Rising of the Moon--Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The rain poured in buckets upon her windshield as Stephanie sat in the driveway. Her temper was boiling beneath the surface, and she wanted to have it under complete control before setting foot into the cottage; before facing that thing that ruined her life.

She took several deep breaths, steadying the red haze around her vision. It would do no good to implode upon herself; nor would it do well to explode. She would lose either way, she knew. She would choose imploding over exploding if ever she had to, but she would choose neither if it was at all possible.

“Just get it over with, Steph,” she encouraged herself. “Get it over with, slap her across the face, and then lock yourself in your room. Won’t take more than five minutes.” Stephanie chuckled darkly to herself. Of all the things that could have happened, it had to be her ditzy cousin coming to stay for the summer.

“B-e-a-utiful,” she murmured to herself. She glared up at the house for another five minutes before cutting the engine of the Volvo. Without stopping to think about it, Stephanie threw herself out into the squall and squealed when she was pelted with cold rain.

Wind lashed at her face. Within moments she was soaked. I need a hot shower, was all she could think.

Her heart was beating three times its normal rate when she finally sloshed in though the storm door. She stood on the welcome mat gasping at the warm air. Puddles pooled around her shoes and on the pallid linoleum tiles.

“Stephanie? Is that you?”

Genievieve strode on quick feet through the kitchen and to the foyer of her home. Her eyes were wary and fearful. But when she set her eyes on her granddaughter, they fluttered with relief.

“Thank God you’re okay!” Despite her current state of wetness, Stephanie was swept into a tight embrace. “You can’t just disappear on us like that, Steph! You’ll give me a heart attack!” Stephanie hugged Genievieve back fiercely, burying her head into her grandmother’s shoulder.

“Sorry, Gramm. I just… needed a breather.” Worst understatement of the year, she thought bitterly. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. It’s just….” She stopped herself. There was no way that she could voice how much she hated her cousin.

“Just what, honey?” Genievieve frantically searched Stephanie’s face.

“Never mind. It’s okay, now. I think I’m going to go take a shower.” She gave her grandmother a half-hearted smile.

“Okay, sweetie. Is there anything I can do?” Stephanie hesitated, then shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. Except, um… where’s Seth?” Genievieve rolled her eyes.

“He’s upstairs attached to the computer. Something about World or Warcraft or something.” Stephanie rolled her eyes, too. Of course.

“I’m going to get in the shower; I’ll send him down.” Stephanie sighed, slipped out of her waterlogged shoes and then ran up the stairs, trying to minimize the amount of water that dripped onto the manila carpet.

She paused at the first door to the left on the upstairs hallway. Seth was sitting on the edge of his chair, his face mere inches from the monitor. He was muttering to himself, tapping vigorously at the keyboard.

“Seth!” She announced her presence loudly. “What are you doing?” He jumped, letting out a nervous shout. He glared at his sister over his shoulder.

“Steph! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” He panted for a few moments, and then turned himself in the chair to look at her. “Where did you go? And why are you soaking wet?”

Stephanie sighed and ran a hand distractedly through her hair. “I went for a walk on the pier; it started raining.”

“Why’d you go out in the rain?” Stephanie sent a nasty glare at her brother.

“I didn’t mean to go out in the rain; I didn’t know the storm was coming until it was right on me.” She rolled her eyes, and then sighed again. “I’m going to take a shower. I need you to go out to the car and start unloading some stuff. Leave my sketchbook in the back window. I don’t need it getting wet.” Now it was Seth’s turn to roll his eyes. “Get our suitcases; that’s all I’m asking, Seth. Please. And then Grandma would much appreciate you staying downstairs and visiting, instead of tying yourself to that chair playing that stupid game. Now, please. Get.”

“Aww, c’mon, Steph! Were you totally oblivious to that nasty crap outside? I mean, look at you!” Stephanie frowned as her brother assessed her current condition. “You’re soaked to the bone! And you want me—little me!— to go out to your car to get your stuff so that you can be dry again? Uh huh, I don’t think so!”

“Seth Isaiah!” Genievieve stood behind Stephanie, her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed. “Do not talk to your sister like that! Now come on, get downstairs. You don’t need to play on the computer.” Seth grimaced.

