《Where Evil Resides》


 Chapter One – Katie and Cheri

    Life hadn¡¯t always been fair for Katherine Lynn Summers, but she had always managed to keep a positive attitude. After her mother died when she was twelve, she mourned but was positive everything would work out living with her grandmother. At fourteen she had fallen out of the treehouse at her friend¡¯s house and the pain was excruciating but she was positive it would give her more time to concentrate on her studies and she¡¯d get into Harvard like she had dreamed. When she was sixteen and found out her boyfriend had cheated on her with a blonde bimbette cheerleader she had decided that she was positive that she never wanted to date again, and she kept that going until college. Living with her grandmother had given her the freedom to be herself, eight weeks in a cast had given her time to bring up her grades, and Bradley turned out to be a pot smoking slaker who would have dragged her down into the gutter with him. Today, however, she wasn¡¯t sure if the positive was going to be a good or bad thing.


    Katie sat in the quiet of her safe little VW bug and stared at the hundred-year-old Victorian house with its wraparound porch and beautiful bay windows. As a teenager Katie loved sitting on the cushioned bench and reading in the living room bay window. These days the intricate stained-glass design which framed the top pains annoyed her to no end. They were difficult to keep clean and the sun cast odd creepy colors on the walls of the living room. There were many things she loved about the old house, but many more she had hated. Mostly she stayed there because it was where she grew up and her grandmother had given it to her in her will.


    Katie pushed the button on her speed dial to call her best friend, Cheri. Looking at the pharmacy bag leaning against her old brown leather purse on the passenger seat.


    ¡°Hey, can you come over? I don¡¯t think I can do this by myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already sitting in your kitchen waiting for you,¡± Cheri stated emphatically. ¡°You didn¡¯t see my truck parked in front?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Katie gave a nervous laugh. ¡°I guess I was just a bit preoccupied. I¡¯ll be in in a second.¡±Katie turned to see the custom iridescent purple Chevy Silverado parked on the street. Cheri loved that thing. Katie just considered it ostentatious. She had lifted it so high getting in was a bitch. However, she had to admit it was fun when they adventured into the mountains and lakes. They had taken that thing most drivers wouldn¡¯t even dare think about going, and they did it without fear of getting stuck.


    Katie grabbed her purse, and the bag, and headed into the house.


    Cheri sat at the kitchen table with two bottles in front of her, one sparkling apple cider and the other Jose Cuervo tequila. Katie raised an eyebrow at Cheri.


    ¡°Either way we are going to celebrate. What took you so long? I¡¯ve been watching you sit in your car for at least fifteen minutes.¡±


    Katie pulled the little blue and white box out of the bag and felt like she was going to puke, not for the first time that day.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit nervous. I¡¯m just not sure what I¡¯m going to do if it comes back positive.¡±


    ¡°In today''s day and age you have plenty of options. You don¡¯t have to actually have it.¡±


    ¡°I could never!¡± Katie was almost offended, but she knew that Cheri was just trying to be supportive.


    ¡°I know. I was just saying.¡±


    Katie sat down next to Cheri and gently took her hand.


    ¡°I remember what you went through. For you it was the right choice. You were only seventeen and Richard would have been a horrible father. For me, now, even if Jacob disappeared, I am perfectly capable of raising this baby with a good stable life.¡±


    ¡°You are more than capable, having a family has always been a dream for you, and I¡¯d be a fabulous aunt.¡±


    ¡°How come you''re not doing this with Jacob?¡±


    ¡°We really haven¡¯t talked about it.¡±


    ¡°Not at all? He already asked you to marry him.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve talked about it as a fantasy, it a more far off sense. I do know he wants kids. But we haven¡¯t talked about it as in making plans. There is a difference.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get this done and see if there is actually anything to plan for.¡± Cheri grabbed a red solo cup from the cupboard and headed towards Katies bedroom. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you moved into Grams room yet? She¡¯s been gone for almost a year now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it just feels like she¡¯s still in there. I always feel like she¡¯s watching me.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Once at Katie¡¯s bedroom door Cheri stopped and turned as if thinking.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this in Gram¡¯s room. It¡¯ll be a way of having her a part of it.¡±


    ¡°OK,¡± Katie smile, but was a bit hesitant since she hadn¡¯t stepped foot in the room since the day of the funeral.


    Katie opened Gram¡¯s bedroom door. The hot stale air whooshed out at them. Everything was covered in a years¡¯ worth of dust, the bed was still mussed up from the morning Katie walked in to find her grandmother had passed away from a heart attack during the night, and there were still tire tracks in the carpet from the gurney the paramedics had brought up to take her away in.


    ¡°Gram¡¯s would be do disappoint in the state of this room,¡± Cheri laughed as she plopped down on the bed and a plume of dust filled the air around her legs. ¡°Here, take this cup and go fill it while I do a little straightening up in here.¡±


    Cheri began to strip the bed before Katie could refuse the offer. Instead, she made her way into the bathroom and by the time she was finished Cheri had replaced the sheets and blanket with clean fresh ones and opened the window to let in some fresh air and was busy clearing off the dresser.


    ¡°I never understood why Gram¡¯s had cleaning supplies in every room of the house, but I¡¯m glad she did. I didn¡¯t even have go searching for stuff. It was all in the closet.¡±


    ¡°Gram¡¯s was lazy. She didn¡¯t want to carry stuff up and down stairs and from room to room. But she didn''t want to live in filth either.¡± Katie laughed. ¡°That¡¯s also why she had the old dumbwaiter upgraded. She just put stuff in it, push the up button, and then she didn¡¯t have to drag laundry baskets up and down the stairs.¡±


    ¡°Did you dip that stick yet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is going to be the longest three minutes of my life.¡±


    Cheri picked up a small wooden locked box.


    ¡°Did you ever find out what was in this thing?¡±


    ¡°Nope, Gram¡¯s just always said it was a special inheritance I¡¯d get when she died. I really hadn¡¯t even thought about it.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like paper, might be money,¡± Cheri shook the box. ¡°Where¡¯s the key?¡±


    Katie pulled a small silver key out of a drawer on the bedside table and plopped down on the bed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what Gram¡¯s special inheritance is.¡± Katie laughed.


    No matter how down and depressed Katie was Cheri was always able to get her out of her own head and laugh. Cheri had been her best friend since elementary school. They had been through everything from hurtful rumors to family deaths together.


    Cheri slipped the thin sliver key into the lock and opened the box. Inside she found her mom¡¯s wedding rings, a stack of $2.00 bills, and a small envelope with a letter written on her Gram¡¯s personal stationery addressed to her.


    ¡°Do you want me to leave while you read it, or stay?¡±


    ¡°Stay.¡± Katie began to read it aloud.


    Dearest Katie,


    If you¡¯re reading this letter I must have passed away. I can only hope it was a quiet peaceful passing, either way I¡¯ve left you.


    Since the day you were born you have been the light of my life. Every moment of every day of your life I have been thankful to God for bringing you into my family. I¡¯ve watched you struggle, and I¡¯ve watched you succeed. I¡¯ve watched you in your loneliest days and I¡¯ve watched you build a long and lasting relationship with Cherly. I¡¯ve watched you mourn the deaths of both your parents, and I¡¯ve celebrated your life¡¯s achievements. I have no doubt that you will get through this time with grace and love.


    I need you to do one last thing for me, before you clean out the house to sell. I know at some point you will sell it. It¡¯s not really your style. Before you do, please contact Ms. Shayla Well¡¯s. The last time I heard she lived in Sharon Hills. She has information you need to know about. I probably should have told you, but I never wanted you to be burdened with this. There just isn''t anyone else.


    I love you, never forget that.


    Grams


    Katie dropped the letter on the bed with the rest of the stuff from the box and sat quietly for a moment before forcing herself to perk up.


    ¡°Ok, it¡¯s got to have been three minutes by now!¡± Katie announced a little too brightly.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what the outcome is.¡±


    Katie pulled the pregnancy test out of the box only to see two blue lines. A soft small smile formed on her face.


    ¡°Looks like its sparkling cider to celebrate!¡± Katie laughed.


    ¡°WOOT!¡± Cheri jumped up on the bed and screamed. ¡°I¡¯m going to be an aunt!¡±


    ¡°How do you know I¡¯m going to keep it?¡± Katie laughed as Cheri¡¯s jumping bounced her up and down on the bed.


    ¡°After all these years I know what you¡¯re going to do before you do.  Besides, the smile said it all. So now how to tell Jacob he¡¯s going to be a daddy.¡±


    ¡°I want to confirm it with a doctor first. I can call now and see how fast I can get in.¡±


    Katie made a quick call as Cheri continued to clean the dust off the dresser and end tables.


    ¡°Ok they got me an appointment for tomorrow morning but if I can get to the lab within an hour they will have the results in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Within a few minutes the two girls where in Cheri¡¯s truck on the way to the lab.

 Chapter Two – Jacob and Josephine

    Jacob woke up at his usual 4:00am with the help of an alarm clock. He had never needed an alarm clock, even as a young schoolboy, his internal alarm clock was always on time. This morning, unlike most mornings, he woke up in his childhood bedroom. The waxing moon low enough in the still night sky he could easily see it setting in the western sky.


    On the first Sunday of each new quarter his mother had always thrown a cocktail party for all the board members. It was her way of staying relevant in the business world even though cocktail parties and business dinners had become passe. However, it did give Jacob a chance to get to know the members of the board and their significant others. The only problem with these nights is how late they lasted and how rude it was for the host to leave a party before the last guest, so he always ended up sleeping at his mother¡¯s, which was over an hour away from the office.


    Three hours later Jacob descended the grand staircase into the foyer. The urge to plant his butt on the banister and slide down, like he was nine again, was almost too much to resist. A left at the bottom of the stairs through the formal dining room brought him into the sunroom where he and his mother had eaten breakfast every day of his life, until he moved out.


    Jacob looked at his watch, 7:08 am. He smiled before entering the room.


    ¡°Good morning, Mother."


    ¡°You are late,¡± replied his mother


    Josephine Mantles was born a pampered socialite and married into the married into a business mogul family. During the last three decades she has learned about the business world and how to work it to her advantage in every aspect. Since the death of her husband, she had controlled every penny spent or brought in by Benson Industries.


    ¡°Eight minutes late, I know. I can¡¯t stay for breakfast, I¡¯m just here to get some coffee on my way out. I have meetings this morning.¡±


    ¡°You do not, I phoned Clairissa yesterday and instructed her to reschedule anything before noon. Now, sit your ass down and have a proper breakfast.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fired.¡± Jacob took his seat and poured himself a cup of coffee.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a ninny. You couldn¡¯t find anyone to work as well as she does within all of the state.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s way overqualified to be a secretary anywhere. I have no idea why she stays.¡±


    ¡°She stays because you pay her three times more than she could make starting as at the bottom rung of any business. You may want to give her another bump and change her title to administrative assistant. She would be better suited for you than that other woman.¡±


    ¡°Mother don¡¯t start,¡± Jacob scolded.


    ¡°With her family history and limited employment opportunities she does not have what it will take to make it in our world.¡±


    ¡°She has a bachelor''s degree in art history and is teaching. She love¡¯s what she¡¯s doing and that is all that matters.¡±


    ¡°The disparity in incomes will become an issue. You make in a month what she makes in a year.¡±


    ¡°She already knows that, and she doesn¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what really happened to her parents? Her mother sent that girl off to school one day, shot her father in the face and left his bloody corpse in their bed for their daughter to find when she came home from school. She was so traumatized that she couldn¡¯t even speak to the 911 operator. They had to track the poor girls cell phone to find her.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the whole story; I don¡¯t even think Katie does. I do know she spent several weeks in the hospital recovering. I really don¡¯t need to know more.¡± Jacob tried to end the conversation, but his mother wouldn¡¯t stop.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Afterwards Mrs. Summers snuck into her mother¡¯s house and hist in the basement downing a bottle of Vicodin followed by a bottle of vodka scribbling incoherent nonsense on a mirror with a black eyeliner pencil. They did not find her until almost 5:00pm the next day.¡±


    Jacob let out a loud frustrated sigh. He had known bits and pieces of the story, parts that Katie remembered and the many rumors that had been printed at the time of the incident. However, those that were in the know and family and kept silent about the matter.


    ¡°What ever happened to that sweet Olivia girl? She would have fit in every suitable in our life.¡±


    ¡°Olivia didn¡¯t know the difference between a Ding Dong and a Twinkie and was dull as a bed of rocks. I¡¯m just gonna grab some coffee to go and head to the office,¡± Jacob peeked over his paper as he emphasized the word gonna to see his mother¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Jacob,¡± she sighed after flinching at the word. ¡°You know I hate it when you use that contraction. I know you do it just to get under my skin.¡±


    ¡°I do apologize Mother,¡± Jacob laughed. ¡°I¡¯m going to take my coffee to go and head to the office.¡±


    ¡°Very well, will I see you for dinner tonight?¡±


    ¡°No Mother, I¡¯ll be staying at my own house tonight, just like every other night.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand why you insist on living in the city. I have enough room in this house for you, a wife, and three or four kids.¡±


    ¡°Even after I decided to get married, we won¡¯t be living here, and this place is nice but over an hour away from the office.¡± Jacob headed for the door. ¡°I¡¯m out, gonna head to the office,¡± Jacob emphasized the gonna just for the sake of his mother. With a chuckle raised his cup and stepped out the door.


    Josephine cringed as the ring tone of her phone filled the breakfast room. Seeing it was Andrew Tyler, her PI, she waited to hear the front door close before she answered it.


    ¡°Good morning Mr. Tyler. Do you have something for me?¡±


    ¡°Well good morning to you, yes I¡¯ve had a great weekend thank you.¡± He replied back sarcastically.


    ¡°I do not have time for niceties. What do you have?¡±


    ¡°Ok, whatever. On Friday her and her friend, Cheri, visited a medical lab where she took several blood tests, including a hCG test. Then Saturday morning she had an appointment with her OB. The test came back positive. Congrats, you¡¯re going to be a grandmother.¡±


    ¡°The hell I am! Has she told him yet?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know she hasn¡¯t seen him yet.¡±


    ¡°Bring me everything you have, and I¡¯ll figure this out.¡±


    Jacob entered the lobby of Benson Industries just in time to see Brandon enter the lobby elevators. He hesitated for just a few minutes to allow the doors to close, leaving him alone during one of his most favorite times of the day. Stepping into the lobby with its translucent glass walls and its lustrous smooth chrome moldings and fixtures filled him with a sense of pride. He was only sixteen when his father came to him, knowing his love for architecture, and asked him to help him design something spectacular. To Jacobs surprise his father actually listened to him and together they designed this elegant structure. He had learned so much about architecture, business, and his father during that adventure, it solidified his love for all three of them.


    Clairissa had just finished making his coffee as Jacob Stepped off the glass elevator. She had been an exemplary secretary over the last few years, he still hadn¡¯t figured out how she always knew when he was on his way up.


    ¡°Good morning, Clairissa,¡± Jacob smiled, her coffee was the best in the building.


    ¡°Good morning, what are you doing here so early? I rescheduled the Hartford meeting and the New Yorker interview.¡± Clarissa sat his coffee on the desk in front of him and placed three large brown portfolios on top of his inbox.


    ¡°Yes, I know. And if you ever change my schedule on my mother¡¯s say so again you and the next secretary you hire will be fired.¡± The scent of the perfectly brewed coffee filled the room and if he had any real anger regarding Clarissa¡¯s actions they would have melted away.


    ¡°Next secretary?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been considering this for a while now and this morning my mother made it clear that I need more help. I¡¯m giving you a title promotion to an administrative assistant and you will hire someone to take on the simpler secretarial duties. Choose someone from the secretarial pool, I would rather promote from within.¡±


    ¡°So does this promotion come with a raise?¡±


    ¡°How does a 10% bump in pay and fourteen more PTO days sound? Did you do something new with your hair?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sounds good. Just a little peek-a-boo pink. Thought it would be fun.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty. When my mother sees it she¡¯s gonna have a cow. Remember how she flipped out when she saw the doves behind your ear?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Clairissa puffed up her chest and lowered her voice. ¡°No proper businesswoman would allow her body to be permanently marred like that. It¡¯s distasteful.¡±


    ¡°How about Gerlad?¡± Clarissa¡¯s tone changed quickly back to business. ¡°He covered for me when I took my two weeks this last summer. As I recall you liked him.¡±


    ¡°Well, that would be a hoot. My mother seeing your peek-a-boo pink and Gerald¡¯s nose ring! Before you offer him the position, vet his resume. I did hear he turned down an offer from Dunning in accounting.¡±

 Chapter Three – Miss Shayla and Hazel

    Fresh off her last twelve-hour shift at the hospital, Hazel sat in her beat up little blue Pruis and just took in the sounds and smells of the new morning. The sun was at that halfway mark of rising yet not risen casting a bounty of greys, blacks, and blues covering the sky. The dew of the misty night air hadn¡¯t yet dried up and the air was filled with the sweet sent of blossoming flowers and trees as they also woke for the day.


    Spending two years in nursing school was supposed to give her the skills and means to hold down a job which allowed her to live a comfortable life, but no one can survive working sixty-hour work weeks under the conditions they set. It didn¡¯t matter if you were on a med-surg floor with five or six patients or an ICU with only two patients, the amount of extra work the administration expects done leaves no time for patient care. This was even more true for night nurses, like Hazel, when the kitchen was closed, there were very few doctors on the premises, and the janitorial staff was limited. A patient throws her left-over dinner tray at you sending mash potatoes and corn flying across the room, wait for an hour for housecleaning to find someone to come up or just do it yourself. And it is totally unacceptable for food to be on the walls and floors for an hour. A patient codes at 2:00am and the only doctors are two floors down in the ER, that means twenty to thirty minutes of CPR. And the patient better not be dead when he gets there. This, and much more, on top of the routine medications, vital checks, wound care, admits, discharges, bed changes, and a myriad of other daily tasks.


    With all this she still couldn¡¯t afford her two-bedroom apartment and a new car. The shining light in her busy, but otherwise dull, life was spending time with her grandmother. The one person in her life who never judged her who she was or berated her for her choices in life. The eighty-nine-year-old excentric woman hadn¡¯t left her shabby two-bedroom house since Covid became a thing and rarely allowed anyone through the front door. Inside the house was an immaculate display of chachkis, pillows, and crochet blankets.


    ¡°Nanny,¡± Hazel called out as she entered the old house. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Down here honeybee,¡± her grandmother called from the basement.


    The basement was the only place that didn¡¯t resemble a typical old woman¡¯s home. It was filled with bookshelves filled with books on the occult, witchcraft, and paganism. The walls and floor were painted pitch black with a bright white pentacle painted on the floor. Hazel had spent more nights than she could count down here with her mother, and her close friends, as they cast spells for protection, knowledge, abundance and even the rare comeuppance for those who did hateful things to the people they loved. Of course, spells only have the power you put into them. If you cast a spell for protection you need to take the steps to secure your surroundings. If you cast a spell for knowledge you need to seek out that knowledge.


    Her most favorite basement memories were of the holiday celebrations, her favorite being Ostara which was celebrated on the spring equinox. This holiday welcomes spring and the goddess-as-maiden. They had always started the celebration early in the morning by walking through the park and the entire group would bring fresh fruits and homemade bread to sit and have a picnic breakfast before heading back to the house. The basement was adorned with bright colorful lights and fresh flowers. The work benches had been cleared off and filled with bags of dirt, fertilizers, and flower seeds. After the ritual to celebrate the goddess, they would set about filling dozens of colorful flowerpots and planting seeds of marigolds, asters, cosmos, and other spring flowers. Each of them would take a couple of pots home, the rest they would deliver to others in the neighborhood, given to patients in hospitals, and even a few to the elementary school teachers to have them grow in their classrooms. Miss Shayla never went on the delivery runs, she stayed and cleaned up the mess the ladies had made, but she was excited to hear all about it when Hazel and the others returned afterwards.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Hazel found her grandmother in the basement, solemn, sitting at a small desk in the corner. Five small boxes sat in a row in front of her.


    ¡°Nanny, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Something big is coming, and I haven¡¯t prepared you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Hazel sat in the office chair next to her grandmother and gently took her hand.


    ¡°I know you have had a bit of crisis of faith lately. You¡¯ve felt like the Goddess hasn¡¯t shown her true self to you, but I need you to open up and listen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never really told you much of my ancestry, the line of witches we come from is long and powerful. You have more power inside of you than you know, and I have failed to adequately teach you to use that power.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any more power than any other pagan.¡±


    ¡°But you do. Our line has a connection that can directly touch and direct the magic. Most pagans have some inner connection and can call for assistance, we have the power to use magic at our will. It¡¯s not something we choose to use all willy nilly. It takes wisdom and knowledge to access and use this magic with reverence and for the good of all.¡±


    ¡°Nanny, are you feeling ok?¡±


    ¡°No, I am most definitely not feeling ok. I don¡¯t even know how any of this will involve you or me. For today all I need is for you to take this and wear it next to your skin. Keep it on you all times.¡±


    Shayla reached over and took the box from Hazel¡¯s hand, opening it and pulling out a pentacle pendent with a magnificent dark blue lapis lazuli.


    ¡°The stone of knowledge, this will help you to understand what is happening and to protect your mental state in times of chaos.¡± Shayla slipped the chain over, gently kissed her cheek and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs and have some tea and scones and you can tell me all about what¡¯s going on in that hospital of yours.¡±


    The two women, one old and one young, held hands as they ascended the stairs into the kitchen where the scent of freshly baked scones and French pressed coffee.


    ¡°Now, tell me all the new gossip and drama in your hospital,¡± Shayla smiled as she poured the coffee for them.


    ¡°I¡¯m the latest drama. I quit this morning, and no I didn¡¯t give proper notice. After my shift I just walked into the DON¡¯s office and handed her my keys and quit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my gawd! Why¡¯d you do that?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t spend two years in school to be treated like a dumpster and have all the shit piled on top of me just because I work the night shift.¡±


    ¡°Well, you gotta do what you gotta do for you, but what are you going to do now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a nurse, jobs are a dime a dozen. I think I¡¯m going to try private nursing.¡±


    Two hours later Hazel was slipping out the front door of the shabby two-bedroom house.

 Chapter Four – Tracy and Jasmine

    Tracy hung up the old rotary house phone Jasmine insisted they keep even though they both owned top of the line Apple phones that could do anything her desk top computer could do, and faster. Friday nights were always nice in their home. Nala, the maid, had been there during the day when both of them were at work and the place was spotless, rarely did either of them work on Saturdays, and it was the one day of the week they both agreed to no work talk.


    Tracy sighed as she put the last of the dinner on the table and went to find her wife. Jasmine was rifling through the desk in the office.


    ¡°Hey, no work it¡¯s Friday.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not working,¡± Jasmine looked up from the pile of papers she had pulled out from the drawer. ¡°I¡¯m looking for our passports. I want to make sure they are still valid before we book this year¡¯s vacation.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Tracy perked up. ¡°I put them in the safe when we got home last year, but I¡¯m pretty sure both of them are good for another two years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just being cautious. I don¡¯t want another Baja episode.¡±


    ¡°Well dinner¡¯s ready, come eat.¡±


    ¡°Dinner?¡± Jasmine raised an eyebrow at the thought of Tracy cooking. ¡°You didn¡¯t cook did you? The last time you cooked it took us over two hours to clean all the bolognaise sauce from the counters and floor.¡±


    ¡°Ha Ha,¡± Tracy let out a fake laugh. ¡°Not to mention the ceiling. I never knew the top of a pan could explode straight up. No, I didn¡¯t cook. I called Babbo¡¯s and ordered delivery. Everything is sitting on table warmers waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Ok and we can finally decide where we want to go this year. Maybe a cruise.¡± Jasmine grabbed the passports and followed Tracy out of the office.


    ¡°Katie called, she wants to have a family dinner next week. She said something about exciting news she wants to share with us all.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already announced she¡¯s marring that bumkin. I wonder if she¡¯s already contemplating divorce.¡± Jasmine laughed.


    ¡°He¡¯s not exactly a bumkin. He¡¯s a university graduate who comes from a wealthy family and has in the last few years proven his own business savvy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I just have bad experiences with that family. His mother is a ruthless, controlling, lying bitch. It¡¯s even rumored she killed her husband because he didn¡¯t support a business deal she wanted.¡±


    The sweet smell of Italian red sauce mixed with the savory scents of garlic bread and red wine washed over them as they slipped into their seats at the elegantly set table for two. Any tension in the room melted away as the clean and steady teardrop flame quietly burned between them.


    Tracy had taken the time to set up the table with food, candles, and long-stemmed wine glasses to create a beautifully romantic night. Tracy had been waiting for this night all week. After five years of marriage the decision has been made to increase their family by two. The problem they had had was finding a sperm bank and fertility doctor willing to follow their plan. Their plan was simple. Two sperm donors, one African American for Tracy and one Caucasian for Jasmine, to create two beautiful mixed babies to be born by c-section on the same day. Provided, of course, that the insemination was successful together and the babies were healthy.


    ¡°You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on,¡± Tracy¡¯s smooth sultry voice dripped of sincere love she had for Jasmine. ¡°I have but one question for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jasmine smiled and let out a small happy sigh. ¡°I do love you too. But I think you already know that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. The question is, are you ready to have our perfect little world invaded by tiny little mess making bundles of chaos?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jasmine was confused.


    ¡°Dr. Hossman¡¯s office called, and she has agreed to take us as clients. We are on our way to having a couple little babies!¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Jasmine screeched jumping up from the table and ran to Tracy. ¡°We¡¯re going to be great mommies.¡±


    Jasmine swung the chair that Tracy was sitting in 180 degrees to face her and quickly straddled her lap. Taking her face in the palm of her hands Jasmine pulled her close and placed her dark red lips onto Tracy¡¯s and sighed heavily into her.


    ¡°I love you more and more every day,¡± her soft voice echoed into the room around them. ¡°You are my everything and nothing can change that.¡±


    Tracy¡¯s eyelids slowly closed as she felt her body melt into the soft yearning emanating from Jasmine. Each second passing by feeling like an eternity of love enveloping the two women.


