The Blackwood Curse, page 17
Then I realised where I was. I was the one trapped behind the mirror.
Chapter 17
‘Becks! Becks!’ Wax’s eyes were pleading.
‘Wax!’ I screamed back, clawing at the glass. Then hissed with pain as my nails snapped scraping the underside of the mirror. Then, with one final, ‘Becks!’ he disappeared as if he was pulled away.
I collapsed to the floor, wailing his name. My bloodied fingers stung against the dusty floor, proving it was real. I couldn’t even kid myself it was one of my dreams. We’d been cruelly tricked. It refuelled my tears and I folded into a ball. I’m not sure how long I lay there. Time lost all meaning as I sobbed into my hands. In the end I guessed I’d simply cried myself out. The grime, blood and salt felt tight on my face where it had dried in smears.
I sat up and looked around me. It wasn’t completely dark. The round mirror above me acted like a skylight to the room and cast a grey light. I began to recognise the things around me. It was an exact replica of the basement above me, but a greyed-out, mirror image. The way the world sometimes looks when you wake up in the night and you aren’t fully awake.
I clambered to my feet, a little shakily as my knees had been bent for so long. My cast had gone. That threw me for a moment. That maybe it was a dream, nightmare or simply a spell. I knew I was dead, so, I guess, anything was possible. What was immediately apparent was that, here, I was a different representation of myself than the plane Wax existed on. Getting back to him felt more urgent than ever now. Before I disappeared or was taken from him completely.
There was no pentagon on the floor and the altar was simply a bare piece of furniture. I went closer as there appeared to be no objects on it at all. It made a kind of sense. They were the tools of magic that got me here; they wouldn’t exist on this side.
Just then, as I had the thought, the room flooded in yellow light and I had to bring my forearm up to shield my eyes. I let my guard down slowly as I got used to the light and slowly edged closer to the altar. I could see that the back of it was glass – no, a mirror – from a big, carved dresser. On the other side, I hadn’t noticed it before as it had been behind the altar candles and covered by a cloth.
I ventured closer as I could hear voices. My nose was almost touching the glass. I was viewing the outside world – the one with Wax – as if from the inside of a TV. The sound was low and muffled, like they were talking into a bottle, but people came into view and I could just make out what they were saying.
‘Get her out!’ Wax was shouting, menacingly, down at someone.
A girl was standing in front of him in a light-grey, full skirted, Victorian dress. Lila.
‘I cannot,’ she said back to him. ‘Only another Blackwood can do that. With the spell you just created, with one foot in this world and one in the next. That is the curse of our families, I fear,’ she said, regretfully.
Even from where I stood, she seemed over the top and dramatic and not sincere at all.
‘A life for a life, or afterlife, as in this case,’ a male voice said. When he came into view, I could see that Wax’s uncle had joined them. He’d been standing next to the altar and still held the covering from the mirror in his hand. ‘Don’t be rude, Bret. Say thank you and goodbye to your young friend here. She has made a huge sacrifice today. Thanks to her, Lila is free of her prison and we can all go on with our lives.’ Then I knew; he’d removed the covering deliberately, so I could be part of the conversation. How I hated him.
Wax immediately turned to see what he meant and looked straight at me. His whole body seemed to sag in a mixture of relief and misery and he ran and put his hands to the glass.
I did the same on my side and looked intently into his bloodshot eyes.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, then he scratched at the edges of the frame for a latch or a handle to find his way in.
It was useless. Even I could see that. I started to cry. ‘Wax!’ I wailed.
Wax stopped scraping at the glass and his hands dropped to his sides. Tears were escaping from his eyes too. ‘I’ll get you out. I promise.’
Wax’s uncle came and stood next to his shoulder, put an arm around him and smiled directly at me. It seemed he could see me now. ‘Quite impossible, I’m afraid. She was the last of the line of living Blackwoods.’ He picked up a broom and began sweeping away the white powder that made up the pentagon on the floor, knowing I could never remember how to recreate it. ‘It would take Blackwood blood to do that.’
