Disclaimer: No, I do not own Avalon, Rachel Robert's does. Though if I did, I'd change the book covers back to normal but that's just me.
Writer's Note: The chapter has been updated. G.S.F. 6/18/10
Chapter Twelve: Answers.
"Is that…?" whispered Kapila back to her nervous jittering.
"Wait, how do we know this girl knew anything?" broke in the blond girl doubtfully.
"Who hides their Diary in a tree? And Adriane lived here! A person can't live somewhere and not notice its haunted or whatever," she explained, slightly annoyed at her cynicism.
"Well then?" Odile raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.
"I think they knew something about this!" burst out Kapila then wilted under their stares. 'Perfect start, not awkward at all and I'm making new friends.'
"Anyway, at first I thought the key didn't work, but look at this," Vina flipped the key upside down and put it into the lock, turning the key.
"A backwards lock? Sound's very Nancy Drew." Despite Odile's criticism she could tell the girl was intrigued. Carefully she opened it up and,
"Wow!"
"WHAT!" the two girls practically squished her as they leaned in on either side.
"I can't see," she pointed out calmly, they sat back. "She was a great artist. Look!" Vina showed them the page. It depicted the Manor, only darker and almost prison like. And under the picture, written in a sloppy hand was, 'My new home. What a dump.'
"I guess she didn't like the Manor," shrugged Odile.
"Her parents were artists and were going to France, so they dropped her off here with a Grandmother she hardly knew," she explained after scanning a few pages.
"That is scary, no wonder she didn't like the place," the East Indian's soft voice spoke understandingly.
"Well it looks like she grew to like it," Vina said flipping through the pages. Some more pages slipped through her fingers and landed on one horrifying image.
"What is that?" gasped Kapila edging back. A cold shiver went up and down Corvina's spine.
"It just says Manticore underneath." Then the room became dark, all warmth left the space and she sensed something behind them. Fearfully all three girls turned.
"Mine!" gasped a gaping mouth made of shadow and blood. Slowly the shade sharpened and shaped into the creature on the page.
"Ahhhhhh!" screamed Kapila, stumbling back and knocking over her chair.
"This can't be happening!" Odile shouted as the creature began to glow green. Vina jumped back and swung the chair in front of her.
"Go away!" It drew breath and a blood curdling scream broke the air! She barley remembered falling to the floor as the book flew from her hand. A wind blew it open, turning the pages and a howl came from nowhere. A silver mist swirled above the table and formed into…what? She couldn't hear or see clearly, the noise was deafening. On the other side of the table Odile was curled up on her knees, hand over her ears. Kapila had fainted and lay limp on the floor beside her. The silver thing leapt and bit into the creature, light swirled around it and with one last cry it melted away. All was silent, the warmth and light returned to the kitchen. Everything (besides the toppled furniture) seemed normal.
"Is it gone?" gulped Odile her voice sounding odd to her ringing ears.
"I think so," they both sat up, looking around dazed. The power book, rainbow flower and the contents of everyone's bags was strewn across the floor. Odile crawled to the power book,
"Not broken. What about her?"
"She's unconscious, help me get her up." Odile propped up a chair as she lifted Kapila and clumsily placed her in it.
"I guess they were right, she doesscare easy," said Odile as if the girl had fainted over a simple matter. Vina frowned.
"Hey!" she snapped, "We just got attacked by that shadow thing and you think it's funny she fainted? I didn't see you facing it!" She seemed taken aback but rightfully embarrassed all the same.
"Yeah…you're right, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to make sense out of all this."
"So am I," she spoke sternly, running a hand through her hair.
"Corvina what happened? Are you alright? I heard the most horrible noise!" her mother burst into the room.
"We're fine mom, but Kapila fainted."
"Oh dear," Damia rushed around getting damp cloths, aspirin and some water. She knelt in front of the girl speaking softly and trying to shake her awake.
An air of surreal shock hung around her like a veil as she bent to pick up the book. Odile was explaining quickly,
"So we were like, what type of drawing is that? Then the whole place got dark and the shadow creature showed up! Only it changed into the thing from the Diary and demanded the book. Then this weird silver thing came and attacked it. And they both disappeared!"
"What could that be?" wondered Damia aloud. Kapila jerked awake,
"It's after me!"
"Relax dear, it's gone now. It seems another ghost saved you…if that is what they are," she spoke calmly, wiping a cut on the Indian girl's forehead.
"I don't know," said Odile slowly, picking her things up, "they seemed too solid to be ghosts…and loud."
"What saved us?" Kapila asked before accepting the aspirin. Then she looked around and sadly picked up the rainbow flower and the shattered remains of its pot.
"I think I know what it is," breathed Corvina, who had fallen silent with shock. She stood and held out the book, pointing to the page it had been blown to. A silver wolf with gold eyes stood proudly on a grassy hill. Only this wolf seemed to be slowly fading to mist. Underneath was one word that she read aloud,
" Stormbringer."
Writer's Note: Dun, dun dun!
