Happily Never After (27 page)

She became hysterical and tried to get away
from me. I desperately wanted to help her but Catherine interfered.
Before I could even blink an eye, the vacant stare came back and
Marietta was gone. Her body sagged in my arms.

“Just let her be!”

Laughter came from every direction. “I’m
getting bored. Ask your questions so we can be done with this.”

I tried to collect myself. Seeing Marietta in
that state scared me to death. I couldn’t move or speak. Breathing
became more difficult. Wanting everything to over, I brought out a
question I hoped would agitate her.

“How does it feel to know you’re no better
than William Jennings?”

That ticked her off royally.

Catherine came at me with more force and more
ferocity than she ever had before. She would have knocked me off my
feet but my body was already so tense, I only wobbled. The
overpowering oppression deepened and soon numbness crept over me
until every muscle became paralyzed.

Then, the pain came.

Acute and everywhere, it flashed through me
so fast I lost all rational thought. I let out a raw, primal
scream. I was aware that Travis held Jason back while Abby and Anna
clung to each other as they watched in horror.

I was frozen in place, but I tried to keep an
eye on what was going on around me. Catherine had not lessened her
hold on me, which meant she must not be aware of Jason or Travis
and what we were attempting.

But the minute they made a move on Marietta,
that changed. Though I still could not move, the pain dulled. I
heard Catherine roar in anger as she realized someone was holding
Marietta’s body in place.

“You are fools if you think this is going to
work on me.”

She kept her shadow between me and them.
Jason ran forward, but immediately he was thrown back into a
tombstone. The tombstone shattered and Abby raced over to his
side.

“Catherine Roberts!” Travis yelled. “You do
not belong in this place. Go and find your peace. Leave this woman
alone.”

Catherine laughed coldly in response. “Your
parlor tricks are no use here.”

To emphasize her point, the pain intensified
to an almost unbearable level. I struggled as hard as I could to
hold on, to find some way to fight her but I was losing the
battle.

Somewhere, in the agonized jumble of
thoughts, one slipped through.

I won’t let you do this.

Oh, Quinn, you’re such a sad, pathetic girl.
Think of all you have to lose.

A vision of kissing Jason at the ball burned
bright in front of my eyes. For a brief second, I forgot the pain
and the paralysis gripping me. All I saw was the affection in
Jason’s eyes and felt my love for him burst out and try to fight
Catherine back. Unfortunately, my energy was draining fast and
holding onto the image was impossible.

It was gone as quick as it came.

Yes, he is delicious. I can see why you would
think he’s worth sticking around for. In fact, I don’t really want
to kill you anymore.

Fear’s cold hand closed on my heart.

What do you mean? I asked.

The pain flared inside me and she refused to
release me. I heard Travis ordering her to let go of her earthly
bonds. Off to the side, Jason pulled himself to his feet and
grimaced in pain. He begged Catherine to let me go. I wasn’t sure
where Abby or Anna went but I knew they were close because I heard
Anna pleading with Marietta. Wind buffeted the entire area like we
were stuck in the middle of a hurricane.

Still, I waited and nothing changed.

Right when I thought it couldn’t get any
worse, it intensified even more. Like once before, the cold oily
substance making up her shadow forced its way down my throat. It
seeped into every inch of my body. Then, it had a hold of me and
withdrew. Only when it withdrew, it pulled my insides along with
it.

If I hadn’t been in so much pain, I would’ve
been able to make more sense of the sucking sensation. She was
taking the life right out of me.

Jason must have noticed the change in what
she was doing because he tried once again to get to me. “Quinn,
don’t you dare give up. Fight!”

I watched as his body lifted off the ground
and held, suspended in the air. He struggled but was as trapped as
me.

Don’t, I managed to get one word across. His
words gave me hope and I fought back against the darkness invading
me. I pictured his feelings for me as a light I carried within me
and imagined it replacing all the darkness penetrating me. To that,
I added the love and the bright memories from my childhood.

For a while, it worked. I was able to move my
mouth and scream out one word. “Jason!”

Catherine’s laugh echoed in my head and
steeled my determination, but she fought harder and this time it
was worse. The sucking and the ripping didn’t stop and I sensed
Catherine’s power growing even more. Her shadow swelled and
overwhelmed me. Love and happiness were my only weapons and I
battered against her, pushing against whatever was trying to
shatter my soul. I wasn’t going to let her take everything from me.
Even though I was running out of options and losing consciousness,
I ignored the temptation of letting go. Letting go meant failing my
mama, even my daddy, along with all our ancestors. It had to end
here, now.

I’ll never let you win.

Those were the last words I managed as the
blackness took me, once and for all.

Epilogue

I woke up in the attic, disorientated and
alone.

The last thing I remembered was Catherine
rushing at me and the sickening sensation of being ripped apart. I
heard Jason scream my name. And then everything went black.

Cautiously, I sat up and peered around.
Something was different.

There were piles of junk everywhere but my
stuff was missing. It felt emptier, like no one had stepped foot up
here for weeks.

I sniffed.

It even smelled musty and locked up.

I stood up from the bed and instantly felt
light-headed. I had to reach out to steady myself on the desk.
Something was wrong.

Even walking to the door was a challenge. I
must have been out longer than I thought because I had a hard time
putting one foot in front of the other.

The attic door was open and I took my time
going down the stairs. When my foot touched the landing the air
felt cleaner, fresher. This part of the house felt lived in and I
vaguely wondered if Marietta and the twins were home.

Maybe what we attempted to do in the park
didn’t work. The second I thought that, my palms grew wet and my
stomach plunged.

No, I couldn't consider that. It had to have
worked.

