On the Other Side of Glass

Chapter Two

"Yes," Cedar replied, voice strong but curious.

The woman extended a hand, which required Cedar to let go of mine to shake, "Mikayla King. Pleasure." She turned and beckoned us to follow her into the house. Her hair was a dull red and pulled out of her face, but still around her shoulders. "I don't suppose Mr. Lopt mentioned his unique ability to you, darling?" She turned to face Cedar at the base of the stairs and clicked her tongue, "I'll assume not."

Cedar seemed to snap out of a daze and she shook her head, "No. He didn't tell me he had a gift. You- you don't seem to be the police."

Mikayla laughed heartily, shaking her head, "No. I'm not the police you're thinking of, but I am a form of law enforcement."

"FBI? What did my godfather do?" She asked wearily.

"Anthony Lopt. He broke the most severe of our laws and then disobeyed his punishment. He must be punished, Cedar. That is how the laws work."

"I don't understand. What did he do?"

"Don't you bother your young mind with that. It'll all be sorted out."

At the top of the stairs, a man emerged from Mr. Lopt's bedroom and smiled. The man was an average height and of medium build with a sinister looking smile. "Ah, I see the young ones are here."

"Cedar, let me introduce you to Mr. Sephtis. He is my associate and will be helping us deliver Mr. Lopt his punishment," Mikayla smiled warmly at the man, but I took a step back from that dangerous grin.

All the time we've been standing there, Mikayla had not spared me a glance or a word until now. She whirled on me and smiled much too sweetly, "Now, Killean. Mr. Sephtis is going to take you home so Cedar can help us. You are no longer of use, thank you."

I stepped back from the man and grabbed Cedar's wrist with a calm demeanor, "Thank you, Ms. King, but I prefer to stay with my best friend."

"That won't do. Mr. Sephtis would be more than happy to escort you home peacefully," Mikayla walked slowly towards me and grabbed my shoulder, lowering her voice. "He'll do it peacefully, but believe me he has no qualms with violence." She released me and stepped back, smiling.

Mr. Sephtis stepped closer and took my arm, his grip hard on my muscles. "How about we walk home, Killean?"

I pulled away from him, looking Mikayla in the eyes, "I'd prefer to stay." My voice was hard and a gripped Cedar's hand who was staying oddly quiet.

She looked at me and shook her head, "You should go with him. I'll be fine, I trust her." She took her hand out of mine and tried to give me a reassuring smile, but it was overshadowed by the worry in her eyes.

"I can stay with you. I want to find out what happened to him too," I spoke softly and urgently as I heard Mr. Sephtis behind me.

"You heard her, son. She trust's me. Come, Cedar." Mikayla smiled and gestured for her to follow up the stairs. "Mr. Sephtis, I expect the portal is functional?"

"Yes, ma'am. All ready for you and the girl."

"Lovely," Mikayla smiled and gave me a smile that made me think something wasn't right. She placed her hand on Cedar's shoulder and led her up the stairs while the man grabbed my shoulder and herded me towards the door.

He pulled me, with immense strength, outside and slammed the door behind him. "Kind of you to be worried about your friend, but there is no need." He recited the words like a script before he smiled and went back in the house, locking the door.

I stumbled out onto the porch before I caught my balance and smiled to myself. Listening with my ear to the door, I heard the stairs creak under Sephtis' weight and I ran off the porch. Quietly, I crept around the side of the house like I learned years ago. Mr. Lopt never liked me in the house, so I found ways to climb up to Cedar's room, but I never entered the house. I crept to the back of the house and climbed the large tree whose branches stopped just short of the window. When I reached the top branch, I leaned out and caught the windowsill in my hand, using it to steady myself while I soundlessly eased the window open. I grabbed the windowsill with both hands and used it to help pull myself inside. It was a slow process, but I could still hear the adults talking with Cedar.

From inside the closed door of Mr. Lopt's room, I could hear Cedar talking quietly with Mikayla. "You have to explain to me before I go with you."

"No, I don't. You're coming with us."

"I will not go without a proper explanation of why you need me."

"Fine. Proper explanation. Your godfather broke a law and there is no possible way he will return to this world unless you convince him. You're going to come with us and convince him to return home. SImple."

Finally I heard, "Okay. I'll go."

"Wonderful. Mr. Sephtis, if you would kindly open the door?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The door to the room was locked when I tried to soundlessly turn the handle, so I turned to Cedar's bag at the bottom of the stairs. She always kept bobby pins in a little bag inside because her curls frustrated her as much as she loved them. I knew I had to get down the stairs, but they creaked unimaginably loud for sneaking around.

Mikayla began speaking again in that sickly sweet tone and I realized she wasn't being fully honest with Cedar. She wasn't just going to bring her godfather back.

I crept down the stairs, using the banister to lift myself over the creaky step and somehow made it to the bottom. Using my long legs, I hurried back up the stairs as quietly as possible, with the bag on my shoulder. I listened to the oblivious adults as I worked quickly to lengthen the pin and slide it into the lock. Taking only a few moments on the incredibly simple lock, I waited for the click and eased Cedar's bag to the floor.

Cedar was standing behind Mikayla, her fingers twisting and toying with the button at her collar. Her face was white and glued to Mikayla and Sephtis, who was now holding a strange looking knife of some sort.

"Come now, Cedar. Sephtis is going to open the door and then we'll go find your godfather."

I watched, waiting, as she nodded and stepped forward. "What happened to Killean?"

"He went home," the man replied with a curt tone.

"You didn't hurt him?"

"Of course not, darling. We wouldn't hurt you or your friend," Mikayla said kindly, laying a hand on my best friend's shoulder. She steered her towards the mirror, which was just out of my line of sight.

I stepped inside the room and dropped the bobby pin, "Not yet."

Sephtis growled and stepped towards me.

"Killean!"

"Boy, I thought I told you to go home. This does not involve you."

I stepped away from the man, keeping the door at my back in case I needed to run. The knife in his hand looked surprisingly sharper than it did before and his face somehow seemed more sinister.

"You did, but you involved my best friend and therefore me."

"That's not how it works."

"It is to me," I snapped in response.

"Fine," Mikayla drawled out. "If you want to be involved, I am certain Mr. Sephtis is itching for a fight. You want to be involved, fight him and win."

I looked in alarm at the man in front of me before regaining my composure. "Perfect," I replied with a smile and a smirk.

Cedar shook her head at me and stepped away from Mikayla, "No. Killean. We're just going to get my godfather back. Please don't fight him and don't try to get involved. I'll be right back."

"They aren't going to get Mr. Lopt back, Cedar. They're going to use you as bait to kill him," I said quickly before either of the adults could react. "Sephtis. Think, Dee."

She slowly started thinking back to all the books we've read and everything she'd learned from them. "Sephtis. Eternal death." She whirled on Mikayla and backed away, shaking her head. "You're going to kill him."

"No, child. You're mistaken and your friend even more so," even with her words, you could hear the fear creep into Mikayla's voice ever so slightly.

Sephtis chose that moment to leap at me, his knife dangerously close to my throat. He reached to grab my arm but I pulled out of his grip quickly and backed out the door.

Once on the landing, I realized how disadvantaged I was and cursed myself softly for agreeing to this.