How I loathed him then.
Wax looked as stunned and broadsided as I was, but I could see the anger building inside him and I knew what was coming. He was clenching his jaw, balling his fists and hunching his shoulders as if readying for battle.
‘Steady now, Bret. Calm yourself.’ His uncle sounded a little more nervous than I’d seen so far. He was circling around to protect Lila, who was backing away. He whispered something to her over his shoulder and she disappeared from view. I guessed she’d run to safety or to get help.
‘Wax!’ I called. ‘Stop! Don’t give him the satisfaction.’
‘Listen to your little girlfriend there.’ Smug amusement was now back in his voice.
‘Please, Wax.’
Wax was shaking his head as if he was arguing in his own mind. Maybe he was hearing other voices taunting or goading him on. He took a threatening step towards his uncle, who put up his hands defensively. ‘Come on, boy. You hardly know her. The spell worked. You are free now to go on with your life.’
I thought about what his uncle was saying. Wax could be free if he wanted. It was an opportunity for him to escape.
‘It makes no sense. Becks isn’t alive,’ Wax said, desperately. ‘I know that because I can see her. Isn’t that the whole reason the spell worked?’
His uncle smiled mischievously and held his arms open wide. Lila came back into view and glided effortlessly into them, followed quickly by four burly men and the nurse. The ones used to control Wax’s violent episodes.
‘Oh no!’ I cried in frustration, banging on the glass.
‘Lila,’ his uncle said, gazing into the young girl’s eyes.
‘Ainsley!’ she said back and then they kissed.
I had no idea what was going on. It was like a slow-motion car crash as I watched the horror spread on Wax’s face, the grotesque kiss and the hired hands closing in to get a hold of him. A strange understanding crept up my spine. Wax’s uncle wasn’t just named after the dead Waxley-Black brother; somehow he had a connection to him.
Wax was backing up but had drawn the same conclusion as me, because he was shouting, ‘How? How is this happening?’
His uncle pulled Lila into his chest and smiled benignly as the nurse held up a huge syringe. She flicked it with her finger to remove any bubbles and squeezed a little of the liquid out. Then the men closed in.
‘Run, Wax!’ I screamed. I began to cry as he turned his back towards me, protecting me from the menace coming towards him. ‘Go … I’m the safe one,’ I trailed off before I called him a fool.
They were quickly upon him and the nurse efficiently stabbed his neck with the needle. All I could do was scream at the top of my lungs, over and over, as I watched him collapse and the men carry him away by his arms and legs. I whimpered ‘Wax’ helplessly, as they carried him out of view. I knew they were taking him back to the bed I’d seen him in that first day and that they would never let him be free.
The uncle picked up some of the artifacts left on the floor. ‘Jed will be here in the morning. His father will calm him.’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Both sons had the same name as their ancestors.
‘What about her?’ Lila said, nodding her head in my direction.
Ainsley came towards me, smiling, and picked up the cloth that normally covered the glass. ‘Cover the mirrors,’ he said, laughing. She joined him as if it was an in-joke. Then, as my world went dark, I heard the thump and crank of the mechanism. The wall was closing. I wanted to shout out not to leave me alone, but I knew it was useless.
‘Don’t worry, she’s trapped. Once the malevolent ones discover her, she won’t survive for long.’
Chapter 18
I sank to the floor and cried; great gut-wrenching sobs. I had fallen down a well, without a hope in hell of anyone ever finding me. I had no idea what was happening to Wax now that they had what they wanted. They could be killing him for all I knew. I had to help him before Jed came in the morning. Jed? What was going on here?
I sniffed back the tears, stood and turned a slow circle. I was in a blue-grey version of the cellar. The partition was open – or wasn’t there on this side. There was no red button that I could see, so it pointed to it not being an exact representation of what was on the other side. I thought about it as I climbed the steps. This world was so dark and gloomy.
I screamed as a rat scurried across the next step just as I almost trod on it.
