One Step Beyond
Chapter One: Fractures
Sarah ran down the street, panting heavily as she approached her house. She had lost track of time studying at the library, and she knew she was in for another of Irene's lectures. Her stepmother had been very clear that she wanted her home for dinner at six. It was nearly 6:30 when she had noticed the time, and left her friend Sherry to return the books to their shelves.
She was desperate to remain on her father and stepmother's good sides for the next few days. She was set to spend her summer living with her mother in the city, and she wanted to do nothing to jeopardize that. While she had made improvements these last few months, she knew that one word from Irene to her father could lead to her being stuck here for the summer.
She was half expecting to see Irene standing on the porch when she reached the house, but was certainly relived that she was nowhere to be seen.
When Sarah walked in the front door, she could tell something was amiss. Perhaps it was the lack of her stepmother descending upon her with a lecture; perhaps it was her father's heated tone as he spoke on the phone. She set her bag down on the credenza, and stared quizzically at him. He caught her eye and mouthed "Your mother." Sarah immediately understood her father's tone.
"Linda, she's here now, why don't you explain it to her?" Robert snapped. Sarah could faintly hear her mother's equally testy voice on the other end. "Yeah, well, that's been a bit of a problem for you lately, hasn't it?"
He thrust the receiver towards her, and Sarah took it gingerly. She always hated when her mother and father argued, especially when she ended up in the middle of it.
"Hello?" she said carefully.
"Hi Sweetie," her mother's voice said on the other end. "How have you been?"
"Great! I'm passing all my classes, and if I ace all my exams, I'll probably make the honor roll," she said proudly. She had been working very hard to turn her grades around this school year, after having some trouble focusing last year after Toby's birth. "I can't wait to see you next week."
Linda sighed on the other end. "About that, honey. You remember how I told you I was auditioning for a part in a soap opera?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I got the part!" her mother said excitedly.
"Really? That's so cool!" Sarah squealed, equally excited. "You'll have to tell me all about it when I see you!"
She knew her mother had desperately hoped to get the part, and had been worrying over whether or not she'd get in. She vaguely remembered during on call her mother fretting over the possibility that they might want a younger actress. She was happy that had proved to not be the case.
"That's actually why I'm calling. You see, the character I'm playing is part of a special storyline, and… well, long story short, I'm going to be filming in California through the end of August."
"Oh," Sarah said, her heart plummeting with realization. "So I can't come stay with you this summer? Because you're going to California…"
"I'm actually leaving tonight. Luckily I checked the calendar before I left, otherwise I might have forgotten to tell you."
"Well… I hope that you have a safe trip…"
I'm sorry, sweetheart, I have to run," Linda interrupted. "I'll call you once I get settled in. Love you!"
Sarah opened her mouth to respond, but the click on the other end cut her off. She stood there for a moment, the dial tone ringing in her ear. She slowly set the phone down on the receiver, trying not to tear up.
"I'm… sorry about that, kiddo," her father said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She gave a forced smile and nodded. She said nothing, but shrugged off his hand, and slowly walked away.
She wandered into the kitchen, where her stepmother was changing loads in the dishwasher. Toby sat in a high chair next to the table, gnawing on a teething ring. Sarah reached out and ruffled his hair as she walked by.
"Hey Irene, sorry I'm late," she said, walking up to the counter.
"You're always late," her stepmother said, not looking up at her. "Dinner's on the stove."
Sarah sighed, and turned around to see a pot of spaghetti sitting on the back burner. She grabbed a plate from cupboard, and put a small portion of the pasta onto it.
"Who was that on the phone?" Irene asked. "Your father sounded awfully testy."
"Uh… it was my mom," Sarah said. Linda was a touchy subject with Irene, perhaps even more so than with her father. "She was just calling to tell me that I won't be able to spend the summer with her."
Irene was quiet for a moment, before nodding her head. "I see," she said, handing Sarah a clean fork from the dishwasher. "Well, no matter. There's plenty for you to do around here."
Sarah rolled her eyes at the thought of spending her summer vacation stuck at home, doing chores for Irene. She'd been trying to be a better daughter lately, not arguing when asked to do something, or complaining about looking after Toby. But sometimes it felt that Irene didn't appreciate her efforts, remaining rather cold and aloof towards Sarah even when everything was going her way.
