The Sibyl (5 page)

“Wow. This one must put on quite the
show.”

“I’m not surprised. Kathy Carter is one of
the most well known names in the paranormal field. She’s been doing
this for decades.” Elliot leaned in until our heads were touching.
“Scrying has been around forever. But it’s making a resurgence
these days.”

“You mean these things can fall out of
favor?” I raised an eyebrow. “I thought trends were only for
fashion and stockbrokers.”

“Not so, my dear. Not so.” Elliot chuckled.
“I have to say I’m proud of you though.”

“Oh?” I smirked. “For not laughing?”

“Yes.” He looked like he was going to say
more, but he was interrupted by the small woman who walked up to
the front of the room waving to her audience as if she were a
queen. Even I had to admit she had a commanding presence. What I
couldn’t believe was what Elliot had told me. The woman who turned
to face us looked as if she were my age. Her thick black hair was
pulled up in a bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were a strange
golden color; gleaming as she looked us over. I wondered why she
seemed so focused on us, but shrugged it off. We were right in her
line of sight, after all. Maybe my day filled with all things
spooky was starting to take its toll on me.

“When did she start scrying? In the cradle?”
I whispered to Elliot before he could pull away. His only response
was to nudge me in the ribs.

“Merry meet, everyone.” The scryer raised her
arms. “It is my hope that I will be able to educate you on the
ancient art of scrying. Many believe it to be a divination
technique, but that is not it’s only use.”

I took the pose I’d adopted through these
sessions so far, lowering myself further down into the seat as the
woman began to pace across the carpet in front of us. She paused
just long enough to be considered dramatic.

“No, scrying is not simply for divination.
Certainly some sensitives claim to use mirrors or glass during
their own practice, but this is not the original purpose. Scrying
can be traced back to the ancient Greeks who used it as a method to
contact the spirits of the Underworld.”

So this is why Elliot was so interested in
attending this session. It wasn’t for fun. It was for work. Did he
honestly think he was going to try this at our locations? On film?
I kicked at his foot. As my luck would have it, I missed Elliot
entirely. I kicked the stand holding a laptop and projector
instead.

The laptop bounced off the carpet. The
PowerPoint slide shining against the wall behind her went
black.

The scryer stopped in mid-speech. She
searched the front row and pointed towards me. “It is time. By the
gods, it is time.”

“Wow.” I shifted in my chair, reaching for
the projector which had fallen against my foot. “Let me see if I
can put this back together.”

“No. It is nothing.” The scryer pointed at me
as my cheeks began to burn. “I need to know. Did you do that on
purpose?”

“Of course not.” I sat up straight. I’d been
ready to apologize, but her tone wasn’t a nice one. “It was an
accident.”

The woman gasped, clasping her hands over her
heart in an overly dramatic gesture. I raised an eyebrow in
Elliot’s direction before her next words brought my attention back
to the forefront of the room.

“Then you must be the one sent for me. Can
you come up here please?”

I started shaking my head before she could
finish her question. “Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I do
apologize for the interruption in your presentation.”

She gave me a patronizing grin as if she were
sorry for me. “Presentation. Yes, it is that. Don’t be shy. You are
a sign. A gift sent to me by the gods.”

“Really, you’ve got the wrong person.” I
picked up my purse. “I’ll just leave so you can continue.”

“Don’t be silly.” Kathy Carter’s smile grew
brighter. “Everyone in this room has come here to see me. I meet
hundreds of people at these conventions. But you must be special.
Are you a sensitive?”

“A what?” I desperately wanted her to turn
away from me. The woman needed to get on with her speech so we
could get out of there. She had stopped in front of me and crossed
her arms. “Look, I’m not being sensitive about anything other than
the fact you are embarrassing me in front of all these strangers.
Now can you please move? I’d like to leave.”

“A sensitive. Someone who can sense things
others cannot.” Kathy uncrossed her arms, glancing down at Elliot
before turning her strange eyes back on me. “No matter. Your
knowledge will come with time. Will you stand up, please?”

