arms. “It is my hope that I will be able to educate you on the ancient art of scrying. Many believe it to be a divination technique, but that is not it’s only use.”

  I took the pose I’d adopted through these sessions so far, lowering myself further down into the seat as the woman began to pace across the carpet in front of us. She paused just long enough to be considered dramatic.

  “No, scrying is not simply for divination. Certainly some sensitives claim to use mirrors or glass during their own practice, but this is not the original purpose. Scrying can be traced back to the ancient Greeks who used it as a method to contact the spirits of the Underworld.”

  So this is why Elliot was so interested in attending this session. It wasn’t for fun. It was for work. Did he honestly think he was going to try this at our locations? On film? I kicked at his foot. As my luck would have it, I missed Elliot entirely. I kicked the stand holding a laptop and projector instead.

  The laptop bounced off the carpet. The PowerPoint slide shining against the wall behind her went black.

  The scryer stopped in mid-speech. She searched the front row and pointed towards me. “It is time. By the gods, it is time.”

  “Wow.” I shifted in my chair, reaching for the projector which had fallen against my foot. “Let me see if I can put this back together.”

  “No. It is nothing.” The scryer pointed at me as my cheeks began to burn. “I need to know. Did you do that on purpose?”

  “Of course not.” I sat up straight. I’d been ready to apologize, but her tone wasn’t a nice one. “It was an accident.”

  The woman gasped, clasping her hands over her heart in an overly dramatic gesture. I raised an eyebrow in Elliot’s direction before her next words brought my attention back to the forefront of the room.

  “Then you must be the one sent for me. Can you come up here please?”

  I started shaking my head before she could finish her question. “Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I do apologize for the interruption in your presentation.”

  She gave me a patronizing grin as if she were sorry for me. “Presentation. Yes, it is that. Don’t be shy. You are a sign. A gift sent to me by the gods.”

  “Really, you’ve got the wrong person.” I picked up my purse. “I’ll just leave so you can continue.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Kathy Carter’s smile grew brighter. “Everyone in this room has come here to see me. I meet hundreds of people at these conventions. But you must be special. Are you a sensitive?”

  “A what?” I desperately wanted her to turn away from me. The woman needed to get on with her speech so we could get out of there. She had stopped in front of me and crossed her arms. “Look, I’m not being sensitive about anything other than the fact you are embarrassing me in front of all these strangers. Now can you please move? I’d like to leave.”

  “A sensitive. Someone who can sense things others cannot.” Kathy uncrossed her arms, glancing down at Elliot before turning her strange eyes back on me. “No matter. Your knowledge will come with time. Will you stand up, please?”

  I could feel my temperature rising the longer I stood there. Her harassment was becoming too much for me to handle. “I really don’t think that’s necessary. Aren’t you just going to give us your presentation and be done with it?”

  “Oh, there will be a presentation.” Kathy gestured towards me to stand. “One of which you are now a part of it. Please introduce yourself.”

  My so-called friend looked worried, but he didn’t defend me. Instead, he took my purse from my grasp. “You have to, Eva. You were chosen.”

  Was he serious? I glared at Elliot as I stood up to face the room full of people who were staring at me with a mixture of awe and annoyance.

  “Hello. My name is Eva. I am sorry I interrupted this session for you.”

  I made a move to grab my purse from Eli’s clutches, sure that the scryer’s harassment would be over if I apologized to everyone. I figured I could be excused for not staying after all this. No. Not even close. Kathy Carter took hold of my arm and pulled me up front to the table with her.

  “Eva, is it? That’s nice.” Kathy reached over to the table to pick up a heavy hand mirror. “The spirits are telling me you don’t believe in them. You detest the paranormal. Is this true?”

  “Honestly?” I looked to Elliot, then to the scryer. “No, I don’t detest the paranormal. I just think you are all here to make money.”

  “And you? Isn’t that why you are here as well?”

  Touché.

  “I really need to get going.” I tried to ease away from her, but this woman was quick. She grabbed my arm again to hold me in place.

  “Then look into this mirror. If you see nothing, then I will release you.” She handed it to me with the care one would preserve for a child. “Yet if you see anything – anything at all – you must tell us at once what you see.”

