第九章:瑪拉的選擇
姐妹們屏住了呼吸。瑪麗推開門。起初,裡面一片漆黑,但摩根召來了她的光,照亮了黑暗的過道里那陳舊昏暗的磚牆。
「最好關上大門,以防萬一」,瑪麗耳語道。她把鑰匙放進口袋。 「小聲點。」
摩根搓了搓她的手,光變得更亮,照亮了整個走廊。她們發現自己站在走廊的中段位置,向左右兩端看,可以看到磚牆向兩邊延伸,然後變成了鐵欄桿。你檢查左邊的那個,摩根傳話給瑪麗。我檢查這邊這個,她開始向右走。瑪麗牽了米娜的手,帶著她向走廊深處走去。
「等一等」,她突然停下,貼著米娜的耳朵低聲說。她想先檢查一下:誰知道是其他什麼人關在裡面。幸運的是,她們有摩根的光,據瑪麗所知,只有瑪拉和她們自己能看得到這光。
瑪麗在牢房的一側透過欄桿往裡瞧,她的心砰砰作跳。裡面是空的。她放心地吸了一口氣,拉著米娜的手走向另一端,摩根已在那邊示意她們過去。
「瑪拉!」知道另一個牢房是空的,瑪麗用正常的聲音喊道。瑪拉倒在牢房的一個角落,摩根已在其上方點燃了一個溫暖的火球。她仍然穿著她那顯的襤褸的婚紗禮服。婚紗長長的下擺沾滿了灰色污垢,鋪在她的腳上像是一架手風琴,她的衣袖已從她的肩膀脫落。那斑斑血跡,曾經是那樣鮮紅閃亮,已經褪色為死沉沉的褐色。她的頭軟綿綿地靠在角落裡。
瑪拉弱弱地抬起頭,看著她的姐妹們,由於光線突然亮起,她擦擦她的眼睛。
「你們在這兒干什么?」
米娜抓著欄桿,伸進她的頭。
「我們來救你!我們知道你是無辜的!「
瑪麗檢查了一下鎖,在鑰匙串上尋找合適的鑰匙。
瑪拉站起來慢慢走向欄桿。她來到她的姐妹們跟前,用手輕輕地撫摸著米娜的臉。在近距離,她們可以看到她的眼睛紅腫,淚跡在她臉上畫出條條花紋。
「你們怎么進來的?為什么「
「說來話長,」摩根說。 「我們在回家后將有充裕的時間解釋。」
「對,」瑪麗插話道:她試著把一個鑰匙插進鎖孔里搖動著。
「但是,我們需要你幫助我們離開。還有一名警衛在外面某個地方,即使他現在應該在忙著干他的事,我們也需要你幫我們抹去我們的腳印,不留下任何事情發生的痕迹。「
鑰匙被卡住了。瑪麗把它拉出來,嘗試另一個。
「你們不應該來的,」瑪拉說。 「這太危險了。」
「現在不是為我們擔心的時候!」摩根顯得不耐煩地看著瑪麗,她正在嘗試另一個鑰匙。
瑪拉轉向瑪麗,她的手通過欄桿握住她的手。
「你在那裡找不到鑰匙的,」她說。
「我聽他們講過。只有一個鑰匙,在警長那裡。「她坐倒在地上,背靠在牆上。
「好吧,」摩根看著瑪麗,尋求她的批准。 「沒有其他選擇。我只好把它融化。「
瑪麗看著瑪拉坐在地上嬌小的身軀堅定地點了點頭。
「干吧。」
沒等摩根可以動身,瑪拉已搖了搖頭。她的胸部也跟著晃動,清澈的淚水湧出她的眼睛。
「太感謝你們了,」她說。
「你知道我有多么愛你們,多麼想你們。但我不能走。我......「她用她的衣服擦乾她的臉。 「我不能。」
摩根,瑪麗,和米娜聚集在她的身邊,坐在地板上。
「你必須走,」瑪麗說。 「我知道你現在非常悲傷,不能正常思考,但在這一件事上你必須要相信我們。你現在非常危險,我們不知道是什么東西在作祟,它有什么樣的法力,想要幹什麼。「
瑪拉又搖了搖頭,掩面抽泣。 「我很抱歉,」她說。
「我真不希望你們冒著生命危險來救我。但我不會離開。「
摩根的臉皺成一團,瑪麗可以看到她盡一切努力控制著不爆發出哭聲。她的嘴一開一閉。 「為什么?」她終於開口,拉著瑪拉的衣服。
突然她們腳下的地在輕輕顫動。瑪麗馬上轉頭看向門口。但是,那兒連人影也沒有一個。
「別擔心,」瑪拉說。 「是我。這樣的情況已經持續了一整夜。我無法控制它們。」瑪麗轉身拉住瑪拉的手。她從來沒有見過她的大姐姐這樣。她一直敬仰她的自我控制,尤其是她揮灑自如地行使她的法力,並只在絕對必要時才使用。她從來沒有看到瑪拉無法完全掌控它們。
「你知道沒有人在責怪你,對嗎?」瑪麗說。
瑪拉閉上她的眼睛。 「不是這麼回事,人們怎樣看待對我無關緊要。問題是,我不應該讓他處在這樣危險的境地。我應該告訴他,在我想嫁給他的那一刻, 我應該告訴他 ,我......我是。「她喘了一下氣,又大聲哭泣出來。 「我是什么。」地面又震動起來。
摩根看著她的姐姐,淚珠冒出她的眼睛。 「你真的非常愛他,不是嗎?」
瑪拉咽了一口氣,點了點頭。她深深地吸了一口氣,轉身對著她的姐妹們,用眼睛直接看著她們的眼睛。
「老實說,現在我對發生在我身上的事一點也不關心。我所知道的是,我不想讓任何人受到傷害。事情越簡單,麻煩就會越少。即使他們說我有罪......如果我悄悄地去,他們也許會不來打擾你們。「
