by Mia Fox
Just as quickly as this “show” ended, another would start. Again, she saw snapshots of Phineas and she allowed herself to enjoy it until the image shifted to one with Phineas and Raven. A cold chill crept up Charlotte’s arms. Feelings of dread, jealousy, and sadness replaced her warm heart, and just as quickly, a new image, worse than the sight of her love with the girl who caused her best friend’s death, struck her mind.
She saw the accident. The whole thing played out in achingly slow motion. I had told her how Samantha died, but naturally Charlotte couldn’t have witnessed it considering that she was in the past with Phineas. But now, she saw it quite clearly. Samantha, with her red hair and smiling green eyes, was running with a frightened look. Gone was her easy-going attitude, replaced by a look of desperation. Charlotte knew now that her look was associated with her need to find Charlotte and warn her, but it resulted in her careening off the bluffs of Malibu. The horrifying scene continued to play out including showing James and I debating who to go to first -- Samantha or Charlotte.
“Help her!” Charlotte screamed, but Shadow wasn’t there and the girls inside the glass gazebo didn’t see her. Even worse, she felt the same despair she felt on the day of the accident. She saw James and I choose to help her. That mistake would continue to haunt all of us as now, in the Romani Realms, we may all lose our lives.
Shaking and crying, Charlotte’s mind returned to the present and once again she found herself staring into the glass gazebo, wishing that Samantha would look her way. Her mind’s show was over, and Shadow had returned to her side.
“Have you made a decision?”
Charlotte looked at the girl cautiously before answering. “I told you what I wanted. I came here for my friend. Are you going to show me a way inside?”
A moment passed as Shadow seemed to weigh up whether or not to help Charlotte. “You know that I got to see your show too.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes, wondering where this was going. “And?”
“I saw the one called Phineas. You weren’t in such a hurry to be with your friend when he was around.”
“That’s not true!” Charlotte shouted, but lowered her voice when she saw Shadow’s eyes turn black again. “I’m sorry...” she said and just as quickly, the little girl’s appearance returned to normal. “I didn’t know Samantha was in danger. None of us did. Well, maybe Phin knew, but he says he didn’t. Anyway, that’s the past. I’m here now.”
“But what about him?”
“I left him and everything in my world to come here and save her. I don’t care about him.”
Shadow started to skip in circles, irritatingly acting like a small child again and ignoring Charlotte. The girl was playing a game of leap frog, seeming to talk to others although nobody was there.
“Shadow, can we go? Please?”
Shadow turned and waved goodbye to someone whom Charlotte couldn’t see, and then sat down and placed her head in her hands looking forlorn.
“What is it now?” Charlotte asked, her patience wearing thin.
“I’m just sad to see my friend go. She was telling me a story about that guy too.”
Charlotte hesitated, but in spite of her instincts to protect her feelings, she caved. “What guy? Phineas?”
Shadow nodded her head and smiled. “Come on. It’s time,” she said indicating the gazebo. The ladies will see us now.”
Charlotte pressed her hand to the glass to peer in one more time. Everything was as it was earlier with Samantha sitting among the women, only now a few danced in the center of the room with the men in black tuxedos.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Can we go?” Charlotte asked.
“Sure, but one thing...Phineas isn’t allowed. You won’t find love here.”
* * *
Chapter Six
I trailed behind Raven and Phineas. The air in the Realms made my heart pound with even the slightest exertion, much like the way one feels when they’re in the mountains although thus far, the surroundings were wide, open meadows mixed with dense forests. But as I followed, I noticed that Phineas started lagging behind Raven, until the three of us appeared to be walking single file. It felt like a weird game of follow the leader with Raven leading us to who knows what.
Occasionally, Phineas would stop and place his hands on his knees, letting his head hang down as if trying to catch his breath.
“You’re fighting the Realms,” Raven said, turning to speak to him over her shoulder, although not stopping for him. Her voice wasn’t the least bit out of breath. “Stop lagging behind.”
“I can barely breathe,” Phineas complained. “Jeez Raven, what is the hurry?”
I had to agree with Phineas. The pace Raven had set was intense to say the least, but surprisingly, I wasn’t as affected as Phineas by the effort to keep up.
“Just try to admire the beauty around you,” I said under by breath. Instinctively, I didn’t want Raven to know how I was managing so well. James had warned me that she may be able to control my perception -- changing something of beauty into something abominable or vice versa.
“So we’re friends again?” Phineas asked, now walking next to me.
“That remains to be seen.”
“I’m going to help you find her,” Phineas said emphatically, although I didn’t answer. I was too absorbed in the sudden shift of my own perception to get into any sort of discussion with him. My senses felt like they were on overload. The sound of birds chirping seemed to be everywhere. The wind in my face felt like tiny fingers brushing against my skin. The colors of the flowers were intense as if someone had come and painted each petal with a magic marker. What was more remarkable was that each one glowed brightly. A beam of sunlight shone down and spotlighted each one.