I stood, shaking, holding the rail, getting my breath back and dragging my grimy forearm across my brow. I was sweating, my clothes were sticking to me, so I pulled my top away from my skin to let in air. Then I edged slowly up the steps one by one; straining my ears for the slightest sound, dreading what was on the other side of the pantry door.
The shelves were different. Tins and packets of cereal were replaced by jars and wooden vegetable racks lined with paper. A cold sensation seeped into my body as I grasped the doorknob to the kitchen and slowly opened it. I peered cautiously inside. The modern chrome and wood finish were gone, replaced by a huge range and long wooden table. Pots of varying sizes hung from the ceiling above it and flagstones covered the floor. I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed I was standing in the kitchen of a hundred and fifty years ago. Except everything was muted and grey, like the warmth had been sucked out of it and a dry mist hung in the air.
I tried to rationalise it as best I could. I was stuck in a spell, designed as a prison, that was constructed in Victorian times. That was why it didn’t match the other side of the mirror. It was a reflection of the house back when Lila was alive.
I shuddered with a mixture of fear and cold and moved out into the hallway.
Laughter and then a scream pierced the air through the house. I flattened myself against the wall, heart pumping as my eyes adjusted to the change in the light. I swallowed and inched along the wall to the foot of the stairs. I had to make my way to Wax’s room to find him. If he was there on the other side, the chances were I could reach him from here too.
Nothing much had changed in the hall. Except the light from the stained-glass windows only shone blue and the portrait at the end was a smirking likeness of a man with a striking resemblance to Wax’s uncle. I hadn’t noticed it in the modern house. I simply couldn’t believe he was there, still affecting lives today. The one next to it was softer, kinder. Jed.
I went along the dark landing until I came to Wax’s door. I turned the knob and pushed it wide open and another door took its place. I did the same, again and again, over and over and there was always another door to bar my way.
I fell against it as hopeless tears streaked down my face. This had all the hallmarks of a terrible nightmare. I could have taken heart from that if only it was likely to wake me up.
There was another shriek and I stood still, holding my breath. I was terrified of making a sound. It sounded like it came from the next door.
Tallulah? My heart thumped at the possibility that the others could be behind that door. I retraced my steps and turned the handle slowly.
The room was cold and empty. The modern furnishings of a teenage boy had gone and were replaced by a modest wooden bed and heavy dark furniture. A china basin and pitcher stood on a sideboard where his desk should be. It was blue-grey like all the others, but an orange light began to grow in the glass above the dressing table.
A mirror they’d forgotten to cover. The idea came to me like a bolt of lightning. It became brighter and brighter, but, strangely, threw no light into the room.
I edged closer until I could put out my hand and touch the surface.
Another shriek of laughter made me snatch back my hand. There was definitely boys’ voices and chatter. My heart sped up. They were all still in Ollie’s room.
I put out my hand again and touched the glass with the tips of my fingers. The light flashed white and the glass felt so hot that I couldn’t bear it for long. Then it settled to a warm glow and I cautiously moved my face closer to the glass.
I could see them all lounging and laughing. Some were sitting on the floor, Joe was on a beanbag. Archie was munching chips. Ollie was play-fighting with Tallulah on the bed, setting off her peals of laughter when he tickled her or bit her neck. It was such an unremarkable scene, but it warmed my heart so much it ached when I compared it to the cold and the blue of where I was. ‘Guys! Guys!’ I whispered as loudly as I dared. I still wasn’t sure if I was alone in this place. Then I knocked my knuckles against the glass. ‘Hey! It’s me. Can you hear me? It’s Beccah!’
‘Shh!’ Josh said. ‘Did you hear that?’
‘Hear what?’ Ollie said, freezing mid-hover over Tallulah, to listen. ‘I can’t hear anything.’
‘Ollie! It’s me, Beccah.’
‘Beccah?’ Ollie said, looking around him, confused.
Every part of me wilted in relief as I thanked God they could hear me. ‘I’m here. Over here.’
