A/N: TW for this chapter, which contains discussion of a kidnapping. Reader discretion is advised.
To AbbieDee: What I can assure you of is that there are other readers out there who share your sentiment. ;)
Chapter 16
Two Different People
Prunella paced in the loft, vaguely aware of the aching in her cheeks. Brain had been gone for a couple of minutes now, but she could not stop smiling. All her time spent honing her craft, attempting to tap into her abilities, had paid off, as she had known it would. Her crystal sat on its pedestal atop the nightstand, where it had been moved to make room for Marina and the snacks. Prunella sidestepped Marina's cane which was propped against the edge of the table, and wandered over to the ball as if drawn to it. She plucked it in a fluid motion, held it up to what was left of the setting sunlight drifting through the window, and gazed into it. Her reflection contorted, her head bending inward, curling around to form a crook. While perhaps not the most attractive image, it could not kill her buoyancy. To think she had seen all that in this small sphere just two years ago, and she had not even realized it. That drowsy day in the Tent of Portent had turned into the watershed of her career, the moment she had crossed over the threshold, from dreamer to doer. And now it was time to get to work, her first gig as a real, live spiritual consultant.
"Saturday will be here before we know it, Marina," she gushed. "I don't have much time to prepare. I'll need incense and candles and herbs—oh, I'm so nervous I can hardly think straight. I should make a list!"
This was her debut; she had to get this right. She placed the crystal back on its pedestal and darted to the foot of her bed where her schoolbag sat, unzipped. She sat on her bed with the pen and notebook she had withdrawn and began to scribble feverishly, muttering to herself as she wrote.
"Should I bring my onyx? Couldn't hurt…better add it just in case… And we'll need an offering. I'm thinking strawberries and Darjeeling would be perfect. Yes, they are perfect… There, I think that's it."
Prunella began doodling a crescent moon and stars at the top of the list.
"Isn't this exciting, Marina?" she said as she absently filled in some of the lines. "What time should I pick you up? How does five-thirty-ish sound?"
"I won't be going to the séance," Marina said, her tone even.
Prunella's head snapped up. Spine rigid, Marina faced straight ahead in her chair.
"Oh. Is it gym practice or something?"
It was something, all right. Marina wore a look of concern, and her brow creased even harder as she drew a slow breath. Prunella was almost afraid to ask.
"You've been quiet all evening. Marina?"
"You don't get it, do you? The severity of what you've done?"
With ease, Marina had diminished Prunella's joy. It was a tiny pinprick, but the slow leak could be felt all the same. She had to plug it. So, this was the part where Marina made her feel guilty about the séance and scaring Brain? She would not let her rain on her parade.
"I know, I know…but before you get upset, just remember that what started out as a prank turned into something much, much more. Something better. I'd appreciate it if you could just be happy for me. This is kind of a big deal."
"A prank?" Marina said, nearly choking on the last word as if she found it absurd. "No, no…putting shaving cream into a sleeping person's hand and then tickling his nose is a prank. This is just…beyond callous."
"I don't get why—"
"I know, Prunella. That's what's so disturbing. I'm not even sure I know where to start with this. You tried to get to Alan by using his emotional distress and his grandmother's death. Why? Just because he irritated you? Then Muffy comes to you with new information, that Alan is tormented by his friend's death and the guilt of ruining her chess set. Instead of doing what Muffy said and easing his mind, you switched gears. And to top it all off, you told Muffy you wished you had known about Lydia all along so you could have exploited her death instead. And you don't find any of that the least bit horrible?"
Why did she have to put it that way?
"I won't deny that maybe I was a bit…misguided in the beginning," Prunella said, "but now I'm trying to help Brain. You don't think I mean well?"
"I think you want to think that, but, really, you're just making this all about you."
"Well, I was the one who predicted all that stuff. Lydia did use me as a conduit. Why can't I be happy for once after dealing with naysayers all these years? And Brain, the naysayer to end all naysayers, ate crow and came to me for help. What does that tell you?"
"That you're proving my point for me. You want to be vindicated so badly. You're desperate for it, and I'm afraid it'll cloud your judgement. You should've stood your ground today and told him the truth, that it was a hoax and a bit of lucky guessing and nothing more. Muffy was the one who was trying to help Alan. He needed to let go of this silly notion so he could move on, but now it's like you're feeding off each other. I've never witnessed anything like this. It's dangerous. I'm afraid it's going to go to your head, and then you'll end up like Cynthia Blackwood and all the other fake mediums who give false hope to heartbroken people."
"What does this have to do with Cynthia Blackwood?"
Prunella knew of Cynthia Blackwood and had even admired her for her abilities. Cynthia was a psychic who had reached celebrity status, having appeared on numerous television programs. She even publicly offered her assistance on several unsolved mysteries and cold cases via her blog. Her blog posts remained for all to read, though Cynthia had passed on unexpectedly three or so years ago. Prunella had been saddened by the news.
