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If You Do Something You'll Regret In the Morning, Sleep til Noon

Anon

The next day I awoke early. I sat up and began picking up the pieces of broken glass, moving mechanically. I was not so tired anymore; the short rest had done me good.

Margarite came in while I was clearing up. "Are you okay!" She demanded as she took in the scene. "What happened!"

I shrugged. "I knocked the mirror over," I replied. I didn't want to worry her with my nightmares, or my guilt. They were my problems.

She stared at me open mouthed for a while. Eventually she shrugged. "Okay," she replied. "We're ready to go. We're just waiting for you,"

"I'll be ready soon,"

"Okay,"

Margarite left, and I finished clearing up. I got dressed, checking the wound on my shoulder as I did so. There was a small puckered scar there.

Usually when I used my healing magic, the wound healed without a mark. I pushed the doubts away. There was little point in worrying over it anymore.

When I went outside, Blanca, Geppeto, Zhuzhen, Karin and Margarite were waiting for me. Margarite had brought the helicopter down near the cathedral. She, Karin and Zhuzhen were all inside it already. I hugged Geppeto, and asked him to take good care of the village. He nodded, and as the helicopter flew away he waved until he was no more than a dot on the horizon.

I noticed Karin was wearing new clothes. I vaguely recognised them. I suppose they must have belonged to Cornelia.

The journey was spent in silence. Well, actually I fell asleep. My short rest hadn't restored that much of my energy, and with such a large group around me the voices wouldn't start up.

A few hours later, Zhuzhen shook me awake. "We're here," he said.

We all climbed out of the helicopter. Before us was a large castle-like building.

"It used to be a prison," said Margarite. "Veronica used it as her base,"

Zhuzhen and Karin nodded. I assumed she'd filled them in on the helicopter. I nodded. "Which bit's the Fort of Regrets?" I asked.

"It's in the basement," she said. "Come on,"

Margarite led the way through the castle, leading us eventually to a storeroom. The furniture had all been pushed to the walls – recently, from the pattern of dust. Margarite picked up a lantern from one of the boxes and lit it from a box of matches she was carrying in one of her pockets. The she led the way down into the Fort of Regrets.

"There's nothing on the first few floors," she said. My demon eyes could feel the regrets here, but they also knew that she was right. There was nothing here. Wait…

"There's something on the lowest floor!" I said.

Margarite nodded. "Yes. When I was here before, I didn't go to that floor,"

"Is that why there're no ghosts here?" I asked, realising. "You dealt with them already?"

"Yes," she said.

Silently, we proceeded down to the lowest floor. Karin looked around, hugging herself. I wondered if maybe she was a little psychic. She seemed a little nervy, a little jumpy. Margarite, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice the horrible aura of despair here. It surprised me that she'd been able to deal with the ghosts. Zhuzhen seemed calm, as always.

Eventually we reached the door leading down to the lowest floor. Margarite stepped back, and let me walk forward to open the door. I did so, and she handed me the lantern. I led the way down the stairs followed by Karin, then Zhuzhen with Margarite bringing up the rear.

I walked out into the middle of the space. I could sense something around the outskirts of the room.

An odd sort of light floated in front of us. It formed the figure of a woman, walking towards us. Karin stepped forward.

"Grandma?" She asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

The old woman nodded. I stepped back. Karin ran forwards. "Grandma, I…"

"Karin, it's okay,"

"I – I wanted to restore our family name, grandma,"

"I know. We're proud of you,"

"Oh, Grandma…"

The woman handed Karin a fencer's sword. "This was your grandfather's," she told her. "I want you to have it,"

Karin took the sword. "Thank you, Grandma,"

The old woman nodded. She began to fade away.

"Grandma, do you have to go? I've so much to tell you!" Asked Karin, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Yes," the old lady replied. She smiled. "I know what you want to say child. But I must go. I no longer have any regrets,"

As she disappeared, the old woman looked past Karin, straight at me. She nodded, almost to herself, and smiled at me. Then she was gone.

We stayed as we were for a few seconds. Then my shoulders slumped. "He's not here," I whispered. As one, we turned to leave.

"Alice!"

I turned. "Yuri?"

"Alice!"

"Yuri! Where are you? Yuri!"

Behind me, I knew Karin, Margarite and Zhuzhen were all watching me. I had no idea if they could hear him or not, but I didn't care. The edges of the room flickered and changed, growing dimmer. Everything seemed bathed in a sort of purple light. The walls disappeared.

It was then that I saw him. He was standing in front of me.

"Alice!"

"Yuri!" I ran towards him, my arms outstretched, but when I reached him my fingers touched only the cold hard stone, though I couldn't see anything. My fevered brain realised that though I could not see the walls, they must still be there. I pushed at the wall, scraping my fingernails down it and pounding with my fists. He was right in front of me, less than a foot away. I placed my hands flat on the wall, gazing at him, trying to imprint this image in my mind to give me hope later. He reached out his hands to meet mine, but neither of us could get through this barrier. It was like trying to embrace a reflection.

"Alice! Go to Tiffauges Castle!"

"Yuri, why can't I touch you! Yuri!"

"Alice, Tiffauges Castle. Remember!"

"Tiffauges Castle," I repeated. "Yuri…!"

"Alice…" he said, beginning to fade away. He seemed to be shrinking, going away from me, the distance between us growing second by second. He reached out to me. "I love you…"

"Yuri!" I sobbed, bunching my hands into fists and hitting the wall over and over as he disappeared and the walls came back.

"Yuri, I – I love you too…"

The others were silent. I slumped down to the ground. Only the sound of my heartbroken sobs filled the room.