I stopped and let my eyes follow the beams up to the sky. Moments earlier it was dark and threatening, but now the sun was breaking through a beautiful rainbow, and a delicate, light drizzle of rain dusted my face. It was incredibly refreshing, giving me a second lease on this long walk of ours. I bent my head back and enjoyed the sensation as I closed my eyes.
Suddenly, I heard Raven’s laughter and as I opened my eyes, I saw Phineas staring at me with a look of sheer horror. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words didn’t flow.
That was when I looked down at my top, which was now splattered in blood. Droplets flowed over my arms. I searched my body for the source of the blood, but I didn’t feel any sort of pain. Finally, Phineas moved into action, covering his own head with his arms and throwing his jacket to me.
“Oh, how gallant of you,” Raven said.
Blood was raining down from the sky, and now poured off my face and arms.
I looked at Raven, who was calm and unmarked. “Why aren’t you touched by it?”
“Because I wasn’t stupid enough to welcome it. You turned your head upwards, practically asking for it to drip into your mouth. This isn’t a walk in the park. You stupid genie; this is the Romani Realms. I don’t know why I even bother with you,” she said walking off.
Phineas stayed back with me. “Here,” he said handing me a small towel from his pack. “You look like something out of a horror movie.”
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you...but, thanks.”
“I know, and you’re welcome.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re not going to make it if you allow the illusions here to affect you. Try and focus on...I don’t know...something girlie, pretty.”
“I was! It shifted.”
“Try again.”
My eyes suddenly became transfixed on the flora around me. Every plant and flower, even the blades of grass seemed to glow with an intensity as if the sun was sending spotlighted beams directly onto them. I reached my hand out to touch a flower of magnificent blues and greens that had captured my attention.
“Stop it,” Phineas said and slapped my hand away.
“Ouch! What in the world?” I stared at him, no longer absorbed in
my surroundings. He raised his eyebrow with annoyance and indicated what I had been about to touch. A small hummingbird lay dead atop a pile of rotting leaves.
“Oh, that’s so icky.”
“Yes, it is,” he said taking me by the elbow and leading me away. “Come on. We have to get used to it here.”
“How did you adapt so quickly?”
He motioned his chin toward Raven, but didn’t say anything.
It was then that I realized just how precarious the situation was for Phineas as well. If Raven was able to protect his thoughts, she was also able to distort them. As if knowing that I had figured out the math, Phineas filled me in more.
“She’s helping, but I’ve also been here before. Knowing what to expect helps. Emotions are heightened; fears are intensified; and, reality can be distorted. Because it’s so hard to tell what is real and what isn’t, it’s going to take a miracle to get Charlotte back.”
“And Samantha.”
Phineas looked at me for a moment as if he were about to comment, but decided better of it.
“You were going to say something.”
“Sometimes, it’s better not to.”
“Phin, you just got through telling me that the reason you’re not affected by this place is you know what to expect. Don’t you think a little knowledge would do me good right about now?”
He stared up the path and seeing that Raven was a good quarter mile ahead of us, he told me the hard truth. “I’m not the only one who Charlotte is angry with, and you know it. Raven tormented Samantha’s thoughts, and it made her jump that cliff. I unwittingly led Charlotte back in time at that precise moment. But you, Suki...you chose to save Charlotte over Samantha.”
“It wasn’t like that. I didn’t choose one over the other. I saw her running and it looked like she was running from you. Samantha was alone. I didn’t know the severity of the situation.”
Phineas put his hand on my shoulder. Without realizing it, the blood rain had started to fall on me again. “You’ve got to stay calm. Raven is in your head and you don’t even realize it. Now breathe.”
I closed my eyes and did as Phineas suggested. My lungs filled with air, and I visibly relaxed.
“You ready for the rest?” he asked.
“Go for it.”
“Charlotte is as angry with you as she is with me. In the Realms, that anger may translate into her not trusting you, or even believing that you have ill intentions toward her.”
“How could she think that? She’s still my Releasor. I owe her...and Samantha... another two wishes. That doesn’t change, even in the Realms.”
“In the Realms, everything changes.”
“Everything looks okay now, pretty even,” I said admiring the flowers once again. “Are these...”
“They’re flowers...for now. If Raven decides she’s tired of her marathon walk, she may decide to mess with you and then they’ll look more like slugs.”
I rolled my eyes and we carried on until...
“Suki, listen to him. He knows what he’s talking about.”
I stopped in my tracks at the sound of James’ voice, clear as day, in my head. What was even more surprising than hearing him, was hearing him actually praise Phineas.
“Why are you stopping?”
“It’s James. He’s...”
“Shh...don’t,” Phineas tipping his head in Raven’s direction. I looked up and indeed she had stopped and was finally waiting on us, but the look on her face made me instantly wary.
“Careful, love...”
My eyes widened at hearing his voice again. It was James. How I wished he was here, but at least in some sense he was with me, protecting me behind-the-scenes as he has always done, even before I realized that he was part of my life.
“Something wrong?” Raven asked.
“No,” I answered, perhaps too quickly. “I’m just getting used to the surroundings.”