As I walked past the twins rooms, I saw they
were empty. Marietta’s room wasn’t, but it was filled with
furniture and things I didn’t recognize.

A cold knot formed in my stomach.

What was going on?

On the first floor, the rooms were different
as well. The living room furniture was new, so was the large plasma
TV. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was in someone
else’s home.

I heard movement behind me. Half expecting to
see a random stranger, I was surprised to see George. Not because
it was George, but because I could see him.

No longer was he just a faint image from the
corner of my vision or an almost transparent figure. Standing
before me was a real live War era slave boy. I knew that if I
reached out and touched him, I would feel him.

“George, what’s happened?”

He was about to cry. In a sad, desperate
whisper he said my name, “Quinn.”

What made it so unbelievable was I heard him
with my ears, not just in my head.

I was about to ask him more when the front
door opened and Jason walked in laughing. Before I could run up to
him and throw my arms around him, I saw who he was laughing
with.

It was me.

Only it wasn’t.

The girl with Jason looked like me, but had
such a look of happiness and love I felt envious of her. Her hair
was a little shorter than mine and layered. She even wore
makeup.

I watched, unable to move a muscle as Jason
bent down and kissed her passionately. It stole my breath away. Not
because I knew what his kisses felt like. It stole my breath away
because somehow I knew it went horribly wrong in the cemetery that
night.

“Jason,” I squeaked.

He didn’t answer or even turn in my direction
so I tried again louder.

“Jason!”

Still nothing.

I walked over and laid my hand on his arm but
it didn’t touch him. It passed through him as if he wasn’t even
there.

I didn’t have a chance to gather my frayed
thoughts. The girl who was not me turned around and lifted her lip
in a sneer. Then, she winked at me and laid a newspaper on the
table in the foyer.

On the front page was a picture of Jason and
me, smiling for the cameras in front of a restaurant. The headline
read, “Jason Preston falls for local girl.” My head pounded from
trying to catch up with what was going on until I saw the date.

If I was looking at today’s paper, it had
been sixteen days since my eighteenth birthday.

Finally, my thoughts caught up and the
horrible truth slammed into me.

It hadn’t worked and, to make matters worse,
Catherine had taken over my body. I went to chase after them as
they walked holding hands into the kitchen.

George came up beside me and I felt his hand
on my arm holding me back as real and solid as a living person.

“Let me go. I have to warn him.”

George shook his head with a sad smile. “You
can’t. You’re one of us now.”

Then, the sick realization of what happened
settled over me, oily and dirty. I was a ghost, a thin wisp of who
I used to be. Catherine had found a way to inhabit my body, which
meant it was possible. As quickly as that thought struck home,
however, stubborn determination replaced it. She'd stolen my body,
my home and most of all, the man I loved. I couldn't stand the
thought of losing Jason so soon after I'd found him. I had to find
a way to get him back, to get it all back. Catherine unjustly held
it for now, but not forever. I was not going to let her win.
Someday, somehow, I would find a way to get my life back, and when
I did, Catherine would be history.

Literally.

The End

Coming soon!

A Strange There After

Book 2 of the Savannah Shadows Series

About the Author

Missy Fleming lives in beautiful Bozeman,
Montana where her love of being outdoors often conflicts with her
love of writing. Luckily, winter makes it a little easier. Missy
contributes to multiple writing sites and Happily Never After is
her first published novel in the United States. She is blessedly
single, dedicating her affections to travel, writing, reading,
family and her six year old Bichon Frise, Jack.

Also Available
From Melange Books

Ruhk's Rising
Phoenix Elite, Book Two

by Melissa Starr

Elora's days at Marlind Prep are anything but
safe or boring. She receives news of her BFF's death not long after
she disappears and is certain the Phoenix Elite are responsible.
While searching for stability, Elora is stripped of her strength
and sanity by the ancient Ruhk, Isaac, who continues to infiltrate
her mind. Adding icing to the cake, she finds herself at odds with
her mate/advisor, Ezra, leaving her vulnerable to the new guy, who
just happens to find her on the verge of a nervous breakdown. What
dangers await Elora among her own in
RUHK'S RISING?

Also Available
From Melange Books

McKinley's Jewel

by Marissa St. James

Bonnie-Jean Russell, personal assistant to
the current laird of McKinley clan, can't find her boss. When she
discovers his likeness in an ancestor's portrait she has to find a
way to bring him back to the present. Standing in her way is the
tale of a missing pouch of gemstones...a treasure everyone else
wants.

Also Available
From Melange Books

Beyond the Cell

by Sara Tribble

Sixteen-year-old Sonata Wilde is living in
Hell.

Not literally Hell, more like a prison
stashed away in the mountains known as The Cell. All mythical
beings were banished to live here nine years ago, segregated from
the humans. Being trapped in captivity is breaking her down and the
temptation of escaping grows stronger, regardless of what it might
cost her.

No one has ever made it out of The Cell, not
with the extreme voltage on the wires and constant guards on
patrol. It's damn near impossible, minus one loophole. Sonata has a
plan ready to set in motion, along with help standing by to make
sure it all goes accordingly. The taste of freedom is within her
grasp and she's ready to embrace it once again.

Also Available
From Melange Books

Waiting for Natalie

by Dan Spanton

Natalie Bouchard, a high school student from
Portland, Maine, becomes convinced that her younger brother didn't
drown in an accident years before, but was kidnapped and taken to
Colombia. Without telling her parents, she flies to the Colombian
capitol city of Bogotá, accompanied by a nineteen year old friend,
Caleb Ferguson. A search of city streets and orphanages ends in
disappointment. Finally, as her grandfather arrives to take her
home, she gets a lead. Her little brother may have been taken by
illegal emerald miners to a highly dangerous area north of
Bogotá.