Chapter 24:
I let out a piercing scream, unknown to passing people. Another man appears at the side of Mr. Grey, and I recognize him as Mr. Stone. The two of them, nearly identical down to the last freckle on their ogre like faces. They both are wearing impish grins, quite like the kind you would see on a troubled two year old or a child who had just done something naughty.
“Well, well, Mr. Reynolds’, we meet again.” Mr. Grey is holding my shoulders tightly, making it appear I am unable to move. Mr. Stone murmured these simple Hell Devil words.
That’s it, Hell.
“No,” I said with a straight face. “You’re about to meet Hell again.” Now I was smiling, my expression nearly identical to what theirs was a few moments ago. Now, Mr. Grey, his eyebrows are raised in shock and mouth wide open. Mr. Stone, identical expression. I have no time to ponder this awkward moment, or their odd facial expressions for I take their surprise in favor of myself. Mr. Grey’s grip on my shoulders loosens the smallest bit, leaving room for me to escape. By the time the two men have come back to reality, I have jumped through the fire portal, grabbing Grace’s limp body with me, draining any energy I had left.
I land on my knees on a snowy mountain. The snow is soft and powdery, coating my body with flakes of white specks. My fire portal dies nearly instantly in the freezing snow. Grace’s body is lying on top of the snow, her hair dulled back to grey and her (used to be blue eyes) are now grey. Her eyes are wide open in shock, as if she didn’t know anything about what is currently happening. I stroke her curly pigtails and rest her head in my lap. Her grey overalls are tearing and her eyebrows look almost as if they have been scorched. Her soft pink lips are chapped and greying. Our bodies together are being covered by the shavings of ice landing on our fair skin.
I will her to wake up, to live again. Was she ever actually alive again or was she always dead, I simply just woke her. Damn it, Grace. You’re my only family left. The beautiful girl with the stunning hair and shocking eyes is a demon and it may be my fault. My parents are dead and my ex-best friend betrayed me. Without Henry, this probably never would have happened. Kyle, the coolest guy who has ever talked to me, I killed. I KILLED HIM!
It’s my fault.
I pretend that Grace is only sleeping and we are in Aspen, Colorado. We just had a long day of skiing and Grace is too tired to walk back home. Believe it or not, this has happened before. The poor child never slept, always kept awake by the light of my flashlight. I try to stay up reading whenever I can. I barely have time to read. Too busy “participating”.
I feel the ground levels receding. I don’t believe that I am in some haunted house. It has happened before. We had to leave, though because Grace started crying out of fear. I wonder what she would be doing right now if she were conscious…
I suddenly realize the fact that it has stopped snowing and the ground is covered in green and I realize there are trees that are in full blossom: pink flowers coat the trees like snow once coated this very ground.
As soon as the green came it stopped. Fire broke out among the plains. It is now that it seems to be the very mountain where Rose ran off…the first time.
The fire is circling around me, as well as Grace who is still “sleeping”. A figure steps through the small opening in the fire. At first, I think it is Mr. Grey or Mr. Stone (maybe both) and they found me. Thank God I am so dreadfully wrong.