  “I am going to see my reflection. Nothing more, nothing less.” I shrugged. “I hate to break it to you, but that’s how mirrors work these days.”

  “Indeed.” Kathy pushed the mirror against my hands. “Well, then. The sooner you take a look and do as I say, the sooner you can sit back down with your love over there.”

  Love? Who did this lady think she was? Her assumption made me angry. I couldn’t explain my sudden anger, but I felt defensive towards her. I wanted nothing more than to snatch the mirror from her hand and smash it against the carpet. Yet, just as I wrapped my hands around the handle, I remembered the contract I’d signed saying I would put myself in these exact same situations for money.

  Damn it.

  “Alright, but only if I get to leave after this.”

  I was surprised at how heavy the mirror was as Kathy Carter released her grip. It was obviously old with carvings along the rim and handle. I flipped it over so the glass was facing me. I saw what I always see in a mirror.

  “I see myself.” I handed it back to her. “I’m not sure what you were trying to prove, but I don’t think it worked.”

  “Tell me you are willing to do this.” Kathy Carter was shifting from foot to foot, locking her hands in front of her as she refused to take it back. “You must be willing.”

  “Well, I’m not.” I thrust the mirror in her direction. “So take this back.”

  “Please,” The scryer closed in the distance between her and clasped her hands over mine holding the mirror. “Just try. Be willing to try.”

  “Try what exactly?” I frowned. “You’re not being very clear.”

  “I can’t explain it. No human can explain what happens with mere words. Just please, say what I tell you to say.”

  Kathy glanced at the audience and I got it. She was using me to make her little presentation more dramatic. The scryer was probably making such a scene to fill in the time gap since I broke her laptop and subsequently ended the PowerPoint she would have shown to us. I was so relieved I almost laughed.

  “Alright, fine.” I tugged my hands free from the woman. “I’m willing to play along with your act. What do you need me to say?”

  “I take thee, mirror, to be my own.”

  I turned towards the audience and waved the mirror like a flag. “I take thee, mirror, to be my own.”

  The scryer clapped her hands together with obvious excitement. “Apollo, bless my eyes to make me see. Allow me to hear the words unheard by the living to learn from the dead. I am your daughter. Your messenger. Your servant for time immortal.”

  “Ok.” I faced her and repeated her mantra. When I was done, I tried to give her the mirror once more. “Can I go now?”

  “Close your eyes, child. Your world will change the moment you open them.”

  “Whatever it takes to get this over with.”

  I let ou
t an exaggerated sigh as I closed my eyes. I felt the woman grab my hands, holding them so tight against the handle it was hard for me not to cry out as the carvings cut into my palms. Kathy Carter started whispering, her words getting lost to my ears as my hands began to burn. This time, I did cry out. But the woman had a grip on me. One she wasn’t going to let go of easily.

  I felt the heat rising up from my hands as it traveled up my arms. I was so focused on getting away from the scryer I barely heard the applause erupting through the room. The fire engulfing me didn’t stop until it reached my eyes and my ears. The horrible woman started cackling like a witch in a fairy tale just as the pain from the heat become unbearable. She released my hands as she called out so that the entire room could hear her.

  “It’s over! Thanks be to the gods, my time is over.”

  I opened my eyes trying to seek out Elliot’s familiar face in this sea of strangers. Instead, my gaze was trapped by the mirror glowing red. The glass seemed to be reflecting the fire engulfing my mind. I wanted to look away. I needed to look away. Yet the color captivated me as a strange white noise filled my ears.

  Elliot pushed Kathy Carter out of the way. He took hold of my chin to force my eyes away from the strange shades of red and black. I could see his lips moving. I knew he was asking me if I was alright.

  I couldn’t hear him. I could hear nothing as the white noise shifted into a furious whispering much like what the scryer had done. I turned my attention onto the mirror as a face formed in the darkness. I knew this face was the one whispering to me. It was a man; young and just as beautiful as Kathy Carter. His golden eyes shimmered as he smiled. This was the voice filling my ears.

  “Your soul is now mine, Sibyl.”

  I dropped the mirror just before I passed out.