她們靜靜地坐著。瑪麗在她腦海里搜尋著任何能說服瑪拉的辦法,她搖搖頭,抓緊姐姐的手。
然後,仿佛一隻無形的手封閉了空氣,摩根的火焰突然熄滅。牢房陷入了黑暗。什麼。。沒等摩根多想,門開了。在空蕩的門框里,姐妹們可以看到窗外閃爍著一個橙色火球。摩根和瑪麗馬上站起來,把米娜和瑪拉隱蔽在她們身後。 一道沉悶的灰光從外屋照進走廊。
一個高高的陰影緩慢而沉穩地步入門框。
Chapter 9: Mara』s
Choice
The sisters held
their breaths. Marie pushed on the door and it swung open. At first, the inside
was dark, but Morgan summoned her light and it illuminated the dingy brick wall
of a dark hallway.
「Better close the
door, just in case,」 Marie said in a whisper. She pocketed the keys. 「Keep your
voices down.」
Morgan rubbed her
hands, and the light expanded to show the entire hallway. They were standing in
the middle, and at either end they could see the brick give way to steel
bars. You
check the one on the left, Morgan communicated to Marie. I』ll check this one, and she started to walk toward the
right. Marie took Mina』s hand and led her down the hall. 「Stay back,」 she
whispered in Mina』s ear. She wanted to check first: who knew what other person
they could be holding in the cell. Luckily, they had the cover of Morgan』s
light, which, as far as Marie knew, only Mara and themselves would be able to
see.
Marie peeked into
the cell at the end, her heart racing. It was empty. She sighed a breath of
relief and took Mina』s hand toward the other end, where Morgan was already
motioning for them to come over.
「Mara!」 Now that
they knew the other cell was empty, Marie spoke in a normal voice. Mara was
slumped in the corner of the cell, inside which Morgan had already lit up a
warm floating ball of flame. She was still in her tattered wedding dress. The
train–now smudged gray with dirt–splayed out at her feet like an accordion, and
her sleeve was falling off her shoulder. The blood stains, which earlier had
gleamed bright red, had faded to a dull brown. Her head leaned limply against
the corner.
Mara lifted her head
weakly and looked at her sisters, rubbing her eyes against the sudden light.
