As they peered into the darkness they noticed the door to Quentin's adjacent room open, looking at each other then back at the door they quickly made they're way over to it.
As Angelique looked into the next room the first thing that caught her eye was the beautiful magenta colored horn of Quentin's old gramophone. Cautiously she walked over to it, her hand making contact with the chilly surface of the horn.
As she touched it she could swear she started to hear the haunting melody of the waltz… and his voice as he recited the lyrics in an almost unearthly tone.
"Shadows of the night,
Falling Silently,
Echo of the past,
Calling me to you…"
Angelique snatched back her hand quickly, unnerved at hearing Quentin's voice again after so many years. The waltz abruptly stopped.
"What's the matter Angelique?" Julia asked in a hushed whisper.
Angelique turned to Julia…
"Did you hear that?"
Julia gave her a confused look and answered, "Hear what?"
Angelique shook her head and began to walk away from the gramophone, giving it one last curious glance. "Never mind… I just thought – Julia! Look there! I don't remember a door there, is that a secret panel?"
Julia looked over to where Angelique was pointing. Her vision was not what it used to be, but she could still make out the image of an open door across the darkened room. "I never knew there was a secret panel there…" Julia said as her voice trailed off.
Angelique went over to the door and stuck her head into the darkened space. "Looks like a passage, I think if we're going to find anything it's going to be in there. Wait here Julia."
Stepping into the abyss she followed the short passageway to a room. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she let out a small gasp as she saw the porcelain figures sitting around the table.
They looked so lifelike yet she knew they were not from the moment she laid eyes on them. The skin so creamy white, smooth, complete perfection. And they sat perfectly still, and the room was deathly quiet. She could make out a grandfather clock standing against one of the walls but it didn't seem to be running.
"Julia" Angelique whispered back into the passage. "Julia, come in hear and bring some kind of light with you… a candle, anything!" As she heard Julia say "OK" she turned back towards the long wooden table. A room with a hidden entry, no windows and apparently no other way out… with only a long wooden table, a run-down clock and the ghastly porcelain figures. What was going on and what did it all mean?
After another minute Julia joined Angelique at the room's doorway, a candle in her hand.
"My god." Julia said horrified, "So this is what happened to the Collins Family!"
Angelique snapped her head back to Julia, "But these aren't real people Julia, they're just porcelain figures."
"I get the feeling that they're a LOT more than that Angelique… I don't know how to explain it, it's just a feeling. Nick told me about a dream he had a while back; everything is just like he described. He even told me the names of the porcelain figures around this table… and one came to life."
Taking the candle Angelique walked over to the head of the table nearest the doorway. Leaning over she saw a nametag and read it out loud.
"Elizabeth Collins Stoddard"
"What?" Julia said, shocked. "But Nick sad the names of the 1897 Collins family."
"Very curious…" Angelique said, "But what he saw was the result of a dream… and as far as I'm aware we are in no dream."
"What are the rest of the names?" Julia asked, "It might be important."
Angelique walked around the table slowly, reading out the names as she went.
"Roger Collins, Lucien LaCroix, David Collins." She looked
up, "Who's Lucien?"
"It's Nick's friend that disappeared when they first came to
Collinwood."
"Ah, I see… Quentin is at the other head of the table, I hope that doesn't mean we're to late." She said as she continued inaudibly, at least to Julia, "still beautiful my dear."
Angelique walked over to the next figure, "Carolyn Stoddard". She stopped at the figure next to Carolyn's, blinking twice at the name…"My god! Barnabas!" she hissed. Kneeling down and touching the porcelain face. "Is this where you've been all these long years my darling." Angelique whispered to him.
"We're going to do our best to save them all, aren't we Angelique?"
Standing up Angelique whipped around as her eyes shimmered. "Damn right we are."
"Who's the last figure Angelique, I can't see a thing in here."
"Victoria Winters"
"Vicky!" Julia said, a little more loudly than she had intended. Her voice bounced between the four walls in the tiny room. "So Petofi was responsible for what happened to her as well…"
"It would seem so Julia. If you're right… if Petofi has amassed enough power to imprison the Collins family inside these statues then I'm afraid we're in a lot of trouble." Angelique said as she walked back over to Quentin's statue. "Which statue came alive in Nick's dream Julia?" she asked curiously.
