September 17

Two years later...

Slick black stones and towering pines surrounded the lake. A thick silence hung heacy in the cold air. The surface of the lake was smooth as glass, and Ellie was just as still. Above the water's center she stood; her feet touched nothing, her hands touched nothing. She simply 'was'. But where? She didn't know the place. But what she did know was there was something very wrong.

No stars or moon hung in the void-like sky above, yet the surrounding area had no trouble emitting its own eerie luminescence. From where the young woman floated she could feel these eyes on her.

"In less than a year," hissed the unseen. "You will know the deepest depths of this place. Ellie gave a small shriek at the sudden burning sensation on her upper left thigh. "Welcome to my family," that voice continued. "Elizabeth Skye Carlisle."

--------------

Smoke and the choking smell of burnt eggs filled the small kitchen. Finally freed from the more-than-odd daydream, Ellie panicked; the pan slipped from the stove, spilling uneatable mess and hot grease all over the gorl's lefgs and across the floor After fumbling to shut off the burner, Ellie hurried to the shower to try and quell some of the potential swelling. Only when she was done and toweling herself dry did she notice the on mark on her thigh. She dried her face and switched on the light for a clearer look.

Almost as if it had been branded into her flesh, the mark was red and raw. A handprint, raised and shining in the dim light. And at the tips of each finger was a small, thin slice. Cuts left by claws? Just seeing that angry crimson placed a deep fear into Ellie's eyes.

"No," she whispered. "Not me. Please not me!"

Maybe it's the steam, she tried to reason with ehrself. NAils raking through her hair, she began to dry herslef off with shaking hands. Or...or maybe just a coincidence. F-from the grease! But even after she dried and dressed and put some ointment on ehr skin, the mark was still there. Lip trembling, Ellie took her phone and called the one person she hoped could help her.

"Aaron? Please help me. I think I'm in trouble!" The soft, baritone voice on the line called the girl on her fear, coaxing her into a state where she could calmly explain what had happened. "...a-and I'm not sure what to do, Aaron," she added at the end. "Please, Aaron... I don't want to end up like...like the others!"

"Ellie, you won't," came that calming rumble Aaron had always had, even in the most dire of situations. "Please, come see me today. We can meet at that cafe you enjoy so much. We will talk." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "I believe I have someone who may be able to help."

Heart racing, Ellie agreed. Though leary of the man's lack of detail, she let herself float in the hope that Aaron had offered her. IT might have been sheer and easily frayed, but it was something to keep the girl from completely losing her wits.

---------------

If not for the soothing scent of the chamomile tea steaming in her hands, Ellie would have been a wreck; eyes were already on her for how loud and steady her foot tapping was. Crowds swelled around her, their voices an ocean surge to her ears. It was far too loud; she couldn’t tell if Aaron was nearby or not. If only they’d allow her a moment of silence... Her thigh itched where the mark was. Maybe it was just from the grease; she didn’t want to check.

Finally, over the clamor of people and cars, she heard the telltale rumble of that vintage Murayoshi motorcycle Aaron was so proud of. The bike came to a stop by the sidewalk and a great bear of a man dismounted. HE removed his helmet and sat it on the bike’s seat.

“Sorry I’m late, my dear,” he said in his rumbling voice. Aaron claimed the vacant seat across from Ellie. “There was an accident on Grove Street. We were detoured down Finch.”

Ellie nodded. “That’s, that’s fine.” Awkward about the people surrounding them, Ellie looked everywhere all at once and then back to Aaron. As if sensing Ellie’s anxiety, the large man took her hands into his paws.

“Elizabeth, please calm yourself.” He lowered his tone. “Show me the mark.”

Careful so as to not alert those around her, Ellie motioned to her skirts. She pulled the left side up to expose just enough of her outer thigh for Aaron to see the scream of red there on her pale skin. The look in his eyes almost made her cry.

“No,” he said in a stern, fatherly way. “There is a chance you could pull free from this horrid creature.”

“How, Aaron?” Ellie all but sobbed. The tears welled up in her eyes but she kept just enough control to keep them at bay. Her lips trembled. She felt like throwing up. No words could describe the shivers going through her body with every twitch that...that THING on her leg did. “I know what happens to people after they’ve been marked.”

“Ellie...”

“They die, Aaron. You, more than anyone else, know that.”

