Chapter 23
Flicking through her families books, Jamie took some that might look promising. After carefully putting them in her backpack, she used the flashlight to get up the stairs. The stubs of candles are slowly being replaced with newer ones, but her brother and cousins seem less interested in lighting when they have their own power to create it themselves. Closing the hidden door silently behind her, she appeared in the manor's newer library, built to cover up the door to the basement.
She was about to leave, when she heard heels on the hardwood get closer to her. She dumped the bag in one of the hidden cupboards and quickly sat into behind her desk. Her pen poised to write.
"Where I said she would be, Rowena."
Jamie glanced up disinterestedly to see the blind old woman and her protector, Henry. He glared down at her, which she ignored. Behind them was her brother, Niko, and the cousins. They had all ascended years ago and where better at controlling themselves than the other families.
"Always hard at work when we visit," Rowena said, her eyes glancing around the room.
Jamie sighed and turned back to her books, "My thesis is due in a couple of weeks. Where else would I be?"
"Precisely."
"If there is something you want to ask, Rowena, spit it out. I don't not have time to play your games. My future rests on this paper and I can't stop every time you do a surprise inspection."
Rowena smiled tightly and stepped forward to the desk. The brother tried to step in but Henry held out a hand stopping him.
"I know you are helping the girl. I can practically feel her taint on you. I may not be allowed to stop her from being here, but I can stop our people from helping her.
"You are an Ipswich. You have no power over me," Jamie said starring into those white depths of hers.
"It was ruled therefore it is law," Rowena snapped.
"I never voted to let an innocent girl die."
"Thats the good things about democracy. Families with better sense than a 21 year old can over rule you. We are not the enemy, Jamie. We voted for the greater good. In time you will understand."
Jamie starred at the old woman before dropping her eyes and turning to her papers.
"If that's all," Jamie said in a bored voice. "I really would like to get back to work."
"Of course," Rowena smiled.
The lady walked to the black suit man who held out an arm ready for her.
"I do hope you will dress up nicer for dinner, Jamie," Rowena smiled over her shoulder.
Jamie looked up to see them walk out of the library. Her cousins gave them a dark look and closed the doors behind themselves. Her brother, Niko, stood with his hands on his hips staring at the floor.
"She's staying for dinner?" Jamie asked is a rushed whisper, standing up quickly.
"What do you expect," Niko whispered as he walked to her. "You have given her no other reason than to suspect us. She knows you are helping the girl and she's pissed. She will not have her rule questioned."
"It is not her rule," Jamie snapped. "Our Grandfather is the Head of the Council. It is his word."
"Well his word doesn't mean anything now," Niko sighed. "He has no vote and therefore no say. She managed to silence him long ago. Now she's just waiting for him to die so she can really have the power she wants. She's pissed at him for living this long."
Jamie rubbed her tired eyes and sat back down heavily on the chair. Niko grabbed a stool and sat beside her.
"I know you want to help her," Niko said. "Both you and Grandfather do. And we are all supportive of that. But can you please, please just get through her visits without the slightest suspicion."
"I have done nothing to raise her back while's she here," Jamie argued.
"No?" Niko raised his eyebrows. "Because that argument we all just witnessed was a fine example of raising Rowena's hackles."
Jamie closed her eyes and smiled lightly, "Sorry. She just makes me…"
"I know," Niko whispered. "You're just passionate."
Niko looked down at all the law books on the table, "And that's not a bad thing. You will make the best lawyer. A person who actually cares about her clients."
Jamie sighed and threw her pen onto the table. Niko can see that his little sister is being stretched thin. There are dark rings around her eyes like she hasn't slept well for days. Niko tossed a look over his should to the closed door.
"How is she doing?" he asked softly.
Jamie shrugged but her bottom lip began quivering. Niko wrapped his little sister in a big hug and held her as she regained composure.
"I don't think she's going to make it six days," Jamie whispered into his neck.
—
Georgina stared down at the cold porridge. She made it over an hour ago but she had been so lost in thought that she forgot it was even there. Grabbing a spoonful she forced herself to eat it. The gelatinous mix fell heavy in her stomach. Convincing her tired body to move, she walked to the sink. Her eyes glanced up to see her uncle staring at her through the window. She bowl smashed on the tiles as she ran outside the house. The full moon shone through the clear night skies lighting up the fields.
Her bare feet stumbled on the hard pack dirt as she approached the outside of the kitchen. There was nothing there.
Georgina
Turning, she spotted him in the fields. He was with her uncles and cousins as they laughed at her
"No," Georgina whispered, shaking her head maniacally. "You can't be here."
She ran inside the house and bolted the door behind her. She looked through the net curtains to see nothing outside. Her heat pounding in her chest. Stumbling over the books and papers haphazardly covering the floor, she rushed to the living room window. Again nothing. She grabbed the phone. She saw she had a message from Jamie and the dozen of un-listened voice mails from Eleanor and the others. Her phone died in her hands. Nothing but black covered the screen.
"Damn it," she roared and threw it at the wall.
She squared her shoulders and walked to the door. She tired to calm her breathing, but she was too afraid. She grabbed the handle. But screamed as it burned her skin. Looking down at her shaking hand, the family's burnt crest began to bleed in her blistered palm.
"No, no, no," she cried, her eyes widening as she saw the burns spread up her wrist.
Her eyes blacking over, she exploded the front door.
"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU COWARDS," she screamed into the night.
But nothing, not a sound or movement stirred.
"I know you're there," she whispered menacingly. Her terrified tears streaming down her face.
"SHOW YOURSELF."
Georgina
Her hands ready, she let the energy ball go. It flew across the room and hit the fireplace. Dust and brick exploded everywhere. Her eyes tried to see through the dust.
hahaaahaa
Turning to the laughter, she through another. It sailed through nothing to hit a kitchen counter. Spinning around she saw nothing. The laughter got louder.
