Until The Clock Stikes (NACS Remake)

Chapter 12

"Demia Marie Johnson!" Harriet scolds as she finally righted the carriage. "No need to freak out."
"We were upside down!" I shout, lurching forward to open the little window between us.
"We're not now." She points out, gesturing with the reins, we lurch to the right.
"Where are we?" I gasp, looking around at the sepia colored forest.
"We're back in your world." She tells me.
Something dawns on me as we bump along. "Why didn't you just make a door in the air like before?"
"That's not as stylish, ma chere."
I mentally face palm and shut the window cover again, relaxing into my seat.
"How much farther?" I ask, studying the watch she handed me. "Harriet, how does this disguise me? It's just a watch."
She snorts. "And the mirror is just a mirror. No, they're enchanted. To mortals you'll look like a completely different girl until you close the interface or lose it."
The horses whinny as we slow in front of the castle. My heart jumps into my throat at the sight of the marble steps.
Harriet opens the door for me, helping me out. She fusses over me, fixing my hair and planting a kiss on my forehead.
"Now. Meet me back here when the clock strikes twelve."
"Why twelve?" I ask, watching people disappear through the door to the castle.
"I have a fairy mixer after that. I've got to be back in time, I'm the D.J."
I hide my smile, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you so much."
"Anything for you, ma chere." She says, her voice muffled. "Now go! See you back here at twelve." She hands me the mirror, which shrinks when she pushes on the sides of it.
I run up the steps, skipping every other step, in my haste my right shoe slip off my foot and I spin to grab it.
I blink, following the hand holding my shoe, to a familiar masked face.
"You lost something." He chuckles.
"Thank you." I answer, fully aware he doesn't know it's me.
I grab my shoe and step back into it, peeking at him through my eyelashes, without another word I run into the hall, clutching the mirror and watch.
I realize it's impractical to hold them the entire time. So I stuff them in my bustier.
Will is near the punch table, with Lucy flush against his arm.
I turn to watch Jay enter the ballroom, Lucy makes a beeline for him. But I intercept her, confused.
"Dance with me, my savior." I say, pulling him toward the dancing crowd.
He lets me tug him. "I actually am looking for someone." He says, shifting his eyes to scan the crowd.
I can't help myself. "She's not coming." I tell him, he stops, staring at me.
"Who are you?" He asks, surprised.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." I glance around looking for Thomas, or Lucy.
"Stay here." I tell him, abandoning the idea of dancing with him.
Will sits alone at the snack table looking miserable.
"Where's Lucy?" I ask him, forgetting everything in the process apparently. I mentally curse, as he turns a questioning eye on me.
"She went to go dance, with a friend. Who are you?" He asks, turning to study me.
"I'm a friend of hers." I tell him, backing away from him.
He follows me into the crowd, on his own hunt for Lucy now.
"Let me help you find her." He says.
I spin to meet his gaze and reach in my bustier, pulling out a mirror.
I pull at the sides, enlarging it.
He gasps, watching me, wide eyed.
"Replay." I whisper to the mirror, keeping my eyes on the crack, I hand it to him and turn scanning the crowd again.
"What is this?" He asks me but I running away from him, toward Jay and Lucy who are dancing and she offers him a glass of champagne. People push at me as I pass, bumping into them.
"Jay!" I scream. Lucy gingerly lifts off the the mask as his lips touch the glass.
Thomas's brown eyes go dull as he drinks and I finally reach them, pulling the glass out of his hand.
"Thomas spit it out!" I scream, he stares at me confused, swallowing.
"Who are you?" He asks me, having him so close puts me on edge.
My stepmother grips my arm, yanking me away from him.
She click her tongue against her teeth. "Mia, Mia, Mia. Don't embarrass yourself."
I spin toward her, my hand colliding hard against her cheek.
"What did I ever do to you!" I scream, voice grating.
She freezes, laughter rolls through her body in waves.
"Big mistake." Her eyes flash green and I fly across the room, all the breath is knocked out of me as I collide with gold wall.
Teens and party goers shriek and scatter like ants.
Will stands his ground, clutching the mirror in his hand.
"You killed my mother!" He yells, rage and pain so apparent on his face.
Thomas stands in a daze, watching me writhe against the wall.
"Thomas." I whisper, gasping.
My stepmother groans in frustration, her attention back on me.
Her hands swirls, collecting black smoke so thick, it looks solid.
"You ask me what you ever did wrong. You lived. For some reason the poison didn't take in sweet little Mia." Her voice rises in pitch, until it's rickety. "No instead. Your father died alone, and I was left with you."
"Stop this!" Lucy screams, she awkwardly places her hands together and starts chanting.
"Lucy?" Step Mother seems surprised as she flies back herself.
Lucy falls to the floor from the effort and I am released from my hold, falling toward the floor.
Will catches me.
"Mia?" He asks, you look different.
"Oh!" I shove my hand in my bustier again and fish out the pocket watch, closing it with a sigh.
Step mother groans, unsticking herself from the wall, her eyes glow acid green, smouldering.
"How sweet." She mutters, throwing the solid black smoke at us. Will turns, taking the blow with his back. The force knocks us to the ground and Will falls away from me, back smoking.
"Will!" Lucy screams. Step mother laughs, a cackling staccato that bounces off the walls.
Lucy crawls toward us slowly, Thomas helps her.
"Will." I chant, putting a hand on either side of his face.
His eyes flutter open to look at me. "I'm so sorry, Mia." He whispers.
"Enough of this bullshit." Step mother hisses.
Thomas picks up a piece of marble rubble and hurls it at her, slowing her down as Lucy reaches us.
"Mia. I'm so sorry." She cries, breathing deep, chanting the same spell again at her mother.
"Enough from you." Step mother cackles, Lucy stops talking, her mouth screwing up tightly.
She hums protest.
Stepmother turns her attention to Thomas.
"You've proven to be quite the pain." She hisses, flicking her hand again another black smoke ball hits Thomas tearing his shirt and revealing his birthmark.
"Thomas!" I cry, frantically looking around at everyone.
Will and Thomas are knocked out and Lucy is incapacitated.
"Fairy Harriet." I breathe. "I need you."
With a pop of air, Harriet stands in the middle of the ballroom.
"What on earth!" She exclaims, fixing her eyes on Thomas and Will, with a flick of her wand their wounds heal.
Will gasps awake, meeting eyes with me.
"Who the hell are you?" Stepmother shrieks.
Harriet's faces shifts into something feral. "Katherine. I should have known."
Lucy gasps as her mouth unglues itself.
Thomas sits up.
"It's a good things you didn't do any fatal damage." Harriet says, curling her lip.
Stepmother spins around to look at me and she shrieks in rage, her black smoke turns red and she launches it straight for me.
Will tenses jumping forward in front of me and time slows.
"Will!"