Sorry this took so long! It's been a very busy week for me.
I'd love to hear what you guys think so far.
Audrey didn't bother getting changed before leaving the apartment, but she snagged her coat off the rack on the way out the door. The temperature dropped significantly at night, and although she would have much preferred to stay snuggled in bed, Nathan had made it sound like Duke's call was urgent.
The dock was silent as they headed towards the Cape Rouge, and Audrey turned to stare out over the dark water. There was an almost eerie feel to the whole scene, and she felt a shiver run up her spine.
A figure was leaning over the railing, just barely discernible through the dark, and as they stepped aboard Audrey recognized who it was. Jennifer had her arms crossed, and she seemed to be peering into the darkness, looking for something.
"Aren't you cold?" Audrey approached the other woman, tugging her own jacket tighter around her shoulders.
Jennifer turned in surprise to face the duo. "Wasn't really thinking about it." She offered, shrugging slightly. She gave them a tight smile, then gestured behind her. "Inside?"
Jennifer seemed spooked, which meant it was likely something serious. Audrey and Nathan followed her down the stairs, to where the only light was shining in Duke's kitchen. Jennifer slid onto the bench seat surrounding the small table, snatching up the book that lay in the center. She crossed her legs but began tapping her foot against the leg of the table nervously.
Nathan sat next to her, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table. Audrey could tell he seemed tense, although she certainly couldn't blame him. Jennifer stayed silent, the only sound her foot repeatedly hitting the metal. She seemed like she was waiting for something before she told them just what was going on.
"Where's Duke?" Audrey asked as she sat opposite them, her gaze drifting to Jennifer, peering down at her book. Her hands were clutching the thin paperback, fingers running along the edge of the pages.
As if on cue Duke entered from the side room, balancing 3 mugs in his hands. He placed them in the center of the table before dropping down next to Audrey, forcing her over a few inches.
She reached out and grabbed the handle of the mug, raising it to her lips and taking a small sip.
Coffee, thank god. She eagerly took a few gulps before recognizing the distinct flavor of something else- Baileys. At least Duke was consistent.
Across the table Nathan didn't bother with his own cup, focusing still on Jennifer, who seemed to be trying to fold in on herself.
Duke reached over and poked her leg firmly, giving her a sly grin. "Nice getup. Did I wake you?"
Audrey swatted at his hand and ignored the question, turning once more to face Jennifer. "What's up?" She asked, setting the mug back on the table once she'd nearly drained it.
Jennifer looked up at the three expectant faces, her eyes wide.
"Okay, um, I'll start at the beginning." She cracked open the book, flattening the cover against the table and showing what appeared as a blank front page. "This would be a lot easier if you guys could all see it, but there's the Guard symbol." She placed a finger in the center, tapping the page lightly. "And it moves. I couldn't figure it out at first, but depending on where the book is, it points in a different direction. But, I realized it's pointing at the same place, like a compass."
"And where's that?" Nathan leaned closer towards her, his tone expectant. Jennifer pursed her lips and gave him a hard stare. He recoiled minutely, and Audrey fought a grin.
"That took a while. It disappears off and on, I couldn't figure it out." She ran a hand over the page gently. "Duke said Vince's tattoo did the same, so I talked to him about it." She paused again, taking a breath.
That must have been what Dave mentioned earlier, Audrey reasoned. She couldn't remember if she'd ever seen Vince's Guard tattoo before, but the ones she had seen definitely hadn't been mobile. If Vince could make his tattoo disappear, did that mean he was connected to this book too? Connected to Jennifer? Somehow her list of questions just continued to grow.
After a moment Jennifer looked up again. "And he was right, the symbols were in sync. But Vince said his had never moved like this before, so I thought that meant it was something new." Her nervousness began to lessen, her tone growing more confident with every word. "So I just… Followed where it was pointing."
"Where?" Nathan repeated, and Jennifer rolled her eyes.
"You're very impatient, you know that?"
Nathan simply raised his eyebrows.
Jennifer continued on with a sigh. "The lighthouse, way down by the beach. The symbol grew stronger as I got closer."
Audrey frowned. The lighthouse? That didn't make any sense. The book instructed them to find the heart of Haven, according to Jennifer, but Audrey had been in that lighthouse, and there was next to nothing there.
Beside her, Duke sat up straighter. "Did Vince come?"
Jennifer shook her head. "No, I figured it would be best to go alone."
"What?" Duke exclaimed, leaning across the table towards her. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me?"
