Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair
"What did you think of the play, Kitten?" Mr. C asked me as we left the Lafayette Theater that night. There was a fresh excitement in his eyes, as if the play had reminded him of something from long ago.
The performance was wonderful…I wanted to gush about the nuanced performances of Macbeth and his wife. Orson, as usual, had put everything into this performance.
But Kitty Welles wasn't supposed to care about the deeper works. "It was good." I said, rubbing my head, pretending to be suffering from a headache. "What did you think about it?"
"Everything…it reminded me of the stories my nurse used to tell me long ago…she was from the Caribbean you see and used to tell such wonderful stories about witch doctors and the like…how about you? What did you like about it?" Mr. C asked.
"It was…unusual…I'm sorry, but as I mentioned earlier, Mr. C. one class on Shakespeare was enough to put me to sleep."
"Well, at least you can say that you saw a once in a lifetime performance. I'll bet money that Orson Welles will go far someday." Mr. C said, a smile on his face. "I bet he'll have his first major motion picture by the time he's thirty."
I smiled…remembering Orson and the rest of the Mercury Theatre cast.
For once, I was glad I worked on those exercises earlier. I didn't have enough energy to mourn my old life. Not that I could afford to. My parents needed justice. "Based on what I saw tonight…I wouldn't doubt it one bit." I said.
"So…what do you want to do now?" Mr. C asked. I felt his hand on the small of my back. Disgust rose within me as he raised a hand to my hair as if to stoke it. I didn't want anybody touching me…
Marguerite Lane. The Shadow's familiar voice haunted my mind. Don't look around. You know you won't see me.
"Kitten, are you ok?" Mr. C's voice asked, breaking my thoughts.
Go home. We have much to discuss.
"Hmm? Yeah, everything's fine…it's just…" I said aloud, trying to panic. I was overcome with this strange sense to get home immediately. A meeting…just like the one Lamont had… "What time is it?" I asked.
Mr. C checked his watch. "Half-past ten."
"Oh my God, I completely forgot!" I said, touching my hand to my head as if remembering… "I'm supposed to get up really early tomorrow and pick up my folks from the station." I said.
"Your parents getting in on the early express?" Mr. C asked as a cab pulled up next to us. My lucky break. Thank the Lord. I thought with a sigh.
"Yeah, it was the only time they could get. Thank you for such a nice evening, Mr. C." I said.
"How about I escort you home?" Mr. C. asked, moving next to the cab to get in.
NO! Head home alone. The Shadow's voice echoed, louder this time.
"It's not necessary." I said. "I'm a big girl, can tie my own shoes and everything. Not that I don't appreciate it, because I do, but I'll be ok."
Mr. C's face softened. I still wanted to shudder. "Well if you say so, my little Amazon. Make sure you call me when you get home, ok?"
"Thanks again, Mr. C." I said as he kissed me.
"You're welcome." I said, hopping into the taxi. Mr. C. closed the door. The cab took off as soon as it clicked shut, leaving him behind waving at us. "I need to get to…"
"Eight Twenty Five Moorehead Road in Long Island." The cabbie said, looking back at me with a smile. How did he…? I noticed the ring on his finger. The same one I was wearing.
He was the cabbie who had picked the Shadow and me up the night Mom and Dad died.
"The Shadow sent you to get me, huh?" I asked, leaning back as he turned the corner.
"Correct, little miss." The cabbie said with a chuckle. "Only…make sure that somebody else does work with the guy before you make that assumption. Remember…he doesn't exist. And it could be dangerous."
"Oh, right." I said, realizing my blunder. "At least I've met you before so I know to trust you, Mr.…?"
"Just call me Shrevvy." Shrevvy said. For a while, we ride in silence. I wasn't quite sure what to talk about. After all…he was taking me home, probably for more training.
Deep down, I was scared.
I wasn't sure what the heck he was going to do to me. Was it more hellish training like the night before? I wondered, feeling my anxiety build inside of me.
Shrevvy seemed to sense my hesitation, so he said nothing for a long time. It didn't take long for him to get me home. "Here we are."
"How much for the fare?" I asked, reaching for my wallet in my purse.
"Don't worry about it." Shrevvy said with a smile. "Boss took care of that for you."
"Still, I want to give something." I said, deciding to take out a quarter.
"You can repay the favor by having a wonderful evening." Shrevvy said with a grin.
I laughed, warming up to Shrevvy. "I will, you too."
The Shadow was waiting for Marguerite in her room. He listened to her getting into the house and locking up for the night before walking into her bedroom. Once inside, she jumped upon seeing him. "Don't scare me like that again." She said, putting her purse on the bed.
"Get used to it." The Shadow said, preparing the circle of candles.
"Another night of lighting and extinguishing candles with my mind?" Marguerite asked.
"More than that." The Shadow said, stepping out of the circle. He gestured to her to step into the circle. Like she was doing earlier, she began lighting the candles in her mind. Now for the next part. He projected out some of his mental energy, extinguishing six of the twenty candles.
