Chapter 2: The Princess, The Raven and The Monster
Kate was slicing another piece of cake for Abigail's father as Calem took careful notice of Willie across the dining room table, and watched the birthday boy's smile slide off of his face.
Willie stared at the black crayon picture as everything around him faded away. In that moment, gravity became so overpowering that he could feel it pushing him into the chair, and squeezing tight around his chest. He swallowed hard, and shut his eyes as tight as they would go, allowing the heaviness to consume him.
"Would anyone like coffee?" Abigail walked into the dining room to discover everyone quietly staring at Willie, whose face had turned white; he looked as if he were about to pass out.
"Are you okay, Daddy?" Lyddie lifted the blond sweeps from her Daddy's forehead and pressed her tiny palm against his skin.
Abigail set the tray of cups on the table. She saw a distance in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time. When they reached California, he suffered for nearly a year from debilitating flashbacks that would strike him in the middle of the day. He would withdraw, and inside his mind he would re-live a random horrific memory, and this look would be painted on his face. It was a blessing that Calem's wife, Kate, was a psychologist, and with her help he was able to cope, and move past them. But here Abigail stood, and the look had returned, she reached down and gently rubbed his shoulder. "Willie, what is it?"
Lyddie looked up at her Daddy and pouted as he dropped the pictures to the table; the black and white drawing on top was a child's visualization of one Mr. Barnabas Collins.
The little girl reached over and gathered up the pictures, and thrust them back at her father.
"You don't like 'em?" Eyes as wide as saucers stared up at him, disappointed and sad that her Daddy didn't beam a smile at her and show excitement for a gift made with her own hands. A gift she had spent so much time on. Willie's heart sank. He pulled his little girl tight against him, although his heart was racing, along with a thousand questions in his head. "I-I love them…t-they're perfect…my favorite present of all"
"What is this?" Abigail gently took the black and white drawing from the artist's tiny hands and stared at it. Simple curiosity took a sharp turn, and was replaced with shock. "Lyddie, why did you draw this?" Abigail tried to keep her voice calm, fighting against a snake of growing panic coiling around her.
Willie kissed his daughter on the head and then looked her in the eyes.
"Lyddie, did you invite your secret friend into our home?"
"This…this is your friend?" Abigail's voice sounded more agitated than she wanted it to, Calem walked over and stood beside her and she handed him the picture; he knew in an instant the reason for Willie's sudden turn.
The the small girl knew when something was wrong, and started to squirm on her father's lap.
"It's okay, Mommy and Daddy just need to know. Please, just tell us if he has been in the house."
As the rest of the guests sat, confused, Calem moved quickly to clear the room. "Why don't we go into the living room and give them a few moments." Calem helped Abigail's mother up from dining room table, and Eli and Erin carried the tray of coffee, following Kate into the living room.
Willie and Abigail were now left alone with their daughter, waiting for an answer to a very important question.
"Was he in the house?" Abigail pulled a chair over and gently placed her hand on Lyddie's knee.
"Y-yes" Lyddie answered in the smallest of voices "He's my friend and he only comes in my room, and we play games and color sometimes. He teaches me stuff too, and shows me how to use my special magic."
"Oh no." Abigail and Willie's eyes met, and she reached over and squeezed his thigh, which was shaking uncontrollably.
Willie abruptly scooped up his daughter and grabbed the colorful drawings. He kissed the child on the head and headed for the kitchen. Abigail quickly followed.
Willie and Lyddie stood in front of the refrigerator selecting her favorite alphabet magnets. "Okay, let's put these up so I can see them all the time." The first was a bright pink work of art with multi-colored hearts, and was secured to the refrigerator, followed by a bright yellow paper with a family of three drawn on it, all holding hands and with giant smiles on their faces. One drawing followed the next, until she finally handed him the black and white one. "No…not this one. Daddy is going to keep this one in his pocket. Now, why don't you go run into the living room, I think Grandma and Grandpa have a present for you from their trip to London."
