My skin looks pale, and my limbs are beginning to tingle. Again! I quickly stand in front of the mirror in my room. It's happening again and the tingling announces when I'm fading. My left fingers twitch, then fade out, slowly extending to my wrist and forearms.
It's almost time to return. “Not before completing my mission!” I whisper harshly to the empty room.
One of my legs follows suit, fading and I can see through my image in the mirror to the bed behind me. Pfft! I wiggle and shake myself, jumping a few times until I see my visible full form in the mirror.
A loud, urgent rap on the door elicits a gasp from me. My neck fades out and appears immediately like a twitch. “Evie! How long does it take to change into your uniform for the evening? Master Jackson wants you in his office now.” It's the butler of the Ford estate, Jimmy.
I bare my teeth at the mirror. “Coming!” Taking a deep breath, I gently apply a pea-sized amount of my glamour lotion onto my face and neck. In an instant, a different face than mine peers at me in the mirror. I straighten my dress, dust off invisible specks and crack my neck in readiness for my final evening at the estate.
Master Jackson Ford, as he loves to be called, is hosting another of his monthly dinners but this one is for his birthday. Often his seven friends, the aristocrats in the city, meet and dine. After, they lock themselves in the formal dining room that is used solely for these gatherings till dawn.
Before Ellie, my identical twin, and I were born, our mother worked in this estate for Master Jackson for two years. A week after she had us, she was ordered to return to work or lose her job. Our father practically raised us because mother was never home. Then one day, she did not return. And Jimmy helped his employer cover up her death.
We were ten then and I remember father crying in his room like a baby. A year later, he passed away but not before telling Ellie and me everything on his sick bed. I held my sister's hands and we vowed to avenge our mother's death. We kept her long white-blond hair for this purpose.
It's tonight and I will not leave until I fulfil my vow.
EVIE
I pause at the door as the breeze conveys Ellie's call to my ears. It's soft, warm and soothing. I close my eyes for a moment and let her image fill my mind, her soft eyes smiling at me. “Soon, dearest sister. Soon.”
* * * * * *
“Where have you been?” Master Jackson yells, veins bulging across his neck and another one pulsating down his forehead to the bridge of his nose.
He's dressed in an expensive black tuxedo without a vest, a black bow tied at his neck and a glass of scotch in one hand. At fifty, he looks attractive, his grey hairs at the temples giving him a distinguished silver fox-like appearance. No wonder the women act stupidly around him.
I smile and fold my hands demurely in front of my dress. “I'm sorry, Master Jackson. I wanted to look presentable this evening. Your guests are arriving.” I glance at the front door.
His lips curl into a condescending sneer. “Then make your ugly self scarce. When it's time for dinner, you better get the maids in line and serve the meals properly. I won't entertain any drama from you.”
I almost want to twist and bend his finger pointing in my face backwards until it breaks. I nod and hurry into the kitchen.
I pace around the kitchen, watching the cook put the finishing touches to the delicious meals spread out on the counter. The two maids appear nervous but they are not my concern. None of the staff are, except Jimmy, the butler. He too will get what's coming to him.
Jimmy barges into the kitchen, eyes me and jerks his head. “Get on with your task and be smart about it.” He turns and leaves.
Just then I feel the tingling sensation and my fingers fade. Crap! I hide them behind me and wiggle them. The maids give me a funny look. “Don't just stand there. You heard him. Let's start serving.”
As they pick up the trays of food, my fingers are visible again. I follow quietly after them into the formal dining room. Master Jackson is at the head of the table talking with the man next to him. Other guests are seated too, chatting and laughing, nursing their glasses of wine as the maids serve.
Once the maids finish, I jerk my head towards the door and they scurry out. Then I walk to the door, shut it and turn the key.
Master Jackson and his guests turn slowly at the click of the key. My lips curve into a sinister smile. His nostrils flare at the audacity of acting without his instruction. He loves to be in control and wanted my mother but she was married and didn't want him. His obsession led to her death and robbed my sister and me of our parents.
It's unforgivable.
“What the f**k are you doing?” He growls at me while the man sitting next to him leans back in his chair and snickers. “Is she our appetiser? Surely you can do better than this, Jack.”
I slowly wipe my face with a handkerchief and watch the look on their faces change to shock. I no longer look plain and middle-aged, like a nobody. Master Jackson’s eyes widen in shock, his skin white as a sheet. He stands slowly, taking in my facial appearance, the striking and unmistakable features of my mother.
“What is going on here?” A guest asks as Master Jackson stumbles backwards in confusion, his chair hitting the floor with a quiet thud. The tingling sensation starts again and is stronger on the left side of my body. No!
I rush at Master Jackson just as he tries to pull a pistol from his back. The guests scramble from their seats as wine glasses fall off the table and shatter on the floor.
I rub my palms together, draw some breeze from the room into a ball and throw it at Master Jackson. It hits him squarely on the chest and he falls to the floor, groaning.
“Stop her! Stop that crazy lady.” A guest called out.
“What is she doing?” Another said.
Someone is banging on the door, trying to open it. Jimmy.
I snap my fingers at the gel fireplace and sway my palm, directing the bits of flames to pass through the thin openings on the sides of the door. Jimmy's screams make me laugh out loud.
Some of the guests rush towards me. In a blink, I pull out my mother's hair—a long length, almost five inches. Immediately, it twists into a rope. I fling and crack it like a whip. The men look at me with shock as the hair wraps around their necks, one after the other until they are gasping for air.
A painful blow to the back of my head makes me stagger forward. Master Jackson is on his feet. Blood trickles out of my nose down to my mouth. I turn and see his gun pointing at my head. “You're as crazy as your mother. Release my friends.”
“Never!”
The tingling sensation is getting stronger and my bottom self is vanishing to Master Jackson's consternation. “What are you?” He whispers.
“Your nemesis.” I pull my mother's hair from the necks of other men and slash Master Jackson with it just as his finger presses the trigger and a bullet is released.
As my whole body fades out, I watch his bulging eyes roll upwards as his body splits into two from his head to hips.
* * * * * *
I appear in our living room and crumble to the floor, my left shoulder on fire. Rocky barks and runs to me, tail wagging. Ellie rushes towards me too. “Evie!” I feel her warm touch on my face as she holds my head on her thighs, rocking me. Her tears touch my cheek and Rocky whines.
“Oh, Evie! You've lost your left arm. You were out of time,” she whispers.
I blink an eye open to stare at the large wall clock on the floor beside us. She's right. I drew on her powers together with mine to enable me to travel across the sea to Ford estate and stay there disguised. The clock gave me six hours. That's equivalent to a year's trip, time within which I applied to be a staff at Ford estate to get close to Master Jackson. I used up seven hours instead.
I let my eyes roam around the room. “And you are still messy as ever. Look at this room.”
She giggles and hugs me. I hold her tightly. I may lose my arm but it's worth it.
What I See
A disorganised room with a young blonde lady sitting, gazing into space, like she's expecting someone. There's a wall clock on the floor and a dog lying beside her.
What I Feel
The lady is sad like something precious was taken away from her.
I hope you enjoyed reading this haunting story. It is my response to A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words contest. You may click on the link to participate.
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