Darcy had officially passed out. Probably too much whiskey for a night. All three contenders had gone inside the encamped area where Charles was at and the tent was thereafter, closed. The rest of the people, trying to get a sneak peek, as the had been drawn.
Charles scrutinized everyone briefly, trying not to look at Lydia too often. What's wrong with her face, he thought. Because Lydia gaped around in disgust as if she saw a bunch of massive tarantulas everywhere.
George, standing with his arms crossed, squinting at Charles and a slight suspicion brewed within his eyes, Charles could tell, whilst, Elizabeth stood in the middle of both of them, looking around all the artifacts and objects like she had never seen anything like it before.
"Ms. Lydia Slake, you're to go first." Charles cleared his throat, trying to change his voice a slight bit, "rest can wait outside."
Elizabeth and George headed out right after. Charles opened a drawer under his table and yanked a hand underneath the table, pretending to take out a book, which he did, but also pushed a switch and thereafter, the lighting changed.
Lydia's eyes got wide in horror in an instant, looked around anxiously at the strange red lights, her eyebrows tensed, looking at Charles who seemed even scarier now, with his glasses, heavy beard and the red lights. But all Charles thought was, why her reaction to everything was so goddamn dramatic? He smirked devilishly trying to intimidate her and Lydia got up from her seat, ready to dash out if he inched closer.
Charles remembered to change his voice to a high pitched clown like voice before uttering a word and then spoke, "Ms. Lydia? You okay?" He was taking out some boxes and arranging things on the table and when he got no answer from her, he stopped midway, staring straight at her, blankly and unpredictably.
He knew if Darcy was here, he'd be so proud of him.
"YES." She blurted out, feeling uneasy.
"Could you please sit down?" Charles spoke, trying to imitate a creepy clown.
She sat down reluctantly, flinching uneasily in her seat, tension rode all over her body.
Charles put up a crystal ball propped onto the table.
"Ready?" Charles kind of forgot to speak in the clownish voice, so cleared his throat but Lydia seemed too anxious to observe.
"Yeah." She murmured.
"Be quick with every question."
She nodded quickly, pursing her lips.
"Your name?" Charles put his hands on the ball, his head slightly tilted upwards, as if doing some sorcery.
"Lydia." She spoke
"Full name." He was caressing the ball with both his palms.
"Lydia Slake." She blurted out, putting a lock of her hair behind her ear, blinking quickly.
There was a silence of five full seconds. Thick white smoke appeared inside the ball and he nodded, as if in a state of trance or getting down to something deep.
"I can see you, your dreams, your life, your troubled childhood, Lina." Charles knew the name "Lina" would tick her because that's what her mom used to call her, back in the day. She stared at him, in disbelief.
And she opened her mouth to say something but that's when Charles started speaking, "I see you've never been fortunate enough in love. It always passed you by..."
Charles paused for a bit on purpose, pretending to see something in the brewing smoke within the crystal ball.
"How do you know?" Lydia muttered to herself, analysing something in the smoke within the ball.
"The guy, Jared, did something ..." Charles jerked his palms away from the ball as if it just got on fire.
"Oh no ...he was ...A CHEATER. MALICIOUS!" Charles gasped as dramatically as he could, trying his best to showcase that he was the one sensing pain.
She gaped at him as if he just shot her with a tranquiliser, lifeless and shocked, "DID YOU JUST TALK...ABOUT JARED...that douchebag." The way her voice curved when she said douchebag.
"And I think,"
Just as Charles was about to reveal something else, which he did spend sometime researching about the three contenders, that's when, she broke in.
"How do you know all this? Look, I don't give a damn about you or believe any of the crap that you're doing." Her shreiky voice which Charles found to be so annoying kept rising and getting even shrieky, "HOW DO YOU KNOW IT? I AM NOT GOING TO BE FOOLED BY THIS!" She pointed at the table and specifically at the crystal ball, "...DUMBSHIT."
"Lina..."
"STOP CALLING ME THAT. AND WHO TOLD YOU..." She yelled even louder this time but Charles cut her off this time.
"Be what I could never be. And if you feel wobbly, come to me. I'm always going to be here." Charles spoke
He found it in her diary, which Colonel managed to get his hands on somehow.
She looked at him, as is she'd seen a ghost, her eyes couldn't get any wider than they were now, her jaw dropped, she gasped.
"My dad used to say that..." She was shaking with terror. "Oh my god ..I can't believe. This is all real."
When she sat, totally floored, speaking her mind out, Charles was smiling inwardly.
"Maybe we can get this over with so, other contenders can be here as well. It's already been long enough."
She wiped a tear from her cheek, without realising that she had started to cry and nodded her head shakily. Charles pretended not to notice.