Lyddie clapped her hands excitedly and skipped away to the other room.
"He has been in the house." Abigail whispered as a tear fell. "He's been spending time with our little girl." Another tear dropped and Willie quickly pulled her close to him. "What if he had tried to hurt her? Or you? How did we not know? Oh God, what are we going to do? "
Willie turned her face to look at his, "Nothing, not right now. We have a house full of people, and we don't want to scare Lyddie, okay? Let's just get through the rest of this evening, and then we can sit down and figure it out."
"Is your dad okay to drive? I know he has a hard time seeing at night." Willie asked Abigail as they walked through the front door after seeing her parents out.
"Yes, even if he wasn't, he's too stubborn to say so. I hope Eli and Erin have a good flight home tomorrow. Erin is going to ask me a million questions; I hate lying to her."
Abigail looked around the living room feeling slightly skittish. "Where's Lyddie?"
"She's in the dining room with Calem, he's trying to get more information. He figured he could make a game out of it." Kate smiled and as Willie passed she stopped him briefly. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned about his mental wellbeing. With this kind of a shock entering his system, it could be a huge set back. She was worried it would spark something and undo all of the hard work he had done to move forward and cope with his traumatic past.
Willie looked sweetly at her, touched by her genuine concern. "I'm okay, I think."
Willie and Abigail stood in the doorway, trying not to interrupt and watched the play before them. Calem had a stuffed animal in the form of a raven in his hand, and was dancing it around the table. Lyddie had a delicate, blonde princess puppet over her hand, and was holding onto the raven's wing.
"So, when does your friend visit you? I want to visit too!" Calem said in a funny bird-like voice.
"Kind sir, he only comes on Sundays, you'll have to wait until then." Lyddie replied.
"I see you are having fun." Willie slid into the chair beside Calem, and took the stuffed raven. "Who is this?"
"His name's Zeke. Grandma bought him from a real castle! She said that he protects the kingdom and the princess!" Lyddie held up her princess doll.
"My goodness, how lovely." Abigail replied. "Kate, would you mind taking Lyddie into her room to get her pajamas on?" her voice was strained, trying to sound as normal as it could, but she was nearly ready to fall apart.
"Of course! Come on, cutie!"
Abigail and Willie sat at the dining room table, ready for Calem to spill his new found information.
"Okay, our secret friend has been coming around for about 6 months. Lyddie said the first few times were in her dreams, but then in person on her last birthday. He only comes on Sundays and always brings a game for them to play, and after the game he instructs her about magic. When he leaves he takes the game and flies out the window."
"So he will come tomorrow." Willie could feel his heart start to speed up again. "What the hell does he want?"
"I don't know, but if he wanted to harm you, or kill you, it would have already happened. It must be something else."
"But why now? After all this time?" Abigail grabbed Willie's hand and held it tight.
"I'm going to wait for him tomorrow night. Abby, I want you and Lyddie to go home with Calem tonight. Barnabas has been in this house and I want you out of here, the sooner the better. Stay there until I come back for you. Okay?"
"It's absolutely not okay!" At that moment an explosive whispering battle began between the three of them.
"Over my dead body will I leave you!" Abigail gripped Willie's hand tighter.
"It's your dead body that I am trying to avoid!"
"Willie, I will not leave you."
"Abigail, he could come into this house at any time. I don't want you or Lydia at risk. Calem, help me out here."
"I-I'm sorry, I'm with Abby on this. You shouldn't be alone, and I'm not leaving either."
"What?"
"We are all staying." Kate joined them and then knelt down to catch Lydia who was running down the hallway to join them. "You want Auntie Kate and Uncle Calem to sleep over for a couple of days?" The little girl lit up and Willie was irritated at the dirty tactic of using Lyddie to win the argument.
"Here, a little something to calm your nerves." Calem reached into the refrigerator in the garage and handed Willie a bottle of beer.
"Na, I rea—"
"Shut up and just drink it, Willie. What the hell are you doing out here anyway?"
