Regina (24 page)

“As a punishment for your deeds, Judge Slider
cursed the Whispers and our family to the darkness forever.
Delengrad, Whispering Woods, Lordview, all of its people are
forever damned to the darkness, to not be able to sustain life
unless we consume hemoglobin. We have suffered for hundreds of
years because of the Law!”

Anger was in her eyes now. I saw a flash of
sorrow mixed with anger. Instinct told me something bad happened to
her because of the Law aside from the curse.

“How terrible.” I said softly.

That seemed to smooth her anger. Her eyebrows
relaxed and the tension left her eyes. She sat back in her chair
and took a deep breath.

“You are Anna of Delengrad, and I can prove
it to you.”

I perked up. “Okay. Prove it.”

Sarah directed me to the wall mirror on the
left. I was confused at first, but stood up to face the mirror. My
legs ached as I stood, must’ve been sitting in that chair longer
than I thought. I rubbed them while closing my eyes. I wondered
what time it was. When I stood up fully, I looked into the
mirror.

“So what am I looking for?” I asked.

Sarah took a sliver ring off her finger and
slipped it onto mine. “Now look.”

I didn’t see anything, except myself. I
looked at my chin, nose, forehead, neck, everywhere for something I
was supposed to see. This woman is crazy. I began to think as she
stepped up beside me. I looked over at her with confusion.

But when I looked back into the mirror, it
was there. On my forehead, right between my eyes, something was
forming. I tried getting closer to myself in the mirror. In a
matter of seconds, a red W was visible on my forehead. I looked at
Sarah, then back at my own reflection.

“Only those from Whispering Woods and
Delengrad can see your mark. That is how we knew who you were.”
Sarah says. “You couldn’t see it yourself before because you
weren’t wearing the ring of the Whispers.”

“Wha…..How….How did I get this?” I was
shocked, but thought it was pretty cool. No one could see it unless
they were from this magical place.

“A healer named Kaylee gave it to you when
you were young. It is their mark indicating you are their lifelong
family. Apparently, you and Kaylee were close, like a father and a
daughter. When you died, he completely changed.”

My head was whirling, I felt dizzy. I sat
down hard on my chair again. Was this chick crazy or her story
actually true?

“Regina, surely you are having dreams about
this town, these people. Don’t you feel as if you are being groomed
for slaughter?” Sarah asked putting her hand on mine.

My first instinct was to pull away from her,
but I felt something. It ran thru her hands into mine with such
fierceness I shuddered. Something she said rang a bell inside me.
After all this time those were the words I was looking for, but too
afraid to say.

“Yes.” I breathed.

“It’s because you are being readied for
death.” She said.

I looked up into those eyes. Did she really
have the answers to my dreams? Too long have I been afraid of what
my dreams meant. Too long have I let my parents lie and manipulate
me. Too long I’ve to afraid to ask the right questions.

“Why are they trying to kill me?”

“Judge Slider is a cursed man. He killed you,
a child, and that is the ultimate sin against the Universe. His
punishment is everlasting life. In order to free himself from the
hell he is in, he must find a way to rid your soul from this earth,
once and for all. Only then is he free to pass on to his next life,
but Slider doesn’t know how to kill your soul. The Whispers assume
you will ‘wake’ from this life as Regina on your sixteenth birthday
and your memories as Anna will return to you. Once you remember who
you are and the powers you truly carry, you can remove the curse
and restore us to our rightful home, but Judge Slider will never
let that happen.” Sarah took a deep breath before continuing.
“Regina, this is not the first time your soul has been re-born into
this world. We have searched for you for hundreds of years, even
came close to you a couple of times, but the Law controls your
birth and your life. We tried to pull you to us. You came to the
house I was residing in while observing you in Lee, but you ran
away as I tried to reveal myself. Before today, we have never found
you before your awakening. This is a truly special day for us.” She
said, gently stroking my hand while goose bumps were forming on my
body.

“But what about the dreams?” I asked.

“They’re replays of your previous life trying
to warn you of what’s to come.” She said simply. “Those dreams are
remnants of your former lives.”

