CHAPTER 11
"I really don't know what she does all day. I'm always at the beach," Julian confessed, as he took them around the house.
"So you two have no contact whatsoever?" Blair asked curiously. Julian shook his head.
"What's in there?" Chuck pointed to a room with a black door. This was strange because everything in this house was white. White walls, white doors, white furniture - the black door stuck out like a sore thumb.
Julian turned around to see what Chuck was pointing to and his face darkened in recognition, "oh that room. Georgina told me never to go in. Ever."
"Well then we absolutely HAVE to go in," Blair declared, already striding down the long corridor with the three boys at her heels.
As she was about to open the door, Julian's hand closed over hers. "I don't think that's a good idea," he worried.
"Oh please...what could happen?" Blair scoffed, pushing the door open.
The room was cool and shrouded in complete darkness despite the sun blazing outside. The first thing that struck them about the room was that there were no windows at all, causing the room to exude a dark atmosphere. Nate fumbled for the light switch. Even the lights were extremely dim.
"What's with this place?" Blair wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh, it's so - "
Chuck put a finger on her lips. "Shhh. Can you feel it?"
Her eyes widened. She could.
There was something unsettling about this room. Not the fact that it was painted entirely in black. Not the fact that it had no windows. It felt as though something sinister was lurking in that very room, watching them with intense hatred. They could all feel that burning hatred.
Blair shivered. Chills were running up her spine. Not the kind of chills Chuck Bass gave her. The kind of chills one feels when they know something horrific is about to befall them.
"Please. Let's get out of here," she whispered, grasping Chuck's hand.
He squeezed her hand. "Waldorf, we can't leave now. This room is the answer to all our questions."
Blair gulped. "Okay, let's investigate." She tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace. The room seemed to suck happiness out of the air.
They found a circle of stones with odd markings on them. They also found numerous candles - black candles. In addition to that, a few ancient-looking books were lying on the desk.
"The Ultimate Witchcraft Encyclopedia," Blair gasped, as she went through the books. "A Beginner's Guide to Dark Magic, Advanced Witchcraft, Mastering The Art of Brewing, Introduction to Black Magic."
"Three guesses what Georgina's been up to," Nate muttered dryly as he flipped through a book. "Jeez...this is some serious stuff.
Chuck suddenly asked, "where did Julian go?"
The three of them looked around, only to find that Julian had vanished.
"Let's go. Georgina's obviously not here," Blair said, wanting to leave this room as soon as possible.
Julian was outside the room, having a hushed conversation with someone on the phone. Blair crept closer to try and hear the conversation.
"Yes, they're here right now. Of course, I'll make sure of it," he nodded and hung up.
Blair quickly retreated, wondering if Julian was really an ally or not.
--
"Please Georgina, don't do this!" Serena cried out as Georgina murmured spells and danced around the fire.
The boat had brought them to a deserted island where Georgina seemed to rule. She had numerous teenagers, probably those who had wronged her in tha past, at her service. They seemed to be in a trance and obeyed her every command. Is that what I'll turn into? A slave? She wondered frantically.
"Why are you doing this to me?" she wailed. She felt energy being drained from her body, as Georgina's incantations became more rapid. Serena could feel her strength waning.
Georgina stopped abruptly. "You still think this is all about you? God, you're so fucking self-absorbed!" Georgina sneered.
Serena could barely keep her eyes open. "Then why are you doing this?" she managed to ask.
"You weren't the one who sent me to reform school. You weren't the one who ruined my life! It was your best friend - Blair Waldorf," Georgina's eyes flashed with anger.
"She said she was the crazy bitch of the Upper East Side, well...now look who's crazier?" Georgina laughed manically. "And who better to take her down than her dear best friend, Serena van der Woodsen?"
"She's always been jealous of you, you know. And I'm going to make her worst fears come true," Georgina continued. "I heard she's in love with Chuck Bass, now. How sweet."
Serena was literally seeing stars and the urge to close her eyes was becoming harder and harder to resist. "What are you going to do to Blair?" Serena asked in a small voice. She felt like life was ebbing out of her by the minute.
"Oh, I don't know...maybe steal Chuck Bass from right under her nose with a little of your help," Georgina shrugged with a malicious smile.
"No...please..." Serena begged, as the last of her strength left her body, and she fell unconscious. As her eyes closed, a slivery shadow floated above her body.
Georgina eyed the glimmering substance and was satisfied. She swiftly bottled the silver shadow and pocketed it. Time to set phase 2 into motion.