“Let me help you with that,” Raven shot back and no sooner did she announce her intention when a high-pitched shriek rang out in my ears, forcing me to hold my head as if it were about to split my brain in half. I fell to the ground and blackness consumed me.
Raven picked up a large tree branch and took a few whacks at my back, ensuring that I stayed put, before she turned to Phineas. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
“Why did you do that? You’re insane.”
“By nightfall you’ll see me in an entirely different light. Besides, it’s obviously better to keep you two apart. Come on.”
Phineas took one last glance over his shoulder at me, and saw me struggle to open my eyes. We locked eyes for a brief moment, and then either because he had no choice in the matter or comforted in the knowledge that I wasn’t yet dead, he turned and left with Raven. The ringing in my ears started up and once again I slipped into a troubled sleep.
The caw of the birds of prey awoke me, and although my head no longer ached, the sun had grown high in the sky and was beating down with a fierce intensity leaving me feeling weak and feverish. I was both sweating and suffering from chills. With barely any strength, I turned my head and tried to press myself to a seated position. My mouth was dry and I wouldn’t have been able to call for help even if I had wanted to. At least I had fallen in the shade of a large willow. It was no use. Even the effort to lift my head exhausted me and I quickly succumbed to closing my eyes again. I concentrated on finding James’ voice in the midst of all of this madness.
“Come on,” I implored. “I know you said you couldn’t be here, but I heard you and now...I need you.”
“You’re doing fine.”
“James! I miss you. Are you here?”
“Come to me...”
And then I saw him. He was here! Looking as handsome as ever in all white, I pulled myself up and stumbled toward him with all the strength I could muster. My sweet reward for persevering was to reach him and feel his strong embrace. His arms wrapped around me and I felt the coolness from his body, healing the burning fever raging inside me from the sun stroke.
“James...”
No answer came, which wasn’t like him. My James would at a minimum give me some snappy rapport, but this cold being whose arms were wrapped around my body said nothing, it only started to squeeze me with a force that was taking every last breath from me. I closed my eyes and then opened them again. A pale arm seemed to wrap around my neck, before revealing that it was in fact a light yellow, nearly white snake closing around me. I tried to scream, but no sound escaped me. I was either dreaming and unable to call for help, or this was all too real and I was being suffocated.
* * *
Phineas trailed behind Raven, looking back over his shoulder to see whether I had risen and was perhaps trailing them as well.
“Why are you still looking for her? She doesn’t matter to us.”
“Then why did you bring her?”
Raven stopped to retrieve a blanket from her backpack. Holding it above her head, she let the wind gather and billow underneath it. The clouds moved rapidly across the sky, changing shape from puffy marshmallows to large, black masses until each one broke up into individual pieces that started to take on their own unique shape. Phineas’ eyes glanced upward, somehow aware of the threat brewing above him. Raven’s own eyes were closed in a trance as she repeated an isolated phrase:
“Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
That I scarce was sure I heard you – here I opened wide the door;
Darkness there and nothing more.”
The dark clouds erupted releasing hundreds of black birds into the daylight sky, blocking any trace of sunlight until they flitted and spread, landing in the nearby trees.
“Come to me,” Raven said lustily.
“Is that an order?”
Raven pouted her mouth, but thought better than to start an argument. “I’d like your company,” she said reaching her hand out to Phineas.
Phineas hesitated before accepting her hand, k
nowing what came with her company. The trouble was that in spite of everything, he couldn’t deny that he did owe his life to Raven and reason stemmed that if she could bestow it upon him, then she could also have the power to take it away. Although a life with Charlotte was what he most wanted, the possibility of that seemed unlikely if he ended up dead himself. Appeasing Raven may be, he reasoned, his only way to help.
He glanced warily at the black birds watching their interaction, somehow aware that these were no ordinary birds. Rather than sit perched on the tree limbs, they sat with their wings spread wide, touching tip to tip, waiting...but for what, he wasn’t sure. He locked eyes with one and watched in horror as the small, beaded black eyes changed shape and lightened slightly to appear more brown than black, more almond shaped than round, and definitely more human than bird like.
It was then that he realized the truth that these were some of the lost souls trapped in the Romani Realms. His unanswered question posed to Raven about why she brought me became clear.
“You never needed Suki here,” he said with new understanding.
Raven merely shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips.
Phineas had realized the truth. I was only brought here by Raven to complete a Triad offering. Samantha, Charlotte, and I would be trapped here forever. An offering of this sort would make it possible for Raven to release the secrets from the Amulet of Pollox worn around Charlotte’s neck. It would also allow Raven to form a new Triad with Phineas, but who she intended for the third member escaped him. All he knew was that he had to pretend and go along with Raven or he would never get Charlotte back.
Phineas accepted Raven’s hand and he felt an instant heat between them. Electric attraction was what Raven used to call it. It was her explanation for how their supernatural powers aligned them to each other, but also for why they were so good together. The most worrying thought plaguing Phineas was how to protect his own heart from this supernatural law of attraction and remain focused on the task at hand.
“That’s better,” Raven smiled up at him, and ever so slightly moved her body closer.