The Sibyl (17 page)

Their distraction proved to be my own
damnation. Catherine shrieked as she reached through the glass,
grabbing my arm to pull me through.

How can I describe what such an experience
was like? I sent through the solid glass as if it were water. I
didn’t go all the way through, thank god, since Cyrus was there. He
had a hold on my waist, jerking me back. My keeper was yelling
something, but I couldn’t hear him. The whispers which had
assaulted me so much in the beginning surrounded me here. So much
so that as Catherine grabbed my face, I couldn’t hear her words. I
couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t fight. Catherine’s memories began
to flash behind my eyes and I knew. I could see the farmhouse as it
had been before. The windows were white from the piles of snow that
had drifted up around them. The blizzard had been worse than
anything we’d read about in the historical reports. Snow had fallen
for weeks, barricading the Tillotsons inside. I could see
Catherine, her body weakened by the starvation which had set in
when their food supplies had ran out two weeks before. She was
lying in the bed, too weak to stand.

A man appeared in my vision, standing over
her. Samuel Tillotson was staring at her. He had been waiting on
her to die. She knew this just I did. But Catherine was too strong.
She reached for her husband, pulling him to sit on the bed by her
side. Samuel was as hungry as she was. But he was too stubborn to
join her deathbed. His family had been pioneers. They learned to
survive despite the death surrounding them when the first
settlements had appeared in the mountains of Tennessee. She knew he
would find a way to survive this. So when he pulled his knife free
from the belt he wore it on, she wasn’t surprised. She was
angry.

“What is this?” Catherine swallowed. “Are you
planning on ending my suffering here? Tonight?”

“Yes.” Samuel grasped her hand. “And
mine.”

These were the last words he ever spoke to
her. Samuel Tillotson had slit her throat as easily as he had the
remaining animals they had slaughtered weeks before. I watched as
Catherine’s body went limp, her eyes staring out into nothing as
her soul was released. Then, it was her turn to watch. Catherine’s
spirit formed in the corner as her husband took her body, stripping
it down and carrying it downstairs. He had lit a fire in their
fireplace, hanging a single pot above the flames. She watched in
horror as he worked, knowing all too well what her fate had
become.

“Oh my god.” I wanted to throw up at the
images assaulting my mind. “Oh my god.”

I felt myself falling backwards, collapsing
onto the floor as Catherine’s hold tightened around me. She was
coming out of the glass, her dark eyes gleaming as she chanted
words I couldn’t understand.

“Release her.” Cyrus was there, shoving me
away from the woman determined to keep her grip on me. I watched
him jump in between me and the spirit. In his right hand, a
transparent sword glowed with a golden light I’d never seen
before.

“Where does he keep that thing? In his coat
pocket?” Joey whistled as he inched forward to stand behind me.
Elliot had knelt down, trying to pull me back as Cyrus thrust his
weapon forward. Catherine shrieked when he found his target, her
arm fading into the shadows. She tried once more, lunging towards
me as Cyrus did his best to keep her back.

“Eva, the door. Do it now!”

The door. My door. My protection against the
hell filling my mind. I stared at the woman still struggling to
free herself from the glass. “Apollo, give me strength.”

The wooden door I had created only a few days
before formed next to my own reflection. I stood up, shoving my
arms outward as if to slam it close. The glass shifted, rippling as
the door moved when I did. Catherine screamed as the weight of the
wood shoved her back into the mirror. I rushed forward, pressing my
palms against the glass as I formed the chains and said the first
words which appeared in my mind.

“By Apollo’s light, leave this realm never to
return.”

The door in the mirror glowed as the screams
coming from the other side fell silent. I didn’t move until the
door faded beneath my hands. I took two steps before stumbling into
Elliot’s arms with a sob.

“She’s gone, Elliot. It’s over. She is
gone.”

***

“The mystery behind what occurred in the
Tillotson household was one of desperation. Samuel Tillotson killed
his wife in order to survive. I believe he killed himself in the
weeks that followed not out of guilt, but because he didn’t have
any other choice. Catherine’s spirit drove him mad.”

I leaned back in the plush theatre seat,
staring at my lap so I didn’t have to face my image on the screen.
I had been sitting on the porch steps, Elliot beside me, as we
talked about what happened during filming.

Now, three weeks later, we were screening the
first episode with a small group of handpicked staffers to gauge
their reactions. If they didn’t like it, we would have to go back
to work, cutting or adding scenes we had taken out. Joseph
Lancaster was famous for the quality of his television shows. Ours
was no different.

My voice on screen melded into the music
Elliot had chosen for the ending credits. He decided to have text
close out the show which detailed the aftermath of our
investigation. These last three lines talked about Joanna’s shock
in finding out just how wrong Catherine’s legend had been. They
also said that all paranormal activity had ceased since our visit
there.

This much was true. Joanna had been furious
when we called for a follow up interview last week. She screamed at
Elliot for chasing Catherine away. There hadn’t been a single
footstep since we left. I knew why. Catherine’s soul had been
banished to the depths of Hell thanks to my little chant. Then she
screamed at me for making up lies about her ancestor murdering his
wife just to eat her.

I wish it had been a lie. My encounter with
Catherine’s memories had given me enough nightmares to last a
lifetime.

The film ended and there was silence as the
lights came on. Elliot took my hand, squeezing it as we waited. We
didn’t have to wait for long. The applause breaking the silence was
the first thing to tell us we had a hit.

Connor was the second. He stood up from his
seat on the front row, gesturing for the three of us to stand.

“Eva, Elliot, and Joey, everyone!” He raised
a flask in our direction. “Congratulations on
Grave Messages
.”

