Chapter Text
Jade knew something wasn’t right.
He went mad once, when he was Cristopher – he kept having long, meaningful discussions with the Ventriloquist doll. He should have known from the start that Christopher was him all along. That type of crazy is really characteristic for him. Actually, deep inside it’s like he knew from the beginning. It’s just that he – well – forgot.
His mind was bustling and burbling, it was soon probably going to explode. But Jade welcomed that feeling. He was begging for answers for such a long time, and now he had them – they were within him all this time. Hell, he was the answer.
The man he thought had all the answers was him. The truth was so close, just barely out of his reach and this place better be damn sure that he was gonna figure it out.
Whatever you throw at me you, cursed town: I’ll prevail. And if I die in this life, I’ll reincarnate again and again. I’ll have a million more names if that means I can burn this place down at least once.
“Jade, we need to talk in private.” Tabitha’s voice whispered while everyone was sitting at the table, eating dinner. Her voice calmed him down, grounded him in the midst of all this insanity.
He only nodded.
The tension in the kitchen was so great that it could have been cut with a knife.
Julie and Ethan were pale as if they’ve seen a ghost, clearly in shock and confusion. Tabitha’s words of encouragement could only do so much for their already fragile psyche.
Yet, Jade’s eyes stayed fixated on who he once knew was Jim.
Jim’s demeanor has completely changed. There was something animalistic in his eyes, something – evil. It seemed the kids also picked up on it, they kept glancing at him with fear in their eyes.
It seemed there was an imposter in the house.
Still, they ate dinner as if nothing’s wrong. Maybe, it was a coping mechanism. Maybe, it was a smart tactic. But it did give Jade enough time to clear his mind and think of a plan.
His gaze met with Tabitha’s. Her brown eyes stared at him with a gentle worry.
Jade mouthed these words to her, without making a single sound:
That’s not Jim.
Tabitha’s eyes widened in shock and confusion. She shook her head, looking at her husband.
C’mon, Tabitha. Trust me. Jade thought, running out of patience.
“I… I have to go to the bathroom.” Jade broke the silence. “Tabitha, could you show me where it is?”
Tabitha seemed reluctant. “Sure, follow me.”
They both stood up from the table. Jade looked over at ‘Jim’ and sheepishly smiled at him: “We’ll be right back.”
When they closed the door of the kitchen behind them, Tabitha whispered angrily at him: “What is it with you? That’s not Jim? Really? Why are you throwing around these crazy accusations?”
Jade took her by the hand and quickly led her away from the kitchen so that they can talk normally.
With her warm hand in his, he had a sudden flashback from a distant memory. He smelled roses and the fresh scent of rain. She was in a long, yellow dress. They were so happy.
He quickly shook his head. He had no time for that now. He had to deal with this hellish situation right now.
“Tabitha, listen to me. Please, don’t talk and listen.” He begged.
She straightened her back, sighed deeply and nodded. “Okay.”
“I know. I know that everything feels crazy right now because it is. But, everyone in this house is in danger.”
The fear in her eyes worsened. She gripped his shirt tightly. “No, no, no. This can’t be. It’s too much already.”
Jade placed a hand on her cheek, gently. “We have to think now. And fast. And you need to hear me out.” He calmed her down and then started explaining what happened to him earlier. “When I was getting out of the bar, Julie ran into me.”
“That’s impossible. She was here the whole time with us.”
“I know. But this was a different Julie. I think… She was from the future. She gave me a warning. Everyone is in danger. She told me that something killed Jim.” The grip Tabitha had on his shirt tightened. “That person in the kitchen is not Jim, Tabitha. I know you sense it too.”
Her face went pale. “No, no. That can’t be real. Please. That’s impossible. My husband is here, alive and well. Everything is-“
A loud scream came from the kitchen.
“Kids!” Tabitha yelled out and ran towards the door. Jade quickly followed.
When they entered the room, Julie was on the floor and Ethan was crouching beside her. Jim was nowhere to be found.
Tabitha rushed over to them. “What happened!? Are you okay!?” She inspected Julie’s wounds.
Julie was conscious but her face was bleeding. She was sobbing uncontrollably.
Ethan hugged his mom tightly, shaking from fear. “D-Dad suddenly turned into s-something. He… It attacked Julie.”
“Oh my God.” Tabitha breathed out.
“Mom, that wasn’t Dad.” Julie cried out. “Where is he, Mom!? What’s happening?”
Jade searched around in panic. “Where did it go? Is it still here?” He questioned.
“I-I don’t know. I didn’t see.” Julie whispered out.
“He disappeared.” Ethan said. “He turned into a raven and disappeared.”
“A raven?” Tabitha repeated in disbelief.
At that moment, Jade noticed something on the kitchen table which wasn’t there before. “A box?”
“What… What is it?” Tabitha followed Jade’s gaze. “What is that?”
It was a black box with golden embellishments. The box looked like it came out of a museum, as if it belonged in Ancient Greece. Enchanting and harrowing at the same time.
“Pandora’s Box.” Jade breathed out, not believing his eyes.
The last thing that escaped from it was hope.
“Pandora’s Box has been opened.” He realized.