"Quentin's – or rather Petofi's. You see, he said that the statue in his dream was wearing black gloves and when it attacked Nick the statue's right hand… fell off." Julia explained.
"I see, so the statue in Nick's dream was of Petofi masquerading in Quentin's body." Angelique concluded, looking over at Julia.
"Yes, that's the only explanation I can come to."
"Then how do you explain the fact that THIS statue of Quentin isn't wearing any gloves?"
Julia blinked, baffled. "I don't know."
Angelique walked over to the old grandfather clock, the time read midnight but the clock was not ticking. It had probably stopped years ago. Turning she caught sight of a shadow in one of the corners of the room, moving towards it she realized it was a body.
"Quentin!" Angelique cried out. He was flat on his back and she couldn't believe that they'd been in the room this long and hadn't noticed him lying there. He seemed to be unconscious and was unusually cold but she could see that he was breathing. Grabbing hold of one of his hands she squeezed it tightly as she softly told him that he was going to be alright now. Julia started to walk over but Angelique suddenly let go of Quentin's hand, letting it drop to the ground with a thud. Standing up she turned to Julia, her eyes wide with alarm.
"Julia, this Quentin is wearing gloves. Was Quentin wearing black
gloves when you last saw him?"
Thinking, Julia could feel the sense of dread creeping into the pit of her
stomach. She knew what Angelique was getting at. "No, he wasn't
wearing gloves. I don't ever recall Quentin wearing gloves…"
"Exactly, Julia… I think-"
"-They've switched places." Julia finished, horrified.
"We're too late."
Angelique looked at her Barnabas. Now a frozen figure trapped for eternity in a cold, hard tomb. Then she looked at Quentin's porcelain face and back at the unconscious body that was once his. As her eyes met Julia's again they were burning red with hatred for Count Petofi.
"Not if I can help it Julia. We're going to do everything… and I mean everything we can to bring these two back to us and give the Count… exactly what he deserves."
Chapter 33
Om Asatoma Sadgamaya (From delusion lead me to Truth)
Tamasoma Jyoti Gamaya (From darkness lead me to Light)
Myrityoma Amritam Gamaya (From death lead me to eternal life.)
~*~
The Present
Julia followed Angelique out of the disturbing secret room, and back into Quentin's room.
"Angelique, what are we going to do?"
"First, we're going to trap that monster in Quentin's, now convenient, secret room just like he did to the rest of the Collins family."
"What goes around, comes around." Julia quipped softly.
"Precisely."
"How are we going to trap him in there Angelique, even if we jam the door… he has powers. He might still be able to get out." Julia asks, studying the secret panel.
Angelique looked at Julia mischievously, grabbing her attention.
"You just leave that to me. Right now there is something I'd like you to do while I attend to this."
"What's that?"
"Leave me now, find some more candles and set up a small table and two chairs in the drawing room. I believe Roger kept the card table in the study."
"A Seance?"
"Of course, dear Julia. What else?"
"Who are we going to contact?"
"You'll see. Now go… quickly!" Angelique said, irritated.
"You're wasting time, I feel our 'friend' will be waking up
very soon. I'll meet you in the drawing room once I am through
here."
Julia briskly left the room, and Angelique immediately went to work.
~*~
1897
Secret, secret… who's got a secret?
~
Judith stepped into the Collinwood foyer, the large front doors shutting hard behind her. Setting down her suitcase she smiled, happy.
She was finally back home.
Her happiness was short lived however when the only thing that greeted her was the sound of the storm raging outside, and an empty house. A chill crept up her spine. Something was definitely going on at Collinwood tonight, despite the stony silence.
The sound of another carriage stopping in front of Collinwood broke her out of her reverie. Judith opened the front door to find Beth Chavez rushing towards Collinwood, as the carriage sped away as fast as it came.
"Beth!" Judith declared once she was at the door, "You haven't been out all night, have you?
"Miss Judith! It's so nice to see you again, has the doctor released you from the sanitarium for good?" Beth asked, as she closed the front doors and removed her hat. She was soaking wet.
