As the woman half-dragged Paige through Twilight, she gazed around at her
surroundings, smiling dreamily. The combination of her eyes adjusting to
the darkness and the two of them walking a little closer to the light was
causing Paige to see in greater detail. At first, the intense brightness
was overwhelming and the heavy darkness was frightening, but now they were
both a little more toned down. She even found the areas where the light met
the darkness beautiful, with the glinting beams of light twinkling in the
darkness. "It's so pretty," she murmured, gazing at a particularly sparkly
area at her side.
"Paige, stay with me," the woman said, giving Paige's hand a gentle shake to grab her attention. "That's one of the consequences for you being here as someone still alive. It's going to be hard for you to concentrate, but I need you to try and stay focused, okay?"
Paige nodded apologetically. "Sorry." She faced forward and squinted, trying to make out what was ahead of them. She could see a small domed structure, guarded at the entrance by two men. "Is that where she is."
"Yes," she whispered. "She wasn't guarded before, though. Damn it, they must have caught onto us." She pulled Paige into a crouching position, ducking before the guards could see them. She hesitated a moment, trying to think of what they could do. "Okay, the only way this is going to work is if we split up: one of us causes a distraction while the other gets Mindy. And since I already tried and failed to get her, I think it should be you going in there."
"What if they catch you?" Paige asked.
"They can't do anything to me," she answered. "They can, however, hurt you. Which is another reason why I should be the one they're chasing."
"Okay," Paige said, nodding again. "What do I have to do?"
"She needs to trust you all over again," she explained. "Just talk to her and convince her she needs to get out of here."
"Okay," Paige repeated. "You can count on me." She and the woman hugged quickly to wish each other good luck, then the woman loudly ran off in the direction she had just come from, making sure she caught the attention of the guards. They took off after her. Paige waited until she couldn't hear them anymore, then she ran into the structure. Mindy was lying down on what looked like a makeshift cot, her hands crossed over her stomach and her eyes closed. "Mindy?" she whispered.
Mindy sat up, startled. She squinted at Paige, almost as if she was looking at someone she was trying to recognize. "Paige?"
"Yes, sweetie, it's me." Paige approached the cot and gulped when Mindy backed away from her slightly. "What's the matter, honey?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I came here to bring you home," Paige said gently, holding her hand out to the little girl.
She backed up against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest. "I don't want to go home."
Paige crouched down in front of the cot and reached out to comfort Mindy. The little girl pulled out of her reach, giving her a wary stare. Paige gasped and wondered what he had done to her. Why was she being so evasive? She pulled her hand back, deciding that it was best not to push it, and gripped the edge of the cot instead. "Why don't you want to go home?"
"Why should I go back there?" she spat out angrily. "Everyone hates me. But here, he loves me, he wants me."
"Sweetie, he only wants you because he needs you--" Paige started.
"No!" Mindy pressed her hands to her ears and squeezed her eyes closed. "I don't want to hear it! He loves me, he said so. My parents don't love me as much as he does."
Paige gently pried the girl's hands off her ears and gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eye. "Listen to me." Mindy tried to wriggle out of Paige's grasp, but Paige just tightened her grip. "Miranda, listen to me." The little girl gasped at her full name being used, but she didn't stop trying to get away. "Your parents love you very much. Do you know how upset they are because they can't find you?" That got her to stop struggling. She shook her head. "Your mom looked like she hadn't stopped crying since you disappeared and even though your dad was trying to be strong, I could tell that he was just as upset as your mom."
"You went to see my parents?" she asked, her voice quavering. Paige nodded and reached up to cup the little girl's cheek with the palm of her hand. Mindy backed out of her reach. "Why?"
"Because I was worried about you," she answered, her voice strong yet gentle. "When you didn't come to the park, I got scared, so I went to see your parents to find out what happened to you."
"You were worried about me?"
"Yes, of course," she replied with an emphatic nod. "I was so worried about you that my sisters were getting worried about me." She smiled at the little girl and gingerly reached up once again. This time, Mindy didn't pull away. "You're very special to a lot of people, and they all want you to come home."
Mindy took a deep breath as tears welled in her eyes. Was Paige telling her the truth? She didn't have any reason to lie to her, but everything Paige had just said went against everything he had told her when he found her. "But Jonas loves me, too."
"Jonas?" Paige asked, clearly confused.
"Yeah, he saved me when I first got here. All those other people wanted to hurt me, but he grabbed me and told them to stay away. Then he told me I'd be safe in here because they wouldn't be able to get in. He said they brought me here to hurt me, but he won't let them touch me."