    In a smooth single motion Jasmine reached over and turned off the warmers on the table and reached for the thin sliver zipper keeping the front of Tracy¡¯s dress firmly encased around her full heaving breasts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move this party to the bedroom,¡± Jasmine whispered as she slide off of Tracy¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    Tracy stood up and quickly blew out the candles before slipping her slim fingers into Jasmines hot hand so she could guide her into the bedroom. Before they could make their escape into the private sanctuary of their bedroom the doorbell rang.


    ¡°Ignore it,¡± Jasmine sighed.


    ¡°It could be something from work, or the clinic.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Jasmine pouted and slowly zipped up Tracy¡¯s dress and headed towards the door. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°GTL Delivery Service, I have a package for Jasmine Bender.¡±


    Jasmine opened the door and accepted the large thick manilla envelope from a shaggy-haired teenager wearing an orange vest with the GTL logo embroidered on the chest.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jasmine handed the boy a crisp $20 as a tip and closed the door. ¡°It¡¯s from my mother¡¯s lawyer.¡±


    ¡°I thought your mother¡¯s estate was settled last month.¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Jasmine slipped into the corner of the couch as she opened up the manilla envelope and pulled out a thick manuscript and a three-page handwritten letter. ¡°It¡¯s my mother¡¯s writing.¡±


    Tears welled up in her eyes and the sultry need to make love was replaced with an immense overwhelming desire to hold her mothers¡¯ hand, help her mother cook a batch of Malva Pudding on Christmas eve, or even hear her prattle on about the neighbor¡¯s yappy dog. The loss was still fresh and the whole in her heart bled every day over the loss of the only person in her life to give her unconditional love before she met Tracy.


    ¡°Tracy,¡± Jasmine looked up from the letter before reading it. ¡°I love you, not just with words, every cell in my body feels pulled to you. There is nothing in my life more important than us.¡±


    ¡°I know, we are safe. What does your mother have to say?¡±


    Jasmine read the letter out loud.


    Dearest Jazz,


    If you are reading this it means I failed to gather the courage to pass along some very important information regarding our family traditions and legacy before I died. There is much about our history that is mired in mystery and lore I never wanted to drag you into the past when your future was so bright.


    Enclosed is a photocopy of a book. I know you¡¯ve seen this book because we have had some conversations regarding its value. This book, Book of Shadow¡¯s Black Dove Coven, is currently located at the University of Oxford. Their antiquities program in one of the best in the world and they are keeping the original book in a very controlled atmosphere to help preserve it.


    Here is the hard truth. Your ancestry can trace a straight line to the Aja peoples of Nigeria who practiced the art of voodoo, which has the power you give it and is passed down genetically. Our family has always been both blessed and cursed with this power.


    From the age of two I knew this power was strong in you. I failed to teach you to develop this power, I¡¯m sorry for that. For a moment think about all the fortuitous opportunities that have come to you seemingly out of the blue. Look at the little things like knowing when the phone was going to ring before it rang to the big things like seeing visions while you¡¯re lying in bed ready to fall asleep at night.


    But the importance of having this information isn¡¯t about the past, it¡¯s about what can happen in your present. Something big is coming, how soon it gets here I can¡¯t determine, but you must acknowledge this magical power that is innate within you. Please take the time to read the BOS and remember all the stories I¡¯ve told you. To fill in the blanks I¡¯ve left a list and contact information of some others that will be able to assist you to understand what you are reading.


    Above all remember that love, the kind of love you have with Tracy, is rare and can ignite the magical spark in any person. Stay safe, keep the ones you love close, and never doubt your abilities.


    Always in your heart,


    Mom


    Margaret Jane Price


    (632) 430-6323


    Shayla Wells


    (632) 432-1255


    Josephine Mantles


    (310) 622-8482


    Bernice Sharad


    (522) 630- 4862


    Candice Cummings (University of Oxford)


    +44 1865 270000


    Jasmine laid her head into Tracy¡¯s lap and began to sob. The heavy silence filled the air like spring pollen from newly blossomed cherry trees in the city park. The minutes ticked away slowly until Tracy¡¯s eyes landed on the last page of the letter.


    ¡°Hey, Margaret Jane Price is my mother. I wonder what she knew about this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jasmine sat up picking up the letter again. ¡°Isn¡¯t Josepine Mantles Jacob¡¯s mother?¡±

 Chapter Five - A Day of Summers

    The football landed at her feet with a thud, starling her out of the book she had immersed herself in. The Unfinished Nation, while not exactly a riveting piece of fine writing it was a necessary read if she wanted to pass her final exam. Picking up the ball she tried to recall everything she knew about the game, which was pretty much nothing. Her family hadn''t exactly been avid sports enthusiasts.


    ¡°Sorry for the interruption,¡± he said flashing an incredible smile. ¡°I guess I just don¡¯t know my own strength some days.¡±


    Damn he¡¯s a beautiful man, Katie thought to herself as she watched a storm of apple blossoms swirl around him. The tiny white flowers landed softly in his thick dark hair, and she fell in love.


    That was five years, six months, and twelve days ago. Love at first sight. But Katie didn''t have the guts to do anything about it.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

 Chapter Six - A Storm Breaks

    Chapter Two - A Storm Breaks


    Her sleep that Halloween night had not come easy. The neighborhood kids had kept trick-or-treating long past a decent hour. Katie had just fallen asleep when it began.


    Bang ¡­ bang¡­ bang¡­ - it began softly.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Katie got out of her bed, alone again. Jacob was supposed to come over for dinner, and to help with the Halloween festivities but he had cancelled saying he had too much work to get done before the trial started next week. Lately there seem to be a lot of late nights at the office. Sure, being a new lawyer wasn¡¯t easy, but he could have found the time.


    Bang¡­ Bang ¡­ Bang¡­ - it came again, a little louder.


    ¡°If its kids playing some Halloween prank I¡¯m going to toss their asses into jail!¡± Katie slipped on her robe and went downstairs to investigate.


    BANG¡­ BANG¡­ BANG¡­ - It was coming from the basement.


    That was the night she found the mirror. It was tucked away in the far corner covered with a dusty old grey sheet. Katie had been in this basement hundreds of times over the years but couldn''t remember ever seeing the thing. Which was surprising since the thing was at least six foot long and four feet wide and in the lower right hand corning the words Vesanus Mortem had been ornately etched into the mirror. It was this etching that had piqued her interest at first.


    Now the antique mirror hung prominently in the front foyer, she had grown to both love and hate it. The reflection, most days, always showed her a strong confident, smiling woman with well-groomed hair and perfectly done make up, even when she was in her pajama¡¯s and hadn¡¯t brushed her hair in two days. But other mirrors, the ones in the bathroom and kitchen, always showed the truth, the sad and colorless face when she was alone or the excited bright eyes and smile when she knew she would be spending time with Jacob. Those times Katie wanted to fall asleep and never wake up ever again. If tomorrow never came no one would miss her, no one would care, not even Jacob after what he had done. But who would take care of the mirror. Not only did she not have the strength to take the steps to end her misery she could not unleash this trauma on another unsuspecting person, not even on him.


    From time to time, however, her reflection became something different, something not so manicured and stress free. Her face turned red, not that warm pink blush but dark crimson red, blood red. Crimson blood streaks ran down her face in living streams, seeping into every poor, pulsating with every beat of her heart. Even the whites of her eyes turned into pulsating pools of blood. At these moments she would to grab a towel and desperately scrub, willing all the vile color to wipe leave her face although she knew it was only a delusion. There never was any crimson blood seeping from her face, just the mirror driving her slowly insane.


    Gingerly she touched the mirror, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Show me something good. Please, something pretty. Show me something worth living for.¡± But the mirror remained silent, unlike most days when she wished it would leave her alone.


    Her reflection apparently lived its own life. It brushed its teeth when she was combing her hair, turned its back when she tried to clean her face. And what''s worse it laughed with delight when she wanted to cry in anguish, her reflection obviously took great pleasure in Katie¡¯s distress.


    And then there was Him, a tall gaunt figure of a man with stark white hair and grey cold eyes. He reminded her of a butler, always standing stoic waiting quietly behind the scenes. He was always there in the background, but when she turned, He wasn¡¯t in the room. He was always whispering in her ear. Sometimes little benign tidbits about the neighbors or stomach wrenching truths about herself that she never wanted to admit. However, once in a while something truly evil would slip out. Without a doubt her insanity was His only goal.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    It was the day Ms. Josephine Mantles, her ex future mother-in-law, stopped by that she experienced the first of these truly evil whispers. She hadn¡¯t gone to work in a week, hadn¡¯t answered her phone or called her Jacob, or bothered to call with the caterers about the reception dinner. It was a visit full of mean angry words, threats, and demands that she call Jacob. This turned out to be the nail in the woman¡¯s coffin.


    Thunder crashed outside as Katie¡¯s mood grew darker. Rain would most certainly ruin her silk blouse if she ventured out today. Anger saturated every fiber of her being. It was all her fault, she made him do it. Furious, mistakenly glanced at her reflection when the demanding woman was trying to convince her to call to her son and deal with the wedding plans. The refection in the mirror unexpectedly became firmly calm but at the same time the mother of the love of her life became silent, eerily calm. Transfixed on the image of the woman she couldn¡¯t move, once again the mirror did not reflect what was actually happen. He was closer than he had ever been, even placing a hand on her shoulder. Oddly enough his hand was warm and comforting, not what she had expected. But the scene she saw play out was anything but warm.


    ¡°Kathrine, are you listening to me at all? I¡¯m turly sorry this happened but you must settle things with Jacob! And let¡¯s be honest you were reaching way beyond your station.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Katie barely squeaked out.


    ¡°Excuse me! Young lady show some respect and decorum, after all I am here to help you clean up this mess.¡±


    Katie knew that was a lie before Josephine even finished the sentence. Ms. Josephine Mantles never did anything for anyone unless she directly benefited.


    ¡°Call him today! I will call the caterers and the reception hall to cancel for you. Goodbye.¡± With that she retrieved her black Prada handbag and turned to leave. "Oh Kathrine, take care of that abomination you have growing inside of you fast and never ever tell Jacob. It would only break his heart even more than it already is."


    "Break HIS heart? I''m not the one that broke us up. I''m not the one that changed his mind. I''m not the one that turn his back on true love and choose money instead! I don''t give a flying fuck about his heart." Her voice was barely a whisper, but Josephine understood every word of it. Silently the old woman turned to leave.


    "Goodbye Kathrine."


    The old woman had once been a great beauty, with jet black hair and emerald green eyes. She spent her youth jet setting around the world, in one high profile relationship after another. She never really knew what true pain and suffering was. These days she looked as ugly as her personality. She was just one mean bitch. How she ever raised such a sweet kind man as Jacob will always remain a mystery.


    ¡°Josephine,¡± Katie managed to squeak out.


    Katie Lynn watched in the mirror as she reached for a sharp butcher knife that was sitting on the foyer table, strange it shouldn¡¯t have been there but was, and with one single quick slash that butcher knife opened up a gash in the woman¡¯s neck. Horror took residence in Josephine¡¯s face as she grabbed her neck and fell to the floor. Blood pooled on the hard wood floor as the life drained away.


    It was over so quickly. Katie was struck by the amount of blood which came spewing from the old hags withered body. It covered everything, the umbrella stand in the corner, the light green curtains on the windows, and the mirror. The blood on the mirror glowed hot and she felt his pleasure.


    The memories of the next hour fell into a black hole. She couldn¡¯t recall what she did with the body, or cleaning up after the mess it had made, but the knife it still sat on the foyer table. Shinny and clean, not a drop of blood, but sitting there mocking her. It belonged in the kitchen; she should put it away. Katie reached for the knife when an image in the mirror caught her eye. He was there again, but this time not as close. Those piercing grey eyes mocked her. Telling her she wasn¡¯t worth it. The only thing today proved was her ability to touch the dark side not her love, loyalty, or even ability to live there with Him

 Chapter Seven - Special Delivery

    The sorority girls had thrown a big blowout party for Katies twenty first birthday, well Cheri had the girls throw it. If it had been up to them alone no one would have even acknowledged the day. It wasn''t that they didn''t like her, just that Katie had kept her nose in the books and barely socialized with anyone. If it hadn''t been for Cheri Katie wouldn''t even have pledged any house. She hadn''t gone to the university to party, she went to study.


    An hour into the night Cheri noticed that Katie was more uncomfortable than usual and decided to give her an out, after all it was her birthday.


    "Hey girlfriend," Cheri had nudged her. "It doesn''t look like you''re having much fun. All of this is to celebrate you!"


    "We both know this party has very little to do with me. These girls will use any excuse to get wild. The music is too loud, and I don''t even know a third of the people here. If I walked out no one but you would even notice."


    "I don''t think that''s true," Cheri began to interject. "However, I do have an idea if you''re up to getting out of here."


    "I''m up for almost anything."


    Cheri laughed and grabbed her friends hand pulling her towards the door. Katie didn''t even know where they were going. She just grabbed her purse and followed her trusted friend.

 Chapter Eight - The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword

    It wasn¡¯t until the dawn broke the next morning that she remembered, or more accurately realized, that she had forgotten. She had forgotten what she did with Timothy¡¯s bloody body. Everything in the foyer was pristine; the only damning evidence that he had been there was the box of white lace and pearl wedding invitations still sitting on the delicate maple wood foyer table, right in front of the splintered baseball bat. Where did that bat come from anyways? She didn¡¯t play, and Jacob didn¡¯t play. No one who lived in the house had been into sports. Not her father or her grandfather. Her sweet, beautiful mother had run track in high school, she wouldn''t need a bat for that. Katie shook her head to herself to try and rid herself of the bewilderment of the baseball bat. Maybe He played baseball when he was with the living. She should just toss the broken bat into the trash. Be rid of it.


    ¡°What day is it?¡± She softly asked to know one in particular. After missing so much work she was losing track of days and time. When this was over her boss would definitely demand a viable explanation, if she had a job to return to. And this never-ending winter storm wasn¡¯t lifting her out of this gloomy depressed funk at all. Katie quickly glanced around the deadly silent foyer. She desperately needed a shower and to put away the mail that had been sitting there for several days.


    Everything felt so dark and dreary despite the beams of light emanating from her grandmother''s prized Vienna Grace Chandelier and the green lush plants that thrived sitting in the rooms large bay windows. Katie clearly remembered the day her grandmother brought the chandelier home from the store. She was only ten years old, but the shear delicacy of the fine crystals and the intricate lacing of the glass beads left her in awe. Once a year her grandmother would climb a latter and spend hours gingerly cleaning away the dust and dirty that had built up. Surprisingly not a single drop of blood tarnished the exquisite piece. Katie had hated the chore but continued the annual spring cleaning after her death.


    Turning her attention back to the mirror she wondered who he was and where he was now. She slowly scanned the reflective surface for any clue until her eyes landed on the small Latin etching, Vesanus Mortem. She hadn''t taken any Latin in college, but hell that''s what google was for. Before she could retrieve her phone Katies eyes once again found the crack. That tiny little crack in the corner of the mirror had gotten larger overnight, a river of blood flowing from the mundane world filling the other side with the essence of life. Katie Lynn knew this should concern her, but it didn¡¯t. A slight wry smile found its way across her ruby lips. Cracks are good, she didn¡¯t know why, but they were good. Lightly touching the growing crack made her feel warm, like He was with her again. She needed more cracks, He needed to more cracks. Her soul screamed out to her for more cracks.


    The room around the five robed women was dark, only illuminated by the five black candles lit in front of each and magnified by the large mirror that stood with them against the wall.


    "Elenor, we''ve discussed this over many days. He''s already killed 7 of us and he won''t stop until our entire bloodline is destroyed. After tonight Alexander Blackwell with either be trap in this mirror for all eternity or we all might as well serve ourselves up for the slaughter. I, for one, do not wish to see the hereafter." She turned to the woman in the center "Abby, start."


    Abby stepped forward with what looked like a red crayon and began the chant. "Vesanus Mortem, with the power from the Spirt Gnoma of the Earth We call upon you. In order to provide peace for those whose innocent blood has fallen we call upon the high power of Themis Goddess of Justice to aid us in this night. " She drew a pentacle in the upper center of the mirror then took a step back.


    She, along with the rest of the group began softly chanting Vesanus Mortem.


    The next woman stepped forward, "Vesanus Mortem, with the power from the Spirt Unda of the Water. He who causes harm shall feel the pain he has inflicted form this day to the end of time. " Another pentacle was drawn on the mirror.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The soft chanting continued as the third women stepped forward. "Vesanus Mortem, with the power from the Spirit of Silphe of the Air. This window which is not will serve as an eternal prison for a soul so black."


    "Vesanus Mortem, with the power from the Spirit of Salambe of Fire. Let it be known that he has confessed the mortal sin of murder and his intent to continue even after death. For this his soul cannot be laid to rest for it will rise again in another."


    In unison the soft chant change to "earth, wind, water, fire" over and over the electric charge in the air grew.


    Helen stepped forward with the red wax stick and finished the fifth pentacle. Quickly she turned and pointed the stick at the man tied to the chair in the back to declare. "You, Alexander Blackwell have confessed and found guilty of the slaughter of innocence and condemned to spend eternity in reflection!"


    With that final statement fire erupted from the wax and smoke filled the air. Quickly she turned back to the mirror and connected the pentacles to create one large pentacle covering the vast mirror and trapping the dark soul inside.


    As the smoke cleared the women began to scream and cry as they noticed only four of them still stood in the. Elenor, the one woman who has expressed concern was gone. Only a faint image of her could be seen standing behind the screaming man in the mirror.


    Katies rumbling stomach brought her back to the reality of the foyer. Food, she hadn¡¯t left the house in a week and her pantry must be running low. Not that she remembered eating anything in the last a couple of weeks, or even being in the kitchen. Krueger¡¯s Food Mart delivered, didn¡¯t they? There was that smile again, and the warm hand on her shoulder. He was back, and he would stay with her forever all she had to do was crack the mirror just a little more and given him what he craved.


    Less than an hour later there was a soft gentle knock at the front door, it was a young girl from Kruger¡¯s. Peeking out the window Katie Lynn told herself she couldn¡¯t do it. The girl could not have been more than 19 years old. She had her whole life ahead of her. And she was so pretty, sweet smile and soft golden hair that flowed easy around her shoulders. Everything about the girl was opposite of Katie Lynn with her short dark hair and thick body.


    ¡®I need this,¡¯ He whispered in her ear and she was finding that she needed him more and more as the days sped by. She sighed with a bit of relief and contentment. She wasn¡¯t alone anymore. He would never leave her as long if she bestowed him what he desired. Katie Lynn opened the door and invited the young girl inside. There were four more bags in the truck. She had ordered enough food to feed a family of four. Drea, that was her name, was a freshman at the University, not that she cared. Slowly, as they carried the bags into the foyer Katie Lynn could feel the intense need building up. Blood, the smell, the feel, the power it bestowed. He needs it, she needs it. But how? Not the knife that was Ms. Josephine Mantles, not the bat that was Timothy¡¯s. Looking to the mirror for courage and help He pointed to the table.


    "Good morning, Miss Summers, I haven''t seen you in the store in a while."


    "I''ve been busy," Katie struggled to keep her voice soft and light but all she wanted to do was bash this girls head in and to smell the sweetness of fresh blood.


    Katie fiddled with the gold and diamond bracelet that Jacob had given her on their first anniversary. She wanted to be wearing it when she surprised him with the baby news. News that he¡¯ll never hear now. In that moment Katie made up her mind to move away and never darken the doorsteps of this town again and raise her baby alone.


    As Drea sat the last of the bags on the floor next to the table, she grabbed a hand full of the black pens and jammed the points into the girl¡¯s neck. She grabbed Drea''s trembling body to prevent her from falling to the floor and pulling the pens out to soon and held her firmly against her unyielding body. Slick gurgling noises escaped Drea''s dry lips as dark crimson blood spurted out of the girl''s throat, pulsating with every beat of her heart. The last of the blood finally drained out from the gaping holes in her neck soaking the blue and white Kroger t-shirt. With a thud the lifeless body slumped to the floor.


    Turning back to the mirror, smiling she noticed the blood on her hands. It was good, but not enough. The small cracks have spider webbed out. Starring into His eyes Katie Lynn could feel his desire, his love. No matter where they land, He will take care of her, keep her safe.


    ¡°More don¡¯t stop now.¡± He was whispering in her ear again. With that little urging and Drea still lying dead on the foyer floor Katie Lynn picked up the phone again. Will she have the time to clean up this mess? Katie didn''t care, she couldn''t stop now.

 Chapter Nine - For I have Sinned

    Father Jon needed to be notified that there would be no wedding ceremony, at least not yet. Jacob has a funeral to plan first. She was sure it would be an elegant affair with lots of very important people. It would probably be held at the same catholic church they were planning to get married in, that would have to change.


    For a brief moment Katie Lynn fooled herself and was able to smile, and then accepted the gruesome truth. She must get him here, and fast. He was the one whose blood would finally finish it. His death, although sorrowful, would be the beginning of a whole new life. He would be able to breathe fresh air again. He would be able to caress her physical body. He would make her feel whole once again. Together they would start a new life with their baby. From that moment on Jacob would be dead to her.


    But Father Jon wasn¡¯t the one who answered the rectory phone, she did. Mrs. Jon Hanson. So happy, she was always smiling and cheerful. Katie had never heard an unkind word uttered by her. Why was she so special that she could find her happiness when others couldn¡¯t? She had done nothing to earn her happiness other than marry a man of God. Willing tears to come in quick sobbing bursts, her apparent emotional anxiety would lure the woman to urge her husband to come. The church was only a few minutes away. Katie wouldn¡¯t have much time to clean up the Drea mess. This ploy worked and within minutes there was a soft knock at the door.


    Katie franticly glanced around room and discerned she must have already taken care of Drea. The only evidence left of Drea being there was the five bags of groceries sitting in the doorway that led to the dining room and kitchen. Why had she ordered so much food, she was only one person. The brown paper bags surprisingly had been saved from the blood bath that had taken place in this room. They held no evidence of the evil that developed around it.


    A loud thud startled her out of her dreary thoughts. The solid oak door shook under the onslaught of the person behind it. They don¡¯t make them like this anymore.


    "Katie Lynn, its Stacy Hanson.¡± Katie let out a heavy sigh. This was not who she wanted, but she''ll have to do.


    Katie waited, starring at the closed door and wishing the old woman away. She could feel the woman¡¯s anxiety build as she was left wondering why Katie hadn¡¯t come to the door. Her knocking became louder, more insistent. Quickly Katie checked to ensure that Drea¡¯s body was gone. There wasn¡¯t a trace left. Not a blood spatter, not a bloody pen, and the wood floor shined to a high gloss. Almost as if nothing violent had happened in the room at all, but on that table lay the evidence.


    ¡°Katie Lynn, open this door before I have to call the police for a well neighbor check!¡±


    With that urging she opened the door, Katie forced herself to allow her emotions to show, her eyes filled with tears, and she sobbed seemingly uncontrollable. Stacy Hanson, although getting up there in years, was a strong healthy woman. She was capable of putting up a fight.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Katie grabbed the woman as soon as she stepped in the door and flung her across the room slamming her head into the mirror. He watched from the mirror with a sly sinister grin as she smashed the woman¡¯s head over and over again into the shiny service. It didn¡¯t matter whether the woman lived or died as long as she could break that mirror. Blood began to poor out of her nose, mouth, and even her ears as continued to pummel the mirror with the woman¡¯s face. Not a single new crack appeared in the mirror. As suddenly as the attack started Katie Lynn stopped, Stacey¡¯s lifeless body slumped to the floor. And He just laughed at her.


    ¡°Katie, what are you doing?¡±


    From behind her came a familiar voice, it wasn¡¯t His voice. She was staring into the mirror but didn¡¯t see anyone¡¯s reflection but her own. The voice, Jacobs¡¯ voice, was there but he was not. Maybe if she turned around, but she dared not move. What if He came back for her.


    ¡°Katie, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± came a different shrill voice, still familiar. It was an older female voice.


    Jacob grabbed Katie by the shoulder to prevent another bloody blow to her face. It was difficult to tell how many times Katie had bashed her head into that mirror before they had shown up. All he could tell was that her nose was broken, and blood was streaming down her face from several cuts. Her delicate features contorted into an ugly hard horror show.


    Katie Lynn turned around to see Jacob and his mother standing in the open door. It couldn¡¯t be, she was dead! An ear-piercing scream escaped her pale lips as Jacob grab her to get her attention. Pushing back from the man who had broken her heart Katie fell backwards knocking the antique mirror to the ground shattering the glass into pieces. A quiet calm finally came over.


    ¡°Oh, my gawd, look what you''ve done Mom!¡±


    ¡°Me! How can this be my fault? Obviously, I was right, she¡¯s clearly unstable and unsuitable to be a part of this family.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and call 911. I told you before I left the house I couldn¡¯t do it. The money means nothing if I can¡¯t be happy. Katie makes me happy.¡±


    "You''re as weak as your father was and that weakness will get you nowhere in life."


    "You''re a vile awful woman! Dad would be ashamed of you!


    "Your father was a blithering idiot who couldn''t keep his dick in his pants. If it wasn''t for me, we would have ended up living in some two room shack in some two-bit backwater town."


    "I would rather live poor than live with you any longer."


    "If that really is your choice then so be it."


    Josephine turned and walked away as she called 911. ¡°We need an ambulance at 4555 Cordova Court. There has been an incident, and a young lady needs immediate medical attention.¡± Josephine paused and looked around the room. She hated this room and its quaint French Country decor. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s bleeding from the face, probably has a broken nose, and concussion. Oh, and she¡¯s newly pregnant.¡±


    Jacobs eyes landed on the ¡°World''s Best Daddy¡± coffee cup as he cradled the bloody Katie in his arms.


    ¡°Mother, how did you know she was pregnant?¡±


    ¡°You should know by now that I know everything. The moment I realized you were getting serious with this... this girl I had her investigated. And watched.¡± Jacob was shocked at the vitriol that came from his mother.


    ¡°I love you, Katie. I¡¯m so sorry I was such a coward to my mother. I promise it will never happen again.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s free.¡± The last words Katie Lynn spoke.

 Chapter Ten - Shattered

    Jacob had come over the day after Halloween, he was supposed to be there for Halloween night but being a new associate at a big law firm was demanding. That night he had brought over the fixings to prepare Riso Patate e Cozze for them. A delicate Italian dish taught to him by their family cook when he was twelve. It took hm over a year to finally perfect the dish, and it was his most proud moment. Until that night he hadn''t made it for her. Mostly because he was worried that he''d screw it up and then he wouldn''t live it down.