I could feel my temperature rising the longer
I stood there. Her harassment was becoming too much for me to
handle. “I really don’t think that’s necessary. Aren’t you just
going to give us your presentation and be done with it?”

“Oh, there will be a presentation.” Kathy
gestured towards me to stand. “One of which you are now a part of
it. Please introduce yourself.”

My so-called friend looked worried, but he
didn’t defend me. Instead, he took my purse from my grasp. “You
have to, Eva. You were chosen.”

Was he serious? I glared at Elliot as I stood
up to face the room full of people who were staring at me with a
mixture of awe and annoyance.

“Hello. My name is Eva. I am sorry I
interrupted this session for you.”

I made a move to grab my purse from Eli’s
clutches, sure that the scryer’s harassment would be over if I
apologized to everyone. I figured I could be excused for not
staying after all this. No. Not even close. Kathy Carter took hold
of my arm and pulled me up front to the table with her.

“Eva, is it? That’s nice.” Kathy reached over
to the table to pick up a heavy hand mirror. “The spirits are
telling me you don’t believe in them. You detest the paranormal. Is
this true?”

“Honestly?” I looked to Elliot, then to the
scryer. “No, I don’t detest the paranormal. I just think you are
all here to make money.”

“And you? Isn’t that why you are here as
well?”

Touché.

“I really need to get going.” I tried to ease
away from her, but this woman was quick. She grabbed my arm again
to hold me in place.

“Then look into this mirror. If you see
nothing, then I will release you.” She handed it to me with the
care one would preserve for a child. “Yet if you see anything –
anything at all – you must tell us at once what you see.”

“I am going to see my reflection. Nothing
more, nothing less.” I shrugged. “I hate to break it to you, but
that’s how mirrors work these days.”

“Indeed.” Kathy pushed the mirror against my
hands. “Well, then. The sooner you take a look and do as I say, the
sooner you can sit back down with your love over there.”

Love? Who did this lady think she was? Her
assumption made me angry. I couldn’t explain my sudden anger, but I
felt defensive towards her. I wanted nothing more than to snatch
the mirror from her hand and smash it against the carpet. Yet, just
as I wrapped my hands around the handle, I remembered the contract
I’d signed saying I would put myself in these exact same situations
for money.

Damn it.

“Alright, but only if I get to leave after
this.”

I was surprised at how heavy the mirror was
as Kathy Carter released her grip. It was obviously old with
carvings along the rim and handle. I flipped it over so the glass
was facing me. I saw what I always see in a mirror.

“I see myself.” I handed it back to her. “I’m
not sure what you were trying to prove, but I don’t think it
worked.”

“Tell me you are willing to do this.” Kathy
Carter was shifting from foot to foot, locking her hands in front
of her as she refused to take it back. “You must be willing.”

“Well, I’m not.” I thrust the mirror in her
direction. “So take this back.”

“Please,” The scryer closed in the distance
between her and clasped her hands over mine holding the mirror.
“Just try. Be willing to try.”

“Try what exactly?” I frowned. “You’re not
being very clear.”

“I can’t explain it. No human can explain
what happens with mere words. Just please, say what I tell you to
say.”

Kathy glanced at the audience and I got it.
She was using me to make her little presentation more dramatic. The
scryer was probably making such a scene to fill in the time gap
since I broke her laptop and subsequently ended the PowerPoint she
would have shown to us. I was so relieved I almost laughed.

“Alright, fine.” I tugged my hands free from
the woman. “I’m willing to play along with your act. What do you
need me to say?”

“I take thee, mirror, to be my own.”

I turned towards the audience and waved the
mirror like a flag. “I take thee, mirror, to be my own.”

The scryer clapped her hands together with
obvious excitement. “Apollo, bless my eyes to make me see. Allow me
to hear the words unheard by the living to learn from the dead. I
am your daughter. Your messenger. Your servant for time
immortal.”

“Ok.” I faced her and repeated her mantra.
When I was done, I tried to give her the mirror once more. “Can I
go now?”

“Close your eyes, child. Your world will
change the moment you open them.”

“Whatever it takes to get this over
with.”

