Mirror Mirror

Chapter 24

A sudden idea flew into his mind while Emily had that thought.   Willing himself to remain calm, he quickly filled Jarrod in on what he had planned.  Emily smiled knowingly at them and then, pulling Lacey firmly behind her, she raised one arm and pointed it forward.  The cocooned girls disappeared out of sight, back home where they belonged.  Katherine was so busy trying to trick Sarah into submitting herself to her that she did not notice what had happened.

Everything, all the hustle and frenzy that had been going on seconds before had now started going in slow motion.

And then . . .

It happened so fast nobody was prepared for it.  The faceless beings, those nameless souls, they surged forward at top speed.

Katherine stopped in her tracks.  The moons stopped, and started their slow rise into the sky once more.  In that instant, with Lacey and Emily watching eagerly, both the boys lurched forward.

They landed mere inches away from Katherine, who was at this point trying desperately to gather herself again.  Her anger erupted once more.

Lightning struck twice in the same place, tearing open the earth and spilling the molten lava from beneath.  They made a grab for Sarah.  Jarrod grasped hold of her ankles and yanked . . . and the three of them fell to the ground.

In the scramble that followed, Sarah was not sure what had happened, or whether to be pleased or angry, Stephen slipped the talisman around her neck before she even knew it, and Katherine, furious, but not yet ready for defeat, sent an angry ball of flames, hurtling towards him.

Sarah tried to stand up, and the fireball narrowly missed her. Happening allat once, Jarrod shoved Stephen aside, but too late.  The ball caught Stephen on the shoulder, and as the unnatural heat spread down his arm, Jarrod rolled away with him, leaving Sarah alone once more.

Lacey fought back tears as she watched what was happening.  Emily took her to Stephen almost at once.  Bleeding, but unwilling to give up, Stephen tried to stand up again.  He got to his knees, facing Sarah.  With his good hand, he motioned for Lacey to stay back, allowing only Jarrod to help him up.

 Katherine’s eyes bulged in rage and disbelief as she stared at the talisman, glowing brightly around Sarah’s neck.

“No!”  She screamed, trying to aim another one of her flaming balls at the boys.  Even while she tried, she knew deep down that she was losing.

Dropping her arms down to her sides, she tried a different approach.  She had no idea of knowing what the talisman was, or what it was capable of, but if it was around Sarah’s neck, it had to be bad for her.  The boys remained still, watching her, waiting for her to make the next move.  If any one of them got in her way now, there was no telling what other things she might retaliate with.

“Sarah”, she pleaded, “You have to listen to me.”

But Sarah just stared ahead, stared right through her, right past her.  The souls were made a whooshing sound as they flew around Sarah, begging her for freedom, but she just stared ahead.

Katherine took the form of her old self again.  Her voice was sweet and reassuring, the wild winds now gently caressed her hair, and sent the sound floating like a sweet melody, into Sarah’s welcoming ear.

“Come to me.”  She called, her voice soothing instead of scorching.  “I’ve promised you everything…all you have to do is come to me...come on...just take my hand.”

Sarah, still in a trance, reached out towards her.

Katherine was afraid.  ‘What if she changed her mind?’