Do you remember those old cartoons where a
character will shock itself by electricity? Yellow lightning would
radiate from their body and their insides would be bones instead of
the normal. Well that was how I felt when Sarah explained my dreams
to me.

“Regina, the real you
is
inside you somewhere. Slider is
very powerful and kept you here against your will with a binding
spell. Subconsciously, you are trying to remember the past
regardless if you know it or not.”

Another click moment. “A Binding Spell? I’m
under a spell?”

“Yes, a man who calls himself Borlock
Tavishaw is Slider’s right hand man, and coincidentally, a wizard.
He created a spell to keep you here until they could murder
you.”

“But why?” I shouted.

“Oh, Regina, I wish you could understand the
magnitude of what I’m about to tell you. See, I never fully
understood this before but you are a very powerful person. You have
the power to destroy Slider and Borlock. You are the only person
who stands in their way of getting what they want, which is
ultimate power. Until they can figure out a way to kill you
forever, they keep you under close watch and hope you never
remember who you are.”

I processed that information. She made a lot
of sense. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together
now. The video, the dreams, my parents behavior, everything made
sense now. Something was keeping me here when I didn’t want to be.
I didn’t want Steven, but I destroyed Jeff to make Steven mine. I
felt powerful here, as if I was the biggest badass and the world
was mine, but I didn’t want the world. Those back roads seemed to
call me. When I was driving on them, something took over me and I
felt…like I belonged. The dreams kept flashing thru my mind as I
tried to focus on the past four months.

“I believe you Sarah. I don’t remember
anything you’re saying but it makes sense to me. What do we do now?
When am I supposed to ‘wake’? I said making the quote gestures with
my fingers. I wasn’t trying to be snotty, just trying to get her
accurate.

“We wait for the Pirate to arrive. I expect I
won’t have trouble getting you to come with us when you see him
again. As for the wake, that happens today on your sixteenth
birthday.”

It felt as if ice ran down my back and bolted
me upright in my chair. “But I’m already sixteen! I turned sixteen
this past summer! Maybe you made a mistake……..” I stammered. The
tears were gathering in my eyes, but I wouldn’t cry, I would be
strong.

Sarah turned her head slowly back to me. Pity
was all over her face.

“No Regina. You turn sixteen today,
October 13
^th
. Your parents
lied to you about your birthday.” She said flatly.

“What.” I stammered. “Why?”

“Throw us off maybe.” Sarah shrugged. “Who
knows? The Law knows we are looking for a fifteen year old girl. A
sixteen year old who is alive is a much better disguise.”

“So my parents
are
in on this?” I asked with shock. To have her
confirm it brought the tears to my eyes. No longer did I hold them
back, they dropped quickly down my cheeks.

“Yes, everyone in this town is. Lee Texas is
Williamson Law.” Her words bounced heavily in my mind.

A voice called out to Sarah from the doorway.
She turned and said she would be right there. She looked at me once
more. I was full of shock, confusion and denial.

“Everyone!” I exclaimed. “The girls, my
school, my grandfather……Steven?”

“Everyone, especially your Grandfather.”
Sarah said nodding her head yes.

“Wha…Wh…..” I couldn’t talk. Everything in
the room was moving. “Why him?”

“Because George Underwood is Charles Slider,
I’m sure he changed his name so you wouldn’t recognize it.” Her
words stung me. “And….”

“Wait!” I interrupted her. “So they’re going
to kill me today?”

“Yes. Tonight in fact.”

I felt faint. My mind was spinning, I
couldn’t see in front of me. I wanted to stand, but failed. I
wrapped my mind around everything that led me here and the events
that kept me here. I could see myself spinning while the events
took place around me. If I put my hand out, I could pick and choose
which one I wanted to view.

I felt a pat on my hand and Sarah’s voice
once again.

“You can never go back to them, Regina. You
can’t see anyone from “Regina’s” life again, ever. We are positive
they are waiting to execute you tonight.” She said firmly.