Paige suddenly understood exactly what had happened. He had pulled her in and lied to her from the very beginning. Not knowing anything about Twilight or what it was for, Mindy didn't question it. She simply took the man at his word because she had no reason to doubt him. "Honey, he's the one who brought you in here--"
"No!" Mindy pulled out of her grasp again. "He's protecting me from them."
"No, he's not." Paige straightened and sat down on the cot next to Mindy, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders. "He's a man who died a long time ago with all these people. We think he's their leader or something, and he's using you to keep them away from the light. If they see the light, they'll go into it, and he'll lose his following. He's using you as a distraction. That's why he won't let you go into the light places.
She drew in her breath and faced Paige. "How did you know about that?"
"I have powers too, remember?" she grinned, nudging the girl with her elbow. "I don't have time to explain everything right now. We have to get you home first. The woman who looks out for you can send us home and we have to get to her before Jonas finds us. What's her name, anyway?"
Mindy hopped off the cot, more comfortable now that Paige had mentioned her guardian angel wanted to send her home as well, and allowed Paige to walk her to the door. "She told me to call her Celeste, but I don't think that's her real name. Celeste is just too perfect a name for a guardian angel."
When they got outside, the woman who called herself Celeste was waiting for them. "Great, Paige, you did it!" She ran forward and grabbed Mindy's hand as Paige grabbed the other. "One good thing about it being so dark is it's easy to lose people. However, we don't stay lost for long. Come on, honey, we have to go."
"Wait," Mindy said softly, halting both Paige and Celeste in the tracks. "You said he was using me to keep the others from going into the light?"
"Yes," Paige answered, not quite following Mindy's train of thought. "But that's kind of beside the point right now."
"They have to go into the light," Mindy insisted, holding her ground even as the two women pulled her along. "They'll never find peace if they don't."
"Honey, we have to get you home--" Celeste started.
Mindy ripped her hands away from both of them. "I can't leave until they go into the light. I can't leave them in here." She turned around and ran back towards the building.
"Mindy, no!" Paige cried. She and Celeste followed her, but they weren't fast enough. Paige felt as if she was watching it all unfold in slow motion. Mindy ran behind the building to the crowd and right into Jonas's waiting arms. He grabbed her and squeezed her until she cried out in pain. "Mindy!" Paige yelled again.
Jonas looked right at Paige and gave her one of the most evil smiles she had ever seen. "Ah, it appears that the Carringtons aren't the only ones about to lose a family member."
"Paige, stay with me," the woman said, giving Paige's hand a gentle shake to grab her attention. "That's one of the consequences for you being here as someone still alive. It's going to be hard for you to concentrate, but I need you to try and stay focused, okay?"
Paige nodded apologetically. "Sorry." She faced forward and squinted, trying to make out what was ahead of them. She could see a small domed structure, guarded at the entrance by two men. "Is that where she is."
"Yes," she whispered. "She wasn't guarded before, though. Damn it, they must have caught onto us." She pulled Paige into a crouching position, ducking before the guards could see them. She hesitated a moment, trying to think of what they could do. "Okay, the only way this is going to work is if we split up: one of us causes a distraction while the other gets Mindy. And since I already tried and failed to get her, I think it should be you going in there."
"What if they catch you?" Paige asked.
"They can't do anything to me," she answered. "They can, however, hurt you. Which is another reason why I should be the one they're chasing."
"Okay," Paige said, nodding again. "What do I have to do?"
"She needs to trust you all over again," she explained. "Just talk to her and convince her she needs to get out of here."
"Okay," Paige repeated. "You can count on me." She and the woman hugged quickly to wish each other good luck, then the woman loudly ran off in the direction she had just come from, making sure she caught the attention of the guards. They took off after her. Paige waited until she couldn't hear them anymore, then she ran into the structure. Mindy was lying down on what looked like a makeshift cot, her hands crossed over her stomach and her eyes closed. "Mindy?" she whispered.
Mindy sat up, startled. She squinted at Paige, almost as if she was looking at someone she was trying to recognize. "Paige?"
"Yes, sweetie, it's me." Paige approached the cot and gulped when Mindy backed away from her slightly. "What's the matter, honey?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I came here to bring you home," Paige said gently, holding her hand out to the little girl.
She backed up against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest. "I don't want to go home."
Paige crouched down in front of the cot and reached out to comfort Mindy. The little girl pulled out of her reach, giving her a wary stare. Paige gasped and wondered what he had done to her. Why was she being so evasive? She pulled her hand back, deciding that it was best not to push it, and gripped the edge of the cot instead. "Why don't you want to go home?"