Jennifer sighed, her gaze fixed on the book in her hands rather than on him. "If something had happened, I didn't-"
"If something had happened, you would have been by yourself!" He cut her off quickly, shaking his head in disbelief. "What if William had been there? Or what if something went wrong?"
She finally raised her gaze, meeting Duke with a pleading look. "Nothing did go wrong. I'm fine. Can I finish explaining this?"
He sunk back into his seat with a groan, and Audrey felt the uncomfortable energy hanging in the air.
"Will everybody please stop interrupting me?" Jennifer complained, turning the next page of the book rather forcefully. "Anyway, I couldn't see anything at first but there was a trap door under some stuff, so I opened it up and went down to take a look-"
"Alone?" Audrey spit out the word before she even realized it, and found herself suddenly on the receiving end of Jennifer's glare.
"You too?" The other woman asked, and Audrey pressed her lips together, sinking down further in her seat.
"Yes, still alone. I waited a bit, I couldn't hear anything down there. But it…" Jennifer trailed off for a moment, shaking her head. "You gotta see it. I mean, that's why I called you guys, it… There was this whole area, underneath the lighthouse. Like a… I don't know, I can't even describe it. But there was the Guard symbol on the floor, it was huge. And the four people, I think they're like four points. People are supposed to stand there, you know, and then something happens."
Jennifer ceased her rambling, and the company was silent for a long moment. Audrey tried to think of what this could all mean, but she was at a loss.
"What happens?" She asked softly, and Jennifer shrugged in response.
"Your guess is as good as mine. But…" The woman paused, uncertainty creeping back into her voice. "I think I'm supposed to be there. I mean, I'm supposed to be one of those people. I could feel it, you know?"
Duke breathed a sigh, and Audrey glanced up to meet Nathan's eyes across the table. He looked conflicted, as if he was weighing two difficult options in his head.
"We should go there." He spoke suddenly, and three heads turned to meet him. "We don't know what that place is for, William could be using it. We should find out what it is before he does something else."
Jennifer nodded and began to respond, but Audrey wasn't listening. An apprehensive feeling was building in her stomach. If Jennifer had felt some sort of pull at this place, wouldn't it make sense that she would feel the same? She didn't want to have any more blackouts, and a part of her still feared that what William had said would come true. If she remembered any more of Mara's life, she might lose control and then... What would happen? Would Audrey Parker be wiped away? Would she automatically turn back into Mara?
"Parker?"
She glanced up to meet Nathan's inquisitive eyes, shaking her head slightly to clear her runaway thoughts. "Hmm?"
"We're gonna go check it out." Jennifer stated, fingers still gripping the book tightly. "The lighthouse, I mean."
Audrey nodded quickly. "Okay. Right, good plan."
As they all stood up, Duke reached for Jennifer's hand and whispered something in her ear. Audrey watched the other woman shake her head before Nathan nudged her arm, pulling her off to the side.
"You okay?" He pushed his hands into his jacket pockets, his face displaying clear concern. "You were pretty quiet."
She sighed, pressing her lips together tight. There wasn't nearly enough time to tell him about the other memory she'd experienced, and she didn't want to voice her worries about what would happen in front of Duke and Jennifer, who clearly had enough on their plates.
"Just tired." She smiled at him, but his expression didn't change.
"Audrey," He began, brow furrowed, but Duke cleared his throat behind them, and Audrey spun to face him.
"You two okay?" He asked, and she nodded before Nathan could open his mouth.
"Yup. All set." Audrey zipped up her jacket, turning to look at Jennifer. "Should we all drive?"
"Oh, it's not too far. We can walk." She glanced up at Duke for a moment, and he gave her the slightest smile before she looked away again. "Hope you guys don't mind the cold."
Duke chuckled, and as the two of them headed up the stairs to the deck, she looked over at Nathan. His face was blank now, and as he tried to brush by her she reached out and grasped his hand.
"Hey," She gripped his fingers tight, noting how surprisingly chilly they were. He was lucky he couldn't feel the frigid temperatures, she thought. "I'm fine. I promise."
For a moment he just blinked at her, but then his expression softened and he tugged her closer.
"I know. I just worry about you sometimes."
Audrey couldn't help but smile at that, and she leaned forward to place a quick kiss on his lips.
"I've noticed." She teased, and the corners of his mouth barely curved up.
"Hey!" A shout sounded from above them, and Audrey stepped away from him quickly, peering up the stairs to where Duke was leaning down to see them. "You coming?"
Nathan regretted his suggestion to visit the lighthouse as soon as they set foot inside it. It wasn't the pristine, touristy one that appeared on postcards. Rather it was old, and if he couldn't see the light shining he'd swear it hadn't been used in years. The paint on the outside was chipped, and both he and Duke had had to pry open the old wooden door in order to get inside. He couldn't even imagine how Jennifer had managed it earlier.