    "Hey, after dinner would you help me bring something up from the basement?" Katie had asked, knowing he would never say no to her. "I found the mirror that use to be in my grandmother''s bedroom, and I''d like to hang it in the foyer."


    "Carry a mirror up and hang it, shouldn''t be that difficult," Jacob laughed, not yet realizing that mirror was almost six feet long and over seventy-five pounds.


    After dinner the two of them struggled to maneuver the massive mirror up the skinny basement stairs. It hadn''t been an easy task but neither of them was willing to give up.


    "That is the most hideous thing I''ve ever seen!" Jacob commented before they but any holes in the wall to hang it. "Are you sure you want it displayed as the first thing people see when they enter your home?"


    "It''s beautiful," Katie laughed. "It''s an antique and it was my grandmothers. Yes, I want it to be the first thing people see when they enter my home."


    It was at that moment that Jacob realized that Katie would see the beauty in anything, no matter how old and ugly it was. It was at that moment he knew he wanted this woman to be his wife, to be his forever.


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 Chapter Eleven - Guilt

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 Chapter Twelve - First Dates

    The street was a blur of black top and sharp deadly rain as Jacob sped down the bustling freeway towards Katie''s home. Buck up. Fix this. Your fault. The harsh demanding words kept playing over and over in his head and his speed increase the angrier he became. Jacob was angry at his mother, angry at the hospital for not fixing Katie yet, but mostly angry at himself for hurting her. Cheri was right, this was his fault, and he didn''t need her to tell him that. Jacob knew it.


    White knuckling the leather steering wheel Jacob made the turn onto the off ramp just a little too sharply and nearly lost control of his pristine Mercedes Benz Actros. Until then he had considered his truck his most prized possession, but he''d give it all up to make all of this go away.


    You''re as weak as your father was, his mother''s words echoed in his head as he turned onto Katie''s street. Weak... to fast but who cares. Weak... he turned into Katies driveway nearly missing the hundred-year-old oak tree that stood prominently in her front yard. Weak... Jacob screeched to a halt but not before slamming into Katie''s garage door. With a hard crash his head careened forward, slamming his chest into his steering wheel. His heart felt like it stopped and thudded with pain.


    "Great, one more thing for me to fix! Two more things I need to fix."


    Jacob sat, seething in his car for what felt like an hour, until the adrenaline coursing through his veins subsided enough to turn off his car. Jacob got out of the truck to survey the damage he had rendered to both the garage door and his vehicle. The door was bent in where it had given away to the two-ton vehicle leaving a six-inch gap between it and the cement, probably not going to open again until fixed. His truck ceased to be drivable. Steam billowed from the engine, and it was leaking from several different systems.


    With the rain pelting him like minuscule daggers Jacob fell to the ground and leaned against the front tire of his truck. His body finally gave into the barrage of emotions that he''d been holding back for the last twelve hours.


    Jacob, in shock, stared at the rain pelleting the cement driveway but all he could see was the shattered remnants of his life. Only 12 hours ago everything was perfect. He had a beautiful, intelligent woman who made him smile and laugh every day. He had a career which fulfilled him and could provide nicely for his growing family. And he had a mother who he loved dearly. Now, because of his mother, his fianc¨¦e was laying catatonic in the hospital, his career was in jeopardy, and all he felt toward his mother anger and hatred.


    Tears broke free and ran down his face as the torrential rain battered his shaking body. His wet fingers slipped into his pocket and pulled out the plastic baggy he had slip in earlier. Even in that small sliver of a shard he could see his life lying in shatters with no hope of being happy again. And when he looked into the shard of glass what he saw staring back at him was nothing he recognized. His hair was plastered to his head from the rain, his eyes where blood shot and the dark circles made him look like a drunk coming off of a five-day binge, but the worst was the deep cut in his cheek closed with dried blood. No memory of having been cut, he could only assume Katie had cut him accidentally before the EMT''s got to her house.


    "Jacob..." he heard a soft whisper. Jacob turned around to see who was there. No body was anywhere to be seen.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Jacob slammed his elbow into the car he was leaning against. "Pull yourself together. You have things to do."


    He pulled himself up off the driveway and headed towards the front door. Good thing he had clean dry clothes here, otherwise he''d be even more fucked than he already was.


    "Men don''t cry in public," his mother has told him that many times as a child.


    After letting himself into her house Jacob stood in the foyer for several minutes to just take in the scene. Other than the broken mirror the room was pristine. Which was odd, Katie wasn''t the deep cleaning type of person. She''d rather hire someone for that then do it herself. She wasn''t a dirty person, just like to detail clean and today even the floorboards shined.


    Jacob made his way to the master suite, Katie''s room, in order to change his clothes. Good thing he still had a drawer full of clothes here because he was dripping rainwater with every step he took. The short walk confirmed his thoughts. The hallway needed vacuuming, the bathroom mirror was spotting with dry water, and her room still had clean unfolded laundry on the chair in the corner of the room. Odd behavior for Katie to spend so much effort to clean up the foyer and ignore the simple cleaning tasks in other rooms. She usually spent Sundays doing the mundane cleaning chores she hated.


    After changing his cloths Jacob quickly packed a box full of Katies stuff including her favorite blanket, pillow, pictures of her mother, grandmother, and one of the two of them on their first date.


    Jacob couldn''t stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks. This was all his fault. He didn''t have to listen to his mother. The horrible woman had forced him to choose between the love of his life and the Montle legacy, and he chose wrong. Jacob held on to the picture as the memory of their first date invaded his mind.


    It was the last quarter of his last year of university. His fraternity was throwing the Halloween Bash this year. He hadn''t even wanted to be a member of a frat, but his mother insisted. He was a legacy, and apparently, he was supposed to be making connections that would benefit him his entire life. However, all he could see was a bunch of degenerate party boys intent only on blowing their inheritance before they could even receive it.


    Everything changed when he saw her standing in the corner sipping something from a red solo cup. Jacob had seen her around campus and at other parties several times before this but never had the guts to ask her out.


    "Hi," Jacob gave her his most winning smile "I''m Jacob. Are you having a good time?" He hadn''t even realized he had walked across the room straight to her until the moment he said hi.


    "I know who you are, we''ve been introduced twice now. I''m Katie, since you''ve seemed to have forgotten."


    Katie''s laugh sent sweet intoxicating chills down his back. No, he hadn''t forgotten meeting her, he just couldn''t believe she would remember him.


    "Are you having a good time?"


    "It''s a party," Katies smirk told him that she was just enduring the loud music and crowded room, probably to satisfy one of her friends. "We should go out. Maybe grab some dinner and get to know each other."


    "I''d be up to that." There was that smile again. "When?"


    "Now!" Jacob gently took Katie''s hand and started to lead her out of the party before she could change her mind but wasn''t quite fast enough."


    "Wait! I can''t just leave without telling my friends, they would worry."


    Jacob watched Katie scan the room until she located Cheri dancing with a group of drunk college kids and made her way towards her. She leaned over and whispered something in her ear that made Cheri giggle with sheer delight.


    "Hey Jacob!" They had started to walk away when Cheri had called out to them as they turned around, she snapped a picture of her phone. "Just in case I can''t find her in the morning I know who to send the cops after." She was giggling but Jacob understood this was a precaution most girls took those days, and he hadn''t mind at all.


    Six months later Cheri had given Katie that picture in a beautiful silver and pearl frame. The picture had come out pretty good and had become one of Katies most cherished possessions.

 Chapter Thirteen - The Spilt

    Back at the hospital Jacob spotted Cheri sitting outside of Katies room, tears streaming down her face. Jacob had not only decimated Katies psyche he had torn the heart out of one of the sweetest women he had ever known. Jacob had liked Cheri the moment they met. Cheri was open, honest, and wasn''t the least bit impressed with his wealth, very much like Katie. But unlike Katie she was an extravert, and she dragged Katie to every party, camping trip, and festival she could manage. Katie loved going to these events with her, but Jacob knew she would never initiate them herself.


    "What are you doing out here" Jacob asked as he placed the box on the floor and took hard plastic the seat next to her.


    "The Internist and OB are in the room with Tracy, and since I''m not immediate family they asked me to leave while they completed the exam."


    The two sat in heavy silence for a few minutes. The air around them felt thick and smelled like sticky bleach mixed with vomit. A smell Jacob could only describe as death.


    "While I was at Katie''s I collected all the bigger pieces of that damned mirror. I know how much it meant to her and I''d like to find someone who can use them to create... umm... I don''t know a smaller mirror or something for Katie. When she realizes what she''s done she''s gonna be so pissed at herself."


    "That thing was shattered to bits! There is no way it can be fixed."


    "I didn''t say fix it, I said create something from it so that Katie still has something to remember. That hideous monstrosity belonged to her grandmother and Katie is a very emotional and sentimental person."


    "You''re right about that, and there were a couple of large pieces left intact." Cheri sat in silence for a few minutes as she pondered the options. "I think I may know someone. Mark D''Cantor, he works mostly with glass but has created some beautiful pieces from mirror and wood. I think his studio is in Sharron Hill."


    "Okay," Jacob pulled out his phone and searched the web. "Is this him?" he asked showing the site he found to Cheri. A quick nod from Cheri confirmed this would be his site. "I''ll go see him tomorrow."


    Jacob let out a heavy sigh and looked at his watch. It was almost four in the morning, but he had one more call to make before he could settle down and wait. Cheri looked at him after hearing his sigh looked at him.


    "What?" she snapped. She was obviously tired and easily irritated.


    "Nothing, I just have a phone call to make. Two phone calls." Jacob stood up to walk pit of the waiting room.


    "Brandon, sorry to call so early but I need you to do something quickly." The phone had rung six times before the groggy voice on the other end answered. Jacob knew he had woken up his longtime friend and business manager.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "Hey bud, what''s up?"


    "This is gonna be complicated so take notes."


    "Ok, hit me with it."


    "Make a list of all businesses jointly owned by my mother and me. Anything she owned before I turned 18 take me off the ownership, the others divided 50 50. Make sure Benson Enterprises is in my list. Also do the same with the property holdings. I want the flat in New York and the villa in France. The stocks shouldn''t be an issue since they are pretty much separate already. Find a lawyer outside the firm to help you draw up the paperwork and work as much as you can work from home. Do not enlist the help or tell anyone in the office, I do not want my mother getting wind of this before I''m ready."


    "Wow! She''s not going to like this. What happened?"


    "She''s gonna have a shit fit, which is why she can''t find out until I''m ready. The what will have to wait I don''t have enough time for that story. Hey, I know I''ve never asked you to work overtime or take time away from your family but for this I''m asking you to put everything 24/7 into getting this done as fast as possible. I''ll make it up to you when this is over."


    "How fast do you need it done?"


    "I want it yesterday, just as fast as you can. But don''t file anything, just get the paperwork ready. Oh, the final thing is the bank accounts, credit cards, and the cars. I don''t know which ones are hers, mind or ours but they need to be fairly split. Whatever lawyer you get make sure to vet them and sign an iron clad NDA. I don''t want my mother getting to them."


    "I got your back; I''ll check in with you tonight."


    The second call he made was to his secretary to reschedule his next three days. He would not be going into the office, nor did he want to be bothered by any of it.


    As Jacob hung up the phone, he spotted the sweet nurse who had helped him earlier that morning. It was obvious she was cleaning up and getting ready to go home but he needed something and would be as quick as he could.


    "Excuse me...Sarah," Jacob read the name on her badge. "Can you help me for a minute? Please."


    Sarah looked up from her charting. "What can I do for you Mr. Mantles?"


    "I need the name and number of a reliable nursing agency. I don''t want Miss. Summers left alone for a minute, and I know how busy and overworked the staff here is."


    "Oh, that one is easy." Sharah jotted down a name and number on a piece of yellow lined paper and handed it to him. "Ask for Susan, she''ll take care of you."


    A few minutes later Tracy and the doctors emerged from the room. Tracy''s complexion, usually a soft ivory, had turned pale white and her eyes were swollen and red. It was obvious that she felt broken and had been crying.


    "I thought she was stronger than her mother. If I had known I would not have moved so far away." Tracy''s voice was shaky and only broke Jacob''s heart even more. He had hurt so many people with one stupid phone call.


    "It''s not your fault, it''s mine." Jacob took a deep breath and told Tracy of his morning''s cowardice. Jacob didn''t hold anything back. The tears, the fear, the fight with his mother, and his vow to fix what he had broken left him nearly sobbing to the point of pain in his back and shoulders.


    Pain was evident in Tracy''s eyes, but she hugged him with all the strength she could muster.


    "We''ll fix this together."


    "May I go in and see her?"


    Tracy only nodded and Jacob picked up his box and slipped into Katies room.


    The rest of the night was a blur of commotion. Doctors coming in and out of the room. Labs and ultrasounds. There was not one medical reason that Katie should be catatonic, but there she was. The OB confirmed that Katie was six weeks pregnant, and it looked like a healthy viable pregnancy. All they could do now was wait and see. See if Katie came out of it on her own. Any medication they could recommend might have unwanted affects to the fetus.

 Chapter Fourteen - Whispers

    Jacob once again woke up in the cot the hospital had provided him so he could stay with Katie. It was day three of Katies hospital stay and Jacob had not left her side nor, did she wake up. the doctors had been stumped as to why she didn''t come to, they called it an idiopathic vegetative state. Today they planned to move out of ICU into a room a regular room on the MedSurg floor. A move in which Jacob didn''t like but had no reasonable argument against.


    "Mr. Mantles," a voice he didn''t recognize called from the doorway. "Hi, I''m Mary from the nursing agency." she reached out her hand as she stepped forward to greet him.


    "Hi Mary. I assume the agency filled you in on what I need." Jacob didn''t mean to be short he just needed some good sleep, a shower, and to make an appearance in the office.


    "Yes, and I understand she''s being moved up today."


    "I am so glad you''re here. I don''t want her left alone for any reason. I''ve already made arrangements for you to accompany Katie if she has to leave the room for any reason." Jacob fished a card out of his wallet. "Here''s my card text me if you need anything, or if anything significant happens, call me if there is any improvement or an emergency. And I know I shouldn''t have to say this but if I find out you''ve leaked any information to anyone, including my mother, I will not only have your license I''ll prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. However, if confidentiality is kept and you do your job well I will make sure you are very much rewarded to show my appreciation."


    "Understood Mr. Mantels. I even brought a note pad to take notes on for you."


    Jacob let out a soft sigh. For the first time since this nightmare began he felt like he had some control.


    "I''m sorry I don''t mean to be short with you, it''s just been a difficult few days. Feel free to watch whatever you like on the TV, Katie liked romantic comedies. Anyway, do whatever you need to be comfortable and entertained. If she needs actual nursing care call the hospital nurses. Your job is basically to be her voice and my eyes. Cheri should be here sometime today. Oh, it''s okay to give any information to Cheri or her Aunt Tracy. One last thing before I leave," Jacob placed a credit card on the nightstand. "I know you''ll be here for twelve hours so lunch and dinner is on me. Have anything you want delivered. Don''t bother objecting, the food in the cafeteria sucks and I need you at your best, not hungry."


    "Thank you, Mr. Mantles."


    Jacobs first order of business was to go home and get a shower, he could smell himself. It wasn''t until he hit the parking lot that he realized he hadn''t left the hospital since that first day and he had no car. Fifteen minute later Jacobs town car arrived, and he was on his way home.


    "Good evening Mr. Mantles, are we headed to your condo or your mother''s home?" The driver opened the door to the back seat for him, then stepped back allowing Jacob free access to the comforts of the town car.


    "My condo please, then I''ll need you back in two hours so don''t go far."


    "Yes Sir. That will not be a problem. I do have something for you. Two days ago your mother, Mrs. Mantles dropped this letter off with her driver. It was given to me to forward to you the first chance I could."


    The driver handed Jacob a sealed envelope and shut the door before returning to his driver''s seat.


    "David," Jacob felt his entire body stiffen while glaring at the envelope. "Is my mother''s name attached to this account?"


    "Yes, Sir. It''s paid for by her and has both of your names as clients."


    "I''ll be severing my name from this account, and I would like you to exclusively be available to me, and not to my mother. Is that doable?"You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "I believe so, but I would have to speak with my manager before I can confirm that."


    "I''ll pay you weekly regardless of how often I call on you and I''ll give you nice monthly bonus. The catch is that if I ever find out you''ve allowed any information about my comings and goings to get back to my mother I''ll make sure you never drive again. Can you live with that?"


    "Happily, Sir. I''ll speak with my supervisor first thing in the morning and get the paperwork for you to sign."


    Jacob opened up the envelope, which contained on slip of his mother''s stationary with only one sentence written on it. ''Friday night dinner at Antonios 7:00pm.'' Friday night dinner was a weekly tradition. Every week a different high end fancy restaurant picked by his mother. It had started back before Jacob was even borne. He really wasn''t ready yet, but he couldn''t let his mother get suspicious. So, he picked up his phone to all her for the first time since the incident.


    "Well, it''s about time you called," his mother spat.


    "I''m sorry Mother but it''s been an awful week."


    "Friday then."


    "I am underwater at the office. I''ve missed three days of work and need to catch up on business. Can we skip this week? Please, I promise next Friday I''ll be there."


    "I do not like this, but I understand it. So yes, this one time we''ll forgo the dinner."


    "Awesome," Jacob sighed in relief. "Can we go to Spagos? I''ve been craving veal, and they do it best."


    "I''ll make the reservations. See you next Friday at 7:00pm."


    The two men spent the remainder of the ride in silence. Jacob prided himself on how he treated people who worked for him. He paid well, offered a good medical plan, PTO, and was generally nice to people. However, the last couple of days he didn''t know who he could trust, and he found himself being curt with these same people. Something he already dearly regretted.


    "Hey David, I''m sorry I know I was harsh earlier. I''m just going through something I can''t explain." The apology was sincere, and he had hoped David knew it. Jacob took out $40 from his wallet and handed it to David. "Go get some lunch on me and I''ll see you in two hours."


    "This isn''t necessary Mr. Mantles." Jacob watched the man look up at him as he held the door open for him. "But it is much appreciated, Thank you. I''ll be back here for you in two hours."


    Jacob smile for the first time in days and stepped out of the car. Things will work out, he was confident.


    After his shower Jacob spied the box of broken mirror pieces.


    "Jacob..." the faintest of whispers. he wasn''t even sure he heard anything. Jacob shook off the uneasy feeling.


    "Jacob..." like a magnet Jacob was drawn to the think brown box.


    Slowly he lifted the lid and peered inside at the wreckage. Jacob let out a small screech as he saw the reflection of a young girl with dark eyes staring back at him. With a quickness Jacob turned to confront the woman standing behind him but saw no one. Slowly he turned back to the box but only saw his own reflection. There was a total of thirteen good sized pieces stacked in that box.


    "Jacob help me help her."


    At this point Jacob knew he had heard something, but mentally dismissed it as being over tired and over worked. He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs to his waiting car.


    Twenty minutes later they pulled up to a quiet little art studio with windows filled with all types of art projects, most of them elegant and sophisticated. Just what he was looking for, for most of what he wanted done anyways.


    "I don''t know how long I''ll be. If you want to find a parking spot, I''ll text you when I need you."


    "Yes, Sir." David got out of the car and opened the door for Jacob to make it easier for him to carry the box out.


    Bells jingles as Jacob entered the studio. The front of the studio was set up like a small cozy shop. With beautiful mirror and glass windchimes hanging from the ceiling and beautifully blown glass vases and artful animals lining the walls. The wall blocking the way to the back studio was covered with different styles of mirrors, some with etchings and some with stylish ornate decorations. But not a soul was to be found. All Jacob to hear was what he thought was some kind of drill.


    "Mr. McCanters?" Jacob called out, the shrill drill stopped, and a shaggy man peeked out from behind the wall.


    "You must be Jacob Mantles, Cheri said you''d be coming by today. Please call me Mark."


    "Yes, I''m Jacob. Did she tell you what I wanted?"


    "She did, but I''d like a little more information about the special one that you want. Or more like I''d like to know more about the recipient so I can personalize it to fit her."


    "Ok, what would you like to know?" Jacob''s mind flooded with memories as they talked about his beautiful love. They spoke of the days they drove out to creek and picnicked in a field full of sunflowers and ever since they become her favorite. They spoke of love, they laughter, her mother and father, and even about her grandmother and how her death had devastated her. An hour later Jacob texted David to pick him up.


    "Thank you, Mark. I can''t even begin to tell you how much talking with you has helped me. This entire thing has been dreadful."

 Chapter Fifteen - The Spread

    Mark very gently laid all thirteen pieces of the broken mirror out on his battered-up worktable to see what he had to create with. His artistic mind had already started creating images as he listened to Jacob talk about his life with Katie. But he already knew Katie''s life belonged to him now. Katie belonged to the magnificent man trapped in the mirror. Mark felt the warmth and love emanated from the mirror the moment Jacob opened the lid of the box, it had spoken to him immediately.


    "It''s our time now. You and me will create beautiful pieces of art together and make the world fall in love with life again. " This had been Marks dream since he was a child playing with sidewalk chalk. Somehow this man felt it too.


    How did Jacob not hear or see him? At first Mark felt like he was hearing and seeing things. How could such an intelligent and unique individual become trapped in a thing?


    Marks internal monolog argued back and forth regrading the realities and the active imagination. Surely the man in the mirror was just a figment of his imagination.


    With a red wax crayon Mark carefully drew out a triangle approximately one foot in height, rounded out the two sides but left the tip top pointed and the bottom flat. This would leave a large section available to design another piece with. He used the smaller pieces to trace out different parts of the mirror he would fashion together for Katie... for Him and Katie. Just the mental vision of the finished piece filled him with pride. He could see the masterpiece in front of him as clear as the day is bright. He would be pleased.


    Mark smiled feeling the mid afternoon sun stream in from the back windows hit his face. There were only about two hours during the day when the sun could find it''s way through the alley into his shop, this was his favorite time to work. At that moment the man in black reached out his hand to Mark, Mark touched the mirror to make the connection with him.


    "Alexander, you may call me by my given name. Together we will create many pieces that will allow me to spread out to meet others. Together we will make a great mark on the world"


    Mark felt only love and light eminate from the broken section of mirror. With a feeling of relief and relaxation he continued his work.


    Just as Mark finished sketching out all the parts of Katies elegant masterpiece the bells of the shop door jingle, alerting him to customers in his shop. Mark had hated that bell from the very start. To him it was it was worse then nails on a chalk board. It had been given to him by his older, and admitedly financially smarter, sister because she knew he would be too wrapped up in his work to hear people in the shop and without the sales he wouldn''t be able to keep the doors open. On top of the fact that he didn''t make enough sales to actually hire someone to man the shop while he worked.


    "Welcome in," he stated to the young lady as he stepped out from behind the studio door into the shop. Mark let out a small grasp as the sun lit up her raven black hair.


    The young woman looked up from her browsing and offered a small soft shy smiled. She couldn''t have been more than twenty-five with long raven locks that fell in soft waves around her perfect ivory face. Her bright ruby lips curled up in a smile that radiated up to her bright green eyes. This was a woman he could fall for. Mark could already tell she had a sweet, understated manner about her, unlike most women her age who tended to be overbearing and boorish.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Thank you, you have some beautiful pieces here," she continued to smile.


    "Are you looking for something in particular?"


    "My sister''s wedding is next week. I''m looking for something like an elegant glass vase in her wedding colors. Blue and gold, those are her wedding colors."


    "I have several completed vases on the wall over here. Let me help you," Mark guided the young woman to the other side of the small shop where he displayed his glass work. They spent almost twenty minutes looking at each vase as he listened to what she was looking for.


    "You know, I think I have a vase that I''ve been working on in the back. It''s the right colors, more gold than blue. And the glass can still be blown to change the shape at this point in the process. Would you like to take a look?" Mark smiled knowing what was coming next and how pleased He would be.


    "That would be great. I only have two more weeks until the wedding. I know I shouldn''t have waited this long to find a gift, but I just couldn''t think of anything fitting," she softly smiled as she turned towards the back studio. "Until I saw your shop."


    Mark placed his hand in the small of his back as he gently guided her towards her bloody fate. Three steps through the doorway Mark slipped a long sharp shard of Katies mirror into his left hand, stepped behind his raven beauty and tightly gripped her head. In one fell swoop Mark opened her carotid artery sending bright red blood spurting across the small sunlit room. He smiled as droplets rained down on the work surface containing the mirror pieces. The Raven-haired woman struggled to breathe and release herself from his grip but within a few seconds her body fell limp to the floor.


    "Hmmm," Mark said out loud to no one in particular. "That was easier than I thought it would be."


    Mark surveyed the room. The far wall was lined with dark red lines of dripping blood from the initial gush from the carotid artery. The worktable and the floor around it were splattered with small circles where the same blood rained down on all the surfaces. It was a beautiful display of death. Then his eyes came to rest on the body laying limp on the floor in front of him. Her raven hair laid in a pool of blood around her face exposing her perfectly clean small ear adorned in perfectly round emerald earrings.


    Those perfect emeralds where the only jewelry she wore. Mark wondered whether she had any significant others in her life. She clearly wasn''t married; she didn''t have the ring that would imply that. He could look in her purse for details, but to Mark that seemed like an unnecessary violation to her privacy.


    With a sudden jerk Marks gazed went to the mirror cut to be Katies base. He was hopping for some sign from Him that he was pleased. Relief flood Mark when he saw Him smiling at him from his prison. He was please, but he needed more. This is what he needed to free himself from his endless and timeless prison. The only way to get enough was to spread out to others and allow them to feel his love.


    It had been a busy day, so Mark decided to carry the raven-haired women down the stairs into the basement. He had gotten lucky with this property; it had come with a basement complete with a bathroom and shower. He had brought in a small camping cot and often found himself sleeping there much too often. Much to the dismay of Mister, his thick grey cat who got very cranky when left to his own devices overnight and had to wait to be fed.


    Mister had been a stray who had adopted him the night he moved into the apartment. He often wondered if he had been abandoned by the previous renters since Mister acted like he felt right at home in the dwelling. Mark hadn''t even felt at home there, yet. Of course, Mark never felt at home anywhere. He wasn''t even sure what the at home feeling was supposed to be like.


