Looking for Lucy Jo (18 page)

Emma looked at Lana and nodded. Her sister did the same and they both closed their eyes, gripping each other’s hands tightly around Aria’s watch.

They could hear the vague sound of voices coming from outside the pool, the sound was almost mesmerizing and they soon found themselves drifting slowly into another vision.

Lana’s eyes opened wide. ‘Emma? You here? Can you hear me?’

Suddenly Emma was standing beside her.

‘We’re on the capsule again?’

Lana nodded, searching for the ugly woman.

‘There, look. It’s us. That’s like… too weird.’ Lana gasped at the sight of themselves.

‘I know, right? Isn’t that her there?’ Emma whispered walking closer. ‘She’s just brushed up against me. Did she just put something in my pocket? Oh my god. It’s not just the watch. We need to get out of this vision now and tell them.’

Lana agreed.

‘We can come back to it straight away, okay?’

Lana nodded. ‘How do we get back, though? I’ve never managed to figure that out.’

‘I’m not sure. Let’s just close our eyes and concentrate on the water. The sounds of the guys talking outside, yeah?’

‘Uh huh.’

Soon, the girls found themselves back in the pool. Lana immediately released her sister’s hand and pushed herself up from the bottom. ‘Guys? Guys! You need to go tell Eleanor immediately—’ Lana paused. ‘Huh? Where is everyone? Why is it so dark?’

Emma appeared beside her and swam towards the edge of the pool. ‘What’s going on?’ she whispered.

‘I… I don’t know, but I don’t like it.’

The sound of laughter erupted from all around them, echoing off of every surface.

‘Oh God, sis. I know that laugh. I’ve heard it before.’

‘It’s Madge, isn’t it?’ Lana whispered.

Emma nodded. ‘What should we do?’

‘I spy with my little eye, something beginning with s…’ Madge sang.

‘Where is she?’ asked Lana.

‘I don’t know. But it sounds like she’s everywhere.’

‘What do you want?’ shouted Lana.

‘Answer my question and I will tell you…’

‘What question?’

‘I spy with my little eye, something beginning with s…’ she repeated.

‘S? What begins with S in here?’ whispered Emma.

‘You can’t seriously be willing to play her game?’

‘We have to, or we’ll never get out of here.’

Lana nodded. ‘Swim,’ she yelled.

‘Wrong,’ Madge’s voice sang, and then a scream echoed throughout the room.

Emma gasped. ‘Who was that? What is she doing?’

‘It sounded like Aria. I think she’s hurting her.’

‘Get it wrong again and I’ll slice her again,’ sang the voice.

‘S, think of something beginning with S, sis,’ whispered Emma.

‘I can’t see anything, it’s too dark with all the lights out.’

Emma closed her eyes and concentrated hard until her body began to glow, a light slowly emanating from her core.

‘That’s better,’ whispered Lana.

‘Oh my, the girl glows,’ sang the voice. ‘What a pretty picture.’ She cackled again and the quiet was pierced by another scream.

‘Diarmuid!’ cried Emma. ‘Leave him alone, you witch,’ she shouted.

‘Now, now, there’s no need for that, little girl.’

‘S think of something beginning with S, Lana! What is it?’

‘Swimming pool!’

‘That was too easy,’ Madge sang. ‘But I’ll give it to you. But first, here’s a little gift.’

A loud splash made both girls jump.

‘What is it?’ Emma yelled.

‘Not what, who. It’s Sammy. She’s bleeding. I think she’s unconscious.’

Emma and Lana pushed themselves away from the side of the pool and swam down to Sammy’s side, pulling her up.

‘Is she breathing?’ Emma asked.

‘Yeah. She’s got a deep cut on her arm. Emma, you’ve got to try and heal her, like Diarmuid does.’

‘What? But I can’t?’

‘Emma you can, babe. You can.’

Diarmuid cried out in agony, and as the sound echoed between the walls, the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

‘No!’ cried Emma.