"Indeed he has. Beth, what is going on around here? I haven't seen or heard a soul since I arrived. The doctor and I tried to phone several times to let Edward know that I was to arrive tonight and no one answered. Not even a servant! And may I ask, where have you been?" Judith queried.
"At Mrs. Fillmore's, it was the oddest thing Miss Judith, Edward took me there earlier this afternoon. He didn't tell me why. I think he wanted to get me out of the house. I waited for him to send someone to come and get me, but no one ever came. So I decided to call a carriage, I had to get back here Miss Collins. I have the feeling something is terribly wrong!"
"So strange…" Judith said, almost to herself. "I've had the same feeling, and I can't imagine why Edward would try to get rid of you."
"Neither can I."
"Beth. We're going to find out exactly what's going on in this house tonight."
~*~
The Present
Angelique smiled as she finished the spell; Petofi wasn't getting out of that room any time soon. At least, not until SHE wanted him out.
'Ah, the sweet irony of life.' Angelique thought to herself. ' First, you held me captive in that cave in 1897 and now I hold you captive in Quentin's secret room.'
Angelique heard something from the other side of the door. A slight shuffling of feet… he was awake.
'Now the real fun begins!' Angelique thought gleefully.
The sound got louder as he approached the panel, until he was right on the opposite side of it.
Petofi, in Quentin's body, reached for the panel's trigger to open in. He smiled at his own achievements. He could hardly contain his joy… he had successfully switched places with Quentin Collins and imprisoned that miserable Collins family for all time.
He was not filled with joy, however, when the panel didn't open after he pulled the trigger.
Frowning, he tried it again.
And again.
It wouldn't open.
Petofi focused all the powers of his hand on the door in front of him… yet it still didn't move. Not even an inch. "What the-?!" Petofi said in frustration as he started to pound on the door with his fists.
"My, my. I see you still have quite the temper… Count Petofi." Angelique said smuggle from the other side of the door.
Petofi stopped pounding; his confusion turned to rage… 'It was Angelique!'
"You won't be opening this door Petofi, only I can open it." She continued.
"You! How dare you continue to interfere with my plans and me! Open this door NOW!"
"I don't feel like it… and as far as my interference, I'll interfere whenever and however I please where Barnabas OR Quentin is concerned."
"I don't give a damn about Barnabas. Quentin, on the other hand, is all mine. There is absolutely nothing that you can do to save him now. You're too late Angelique. He's already dead. Do you hear me?! DEAD!" Petofi shouted, furious for here interruption in his plans. She could prove to be a problem.
Angelique's eyes shimmered with hatred, her powers feeding off of the strong feeling like a leech. The more hate she felt, the more powerful she felt. It was the way it had always been. Her voice dripped with venom as she answered him.
"We'll just see about that. Don't ever underestimate me, Count. It would be a grave mistake. I'm going to see to it that you're taken care of… permanently." She paused for a moment, and then added "Quite a switch, isn't it Petofi? Me holding YOU hostage for a change. So long!"
Angelique laughed, as she turned around and walked out of the room. The sound of Petofi's frantic pounding and screaming following her out.
It pleased her immensely.
~
"Julia, I see you've got everything ready. That's good, I don't want to waste any time. We're going to begin right away." Angelique said, as she met Julia in the Collinwood drawing room.
"Who are we contacting?"
Angelique rolled her eyes, as if the question was ridiculous. "Quentin, of course."
"Then Quentin IS dead?" Julia asked sadly.
"I'm afraid it seems that way. But if it is true, then his death might just become Petofi's downfall."
"I don't get it, but I'll go through with it anyway, if it will help rid us of that scum once and for all."
"Oh, indeed it will. You see, Petofi defeated me… temporarily, by forcing me to fight two enemies at once. You can't concentrate all your power on both thus weakening you and allowing an enemy to win, that you otherwise might have been able to defeat." Angelique explained.
Julia was beginning to understand.
"I will be the first enemy…"
"And Quentin will be the second." Julia finished, following
Angelique's reasoning. "It might just work at that."
Angelique glanced at Julia and raised an eyebrow. "Of course it will."
To Be Continued…