    After a quick hot shower to clean the smell of blood off his tired body and actually blood out of his hair and a change into fresh clean clothes Mark decided it was time to go home for the day. Mister would be expecting dinner soon, and he didn''t relish the thought of having to spend the rest of the night soothing over the hurt feelings of a feline.

 Chapter Sixteen - Evil or not?

    It had been over a week since he encountered the raven-haired woman and the man in the mirror hadn''t seen fit to come and speak to him again. Mark was concerned that he had failed him in some way and dearly craved his warm company. Katies mirror was almost complete, just a few added details where needed, and he had started on the second piece of his collection. The mirror had been easier to work with than he had initially thought it would be. The mirror itself was an 18th century which mean it contained a high amount of lead which made it easier to take a simple weld.


    "Okay, okay give me 5 minutes to get dressed," Mark laughed at his cat. Mark woke up that morning with a grey furry tail in his face. Mister was hungry for breakfast.


    Later that day Mark had some very unwelcomed guests in his shop, the police.


    "Good afternoon," said the older of the two suit clad men. "I''m Detective Chaney and this is Detective Burke. Do you have a few minutes to speak with us?"


    "Sure, what''s up" Mark knew from experience that the question was just a nicety, they would have pressed him if he had said no.


    "Any chance you have seen this woman in the last two weeks? She was last seen at a salon down the street and her car is still parked there." Detective Chaney pulled out a picture of the raven-haired woman.


    Mark had read somewhere that someone tilting their head after being asked a direct question was a sign that they were lying. So, he had to consciously keep his head straight which was not easy for him.


    "Nope, can''t say I have seen her. She''s a beauty though."


    "Do you have any camera''s that point to the outside?" The younger detective asked looking around the shop. Curiously he eyed the studio door and took a step in the general direction.


    "The only camera that I have is that one," Mark took a step-in front of the detective to prevent him from walking closer to the studio and pointed to the far corner. The camera was pointed into the shop at the counter where they stood. "It doesn''t record anything outside and records over itself every 48 hours, but if you''d like you can have the SD card to review."


    As the Detective stepped back from the doorway Mark side stepped back behind the counter, his finger lightly caressed the long shard of mirror that had taken the life of the raven-haired woman. Not the cops, the voice whispered to him. So badly he wanted to feel the sweet sticky blood that would run from their bodies. But being there was two of them, and they both had guns, he wasn''t likely to survive the tussles that would ensue. I still need you; the whisper came again. Mark knew he had to show restraint and get these two men out of his shop.


    "We''d like to see your studio, if you don''t mind," Detective Burke was obviously trying to intimidate Mark into allowing them into the back.


    "Actually, my insurance strictly forbids customers in the back and since you don''t have a warrant, you''d be a customer. So, as you see I can''t allow you back there."


    "This is a store that is open to the public, just consider us public."


    "No, this is the shop that is open to the public," Mark pointed to the front of the building with an open hand. "You can clearly see the sign above the door that says, ''No customers beyond this point''," Mark pointed to the clear yellow and black sign.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Let''s go Burke," Detective Chaney placed his hand on the others shoulder. "Thank you for your time, if you remember anything please call me." He placed a business card on the table then turned to leave.


    "He''s hiding something," Mark heard Burke whisper to his partner.


    "No, he''s not, you just don''t like to be told no."


    Mark sighed a deep breath of relief as he gazed under the counter at the shard and SC card that lay next to it. He needed that kill, but he was right. Mark would have ended up dead in his own shop before he could free him. Marked picked up a dust rag and began cleaning the counter in case they were still watching him. The next twenty minutes whisked by as Mark continued to dust shelves and inspect pieces of his art until he could safely lock the front door and flip the sign to closed.


    At last feeling like he was alone and safe Mark retired to his studio. The almost complete mirror was standing elegantly on his work bench and the other pieces were already outlined for the second mirror.


    "It''s almost 4:30 shouldn''t he be walking back towards his car after walking his chosen student of the year home from their afterschool activities?" The man in the mirror was right. Devon Hanson was a science teacher at the local high school and every year he picked one girl to be his favorite. His favorite always got A''s and special attention which had nothing to do with science. Hanson wasn''t necessarily an evil person; all of his girls were willing participants. Does that even matter, they were seventeen-year-old girl? He wasn''t necessarily a good man either. His wife, Sophie, was the innocent.


    Mark opened up his laptop to survey the alley behind his studio. Right on time, Mark cracked the back door open just enough to get Hanson''s attention. He knew that Hanson would recognize the invitation and let himself in, as this was their regular routine when Mark was up for a visit.


    "Hey art freak," Hanson jokingly greeted Mark.


    "Hey science freak," Mark retorted back.


    "What the hell is that all over your wall? It looks like dried blood." He inquired as he stepped further into the studio.


    "It''s old paint. I got frustrated and lost my cool." Acting rather nonchalant Mark pointed to the desk in the corner. "Bust it out. I''m pretty much done for the day."


    Mark turned on the air purifier and took a seat in one of the easy chairs in the corner where they always sat to smoke and chat. The difference was on this day Hanson probably wasn''t going to be leaving this building with a nice high.


    The two men spent the next hour chatting about different topics. Overall, it was an enjoyable evening. Mark smiled to himself; it was about to get even more enjoyable for him. He needed what was coming next, suppressing the overwhelming urge to stab him where sat took every ounce of strength he could muster.


    "Well, it''s time for me to go. I have a zero-period study hall tomorrow. I don''t know why the school even bothers with these burn outs, most of them don''t even want to go to regular classes much less early study classes."


    Mark smiled because he knew it was time. Time for him to have his bloody thirst quenched and, hopefully, be able to free Him. He stood up and casually reached for the death shard. Hanson hadn''t moved from his soft comfy easy chair, too stoned to really want to do anything. Mark had made sure he only took small hits and faked it when he could so he would be able to perform his duty when the time arrived. Hanson however inhaled deeply every chance he got.


    "This is some good shit, my legs feel wobbly."


    "It''s the same shit we always smoke," Mark laughed at Hansons predicament and reached out his empty hand to help the man to his feet.


    Mark gripped his hand tight and jerked the stoned man quickly to his feet. Using Hansons forward momentum Mark thrust the shard forward into the soft belly of the shit heal of a man he used to call friend. With a quick twist and upward pull blood started gushing out of his belly. Shrill screams came from his throat as pain seared into his body.


    Quickly Mark pulled the shard out and begin to stab Hanson in the throat shearing his vocals cords so he could not alert the neighbors or police who might still be in the areas. Over and over again he plunged the shard into Hanson''s throat until he fell limp. Lifeless Hanson laid on the floor at his feet.


    As Mark opened the door to the basement the stench of rotting flesh hit him in the face like a hammer. The body of the raven-haired woman was beginning to become a problem. Mark carelessly pushed Hansons still bleeding body down the stairs, his stomach couldn''t handle the smell enough to go back into his basement.

 Chapter Seventeen - The Truth Will Out

    Mark had learned something yesterday. He needed to work faster and clean up after himself otherwise he is going to get caught before his task was done. So, before he went to the shop the next day, he visited five different stores and purchased fifty-five boxes of baking soda, three gallons of vinegar, and some heavy-duty plastic sheeting. He couldn''t actually remove the bodies, but he could wrap them up preventing the smell of decomposing flesh from escaping into the air.


    The looks he got from the checkout girls were ones of suspicious curiosity. One teenage checker even joked asking how many bodies he was covering up. Mark just laughed and told them he was cleaning up the carpets of a rental house and the smell of cigarette smoke and feline feces was overpowering in the rugs. This simplistic answer seemed to appease the curious rather well. He couldn''t actually tell them that he had two rotting bodies in his basement and needed to make room for more.


    That day Mark felt it necessary to keep the shop closed, he couldn''t be running back and forth from the basement to the shop to help customers. It was a shame since Saturdays were usually his busiest day of the week. There were always scores of tourists and beach goers coming in and out on the weekends. He usually only closed the shop on Wednesdays, since traditionally he never had much traffic mid-week.


    It was almost 7:30pm before Mark was finished cleaning up the basement. He had wrapped the bodies up in the plastic sheeting to help prevent any further smells of the decay from escaping, then cleaned the entire floor and walls with a vinegar and water solutions which was supposed to help neutralize the left-over odor. This alone helped reduce the smell by about 90%. And only because the internet told him to, he sprinkled several boxes of baking soda around the room as well as placed three big bowls of the vile powder around the room. Tomorrow he''ll vacuum up the baking soda and he''ll be ready for next time.


    After his shower, to get the decay smell out of him, he checked his phone and realized he had missed three calls from Sophie. He had hoped he could put her off until the next day, but it didn''t look like that was a feasible choice. Mark played with the small black jewelry box he had found in Hanson''s jacket pocket as he devised a plan to get her here. The little black box contained a beautiful gold chain necklace with a single crystal shaped heart. It was the same necklace he had given all his girls. Hanson found a bit of perverse joy out of knowing they all had the same gifts from him, an easy A and crystal heart.


    "Hi Sophie," Mark called her back. "I''m sorry I''ve missed your calls. I was cleaning in the basement."


    "Have you seen Devon?" she asked quickly, skipping the niceties of civil conversation.


    "He was here last night until about 7''ish, then he said he had to go home. Something about morning study hall."


    "He didn''t come home at all. Usually when he has weekend study halls he is in bed sleeping by 9pm."


    "Did you check with the school?"


    "Yeah, he didn''t show up for class either."


    "Did you call the police?"


    "Not yet, I was hoping he just fell asleep at a friends and would show up with a good explanation. But now I''m really worried."


    Mark paused intentionally to let some tension build. He needed her to be eager to come over.


    "I... I think you should come down to the shop... I have something you need to see to believe."


    "Can''t you just tell me. I don''t want to leave the house in case he comes home."


    "No, you have to see this. In the meantime, I''ll try calling his phone. He might pick up if he knows it''s me. Then we can all the cops from my shop and get things rolling if you want to."


    Sophie hesitated, what if her husband came home while she was gone, agreed to meet with Mark.


    "Ok I''ll be there in about thirty minutes."


    "The front of shop is closed, but I''ll leave the back door cracked. Just come in."


    Mark spent the next half an hour getting the basement prepared for the bloody inevitable and printing out full color disgusting stills from the video of Hanson and his teenage victim. To a naive passerby the two just looked like an amorous young couple looking for a little dirty fun. But to Mark, and soon to Sophie, they are pictures of a dirty older man corrupting a naive young girl with sex and drugs. Lastly Mark emptied his bottle of ibuprofen and replaced them with several roofies. She''d need something to combat the onslaught of negative input she was going to receive, and that would make what came next easier.


    "Knock knock," Sophies soft sad voice wafted in from the back door.


    "Come on in," Mark struggled to keep his excitement out of his voice.


    "Hey... So, I''m here what do you have to show me that''s so important," Mark could sense she was both worried and angry.


    "Come sit," Mark gestured to the soft chair that Hanson had occupied the night before. "I''m making tea do you want some?"


    "I''m not really here for team. I''m here to find out about Devon."


    "I know, and I fully intend to tell you everything. It''s just not easy for me either and my stomach is in knots. Hense the tea."


    "Whatever," Sophie plopped herself down in a very unlady like manner.


    Mark could see her rubbing her temples. He smiled, that''s a good indication she already had a headache. He just had to make it worse so she''d be willing to take what she thought would be ibprofen. He couldn''t do her like the others. Additional care would have to be taken. He needed her to fully comprehend why this was happening and to keep the mess to a minimum.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "This isn''t going to be easy," Mark sat down with his hot tea. "Devon was having an affair."


    "There is no way I''d believe that!"


    "I know you''d be hesitant," Mark placed the first printout of Hanson and his girl walking hand in hand up the alley towards the shops back door. "This was last night."


    "There are a hundred innocent reasons he could be holding her hand."


    Mark could tell her denial ran deep. She really did love and trust him deeply. Neither of which Hanson deserved. Mark placed a second picture in her lap. This one captured the moment Hanson placed his lips on the girls. He had the girl pressed up against the wall, one hand gently placed behind her head while the other caressed the silky-smooth skin of her inner thigh.


    "This has got to be a fake!" Hot tears where streaming down her checks even as the denials were spoken, she knew the truth. Once again her finger went up to the temples to rub out the tension headache.


    "Headache? would you like some ibuprofen?"


    "NO! I want to know why you''re doing this to me." Sophie took a deep breath, then acquest. "Yes, I''ll take a couple ibuprofen."


    For a moment Mark didn''t think his plan was going to work. She had refused both his tea and the ibuprofen. Mark stepped over to his fridge and took out a bottle of water and reached up into the cabinet to retrieve the bottle with the roofies in it. Hopefully she would trust him and not look to close at the pills.


    "Here," Mark handed Sophie the pills and the water. "Their 500 mg so just take one. If you need another later you can take more. "If you need more convincing, I do have the security footage I can play for you, but I really don''t think you should watch it. As for the why I''m telling you. That is simple. It''s been killing me keeping his dirty little secret. Devon is not a good man, and you deserve better."


    "How long has this been going on?" Sophie popped the pills and took a long swig of water. Her tears had dried up and the slow burn to anger was beginning to show.


    "This girl since December, but there has been a new girl with every school year for the last seven years."


    "Girl... school year... seven years." Realization was setting in as she put the pieces together. "Are you saying he''s having affairs with his students."


    Mark riffled through the folder of stills he had printed out and pulled out a close up of the girl''s face.


    "This one, her name is Carly Burges, will be 18 in three months. He was planning on taking her to your beach house for the weekend. Remember that Convention in Ohio he told you about?"


    "He goes every year, always complains about how boring it is."


    "Yet he never once brought home anything from it, not a name tag, flyer, or brochure."


    "Because he never really went." Sophie started quietly sobbing.


    Fifteen minutes later, Sophie still hadn''t said a word just sat quietly sobbing. Mark could tell roofies had started to take effect.


    "I feel like throwing up. My husband is a filthy child molester and cheater. How am I supposed to deal with this? And where is he now?"


    "I don''t have the answer to either of those questions, but whatever you decide I''ll support you."


    "Support me? You''ve let him get away with this for seven years! You''ve allowed him to do this to seven poor naive teenage girls. How am I supposed to ever trust you?"


    "Devon and I have been friends for almost twenty years. I tried to tell him that the truth will out, he just laughed at me. He really put me in a hard spot. I didn''t know what to do."


    "Oh, gawd I feel like I''m gonna puke."


    Mark got up and nonchalantly locked the back door and slipped the key into his pocket then selected a new box of crackers and his small trash can. Thankfully it was already empty.


    "Here, this should help." He handed her the crackers to settle her stomach then placed the trash can between them. "Just in case," he said nodding to the can.


    "No, I need to leave," Sophie tried to stand up but wobbled back into the seat.


    "Wait, you need to tell me how you want to proceed. Do we call the cops? And if so, how much do you want me to tell them? Because... well there is so much more. Devon told me things, awful things, that no man should be forced to listen to."


    Sophie sat quiet for over ten minutes and Mark, needing the time for the roofies to kick in, allowed for the silence.


    "I''m... um... I''m going to call his mother." Another long silence followed before she spoke again. "His... mother will bring the pillow softness..."


    Sophies words were beginning to sound slurred and jumbled. Mark knew she couldn''t put up a fight anymore,


    "Today is the day that the truth will out. Your husband was a disgusting vile human who has done nothing but destroy the lives of many young girls. He''s made my life a living hell over the last seven years being forced to keep his perverted actions secret. He took these sweet innocent young girls and corrupted them and manipulated them into treating their bodies like his toy to play with as he saw fit. He made them do things. He made them perform unnatural acts. He even made them have sex with others so he could watch." Mark stood over Sophie and watched the horror grow in her eyes hearing this for the first time. The things that Devon Hanson did, and bragged about, where disgusting even to the most open minded. "I know you will not remember any of this when you wake up. I promise I''ll remind you of all this then."


    Just as Mark finished his monolog Sophie''s head slumped backwards and her eyes fluttered close. Mark slipped one arm around Sophies back and the other under her knees. As he lifted her limp body Sophies head fell against his solid chest. Any other time Mark might have welcomed this woman''s head laying on his chest. However, today it caused nothing but distress.


    Mark had developed fond feelings for her the first day they met, twelve years ago. He had wanted to pursue her but Devon promptly laid claim, and Sophie fell for Devon head over heels. Mark never crossed the line of friendship no matter how tempted he became. After Mark found out about Devon''s first girl, he almost came clean, but Devon became furious with him for even mentioning the thought of confessing to his wife. It would have ruined everything for him, including his career.


    Mark gingerly carried Sophie down the deep cement stairs into the dim basement and laid her gently on the icy cold metal table he had set up earlier. Gazing at the unconscious woman with love and admiration Mark stripped her down to her underwear.


    "Before this night is over your sole will be lifted in sweet repose and the burdens of this world will no longer be yours to bear."


    Mark posed the unconscious woman with her arms straight along her sides and her sunflower blonde hair softly framing her face. He wrapped three rounds of silver duct tape over her shoulders and around the table to help secure her torso.


    "However, sweet innocent, you must be made to understand why Devon had to die. Or more concisely why he was chosen to be the one to die."


    Another round of duct tape placed just above her belly button secured her arms and midsection in place. As Mark positioned Sophies legs straight and began to wrap another circle of silver duct tape to secure her legs just above her knees Sophie began to stir awake. Mark knew he only had a few more minutes. Quickly Mark secured the remainer of her legs at the ankle. Sophie would not have the strength to break the multiple layers of duct tape placed in multiple key spots on her lovely body. Mark cut one last piece, about five inches long, and placed it over her sweet red lips to prevent her from screaming while she came awake.


    "I think I''ll take a little nap while you come out of your sleep." Mark smiled. "I have expended to much energy getting you down here. Now, you''ll wait for me to get some rest.


    Mark laid down on his camping cot and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

 Chapter Eighteen - Innocent or Not

    Mark woke up to the muffled screams of the innocent Sophie who remain securely duct taped to the cold steel table ten feet from where he had been sleeping for the last few hours. He wasn''t actually ready to wake up, but there wasn''t going to be much sleep to be had with all the noise. Mark checked his clock; he had been asleep longer than he had thought. It was almost 8:00am the next morning. They had much to discuss, and he had two separate customers who had made appointments to pick up their purchases this morning.


    "Good morning, Sophie. I do apologize for the duct tape but it''s a necessary evil at this point." Mark sighed knowing what was to come next. "This is going to be a long day for the both of us. We have much to discuss and I will have to take a couple of breaks to deal with customers. But everything will be made clear and be over tonight. I promise. I''m gonna take a quick shower and grab some breakfast. Would you like something to help you sleep through the next few hours?"


    Mark got up and begin to prepare a syringe of Midazolam he had purchased in Mexico, but Sophie was feverishly shaking her head no and struggling against her binds. She was too weak, and the tape was too strong for her to break so Mark did not worry about that.


    "Ok, if you want to stay awake then so be it." Mark thought quietly for a moment. "I should probably move your car away from my shop. I''ve already had the cops here once. We really shouldn''t give them a reason to get a search warrant until I''m finished. Ok the revised plan is that I''m gonna take a quick shower, get a bite to eat, move your car, and then we''ll have some time to chat before my first appointment."


    Sophie closed her eyes; it was obvious to Mark that she was attempting to calm herself and maybe devise a plan to escape. But that wouldn''t happen, he had set up one of his security cameras in the basement so he could watch her while he was busy the night before. Mark gave her a small smile; he started the coffee pot and left the room to take his shower.


    Twenty short minutes later he emerged from the tiny bathroom freshly dressed and ready to start the day. The room smelled of freshly brewed Colombian Dark Roast and Sophie was laying quietly on the table. His first appoint wasn''t until 11:00am so he had plenty of time to finish his chores before he could start with Sophie. A couple of hard-boiled eggs from the fridge and lightly buttered toast for breakfast would be enough to fuel him for the upcoming daily tasks.


    "Ok Miss Sophie, where did you leave you keys?" Mark glanced at the barely clad woman. "Probably in your purse, but where is your purse?" He smiled thinking about the events of the night before. "You''re right it''s probably upstairs by the chair your, and Devon, sat in. I''ll be back as fast as I can. Try and relax."


    Mark exited the basement and bolted the door locked before checking the front shop to confirmed it was secure before searching for her purse. Just as he thought it was sitting on the floor next to her chair. The purse was filled to capacity with stuff, make up, her wallet, a hairbrush, and a packet of birth control pills. Apparently, Devon hadn''t told her he had gotten a vasectomy five years ago. This information would come in handy later. After a few minutes of riffling through the bag and its different compartments he located the keys in a side pocket and slipped out the door to move the car.


    An hour and a half later Mark let himself into the basement to check on Sophie.


    "I''m sorry that took longer than expected. I was going to just park your car next to Devon''s at the school, but the place was overrun with cops. The school must have filed a report. It''s a shame, I found some pictures on his phone that I wanted to put it in his car for them to find. But I guess that bit of evidence will have to wait until later. When..." Mark trailed off the sentence mostly because he didn''t know when the when will come. He didn''t know how much work he had left to do before he could end it. That would be up to him.


    Mark carefully scrutinized the tape securing Sophie to the table and began adding another layer on top at her ankles just for safety.


    "Before I do that, I want to remind you this is happening because of Devon. Do you remember anything I told you about his girls last night?" Mark fixed his gaze on her icy blue eyes and could see only confusion. "Let me quickly refresh your memory. Your husband was a vile disgusting human who cheated on you with many sweet naive teenage girls. He made them perform some of the most disgusting acts. He treated their bodies like his personal play toys and convinced them that it was their idea, and they liked it. He ruined these girls and forced me to keep his filthy little secrets for the last seven years."


    Mark flashed the pictures he has shown her the night before in front of her face as a visual reminder. Then added one last one. The last one was of the poor girl bent over a car parked in the alley with her skirt pulled up onto her back. Devon had his cock deep into her and was smiling directly into the camera. He knew the camera was catching them, and he liked it. By the time he finished tears were rolling down Sophies face.


    "It''s time for me to go upstairs. I''ll be back down as soon as I can."


    About two hours later Mark reappeared in the basement and Sophie had exhausted herself struggling to free herself from the duct tape bonds without any progress. Gently cleaned the dried tears from her face and with a serene smile he placed a thing soft blanket over her exposed flesh.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "I do apologize, I forgot how cold it gets down here." Mark turned on the space heater to warm the area up a bit. "We have a couple hours before I need to deal with my last appointment of the day. The shop is locked up tight."


    Mark rifled through the pictures he had printed out from Devons phone. "I printed some of the pictures from Devons phone to assist you in accepting the reality of who he was. I know my stories alone wouldn''t be enough because I know you are an honest, faithful, and loyal wife. You are the innocent victim in all this."


    Mark pulled up a stool so that he could sit and still be above her enough to show Sophie the photos.


    "This is Marie Torres, Devon''s first victim. She was only sixteen years old when they first met. She was by no means an innocent virgin but hadn''t had enough experience with sex to fully realize the joy it can be." Mark placed the head shot of a sweet young Mexican girl with thick wavy black hair and bright golden eyes in front of Sophie. "She developed a crush on Devon during the first week of glass and he picked up on it right away. At first, he brushed her off, but he was so tempted. When he came to me with his dilemma, I warned him of the possible consequences and for a while he resisted. But a month later he was coming in telling me of how she just blossomed, his words not mine, under his sexual tutelage. It was disgusting. He kept the sex very vanilla. He taught her many different positions and how to give blow jobs."


    Mark produced a picture of the girl with Devon''s cock her mouth. Those golden eyes closed, and her shiny red lips wrapped firmed around the tip of his cock. The sight turned Marks stomach; he hadn''t wanted to see them but knew that she must see them. She had to fully accept what Devon was before the end.


    Mark let out a sigh of his own, the room had quickly warmed up. He removed the blanket from Sophies body.


    "This next part is for Him," Mark glanced at Katie''s mirror where Alex stood smiling and witnessing the scene. "I''m going to take the tape off your mouth. This room is soundproof, and the shop is closed up tight so screaming would be an unnecessary use of your energy. Not to mention is would just piss me off." Mark reached out and picked up the death shard then pulled the tape off her mouth.


    "Stop, please, I believe you. Just let me go and I won''t tell anyone anything," she begged for her life.


    Mark smiled placing the tip of the shard against her skin between her rib cage at the top and slowly began cutting the ivory flesh down to her belly button. The cut was not deep enough to kill but deep enough to produce a long straight flesh wound. The blood slows dripped down each side of her torso producing an easy flow of blood streams. The pain produced a blood curdling scream from the unvarnished lips of the woman.


    "You will be please to know that Maria went on to an ivy league university where she graduated cum laude. The last I heard she was working for NASA as an engineer and was happily married. Devon was pretty gentle and tame with her. I''m grateful for that. But he didn''t remain as careful."


    "Candice Marie Hanns and Oliva Tuffs," Mark pulled out two more close ups of girls, a stunning strawberry blond and a girl with dark auburn hair. "Year two and three. Both of these girls were seniors and seventeen years old. Granted they do look a little older then seventeen. Which is why Devon was able to get them believable fake ID''s. This one..." Mark held the picture of Candice closer to Sophies face "this one, year two, he got a bit bolder with. He''d take her to the bar on Fridays after school and get her black out drunk and fuck her in the alley. He would strip her nekkid in the dark alley, exposing her to the dirty grimy filth and fuck her on the ground between the parked cars. One time when she was so drunk he knew she wouldn''t remember he allowed the bartender to stick his dirty filthy cock in her ass. And he took pictures of them."


    Mark had taken out a picture of the girl bent over the tailgate of a dirty blue truck. She was completely stripped and laying lifeless with her eyes closed and the bartender with his pants at his ankles pressed up against her ass. Mark knew she''d recognize the man because Devon had bragged about how he often took his wife to the bar for date nights, and no one had ever even hinted that Devon was bringing his girls there.


    "He''d only did that to this poor girl once. Devon got worried that the bartender would feel bad and blow it to his wife. Of course, that never happened because the bartender thought Candice was twenty-one and a student at the university. He didn''t know he was violating an innocent seventeen-year-old who was being used by his disgusting perverted friend. Yeah, I kept track of all his girls, Devon didn''t give a crap. But I needed to know what happened to them. Candice is an alcoholic, has three kids who she barely see''s because they all live with their fathers. Yes, I said fathers, multiple baby daddies."


