Inkling

9.3 The Spirits Take Possession

7:20 P.M.

Sophia's day was bad even before she fell off a roof. Max was acting odd - odder than usual. She supposed cursed people were allowed to act odd. Still, he had run out, with no explanation. He'd left her with a strange, vaguely transparent girl who was making her father ... laugh?

That could not be right. Her father did not like anyone, he hardly even liked her. But he was laughing and Lane was slapping her knee and her father did not seem to mind anymore that an asian woman dressed as a man was at his table.

"Miss Ridley..." Sophia peered around the corner, waving briskly in the moment between Lane catching her eye and her father turning toward her.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jennings," Lane said brightly.

"What are you doing? You made it seem as though your problem was impending and you are just sitting around here, talking?" Sophia knew that was not why she was annoyed.

Lane did not get a chance to answer. The candles in the dining room were puffed out by a nonexistent wind and something terrible appeared from the chandelier. It was a human, at least, its body was human. It looked human. But it was nearly transparent and deathly pale. This was not something that was living, not any longer.

"Father!" Sophia surged forward, trying to warn her father who, apparently, did not see the spirit descending from his chandelier. She pointed vigorously at the ceiling, for Lane had snatched her at the waist and was attempting to drag her away. Maybe it was magic, maybe it was sheer power of will but Sophia stayed her ground. It was for nothing, however, her father looked up too slowly. The spirit dived down from above and straight into Mr. Jennings.

Sophia shrieked - a sound she had never made in her life. She was spun around and found Lane's face was very close and her voice hushed. She took Sophia by the hand and whispered fiercely: "Run."

She was pulled through her own home, as if Lane knew the halls, knew the rooms. She knew where the stairs were. Sophia's feet were heavy, the spirit had passed through her father, had entered his body. They rounded a corner and began up the final flight of stairs and Sophia ripped her hand from Lane's and stopped.

"What about my father?" She cried, turning to go back down, but he was there. Her father. His height, and his broad shoulders. His suit and his tie, his dark, dark skin. Not him. He looked gray, slumped over like a man near death. He was terrifying and Sophia decided that maybe she was not the one who could save him, not yet. Before Lane could grab her again Sophia was leaping up the stairs two at a time. She surged straight past Lane and up the last stairs, into the attic.

"Lane!" She called, somewhat unnecessarily, as she was through the doorway and shoving the door shut.

"Keep going," Lane urged.

"Go where?"

"Up." Lane grabbed a rope hanging from the ceiling and a ladder fell down.

"How did you know that was there? I did not know that was there." Sophia did not have time to stare or be surprised.

"That is not important, we need to go. Now. I fear they have found me." Lane shoved Sophia toward the ladder and, for some reason she did not know, she started up the laffer, overly aware that Lane could certainly see straight up her skirt. A thought which died in her mind mid sentence when the door was blasted off its hinges and her father who was not really her father barrelled into the room.

Sophia did not have time to think, only watch as he ran straight through Lane. It was as if she was not there at all. Except she was, just, very faintly. Lane was hardly there at all, she had fallen to her knees, her image flickering in and out of existence.

"Stop." Never had Sophia done any sort of magic with such a whispered necessity. She was not commanding the magic, not controlling it. She sent out a quiet, soft plea and hoped something would happen. And something did or, rather, something stopped. Her father froze and Lane flickered back into existence, looking semi-permanent.

"Come on," Sophia whispered, as though speaking too loudly would undo the spell.

Sophia did not move until Lane started to ascend the ladder below her. The ladder led to a small portion of rooftop which had, apparently, been made to be a sitting area. A sitting area which was covered in nearly a foot of snow.

"When did this get here?" She turned around, speaking to Lane who was climbing through the small hole at the top of the ladder. Sophia took a step back. There was no railing, she realized too late. Her foot found the edge of the balcony before her eyes did and she was falling. Except she wasn't because Lane had lunged after her at a speed not generally associated with human beings.