"Why should I go back there?" she spat out angrily. "Everyone hates me. But here, he loves me, he wants me."
"Sweetie, he only wants you because he needs you--" Paige started.
"No!" Mindy pressed her hands to her ears and squeezed her eyes closed. "I don't want to hear it! He loves me, he said so. My parents don't love me as much as he does."
Paige gently pried the girl's hands off her ears and gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eye. "Listen to me." Mindy tried to wriggle out of Paige's grasp, but Paige just tightened her grip. "Miranda, listen to me." The little girl gasped at her full name being used, but she didn't stop trying to get away. "Your parents love you very much. Do you know how upset they are because they can't find you?" That got her to stop struggling. She shook her head. "Your mom looked like she hadn't stopped crying since you disappeared and even though your dad was trying to be strong, I could tell that he was just as upset as your mom."
"You went to see my parents?" she asked, her voice quavering. Paige nodded and reached up to cup the little girl's cheek with the palm of her hand. Mindy backed out of her reach. "Why?"
"Because I was worried about you," she answered, her voice strong yet gentle. "When you didn't come to the park, I got scared, so I went to see your parents to find out what happened to you."
"You were worried about me?"
"Yes, of course," she replied with an emphatic nod. "I was so worried about you that my sisters were getting worried about me." She smiled at the little girl and gingerly reached up once again. This time, Mindy didn't pull away. "You're very special to a lot of people, and they all want you to come home."
Mindy took a deep breath as tears welled in her eyes. Was Paige telling her the truth? She didn't have any reason to lie to her, but everything Paige had just said went against everything he had told her when he found her. "But Jonas loves me, too."
"Jonas?" Paige asked, clearly confused.
"Yeah, he saved me when I first got here. All those other people wanted to hurt me, but he grabbed me and told them to stay away. Then he told me I'd be safe in here because they wouldn't be able to get in. He said they brought me here to hurt me, but he won't let them touch me."
Paige suddenly understood exactly what had happened. He had pulled her in and lied to her from the very beginning. Not knowing anything about Twilight or what it was for, Mindy didn't question it. She simply took the man at his word because she had no reason to doubt him. "Honey, he's the one who brought you in here--"
"No!" Mindy pulled out of her grasp again. "He's protecting me from them."
"No, he's not." Paige straightened and sat down on the cot next to Mindy, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders. "He's a man who died a long time ago with all these people. We think he's their leader or something, and he's using you to keep them away from the light. If they see the light, they'll go into it, and he'll lose his following. He's using you as a distraction. That's why he won't let you go into the light places.
She drew in her breath and faced Paige. "How did you know about that?"
"I have powers too, remember?" she grinned, nudging the girl with her elbow. "I don't have time to explain everything right now. We have to get you home first. The woman who looks out for you can send us home and we have to get to her before Jonas finds us. What's her name, anyway?"
Mindy hopped off the cot, more comfortable now that Paige had mentioned her guardian angel wanted to send her home as well, and allowed Paige to walk her to the door. "She told me to call her Celeste, but I don't think that's her real name. Celeste is just too perfect a name for a guardian angel."
When they got outside, the woman who called herself Celeste was waiting for them. "Great, Paige, you did it!" She ran forward and grabbed Mindy's hand as Paige grabbed the other. "One good thing about it being so dark is it's easy to lose people. However, we don't stay lost for long. Come on, honey, we have to go."
"Wait," Mindy said softly, halting both Paige and Celeste in the tracks. "You said he was using me to keep the others from going into the light?"
"Yes," Paige answered, not quite following Mindy's train of thought. "But that's kind of beside the point right now."
"They have to go into the light," Mindy insisted, holding her ground even as the two women pulled her along. "They'll never find peace if they don't."
"Honey, we have to get you home--" Celeste started.
Mindy ripped her hands away from both of them. "I can't leave until they go into the light. I can't leave them in here." She turned around and ran back towards the building.
"Mindy, no!" Paige cried. She and Celeste followed her, but they weren't fast enough. Paige felt as if she was watching it all unfold in slow motion. Mindy ran behind the building to the crowd and right into Jonas's waiting arms. He grabbed her and squeezed her until she cried out in pain. "Mindy!" Paige yelled again.
Jonas looked right at Paige and gave her one of the most evil smiles she had ever seen. "Ah, it appears that the Carringtons aren't the only ones about to lose a family member."