"STOP IT," she screamed, as unleashed a volley of energy balls everywhere.
Hitting everything, sending books and papers everywhere. Destroying the furniture. Covering her ears she sank onto her knees. Brick dust and broken wooden littered the floor around her as it settled. But the laughter didn't stop.
"Please stop," she cried, she fell to the floor at wrapped her arms around her legs. The burns on her arm getting worse. The whispers getting louder, and louder. She pressed her face into her knees.
"Stop," she whispered.
Time was immeasurable to her. She felt the hours slip by as she lay on the floor surrounded by her broken home. But she couldn't move. Couldn't stop the laughter and shouts around her. Until a single noise broke through. A birds caw sounded above her head.
The laughter and noise stopped. Opening her eyes, Georgina lifted her head off the floor. There was no broken fireplace, the books and papers weren't destroyed. Slowly getting to her feet, she turned around. Everything was normal. Her mobile was still on the table blinking with unread messages. Looking down at her burned hand, her skin was undamaged. There was no marks of what had just happened, anywhere.
Georgina closed her eyes and took a breath. She had read about this. Taking one of the open books on the table she re-read the diary entry.
"I saw things I couldn't have possibly seen. People I knew to be dead. My brother Fredrick's madness was similar before he died. But he was standing over my bed calling down to me not moments ago. Smiling his sickening smile at me. I don't know if I can do this. I can't ask the others. They will use it against me, they will put my back in the cage till Ascension. Whatever time I have left in this world, I will not spend it behind iron bars.
The hallucinations are getting worse. I feel their eyes on my all the time. They call my name.
I don't want this any more. "
The girls diary ended there as she put it back on the table. Georgina had read everything in the library downstairs. They say what will happen but not a single book talks about the Ascension. Like none of them were around to write anything afterwards. And she could barely bring herself to read the men's diaries. They spoke of acts and thoughts that rose bile in her throat. Jamie took them, only to return more sickened and tired saying they hold nothing important.
The crow on her chair cawed at her. It was the same crow from before. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. It beady black eyes stared up at her without blinking. Walking over to her chair she reached her hand out. It's feathers were pitch dark and beautiful. It cawed violently and began beating it's wings, jumping away from her.
The shivers began again.
"Clever bird," sighed Georgina.
Leaving the coat behind she opened the door, shaking her head at remembering it in splinters. The hallucination felt so real. Walking under the full moon, she approached the middle of the field and laid down on the cold earth. The pain and shivers came quickly, as they have been doing lately. Not enough energy left to fight, she clawed the ground beneath her. The black veins quickly travelled down her skin, across the knuckles and down her fingers into the earth. A blinding white light lit up the darkness. Clenching her teeth together, the pain became unbearable and a silent scream broke through.
As soon as it started, it was over. Georgina lay on the ground, her hair fanned around her as her tired eyes looked up to the stars above. Closing her eyes, a tear fell from the corner of her eye. She didn't she the crow circling. It's black feathers blending into the darkness of the universe behind it. Landing softly next to her, the crow cocked its head as it watched her sleep. A breeze ruffled his feathers. It opened it's beak to tell her to wake up.
"Reid."
He woke up from the dream, dropping the book onto the floor. Caleb stood next to the table carrying a pizza as he frowned down at his friend.
"You were making some really strange noises there, brother," Caleb said.
"I keep dreaming of her," he whispered as he sat up and rubbed in face.
Caleb place the pizza on the table and took a seat next to him.
"I'm hardly surprised. You've barely stopped since this whole thing started. Filling your head with these depressing books, you're going to have nightmares."
"No," Reid said. "It's not nightmares. I think they're real."
Caleb frowned at him and shook his head, "You need to eat something, get some air -"
"This is not some joke, Caleb," Reid snapped. "Every time I close my eyes, I'm flying. I pass over forests and empty fields. And I see her."
Caleb watched Reid settle back in his chair and run his hands through his hair. He hadn't seen him this rilled in a long time.
"Alright," Caleb said slowly.
"You believe me," Reid frowned.
"If you told me a couple of months ago that there was this lost colony family that were evil, I would have laughed you out of this house. But now," Caleb sighed, opening the pizza box. "Who knows. You really think it's her?"
Reid crossed his arms and bit his lip. "I dunno. I think so."
"Could it possible be that you want it to be her?" Caleb asked carefully, taking a slice.
"Maybe," Reid said. "If she was one of us, we would be half way to helping by now. I feel like no one gives a damn."
"We give a damn, Reid," argued Caleb. "You see us all putting in everything. Between finals and Rowena-"
"Rowena won't step foot in this house for fear of the Pendle's suddenly arriving. And who gives a damn about finals-"
"I do," Caleb interrupted. "I give a damn. School is nearly done, we need to have colleges lined up."
"For you maybe," Reid said under his breath.
"What do you mean? You've applied for colleges, right?"
Reid sighed and stood up. Takings the books he was reading, he closed the pizza box and put the books on top.
"I'm gonna crash upstairs," Reid said, taking the box and books.
"Reid," Caleb said, as Reid left the room.
"Later."
Dumping the box on the guest room drawers, Reid took a slice and made his way to the bed. He had been staying at the house the past several days, trying to get as much done as possible. But also because if she was going to come back, this is where she would be. He took out his phone and dialled her number that he got from Gregory. Like always it went straight voice mail. Finishing the slice and dumping the phone on the side, she lay back in his bed and thought back to his dreams. There had to be a way of finding her. Who was it he saw the back of in the first dream. Someone familiar but he couldn't place the face.
Eyes blacking over he fell asleep.