The bloody ghost of Laura Taylor was standing next to Henrietta staring straight at me, as Nico and Henrietta spoke to each other completely obviously to the dead girl standing next to them. My throat began to tighten and my breath began to become short, sharp, shallow and rapid.
Laura's sunken eyes drifted away from me and down to her chest. Blood was oozing out of her chest cavity, bleeding onto the green fabric material of her hospital gown. With her hand she reached up and touched the wound and looked up to me and said, "My heart- it's gone..."
My stomach lurched up into my throat and the world around me seemed to detach. Laura broke down sobbing and helplessly I whispered to her, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Nico raised his eye brow and asked, "Mia, what's wrong?"
I couldn't answer him. My breathing was becoming more erratic and suddenly everything before my eyes flashed white and passed out in Nico's arms.
My mind detached from my body and I floated into familiar unconscious darkness that both enthralled and terrified me. In the darkness I could find the respite I desperately needed from the real world, even though there was something scary about the dark, yet also comforting. Luc and the others couldn't get to me in the dark, Casper couldn't hurt me in the dark, and it was him I was scared of more than anything else in this world.
So I hid in the dark, dreaming dark dream, and remembering dark thoughts and memories that never belonged to me. I drifted and drifted until I heard music- or more precisely Christmas music. The familiar irritating jingle of Frosty the Snowman permeated into my head and the world around me turned into bright white light.
"Celia... Celia...Celia,"
A voice emerging out of the light...
"Celia!" I heard Luc's voice.
The light subsided and I found myself standing a grand ballroom watching a pretty young woman standing precariously on top of a wooden ladder pressed against a very large Christmas tree. She was delicately balancing on one leg as she stretched her whole body to place a large golden angel tree topper on to top of the Christmas tree.
Luc rushed over to the ladder and grabbed its base yelling at her in a firm tone, "Celia get down at once before Louis sees you."
Celia...this was Celia?
I watched in a strange detachment as the scene played out before me. Luc held the ladder as Celia struggled and strained to do something. Luc called to her again begging her to come down but Celia rolled her eyes at Luc and replied, "Stop being over dramatic Luc- I am only putting the angel on top of the Christmas tree"
"Louis will be over dramatic if so much as a single hair on your pretty head is damaged so please come down here now before you break something," Luc repeated.
Celia defiantly stuck her tongue out at Luc, and continued to strain her arms upwards as she desperately tried to put the angel topper on the tree. She stretched as far as she could and then suddenly lost balance. Luc watched as Celia wobbled on top of the ladder before regaining her balance a few moments later.
Luc hissed a few swear words through his teeth and snapped, "Celia you are going to break your neck if you continue."
"And the blame will fall squarely on your shoulders, and Louis will have you sent to the stocks, or flogged with a nine tails whip or whatever medieval punishment this court still practices," Celia said theatrically.
Stretching up on her tippy toes again, Celia managed to place the golden angel on top of the Christmas tree. With a hoot of triumphant she rocked back on her heels and took in the full glory of the enormous tree.
"Doesn't it look amazing?" Celia smiled.
Luc glanced up at the tree and said flatly, "Yes it looks wonderful, now get down."
"Oh my God Luc, you are such a Scrooge! I swear at the party you are going to be the one wearing the 'bah-humbug' hat." Celia said.
"A-what hat?" Luc asked.
Celia ignored his question and replied excitedly, "Do you think Casper will like it?"
"I guess," Luc shrugged.
Celia began to lower herself down the ladder and said, "It's just that I know this is the first Christmas he has had home in a while, and I kind of wanted to make it really special. It will be the first time all you guys have been together since your parents...well you know." Celia's voice suddenly dropped off and she quickly changed topic.
"I am just so excited to meet Casper for the first time ... everyone tells me how nice he is," She said.
Luc grabbed Celia's waist the moment she was in reach and helped her safely to the ground and said, "Casper takes after my father's side of the family- he is all charm and good looks."
Celia frowned at Luc, "Are you telling me that you are not charming or good looking?"
"I certainly lack the charm." Luc replied gruffly.
Celia rolled her eyes at him and said, "One day you are going to make one young lady very happy."
"I don't know about that- after all a certain young lady likened my manner to 'Scrooge' only seconds ago." Luc replied.
"Well I am hoping that the three ghosts of Christmas are going to come and visit you tonight and by the morning you will be a reformed man." Celia smiled.
Luc couldn't help smiling back at her- in fact neither could I. There was something about Celia's persona which was infectious. She had a genuine warmth and vibrancy about her that made people want to laugh and smile. It was wonderful but at the same time terrible sad. Celia had been much loved and wanted and then Casper came snatched everything away from her.
The doors at the far end of the ball room swung open and a man dressed like a butlers came rushing, "Your highness," he panted, "The Prince has-"
Before the butler had finished his sentence two journey worn men stepped into the ballroom, carrying large hiking backpacks. I recognised one of the men immediately as Jacques from biker/back packer chic he liked to wear. However the other man was unfamiliar.
He appeared slightly younger than Jacques, and had ice blonde her and bright blue eyes that were hard not to notice. The young man saw Luc and let his back pack slide from his shoulder on to the ground, and then ran across the hall to pull an uptight Luc into a warm embrace.
"Here he is," The man laughed, "My brilliant big brother."
"Casper," Luc replied stiffly, with a slight begrudging hint of warmth.
Casper squeezed his eyes shut as he hugged his brother and said, "Damn it I have missed you, you old fossil!"
Celia, who had been standing quietly in the shade of the Christmas tree suddenly burst out laughing at Casper's remark.
A nerve in Luc's jaw twitched and he ground out, "Casper, I am barely a decade older than you."
Casper pulled back and said, "And it's that single decade that makes all the difference old boy."
It was just as Celia was trying to stifle her giggling that Casper noticed her. His blue eyes lit up and he walked towards her, offering her his hand in greeting. Celia suddenly straightened up in an attempt to regain her composure and elegantly took Casper's hand to shake it.
"It is so nice to finally meet you Prince Casper," She smiled.
"Please call me Casper," Casper said warmly, before abandoning the handshake and pulling Celia in for a hug.
Luc immediately frowned at his younger brother, "Casper, please release Celia- you are covered in eighteen months' worth of dirt and dust from riding around world on that ridiculous motorcycle of yours."
"Hey, don't hate the bike," Casper said releasing Celia.
"You have a bike?" Celia gasped excitedly.
Casper grinned at her, "Yeah, do you want to come with me for a ride?"
Luc straightened up and growled, "Idiot, Louis will kill you if you took Celia for a ride on that death trap."
Casper ignored his elder brother and still staring at Celia said, "It would be worth it just for the pleasure of Celia's company."
Casper offered his hand to Celia and she took it.
Coldness crept up my spine and I wanted to scream at Celia to run away from him but I knew it wouldn't make any difference. I knew deep down that what I was witnessing a flashback of something that had already happened and nothing I said or did would matter because this wasn't real; it was just a shadow of the past.