The Ghostly Past

Chapter 44

"The hall is absolutely packed!"James exclaimed. He looked devastatingly handsome in his jet black suit and grey silken cravat. He grinned at her.

"Oh wonderful." Harriet said sarcastically. She was in a puffy blue dress, her hair gathered up behind her, studded with pearly pins. "The orchestra sounded good."

"Especially the timpani." Clara added, breezing past.

"Thanks for getting it all set up for us." He winked at her. "You're on in a minute aren't you, Harriet?"

"Stop reminding me." She groaned, turning away to continue her vocal warmups.

It had been two months since the curse had been broken. There had been so many wonderful moments in the days since then, many of which she'd missed in the hospital. But Leo's father had come and embraced her when she'd come around after surgery, wringing her hands in gratitude. Margaret had kissed her cheek, bringing flowers for both her and Max, who'd been kept in for a time.

It was taking time for them all to mend, physically and emotionally, but they were improving, able to actually conceive a life outside of the curse. Jess was planning to leave Gloomsdale and go travelling. She had flights booked for Asia and was set on 'finding herself'.

She and Leo had broken up. He'd taken it hard, but was coping and embracing family life and his work. Ryan and Kim had stayed together. She'd stood by him through the police enquiries, which from all accounts had been confused.

The police had been unable to work out who to prosecute for what had happened and let them all go. Clara knew though that Ryan still blamed himself. Kim had told her in confidence that Ryan had been seeing a counsellor ever since the events at the pond.

James had returned to work and sworn off alcohol for a time. He was back to his usual sunny self. Harriet on the other hand had missed everything. She still had a blind spot when it came to the supernatural. She'd visited them in hospital, and asked few questions. It was easier, Clara thought, to just ignore the truth.

As for Max, he'd healed up and slipped back into his old life, with one difference.

"Hey." He said, appearing behind her.

"You're not allowed backstage." Clara teased with a smile.

"I wanted to give you these." Max held up a bunch of flowers, roses of a dusky pink. They reminded her of the rose he'd tucked in her hair from Leo's garden all that time ago.

"Oh, thank you!" She leaned up to kiss him.

Since the night they'd broken the curse, Clara and Max had been inseparable. They could finally simply enjoy being with one another without the pressure of impending doom.

"I'll leave you to it." He stepped away, only to hurry back and kiss her again. "One for the road."

"Max!" Harriet laughed. "Leave her alone!"

"Okay, okay." Max grinned cheekily. "I'm going."

Harriet was up first, singing a selection of popular operatic arias. She was, as always, incredible. Clara watched her with pride, until, abruptly, it was her own turn.

She walked out into the hall. She felt the familiar sensation of adrenaline and nerves churning within her, resulting in an exhilarating mix of excitement and fear. The applause only fuelled this. She smiled at the familiar faces, taking a seat at the piano.

Taking a deep breath, she began to play.

She'd prepared a Schubert impromptu, a Chopin Nocturne and a Debussy prelude. The notes seemed to glisten and dance as her fingers played, perhaps with more feeling than she had ever played with before.

Time seemed to stand still for those first few moments, and then it was over.

"You all did so well!" Margaret enthused after the concert. "Beautiful!"

"Yes, she is." Max swept Clara into his arms, and she laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Ugh, you two." Kim rolled her eyes, approaching with Ryan. She broke into a smile. "Well done."

"Thanks." Clara tugged herself free.

"We just booked a holiday." Kim told her. "Figured we could use a break."

"A romantic trip to Venice." Ryan added. He was looking at Kim in adoration. It made Clara feel warm inside, seeing how different they were, how happy, since the curse was lifted. "Anyway, we're off to the pub. See you later. I'll buy you a drink."

She could see Leo chatting to James, and as they did so, Jess snuck over. "Hey." She smiled, "I came to say goodbye."

"So you're leaving soon?" Clara asked Jess.

"Yes." She looked pleased. "Tomorrow." She sighed. "Take care of the others for me. Especially Leo. I just want him to be happy."

They all headed to the pub. It was crowded after the concert, with everyone drinking in their finery. Harriet was flirting with one of the other students. James and Jess were at the bar. Leo and Max were chatting with Ryan and Kim.

Everyone looked so happy, so content.

So was she.

Looking out of the window, she jerked in surprise, seeing a figure watching them.

It was dark, and it was nice to stand outside with no torch, and no curfew. Dorian was standing there, watching her.

He didn't speak, and neither did she. Both simply smiled at one another.

As she blinked, Dorian simply faded away.

For a long time, she stood there, staring out into space. "Hey." Max tapped her on the shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Clara turned and kissed him on the cheek. "Nothing at all."

Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed this story, I really appreciate all my readers. If you have loved reading this, feel free to check out another of my original works, Phoenix Caged, currently being uploaded on my page.