Still, all of that seemed like nothing when they stepped inside and Jennifer suggested they go down the invisible trap door that she alone could see.
"I swear, this is what I did earlier." She crouched down and tugged on something, and low and behold Nathan watched the small wooden door become visible as she lifted it up. She looked up at the rest of them expectantly, but no one moved.
"Well?" Jennifer looked down the hatch, nodding to herself. "Come on then." She began to descend the rickety stairs, sparing one last look up at her three companions.
Duke heaved a sigh and followed her, and just as his head disappeared Nathan turned to Audrey.
"You wanna go first?" He asked, and she shook her head, smirking at him.
"Nah, I think you should do the honors."
He chuckled softly and carefully set one foot on the first step, hearing a loud creak as it accepted his weight.
"Well. This isn't creepy at all."
Audrey let out a laugh, and he heard her footsteps come up to the edge of the opening.
"Hurry up, Wuornos. I got places to be."
Nathan smiled to himself, taking the rest of the steps as quickly as he could without losing his footing. The wood was old, and even as he set foot on the solid ground he still didn't feel completely stable.
Nathan drew in a breath as he took in his new surroundings. They seemed to be in some sort of a cave, not unlike the ones he knew littered the edge of the beach by the water. He'd never seen any quite like this, however. The cavernous area was huge, and just as Jennifer had described, it was adorned with a huge replica of the Guard symbol in the center of the ground.
"Wow." He breathed, and Duke nodded his agreement.
"This place looks ancient." He ran his hand over the wall, causing tiny bits of rock to crumble beneath his fingers. "How has no one found it before?"
"I don't think anyone can." Audrey's voice sounded behind him, and Nathan realized he was still blocking the bottom of the stairs. He quickly stepped to the side, but she stayed stock still, eyes wide as she took it all in.
"Jennifer's the only one who can find this place. I couldn't even see the door." She walked towards the giant symbol, pausing just before she stepped on one of the four points. She seemed transfixed by it, her eyes traveling over the shape.
"What am I supposed to do?" Jennifer looked down at the book in her hands again, peering intently at the cover.
"Open some door?" Duke offered, coming over to stand beside her.
Jennifer reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, slumping against the hard wall. "Yeah, but how? Do I just snap my fingers and it magically appears?"
Audrey's head turned suddenly, and Nathan watched as she seemed to come back to herself.
"I think you have to use the book." She crossed the space to join Jennifer and Duke, then tapped the plastic cover. "If the book lead you here, than it has to be connected to this place in some way."
Jennifer glanced up hesitatingly, gnawing at her bottom lip. "What do I do with it then?" She held the book out for Audrey's inspection, but she pushed it back.
"I don't know, but it's gotta be you."
Jennifer looked panic-stricken, and Audrey reached out a hand, resting it lightly on her arm.
"Hey, you're gonna be fine." She was using the calm, soothing tone she reserved for talking down the troubled, and Nathan found himself smiling as she reassured the other woman.
William couldn't have been more wrong about her. Whoever Mara was, any sense of evil inside of Audrey was obviously gone. All she wanted was to help people, to heal Haven. And no matter what William did, Audrey clearly wasn't going anywhere.
"Alright then." Jennifer cleared her throat, taking a deep breath. "If the symbol's what lead us here, than maybe that's where the door is." She gestured to the large design on the floor, and brushed past Audrey to approach it carefully. She stopped short of the inscribed mark and knelt down, brushing her fingers over the ground.
Audrey followed slowly, coming to stand a few steps to the side of Jennifer. On instinct Nathan crept closer, but kept his distance from the circular symbol. Somehow it gave off an unfamiliar energy, and he swore he could almost feel it prickling on the back of his neck.
"Okay." Jennifer's voice was a whisper and she rose to her feet slowly, looking down at the book once more before extending her arm, holding it firmly over the symbol.
For a moment, nothing at all happened. Nathan saw Audrey's face wrinkle, watched Duke take a step towards Jennifer, but he didn't get very far. Just as he set his foot down the symbol began to move, rotating in a clockwise position. Duke froze stock still, and the four of them watched as the mark continued to spin, gradually picking up speed.
All of a sudden there was a loud bang, like something cracking open and the floor began to rumble. The walls seemed to shake, and even as Nathan put out his hand to steady himself he sensed he was in danger of crashing to the floor.
He tried to shout for Jennifer to stop but the noise was growing louder, and she couldn't hear him.