I shook my head to show her I understood.
With my head bowed and tears welling up in my eyes, I kept shaking
my head until I was sure she left the room. When I looked up, she
was gone. I seized my opportunity and ran for the window behind me.
I noticed it when I was looking in the mirror before. It was the
only one that didn’t have bars and an active lock.

I feel compelled to open the window up and
heave myself out onto the ground. Thank goodness I have a small
body frame or I would not have fit thru. I opened the window and
threw myself out. Landing with some heavy pain, I stood up quickly
and closed the window behind me. I reached into my pocket for my
cell phone. Thinking quickly, I located my map application and
found my house. It was only two miles east of my location. I spun
on my heels and ran as fast as I could. I had no idea if anyone saw
me because I kept running and didn’t look back.

Chapter Thirty

I made it to my house in tears and shaking.
My head was spinning and my heart was broken. I still don’t know
why I ran away, Sarah was going to protect me from my ‘death’
tonight. I tried to call Bill but I didn’t have cell phone
service.

I knew the risk I was taking because deep
down I knew Sarah was right. Maybe I don’t remember who I am, but I
knew I was once Anna Anderson. I was angry. Angrier than I had been
in my life. With this anger, I felt tremendous rage. Walking into
my house, knowing they were planning to kill me, prepared me. I
wouldn’t be blind to anything. The moment I saw the house I felt so
stupid. If I believed Sarah, why was I running away from her?

Because everyone in my life can’t be in
on this and I had to get some of my things before I left forever. I
knew I created a stupid idea and this would end badly, but every
choice, every person in my life can’t be part of a spell or some
sort of plot to kill me. The plan was to get into my room, grab my
stuff and flee to Bill’s. I knew he wasn’t part of this, I knew it
deep down inside me. I had a stash of money in my desk and my bag
was packed for my trip to New York next week. I smirked. Guess
they
were
lying about letting
me leave for New York. Mom and dad probably said that just to keep
my here longer. The notion of getting even with them flurried thru
my head, but I disregarded it. I was going to be in and out, on the
road and safe in less than five minutes. Looking back on it I
realize the excuses I made for returning home were all part of the
spell I was under. It was never going to let me leave under my own
free will.

The house was dark, indicating no one was
home. I crept inside quickly. My truck was still at Shirley’s and
that would be a problem, but the keys were in my pocket. My
solution was to walk to my truck. I’m sure the dance was over so I
could’ve called Katie, but according to Sarah, she was in on
it.

I looked at my watch as I went inside, it was
almost 10 pm. I had to hurry, but the time made me feel less
rushed. After all, I had only two hours left in this day. I started
up the stairs lazily, taking the time to feel the wood of the
banister. Had it always been this smooth?

I snapped out of it. Sarah told me this town
is enchanted to keep me here. Shaking the fuzziness from my head, I
started for my room again. Keeping the spell in mind, I grabbed my
suitcase with my money and clothes quickly. Thank goodness I packed
everything a week early! I was about to leave my room when I passed
my picture of my parents and I at dinner last year for their 20
year wedding anniversary. I picked up the picture. I looked at it
intensely, searching for anything to betray their real feelings for
me. So many memories with them…….

Thinking about it now, we were never a real
family. Since I was four, I’ve been living abroad and attending
Will Lawson’s private school. They never attended any of my school
functions or parent’s night. Last fall, when I won the Carrie
Dollworth Award for my poetry, I was alone at the ceremony. My
parents never came to see my dorm, meet my friends, take me out, or
just visit. Only the summertime, for three months, would I get my
parents all to myself. Dad would go totally crazy and try to give
us the best summer possible. I could see us in the hotel pool, dad
would do a cannon ball into the pool, making mom and I laugh.

Mom would try so hard to get me alone so we
could have some girl time. She would take me shopping, get our hair
and nails done, eat dinner at our favorite restaurants and go to my
favorite touristy places. Work kept her pretty busy and she had to
fight to get time off in the summer. A month in Mr. Becker’s
Hampton home, couple of weeks in Paris (my fave!), hiking the
mountains in Colorado or taking a cruise from Miami to the
Caribbean. We lived for those summers.