    Mark picked up the death shard again. He placed the shard on her left side and began to dig into her flesh.


    "Wait... Wait," she begged "please don''t do this to me."


    "You shouldn''t waste your breath; I need to do this."


    "But I''m pregnant. Please don''t hurt my baby."


    Mark hesitated, then smiled sweetly at Sophie.


    "You''re either lying in an attempt to sway me away from my mission or you''re a cheater. Which is it? Are you an innocent or... not?"


    "Neither this is mine and Devon''s baby."


    "Then how do you explain the birth control pills I found in your purse?"


    "It''s an old prescription. Please."


    "Okay if you are pregnant than you''re a cheater," Mark sighed. "You see I know that Devon had a vasectomy five years ago. You see there was a pregnancy scare with the next girl, Olivia. Thank God she wasn''t pregnant, but Devon was scared to death one of these girls would get pregnant. So, he made some excuse to be away from you for a weekend and spent it here on my cot recovering. I know you wanted a baby, but he never wanted kids. He called babies snot monsters. I have no idea how he ever got into a teaching position."


    Sophie started sobbing again. The reality that her husband was a lying, cheating, child molester sinking in.


    "I guess I may never know if you''re a liar or a cheater. In actuality it doesn''t really matter." Mark placed the hard against her flesh again and dug. This time her screams didn''t startle or detour his bloody drawing. Now Sophie had two intersecting bloody gapping lines crossing her abdomen.


    "I''m sorry to do this to you but it''s almost time for my second appointment. Don''t worry these cuts aren''t deep enough to kill you. We have five more girls to discuss, including Olivia."


    Mark covered the still bleeding Sophie with the blanket from earlier, retaped her mouth shut, and gave her a small, sweet kiss on her forehead before heading up to the shop.

 Chapter Nineteen - The End

    It was almost 6:00 pm before Mark was able to close up the shop for good and get back to the basement and Sophie.


    "Ugh, I''m so sorry that took so long. I really hate selling to other artists. I know we need to support each other, and a sell is a sell... but still. They always want to talk about art, and not just talk. They go on and on and on about this piece and that piece. They want to know what my inspiration was, what extra media did I use to get certain affects, and then they want to talk about their stuff."


    Mark looked at Sophie for the first time since reentering. She was looking rather ragged and tired.


    "Oh, you don''t look so good, and I''m tired too. It''s been a long day for both of us. I guess I''ll try and quicken these last four girls up for you. I''m sure by now you''re wanting to be finished."


    "Ok," Mark picked up his folder with the girls in it and took his seat on the stool. "We already discussed Marie and Candice. I mentioned, but didn''t finish, Olivia. Of all the girls he really fucked up Olivia the worst. By this time Devon was really getting full of himself, confident in his ability to control these girls. It was disgusting how much control he had on them. Olivia already had some issues before this began. She was mentally and emotionally very fragile. She wore nothing but black with thick dark make up, and her taste in music was horrid. I think she referred to herself as a goth. It''s not something I know much about. I think for most it''s probably just an expression a piece of who they are. Like my art, it''s not the only thing I am but a piece. However, for her it was everything she felt about herself. Don''t quote me on any of this. It''s just what I think."


    Mark dug though his folder and pulled out three different pictures.


    "This is her yearbook picture," Mark presented a simple head shot of a typical goth girl. "You really can''t ascertain much about a person by these pics. She didn''t smile which tells me that on this day she wasn''t happy, that''s about it." Mark took out another picture, then let out a heavy sigh. "This is a picture of her obituary, only three months later. How did we get from point A to point B. I''ll tell you, Devon. You see Devon had done some reading about the BDSM community, which I did too. He took this whole world and twisted it up and turned this young lady into a whore. At first it was all just fun and games with the two of them but then he started taking her to the bar, getting her high and drunk. She did not handle the cross fade very well. He even made this girl wear a vibrator in her pussy at school. All day long. She would go into his room each morning and then he would lock it into her with some belt contraption. Some days he even made spend her lunches locked in his classroom closet while he taught his class. To make a long story short he eventually got her into going to a BDSM club with him. After a few intro trips, Devon called them that, where they did some tame public play and then he dropped a big ball on her. He set her up for a train and told her if she dared to use her safe word or struggle against anything it would be the end of it all. Yes, they had a safe word, but she wasn''t allowed to use it, ever. Devon counted and that night thirty-nine men raped her, sixteen men came in her mouth, and fifteen men raped her in the ass. Afterwards he hosed her down in the courtyard like an animal and made her crawl out of there on a leash."


    Mark paused his stomach in knots just having to recall the look on Devon''s face when he retold the story to him. Mark had puked into the trash can that night. His best friend was a monster. From everything he had read this wasn''t what the BDSM community was about. There was no consent in this, and she was only seventeen years old.


    "I know this is difficult to hear but Olivia''s story is the most important of all of them. This was Devon at his most vile self, and I think it would have gotten worse if she hadn''t missed her period. Devon kept very close track of these girls'' periods; pregnancy scared him."


    Sophie kept shaking her head and pulling at the tape. Mark knew she was trying to deny what he was saying. He had hoped he wouldn''t have to show her the pictures, but it looked like he would have to.


    "I have a couple of pictures taken from a video he took that night. Which, by the way, is also against the dungeon rules. This one," Mark held up the first one for her to see. "This one is from the beginning of the night. It''s just Olivia secured with leather straps and chains to a spanking bench. As you can see all three areas were presented for access..." Mark paused, evaluating whether or not he had to continue. "This pic was taken about midway through the experience. Yes, she''s got some strangers cock in her mouth while being fucked from behind. But what I want you to focus on is her face. Her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her make up smeared down her face. This is not the face of someone enjoying themselves. This is the face of a rape victim. This is the face of a child who is experiencing betrayal of the highest form. This is the face of a completely broken young lady turned into a whore."


    Mark stopped to allow that to sink in and to get himself some water. He hadn''t planned for this part to be so difficult on him. He had sat with this information for several years now. His punishment for holding this in was soon coming, and he knew it.


    "A week later the girl got her period ending that scare for Devon. And the next week he got a vasectomy. Then three weeks later Olivia told her mother she was going to take a bath, an hour later her mother went to check on her and found her laying in a tub filled with red bloody water. She had slipped down into the water and completely emerged. Nothing they could do to revive her at that point. Dead at her own hands, suicide. Devon did that but no one knew."


    Anger boiled up from his soul and it took every ounce of his strength not to plunge that death shard directly into her soft abdomen and ending Sophies torture. With a deep controlled breath Mark picked up the death shard and slashed another line into Sophie. This one a little deeper than the rest producing so much more blood. Marks hands where shaking as he lifted the shard and looked at Alexander, he was reveling in the agonizing screams and sobs coming from Sophie. The sheer joy he took in the pain was obvious and comforting.


    "I''d really like to give you a rest after that one but there are two more girls to get through, and Carly but you already know about her." Mark stopped and thought for a minute. "Ok, I should eat something so I''m gonna give you a small break."


    Mark grabbed a frozen burrito and a soda and exited the basement.


    Thirty minutes later Mark bounced back down the stairs into the basement. A smile on his face and feeling much more relaxed.


    "I have decided that this is taking way to long and I''m pretty sure you''ve gotten the idea what your husband was like. It only took a blunt and a burrito to clarify it all."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Mark smiled at Sophie, but she did not turn to look at him. Confusion set in; she couldn''t be dead because he hadn''t cut her that deep. or did he? He looked closer her breath was slow and shallow, but her heart was still beating.


    "Wake up!" Mark slightly slapped Sophie on the cheeks. "You''re not ready to die yet."


    Sophie''s eyes fluttered open but her vacant far away gaze told Mark she was mentally checked out. He had pushed her hard with the Olivia information. The rest of his girls were treated much more gently, but never with love or dignity.


    "Okay, I know you can hear me, and I know you''re trying to block it all out but I''ll try and make the last two girls short and sweet so we can put you out of this misery. After Olivia I really thought, Dan had decided to give up this crap with the girls, he even said so. That didn''t last long. By November the next school year along came Julia Myers. Julia was a very sweet smart girl, and Devon kept their relationship very vanilla. He didn''t even get her a fake ID. All of their little sex antics were kept at school after school hours. They did it in his classroom, in the teachers'' lounge, in the basement where they kept all the janitorial supplies, and they even snuck into the kitchen and fucked on the counters where they made all the lunches for the students. Comparing Julia and Oliva is... well he treated them in completely opposite manners. But remember she was still his student. She was still only seventeen years old. In the end she turned out ok. Currently she''s dating an assistant district attorney and is studying business at the university. She''s still a straight A student and appears to be mentally and emotionally stable. She is one of the lucky ones"


    Mark smiled, he done a check up on her and went to the university to see for himself. She was sitting under one of the big oak trees with a couple of other students quizzing each other. He didn''t get close enough to follow their conversation, he never did. But he saw enough to know she was happy, and he knew she was keeping her grades up. Her relationships with her mother and family were strong. She still went to Sunday night dinner most weeks.


    Another girl''s story told and another lash to Sophie''s belly, that was the plan. The symmetry of mental pain and physical pain was emotionally relieving for Mark. And Alexander rejoiced in the terror and fear released by Sophie. Mark picked up the death shard again, ripped the tape off Sophies mouth and without warning tore another bloody slash in the already bloody flesh crossing the other four bloody lines. Sophie let out a soft cry as the blood dripped steadily onto the table. She was still mentally blocking everything out. Mark wonder if telling the other girls'' stories was even necessary. He could just plunge the death shard deep into the belly and allow her to bleed out then be done.


    "Ok Sophie, I promised short and... well as easy as I can. The next year it was Jessica Myers. Yes, you guessed it. Jessica was Julia''s little sister. She too was highly intelligent, straight A''s, fast learner, and very active in the school politics. She was so smart that she skipped the seventh grade making her only sixteen when Deven started up with her. It only took about three weeks before he had her pursuing him. He did all of his girls like that. He made them want him, made them chase him, until they were swearing to keep them a secret if he would just let himself go."


    The picture of Jessica wasn''t so pinned up, but you could see the family resemblance. The girls had the same light brown hair and the same hazel green cat shaped eyes. The biggest difference between the two was the mischievous twinkle in Jessica''s eyes.


    "Devon really got off on them being sisters and neither of them ever told the other. I think it pushed him to push Jessica a little further than he pushed Julia. Devons favorite place to fuck this sixteen-year-old was right behind the shop. The dirty alley with the security camera recording it all." Mark tossed an even dozen SD cards on her bloody belly. "He didn''t even bother getting her an ID, she had too much of a baby face to be a believable twenty-one-year-old. Instead, they would just smoke pot and he introduced her to molly. She really loved trippin on molly. By the time she graduated high school, with a C average, she was an addict. Crystal meth, coke, molly, pot, she would do what was handed to her to chase that high. Her parent had to put her in a rehab hospital for almost six months. Currently she is struggling at the community college and has no clue what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She is clean but hanging on by a thread."


    Mark smiled; this was a different kind of death than he had experience. He was watching this womans will to live slowly drain from her. Sophie had given up the fight to live. Mark didn''t know if it was the physical pain of the slashes, the loss of blood affecting her mental status, or if it the realization of what her husband was.


    "This one is for Jessica, for the pain your ignorance of who your husband was caused her. The way I see it by year five you should have realized something was wrong. Hell, you should have known by year three. If you had been paying attention to your husband, you could have stopped him. Yes, I know I had the knowledge I could have stopped him too. My punishment is coming. It''s coming soon."


    Mark couldn''t contain the anger he was feeling, both towards her and towards himself. This slash, crossing the five others was too deep to contain the blood overflowing from her abdomen.


    "I must stop here and now. Jacob will be here to pick up his order. It must get packed up and to him before I can finish it."


    Mark retaped Sophies mouth, grabbed the mirror and ran up the stairs. He didn''t eve stop to clean the blood from his clothes. Upstairs he glanced at the clock. He had no more than twenty minutes before Jacob would be there. Carefully he methodically cleaned all five pieces, one large mirror, two smaller mirrors, and three large decorative broaches. He wrapped them up and placed each in their own box and brought them out to the shop.


    As he entered the shop, he saw Jacob step up to the locked door.


    "Hi," Mark plastered a smile on his face and waved his hand as he made his way to the door. "Come in, I just finished packing up your stuff. I really hope your happy with them."


    "Hi, I''m in a really big hurry. I''m sure they are beautiful, and I''ll give you a more detailed response later. But right now, I just want to get them and go." Jacob was tired and he really hadn''t wanted to come down here today, but Mark had insisted.


    "No problem. I''ve was able to create seven unique pieces. They are already boxed," Mark layered them into two large bags and placed them on the counter. "I hope they''re want you wanted."


    "I''m positive they are exquisite." Mark handed him a check and picked up the bags to leave.


    "Oh no this is twice what we agreed on. I can''t take this much."


    "I don''t have time to haggle," Jacob smiled. He knew that Mark was having money issues and decided just to give him a tip. The amount they had agreed on was barely enough to make his monthly rent on this prime retail space. "Have a good night."


    Mark placed the check on the counter, it wouldn''t matter anyways, locked the door behind Jacob, then went back to the counter. Next to Jacobs check Mark placed the SD cards from the raven-haired woman, Devon Hanson, and Sophie Hanson entering the shop. He also included all the printed pics of Devon and his girls as well as Devons phone. Afterwards he went back down into the basement to finish up his work.


    "Are you ready?" Mark asked. Of course he didn''t care for, nor want an answer, he pulled the tape off her mouth one last time. "You may want to wake up and make some noise. I''m getting ready to call 911 on your phone. Of course, by the time they ping the phone and get her you''ll be dead. But you can try, I suppose there is always that slight possibility. "


    Mark dialed 911 on Sophies phone then placed it next to her head. As Sophie started to scream for help Mark plunged the death shard deep into her belly and blood started to gush from the open wound.


    "So, you were listening to me!" Mark twisted the shard shearing the edges and macerating her inner organs. "This is your punishment for not stopping your husband!"


    Three more times he raised that death shard and stabbed her soft flesh before he heard the sirens outside his building.


    "Now comes my punishment." Mark removed the shard from the flesh and sliced open his carotid artery. Within seconds he lay lifeless in a pool of mixed blood.

 Chapter Twenty – Paradise Lost

    The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of burnt candles. Between trying to keep up with work, getting ready to split assets with his mother, talking to doctors, and taking care of Katie Jacob was exhausted. This morning felt a little different, only because he was able to deliver some beautiful pieces of art to some very important people.


    ¡°Good morning, Tracy,¡± Jacob greeted Katies aunt as he entered the hospital room carrying two big bags. ¡°I¡¯m a bit surprised to see you, it''s only Thursday.¡±


    ¡°I got a disturbing call from the doctor¡¯s last night. They are concerned you won¡¯t transfer Katie to a long-term care facility.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already went to check out the ones they recommended, and I just can¡¯t do it.¡± Jacob took a deep breath recalling the bright bleach smelling halls and drab rooms decorated in beige, brown, and dingy blues. ¡°She deserves better care than that.¡± Jacob paused, he was unsure if she would agree with his next move, and she did have the ultimate final decision. ¡°I think she should come home with me. I can get her round the clock care and pay the doctors to make home visits. This way when she¡¯s ready to come out of this she¡¯ll already be home.¡±


    ¡°She needs expensive medical equipment and constant monitoring. It¡¯s just too much for one person to handle. There is expensive medical equipment, complicated medications, nursing, and therapy that she needs. Just dealing with the insurgence companies, the DME companies, and nursing companies is too much for any one person. That is a lot.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jacob pulled out the biggest box from the bag, the one that contained Katie¡¯s mirror. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not just one person. I¡¯ll be counting on you and Cheri for support. I¡¯m gonna do it anyways. It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡± Tracy nodded, knowing that to fight this decision wouldn¡¯t be worth it. ¡°Would you like to see the mirrors I had made for her from the broken pieces?¡±


    ¡°Oh sure,¡± Tracy couldn¡¯t really muster up any real enthusiasm for stuff, her concern was only for what would happen with Katie.


    Jacob handed her the large white box wrapped up with a pink silk bow. Tracy took a second to admire the beauty of the gift wrapping. Pink had been Katie¡¯s favorite color. She always wore a little pink somewhere in her daily outfit and every Christmas she would wrap all her gifts in different shades of pink paper. Even her wedding dress had pink accents.


    ¡°Oh, this is beautiful,¡± Tracy pulled the mirror out from under the light pastel pink tissue paper. The center mirror was framed with a cluster of small delicate sunflowers culminating at the top like a surreal bouquet held together by three intricately designed butterflies resting along the stems.


    ¡°He made two other smaller mirrors. I believe he created them as a set. This one I think is meant for you. When you see it, you¡¯ll know why.¡± Mark handed her a box wrapped with a silk violet ribbon.


    ¡°Oh, my favorite color. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t, and I don¡¯t know how he knew either.¡±


    Tracy unwrapped the box to pull out a smaller, but just as beautifully rendered mirror. This one was made with a smaller bouquet of sunflowers and only two butterflies.


    ¡°Oh damn, this artist really did his homework.¡± Tracy held the mirror up comparing her smaller one to Katies. Katies contained three butterflies, each one with a gemstone in the center of their body. One with a bright emerald green stone, Katies birthstone, one with a brilliant pearl, Tracy¡¯s birthstone, and the last one held a stunning red ruby, Cheri¡¯s birthstone. ¡°I love it, and it was very thoughtful of you to have these created for us.¡±


    Just as Tracy replaced Katie¡¯s mirror back on her hospital nightstand by her bed the doctor entered the room.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± The doctor¡¯s face looked grim. ¡°Thank you for coming down today.¡±


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Jacob and Tracy replied in unison. There is nothing good about this morning, Jacob thought to himself but refrained from saying out loud.


    ¡°I was just with Katies medical team going over the latest lab results. Medically we still can¡¯t find any reason she should still be in her state. The baby is progressing well, but we really should move her to a better equipped facility to care for her long term.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already looked at the facilities you recommended and I¡¯m not sending her there. I want to bring her home with me.¡±


    ¡°All of those facilities have the best reputations and the ability to give her to close care that she needs. They have medical staff available 24/7, including OB/GYN¡¯s and neurologists to watch her brain function and the baby¡¯s growth.


    ¡°I can hire nurses and have doctors come for her exams. And if needed we can transport her to the hospital when needed. I¡¯ve given this a lot of thought.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°This really is a huge undertaking, I¡¯m not really confident you are aware of how much it will take to make that happen and give her the attention she requires.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what it takes, or how much it costs. I¡¯ll buy whatever she needs or hire whoever she needs. My only concern is her health, and the babies.¡± Jacob paused for a moment. ¡°In any case the decision is not yours. Your job is to make our decision work.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s first discuss her TPN. Right now, currently she¡¯s receiving all her nutritional needs met this way. We cannot send her home on TPN. It¡¯s not the best long-term solution anyways, for either of them. We can either insert an NG tube to deliver a nutritional feed directly to her stomach. This is the least invasive option; a small tube is inserted through the nose into the stomach, and she¡¯ll have a pump which will feed her slowly throughout the day. Or we can fit her with a G tube. This one would be a surgical procedure which allows us to bypass the nose and throat to pump feed directly into her stomach. There are pros and cons to both.¡± The doctor handed each of them a couple sheets of printed papers which detailed the pros and cons of each. ¡°Typically, we always suggest least invasive first. We don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll wake up. She could come out of it tomorrow, or she may never wake up. We just don¡¯t know at this point. Either way I would like to get her off the TPN, it¡¯s hard on the bones and liver and with the extra demand the baby is making on her¡­ well it would just be better for both of them.¡±


    ¡°I think NG, least invasive, would be the way to go. She¡¯s going to wake up. What do you think Tracy?¡± Jacob waited for Tracy to confirm.


    ¡°I agree, but can we do this at home?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s relatively simple,¡± the doctor quickly replied. ¡°She really has no complicated medical conditions. Here is a complete list of medical equipment you¡¯ll need before we can send her home. Most of it your DME company will provide through her insurance. I¡¯ve included a couple of optional items at the bottom which will be good to have but not medically necessary, and the name of a couple of medical supply companies which will work with you.¡±


    ¡°Alexander,¡± the soft whisper of a voice came from across the room. Mid conversation everyone halted and looked. Katie lay in bed with a very small smile across her lips, but still in a vegetative state.


    Katie smiled as she saw Alexander saunter up the path towards her. Alexander carried a large bouquet of sunflowers mixed with daffodils and carnations. The whole group burst with yellow and pink like a beautiful spring morning.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d come back for me!¡± Katie rushed towards his open arms.


    ¡°Nothing could keep me away from the most delightful women on the planet! Your mere presence lights up the day like the sun lights up the town on a summer¡¯s day.¡± Alexander smiled as he gazed deeply into his love¡¯s eyes. ¡°Your ruby lips, smiling with joy and love, set my soul on fire like no other that I have ever seen in my long lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Oh Alexander,¡± Katie blushed like a silly schoolgirl swooning over her first crush.


    ¡°My beautiful, the world is our oyster, and you are the pearl that sets my soul on fire. Never again will you want for anything, be alone, or fear anyone. I do solemnly promise.¡±


    Katie let loose a small happy sigh and leaned into Alexander¡¯s chest. She had found her place in his world, and it felt good. For the first time in her life everything was perfect.


    ¡°Welcome to Paradise Lost. How do you like the cottage? I endeavored to create an area you¡¯d be comfortable in. Correction, you and our baby.¡±


    Katie turned to admire the two-story Victorian home. It was everything she ever dreamed of with its steep, gabled roof and the two tall round towers framing each side of the house to create an impressive eye-catching view. The beautiful structure was highlighted with a wide welcoming porch with an intricately designed trim, the perfect place to sit with your baby and drink lemonade on a bright spring morning or a warm summers day.


    ¡°Before we venture into the house there is something I must tell you right away,¡± Alexander gently slipped Katie¡¯s hand into his and lead her down a path heading towards a cliff that overlooked a wide blue ocean and beach. ¡°Down there,¡± he pointed towards a small quaint house on the beach. ¡°In that house lives a crazy lady. Her name is Abigail. Don¡¯t engage her in anyway. If she attempts to approach you walk away and tell me. If she speaks to you, ignore her. Anything she has to say will be marred with lies and craziness.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but why is she like that? Does she not like you? How couldn¡¯t anyone not just love you?¡±


    ¡°All the questions,¡± Alexander laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what her issue is. The two of us have never really interacted much. She was already here when I arrived on our island.¡±


    Katie fell silent, the ominous warning Alexander gave her left her feeling a bit unsettled. The soft wind blew, and a gush of white cherry blossom petals flurried around the two of them.¡±


    ¡°Why the sad face my love?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Katie held out her hand as a white petal landed in her palm. ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s the cherry blossoms, they just remind me of something¡­ someone.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean,¡± Alexander gazed deeply into Katie¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t like the fall?¡±


    Katie looked up confused for a moment, then glanced down into her palm where a red and orange swirled oak leaf lay. She smiled as she took in all the large oak trees awash in the fall colors of red, orange, yellow, and browns of the season.


    ¡°Oh, the forest is beautiful!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything,¡± the doctor finally broke the silence. ¡°She is clearly in a sort of REM sleep. There is no change in her EKG...¡±


    ¡°No matter what you say I¡¯ll continue to hope,¡± Tracy pipped in shutting the doctor¡¯s negativity down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have her room ready by the end of the week. Please have her ready.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take the TPN out today and fit her with an NG tube.¡±


    Jacob found himself staring at the mirror wondering what Katie was seeing. The light flickered across the reflective surface and mangled images flashed across. Jacob couldn¡¯t make out what he was seeing. The room was located on the twenty-first floor, so it wasn¡¯t reflecting the street or the cars. It almost looked like people walking hand in hand down a forest path.


    Jacob shook his head to clear the daydreamed image away, picked up the stack of papers he¡¯d received from the doctors. Then headed for the door.


    Before Jacob left, he handed Tracy a key to his house, gave her a small kiss on the cheek, then whispered, ¡°Our girl will come back to us.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-One – Homecoming

    Three days later Jacob was ready to bring Katie home from the hospital. It had been a chore getting everything here so quickly, but Cheri was a spitfire when it came to dealing with insurance and DME companies. Jacob gave her the go ahead to do anything it took, and she did just that. Now when Jacob had to call if they tried to give him a hard time all he had to do was let them know that Cheri would be calling later that day to straighten out the problem. They would bend over backward to keep from having to deal with her.


    That chilly Friday morning Jacob was at the hospital, with his nurse, waiting for Katie to be transported to his house while Cheri was at the house with another nurse insuring everything was set up for Katie. The sterile bleach bathed atmosphere of the halls did not allow for a feeling of celebration or excitement for Katies return home, it only left one with a feeling of despair and helplessness. No one could predict how this was going to work, whether or not Katie would awaken, or even if she would she ever been 100% mentally and physically healthy. The feeling could only be described as ominous.


    ¡°Everything looks good here. Is the medical transport there yet?¡± Cheri asked Jacob. She was anxious about getting Katie home. She missed her friend dearly.


    ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re waiting for the doctor. Apparently, there is some paperwork that Tracy hasn¡¯t signed yet. Have you seen her over the last couple of days?¡±


    ¡°Nope, which is weird. She usually calls or texts me every day. But not a peep.¡±


    ¡°After we get Katie settled, I¡¯ll give her a call. The Doc is making sure I can sign her out without Tracy. Other than that everything is good to go.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just send me a text when you leave.¡±


    ¡°Ok, bye.¡±


    A few minutes after Jacob hung up with Cheri the doctor came in grinning ear to ear, an expression Jacob was hard pressed to emulate.


    ¡°Good news, Mr. Mantles, you can take Miss Summers home. All I need is for you to sign these discharge papers and we¡¯ll let the transport guys take it from here.¡±


    Jacob sighed in relief, at least one thing was going as planned.


    A few tortuously long minutes later Katie was secured in the ambulance and Jacob was following them with all her belongings in his truck.