Elliot pulled me to the front, turning and
addressing the small group. He answered all the questions he could,
but unfortunately, the focus was on me. Questions were thrown at me
like knives.

“Have you always been able to talk to the
dead?” A fat woman decked out in diamonds called out from the back
row. “Were you born with this gift?”

“What was it like to go through the mirror?”
This one came from a man who could have stepped out of an issue of
Hipster’s Quarterly. “What can you tell us about the
afterlife?”

I answered what I could before turning to
Elliot for an escape. He picked up on my distress immediately.

“Thank you all for coming out tonight. Connor
has all the information you will need about the show. Thank you
again.”

The questions continued until we were out of
the room. Only then did Joseph Lancaster step forward, extending
his hand out to his son.

“Congratulations, Elliot. Eva.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Elliot shifted in place as he
shook Joseph’s hand. “We appreciate it.”

“Kathy was right about you, Eva.” Joseph
smiled as he released Elliot’s hand and clasped my own. “She said
you would be strong enough for her line of work. I was not
disappointed.”

“Wait,” I tightened my grip on Joseph’s hand.
“Kathy, as in Kathy Carter?”

“Yes. She was,” Joseph paused for a moment
before he continued. “She was an old friend.”

“I don’t understand.” I thought back to New
York and the session which changed me. “She picked me out of a
crowd after I had disrupted her presentation. How could she have
talked to you about me?”

“Kathy saw you here through her mirror. She
had hoped her visions were true.” Joseph released my hands. “They
were. It all worked out for the best, don’t you see? You have your
hit show. Kathy was able to go to her death.”

I was too stunned to be angry. I had been set
up. Joseph bid us his farewells and disappeared back into the
screening room. I turned on Elliot like an angry cat.

“Did you know about this?” I was so mad I
could have spit. I think I did just a little. “Were you in on
setting me up, too?”

“Eva, whoa.” Elliot stepped back, his hands
up in the air. “Of course not! How could you even think such a
thing?”

“You were the one who wanted to go to that
stupid conference. You were the one who picked out that particular
session and, might I add, the front row seat. Did you know her,
too?”

“I’d heard of Kathy Carter.” Elliot’s eyes
narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “But I care about
you, Eva. Give me some credit. Dad’s right about one thing though.
Things did turn out pretty well for you. After all, without the
mirror, you wouldn’t have your precious Cyrus by your side.”

“What does he have to do with anything?” I
mirrored Elliot’s position as I glared at him. “Cyrus is a friend,
Elliot.”

“A friend you happen to get cozy with in
Kansas.” Elliot’s eyes flashed with his own anger. “Don’t deny it.
I just happen to come downstairs when I didn’t find you in your
room. As I recall, you two were drinking away and snuggling up
pretty close on the couch.”

“So you don’t trust me.” I dropped my arms
and shook my head. “I thought you would be the last person to doubt
me. This was a mistake, Elliot.”

“Mistake.” Elliot stuffed his hands in his
pockets as he nodded. “Us or the show?”

“All of it.”

I felt the anger leaving me as I willed for
him to tell me how wrong I was. I wanted him to sweep me up in his
arms, kiss me, and never let me go. But he was just as stubborn as
I was. Elliot’s face became unreadable as he studied me.

“We signed the contracts, so we are stuck
with each other for another year. I will do my best to stay out of
your way at home until I can find a new place to live.”

My heart broke as I realized what he was
saying. Our short lived romance was over. Our friendship, which had
meant more to me than life itself, was over. I felt my tears
burning in the corners of my eyes, but I willed them no to
fall.

It was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

“Come on, Eva. Let’s go.” Cyrus appeared to
take my arm. “There is nothing more to be done here.”

“He’s right.” Elliot was still studying me.
“Go home. Get some rest. I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

“Elliot, wait.”

“No.” Elliot waved behind him as he went back
towards the room we had just left. “There is nothing more we need
to say.”

I didn’t have the strength to follow him. I
held back my tears until I had sank down into seat of a cab which
pulled up out of nowhere. Cyrus shut my door for me and joined me
moments later.

“Hush, Little One. Things will right
themselves. Just give it some time.”

I lowered my face into my hands, crying
harder. Cyrus was still for only a moment before he wrapped his arm
around my shoulder to pull me against him. Cyrus was my rock. He
was here for me.

Cyrus had no choice. He had to stay by my
side whether he wanted to be or not.

“Do you wish to talk about it?” Cyrus shifted
beneath me, then handed me the silver flask. “Drink some whiskey.
It will calm your nerves.”

I shook my head, not ready drown my sorrows
yet. Instead, I pulled out the golden cell phone he had given me. I
hadn’t used it since the night we filmed in Kansas. I turned it on,
unlocking the screen and pressing the icon to pull up the text
screen I needed. I started typing, stopping only to wipe the tears
away when they began to blur my vision. I needed to get my mind off
of Elliot, even if it were only for few minutes. I turned my focus
towards Apollo.

Were you pleased? Was the show everything you
expected?

I hit send and waited. After all, who would
expect a god to respond? How long would it take? Turns out, Apollo
was quicker than I could have imagined. I had barely lowered the
phone into my lap when it vibrated in my hand. He responded with a
single line filled with a promise of my future as his Sibyl.

You did well, child. I am sure I will be hearing
from you soon.

If you liked
The Sibyl
be sure to
check out book 2 in
The Oracle Series:
The Fanatic
!

********************************

We are all looking for someone to save us.
Fairy tales promised us white knights on gleaming horses who would
ride in, slay the monsters, and sweep us away to our happily ever
after. But nobody ever told me what would happen if the white
knight didn't show up. There were no fairy tales that talked about
what happened to the princess once her demons took over.