A bittersweet grin crossed the man’s dark face. “Yes, I do. But there still might be a way.”

Ellie laughed. It was a hollow, cruel sound; hard to imagine it came from such a pretty woman. However dejected she was to think of a future beyond the next year, she would let Aaron woo her with a little dream. “Then tell me,” she sighed. “

Aaron nodded. “There is a young man at my work who, I believe, has beaten back this creature. He was marked just over three years ago, and has since woken up from the coma stage. He’s pulled through, Ellie,” he said in a hopeful whisper. “And if you two meet, I’m sure you could do so much for each other.”

Daring to let herself believe the words, the young woman bit her lip. Was there truly a way to avoid death? To escape the clutches of a nightmare made reality? “Anything, Aaron,” she made herself say. “Who is he? When can I meet him?”

“Tomorrow morning, if you like. But, Ellie, you must know--”

“Of course! I’ll do it!”

“Ellie.” That kind face changed. Aaron was no longer the friend Ellie had known for years. He was a cold professional once again.

“What is it? Aaron?”

“This man. He’s...” Seeming to struggle for words, Aaron gave an exasperated sigh. “He’s not normal, Ellie.”

“Is he another doctor, or a nurse?” The look told her a resounding ‘no’. Her heart fluttered. IF this supposed savior of hers wasn’t a doctor, then he could only be... “He’s a patient, isn’t he?”

“I’m sorry, Ellie. But there’s no one else I can think of who might be able to help you. I understand if you want to change your mind. I’ll do all I can to help you until--”

A raised hand was all it took to silence the doctor. Her lips curled into a faint, but hopeful smile. “What time tomorrow morning can I come see him?”

Aaron gave a blank stare. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. What can go wrong? He says no?” She laughed bitterly, sipping at the now lukewarm tea. It still made her feel a little better, still human. Still alive. “What is his name?”

“Spencer Grey.”

“I know that name...”

The man nodded. “You should. He raised quite a stir back when he first came to me. Reports and doctors from all over the country flocked to me, trying to get his story. Trying to understand how, out of thousands, he was the only one to survive. I turned them all away, but--” He made a noise. “Still they try.”

About to ask what Aaron meant, Ellie stopped herself when she noticed the doctor wasn’t looking at her anymore. On the other side of the open-air cafe, at a table all by himself, sat a man in a long dark coat, wearing a tweed cap. He was sipping casually at a steaming cup of tea, but his eyes were aimed straight at Aaron. Noticing he had been seen, the man set his cup down and pushed himself from the table.

“Do the hounds of Hell know no rest?” Aaron grimaced as the man walked over.

“Nary a moment,” the man replied, his voice thick with a lilting brogue. He was handsome, Ellie saw. His dark hair was peppered with premature gray, and he kept a neat goatee. His gray eyes seemed to take in all that was around him. “It’s a lovely day for a nice spot o’ tea, eh?”

“Surely you didn’t come to tell me that. What is it you want?”

The man smirked. “You know.”

Aaron grimaced, and shook his head. “I will not.”

And the man shrugged. “I have all the time in the world, Aaron.” He tipped his hat to Ellie. “Have a nice day, mum.” And with that, he turned to leave. “Oh, by the by,” he said at the last moment. “Seems there’s a bit o’ trouble at Alnwick. Might want to hurry back before the police get involved again.”

Ellie could almost hear the cracking of Aaron’s knuckles as he clenched them into fists. With everything still swimming in her head, she didn’t really catch the stranger’s meaning. Even as the man’s cloaked back faded off into the crowd, she sat there in a haze. Only when Aaron touched his hand to hers did she tumble back to the here and now.

“Ellie, I have to get back. If you’re serious about meeting Spencer, come by tomorrow morning at nine-thirty. I trust you remember where my office is?”

All she could do was nod. Giving her a weak smile, Aaron returned to his bike, put on his helmet, and sped off faster than the roar of the engine had to linger in the ears of passersby. Words and garbled chunks of what couldn’t even be called speech tumbled softly from Ellie’s lips. There was a chance... There was a chance! Slim though it was, she still wanted to grasp onto it like the strings of so many balloons to take her away from the nightmare that was now her reality.

“Tomorrow morning at nine-thirty,” she repeated back to herself. With a feeble upward tug at the corners of her mouth, Ellie sat there a while longer, enjoying her tea and wondering just might be in store when she met this Spencer Grey.