    Alexander had disappeared once again leaving Katie to wonder about the lush green grounds of her new home all alone. He really hadn¡¯t disappeared; he went into town to buy baby supplies. Even though they had almost seven more months before their little bundle of joy would make their entrance into their perfect little world, he was too excited to wait.


    Katie was sitting on her bench overlooking the ocean so deep in her own thoughts as the waves crashed against the rocks on the steep cliffs that she hadn¡¯t hear the young woman approach her from behind.


    ¡°Miss Summer,¡± she inquired softly.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Katie startled out of her thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have interrupted your time. I just wanted to introduce myself to you.¡±


    The young woman didn¡¯t look a day over twenty and was dressed very demurely in a blue soft cotton knee length dress. Even the collar cut up above her breast so that not a bit of cleavage was exposed. Her natural brown hair was pulled up on top of her head in a loose messy bun and held together with a long white silk scarf. Even make up was soft and natural looking, unlike what twenty-year-olds wear today.


    ¡°I know who you are. You¡¯re the crazy lady who lives in the cottage on the beach. I¡¯m not supposed to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to harm you. My name is Abigail and I¡¯m not crazy. I only have two things I want you to know. First, I know everything seems like a fairy tale right now but if you¡¯re ever in need, or fearful, you can come to me to talk. No strings attached. I¡¯m only down the trail. Anything, you need anything I am here for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ll ever disobey Alexander by willingly going to you for anything.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Abigail took a small step closer to Katie and smiled softly. ¡°I¡¯ll not bother you again, just know I¡¯m here. The second thing,¡± she carefully took Katies hand palm up and placed a perfect white cherry blossom in it, ¡°never forget. The moment you do all is lost.¡±


    Katie stared at the small delicate flower in her hand, when she looked up Abigail was gone. A small part of her wanted to believe that she hadn¡¯t really been there at all. Afterall, she had spoken with her which was strictly forbidden by Alexander. There weren¡¯t even any footprints as proof that she was there, only the flower in her hand.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Jacob,¡± her heart swelled with the love she felt for him, then shattered as she remembered their last conversation.


    Back at the house Katie hid the little flower in one of her romance novels. Alexander said they were unrealistic and a waste of time. But he still brough them to her because they made her happy.


    ¡°Katie,¡± Alexander called from the front door.


    ¡°Welcome home,¡± Katie gave him her sweetest smile. ¡°I thought you had gone shopping?¡±


    ¡°I did. I¡¯m back.¡± Alexander handed her a small white paper bag. ¡°The rest are already in the nursery.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Katie smiled as she took the bag from Alexander and peeked inside. ¡°It¡¯s a little blue suit! How cute this is, it looks almost like yours! But what if we have a little girl?¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Alexander¡¯s mood immediately became sour. ¡°It won¡¯t be a girl! It must be a boy!¡±


    The vitriol and venom coming from Alexander shook with Katie an intense fear she had never felt from anyone, much less from him. He had never even raised his voice, much less show anger, towards her.


    Alexander must have sensed how his loss of control affected Katie because almost as quickly as it came on it left. Alex softened his face and his voice, but the unease didn¡¯t leave Katie as quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, my love. I¡¯ve just felt excitement like I have never felt before and I have always wanted a little boy to call my own. Your poking fun at me that it may not be a boy felt like a gut punch. However, you know I¡¯ll love a little girl just as much as a boy.¡± Alexander smiled ¡°a little girl with your blue eyes and big bright smile.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really didn¡¯t mean to poke fun of you or hurt your feelings for wanting a boy.¡±


    Katie tried to relax but her mind flashed back to something her grandmother had said to her many times in the past. When a person accidentally shows you their true authentic self believe them the first time. This advice alone had kept her friends¡¯ circle small and tight. It also kept her from getting her heart broken more than once. But was this an accidently authentic self slip up or had she accidentally poked a sore spot for Alexander? Katie didn¡¯t know, what she did know was that she didn¡¯t want to give up on this beautiful relationship that they had forged.


    ¡°Have you thought about names?¡± Alexander asked, trying to soften the mood after his slip.


    ¡°I do like Thomas for a boy. It¡¯s a strong name, but it can also be a soft and confident name.¡± Katie smiled softly and she sighed, ¡°Tommy.¡±


    ¡°I do like Thomas as well. What about a girl¡¯s name?¡± Alex hid his disdain for a girl child very well. He had scared her enough for one day.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Katie hesitated not wanting to upset him again. ¡°I was thinking Caroline, it means strong and free. I just know any girl we raise together will have your strength and will grow up free to be whatever she wants.¡±


    ¡°Yes, beautiful,¡± Alexander looked up as if he was listening to something in the distance. ¡°My dear I must be off for a little while. There are many boxes up in the nursery. You should make good use of your time and unpack them. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find in them.¡± Alexander kissed her on the forehead and headed back out the door.


    Jacob took a long deep breath and let out a sigh of relief. We¡¯re home and life can return to a normal routine until Katie decides to wake up and join them. Jacob opened up her hospital box and pulled out the mirror. Carefully he placed the mirror on her bedside table. With Katie finally settled at home Jacob turned to his next concern, Tracy. No one had seen, or heard from, her in three days.


    ¡°It¡¯s only noon and it¡¯s already been a very long day. But we still need to figure out what happened to Tracy. I¡¯m gonna drive over to Katies house to see if she¡¯s there.¡± Jacob started to grab his keys.


    ¡°Before you drive anywhere let¡¯s check Katie¡¯s find my friend app. If her phone is turned on we should be able to locate her.¡±


    It only took the two 10 minutes to confirm that Tracy was indeed at Katie¡¯s house, and her phone was only at 7%. This meant that she hadn¡¯t bothered to look at her phone for quite a while. Which was concerning.


    Within twenty minutes both Jacob and Cheri pulled up to Katie¡¯s family home. The Victorian home was set on 20 acres of land smack in the middle of the city, most of which was relatively unused and overgrown. The back portion of the land was mostly used by the high school kids for chilling after school. Katie¡¯s grandmother had fenced off the area they had used and had the rest cleared of underbrush every few years but never accepted any of the lucrative offers to buy the land.


    ¡°Jacob¡­¡± Cheri¡¯s voice quivered. He had never seen her show fear of anything or anyone before today. ¡°I¡­something feels wrong here.¡±


    Jacob locked the doors of his truck then turned to look up at the house. Even though it was in the middle of the day it looked as if every light in the place was turned on. The garage door was half open and Tracy¡¯s car was parked oddly crooked with the driver¡¯s side door open in the driveway.


    ¡°Something does feel off. Keep your eyes open.¡±


    As the two entered the house Jacob noticed that at least three days¡¯ worth of mail was sitting on the floor where it had dropped when delivered by the mailman, every window he saw as open, and the AC had been left on at 72 degrees even though it was colder than that outside.


    ¡°It¡¯s to quiet.¡± Cheri shivered as the eerie stale air filled her lungs. The dead silence was abnormally still.


    ¡°Tracy,¡± Jacob locked the door behind him as he called out hoping for a quick reply. ¡°Let¡¯s close these windows before the rain starts. If she¡¯s here she¡¯s probably asleep upstairs.¡±


    The two of them quickly closed the windows in the downstairs room then together entered the kitchen. The kitchen looked normal, no dirty dishes in the sink, no food rotting on the counters, and nothing on the floors. It looked cleaner than when Katie was home. Katie couldn¡¯t be bothered to take the time to put the coffee cup in the dishwasher and had a bad habit of leaving her plastic grocery bags crumbled up on the counter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs,¡± Cheri was anxious to get to Tracy.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Jacob was feeling rather uneasy.


    The guest bedroom was up the stairs and down the hall. Tracy hadn¡¯t wanted to sleep in Katie¡¯s room, it was too sad. The temperature upstairs wasn¡¯t any warmer than downstairs. The windows in all the rooms were also wide open but neither of them wanted to take the time to stop and close them. At this point the only goal was to locate the missing woman.


    At the door the duo hesitated, something was wrong and they both felt it.

 Chapter Twenty-Two – Where the Fire Reside

    Jacob quietly knocked on the door to Tracy¡¯s bedroom. When no acknowledgement was given, he cracked the door open a small inch. Inside the room was filled with an eerie darkness and a rush of musty and stale air wafted to assault his nose.


    ¡°Tracy?¡± he called to her a bit louder than the knock. ¡°Tracy are you in there?¡±


    Without warning they heard an ear-shattering scream come from the room.


    Jacob threw open the door only to be met with a vision of Tracy sitting at desk screaming at the mirror. In the mirror Jacob could see a horrible reflection of dozens of people burning in flames and an older man in a black suit smiling with a sinister glint in his black eyes. He was whispering something to Tracy, but he couldn¡¯t know what was being said.


    ¡°Tracy!¡± Jacob screamed as he ran over to her. Cheri at his heals screamed as she saw the visions coming from the mirror.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Cheri screamed as she grabbed the mirror up.


    ¡°You¡¯re too late! She¡¯s mine and you¡¯ll never get her back!¡± the man cackled at them.


    ¡°No!¡± Cheri screamed as she slammed the mirror face down on the desk.


    Quickly Jacob scooped Tracy out of the chair, cradling her in his arms like a young hurt child he caried her to the bed. Laying her gently down he allowed her head to settle in his lap.


    ¡°Tracy,¡± he called to the trembling woman. ¡°You¡¯re safe now. We got you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault,¡± she sobbed over and over again. Her tear-stained face strained with guilt and terror. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    ¡°Shhhhh, you¡¯re ok now. We¡¯re here.¡± Jacob held her like a wounded child crying in her father¡¯s arms.


    ¡°What the fuck was that!¡± Cheri¡¯s shock seemed to have worn off and disbelief and anger was setting in. ¡°It looked like a portal to some demented hell dimension.¡±


    ¡°I have no words and no ideas and the only way we are gonna get any answers is to get Tracy back to normal so she can tell us what was going on.¡±


    ¡°We should call 911 and get her to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°NO! No hospitals and no police!¡± Tracy popped up, fear once again rolling into her facial expression. Her body was trembling with fear and adrenaline.


    ¡°Ok¡­ ok¡­ no hospitals and no police. But we do have to get out of this house.¡± Jacob smoothed her hair back and tried to comfort her. ¡°You heard her, no 911, but we should call Jasmine. Let her know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°All right, I got Katie¡¯s phone, I¡¯ll give her a call. You¡­¡± Cheri almost laughed at the sight of this young man caressing the hair of a woman twice his age. ¡°You just continue.¡±


    Cheri stepped out into the hall to make her call.


    ¡°Tracy, I need you to snap out of this and tell us what happened.¡± Tracy didn¡¯t answer just continued to tremble in Jacob¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Jasmine is driving down. It was difficult to try and explain so I just said she had a breakdown. I gave her your address. I just assumed we¡¯d be taking her back there.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the fuck out of here,¡± Jacob scooped up Tracy and headed for the door.


    ¡°What are we gonna do with that thing?¡± Cheri asked, almost afraid of the answer.


    ¡°Leave it, we¡¯ll figure out what to do with it later. Grab her overnight bag.¡±


    By the time the trio left darkness had fallen the city. The clouds had cleared leaving the velvet black skies dotted with stars that shimmered like diamonds on a jeweler¡¯s cloth. Jacob almost smiled as the cool night air from the open window of his sable truck bathed his face like a cleansing cloth soaked in fresh mint water. It was the kind of sultry night Katie would have dragged him all the way to the top of Wells Peak for a midnight picnic.


    ¡°What did you tell Jazz?¡±


    ¡°Just that Tracy had a traumatic event, and she needed to come down to be with her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this would be rather difficult to explain over the phone.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how I¡¯d react. The person you love most in this world was terrorized by an evil spirit in a haunted mirror and is now crying like a two-year-old baby and stammering about everything being her fault. It¡¯s just too much.¡±


    ¡°Not a baby,¡± Tracy stammered from the back seat.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Both Jacob and Cheri shocked stopped and turned to peer at Tracy.


    ¡°Tracy,¡± Cheri softly addressed the still quivering woman. ¡°Are you back with us?¡±


    No answer from Tracy confirmed that she was indeed still in a shock state. However, her interjection into their conversation confirmed that she could hear and comprehend what was being said around her.


    ¡°Mister,¡± Cheri sighed remembering the already traumatized cat in her apartment. ¡°Can we swing by and grab my cat? I don¡¯t want him to be left alone for too long. And we have no idea what is going to happen next.¡±


    ¡°No problem. When did you get a cat?¡±


    ¡°It was Mark¡¯s. I kind of adopted him after Mark¡­well after he did what he did.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that you and Mark where that close.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been friend for almost ten years. Him and Katie didn¡¯t really mesh well so we kind of kept them separate mostly.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­by the way, the mirror I gave you. You know it was made from the mirror Katie broke, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and?¡±


    ¡°The same mirror Tracy had.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the thought that Jacob was alluding to but didn¡¯t want to say out loud sank in. ¡°It¡¯s still in the box. Should I bring it?¡± Cheri looked at her right hand. A two-inch-long red mark was still throbbing where she had grabbed fire ravaged mirror that was terrorizing Tracy into a mental stupor. She didn¡¯t really want to touch the box the mirror was in, much less bring it with her anywhere.


    ¡°No, leave it in the box.¡± The car pulled up to Cheri¡¯s house. ¡°Are you gonna be ok going in there alone? I don¡¯t really want to leave Tracy alone in the car.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± she really didn¡¯t feel fine, but the damn cat had already be left alone without food and water for three days during Marks breakdown, she didn¡¯t want to do that to him again. ¡°It¡¯ll take me a few minutes. I¡¯ll bring down all his stuff first, then get him in his carrier and bring him.¡±


    Cheri exited the truck and headed into her house.


    Jacob turned to the back seat and placed his hand on Tracy¡¯s.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to figure this out and make this right. I promise you.¡±


    Twenty minutes later the four of them, including the furry feline, were back on the road heading towards Jacob¡¯s place. The Silence in the car was deafening. Everyone in their own little worlds but thinking about the same thing. Until Cheri broke the tense silence.


    ¡°Did you know that Katies great grandmother owned the cottage and land upon Well¡¯s Peak?¡±


    ¡°No, I do know that she loves it up there. Any reason to hike up that trail and lay about the cliffs was a good day for her.¡±


    ¡°When her grandmother inherited it, she sold it back to the state so it could be included in national park that surrounds it. She told Katie that the cottage gave her the creeps anyways.¡±


    ¡°We only went into the cottage once. Back in college, we¡¯d been dating for about six months, she took me up there for a midnight picnic. Except by the time we got there it was pouring rain. Surprisingly the door was unlocked.¡±


    ¡°Was it as creepy as Katie¡¯s grandmother thought?¡±


    ¡°It was dusty and dirty, but otherwise normal.¡±


    A soft meow came from the back seat as Mister was pacing in his carrier. Without looking Tracy slipped her long slender fingers into the cage door to comfort the anxious kitty. Within a few seconds Mister settled down, resting against Tracy¡¯s fingers.


    A few minutes later they pulled up to Jacob¡¯s place. The night no longer felt ominous but quiet and restful. Nothing had really changed, only they had come to see Jacob¡¯s house as a safe place. Jacob scooped Tracy up while Cheri carried Mister into the well lite house.


    Jacob laid Tracy on the bed in the master suite before going to check in with the nurse watching over Katie.


    ¡°How are things going?¡± Jacob brushed the hair out of Katies face and placed a small, sweet kiss on her cheek.


    ¡°Medically,¡± the nurse gave him a half smile. ¡°Medically she¡¯s stable, no major fluctuations in her vital signs. She¡¯s taken all her feed without any adverse reactions, and she hasn¡¯t tried to argue against any physical repositioning. Emotionally all I can say is that for the most part her facial expressions have been calm, almost content. She did have a period of about ten minutes when she was crying. I tried to talk to her, but she never responded. I just kept giving her positive affirmations hoping she could hear me at some level.¡± The nurse pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Jacob. ¡°I marked all the time and events in case you wanted to check the video to see what was happening.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t remember your name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok you¡¯ve had a rough couple of weeks. My name is Hazel Larsen. I¡¯ll be taking the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday day shifts for as long as you need me.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, I know this is day one and we are just getting things in order. Is there anything you may want to make this easier, more comfortable, for you or Katie?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I think you have everything covered, but I¡¯ll let you know if I think of anything.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jacob started to leave the room. ¡°Oh, in the top draw is folder with a list of restaurants and account numbers for all the nurses to use to order food. I need y¡¯all at your best, not sitting here hungry waiting for the end of your shift to eat. Please order anything you want, on me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really not necessary.¡±


    ¡°I know, just consider it a perk for taking care of two patients in one body.¡± Jacob placed his hand on Katies¡¯ still flat belly. Regardless of Katies state of being this baby was going to continue to grow.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration and I will make sure to let all the nurses know how you feel. It is truly appreciated.¡±


    Just as they finished their short conversation a loud urgent knock came from the front door. It had to be Jasmine. She had gotten their in record time, and considering she was coming through evening afterwork traffic it was a minor miracle she wasn¡¯t stuck in some traffic jam on a freeway midway between her house and his.


    Jacob opened the dark oak door and before him stood one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had seen her, but each time he was struck with a feeling of warmth and love that couldn¡¯t be adequately described in a word. She had soft warm brown eyes that Tracy had once described as being comforting like a steaming cup of hot chocolate on Christmas morning. Only today they were full of a mixture of fear and concern for the woman she loved more than her own life.


    As soft and warm as Jacob new this woman to be he had also seen her in action in the courtroom. In the courtroom she was as sharp and penetrating as a butchers knife. He and Katie had once gone to see her work and watched her tear apart a defense witness on the stand. By the time she was done the young man was crying and begging the judge not to punish him for lying. He had be threatened, the lives of his family had been threatened, and he couldn¡¯t loose his children.


    ¡°Where is she? What happened to her?¡± Jazz pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped into the house.

 Chapter Twenty-Three – The Legend

    Jacob stood at the open door frozen and unable to verbalize anything. Mostly because he really didn¡¯t totally comprehend the answers to Jasmine¡¯s questions and partly because her demeanor was anything but soft and kind. She resembled more the lawyer than the loving wife of his friend.


    ¡°I¡­she¡¯s in my bedroom with Cheri. Down the hall second door on the right.¡± Jacob stepped back as Jasmine rushed back to find her wife.


    ¡°Oh my gawd Tracy!¡± she gasped in disbelief as she looked down at Tracy.


    ¡°NOOOOOOOO!¡± Tracy screamed at the top of her lungs as she stared at Jasmine in shocked horror. ¡°You can¡¯t be here! It¡¯s all my fault.¡± Her voice started to trail off and the uncontrollable sobbing began. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. You all will burn in hell and it¡¯s all my fault. He showed me everything. Every time I ever sinned, broken a commandment, and all the people I¡¯ve drugged down into the depth of hell with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to hell my love,¡± Jasmine laid down on the bed and gathered Tracy¡¯s trembling body into her arms. ¡°Our God is a loving a forgiving God and you have such a good kind heart there is no way he wouldn¡¯t let you into the Kingdom of Heaven.¡±


    Tracy sat up and away from Jasmine. For a minute she looked like her old self, but then she turned and stared into the mirror before she started talking.


    ¡°Commandment one was broken in Jamica. Jasmine and I went down there about three years ago. It was such a great time. On day four we found ourselves in the forest with a group of locals who were celebrating some holiday with a solstice ritual. I can¡¯t remember all the details of that, but they invited us to join in and learn. I wanted to do it so badly. It was like I was being called to an experience. Jasmine wanted to back out. She said that she felt like she was intruding, and I called her a sissy fraidy cat. Reluctantly participated. We helped them call upon their gods and goddesses for blessings of the night. Both of us will be going to hell for that, and it¡¯s my fault.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my sweet love, I participated by my own free will. But that doesn¡¯t matter. We didn¡¯t put their gods before our God. We were simply learning the local culture.¡±


    Tracy¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t change. She sat straight up on the bed and stared at her own reflection as she continued.


    ¡°He made me relive all those moments with the knowledge I was selling my soul to the devil during that moment. Commandment two was broken the day Katie told me she was an atheist. I accepted it and loved her regardless. I told her she needed to live her life the way she felt authentic. I didn¡¯t bring her back to the church so she could have her faith revived. I should have encouraged her towards our Lord God. I failed both her and I and now we both will burn in hell. It''s all my fault. She reached out for help and I failed her, and her soul is now condemned.¡±


    ¡°Katie¡¯s beliefs are her own. You carry no responsibility for them, or for her.¡±


    Still no comforting reaction from Tracy. Only cold steel of her resilience to convince Jasmine of her sinful deeds.


    ¡°Commandment three¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Jasmine grabbed Tracy by her shoulders and shock her, almost violently. ¡°There is nothing you have done that will condemn you to hell. Whatever was said, by whomever you saw, lied to you. He twisted your words, your feelings, he made you think thing backwards.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I committed murder¡­¡± Tracy began to sob uncontrollably and fell against Jasmine¡¯s chest. ¡°I killed an unborn child.¡±


    ¡°You were fifteen years old and raped! And you¡¯ve repented and already asked for forgiveness for that transgression.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve lied, taken God¡¯s name in vain more times than I can count, and I¡¯ve envied other¡¯s for what they had. I¡¯ve broken them all.¡±


    ¡°Stop, who the hell was spewing this crap into your head?¡±


    ¡°Alexander Blackwell, and he did more then just talk to me. He showed me my past. All of my transgressions in vivid color. In the mirror.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jasmine puzzled, looked over to Jacob and Cheri for answers.


    ¡°Tracy, you should lay down and sleep. You¡¯ve had a couple of difficult days. We¡¯re gonna go check on Katie and get a few things worked out.¡± Jacob didn¡¯t want to discuss what he had seen in front of Tracy. She had already experienced enough. He gestured Jasmine to follow him out of the room as Tracy settled back into the bed.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Quietly closing the door behind them Jacob took a deep sobering breath; he knew Jasmine was going to have a hard time believing what he was about to tell her. Hell, he didn¡¯t even want to believe it.


    ¡°This is what we know.¡±


    Jacob went on to describe the scene they had witnessed at Katie¡¯s house. He also included the fact that Alexander was the name Katie had muttered in her vegetative state when he had placed the mirror on Katie¡¯s nightstand in the hospital. After Jacob had finished the story Jasmine¡¯s expression seemed to be a mix of horror, disbelief and worry.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to think about all this. What I do know is Tracy hasn¡¯t eaten or hydrated in several days and is experiencing a tremendous amount of shock. What I can fix is the food and water portion, the shock will take time. As for the multi-dimensional mirror of horror I have no clue as what to do about that. IF this really is some kind of cursed object or black magic we will need a lot more information and help then we have.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even considered what to do or who to call, I just needed to get everyone here safely.¡±


    ¡°I have a friend who owns an IV hydration business. They come to the home and provide nonprescription fluids. Mostly to rich pricks needing to get over hangovers before work or to help them get over the common cold faster. I¡¯m going to call her and have her come for Tracy, would you like me to have her set one up for Katie?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in them?¡±


    ¡°Just fluids with vitamins and minerals. Nothing needing a prescription, just a quick fix.¡±


    ¡°I guess it couldn¡¯t hurt for Katie to have one since she¡¯s coming anyways. I¡¯ll make some a cheese omelet and toast for Tracy. It¡¯ll be easy for her to eat and easy on the stomach.¡±


    Jasmine slipped back into the bedroom to make her call and Jacob started to head towards the kitchen but was stopped by a short cubby girl with multi colored hair.


    ¡°Mr. Mantles,¡± she called out. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m the night nurse Matilda, Matty. Y¡¯all were busy when I got here so I didn¡¯t want to bother you.¡± She smiled and stuck out her hand for a shake.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. Did Hazel fill you in on everything?" He plastered a soft fake smile on his face, only because that was what was expected in these situations. ¡°Is there anything that you¡¯ll need?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she gave me a good orientation. But¡­¡± Jacob could tell she wanted to say something else but wasn¡¯t sure it was her place, so he just waited. ¡°I wasn¡¯t ease dropping, but sound does travel.¡±


    ¡°Feel free to speak your mind, after the days I¡¯ve had nothing is gonna scare or shock or upset me more.¡±


    ¡°There is a sort of legend that has been told in my family over the decades. I don¡¯t remember all the details, but the story is about an evil witch hunter. Back in the 1800¡¯s there was a man who hunted witches, which really wasn¡¯t abnormal for the time. But he was truly evil. He would kill any woman he even suspected was a witch and any female children she had. It is even said that once he threw two baby girls into a water well and forced their mother to watch them drown before he slit her throat.¡±


    ¡°That is an awful story, but what does it have to do with anything.¡±


    ¡°His name was Alexander Blackwell. He lived up on Well¡¯s Peak. It used to be called Blackwell Peak. A coven of witches were able to trap his soul into a mirror, ending his rein of terror. Over the years the mirror was lost. This is all I know.¡±


    Evil witches, a coven of witches, trapped souls, and a cursed mirror. Jacob was suddenly hit with the urge to vomit. Out of sheer willpower he kept anything in his stomach down. This could very well be what they were dealing with, but he needed more information.


    ¡°Do you know anyone who would be willing to talk to me and give me more information?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, let me make a call and see what I can find for you.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Jacob turned to continue his quest to retrieve food for Tracy. ¡°Just let me know.¡±


    Twenty minutes later Jacob emerged with a plate covered in food. He had prepared a fluffy two three egg cheese omelets made with sharp cheddar, thinly sliced green bell peppers and onions, all topped with shredded Swiss cheese. Along with the omelet he had sliced some strawberries and bananas into a bowl and drizzled them with Carmel syrup and toasted and buttered an English muffin. Proudly Jacob placed the plates on a tray, along with silverware, and carried them into the room for Tracy and Jasmine.


    ¡°Breakfast, or dinner, or whatever, is served,¡± he grinned like a fool.


    ¡°It smells delicious,¡± Jasmine tried to smile but her worry was clear.


    ¡°Just eat and try and relax. I might have a lead on what this is all about. I¡¯ll let you know when I know more.¡±


    ¡°Becky should be here any minute to administer the IV¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let Katie¡¯s nurse know. If you need anything help yourself. There are some sweets in the third drawer or t shirts in the second if you need something to sleep in. I¡¯m gonna crash out in my office, Cheri is in the guest bedroom. Otherwise, I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡±


    Jacob slipped quietly out of the door and headed down the hall to the guest bedroom. Cheri had left the door ajar but was already dead to the world. It had been a long hard day for all of them. He turned to head to Katie¡¯s room.