「What are you doing
here?」
Mina grabbed onto
the bars and stuck her head between them. 「We came to save you! We know you』re
innocent!」
Marie was already
inspecting the lock, searching through the key ring for one that would fit.
Mara stood and
walked slowly toward the bars. She reached her sisters, and took Mina』s face
gently in her hands. Up close, they could see that her eyes were swollen red,
and tear streaks lined her face.
「How did you get in?
Why–」
「It』s a long story,」
Morgan said. 「But we』ll have plenty of time to explain when we』re all safe at
home.」
「She』s right,」 Marie
chimed in. She was jiggling with a key in the lock. 「But we are going to need
you to help us leave. There』s a guard somewhere outside, and even though he
should be distracted we』ll need you help us erase our footprints so there』s no
trace of anything happening.」
The key jammed.
Marie pulled it out and tried another one.
「You shouldn』t have
come,」 Mara said. 「It』s far too dangerous.」
「Don』t worry about
us right now!」 Morgan looked impatiently at Marie, who was trying another key.
Mara pulled herself
to Marie, reached her hands through the bars, and held her hands. 「You』re not
going to find the key there,」 she said. 「I heard them talking earlier. There』s
only one copy, and the sheriff has it.」 She sank to the ground and sat with her
back against the wall.
「Okay,」 Morgan
looked at Marie, seeking her approval. 「There』s no choice then. I』ll just have
to melt it.」
Marie looked firmly
at Mara』s slight figure on the ground and nodded. 「Go for it.」
Before Morgan could
even take a step, Mara shook her head. Her chest shook with it, and a fresh
stream of tears surged into her eyes. 「Thank you so much,」 she said. 「You know
how much I love you and care about you so much. But I can』t go. I…」 She wiped
her face with cloth from her dress. 「I won』t.」
Morgan, Marie, and
Mina gathered around her, sitting on the floor.
「You have to,」 Marie
said. 「I know you』re grieving right now and can』t really think straight, but
you have to trust us on this one. We don』t know what is out there, what kind of
powers it has, or what it wants.」
Mara shook her head
again, sobbing into her arms. 「I』m so sorry,」 she said. 「I hate that you guys
risked all this to get to me. But I』m not leaving.」
Morgan』s face
crumpled into a tight ball, and Marie could see she was doing all she could to
keep from bursting out. She opened and closed her mouth. 「But why?」 she finally
asked, tugging on Mara』s dress.
Underneath their
feet, the ground trembled lightly. Marie turned around in an instant, looking
toward the door. But there was no one there.
「Don』t worry,」 Mara
said. 「It』s just me. It』s been happening all night. I can』t help it.」 Marie
turned around and took Mara』s hand. She had never seen her big sister like
this. She had always looked up to her self-control, especially her ability to
command her powers and use them only when absolutely necessary. Never in her
life had she seen Mara completely unable to hold them in.
「You know no one is
blaming you, right?」 Marie said.
Mara closed her
eyes. 「It doesn』t matter what people think now. It』s not about that. I never
should have put him in danger like that. I should have told him, the minute I
even thought of marrying him what I….what I was.」 She gasped for air and sobbed
out. 「What I am.」 The ground jolted.
Morgan looked at her
sister, and tears spotted her eyes. 「You really loved him, didn』t you?」
Mara swallowed and
nodded. She breathed deeply and turned towards her sisters. She looked them
straight in the eyes.
「Honestly, I don』t
care what happens to me now. All I know is I don』t want to get anyone else
hurt. And the more straightforward everything is, the less trouble there will
be. Even if they say I』m guilty…If I go quietly, maybe they』ll leave you guys
alone.」
They sat in silence.
Marie scanned her thoughts for any ideas to persuade Mara, shaking her head and
squeezing her sister』s hand.
Then, as if an
invisible hand had closed in the air, Morgan』s flame was suddenly extinguished.
The cell plunged into darkness. What the–but before Morgan
could finish her thought, the door swung open. In the empty frame, the sisters
could see the orange glow of fire flickering outside the windows. Morgan and
Marie got to their feet, shielding Mina and Mara behind them. Dull gray light
issued into the hallway from the outer room.
Slowly but steadily,
a tall, dark shadow stepped into the frame.