‘Just help Sammy, now. Just do what she says, okay, but for now focus on Sammy. Em, you can do this,’ Lana whispered.

Emma sobbed loudly before she tried to push Sammy’s body out of the water.

‘He’ll be okay, hon. Diarmuid can look after himself. Just concentrate on Sammy right now. Just focus.’

Closing her eyes, Emma concentrated on her core warmth, forcing it upwards. She breathed deeply and let the light and the warmth seep up through her chest and down her arms.

Lana watched, barely breathing, as eventually, the energy filtered out through her fingertips. The warmth of her healing touch brought Sammy back round.

‘What’s happening?’ Sammy whispered. ‘Awww, my arm.’

‘Shhhhh, Sammy, you’re gonna be fine,’ Lana whispered.

‘Holy Hell… we were jumped. There’s quite a few of them.’

‘Shhhhhhhh now, child, that’s enough of that,’ sang Madge. ‘No more telling lies.’

‘Oh no,’ Emma cried.

‘What?’ Sammy asked.

‘She’s going to hurt someone again,’ Emma cried.

The sound of cackling laughter filled the air again, followed by groans of pain.

‘Who was that?’ whispered Lana.

‘Maybe Ava?’ Sammy said, biting her lip.

‘Oh God, Ava,’ Emma cried.

‘Tell us what you want, you old crone,’ yelled Lana.

‘What do I want? Well, have you got all day, love?’

‘My god, she’s totally insane,’ whispered Sammy.

‘Sthenelaus isn’t here, you witch,’ Lana shouted.

‘Sthenelaus? You think I want him? Oh, goodness me, have you still not managed to identify his illness?’ She sighed audibly. ‘I thought you Watchers were meant to be smart.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Lana asked.

‘I don’t want my useless husband. Aria can have him, for all I care. He should have been dead by now. The poison should have killed him months ago, but no, he keeps fighting and fighting and fighting. I was very close to getting rid of him in Seville, until you turned up.’

‘But you screamed for him in Seville?’

The echoes of laughter were followed by her screaming out his name, just like Emma had heard in Spain. ‘I studied theatre, you know, as a child. I was rather good.’

‘If you don’t want him, what do you want from us?’ asked Sammy.

‘I want you to suffer,’ Madge said simply.

‘But why?’

‘You’re Watchers. We’re Skulls. It’s what we do.’

‘But that can’t be it?’ Emma shouted. ‘Why go to all this effort? Just to hurt us?’

‘Well, of course there’s more to it, stupid little girl. I had plans, you know. Big plans – to rule. And he took it away from me. That stupid, incompetent ugly, despicable man. A sorry excuse for a man.’

‘She can talk,’ whispered Lana under her breath.

‘He wanted you all to himself. To be the big tamale, that’s what he used to say. Pathetic. He couldn’t even keep his own son in check. Sorry, Stan, darling, but it’s true.’

‘That’s okay, Mother,’ said another voice in the darkness. ‘When can we kill them?’

The three girls in the pool gasped.

‘All in good time, my boy. All in good time. Are you enjoying yourself, son?’

The younger Skull laughed. ‘Of course, Mother,’ he said, before they heard the sounds of him choking one of their friends.

‘Please stop, please,’ begged Emma.

‘We need a plan,’ Lana whispered. ‘We have to do something.’

‘I know. But what? We’re stuck in a swimming pool. We could be surrounded, for all we know.’

Laughter surrounded them again. ‘Oh dear, girls. You really should just come out of that water. We can hear everything that you say. And you are quite right. You are surrounded.’

‘We’re not coming out until we know what you’re going to do to us?’

‘If you don’t come out, we’ll just have to send someone in to get you. It won’t be difficult. You’re not the only one who can swim like a fish, Emma Jane Morgan. In fact, I have a rather special Skull with me who is more akin to a… shark.’

Suddenly there was a huge splash and the girls screamed.

‘Get out! Get out now, sis!’ Lana yelled.