    ¡°Just to let you know,¡± he addressed Matilda ¡°a nurse will be coming by to administer an IV vitamin infusion for Katie. Please make note of what all is in it for me. If it feels beneficial, I¡¯m gonna have her come regularly.¡±


    ¡°No problem, and here,¡± she handed him a sheet of paper with a name and address on it. ¡°This is my grandmother, she¡¯s willing to tell you what she knows. But just you alone. My grandmother is agoraphobic and extremely shy. I would go as far as to say unknown people scare the shit out of her. Anytime after 11:00 am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to be as non-threatening as possible. Thank you for this. If you need anything I¡¯ll be sleeping in my office, the double doors off the living room. Try not to bother the girls, they have had a difficult day.¡±


    ¡°Good night beautiful,¡± he kissed Katie on the forehead and gave Mister a couple of scritches behind his ears. The mut of a cat had taken up residency curled up against Katies side, almost protective like.


    With that Jacob was gone and ten minutes later sawing logs on his office couch.

 Chapter Twenty-Four - The Blackwell Coven

    When Jacob saw the address, he knew he couldn¡¯t drive down there alone, or in one of his expensive luxury vehicles. With this in mind he called his driver with specific instructions. That¡¯s how he ended up in the passenger seat of an old beat up 1974 Ford pickup truck. It looked like someone¡¯s project car, and the lumps in the seat felt like it too.


    ¡°Thanks for doing this, it¡¯s over and above what our contract calls for.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯d you get the truck?¡±


    ¡°I bought it for my son. It still needs a lot of work?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jacob didn¡¯t want to offend the man, he obviously works hard to provide for his family.


    ¡°He¡¯s turning sixteen next month and will have his drivers license soon after. I didn¡¯t want to hand him something new and shiny when I have no doubt he¡¯s going to drive it to the ground. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he drove into a ditch week one.¡± The driver laughed wholeheartedly.


    ¡°Teenagers can be reckless,¡± Jacob chuckled.


    If he hadn¡¯t be on his way to talk an old woman about an evil man trapped in a mirror who was terrorizing his loved ones, he would think they were just two friends heading out to the bar for a beer or two.


    ¡°We¡¯re here Sir.¡±


    Jacob sighed looking at the shabby little house. The dirty white paint was peeling from the walls and the chain-link fence bordered an unkept and overgrown yard. The house had probably been a cute homey place fifty years ago, when it was new. Now it just looked as if the owners had abandoned it.


    ¡°Stay here and keep the truck running. I¡¯m not sure how long this will take me. Just stay in view. This area doesn¡¯t feel very safe.¡±


    With that said, Jacob stepped out of the truck and picked up the small bouquet of wildflowers he had brought for the old lady, Miss. Shayla. With a little trepidation he opened the flimsy chain-link fence gate and stepped through. Once inside the overgrown weed ridden yard the sounds of the outside world silenced. It felt as if a bubble had enveloped the entire property, protecting it from outside forces. The silence was only broken with the sweet sound of birds happily chirping and soft classical music coming from inside. The bubble even filtered out the heavy smog smell he had choked on outside the fence.


    The stairs creaked as he slowly made his way to the door. The house was in worse shape than he could see from the truck. The porch bords creaked and bowed with each step he took, and the old aluminum screen had holes in it large enough to reach in and touch the white painted door.


    Softly he knocked and waited for a reply, but none came. Jacob waited five full minutes before knocking again, this time it was a little harder. She had been expecting him so she should be here. When no answer came, he decided to call Matty.


    ¡°Matty, no one is answering the door. I¡¯m concerned because she knew I was coming.¡±


    Jacob heard a soft but audible sigh come from the other end of the line.


    ¡°Remember I said she was very fearful of people?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Look to your left, there should be a small table and a chair. And if I know my grandmother there should be a pitcher of iced tea and some cookies or some kind of sweet treat.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jacob smiled, this was a sweet old-fashioned lady. ¡°She even put out a vase for the flowers I brought. How did she know I¡¯d bring flowers?¡±


    ¡°She knows things, it¡¯s spooky. Just go have a seat and pour yourself a glass and wait. When she¡¯s feeling comfortable, she¡¯ll start talking. Also, don¡¯t interrupt her or talk much. She¡¯ll tell you everything you need to know.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, bye.¡±


    As instructed Jacob took a seat which allowed him a side view into the dark house. He couldn¡¯t see anyone anywhere near the window, so he poured himself a glass of iced tea and waited.


    Twenty minutes later he had eaten two delicious chocolate chip cookies, finished his tea, and arranged the flowers in the vase.


    ¡°Your aura is a very bright blue. It means you are a very balanced person. This is good. To get through this situation you¡¯ll need to keep yourself balanced and grounded in the present. I also see thin streams of pink flowing through the blue tying your emotions of love and loyalty together.¡± The old woman spoke to Jacob through the half open and dirty window.


    ¡°Thank you, I think. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°You may not feel that way when we are finished. Alexander Blackwell was an evil witch hunter who lived in the mid 1800¡¯s. During this time witch hunting was common, but Alex took his hunting to an all-new level. Witch hunters were supposed to find witches and proof of their witchcraft and turn them in to stand trial. But Alexander did not always follow that law. Very often he would murder any woman he suspected of witchcraft, even without evidence to support his belief. He would often end entire covens. Admis his evil rampage many innocent women died at his hands. Midwifes who could reduce childbirth pain with herbs and message, herbalist who helped to heal the people of the town, even young girls who used their wiles on young boys where murdered because he suspected them to be witches.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Miss Shayla stopped speaking; Jacob could see her visibly shaking even through the dirty window.


    ¡°Miss Shayla¡­¡± she put up her hand to stop him from speaking.


    ¡°Alexanda Blackwell was a highly respected member of the city council and had turned in many witches that were proven guilty. Because of this he knew and was friends with most of the law enforcement in the area. No one would believe he would have committed such heinous crimes. It is thought that murdered over a hundred women and children under the guise of witchcraft. There is even a story that he tossed two infant twin girls into a deep water well and forced their mother to watch them drown, screaming and flailing around until their cries died away. After which, he slit her throat and tossed her into the well.¡±


    Tears were streaming down Miss Shalya¡¯s cheeks as if she were watching the scene fold out in front of her not something that happened almost two hundred years ago. Jacob is in awe of this woman who could reach out and feel such sorrow for someone she had never known.


    ¡°Now that you know what he was you need to know about White Dove Coven. When this all began, they were a group of thirteen young women, each with very unique gifts. They met on a regular basis to worship and cast. Most of their casting consisted of healing and protection spells. The women kept very detailed herbology, midwifery, and nursing journals. Several of them worked in the areas. It was at one such meeting that one of the women, a young girl named Abigail, started talking about her uncle. She knew he was a witch hunter, and she suspected he was doing more then turning witches into the law. Abigail had been keeping track of his comings and goings because she knew he was a hunter, and she was a witch. The last three times he was out of town there was a tragic event involving suspected witches in one of the surrounding downs of the area.¡±


    Jacob had taken a small notebook out of his jacket and jotted down some details of the story, mostly just names, but he didn¡¯t want to get caught up in the emotions of the story and forget the details he needed to remember and research.


    ¡°Once the coven suspected that Alexander Blackwell was a prolific serial murderer, and they knew they couldn¡¯t go to the police, they began to track him. Soon they realized that Alexander was also becoming suspicious of their coven. By then they were already too late. The night before one of their own had mysteriously gone missing. The story that had been floated around was that she had wanted out of her marriage and had just left in the middle of the night. It was true that she had not been happy in her marriage, to the point of getting a job at the local school as a teacher in order to have an excuse to be away from him. By the time they formulated and agreed on a plan two more of their own had been lost.¡±


    Miss Shayla paused, sighed heavy, then softly asked, ¡°Please wait here, I need a few moments to myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    Jacob looked out into the street, the truck and driver were still there. However, from this perspective the truck looked so much more than an old beat-up pick-up truck. He could see how it could be a sixteen-year-old boy¡¯s dream. It represented freedom and fun. It screamed independence and dependability. This morning it had run a little rough, nothing a tune up and maybe a new muffler, couldn¡¯t fix. The body was solid and clean, well it did desperately need a bath, but no big dents. Jacob thought how funny it was, the things that change your perspective on life.


    Another looked around and Jacob noticed that the sun was already beginning its westward decent towards the other side of the earth. Time had ceased to mean anything as he sat and listened to Miss. Shayla¡¯s story. How could a single person recount the past as if she¡¯d stood there two hundred years ago so well was extraordinary.


    A few minutes later Miss. Shayla reappeared at the dirty half drawn window. Indicating that she was beginning to feel a little more comfortable with Jacob she pushed the window open fully. For the first time Jacob could see the glorious women who had been speaking to him for most of the morning. She was anything but a fragile woman. Yes, she was older, maybe in her mid to late sixties. However, she carried herself with a strong sturdy frame. She had a full head of thick silver white long curly hair which she had piled on top of her head in a messy bun clipped with an absolutely beautiful white gold and diamond hair clip. Her icy blue eyes scrutinized him with love and concern. Jacob felt like she was trying to decide if he had what it was going to take to follow through with what he needed to do.


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± Jacob smiled softly and gave her a small head nod.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Miss. Shayla gave him a small smile and Jacob would have sworn she even blushed a little bit.


    ¡°To continue. It took the Coven almost three months to prepare for the ritual. Primarily because it had to be done on a full moon and on Friday the 13<sup>th</sup>. During this time, they implemented the buddy system to keep each other safe, and Abigail kept them apprised of her uncle¡¯s movements. It was a stressful time. That Friday morning Abigail arranged to be with her Uncle Alex and made him some very special English scones with a savory spread consisting of various herbs to induce sleep, valerian root, ashwagandha, and elderberry among others. He would be to courteous to not eat one with his tea. Once he was fast asleep the women secured him with rope to a chair in the basement of the cottage on Blackwells Peak. That is where they performed the ritual to trap him in the mirror. It went just as they planned except for one thing. Every prison needs a warden. In most cases this warden is an object that can keep the bonds of the prison securely closed. This one needed something with more flexibility and power. The Coven hadn¡¯t known beforehand that the ritual would choose its own warden, it chose Abigail. For two hundred years Abigail has kept the bond of Alexander Blackwell¡¯s prison shut tight. After that they became known as the Blackwell Coven. For the first few years The Blackwell Coven was able to communicate with Abigail. As time went on the mirror passed down from generation to generation. Each generation accepted the responsibility of keeping the mirror safe and retelling the legend.¡±


    Jacob gasped at the realization that there were two individuals trapped in this mirror, not just the one monster.


    ¡°Along with the mirror there should be a handwritten leather-bound journal. The Coven documented it all for future Blackwell Covens. They wrote it all down, including how to destroy the mirror and Alexander Blackwell if it should ever come to that. Past generations of Blackwell Covens had not wanted to destroy it because it meant also destroying Abigail. Do you have this journal?¡±


    ¡°No, but I think I know where it is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a few weeks before we are ready. Find that journal, gather all the pieces of the mirror that are large enough to cast a reflection, then ask Matty to set up another meeting. Next time, bring Cheri with you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for giving me your time and help.¡±


    Miss. Shayla smiled and shut the window and Jacob continued to the truck. Many of his questions answered then replaced with new questions.

 Chapter Twenty-Five – The Present meets The Past

    The sun had long set in the western skies by the time Jacob got to his front door. The night air had that sweet fresh smell of clean crisp laundry right out of the dryer. He didn¡¯t want to step out of the perfect cocoon of warm sultry breeze and cool tranquil quiet and into his formerly quiet clean sanctuary. These days his home had become the hub of busy lives intersecting and colliding because of supernatural trauma.


    ¡°Hey Jacob,¡± Cheri startled him out of his silent reverie. ¡°How¡¯d the meet go with Matty¡¯s grandmother?¡±


    ¡°Answered a myriad of questions and produced countless more. Where¡¯ve you been all day?¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, that came out harsher than I meant it. I just have to much crap on my mind.¡±


    ¡°No worries, I¡¯ve had to work today. Unfortunately, I still have to pay my rent and bills regardless of Katie¡¯s condition.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and I¡¯ll put my marvelous cooking skills to good use and make some dinner and we can discuss what I learned. Is Jasmine still here?¡±


    Jacob opened the door to see Jasmine stepping out of the hall towards them.


    ¡°I saw you two on the ring camera, I was coming to join the conversation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go visit with Katie for a bit then I¡¯ll whip up some dinner for us, then we can talk.¡±


    Jacob slipped into Katie¡¯s room while the others settled in on the living room couch. The faint chatting and laughter filled the hall as Jacob shut the door to close it out.


    ¡°Hi Hazel, it¡¯s nice to see you again,¡± Jacob cheerfully chirped, a little to cheerfully.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Hazel looked up from her charting and smiled softly, then focused back on her work. After a few moments she sighed and looked back up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t mean to be rude, Mattie will be here in a few minutes and got caught up in my book and now I¡¯m behind in my charting.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I¡¯m gonna be with Katie for a little while if you want to go to the other room to get done faster.


    ¡°Thank you, yes I¡¯m going to do just that.¡±


    ¡°Hey Katie Doll. You¡¯re looking beautiful today.¡± Jacob pulled a chair up to the bed. ¡°I miss you so much. Just to remind you it¡¯s safe to come back. Everything is going to be good again. I promise.¡±


    Before Jacob could say another word Mattie quietly slipped into the room. After setting her stuff down on the desk she turned towards Jacob and Katie.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let me interrupt. I¡¯m just getting set up for the night.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jacob turned back to Katie, gently he took her hand in his. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been thinking about our wedding. I know we were originally talking about having it at The Gardens but what do you think about setting something up at Well¡¯s Peak. It¡¯ll have to be smaller, but more intimate. Just close family and friends. Make it a full moon night with all the stars shining brightly, black velvet skies. It¡¯ll be gorgeous with you in a white dress. Then we can traverse the trail down to the little cottage down the cliff and have a midnight reception on the beach. Since they rebuilt that little cottage it¡¯s just so cozy and safe feeling. That little cottage on the beach feels so homey and safe. It¡¯ll be beautiful. First and foremost, I want you to feel safe and loved.¡±


    Tears rolled down his cheeks as he gently kissed her hand, placed it back on the bed, then wiped away his tears.


    ¡°I love you Katie, more than anything else in this world.¡±


    ¡°When you get a free minute, we should chat.¡±


    ¡°Katie and I are finished and I¡¯m about ready to start dinner, you wanna chat after that?¡±


    An hour later Jacob peeked his head into Katie¡¯s room to call the others to dinner. The three ladies were all sitting around Katie laughing over something he had missed, and they didn¡¯t look like they wanted to back track, so he didn¡¯t ask.


    ¡°Dinners on the table ladies,¡± he smiled. ¡°Mattie, why don¡¯t you join us. Just bring the tablet so you can see the camera in case. But I think she¡¯ll be fine for half an hour or so.¡±


    ¡°I would love that, thank you.¡±


    Twenty minutes later they all were sitting at the table completely engrossed in Jacob¡¯s angle hair pasta with meat sauce, Italian sausage, and garlic bread. To anyone looking in they would think they were a normal average happy family. Only the contrary was true. Sure, they were a family of sorts, brought together by their love and concern for Katie. Now, they were all living together in this one three-bedroom two bath modern house.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Jasmine, how long can you stay?¡± Jacob needed to know who was going to be around when they were ready, ready for what he didn¡¯t really know.


    ¡°I already called in and handed off my cases. Tomorrow, I need to go down to the office and close out a few things, But I¡¯ll be back tomorrow night, probably. And then I¡¯m good for the foreseeable future.¡±


    Jasmine turned to Tracy, who became visible uncomfortable at the thought of being without the love of her life just yet.


    ¡°Trace, do you want to make the ride with me. Maybe we can make it a night, sleep in our own beds, and go to Sha La Vey for dinner. I know it¡¯s your favorite.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sound awesome!¡±


    Jacob gave Tracy a small smile. ¡°Tracy, I know you¡¯ve already been traumatized by all of this, so I won¡¯t ask you to do something you don¡¯t want to. But I do need to know how you¡¯re feeling and if you need to go to work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already taken an indefinite leave of absence. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll be of use, but since I already seen what Katie is up against, I do want to help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, but I don¡¯t want to cause you any additional trauma.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Cheri, what¡¯s your plans?¡±


    ¡°I have the next three days off. Then I have two days next week I can¡¯t get out off, after that I¡¯ve requested two weeks off. Hopefully we can get whatever we need to do finished by then.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully your right.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Jacob turned towards Matilda. ¡°Thank you so much setting up the meet with your grandmother. She was a lot of help. I have a bigger understanding of what we need to do. She¡¯s gonna help us when we get all the stuff.¡±


    ¡°I put my number up on the fridge so you can text me whenever you¡¯re ready. I think I should get back to Katie. Thanks for dinner, it was fun.¡±


    ¡°Shayla did most of the talking, I have so many questions I didn¡¯t get to ask.¡±


    ¡°Hit me, I¡¯ll answer what I can.¡±


    ¡°What is it exactly that we are battling against? Is it Katie¡¯s mind or an actual ghost?¡±


    ¡°Alexander Blackwell is a phylactery, an actual spirit trapped in an object. As long as he is in the mirror, he¡¯s considered an immortal spirit. There are only two ways for him to free himself from his prison. The first would be to trade places with a willing person in the present. In other words, Katie would have to willingly, with full understanding of who and what he is, agree to stay in the mirror world and allow his soul to take over his body. He would look and be Katie but controlled by Blackwells soul. The second, which is what I think he¡¯s going for, is the baby. The first few seconds of a baby¡¯s life his soul has no defense. It¡¯s usually provided by the mother¡¯s soul. If he¡¯s gathered enough power stored up, he¡¯ll be able to reach out and inhabit the baby. He would be given a new life.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I think I kind of understand.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­¡± Tracy interrupted. ¡°Who is the girl?¡±


    ¡°Abigail Blackwell. She¡¯s Blackwell¡¯s niece, and a witch at the time. She was the youngest member of the White Dove Coven.¡±


    ¡°How did she end up in there with the witch hunter?¡±


    ¡°Every prison requires a warden. Usually when something like this is being done a talisman or another object is used. If this object is connected to the prison, it will stand strong. However, the Coven forgot this step in their rush to get the ritual complete. The Gods chose a warden of their own, Abigail.¡±


    ¡°If Blackwell escapes what happens to Abigail?¡± Tracy¡¯s concern for Abigail was genuine. Apparently during their short, interrupted time together she had bonded.


    ¡°As long as the prison exists, she¡¯ll be the warden. If Alexander trades places with another soul that soul will be trapped there for eternity. If the prison is destroyed any soul within it will be destroyed also.¡±


    ¡°Which means we have to get Katie out before we destroy the mirror.¡± Jacob¡¯s vitriol came out in full force. ¡°What happens to my baby if Blackwell is successful in taking his soul.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ now I¡¯m not sure, but I think you¡¯ll have a baby with Blackwells soul. You¡¯d have to decide whether to raise him. He¡¯d be just like another child except in the back of his subconscious he would carry the memories of Blackwell. How¡¯s he¡¯s raise will determine who he grew up to be.¡±


    Jacob¡¯s anger and frustration boiled. He slammed his fist on the table so hard that every dish on the table bounced.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°How do we get Katie out of there?¡± Cheri asked what everyone wanted to know, but were to afraid to ask. Without letting Blackwell out of course.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the answer to that question, but I think my grandmother knows. As a matter of fact I think she knew this was going to happen before any of us knew. And I think I have something to do with it,¡± Mattie pulled the pentacle out from under her scrub shirt and showed it to Jacob. ¡°She gave me this three weeks ago and told me to wear it next to my skin. She gave you one too.¡±


    Jacob pulled his out from his pocket and slipped it over his head. The two pentacles where identical except for the stones in the center. Jacobs included a large diamond and Mattie¡¯s contained a large onyx stone.


    ¡°Diamond, your stone, traditionally represents strength, purity, and external love. This is why they are commonly used in wedding rings. Mine contains onyx which represents strength, protection, and focus. I guess Grandma knew I¡¯d need these in the coming days.¡±


    ¡°Did your grandmother make these?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They are forged from solid steel. I think these are originals from the White Dove Coven. If you look at them real closely you and see letters carved into them, WDC.¡±


    ¡°That would make them almost two hundred years old.¡±


    ¡°Yep, and I¡¯d suggest you wear it next to your skin until we¡¯ve¡­ finished.¡± Mattie was quiet for a few minutes. The air in the room seemed to have gone stale and heavy. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen next but I¡¯m betting it¡¯s not going to be easy. What did my grandmother tell you to do next.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow Cheri and I are going to Katie¡¯s house to find the journal and collect all the pieces of the mirror that are there. When we have them we need to meet with her again.¡±


    ¡°I think I know where the journal is. Years ago, we were like thirteen or something, Katie and I were playing barbies down there and found this old handwritten book filled with crazy stuff. We really didn¡¯t think much of it, just shoved it into the bookcase and went on playing.¡±


    Jasmine and Tracy let out a little laugh.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t imagine you playing barbies, Katie yeah, but not you.¡± Jasmine laughed again.


    ¡°Well to be honest it was more like Halloween barbie. The basement was the perfect place for it.¡±


    ¡°With that,¡± Mattie stood up from the table. ¡°I don¡¯t think there is anymore information I can give you. That was already a lot to take in. I¡¯m going to check on Katie.¡± With a half smile she started to leave. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. My grandmother said she can hear us. She may not be choosing to acknowledge it but what we say is in her subconscious.¡±


    After Mattie excused herself Jasmine and Tracy cleared the table, Cheri split off to shower and Jacob excused himself to his office.

 Chapter Twenty-Six – Alexander’s Fire

    Jacob peeked his eyes open, 11:11 pm. He had been trying to get to sleep for over an hour now but it illuded him. He had been up since 5:00 am so he was physically tired, but mentally he just couldn¡¯t shut it down. Not a problem he faced very often, but this time he just couldn''t stop thinking about Katie and everything Shayla and Mattie had disclosed to them that day. It was information overload.


    The house was eerily quiet. Jacob had taken to leaving the office door cracked open for Mister, who had take to sleeping on the arm of the couch above his head, so he could hear everything. He could hear the quiet soothing hum of the AC keeping the house at a steady comfortable temperature of 76 degrees. He could hear the freezer when it dumps another tray of ice in the bin. He could even hear Mattie talking to Katie in her room. He couldn¡¯t make out what was being sad, but the murmur of the conversation was oddly comforting.


    Jacob knew that Cheri was fast asleep. She had taken a shower and gone to bed by 9:00 pm. She was always exhausted after work. Even then she always took the time to see Katie. Everyone knew it was important to keep trying to make a connection with her, no one needed to say it. It just was.


    Jasmine and Tracy were probably sleeping as well, with the TV on some station that consistently played soft jazz. Jacob didn¡¯t know what the appeal of the music was, but it seemed to soothe Tracy¡¯s rattled nerves and Jasmine could tell you everything about whatever piece was playing. She knew the instruments, the artists, and all the details of each.


    The last time Jacob looked at the clock on his cluttered desk it read 12:32am. It¡¯s officially tomorrow, was his last thought as he finally drifted into a dreamless slumber.


    ¡°Hey Katie,¡± Mattie addressed the beautifully groomed lady in the bed. ¡°I can tell by your heart rate on the monitor that you¡¯re awake. You don¡¯t have to answer me if you don¡¯t want to, but it would sure be nice to hear your voice. Anyways I¡¯ve just been sitting here reading for class tomorrow. When you¡¯re a nurse there is always more education. I think I told you last time that I was taking a year off nursing school. Well, that¡¯s true but I decided to enroll for come classes at the community college. I¡¯d like to try something new, just haven¡¯t figured out what. So, this semester I¡¯m just taking some core classes. I¡¯m taking Algebra 101, English 101, and History 100, my favorite. History 100 is The History of Western Civilization to Middle Ages. I know fun stuff! Well since you¡¯re awake how about I give you a clean brief? Can¡¯t have you laying in dirtiness.¡±


    Mattie gathered all her supplies and turned on the small bedside lamp.


    ¡°Alrighty, as always I¡¯ll try and be as quick and thorough as possible. Let me know if you¡¯re uncomfortable.¡±


    Mattie went about getting Katie cleaned up without talking. When she was finished she took a clean cloth and wiped Katies face.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to make a beautiful bride. Jacob was telling about his idea to have the wedding at Well¡¯s Peak and the reception at the cottage below.¡± Mattie sighed softly to herself, thinking about her own childhood memories at that beach. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the cottage before the rebuild. I¡¯m pretty sure I wasn¡¯t even born yet. But I have been inside and it¡¯s so elegant. The whole thing is decorated in soft warm beiges and dark midnight blue highlights. It feels so warm and safe.¡± She remembered what Jacob had said about talking to her, and Blackwell being able hear when he wants to, so she was careful. ¡°A few years back I met the new owner, well not really new she¡¯s owned it for 30 years now, Abbey Stanton. She¡¯s a lovely woman and she does rent the place but only in the summer. She doesn¡¯t want the liability of renting it out during bad weather. I know you¡¯re in there and awake so my final words for now is I hope you remember how much Jacob loves you and just wants you to be safe.¡±


    Suddenly a loud thunderous filled the room and deep baritone voice came crashing in, ¡°NOOOO!¡±


    Mattie screamed and fell backwards, knocking the bedside lamp off its table and scattered the contents of Matties earlier work on the floor. In the mirror Alexander Black well appeared. His face taking up the full frame with fire red eyes and smoke filling the background. It was a site meant to incite fear.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Within seconds the entire house had filed into the room worried something had happened to Katie or Mattie. Cheri was the first in the room and immediately went to help Mattie up off the floor. Jasmine and Tracy entered right after her and were dotting over Katie to ensure she wasn¡¯t harmed. Jacob, already suspecting Blackwell¡¯s involvement, took the time to accidentally, on purpose, knock the mirror over and kick it under the bed as he was trying to get to Katie.


    ¡°Mattie what happened? Are you ok?¡± Is Katie ok?¡± Jacob scrambled for answers.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± Cheri soothed Mattie as she helped her up to her feet.


