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Chapter 8
Finally back at the attic of the Magnus house, Ashley sat on a dusty old trunk and groaned, totally and utterly embarrassed. She felt awful.
"Oh my god. He must think I am a complete idiot."
She put her face in her hands, she could still feel the heat radiating off her cheeks from the spectacle she had just made of herself. A strange noise made her look up. Her parents were watching her, they had soon deduced where she had been headed earlier and were now desperately trying not to laugh out loud as she blathered away, still feeling slightly panicked.
"Laugh, I don't care. The only way it could have gone any worse was if I had been screaming as I ran out. In fact, I might have been and just didn't notice. I've completely humiliated myself in front of you and you think it's funny. Thanks for your support. If you had just helped me steal the blood that would be it. No running into people we shouldn't, no embarrassing myself, no changing things, just pinch a vial of blood."
Keen to cut off another tirade, Druitt intervened.
"If you had just done as you were told."
"Do as I'm told! You're so old fashioned," she hit back. "It doesn't work like that, it's the 21st ..." she looked around remembering where she was. The recent experience seemed to have shocked her into her senses. It was as though the old, romantic, sepia tinted view she had of this world and the Victorian times her parents had lived in before had washed away.
"Wait for it," said Magnus to Druitt. "Here it comes."
"Oh my god," said Ashley, horrified as the enormity of what she had done finally sunk in.
"What's happening?" asked Druitt, slightly confused.
"Ashley's brain has finally caught up with her actions," explained Magnus.
"What have I done? I might be stuck here. I can't believe you let me do this." Magnus raised both eyebrows at that comment. If Ashley had been paying attention she would have seen the warning sign that two eyebrows raised were worse than one. "What if we're stuck here with dresses and manners and having to obey your father and that sort of thing? No internet. No chocolate. No phones."
"Ashley, you know that thing you do when you talk and don't stop and just keep on talking?"
"Am I doing it now?"
"Yes, and there is chocolate here." Magnus interrupted Ashley's rambling realisation.
"There is?" She was slightly mollified.
"And phones."
"I don't have anyone to call," she wailed. "What about Henry? He might get stuck in the Highlands all on his own and you won't go and find him because you're here and he'll be on his own. We have to get back! We can get back, I can jump back," she said trying to convince herself, "I'll figure it out." She looked at Druitt and murmured unknowingly aloud, torn between her head and her heart. "A cure."
Magnus considered the choices before her, which were getting fewer and further between. For Druitt to attempt a teleport would undoubtedly detach him from his remaining senses. Teleporting also seemed to be having a worse and worse effect on Ashley.
"What about Henry? Can you jump to Henry?" Druitt asked.
"Eew, he's like, my brother."
"I don't mean like that. I know you're close like family, I just meant he was worried so much about the two of you."
Still upset she jabbered away.
"I love Henry to bits, but until he learns to share his precious special cereal and stops getting me to try out crappy prototype weapons that don't work, I think we can count that out. Big Guy and Will," she said thinking. "I do miss home but Will, he keeps trying to psychoanalyse me, you can see it in his eyes he thinks I'm messed up. Ha, he should try it on you, I'd love to see that."
"Ashley!" cut in Magnus. Honestly, the girl could talk for England unless she was stopped. "I need you to distract me."
"Huh?"
"I need to talk to my father but you have to get the other me out of the way."
"Oh, I had no clue what you were talking about then. This is going to get complicated isn't it?"
"This was your great plan, now face up to it," said Magnus, pushing her towards the skylight. Ashley looked horrified at the thought of facing her mother again.
"But, but, what do I say?"
"Knock on the front door and ask for me. Tell me, her, this is going to get very confusing. Tell her you've found some abnormal she really must go and see."
"You want me to deliberately talk to you? And lie!? Well of course, why not make it worse? What if she says no?"
"Ashley, get her out of the house. This is your damn mess now help clean it up."
Ashley remembered something she had already begun to try and blank out. The horrible experience she had just fled from. Saved.
"They're at a meeting! The Five are all at Da, Dru, Joh.... OK, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to call the other two you's, John and Helen. Which is weird, but not as bad as getting completely mixed up and brainfuddled. So, the Five are all at John's place probably having a very interesting discussion on the weirdo who just went running out on them. I was practically screaming the last time I saw you, her. She's going to think I am nuts."
"Well she's got to learn sometime or other," Magnus smirked.
"Why did you run out?" asked Druitt.
"It was all going fine, apart from the bit where you were just about to throw me out of the building, and then freakin' Mom came in and I... completely lost it." She shook her head in dismay at the memory. "So embarrassing," she muttered.
"I'll go and find my father," said Magnus, with a sympathetic smile for Ashley. "Don't worry, I'm sure they liked you just fine."
"Yeah, they'd like me locked up in the loony bin. Oh god, the rocky horror show. Why can't I just keep my mouth shut?"
"Good luck with that," said Magnus to Druitt, leaving him to cope with Ashley. She opened the attic door and entered the main house.
Ashley watched Druitt who returned her stare unwavering. She felt awkward around her father after the spectacle she had made of herself. What if he could remember the incident from all those years back? Mind flip. Feeling uncomfortable, Ashley ventured.
"I'm going out for some air. It's a bit stuffy in this attic."
He said nothing but gave a slight nod perhaps understanding her need for some space to herself. She headed for the skylight.
Druitt looked about the attic for a distraction from his own thoughts, he could not shake his mind from the scene he had witnessed earlier that day. His younger self and Helen on the front doorstep. He could remember that moment like it had been him down there. Only it had been.
