9

                                    

                                          

Becka led her through the stairs. Again the room was in the West wing. Izabelle wondered if there was anything at all in the east wing considering everything import seemed to be in the West Wing. The wing she was, for some reason, not allowed to be in except for the library.How she dreaded the Lord finding out. She always ended up in the west wing.
                          
Izabella continued to go there anyhow ignoring the fact that every time like a typical horror story heroine she had stepped into the wing, something had gone wrong. When it came to seeing family, anyone would ignore the minor error in judgement. 
                          
"Here we are Miss Edwards," Becka said halting all of a sudden. 
                          
"Where are we Becka? We aren't even out of the Manor I think. How would I see anyone here? Is this a jest for my constant pleas? " Izabelle said trying to figure out her surrounding. The only response to her answer was a deafening silence. 
                          
A moment passed. And then another. Keys rustled and a door creaked and all was but a haze for Belle. 
                          
"Come in Miss Edwards," Becka urged and Belle didn't need to be told twice. She followed the old lady into the new room hugging herself as the cold, locked up room offered her no protection against the chilly weather. How she missed the fire in the room alotted to her. Did her family have such readily available wood to make fire? 
                          
"What are we here for Becka?" Izabelle questioned. She almost wondered if she would grow some fangs and turn into those villains she would read about. A dark house, a locked up room, an old maid and no answers. Yes, that definitely seemed like something her father told her she shouldn't read because it gave her nightmares. 
                          
"Becka?" Becka shuffled through a drawer. Carefully she took out something Izabelle couldn't see. A part of her wondered if it was a knife but she dismissed it thinking she had been reading too much. Murdered in a small room in an unknown part of an old rustic manor by an old maid, of course not. 
                          
Izabelle went up to the old maid and shone the candle light on what she was holding. She was welcomed by a dull reflection of her candle that almost startled her. 
                          
"A hand mirror?" Izabelle felt curiosity spark through her but a little disappointment made a way through along with it. 
                          
"I am sure you have noticed something different about this ca-manor. Haven't you Miss Edwards? " The old lady's shrill voice started to get on Izabelle's nerves as she composed herself and nodded while saying a yes. 
                          
"From the fact that it's totally dark but everyone seems to be seeing perfectly and also how everyone is so.. Distinguished from normal people, I would say it's not the Manor but the people Becka. " Izabelle said realizing that it must be true. There was something wrong. Something really really wrong with the people in the Manor. 
                          
Belle's mind went to how it started. The man that tall with red eyes and voice that hurt like shredded glass, that couldn't be normal. Was Lord Willington like that too? Becka didn't seem so.. 
                          
"You are clever young one. This hand mirror here is different. Have you heard of witches?" Becka questioned making Belle wondered where she was getting at. 
                          
"Yes I have Becka. They are supposed to be evil red headed, pale skinned, beautiful mythical women with powers mostly from North."
                          
Izabelle heard Becka sigh. "We used to think so too," she said quietly," This mirror; here, hold it it in you hands. This mirror is magical. Think of the person you want to see and it will show you. "
                          
The handle of the mirror was hard and icy. The carving dug in her hand as she held it like a mother would hold her new born. Her thoughts went to her own mother. She thought of her beautiful face as she would drink tea and try to give lessons on how to be a proper lady to her and her sisters. 
                          
Her thoughts were responded to. The lifeless mirror illuminated itself and from a slight gray smokey blur, an image was clearing up. 
                          
"Mother!" Izabelle gasped out loud and almost let go of the mirror in her surprise. Her flabbergasted state did not effect Becka and she told her to take a seat. 
                          
Mrs. Edwards stood in a garden. It was a bright and beautiful day that made her skin glow like a woman in love. Only, she wasn't smiling, or frowning, or looking disappointed. She looked almost dead. Her glow was there but dull. Something had changed. 
                          
"What going on? I need to hear what's going on!" Izabelle exclaimed wanting to know each detail. The mirror shook and the scene changed. 
                          
The woods were the ones found behind her old house. The one they lived in before her father lost his ships in the see. Izabelle wondered why the mirror took her here. She remembered her mother stood in a garden. That garden too was a part of her old house. 
                          
"Harder. I have to work harder. " Swords clanked and she saw her eldest brother Gilbert with a sword fighting a guy around his age with metal swords. 
                          
They fought and fought, each time the strange guy would twist the sword such that it scratched Gilbert and drew out blood. Izabelle almost looked away. Almost. 
                          
"This is how you plan to save your sister Gil? Is this how? Like a little girl playing dress up?" The opponent taunted and Gilbert ran towards him full force. Again, his opponent swung around and hit him hard enough to draw out blood. This time, her brother buckled down his knees and held his hurt upper arm while giving a cry of pain followed by grunts. 
                          
Not wanting to see another second of it, Izabelle looked away. Becka had left her to maintain her privacy and she was all alone in the room. 
                          
She looked back at the mirror wondering where Toby went as a distraction for how hurt her brother looked. It was all just so that he could be a better fighter and save her.
                          
The guilt was killing her and she needed a distraction. What about Toby? The mirror blurred again and she waited for it to show her the location of the young boy. 
                          
She wasn't expecting the mirror to show her an empty space beside her. 
                          
*
                          
Again if you liked the chapter don't forget to vote and comment. 
                          
Until next time,
Love, 
                          
Princess_arielanne