Both girls struggled to climb out of the water, pulling Sammy at the same time. But it was too late, the Skull had already reached them.

Lana screamed as she felt something brush against her hand as she pulled it out of the water.

‘Emma, that’s a real shark, there’s a real shark in the water,’ Lana cried, hyperventilating.

‘Sammy!’ screamed Emma as their friend disappeared below the water.

Both girls cried.

‘I’m going in, I have to,’ Lana said, standing up and preparing to dive in after them.

‘No, sis, don’t. Please don’t. It’s a shark, it’ll kill you.’

‘If we don’t do this, Sammy is going to die, Emma. She’s going to die. Give us some light.’

‘No, I’m the one who can swim better. I’ll do it.’

Panicking, trying to focus on the light from within, Emma slowed her breathing down, closed her eyes and thought about the warmth. Soon enough, light shone from her core and emanated down her arms and legs. The pool shone brightly, revealing a shark in the centre. But it wasn’t tearing Sammy to bits like they’d imagined. It was gently carrying her through the water. Sammy was whispering something to it, something the girls couldn’t understand. The beast had become tame with her words and her touch.

Moments later, it pushed her up and out of the water.

The girls breathed a huge sigh of relief.

‘Are you alright?’ Lana asked, as Emma continued to sob, her light slowly fading.

‘It’s okay. I’m fine,’ she said as the shark disappeared back under the water. ‘I’m just so relieved I can communicate with animals,’ she whispered as quietly as possible.

‘We’ve got to get out of here,’ Lana lowered her voice even further. ‘Emma, give us some light and let’s try and make a run for it. Make it big, sis, and make it bright.’

Emma nodded, rubbing the tears from her cheeks.

Again, Emma closed her eyes and concentrated hard, focussing on that inner light and warmth until it shone from the centre of her body, the light getting brighter and brighter until Lana had to shield her own eyes before they adjusted.

Looking round, Lana saw nothing—not a single Skull, apart from the shark in the pool. Not a single Watcher except for her, Emma and Sammy.

‘I don’t understand,’ she muttered. ‘There’s no-one here.’

‘They must have gone when the shark jumped in,’ Sammy said.

‘Come on, let’s go,’ Lana said, pulling Emma along down the steps and under the pool until they reached the large oval door.

Pushing it open, they were greeted by total chaos. Skulls were fighting Watchers all along the corridor. Some were injured and lying on the floor and others fought on, bleeding and tired.

Emma gasped. ‘Diarmuid!’ she yelled, watching him fighting a Skull with particularly long talons and sharp teeth. He had long gashes down each arm.

Emma rushed forward to help, leaping onto the creature’s back and pounding him with her fists until he staggered backwards. Diarmuid responded with the strongest punch he could muster and the creature fell unconscious to the ground.

Putting his hands on his knees, Diarmuid leaned forward and took a deep breath.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked. ‘Your arms, they’re a mess.’

‘Look out, babe. There’s more… they seem to be coming out the woodwork.’

She turned to see a man changing into a wolf, snapping at her feet, but before she could react, Liam grabbed it by its tail and swung it hard against the wall. The beast yelped and slumped forward.

Proud of his accomplishment, Liam let his guard down for a second, allowing a second creature to pounce on him. Its fangs protruded from a long ugly brown, hairy face and sharp claws sprung from its hands.

‘Liam!’ Emma yelled, as it dragged him a little further down the hallway. But Liam was one of the strongest Watchers in their class, and he managed to punch it in the face, forcing it to release its hold on his leg. Throwing himself at the beast, Liam pounded and pounded its body until it no longer moved. Seconds later though, two more appeared, backing him against the wall.

Every one of the Watchers was being cornered, including Lana and Emma, as several Skulls more than seven feet tall overpowered them.

Moments later, Madge walked through the hallway, grinning wildly.

‘You really shouldn’t have retaliated like that. It’s really not very nice and you will pay… Oh my, you will pay. But where are all the grown-ups? Leaving their children to fight for them? Not very fair, is it?’