"Listen carefully, Lina. I see a man, deep in the feels for you. And you alone." He again went into that pretentious trance state.
"He is falling in love with you."
"Wait…who?"
"I can't see the face yet. It's someone who is not involved with you. He is involved with a different woman."
"A relationship? With who?" She edged slightly forward.
"But I feel you're focused elsewhere, on the wrong man. He should not be your focus."
"I don't think ..." She pulled back slightly, breathing slowly as if coming to a realisation.
"Look! Here." The smoke turned to red in the ball, "Red is a signal. I'm right.
She looked at it consistently, blinking robotically.
"Speaking of the man in love with you, he appears distant..." Charles wandered for a second, "He will confess eventually. You have snakes around you in the form of people. Beware. Don't trust no one. He is being stopped by someone."
Lydia stared into space, listening to everything, her eyebrows tensed, as if solving a tricky equation.
"Can you tell me someone's name, please? Or any information." She pleaded, looking utterly helpless.
"One thing I have." Charles paused, "A yellow flower. Whoever gives you a yellow flower today, that's the man you should not focus on."
"I should not?" She clarified
"Yeah."
"Thank you so much. I can't express my gratitude."
With this piece of information, repeating in her mind like a song on the loop, she went outside and the second contender strolled in.
George.
When the outside air hit Lydia, she felt like she was renewed, breathing air with a reformulated sense. She felt like she found the missing piece of the puzzle, not knowing it was all a load of bullshit.
George sat down, looking at the crystal ball on the table and then looking at Charles.
"You know, one of my friends was a psychic. And he predicted a load of stuff, all of which came true." George spoke, without even being asked.
Charles examined him for a bit. Silently.
"I hope mine do too." He smiled.
George smiled too, awkwardly.
"So, how do we start? Do I have to talk about something in my mind."
"Real estate? For the last 6 years?" Charles sounding confident than ever, "Is it Michael or Mike or..."
"Mikey." George spoke, grinning slightly, seemingly impressed, already absorbed into Charles's act.
"Yeah! Mikey! You recently had a dealing with him."
George nodded in agreement, listening carefully.
"And he introduced you to someone. And this is fairly 8 or 10 months ago."
"Damn! You're good!" He sounded excited, like a school boy almost.
Charles left room for George to blabber for a bit. And for the time being, he weighed out his options and settled down on his next move. He knew that George was already inside the trap. Charles understood things like he never did before, as if he just found his alter ego, a wittier and clever version of Charles.
He knew that his words would have an unspeakable impact. But he had to be careful because one mistake could turn the tables around, in a way which he might not be able to fix.
"George, right?"
"I bet you know that." George was grinning.
"I don't know how you'll take it. And it's so hard to explain! I'm sure you'll think I have gone crazy...out of my head."
George's smile faded completely, he gazed at Charles so innocently like a child hearing about a bad news from his teacher. He was dumbfounded and stared at Charles in shock and then at the crystal ball, where there was smoke, he squinted at it because it was getting thicker and turning BLACK with every blink.
"You see this! It's getting darker?"
"This should not be happening. I should have known. But I guess, there's no way." Charles continued
"What's going on?" George demanded, his eyes pleading for help.
"I've seen it turn to red, green, purple and even grey. But I have never wished to witness this. In the astral realm, black is cursed, the most forbidden of all. Because the black smoke is a sureshot sign of black magic. The kind that can not only kill you but even torture your soul."
"I...WHAT!" George's face turned pale, his heart beating faster than if he would have been on a rollercoaster, and his mouth dry.
Even the vicious mind of Charles felt bad as George's face contorted more with every passing second.
"Don't be afraid. The curse isn't on you."
George still didn't seem to relax, not even a fragment.
"It's put on the person who knows a lot about you, and it's so interesting because I am getting something strange. I'm hearing "calendula". The person is allergic to Calendula."
"How am I supposed to find that out?" George looked defeated.
"You will." Charles said.
Now, it was Elizabeth's time, at last. She got in, seemingly excited, presumably due to all that Lydia may have gushed about.
"Excuse me? I'm Elizabeth." Her voice, youthful and chirpy, trying to keep it mellow.
"I'm Be... I'm beware that you're Elizabeth, I'm Poldrick." Charles said, adjusting his glasses.
"Can I know what happened to George? He seemed off."
"He's got things to process. He'll be fine." Charles spoke as professionally as he could. Displaying no sympathy for her concern.
She settled down, examining things around her skeptically, even Charles.
"Mr. Poldrick, before we begin, can I say something?" Elizabeth spoke looking straight at Charles
"Yeah?" Charles replied after a pause.
