Chapter 15
It was a few hours later and nothing else had happened. Katherine had given Christina an ice pack for her aching back, but the walls were still bricked over. 'Shall I try just blasting through it?' Christina wondered as she ran her hand over the brick. 'I mean, it feels real but it might not be real.'
'Worth a shot.' Lisa said. So Christina put the ice pack down and planted her feet in the middle of the room.
'Here goes nothing.' She said, firing a stream of blue at the wall. The energy crashed into it and rebounded straight back for her, hitting her in the chest and sending her crashing into the couch on the far side of the room.
'Damn.' Dani said, running over to her.
'Kath, ice pack.' Christina said from her position on the couch. Katherine ran over to her with the ice pack. She took it gratefully and sat up.
'So, new plan.' Lisa said. 'What if we all have to face a fear before it goes away?'
'That means, Amy, Chris and me are still left to go.' Katherine said.
'Well we know Chris wont do it, she can't do anything right.' Amy said.
'What?' Christina looked at her.
'Yeah that's true.' Lauren agreed. 'She's not good at anything.'
'I don't know why we still listen to her.' Lisa said.
'Guys, really?' Christina said.
'I mean, she's a failure at everything she does.' Dani added. 'She's nearly thirty and she still lives with her younger sisters. No husband, no kids of her own. What a disappointment.'
'No this isn't real.' Christina said, closing her eyes.
'She might as well just tell them where the amulet is, they'll get it out of her eventually she's so weak.' Amy said.
'This isn't real.' Christina whispered to herself.
'Chris!' Lisa called her. 'Earth to Christina.' Christina's eyes snapped open.
'You okay? You went somewhere.' Lisa said.
'Is this real?' She asked. 'You don't think I'm a failure?'
'What? Of course not.' Katherine said. 'Is that your fear?' Christina nodded.
'No, we do not think you're a failure Chris.' Lauren confirmed for her.
'Okay, okay.' Christina let out a breath.
'So that means just Amy and Kath to go.' Lisa said. 'What are you afraid of?'
'Take your pick.' Katherine tried to joke.
xxxxxx
Amy was sitting next to Christina on the sofa when the water began to spill down from the bricked over windows. She stood slowly and watched it fall. Before she knew it the water was up to her ankles, then her knees. She looked around frantically. 'Amy?' Christina said nervously, standing up with her.
'It's filling up with water.' Amy said.
'No it's not Aimes.' Lauren said. 'It's a trick, remember that.'
'Yeah, I know it's not real.' She said, but she was struggling to control her breathing. 'It's not going away! The water keeps rising!'
'Amy, there's no water in here.' Katherine said, coming in front of her.
'It's getting higher.' Amy panicked.
'Hey, Aimes, look at me.' Katherine said. 'Look at me.' Amy's eyes looked up into her sisters. 'Remember that time at camp when you fell in the pool, you didn't know how to swim?'
'Yeah, hated the water ever since.' Amy admitted.
'I know, but who was there to pull you out?' Katherine asked her to think back.
'You, and Lise.' Amy said, looking at Katherine instead of the water.
'That's right, and we're here right now.' Katherine held out her hand. 'So take my hand, and let me pull you out.'
'Okay.' Amy said, taking Katherine's hand as the water evaporated around her.
'See, nothing but an illusion.' Katherine smiled.
'Thanks Kath.' Amy said, hugging her tightly. Just then, a groan came from the other side of the room. Their father was waking up.
'Dad.' Lauren said, moving over to him and helping him stand.
'What happened?' He said, holding the back of his head.
'You don't remember?' Lisa questioned.
'No, one minute Lisa was talking to ghosts and then I'm waking up here.'
'I threw you into a wall dad.' Dani said honestly.
'You've never been able to do stuff like that.' He said, confused.
'Well, turns out when people are hurting one of my sisters I get angry.' She said, arms folded over her chest.
'Dan, it wasn't his fault.' Christina said.
'I don't care.' Dani said angrily. 'He was hurting you.'
'Chris, I….' Robert started but Christina cut him off.
'Don't worry dad, I'm fine.' Christina said, not making eye contact with him.
'Let me get you an ice pack, for your head.' Katherine said to him, heading towards the kitchen.
'Christina, I really am sorry.' Robert said. 'I don't even know what I did, I don't remember.'
'Maybe the demon affects witches and humans differently?' Amy suggested. 'It's probably harder for humans to break free.'
'Don't defend him Amy.' Dani moved a step closer before Christina put her hand on her arm to stop her. 'You said some really shitty things dad, that was before you slammed her into the wall.'
'I what?' He said. 'Chris, I would never….'
'Dad, I know.' Christina said. 'It wasn't your fault.' She turned to Dani. 'I appreciate you sticking up for me okay, but leave it for now.' She pleaded.
'Fine.' Dani walked back to the other side of the room.
Xxxxxx
Katherine was heading back towards the living room when the doorway bricked over in front of her. She turned and watched two other entrance ways become solid walls with no exit left for her to leave the kitchen through. 'Guys!' She called. 'Hello?' She yelled louder. 'Can anyone hear me.' As she turned around, the demon appeared in the corner of the room. Her eyes were still glowing gold.
'They've all left you Katherine.' She whispered.
'No they haven't, they would never leave.' Katherine said assertively.
'They have all gone, and do you know why?' She hissed. 'Because you're useless.'
'No, you're lying.' Katherine said, taking a step back.
'I'm not lying, think about it, what do you really bring to this group?' The demon began stalking around the room.
'Kath is taking a long time, don't you think?' Lisa asked the room.
'Let's go.' Christina said, immediately jumping up, followed by the rest of her sisters and their father.
'They don't need you Katherine.' The demon said. 'All you can do is mess with people's memories and tell them about horrible events you have no control over.'
'That's a lie. We have control. If I see things we can change them.' Katherine said.
'It's cute that you believe that.' The demon smiled. 'What about Christina? You've already wiped her memory once and gone into her dream. How much more of that do you think her mind can take? She'd be better off without you.'
'No, it's not true.' Katherine said, putting her hands over her ears. Christina and Lisa reached the kitchen first and saw the bricked over door.
'Shit!' Christina said, banging her fist on the bricks. 'Katherine!' She called. Lisa was by her side doing the same thing.
'Kath whatever it is, it's not real!' Lisa yelled.
'They left you all alone in here with me.' The demon said, grinning once more. 'But if you tell me where the amulet is, I can make sure you're never alone ever again. That's what you want isn't it? To never be alone?'
'I want my sisters.' Katherine said. 'And they're right outside the door.'
'No they're not.'
'Yes they are, I can hear them.' Katherine said, focusing on the distant voices of her sisters.
'Kath! We're right here!' Amy called, followed by Dani and Lauren shouting their own message. After a moment one of the bricks disappeared, letting them see into the kitchen.
'Kath! There you are!' Christina smiled. 'You're winning Kath, we're right here.' She encouraged. Katherine looked up at the demon and sent her a smile of her own.
'See, you can't beat us.' She said.
'We will, soon enough.' The demon said. 'He's coming for you, for all of you.' She faded as the rest of the bricks did, including the ones on the outside of the house. Christina ran through the door as soon as she could to hug her sister. They were soon joined by everyone else, apart from Lauren who had gone to look out of the window.
'You did it Kath.' Lisa said proudly.
'We did it, we all defeated her.' Katherine said. 'And I know you guys would never leave me.' Lauren came back into the room.
'The demon is gone.' She confirmed.
'Thank God for that.' Dani said.