The symbol ceased it's spinning and in an instant fell apart, splitting straight down the middle. As the two pieces shifted to the side something began to come out of them; a blue mist, swirling nearly a foot off the ground, running over the floor and collecting at their ankles.
Nathan couldn't make out what was beneath the mist, but he watched Audrey take a step towards the growing opening.
"Stop!" He yelled, but still Jennifer seemed frozen, holding out her hand stiffly.
"Jennifer! Stop it!" Duke's voice joined his own, but neither seemed to make much difference. The noise was deafening now, and the shaking of the floor sent Nathan to his knees. He shut his eyes briefly, and as quickly as everything had started it stopped.
He opened his eyes to see Audrey still standing over the now closed symbol, her eyes staring straight ahead, face blank.
Jennifer was laying on the ground, Duke sprawled half on top of her. She shook her head like she was clearing it, and he slowly pushed himself to his feet, offering Jennifer a hand once he'd stood up.
"What the hell was that?" Nathan helped himself up, keeping a hand on the wall even as he regained his footing. He quickly crossed over to Audrey, and as he placed a hand on her back she jolted, turning towards him with confusion in her eyes.
"You okay?" He questioned, but Jennifer's voice behind them cut him off.
"You didn't have to tackle me." She complained, and Duke threw his hands in the air.
"Seriously? Am I the only one who saw that? That was creepy as all get out, right?" He looked over at Nathan, his face incredulous. "Come on!"
Jennifer shuddered and quickly tucked the book back into her coat, wrapping her arms around herself. "What was that?"
No one had a reasonable answer for her. Nathan glanced around the cave but it looked just as it had five minutes ago; no trace of the blue smoke, no signs of anything amiss.
Beside him, Audrey shut her eyes tight and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You okay?" He repeated, and she nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I just- That was probably a bad idea." She looked back down at the symbol, and Nathan followed her gaze. There were barely any marks on it, let alone a giant crack in the middle.
"At least we know what the door is, though." Jennifer piped up, rocking back on her heels. "That's something."
Yeah, a monumentally bad something. Nathan was glad he couldn't feel the headache that was most certainly building in that moment.
"Let's get out of here." Audrey spoke up again, turning her back on the mysterious mark.
Duke and Jennifer murmured their agreement and lead the way up the stairs. It was still dark out as they stepped outside, but Nathan could just barely see the sun peeking out over the horizon. They must have spent much more time down there than he had thought.
"Back to the Cape Rouge?" Duke shivered as he posed the question, his breath still visible in the night air. "I think we could all use a round of post-otherworldly door-opening drinks."
Nathan had to admit he could definitely go for anything alcoholic right then, but Audrey shook her head.
"I wanna go talk to William."
"What? Why?" Nathan knew he sounded like a broken record, but sometimes Audrey just seemed determined to confuse him. "What is he going to do?"
"I don't know, but I- I need to talk to him. Now."
Jennifer shoved her hands further into her pockets and shuffled her feet back and forth, her breath creating puffs in the air.
"You guys go ahead, I'll meet you all later." Audrey gave Duke a pointed look, and he turned away with a nod, ushering Jennifer along with him.
Nathan waited for a moment until they were out of earshot. "I'm coming with you."
"Nathan, please-"
"No, this guy's crazy. Actually crazy. And whatever this is about, you can tell me." He grabbed her hand and let out a sharp breath at how cold it was. "Please, Audrey."
She squeezed his fingers weakly, and finally looked up at him. "Okay. But we should get moving. If I stand out here any longer I'm gonna be a popsicle."
He cracked a brief smile then began to walk with her down the pathway, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her in tight against him.
"Do you know where he is?" Nathan felt her relax into him, her head nestling into his shoulder.
"No. I imagine he'll find me now."
Her words made his stomach clench. What did that mean? Was William going to come after her? As they reached the end of the path he stopped, stepping away and placing his hands on her shoulders. She met his eyes reluctantly, and he could tell something was wrong.
"What happened down there?" He asked, fingers digging into her jacket.
She took a shaky breath before answering. "When the door opened I…. I saw something." Audrey's tone was so fearful he instantly wanted to wrap her in his arms and make sure she was okay. She closed her eyes tight, like she was trying to conjure up the image again. "Nathan, I-" She cut off and he released her shoulders, drawing her closer towards him. The wind blew around them, casting her hair in her face, and as she reached up to brush it away he saw tears building in her eyes. What could make her feel this scared, he wondered. What could shake her like this?
She looked back up at him, and her voice shook as she continued. "I saw her. Me. Mara."