"Hey, what's going on?" Marguerite asked, looking at him.
"You have to keep the candles lit." The Shadow said, sending out another blast to the candles, blowing out two more of them. Marguerite lit the candles he had extinguished. But he was ready, sending another blast, taking out more candles.
He felt her tired frustration building. Good, a source of energy for her mind, the Shadow thought. "How am I supposed to keep the candles lit if you keep blowing them out?" She asked, keeping her temper level.
"Just keep them lit." The Shadow said. Of course the real purpose behind this exercise wasn't speed but endurance. As she was lighting all the candles at once, she was expending her energy. Eventually, she would so mentally exhausted that she wouldn't be able to keep up.
But she would eventually have to draw from her rage and desire for justice from deep within. That would stoke the fire and turn it into a raging inferno.
At first I thought I was doing well. But as the evening wore on, I felt my mind draining faster and faster.
Eventually I had to stop. "Can I take a minute to breathe?" I asked, rubbing my temples, feeling the familiar pounding and banging inside my head.
The Shadow paused. I was waiting for him to explode at me. But he didn't. He just tucked his hand into his holster and pulled out a vial full of purple fluid. "Here. Drink this." He said. I looked at it suspiciously and then back at him. "It'll give you your strength back."
"How do I know it's not poison?" I asked, feeling anxious.
The Shadow chuckled, the sound echoed through the room, sending a chill up my back. "If I wanted you dead, Marguerite Lane, I would've done it long ago and somewhere else." He said, putting the vial in my hand. "Drink." He ordered.
He did have a point. I thought as I uncorked the thing and downed it in one swallow. The stuff had a bitter burning taste as it slid down my throat. While I tried to keep from showing my disgust, I coughed, feeling my lungs burning.
"Feeling better?" The Shadow asked as he took the vial and cork back. To my surprise, his voice was softer, almost…concerned…
Sure enough, I felt a warmness spreading through my body, as if I had just awoken from a good night's sleep and had a plate of Mama's bacon and eggs to fuel me. "Yeah, thanks." I said.
"You're welcome." The Shadow said, re-corking the vial and putting it back into his holster. "It's a useful tool to have."
Something was going on. I felt that there was a deeper motive behind his ploy.
"What are you up to?" I asked. "You've done pretty much nothing but bark at and frighten me and now you're being nice."
That's the clever girl he knew. The Shadow thought. He would've been disappointed in her if she didn't start asking questions. It was going to be more difficult getting her to tap into that inner rage he knew was burning beneath.
But he was in the mood for a challenge. The Shadow thought. It's time to play good cop.
"Can I not do something nice?" He asked.
Marguerite scoffed. "You've made it pretty clear that those who disobey you pay the price."
"That's true." The Shadow agreed. Time to feed her grains of truth. "I know you continued your exercises. I have my ways so don't ask. And it's difficult to not admire you for it." Marguerite looked at him in surprised distrust. "If you decide to not believe that, I'm not going to blame you." He said, stepping away. She was still staring at him, as if unsure of what to believe. "But believe me when I say that I can see why your parents were proud of you."
He felt the sadness in her. It was time to jump on his chance.
"I felt them cry out but couldn't get to them fast enough. Their last thoughts were of you." The Shadow said, turning around and walking to her. "Of the young woman you were and the great person they knew you'd be."
That was a lie. Not about getting to them soon enough…but of their last thoughts. They did think of Marguerite…but of the little girl they were leaving behind. The one who needed to be looked after and cared for.
Even though she was a woman, she would always be that baby girl to them.
Now for another one. One that should convince her that he was looking out for her.
He turned her around and tilted her head upwards to look at him. "I promised myself that I would see their vision come true. You have potential, Marguerite Lane. Great potential. Don't let their dream die in vain."
I stood there, looking into the Shadow's black eyes. For a moment, it seemed like they were softening slightly.
I wondered if he was telling me the truth or another lie. As much as I wanted to scream at him to leave me alone and stop playing mind games…I felt heartened.
Was it possible he was interested in getting justice for my parents as much as I was?
"Conway took your parents away from you. Destroyed your home. Ruined your life." The Shadow said in a soft voice. "You want justice for them, don't deny it. I feel it inside of you. We can see him brought to justice, but I'll need your help, Marguerite." The Shadow said, stepping back into the circle. He held up his hand to me. "Let's try again."
Marguerite stepped back into the circle. Sure enough, she lit the flames again. The Shadow began extinguishing candles one by one. She quickly rekindled them. Then he extinguished more and more of them. Two. Three. Even four at a time. But she was quick to relight them.
He saw the flame burning in her soul. The soul burning for justice. It was providing more mental energy for her in addition to the potion he had given her earlier.
Excellent, Marguerite Lane. The Shadow thought with a smile.
You will make a worthy successor.
A/N: Please let me know how it is. I know it's a little weird at the end, but I had to show that they both were working together for a common goal. Besides…I do believe this Shadow would take the chance to manipulate Margo for his own reasons…