Willie lifted up a shortened broom handle, which had no broom attached, but the end had been sharpened to a point.
"You can't be serious."
"Dead serious."
Willie sat on the floor in the darkest corner of his daughter's room, surrounded by overstuffed animals, which he would swear were hiding in the shadows, button eyes wide and afraid of an unwanted evening visitor.
A soft purple glow radiated from a nightlight on the floor, and Willie was momentarily mesmerized by the stars that rotated on the ceiling for several minutes. The only sound was from the large Snoopy clock that hung on the wall.
tock tock tock
Willie's eyes darted around the room, each new shadow sparked his anxiety until he realized that it was just a toy train, or the ruffle from the bed. He sat with every muscle tightened as the night moved slowly by, gripping the broom handle tightly.
tock tock tock
Willie could hear the wind begin to pick up through the slightly cracked window, but he remained motionless in his corner, still all except for his heart which was beginning to pound out of his chest. The sound of the clock getting louder and louder as he waited for the Thing to appear, the Thing that fueled his every nightmare, and left its mark across his skin.
tock tock tock
One hour, then two, then three passed. Willie glanced towards the bedroom door, which was shut tight, feeling uneasy with Abigail and Lyddie still in the house, and then darted his head towards the window, hearing a scraping sound drag against it.
A tree…it's just a tree limb
Another scrape, followed by long white bone branches reaching around the window and slowly opened it wider, and wider. A thin leg reached in and then another, until the entire being was standing on the floor.
tock tock tock
Barnabas silently removed his coat and hung it on one of the bed posters, all the while Willie watched, his heart in his throat, and held his breath.
"Lydia?" Barnabas spoke to the hidden pillows beneath the mattress. "Lydia, darling, it is time to wake for our lessons, and we have a new game to play."
Barnabas gently pulled back the covers, to find a cluster of pillows in the place where he should have found a beautiful blonde little girl. The Vampire pulled his hand back swiftly, and then retreated to the center of the room, warily looking about.
Willie rose to his feet before Barnabas could spot him, but stayed hidden in the shadows, stashing the wooden stake behind a stuffed Mickey Mouse. He summoned every single ounce of courage he had, and then found a little more, and spoke.
"I'd like to play a game." His voice was low and flat and without a quiver or a stutter.
In an instant Barnabas' eyes locked with Willies, and the vampire took a cautionary step back, but quickly composed himself.
"Don't ya wanna play a game with me?"
"Willie." Barnabas looked him up and down, "I wasn't expecting you."
"What do you want?"
"You look well. California suits you." Barnabas walked towards his former servant, who instinctively backed away from him, but maintained his composure.
"We have a beautiful child."
"No. I have a beautiful child, she is mine. Not Yours." Willie found more courage somewhere from deep within himself, and approached Barnabas aggressively, pointing towards the window. "You know what? I don't care what you want. Get out, and never come back."
Barnabas brushed Willie's hand away, dismissing his outburst completely.
"I see you still allow your emotions to consume your actions. I have no desire to harm you, or my family.
"Stop saying my family. They are not yours!" Barnabas was slowly walking in a circle around Willie, as intimidating as ever.
"Ah, but they are. I gave them life, and without me there would be no them. No Abigail, no Lydia Marie, nothing. They are direct descendants of the child I bore with Angelique, and therefore, I am their family."
"I want you to get out!"
"Our daughter was far more hospitable when she invited me into your humble home."
Barnabas observed the young man. He could smell the fear radiating off of Willie, and yet he stood brave, and defiant. And an odd sensation crept over the vampire, a loneliness he thought had passed with the years since the boy's departure. He realized that he missed his former servant, like a father misses a son who leaves for war.
"Barnab—"
The vampire shushed him, and motioned towards the chairs at the small tea table. "Sit. Perhaps I can explain in a way that your simple mind will understand ."
Anger spiked up Willie's spine.
