A Dangerous Secret Revealed

Chapter 6

"Mom," I gasped, once she was in Jame's room,"Look at these!"

I arranged the papers in a certain order:
Mom took the papers from me and read silently.

"Straynge tings bin hapening dees days?" Mom raised an eyebrow at me. "Is this some kind of joke?" She snarled, with the slightest hint of annoyance in her voice. Doesn't she get it?!
"What! no, Mom!" I snatched the papers from her and fingered the words. "Don't you see? This could be James's handwriting..." I told her convincingly.

Mom seemed to ponder for a while, her annoyed face and raised eyebrows gone. "I guess so...James had a really messy handwriting," She finally said, "It's possible."
"See! And..and...If you change the spellings, then it would be: Strange things been happening these days. And--

I opened the box and took the 2nd batch of papers.
"And," I continued, and Mom snatched the papers from me,"These papers fell from the ceiling--(Mom just stared at me like I was losing my sanity) --just awhile ago. And--

I arranged them again then read it aloud. "Feel like someone watching me. Then--

Mom stared at me wide-eyed. "Then that means...Whoever took James was the one watching him, and maybe that's why James said 'Strange things been happening these days.' !"

"Yeah.." I said,"Better call Joan and tell her!"

"Yes, yes...Go tell her and see if she knows anything about it," Mom told me excitedly. I bet these papers were the first clues to finding James when Mom first started looking for him.

And for once I actually feel like there is hope again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mom, Joan, and I sat on three chairs, both hands on the round table as if discussing something top-secret. The dimly-lit dining room made me feel sleepy. I haven't got real rest for about three days straight until tonight. But I cannot rest until James is found.

Mom helped me fill in the details while I explain the recent matter to Joan.

She seemed sweaty after my explanation and kept avoiding eye contact with me. Something is wrong. I know it. But I can't talk to her about it in front of Mom...

"Haven't heard anything like that. Purple-ish gas?" Joan's voice became slightly raised to a higer pitch. "Papers coming out of no where? If you ask me, it's as if someone--probably Takinyo--is playing pranks on you." She finished then swallowed.

Mom suddenly stood up from her seat. "Hold on, I gotta get something from the other room," She walked away from the table, and her dark shadow disappeared from our view. Perfect time.

"Joan," I turned to her, my voice suddenly all business-like,"Is there anything going on with you?"

Joan's face slightly turned pale. Her eyes suddenly moved from one place to another, and she kept blinking, avoiding eye contact. She breathed heavily, and I swear I could hear her heartbeat from here, though that seemed very impossible. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, as if lost her voice or the ability to speak.

"Nope," She finally answered me, casually. Too casual.
"Joan..."
"Nothing's wrong! I'm jusr really worried about James and stuff..." She bursted out.
"But--
"Nothing's wrong," She assured me with a smile, one which I suspect as a fake one.
"Are you...very sure?" I asked.
"Yes. very," She replied almost too quickly. Ugh. I knew that no matter what I do, Joan will always deny that there was something wrong. I just can't force her to tell me. I guess I just have to let this isssue go for now.

"Fine..." I said irritably. "If you say so."

There was a loud banging that erupted coming from the other room.
I left Joan sitting on the chair and rushed to where Mom went.

But she was not there. And I could not see anything that was making the banging noise, though I'm sure it came from here. The sound stopped every second then continued again, like it was a pattern.

A hand touched my shoulder and I almost jumped from shock.

It was just Joan. "Can you here that?" I asked urgently.
She looked utterly confused. "Here...what, Cath?"
"The noise! That sound! Don't you here it too??"

"No..."
"Where's Mom?" I asked. Joan just realized she was gone.
"I dunno, maybe she--

The floor beneath our feet started to slightly shake wich made me stop talking. I looked at Joan and she gave ma a blank stare and shrugged. Why is she like this?

As every second passes the shaking became more and more violent. Until everything in this room started to fall down.
The books fell down on the floor with a thud. The small portrait attached on the wall collapsed and probably broke. One small mirror shook on the table and began moving towards the edge of the table. I just remembered this mirror was no ordinary mirror. The Mirror tells a portion about one's past.

I acted fast. Grabbing the Mirror and looking into it, I saw something. A vision but my face wasn't there. Joan's was.

Joan's happy face was seen. Then her face zoomed out of view. The Mirror showed that she was runnung in a long, dark tunnel that seemed never-ending. From who? I don't know. She stopped running suddenly and a dark figure taller than Joan was shown. Must be a grown-up. They were walking to each other slowly. When they were near enough, their lips started moving. They were speaking but I couln't catch the words being spoken for they were too soft.

Then the dark figure started to point a stiff finger at Joan. Perhaps scolding her? Joan started to walk backwards, but the figure just followed her. Joan turned then ran as fast as she could. The figure showed up in front of Joan, which was impossible. Could the figure transport to one place from another?

The visison started to fade then I felt the shaking stop to a halt. Joan's present reflection was now on the mirror. Her eyes were wide with shock and fear. Face paler than ever. She must have seen the vision too.

Then the shaking began again. Even more violent that awhile ago...Then the Mirror started to glitter.

Joan was running again, with the figure popping up everywhere she went. Finally Joan stopped running and just stayed in one spot.

I didn't get to see the next thing in the vision because the ground shook so hard that everything blurred my sight.

If it was possible, the floor under us cracked open and both Joan and I fell into the darkness under, our shouts louder than the grumbling sound of the earth.

I clutched the Mirror tight in my right hand, carefully trying not to break it or lose it.

The last thing I saw on the Mirror was Joan giving a peice of paper to the figure. And everything disappeared, the Mirror showing no sign of reflections or visions.

My head, I think, hit a hard rock then I felt Joan used her wand on me before my eyes started to droop.
I turned my head up and expected a ceiling. But all I saw was a bright, flashing white light that almost blinded me. The bright light faded away when my eyes closed and everything turned pure black.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Author's Note
Yeah okay, really late update. Writer's block :/)