"Roslyn Dietrich comes to mind," said Marina. "She was our age when she went missing without a trace near Dayton fourteen years ago. Her parents reached out to Cynthia. They hired her because they had nowhere else to turn. Cynthia happened to be filming a piece with a nightly news program at the time, and they followed her to Ohio as she met with Mr. and Mrs. Dietrich, walked around Roslyn's hangouts, sat in her bed room, touched her personal items…"
Marina looked disgusted.
"Cynthia told them that Roslyn was dead, that she had been murdered by an undiscovered serial killer and her body was buried in the woods somewhere in Indiana. Conveniently, she couldn't pinpoint the location. Conveniently, she couldn't get a clear image of the killer's facial features."
Prunella recalled something similar to that tale from a blog post, though Cynthia had emphasized how draining the ordeal had been, just to garner what little information she had.
"That's sad," she said. "That's awful, but at least she was able to give Roslyn's parents a little closure."
"She told them a huge lie. That's what she did. Her parents broke down when they heard Roslyn was dead, but they accepted it as truth. They held a funeral for her, mourned—all her family and friends. But Roslyn was never murdered. She had been abducted. And get this—she was held captive six miles from her home. For fourteen years. Her captors, a husband and wife, saw the news piece Cynthia filmed and laughed in Roslyn's face. Roslyn managed to escape on her own a few months back and contacted the police. She had to rely on herself because no psychic could help her. Instead Cynthia Blackwood collected her money and continued to swindle people until the day she died, while Roslyn and her parents are in therapy."
Prunella had not been aware of this development in the case. What must it have been like for Roslyn's parents, to be told that kind of lie, a lie they paid for, only to find out their daughter was alive and had been tortured for years and left with scars? And poor Roslyn… Prunella would never be able to think of Cynthia Blackwood the same way again.
"I… I would never do something like that," Prunella said, growing angry as Marina's implication sank in.
"You do understand that Alan was in love with that girl, right, and he still hasn't gotten over her death?"
Prunella had understood that Lydia had been important to Brain, but hearing Marina use the phrase "in love with" struck her. Sure, she had teased Muffy about having a secret crush on him, but until now, the thought of him having intense romantic feelings for someone really had been a strange concept to fully grasp. Now that she did, it made him seem average, pitiful. Like anyone else. Like any of Cynthia Blackwood's victims.
"Yes," she said, "but I'm going to get this right. I won't lie to him because I won't have to."
"Not even if push comes to shove?"
Marina honestly thought she would lie to save face if they tried to contact Lydia and came up empty handed. Maybe she would have years ago, but this was a new era. If Marina refused to accept it, that was her problem.
"It doesn't matter how much you insult me," Prunella said, "I'm going through with the séance."
"You know what?" Marina said, exasperated. "Have at it. I obviously can't get through to you. Do what you want, but don't expect me to be a part of it."
"Well… Well… Fine, then. It's probably a good thing you won't be there. We wouldn't want your negative energy driving Lydia's spirit away."
"Ridiculous…" said Marina under her breath as she felt around the tabletop for her phone. She grabbed it and placed a finger on the bottom left of the screen.
"Phone…" said a robotic voice, and Marina double-tapped the icon, waiting a moment before running her finger down her contacts list.
"Mom…" the voice said, and Marina double-tapped again and brought the device up.
"Yep, I'm all done," Marina said in a brighter voice once her mother picked up. "I'll be waiting outside… Thanks."
Marina wordlessly gathered her things and stood. Prunella copied the action, rising from her bed as she tossed her pen and notebook aside.
"This is going to work, Marina," she said.
Marina looked as if she were holding back something but ultimately was unable to help herself. She shouldered her bag and reached for her cane as she said, "I hope so. Believe it or not, I don't want you to fail. I don't want anyone to get hurt, and that includes you… And me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I care about you," she said, voice straining, cracking. "A lot. But it's almost like you're two different people. There's a side of you that's generous and caring, and I know you'd do anything for me. But then there's this nasty, selfish side to you that I find revolting. Sometimes I worry about which side you'll wind up on. Sometimes I'm not sure I want to stick around and find out. Goodbye, Prunella. I hope you'll do the right thing."
Marina left, feeling her way down the staircase. Prunella wanted to stop her, but she could not force herself to utter an apology. She could not even call out her promise that Marina need not worry because she would not lie to Brain if push came to shove. That promise stuck in her throat as well. The distance between them grew greater as Marina got closer and closer to the bottom of the stairs. Prunella turned her back, not wanting to see her friend disappear behind the door, not knowing when or if she would ever return. She could not help but wince at the sound of it shutting in the distance, resonating louder than perhaps it should have.
To be continued…
