IN THE LAST CHAPTER:
He was not an impressive man by any means. He was stout and short, obviously well over 40, but he had tiger-eyes that drew everyone in the room in. Ringed with black, his golden eyes landed on yours, and one instantly felt humbled. There was heated tension in the room as everyone in the room leaned forward in anticipation of his punishment of the intruder.
"Well, I don't think we've ever met, have we Ms. Laurel? I apologize. I should have been a better neighbor."
He grinned widely, and swept his arm out.
" One would think you would've heard our parties, n'est pas? "
Laurel slowly rotated on the spot, taking in the splendors of a Victorian ballroom. A chandelier glittered above a sea of black silk and grey crinoline. But the chandelier was not the only thing glittering. Although the clothes were drab, ice graced the necks of many a lady.
The orchestra had stopped playing for a moment and all eyes were fixed on the two figures near the table.
" My name is Jeremy Wilkins, and this is the Secret Society of the Speckled Band."
Jeremy Wilkins stalked closer, his eyes flashing predatorily. Laurel started to back away, and knocked into something. She turned around to see the rather large bodyguard from the door standing behind her. He gave her another large toothy grin, and Laurel's mind raced.
Laurel, you stupid fucking idiot! I'm going to die down here. Shit, fuck, damn, I'm dying"People know I'm down here. I told them to call the police if I wasn't up in an hour. At 7:01, they'll have the police knocking at your door"
Laurel's heart was racing and pumping so fast she thought it might jump out of her chest.
"Laurel, you should not tell such blatant lies. Nobody knows you're down here. Nobody."
She twisted her hand behind her back and carefully unzipped the bag. She rooted around, looking frantically for the mace. The crowd was closing in around her, and Jeremy Wilkins was slowly raising his hand, a handkerchief clutched tightly in it.
The sweet, nauseating smell hit her nose, and she struggled to remain in the world. She could almost see the blackness on the edges of her conciousness.
"I'm sorry my dear, but you've been chosen. Believe me, things will be better for you now."
Her last coherent thought.
" So is he going to kill me or not?"But coherency was not around to stay. She felt herself falling into the blackness, and knew no more.
When Laurel's head hit the floor, there was an almost audible release of held breath. Jeremy stepped back, and his large bodyguard took off his false teeth, and smoothed back his hair. Jeremy shook himself for a moment, and then took out the yellow contacts. Costume aside, Jeremy Wilkins was a short pudgy man with rotting teeth and water blue eyes. He turned to the bodyguard, who had also miraculously changed, but it seemed to be the opposite. Instead of the rotting sailor, there was a blond haired hunk with white teeth. He'd managed to scrape off all the gunk on his face, and was actually quite presentable.
"Listen, Grimes. Could you take her to the room? I'll be there in a second."
"Sure thing boss. Should I put her in yet?"
"No, wait for me. We're going to have to put a few more things in her bag before she goes. She really isn't ready to go yet. T wrote me a note, saying that she was a special case, so she isn't going to a stable. Hold on."
" Right boss."
" I shall see you there in half an hour."
Jeremy Wilkins strode down the hallway, Laurel's knapsack in hand. He'd put some more essentials in there, and suddenly paused in front of the painting of a man in a coffin in a field. He felt around the side of the painting, and found a tiny lever. Pulling it, he stepped back and a door mysteriously appeared at the end of the corridor. He walked with heavy steps to the door and passed through seeing Laurel on a scientist's dissection table, and Grimes standing nearby.
" Hallo, Grimes. She woken up?" He gestured towards Laurel's prone form.
"No, guv'na. Not an inch."
" I rather hate chloroforming them. It really is quite animalistic and brutal."
Grimes stayed silent and Jeremy shook his head and got down to business.
Jeremy placed the bag on top of Laurel, and quickly moved around to a very large silver machine in the corner. He pressed a button, pulled a lever, and twiddled some knobs. Almost at once, the table in the middle of the room shone with blue light, and began to hum. He flipped on more lever, and the table began to rotate. He crossed over to the bookshelves across the room, and searched for something.
" Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Lord of the Flies, Redwall, I was non-blond cheerleader…. Grimes, who put " I was a non-blond Cheerleader" in our shelves?"
" I believe it was T, sir."
" Ah. Interesting, but no. Hmm, how 'bout this one, eh Grimes?" He raised the heavy tome in question high in the air.
" Very good choice sir."
Wilkins re-crossed the room, and opened the book to a page. He then inserted the book into the machine, and pressed one final red button. The lights flickered, and went out, and all that was left was the darkness, a table, and two grinning men.