"I said sit!" Barnabas growled at him, and finally the young man sat and reluctantly listened. "Lydia was born with a special purpose. She is more than the mere daughter of lowlife William Loomis. She is the key to winning a war that has raged for hundreds of years. She is not just a child, but a most powerful weapon."
Willie sat stiffly in the chair, listening as each word out of the beast's mouth poured another drop of gasoline on an already lit fire that was waiting to explode.
"She is dangerous to all those around her, and to herself, less someone can teach her control it. That is why I am here. I am her teacher, her friend, her second father."
It was the last set of words that caused Willie to erupt. He lunged across the table and grabbed the lapels of Barnabas' coat, pulling him up to a standing position and knocking the small tea table on its side.
"You are NOTHING to her! Do you understand me!? I will kill you before you ever see her again."
Barnabas pushed Willie back into the corner of the room, and threw him to the ground, holding him down amongst the stuffed animals.
"No, Willie." Dead, black marble eyes penetrated a frightened blue. "It will be your dead body that I step over, so that I may continue with my plan. You have the order of things wrong."
Willie reached desperately on the floor beside him, feeling around the disrupted pile of stuffed toys, grappling for his weapon. He thrust it at Barnabas, almost making contact with the Vampire's chest before he was lifted by his neck and pinned against the wall.
"That child loves me, just as Sarah did." Barnabas insisted.
Willie gasped for air, dropping the sharpened wood to the floor, where it rolled under the bed.
Upon hearing the commotion, Abigail grabbed the metal crucifix hanging on the wall in the hallway, and burst into the room. She flipped on the lights, located Barnabas, and thrust the cross in his direction. Acting on impulse, Barnabas tossed Willie across the room, and Willie's head made hard contact with the dresser as Barnabas backed away from Abigail's outstretched hand.
"NO… NO NO!" A tiny voice shrieked. "DADDY!" Lyddie had squirmed out of Calem's hold and burst over the threshold and ran to her father. "Oh Daddy!" She reached out and touched her unconscious father's damaged forehead, and then held up her tiny hand, dripping with blood.
A match made of fury and fear ignited within the small girl, and she stood glaring at Barnabas.
"Lyddie, come here, come by Mommy." Abigail was still holding up the cross, but was now crouched beside Willie, holding his head, as Calem and Kate stood speechless in the doorway.
"Lydia, darling, it was an accident; I – I didn't mean to hurt him. You must believe me." Barnabas began to cower slightly before the child.
"Nobody hurts my Daddy!" Her voice growled, and with all her might she launched her new stuffed animal, the guardian of the castle, towards Barnabas.
And before the toy raven hit the floor, it came to life, as if possessed by a demon, and attacked Barnabas, making long scratches down his pale white face, ripping the dead flesh from his cheeks. Next, the child threw her princess doll, which animated and poked at his eyes before it wrapped its plush arms around his neck, pinning him against the wall.
Barnabas was screaming and flailing his arms about his head. "Abigail, control the child!" Abigail stood frozen, staring at her daughter, and dropped the cross to the floor.
Calem attempted to grab the small girl, but she pushed him back with the flick of her finger, shoving he and his wife into the hallway. The door slammed shut of its own accord and a chair flew across the room to lodge itself beneath the knob.
The little girl continued to punish her father's assailant. "You are very bad!"
Abigail stepped between her daughter and her victim, and wrapped her arms around Lyddie, hugging her tight, and cooing in her ear that she need to stop, that everything would be fine. After several seconds, Barnabas fell down to the ground, and the raven and the princess fell to the floor beside him; the perfect princess' dress covered in dark red crimson streaks. The child walked up to Barnabas, who was barely able to catch his breath and spoke to him.
"Why did you hurt my Daddy? I thought you were my friend." For half a heartbeat a flash lit behind her eyes.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed, and of course would love to hear from you, but I want to leave a personal thank you to my beta Mad Margaret. I am a firm believer that every writer should have a beta, and I have one of the best! If you haven't had a chance to look at her work, I recommend it, starting with Part 1 of the (7 part) Willie Loomis World Series: Little Willie.