“Yes, Grandma.” He glared at Stephanie as he passed. She clenched her eyes closed as he thumped down the stairs.

“I’ll send him out to get your things, Steph. Take your time in the shower. Supper will be ready when you’re done.”

Stephanie smiled softly at her grandma.

“Thanks. I’ll be out in a little bit.” With that said, Stephanie hurried down the hall to the very last door. She slipped the door shut with a snap and then pressed herself against the hardwood.

The room was just as she remembered it. The walls were a soft, ocean foam color with a mosaic window centered above the toilet directly perpendicular to the door. The shower was immediately to the right, with a shell-shaped sink and a scalloped counter across the spacey room. There was a bank of cabinets suspended over the counter, and a brightly polished mirror, sliced into three pieces, served as doors. Genievieve always had her house picture perfect.

Stephanie straightened up, drinking in the familiar sight. However, there was one thing she couldn’t quite put her finger on that was different. She scanned the room again, and noticed two stacked, wooden boxes on the counter. There really wasn’t anything remotely alarming about them. But for some reason, they drew on Stephanie’s every molecule. She felt as if her flesh was suddenly on fire, and the only way to cool the heat was to take step after step towards the boxes and whatever they contained. As she neared them, the room seemed to heat up to boiling point. Without any thought of doing so, Stephanie’s hand reached out toward the boxes.

Her fingers brushed the wood, and the atmosphere reached the temperature of an inferno. Curiosity pulled at her, and she gently tipped the top back.

The dark wood was coated in green velvet. Centered in the folds, in a permanent indent, was… nothing. The box was empty.

She sighed, set the light box aside, and pulled the second to the edge of the counter. For some reason, she took more notice of this box. Perhaps it was because the second box was made of prettier woods. Maybe it was the black and gold accents that gleamed under a sheen of polish. Or maybe it was the lock fashioned out of diamond that held the lid closed.

Whatever it was, Stephanie lifted the ornately carved box to take a closer look, and she was astonished to find herself no longer in her grandmother’s colorful bathroom.

Instead, she was sat in front of an elaborate vanity. The mirror was shining and gleaming, surrounded by a cherry wood frame carved in the shape of a snake. Emeralds lay in place of the beast’s eyes, while rubies and topaz gems laid cut as scales.

Stephanie was still holding the enchanting box while her reflection flashed back at her out of the mirror. As if changing rooms wasn’t enough, she had also changed her clothes. Instead of the jeans and t-shirt garb she had been wearing a second before, she was now wearing a crimson and gold dress that flared at the waist and elbow. A gold sash served as a belt, and teardrops of tanzanite dripped from her earlobes.

Surprised, Stephanie blinked once, twice… and she was back home in the sea foam-green bathroom at Genievieve George’s cottage on the edge of Lake Huron. Wary, she gently placed the pretty wooden box back on the counter. She stacked the other box on top of it and pushed the pile back into its spot on the counter between the box of Kleenex and a bottle of hand lotion. She crossed herself and backed away from the counter. Her mind was so out of focus that she backed her knees up to the edge of the tub, and went farther without thinking.

[i]Thump! She bashed her head on the ceramic tiles on the wall as she crashed into the bath.

“Ouch,” she groaned, sifting a hand through her hair. Wet. “Ugh.” She pulled her head away from her burning scalp and nearly lost her lunch.

Blood—red and foul—coated her fingers.

“Grandma!” she called as loud as she could—it came out choked and raspy.

“Steph?” Genievieve shouted. “Honey? Are you all right?”

“Help!” she managed to say loud enough. Her grandmother threw the door open; her eyes were wide and frantic.

When she saw her granddaughter, all the color left her face.

“Seth! Abriehele! Call nine-one-one!”

Stephanie’s vision was beginning to blur. She could smell the rusty scent of blood, and it turned her uneasy stomach. Suddenly Genievieve was there, cupping Stephanie’s face in her hands.

“Steph! What happened?”

With the last of her strength, Stephanie raised her left hand and pointed towards the stacked boxes.

“Necklace,” she gasped before the blanket that was unconsciousness wrapped her in its warm embrace.

*~*

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.

*~*Kiss*~*