"I know I am one of the lucky contenders because we won." She smiled awkwardly, "But George and even Lydia, both seemed..." She thought for a moment, "not okay. Like something went wrong. And I might not be a psychic like you, Mr. Poldrick but I think I do have intuitive hunches and I'd probably not want you to tell me anything. It's okay if I won. I really don't mind." She let out a smile formally for a second, forcibly.
Charles thought Elizabeth would be the easiest to tackle but that apparently was not the scenario. The ball wasn't in his court anymore. He didn't expect this. She was a clever one, indeed.
"Ms. Elizabeth Bennett, you seem to be too smart for your own good." Charles took off his glasses for the first time, staring straight at her, "That's quite an analogy you got there. And given how witty you are, you must know that we shouldn't take everything as how it is. Sometimes, there's a deeper meaning, a silver lining or a way to avoid the horrors advancing towards us. It's not very wise to live in ignorance. Or is it? Am I wrong, Ms. Bennett?"
She searched for a comeback but he was partially right, only partially, but she couldn't shake off the way Lydia described him, as if she'd seen a ghost and how deflated George looked. But somewhere, deep down, she also wanted to toss her luck, just this one time.
"The way you put it, it does make a lot more sense than what I've been told." Elizabeth paused, thinking something.
"Here. Look. You see this?" Charles pointed at the white smoke that emerged in the crystal ball. Her eyebrows tensed, as if he had already given her a bad news.
"Smoke?"
"If it turns to any different color, then there is a message. I'll let you know if you'll be pleased knowing it. And you can choose to hear it or not." Charles started at her intently, his gaze fixed.
"That sounds good?"
Elizabeth was still quiet, seeming to be under pressure, "Okay."
"Bravo!" Charles put on his glasses and quickly ran with it before she could change her mind. She still seemed to be in deep thought, as if still contemplating. Something instilled in her mind regarding Poldrick and she stared at him intently.
He touched the ball and within 3 seconds, it started to change color. It appeared as if it was turning to grey but it transformed into fumes of pale blue smoke.
Charles did look like a magician or sometimes even a charlatan, sitting there.
"And there it is...turning to blue. You worked yourself up for no reason." Charles muttered, fascinated at the sight of the smoke as if he quite literally was Mr. Poldrick.
Elizabeth let out a sigh. "This was quick." She let out a giggle.
"Yeah. Yeah. So, now, you wanna know what's here for you?" Charles looked up at her, through his opaque glasses, raising an eyebrow.
"Certainly if it's not awful."
"Doesn't seem to be from my understanding."
"Oh..." She paused for a good ten seconds, "so what's the message?"
"You're in for a big surprise." Charles rubbed both of his palms together, getting prepared, "You are tied to someone, a person sent for you, only you, the way two soulmates or eternal lovers are tied."
"Oh." Elizabeth didn't seem as amused.
"In every reality, in every timeline, in every lifetime, he will find his way to you."
"It's fancy how you put it. But it's a hard time for me to... I mean, I don't believe any of it. And NO! DON'T BE OFFENDED. You're not the first. I met a psychic three years ago, who used, more or less, the same phrasing and also another, I met five months ago and they even claimed when will I meet up with the much awaited soulmate of mine. I do love fairytales but I'm no princess or a damsel in distress." She let out a chuckle like a little girl, with a tinge of disappointment, "but this is not true. I waited for three years but nothing changed. My heart won't accept it, Mr. Poldrick."
"But I see it...in the smoke."
"They did too." Elizabeth spoke and continued again as if remembering something, all of a sudden, "Is it George because that's the person I am involved with as of now."
"You are allowed to make your own discernment once I give you the complete message."
"Elizabeth..." He continued and she looked up when Charles called her by her first name alone, "You have the destiny that most of the people don't. And your fate will lead you to this man, in every lifetime. Even if your heart refuses to accept it. And for you to know who that man is." Charles took a deep breath, sounding more confident than ever. Her eyes lit up with a flickering hope, witnessing Charles's confidence.
"I can sense him... Wait." Charles put his palms on the ball, the smoke turning even more blue. He closed his eyes and continued, "White...the color...something about it." Charles paused, turning his head slightly upwards, as if looking at someone with eyes closed, "You'll always see him in white. And smoke ...maybe he smokes." Charles paused again, trying to conceal a smile, "And he'll come when you need him, the most!"
He opened his eyes as if waking up from a pleasant dream, a smile playing on his lips faintly.
Elizabeth felt like she needed a drink just to calm her overactive mind and she also needed to talk about all of this with someone or maybe just needed to forget all of this. She got out after a bit of discussion with Mr. Poldrick, wondering what George and Lydia would have known about their future and it was anywhere similar to what she got to know.
A gentleman in white, who probably smokes. Huh…doesn't sound terrible, she thought. But she also did not pay much heed to it.