    ¡°Katie looks peacefully sleeping,¡± Tracy chimed in as she gathered up all the fallen debris.


    ¡°Jacob, why don¡¯t you take Mattie out to the kitchen and get her something to drink.¡± Jasmine suggested as she brushed the hair from Katie¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I think I just caught the reflection of something from outside in the mirror. It was just bright red and smokey. Probably brake lights from a passing car or something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right, nighttime lights can be tricky. Especially when you¡¯ve been reading middle age history. That shit is terrifying!¡± Mattie nervously laughed at herself. ¡°But I could use a cup of hot tea to calm my nerves.¡±


    ¡°Well then, it¡¯s settled,¡± Jacob took Matties hand and led her out of the room while the others stayed with Katie.


    ¡°What really happened,¡± He asked as soon as the door was shut.


    ¡°Well,¡± Mattie let out a heavy sigh. ¡°It was Blackwell. I was talking to Katie about the wedding and the cottage on the beach for the reception. The new owner is Abby Staton. I was telling her about Abbey Staton and how she remodeled the new cottage in warm beiges and dark midnight blue accents. It has a warm safe and comforting feeling. That¡¯s when it felt like thunder hit the room and he appeared in the mirror. His eyes were red with fire and the room smelled like smoke. He screamed at me.¡±


    ¡°You know he can¡¯t physically touch you, right?¡±


    ¡°I do know that. It was just startling. I knew the lore and I knew what was happening to be true. But coming face to face with him was different.¡±


    ¡°I do understand, it¡¯s what I felt when I saw what Tracy was fixed on in the mirror. And that was before I knew what was happening.¡±


    Mattie was quiet, she took a sip of her tea and sighed softly.


    ¡°I made sure the mirror got knocked under the bed when I came in, but do you need to go home and take the rest of the night off?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine. Why did you decide to leave that mirror in the room anyways?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t want to tip off Blackwell and we didn¡¯t know if it would have any negative effects on Katie if we removed it.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    They were sitting quietly at the table, each deep in their own thoughts, when the others joined them.


    ¡°Well, how we are doing?¡± Cheri broke the silence.


    ¡°We¡¯re ok. She saw him.¡±


    ¡°I figured something like that happened,¡± Cheri confirmed, and the others nodded. ¡°Are you ok to finish the night. If you¡¯re not I can spend the night with her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I knew he was there. I just got startled.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m heading to get some sleep.¡± Cheri smiled softly, understanding the traumatizing effect that Blackwell can have on a person¡¯s psyche, then headed to her room.


    After that Mattie stood up and headed back to Katie¡¯s room. The others quickly followed suit and went back to trying to sleep.


    Thunder cracked outside the bedroom window and woke Katie up from a deep sleep. She had been dreaming of a wedding on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful night with a bright full mood. She was looking up at the sultry summer skies filled with hundreds of glimmering stars. The sky was vast and wonderous with too many brilliant lights to count.


    The crack of the thunder caused her to jump out of her warm bed and stare out the window. The rain was light, and the night sky was clear. There was no sign of a thunderstorm or even a glint of lightning in the skies around the island.


    ¡°NOOOOOO!¡± she heard Alexander scream into his room.


    With quickness Katie threw on her robe and raced down the hall to Alexander. Her fear alleviated when she hurled open the bedroom door only to see Alexander sitting at his desk peering into a mirror. Red hot anger evident in his piercing blue eyes. His fists clenched still pressing hard down on the fine oak desk.


    ¡°Alexander, are you ok?¡± Katies voice was soft and full of love and concern.


    ¡°Go back to your room!¡± Alexander barked, sounding harsher than he meant to be.


    Katie jumped back she had not been ready for the fear she felt, fear emanating from the man she loved. For the second time since she moved into their house she wondered if she had reached the correct choice. He was so handsome, and usually so doting on her and their unborn child. He was so loving and spoiled her terribly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just have a headache and need the room quiet. This storm has interrupted that quiet.¡±


    ¡°OK,¡± Katie signed, visibly relaxing. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡±


    Katie went back to her room but instead of going back to bed she pulled up her blanket and snuggled into the soft overstuffed chaise lounger which overlooked the beach down below. A soft yellow light glimmered in the distance. When lightning lit up the night sky, she could see the small homey cottage located just yards away from the water. It did look cozy and safe. For the first time since moving in with Alexander Katie wondered what would have happened if she had stayed with Jacob.

 Chapter Twenty-Seven – Feel the Love

    The scorching sun broke through the sheer curtains of Cheri¡¯s room. The windows faced east so every morning at sunrise her room warmed up comfortably until about 10:00 am when it became almost too hot to bear. If it hadn¡¯t been for the AC she would have slept in the living room.


    Rolling over in her bed Cheri pulled out a small photo album. In today¡¯s society photo¡¯s where relegated to digital devices, but her mother had fostered a love of photography in her from the time she was a little girl. This little photo album contained one picture of the two of them for the last six years. She had two others at home for the previous years. Every year the two of them chose one picture and spruced it up with special effects or photography tricks and had it printed for their book. She hadn¡¯t told Katie yet, but she had started one for Katie and Jacob. It had been intended to be a wedding gift.


    Cheri gathered all her stuff for a shower and slipped down to the hall. But before she started her shower, she felt compelled to visit Katie.


    ¡°Good morning, Katie, good morning, Mattie. I hope the rest of your night went well.¡±


    ¡°Relatively uneventful, which in my profession is good,¡± Mattie smiled. She hadn¡¯t had any additional events from Blackwell, but she hadn¡¯t been able to stop thinking about him and the mirror hiding under the bed.


    ¡°Hey Katie, I grabbed something from my apartment I wanted to share with you, our memories book. I was looking forward to picking a photo for last year, so you got to wake up.¡± Cheri pulled out the photo album from her bag and settled down on the bed next to her friend. ¡°This one starts when we were at university. I think it¡¯s freshman year.¡±


    Over the next few minutes Cheri went through the seven photos in the book. Each one a snapshot of some big event or silly excursion the two of them ventured during that year.


    ¡°I was thinking there are two that would be good for last year. The first one, and my favorite, would be the one of us on our trip to New Orleans. All those beautiful beads around our necks and confetti in our hair. We got so drunk that night that I was surprised we weren¡¯t sick with hangovers the next day.¡± Cheri pulled the picture out from the back of the book to show Katie. ¡°The other one is of Olivia¡¯s baby shower in Vegas. I know it¡¯s not really about you and me, but it was so much fun. And Olivia is a good friend to both of us.¡±


    Cheri looked over at Mattie, who was gathering her stuff go leave. It was almost time for the day shift nurse to arrive and it had been a long night for her.


    ¡°When¡¯s your next shift here?¡±


    ¡°I get two days off, then I¡¯m back. But its not like they are free days because I have classes both days.¡±


    ¡°Well, try and have some fun.¡± She looked back at Katie. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go get clean, busy day ahead. I love you, bestie.¡±


    As Cheri was leaving the bedroom she bumped into Jacob on his way to see Katie.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be ready to head to the house in about an hour, or so.¡±


    ¡°Cool, I¡¯m ready whenever you are. I¡¯m just gonna spend a few minutes with Katie before we go.¡±


    ¡°K, I¡¯m going to shower.¡±


    Jacob stepped into the room, and immediately felt a sense of doom.¡±


    ¡°I Shannon,¡± Shannon was a fill in nurse. She only works when one of the other nurses couldn¡¯t come in. ¡°We don¡¯t see you very often. Who called out?¡±


    ¡°Isabella, she¡¯s not feeling well. But Hazel should be here to relieve me soon.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Jacob glanced at the mirror on the nightstand. Someone had retrieved it from under the bed and set it up. ¡°Any issues last night?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I did find the mirror under the bed, so I picked it up. Unfortunately, one of the butterflies came off. I¡¯m sorry and I didn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I broke it.¡± Jacob let out a heavy sigh as he glanced at the butterfly standing up against the mirror. ¡°I know someone who does fine welding. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem. You can take a break out in the other room. I¡¯d like some alone time with Katie.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Shannon smiled, gathered her things and slipped out of the room.


    Jacob laid down on the bed next to Katie and gathered her limp body up tight against his. Slipping his arm under his neck he pulled her into a spoon.


    ¡°I love you Kitty Kat. I¡¯ll love you until the day I die. Hurting you like I did is the biggest regret I¡¯ll ever have in my life.¡± He softly sighed into Katie¡¯s ear and closed his eyes. The warmth from his body radiated into hers. His hope was that she would feel the warmth, love, and safety of his embrace.


    Katie curled up on the soft velvety couch with her newest romance novel. Her days have been filled with leisure and comfort since the day she decided to stay with Alexander. She had come to realize that he had a dark side, but he was usually so sweet and kind to her. He gave her anything she desired. He hadn¡¯t even attempted to persuade her into his bed, instead he gave up the master suite so she would be more comfortable.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Katie pulled up the cozy fleece pink blanket that Alexander had gifted her for her room and sighed softly. A warm safe feeling filled her body. A small crystal white flower fell out of the book into the palm of her outstretched palm. Starting at her neck and radiating throughout her body. Slowly her eyes became heavy and began to shut.


    ¡°I love you too,¡± she whispered into the air as she fell into a peaceful slumber.


    Abigail had been monitoring the situation from her little cottage on the beach. The one good thing about being trapped in a world created by magic was that magic was all around her. A person just needs to have knowledge and reverence to use it. Abigail may have been rust, as there wasn¡¯t much need for her to use magic over the last few centuries, but she still had the knowledge of its power. This was her chance to talk openly to Katie without Alexander listening.


    ¡°Katie,¡± she whispered softly. ¡°Come meet me at the cliff. I¡¯ve set up a picnic for us.¡±


    Still in her dream state Katie found herself standing at the edge of the cliff overlooking the bright blue ocean. Feeling warm and safe she knew everything was going to be good. She was safe, her baby was safe, and they both were loved beyond all comprehension.


    ¡°Thank you for coming to me Katie.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Katie turned to see Abigail sitting cross-legged on a red and white checkered blanket. Before Abigail laid a wicker basket filled with cheese, fruit, and freshly baked croissants. ¡°It looks delicious. But won¡¯t Alex be mad?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dreaming. How can he be mad about a dream you have no control over?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Katie laughed. ¡°He does find things to get mad about, but I know he loves me.¡±


    ¡°Katie, sit and have some fruit while I tell you what I know about Alexander Blackwell.¡±


    Katie sat cross-legged on the blanket and sipped from the glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be very honest with you and you¡¯ll not want to believe me, but if you listen to your heart you¡¯ll know what I¡¯m about to tell you is the truth. This¡­¡± Abigail outstretched her arms. ¡°All that you see is a dream. You are sound asleep and safe on the couch in Alexanders house. However, this conversation, this meeting is real. I¡¯ve entered your dream so that we can have a conversation without Alexander knowing we talked.¡±


    ¡°How can you do this to me? How can you do that at all? He¡¯s going to be so angry!¡± Katie stood up to leave but Abigail gently took her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be ok. He will never know unless you tell him, and you need to know something.¡±


    ¡°What do I need to know?¡± Katie sat back down, remembering this was just a dream, and began to nibble on some Havarti cheese and thin wafer crackers. ¡°Ok you say what you want and I¡¯m just going to remember this is a dream and enjoy this picnic.¡±


    ¡°Your body is safely back at Jacob¡¯s house. At this very moment he¡¯s curled up with you in his arms, crying because he misses you so much. He knows he made a huge mistake by listening to his mother and regrets it terribly.¡±


    ¡°Jacob made his choice. Now I¡¯m with Alexander and I¡¯m pregnant with Alexander¡¯s baby.¡±


    ¡°Think about it Katie. How can you be pregnant with Alexander¡¯s baby when you¡¯ve never even had sex with him? Just listen. This world is a prison created to keep Alexander locked up because back in his time there was no one willing to bring justice against him and he was an evil man. He is a serial killer.¡±


    ¡°And why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Every prison needs a warden. I¡¯m actually his niece, and a witch. He is a witch hunter. Back in our time witch hunter was considered a noble profession. Only he didn¡¯t turn in most of the witches he targeted to the authorities. He murdered them, all any female children she may have had.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a ridicules notion. Alexander loves children. He loves my child.¡±


    ¡°He does actually love children, but he hates witches with an evil vengeance. As for your child, it¡¯s his ticket to escape this prison. When a baby is born their soul has no defense for a few brief seconds, they are protected by the mother¡¯s soul. As long as he can keep you trapped in this magical prison he can use the power he¡¯s accumulated in this world to reach out and switch places with your baby. Then you and your newborn will be stuck in this world forever.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t believe you, but this brie is awesome!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much longer, Alexander is coming back. Just remember that there will come a moment when you do believe me. When that happens get to me in the cottage as fast as you can. I will tell you how to get out. In the meantime, think about the relationship you had with Jacob and your friends and family back home. You haven¡¯t taken the time to mourn the loss of them yet.¡±


    Abigail reached out to Katie and gently touched her sun kissed cheek.


    ¡°Your baby girl will be the blessing that keeps your soul bright. Now wake up!¡±


    Katie opened her eyes, and she was once again snuggled warmly on the couch with her book resting in her lap. To her surprise the little white cherry blossom was still laying perfectly in the center of her palm. She could see Alexander sauntering up the walk, so she slipped the flower into the book and sat up.


    Watching him she wondered how much she had dreamt was actually true. Was it even possible? Magical prisons, witch hunters, soul swapping, it was all way to much for her to fully comprehend.


    Cheri popped her head into Katie¡¯s room and waved at Jacob.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to face the day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m to comfy. I don¡¯t want to move.¡± Jacob held onto Katie. ¡°Okay, I suppose we can¡¯t put this off. I love you Katie and I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡±


    The car ride was oddly silent until they pulled into Katie¡¯s driveway. Neither of them was looking forward to going into the house. It needed to be done.


    ¡°OK,¡± Jacob said. ¡°Let¡¯s have a plan to get in and out the fastest. The way I see it we got three things we got to get done. First, we got to find that journal. We think it¡¯s in the basement. Second, we need to collect all the mirror fragments. The shattered pieces from the first night should still be in a plastic bag under the kitchen sink and Tracy¡¯s mirror is in the back bedroom. Finally, we need to check all the windows to make sure they¡¯re all closed and locked. We left so fast with Tracy that we didn¡¯t pay it no mind.¡±


    ¡°I know it would be faster if we split up and met in the middle but I don¡¯t really want to be alone in that house.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. We stay together for sure. So let¡¯s go upstairs and start in the back of the house and make our way down gathering the stuff on our way down.¡±


    ¡°We should pack some of Katie¡¯s things to bring to her also. I think she¡¯s got her suitcase in the back of her bedroom closet.¡±


    ¡°When we get to her room you start grabbing things you think she¡¯ll want, and I¡¯ll get the suitcase ready.¡±


    With heavy heart, and a bit of fear, the two entered the old house. The air was heavy with sent of dust and stale air. It had only been a few days since they had been there but it felt like months.

 Chapter Twenty-Eight– Home Again

    The air downstairs may have felt still and smelled stale, but the air upstairs was freezing cold and was as fresh and crisp as outside. This was due to the fact that almost every window upstairs was wide open to the world. When they discovered Tracy they had shut a couple of the windows but their priority was getting Tracy out of there and figuring out what the hell had happened. In quick time they had completely closed all the windows and checked all the rooms upstairs until the only two left were Tracy and Katies rooms.


    ¡°Katie¡¯s first,¡± Cheri inquired. It was the lesser of the two evils.


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    The tension coming from them was palpable. Neither of them wanted to be there. Although nothing out of the ordinary was happening in the house, for the moment.


    They entered Katie¡¯s room and Jacob immediately retrieved the suitcase from the closet. Stopping short when he saw the three big brown shopping bags from Little Lilly Baby Boutique. It was a well-known specialty shop that catered to clothes for little ones from ages 0 to 1 year.


    ¡°Let¡¯s also bring these, a happy reminder of the baby.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Cheri had already made a small pile of Katies pajama¡¯s, socks, and underwear on the bed.


    Jacob plopped the suitcase on the bed and placed the three bags by the door. Within a few minutes they were finished with Katies room. The only one left was Tracy¡¯s room. They stood outside the room, both hesitating to go in the empty room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to touch it. What if he¡¯s listening?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it into the box, you check the window¡¯s and look for anything that Tracy may have left behind and maybe we should just talk about not understanding what we saw. If he is listening, it will throw him off. Make him feel comfortable.¡±


    ¡°OK, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Jacob swung open the door half expecting to find Alexander standing there, or some other type of spook. But the room was quiet. Jacob grabbed the white box that Mark had wrapped the mirror in as he stepped into the brightly lit room.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even bother to shut the lights the last time we were here.¡±


    ¡°It was a bad night for all of us,¡± Cheri replied as she was checking the closed window¡¯s lock.


    ¡°I think we were all just primed to see something weird. It was probably just reflections from cars on the street or something.¡± Jacob picked up the mirror. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything now,¡± he laughed then placed the mirror in the box.


    ¡°I found a couple of small things of Tracy¡¯s that we should bring. But I think most of her stuff was still in her bag. If we have everything let¡¯s get the fuck out of here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like to get back to Katie.¡±


    With that they exited the room, grabbed the bundle of treasures they had collected from the upstairs and headed down into the foyer. They unceremoniously deposited the bags by the front door.


    ¡°Livingroom, dining room, then the kitchen. After that I¡¯d like to just take a look in the basement to make sure nothing is amiss down there.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Cheri adjusted the thermostat to 78 degrees then they proceeded to tour each room as quickly as possible.


    Jacob grabbed the white plastic trash bag from under the sink and deposited it on the table so he could grab it on the way out, then turned towards the basement door.


    ¡°So, tell me again what we are looking for,¡± Cheri asked Jacob.


    ¡°An old leather-bound antique journal, handwritten with a pentacle on the front.¡± At the bottom of the stairs Jacob flipped on the light to expose the dusty spider ridden room. ¡°The mirror was back there,¡± Jacob pointed to the back of the basement, the area directly underneath the master bedroom.


    ¡°There¡¯s a small bookcase back there. I¡¯ll check it out.¡± Cheri stopped short and let out a small laugh. ¡°The last time I was down here we were like ten years old. Katie and I decided to play hooky from school. Well, I decided and badgered Katie into it. We hid down here until Grams left for work. We played Halloween barbie making the barbies into witches and cackling like fools.¡±


    ¡°I just can¡¯t imagine you being the barbie doll type.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t, but Katie was. She cut school for me, and I played Barbies for her. That¡¯s what our friendship was like from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like a Barbie,¡± Jacob said pointing to a dust covered Bratz doll sitting on a beam above the little cheap plywood bookcase filled with old cobweb covered books.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a Barbie, it¡¯s a Bratz. Think of her as the trouble making cousin of the sweet innocent Barbie. We did.¡±


    Jacob proceeded to search the area that they found the mirror in while Cheri scanned the bookcase.


    ¡°Come on Katie, it¡¯s only one day and we¡¯ll have so much fun!¡±


    ¡°What if we get caught? We¡¯ll get into so much trouble.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t get caught, and even if we do the most you¡¯ll get is grounded for a week.¡±


    If they were caught Cheri would get much worse than grounded and they both new it. They just didn¡¯t talk about it. Ten-year-olds didn¡¯t have the vocabulary to discuss such matters, but they did have empathy and kindness to help the tears dry up. Cheri¡¯s father was a mean son of a bitch when he had too much to drink, which was not that often but often enough to leave an indelible mark on Cheri¡¯s soul.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Ok, I guess we can hide in the basement until Grams leaves for work. Grab the Barbie box and sneak down there. I¡¯ll say by to Grams and meet you.¡±


    Thirty minutes later the girls were sitting on a blanket in the basement with Barbie and Brats spread out laughing and enjoying the morning without Mrs. Blankenship, their fifth grade teacher. They stayed like that until lunch time when their stomachs started growling.


    ¡°Help me,¡± an almost inaudible voice came from the back of the basement.


    Both girls stopped and stared at each other. They both had heard it, but didn¡¯t really know what they heard.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Katie stuttered.


    ¡°Nothing, or probably just the window against the outside walls.¡±


    ¡°It sounded like someone asking for help.¡±


    Cheri dug out a small flashlight from her backpack. Last summer, after a particularly difficult night, Cheri had made what she called a bug out bag in case she had to leave the house fast. This bug out bag consisted of a pair of shorts, tee shirt, a couple cans of tuna fish and pop tarts. She had also taken a small Swiss Army knife and flashlight from her dad¡¯s toolbox. He never even noticed it was missing.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check it out.¡± Cheri gave Katie a mischievous grin then jumped up, tossing the flashlight in the air, barely catching it. Then she turned to head to the back.


    ¡°No way! It could be something¡­ not good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to look. Come with me or stay here¡­ by yourself.¡±


    Katie sighed then got up to follow Cheri to the back of the basement.


    ¡°Hey, check this out,¡± Cheri pulled back a dirt-stained white sheet to expose an old dusty mirror.


    ¡°That thing must be a hundred years old!¡±


    A thud came from behind the mirror as they were admiring the intricate carved framed. The girls jumped from the loud sudden sound.


    ¡°Oh damn!¡± Cheri pulled the heavy mirror away from the wall and Katie peeked behind it and pulled out a leather-bound journal.


    ¡°Check out this old book.¡± She flipped through some of the pages. ¡°I wonder what these symbols mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just somebody¡¯s old diary.¡± Cheri took the book and tossed it on top of the bookcase. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the game.¡±


    Even at the age of ten Cheri was already an adrenaline junkie. She loved rollercoasters and scary movies. Katie was just the opposite; she hated being scared. Katie would rather ride the river boats and carousel at the amusement parks. Even with these fundamental differences they managed to have the best times together. Cheri would ride the slower rides all day long and Katie would endure a couple of rollercoasters for Cheri. They agreed to only watch scary movies on the day when the sun was out and comedies at night before they fell asleep so Katie wouldn¡¯t have nightmares.


    The girls went back to their make-believe family of dolls. Giggling as one of the dolls fell off the bed on top of her baby. Until they heard it again.


    ¡°Help me¡­¡±


    Both girls screamed and ran up the stairs into the kitchen. Together they fell on the floor laughing so Cheri¡¯s sides had hurt.


    Cheri had been right, they weren¡¯t caught. Cheri had forged her father¡¯s name on a note excusing the absence and the school hadn¡¯t even bothered to call Grams about the missed day of school. That was the first and last time Katie had cut class, Cheri made a habit of it. This is about the time the two girls formed different circles of friends, but still consistently coming back to each other.


    ¡°I think I found it,¡± Cheri called out holding up an old leather-bound journal.


    Someone had taken the time to wrap the journal in acid free paper and stored it in a specialty acid free book box to help preserve it. It was a good thing too, after two hundred years it should have been a pile of dust.


    ¡°Great, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Jacob turned to head up the stairs when he unceremoniously tripped over the Bratz doll that had gotten knocked off the beam and sent him to the floor. Still laughing, they scurried up the stairs, gathered everything they had collected and headed out to the truck locking the door behind them. With a small sigh of relief, they locked the mirror and its shattered pieces in the cargo box in the back of the truck and the rest of the stuff in the back seat of the cab.


    It had only taken them an hour to clear the house and nothing supernatural occurred. But the drive home seemed to take several hours. In reality, the distance between Katies and Jacobs was only about twenty miles and usually only took twenty minutes.


    The silence in the truck was deafening. Both of them felt the heaviness that loomed in the trucks¡¯ cabin. Now that they had the journal, and the mirror pieces the real question was could they handle what was coming next. Did they have the strength to do what was going to be asked of them? Did they have a strong enough connection to each other to protect themselves and Katie while they did what they had to? And finally, why were they trusting this old woman to know what was really going on?


    ¡°Now what,¡± Cheri asked as they pulled into Jacob¡¯s driveway.


    ¡°We have a small problem, well maybe a big problem. I¡¯m just not sure what to do about it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the mirror. Shayla said in order to contain Blackwell back into the mirror we needed to have all the pieces.¡±


    ¡°I thought that¡¯s why we at Katie¡¯s house. To collect the mirrors.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but there is still one shard missing. The one Mark used to¡­ the one Mark used to kill himself.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Cheri thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s a closed case so they don¡¯t need to keep that evidence. I have a friend that might be able to get it for me. I¡¯ll have to make a call.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get into any trouble.¡± Jacob looked at her with sad concerned eyes. ¡°As worried as I am about Katie, I still couldn¡¯t bare losing another friend.¡±


    ¡°After this we¡¯re more than just friends, we¡¯re family. Nothing is going to stop us from doing what we need to do to get Katie back.¡±


    Jacob gave her a solemn nod.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure I can get the shard, but the least I can do is make a call.¡±


    As they exited the truck both of them looked back at the cargo container in the bed.


    ¡°Leave it, at least we¡¯ll know he can¡¯t reach out to hurt anyone from a dark locked box.¡±


    Just about an hour later Cheri came skipping into Jacob¡¯s office. Her demeanor the opposite of the forlorn and exhausted woman who had come in earlier.


    ¡°Wow, if I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say you look happy.¡± Jacob commented from behind his cluttered desk. He had taken to doing most of his work from home, heavily relying on his assistant to keep the office in order.


    ¡°A shower, cup of coffee, and a couple phone calls can do wonderous things for a girl.¡±


    ¡°My cop friend confirmed that the incident was quickly ruled a murder suicide so nothing but the bodies and photos were taken from the shop. The scene has already been released to the family. Then I called his sister, and she said I could go in to get my things anytime. I already know the code for the back door so getting in won¡¯t be a problem. She did say that I probably wanted to wait until the day after tomorrow because crime scene cleaners will be there tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I think we should go today; a cleaner will probably see it and toss it into trash. Then we¡¯ll never be able to find it.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, not that I¡¯m eager to walk into another one of Blackwell¡¯s atrocities I just want to make sure we get everything, all the parts and pieces.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± Jasmine stuck her head into the office. ¡°I overheard parts of the conversation, and I think I¡¯d like to help. Tracy and I have been sitting with Katie most of the day and I need to get out of this house for a bit. And feel helpful.¡¯


    Jacob nodded, then looked Cheri for confirmation.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool with me. We can go do that and you can do whatever it was that you were doing before I interrupted.¡±