I let out an exaggerated sigh as I closed my
eyes. I felt the woman grab my hands, holding them so tight against
the handle it was hard for me not to cry out as the carvings cut
into my palms. Kathy Carter started whispering, her words getting
lost to my ears as my hands began to burn. This time, I did cry
out. But the woman had a grip on me. One she wasn’t going to let go
of easily.

I felt the heat rising up from my hands as it
traveled up my arms. I was so focused on getting away from the
scryer I barely heard the applause erupting through the room. The
fire engulfing me didn’t stop until it reached my eyes and my ears.
The horrible woman started cackling like a witch in a fairy tale
just as the pain from the heat become unbearable. She released my
hands as she called out so that the entire room could hear her.

“It’s over! Thanks be to the gods, my time is
over.”

I opened my eyes trying to seek out Elliot’s
familiar face in this sea of strangers. Instead, my gaze was
trapped by the mirror glowing red. The glass seemed to be
reflecting the fire engulfing my mind. I wanted to look away. I
needed to look away. Yet the color captivated me as a strange white
noise filled my ears.

Elliot pushed Kathy Carter out of the way. He
took hold of my chin to force my eyes away from the strange shades
of red and black. I could see his lips moving. I knew he was asking
me if I was alright.

I couldn’t hear him. I could hear nothing as
the white noise shifted into a furious whispering much like what
the scryer had done. I turned my attention onto the mirror as a
face formed in the darkness. I knew this face was the one
whispering to me. It was a man; young and just as beautiful as
Kathy Carter. His golden eyes shimmered as he smiled. This was the
voice filling my ears.

“Your soul is now mine, Sibyl.”

I dropped the mirror just before I passed
out.

I woke up to a crowd of people surrounding me
as Elliot tried to keep them back. My poor friend was shoving a man
aside from his position by my head when I groaned. I’d like to
think I didn’t actually make a sound. I’d like to believe I simply
sat up on my own and asked the spectators just what the hell they
were looking at.

Truth be told, I felt like a fool and my head
hurt. A lot. So I groaned just like every chick in a bad romance
novel that needed the man to save her.

Elliot was as astute as ever. He was by my
side in an instant. I opened my eyes just enough to see him
kneeling over me, brushing my hair off my forehead.

“Eva, honey, are you ok? Can you hear
me?”

I rose up enough to grab his shirt to pull
him lower. When we were just about to touch noses, I whispered. “If
there is anyone at this damned conference who can make me
disappear, find them. Find them now.”

Elliot’s laughter was laced with his relief.
He turned to the crowd around us and announced I was fine. I
struggled to sit up, wincing as black spots began to dance across
my vision. The stranger Elliot had pushed away was still behind me
so I was sure he was the one who put his hands on my shoulders to
steady me.

“Don’t move too fast. You’ve had a nasty
fall.”

“I’m fine. I fell on the floor which happens
all the time.” I grumbled as I turned towards the stranger. His
black suit was rumpled, yes. And he was a bit too interested in
studying my eyes. But he was movie-star gorgeous, despite the
jagged scar which ran down the side of his face. If I hadn’t been
so stunned, I was sure I would have started drooling.

Talk about embarrassing yourself.

“Eva, are you sure you’re alright?” Elliot
had returned to my field of vision. I didn’t miss how his blue gaze
had turned to ice as he looked between me and the man. An awkward
moment passed between the three of us before my friend spoke again.
He took my arm. “Can you stand up? You really should get up off the
floor.”

I was in the process of standing up when a
scream filtered into the conference room. This time, it wasn’t
mine. The audience who had been watching me started filtering out.
Many picked up their pace when they heard the scream. I started to
follow them but something was holding me back. No, not something.
Someone. The stranger was frowning at the door as he tightened his
grip on my arm.

“Ms. Carter is no longer with us.” His dark
eyes flashed as he knelt down to pick up the mirror with his free
hand. “It seems this now belongs to you.”

“Oh, no.” I took a step back away from his
grip with my hands up. “I want nothing to do with that damned
thing.”