Charles was left alone inside, and he quickly rushed to a backpack and opened it, taking out a pair of old jeans and a white t-shirt. After putting on his jeans, he took the t-shirt and looked at it for a second, and then put it right back in the backpack, taking out a flamingo printed shirt. He looked like one of those rich guys who owned a sporty car, lived by the beach, owned a classic villa and were out of shape. And lastly, he managed to get his wig off of his head which seemed to be almost stuck in place, his real frizzy messy hair showcasing now.
"Finally, no more being Mr. Poldrick." He grinned at himself in the mirror and quickly exited through the back door.
A vintage song was playing, Charles looked around like a crow if any of the three, Lydia, Elizabeth or George were around somewhere. He did spot George at a distance, talking to some gentleman, smoking a cigarette. George even glanced and turned to look at Charles's direction, maybe his flamingo printed shirt was attracting too much attention.
"Charles con man, huh?" Someone said from behind.
He turned around to find Darcy smoking his cigar, in a white shirt and black trousers, as always.
"Where's Colonel?" Charles seemed relieved to find him.
"He's enjoying." Darcy pointed at a small table around which a lot of girls had gathered round a guy, presumably Colonel.
"Where?"
"He is there, somewhere. Trust me. Let's get you some fresh air." Darcy took Charles towards the isolated area where the exit was. Charles thought he was gonna stop there but he went as far as exit and then went outside, onto the street.
It was late at night, Charles could already tell, maybe around three or four, thickly fogged air...so much that he could smell the scent of it. And they both went for a stroll.
"I talked to Elizabeth. I didn't know she'd be so incredible. She is lovely to talk to. Far better than Lydia any day." The first thing Charles blurted out or maybe had been dying to say and looked at him.
Darcy didn't look at Charles, or said anything but nodded after a while.
"You'll see, how chaotic their lives will become." Charles let out a laugh, "It was scary but Mr. Poldrick was phenomenal. And the best part, I scared the shit out of Lydia and even George!"
"You're really proud of yourself!" Darcy spoke
"The hell I am! If you saw me in action, you'd be too." Charles spoke loudly with conviction.
"You need my validation?"
"No" Charles blurted out and continued, "Charles might but Mr. Poldrick certainly doesn't."
"Yeah Podrick!" Darcy said, sounding bland.
"IT'S POLDRICK. You missed the "L".
"So, George, right? Is she in love with him?" Darcy asked, taking a puff of the cigar
Charles noticed the change in his tone. Slightly deeper when he spoke after clearing his throat, still not meeting Charles's gaze.
"She did seem concerned but I think that wasn't for George, observing it carefully. I think... no, yeah, no she isn't, I'd say." Charles never for once framed his words so carefully before talking to Darcy. This was odd, like talking to someone else but not him.
Darcy nodded and said after a bit of silence, "I never knew you'd go this far for me."
"Yeah, I didn't either." Charles continued, "But I also didn't expect any of this to happen, ALL OF THIS..." Charles vaguely threw his hands around as if a ton of stuff was all around him.
"Lydia recognised you?"
"Nah! She's a total dimwit. And annoying as hell. And her voice is the worst of all. George was better than her but she was trying to be a spy or what. God bless, she's got no brains."
Charles took out a granola bar kept in his pocket, all crumpled like an old piece of paper, unwrapped it quickly and started munching on it.
They were walking on the pavement area near the bar but not very close and that was when Darcy saw something, a woman. He slowed down his stride and noticed that it was Lydia and it seemed as if she was coming out of the door. Charles saw her too. They both observed silently. It seemed like another person was there too, a man but it couldn't be said who. They seemed to be talking but it felt private, in a way secretive, like the way Darcy and Charles had come out to talk. And then, in an instant, the woman at a distance, who appeared to be Lydia pushed the man away with both her hands and screamed something, which again, was not audible enough for neither Charles nor Darcy. And she bolted inside, the man followed her right after.
"Seemed like Lydia got into a fight. Let's head back." Charles said
"Things are flaming up, Mr. Podrick." Darcy said
Nobody was at the door and it seemed ordinary, like before. They appeared to have eloped somewhere. Charles got himself a drink soon after, a beer mug and the man was again up on the pedestal, talking about something which half of the people weren't interacting in.
"Lydia is quite the snake, you know. You should be careful of her. Maybe the guy she was fighting with was George and it could be..."
Whilst Charles was still talking, Darcy could no longer register much, probably nothing. For the scene that played before his sight was a sure hitter. His eyes, tensed and his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath and swallowed.
"I'll be here in a moment." Darcy said, "Don't follow me."
Charles looked at him, dumbfoundedly. Darcy strode past all the people, swiftly, reaching a corner where Elizabeth was.
How had he seen her? Because her face looked lifeless and serene. She lay on the floor, peacefully and her mouth slightly ajar, her eyes closed.