Sarah set the plate on the counter, and opened the fridge, grabbing the carton of milk. She poured herself a glass, and set it back inside. When she turned around, she bumped into the counter, and accidentally knocked her plate off the counter. It fell and shattered on the floor.
"Oh, honestly!" Irene exclaimed, finally looking up in Sarah's direction with a glare.
"I'm sorry…" Sarah moaned, setting her glass of milk further back on the counter.
"No, it's fine. Just go into the other room while I clean this up," her stepmother said with a sigh. "Watch your feet, there could be shards anywhere."
Sarah complied, carefully backing away from the remains of the plate. She walked back into the front hall, and found that her father had gone. She could hear the television in the living room, and she considered joining him. She then thought of Irene, and decided to try and help her. After all, the mess in the kitchen was her fault.
She opened the closet in the entryway, where the cleaning supplies were kept, looking for the broom. She found it gone, which she found strange. There was no reason it should be out of place, Irene was usually very insistent on it being put away. She decided to check the pantry, where she would sometimes stick it after using it, out of habit from when her mother still lived in the house. It would likely mean a lecture from Irene, but that was something she would just have to deal with.
She rounded the corner towards the kitchen, and saw Irene tossing the pasta into the trash. She had a strange look on her face, which gave Sarah pause. She hid around the corner, just out of sight. Sarah watched as Irene looked around the kitchen for a moment, then raised her hand and gave a slight flick of her wrist.
Sarah's jaw dropped as she watched the shards of the broken plate fly up into her stepmother's hand, reassembling as though it had never fallen. Irene inspected the now reassembled plate carefully, before turning around and setting it into the dishwasher. Sarah stumbled out of her hiding place, and Irene's head shot up.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" she asked. There was the faintest look of panic on her face as her blue eyes searched Sarah's green ones.
"Umm…" Sarah stuttered, not sure how to respond. She was not sure that she had seen what she thought she saw, and wasn't sure how to confront her uptight stepmother. "I, uh… was just looking for the broom…"
"Oh. Did, I ask you to get the broom?" Irene asked, visibly relaxing. "I'm sorry, I had it here." She reached beside the fridge, and produced the broom for Sarah to see. "You can come back in now, it's all cleaned up.
"You know, I'm actually not that hungry," Sarah said, still trying to make sense of what she saw. Of what she though she saw…
Irene nodded, and forcefully closed the door on the dishwasher. "All right. Well, I'll put it in the fridge, if you change your mind."
Sarah turned and hurried into the front hall, and up the stairs. She ran into her room, closing the door behind her. Her mind was reeling, had she really seen what she thought she had seen? She wasn't sure.
She paced around the room for a minute, trying to make sense of the whole thing. On one hand, she had been standing a ways away from her stepmother. It was certainly possible that she had been mistaken. On the other hand, what could she possibly have mistaken it for? The plate had reassembled itself, the shards flying right into her hand.
She thought about simply asking Irene about it, but quickly put that thought out of her head. Even if she were right about what she saw, Irene would certainly never admit it. Sarah had seen the secretive look in her eye before it happened.
She flopped down on her bed, and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling for a long time. It all seemed so impossible. A few months ago, she would have never even imagined that magic was even real. But the thought of her uptight, fussy stepmother having it… it just didn't make sense. Then again, everything that she had seen within the Labyrinth, and at the hands of the Goblin King had taught her that magic needn't make much sense.
She lay there for a long time; long after she heard her father and stepmother go to bed. An idea came to her, and she quietly crept down the dark stairway and into the kitchen. She flipped on the light, and opened the cupboard where the plates were kept. She began pulling them out one by one, inspecting each one carefully.
After four plates, she found what she was looking for. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she ran her fingers along the smooth porcelain. The fractures were visible; faint, but definitely there. She could see were each piece, small and large, had come back together.
She set the plates back in the cupboard, and ran back up to her room. As she lay back down, switching the lamp off, she resolved to get to the bottom of this. Whether it involved catching her stepmother in the act, or proving to herself that she was mistaken. Whatever the answer was, she was going to find it.