Mirror Mirror

Chapter 13

He had been so close to the truth.  He was shaking with frustration as he kicked at the carpet beneath his shoes, sending dust flying up all around.  Now how was he to get back there?   

He was so sure that whatever it was inside the box would help solve the mystery...now that it was empty, he felt totally defeated.  He could not leave this place and go back yet because he could not help Sarah.  She was alone now.  What would become of her?

Jarrod tried to reason with him.  “It’s not so bad Stephen?  At least we know where to look next time.”

Stephen wasn’t satisfied.  “Next time?  Next time!  You think we’re ever gonna get back there without getting caught?  I was so close, dammit!”  And then coming to a quick decision,   “I can’t wait that long.  You go back home if you want to.  I’m staying right here until I get what I came to find.”

Jarrod couldn’t believe his ears.  “Are you gone mad all of a sudden?”

“It’s empty for heaven’s sake!  What the hell are you gonna achieve by going back, Stephen?  I knew it was a bad idea from the start!  There’s nothing left to find out, except where your relationship with Sarah starts and ends.  Let’s go home ... please...”

Stephen stood his ground, his lean body resting against window frame, his hands crossed tensely over his chest, his face a solid mask of determination.  “I’ve made up my mind.  No need for both of us to land in trouble.  This way, if anything happens...you can bail me out.”

“No way man!  I am not gonna wait around for some Fredirico guy to tear you apart so I can pick up the pieces!”

Stephen wasn’t listening to him anymore.  In sheer frustration, he picked up the box and threw it at Jarrod, narrowly missing him.

Jarrod’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.  He was still ducking down as he spoke.  “You were gonna hit me with that thing?”

“No.  I just wanted to shut you up once and for all!  You keep going on about this and that-did you ever do anything for anyone in your life except for yourself?  Do you know what it feels like to have the ground you walk on slip away from beneath you?  Do you even know the meaning of the word friendship?  Huh!  Do you?”

Stephen watched for his reaction.  There was none.   

“Go on ... Go home if you want to.  I’m sorry to have dragged you into this.  You can go back and tell everyone I’ve lost more than my marbles.  I won’t hold it against you.  I never do with friends.”

As he spoke, he realized that Jarrod’s attention had been diverted elsewhere.  He had been walking about as he was speaking and now he turned around to see what had caught his eye, for Jarrod was standing wide eyed with a clear expression if shock plastered all over his face.

The box was in mid air, coming slowly towards them.  Jarrod had begun walking backwards in a slow, unsteady shuffle, his mouth wide open as for once in his lifetime, words had failed him.  Stephen was starting to back up slowly too.  The lid began to lift up of its own accord, and then...

“Oh ... my ... God!”  Was all he got out, before the entire room was filled with a bright and blinding light that sent them both, sprawling to the ground.  They didn’t know how long it lasted, but when it finally began to grow dim, Stephen stood up again.  With one hand reaching out, he walked uncertainly towards the box that was still rotating in its slow hypnotic dance.

“What are you trying to show me?”  He asked in a shaky whisper, still placing one unsteady foot in front of the other.  And then his voice began to rise  

“I’m here now.  Show me something...anything!”

Jarrod’s voice broke out trembling, from behind.  “Stephen don’t touch it.  You don’t know what it is.”   

He ignored him as his hands closed around the smooth wooden box once more.  It stopped.  The room was filled with a deafening silence.  His pulse beat wildly his chest, his breathing slow but tense.  Surprisingly, his hands were not shaking anymore, but they were as steady as a rock.  He brought it carefully towards him-placing it once again on the bed.

Jarrod had never seen anything like this before.  He had thought that Stephen was just being paranoid all along, but this-this thing he had just witnessed, proved otherwise.  He was all set to leave Stephen behind on the island, and go back to his boring, lonely existence, but now, his mind was made up.  He was staying.  That Sarah!  She must really be something special, if he was prepared to go all the way, even if it meant losing his mind – or his life to help her.  Stephen had made it a point to stand by what he believed in, and now it had proved him to be right.

Stephen sat cross-legged on the bed and his fingers moved towards the open box.  The light was gone, now replaced by a dim glow that flickered now and then, like a burning flame.  The second he touched it, the dimness faded-the box was cold and dark once more.

It was still empty.  There was nothing inside.  He looked at it more closely ... still empty.  Jarrod had come up behind him, and was now peering curiously over his shoulder, still unsure if he should go any further. 

Something began to happen then.  The box rattled and shook, causing Stephen to shift uneasily, and Jarrod, ready to dart away if anything suddenly came out. 

A strange scratching sound filled the room, as though someone was trying to make her presence felt.  Inside the once empty box, letters began to appear.  I...F...Y...O...U...

The letters slowly began to form words, the words-sentences.  They waited in hushed silence as she finished her inscriptions.  It read:

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, THEN YOU ARE THE MAN THAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR, FOR SO MANY LONG YEARS.  YOU WERE CHOSEN - A MAN WITH A PURE HEART - A MAN WHO IS GOING TO BREAK THE CURSE AND FREE THE SOULS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN STOLEN.  MY NAME IS EMILY HAWKINS.  I HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE TO TURN THE KEY.  LISTEN TO WHAT I SAY.  DO NOT BE AFRAID.  I WILL HELP YOU FOR AS LONG AS I CAN.  THE MOON IS FULL TONIGHT.  SHE WILL BE WEAK, BUT I AM STRONG.  GO TO THE WATERS EDGE AT MIDNIGHT.  YOU WILL FIND AN OLD WOMAN THAT WAITS THERE, ONLY FOR YOU.  GO TO HER TONIGHT AND SHE WILL SHOW YOU MORE.  TRUST IN YOURSELF, AND ALL WILL BE WELL - DOUBT YOURSELF ... AND ALL WILL BE LOST FOREVER.

The writing slowly disappeared into the wooden base of the box.  It was empty once more.  Stephen turned to face Jarrod.  “What did I tell you, huh?  I was right all along!  Where is the ‘waters edge’?  Do you know?”  Jarrod couldn’t answer.  He just nodded his head dumbly and pointed to his laptop.

It was seven thirty in the morning now.  The girls had been in and out of the water all night long.  Right now, though, Marrissa and Ashleigh held hands as they splashed around relentlessly, trying to follow the others further inside.  Sarah and Terry were wading further and further inside as the water lapped hungrily around their bodies.

Screaming and laughing hysterically, all they did was go in, deeper.  Screaming, yelling, and laughing and shouting obscenities at each other, especially at Mickey.

They couldn’t stop the desire that was growing inside them.  They longed for more - for what, they did not know.  They ached inside for more - for what, they did not know.

The growing needs inside to satisfy something was quickly becoming a painful task.  The icy waters of the sea had them turning blue with cold, but still, they could not leave.

Goosebumps filled every inch of their tired bodies, their teeth chattering noiselessly in the morning chill.

Their bodies grew stiff with each forced movement, until they were too exhausted to fight it.  Sarah reached out her hands - they all reached out their hands until they touched.  One by one, the girls began to lose consciousness. One by one, they were led to safety - out of the water and into the warmth that her protective embrace provided them.

They were no longer in danger for now.  They were out of the house all night as planned.  She had made sure of it.  Now all she could do was wait.  Stephen would do the rest - he had to...many more innocent lives depended on him...