They were all looking around them, trying to home in on the direction of my voice.
‘Here!’
They all got it at the same time and looked directly at the mirror.
‘Shit!’ Tallulah said, finally sitting up.
Ollie scrambled off the bed and came closer to peer right at me. One by one the others came and joined him. Tallulah pushed in front by crawling through on her knees. ‘How did you get in there?’ she said, her expression so childlike it almost made me laugh.
I’d never been so glad to see her or anybody in my life as I quickly spewed out the lead up to what had happened.
‘But why, I don’t get it?’ Ollie said, looking confused and concerned.
‘Your uncle wanted Lila out all along.’ I suddenly became aware of where I was and looked all around me, nervously. I wasn’t sure how long I had or if I’d be disturbed. ‘Now I’m the one who’s trapped and Wax has been drugged and I can’t get into his room,’ I said, looking back at him, desperately.
Ollie frowned while he thought through what I’d said. ‘Mirrors,’ he said, with a slow nod. ‘If I understand it right, your only contact with our world is through mirrors. Wax doesn’t have any mirrors.’
Oh my God. He was right. I hadn’t noticed.
‘It’s a common way for spirits to come through. They act like portals. Wax hates them.’
It made so much sense, but didn’t help me at all.
Then he grinned.
‘What?’ I said, seeing the lightbulb go on in his eyes.
‘But you know what Wax has got?’
I shook my head.
‘An impressive bank of state-of-the-art computer screens.’
He was right, but my half-hearted smile faded. I didn’t understand what difference that made. ‘I still can’t get into that room. It’s closed to me.’
Ollie thought about it, then switched his attention onto something out of view. His fingers clicked away on something I quickly guessed was a keyboard. He pulled his laptop closer. ‘But you can in here,’ he said absently.
His hands worked lightning fast.
Then a deep moan echoed behind me. ‘Shaaaade.’
I turned my head and screamed.
* * *
A warm trickle ran down my leg as I stood staring at the apparition. It was pale and translucent, but I could clearly see the female clothes of the mid 1800s and the ringlets in her hair. At a certain angle, she could have been drawn from chalk. A hostile one, I remembered from Wax’s descriptions of ghosts.
Everything shrieked for me to run, but I could barely breathe. I’d heard people say on TV that they froze in fear and I’d never truly understood what it meant until that point. But I was. Absolutely and completely paralyzed by terror.
Then I heard it. A rumble like thunder. And the word, ‘Lucinda?’
It felt like it shook the room, it was shouted in such anger.
‘This way.’ Before I knew what was happening, my legs were moving and I was running along the landing to the servants’ staircase, next to Wax’s uncle’s room, and straight down to the kitchen.
‘Faster,’ the ghost hissed over her shoulder. ‘He is almost upon us.’
Somehow my legs pounded the floor after her, blindly, even though my eyes were wide and my nostrils filled with the bitter smell of sheer terror. Air rasped my throat as it occurred to me I had no idea where I was going or what I was running from. Even so, my eyes stayed fixed on it. The apparition could move remarkably fast.
Then I took one look over my shoulder and the world went to slow motion. Bone-white hands reached for me from a swirl of black robes and an evil grin flashed from gnashing white teeth, just visible from a hood almost completely covering its face.
Before I could let out a scream at the grab of his hand, I was yanked sideways, into a closet beneath the staircase that took us into a long tunnel. One I had no idea was there and I was sure Wax didn’t either. I took a moment to recover, then continued to run, making the blue-flamed torches dotted in the walls flicker. Whatever it was had almost had me.
My head was now pounding and my throat was sore from stale air hacking through my lungs. It was no good, I couldn’t continue the pace and slowed back down to a walk.
‘Not long now,’ the ghost said.
The ceiling to the tunnel became lower and smoother and a door came into sight. It opened into a closet the other end and then into the maroon hallway I recognised as my aunt’s place. At least I now knew how my ghostly visitors were getting in and out of the house.
