Wails in the Night

Chapter 5: Secrets revealed

"You're lying to me! Why are you lying? After we took you in without question?"

"I'm not lying!" Agatha shouted back.

Elizabeth jabbed a finger at her. "You have that same look, just like when we were kids and you said we wouldn't get in trouble, and we always did. When you talked me into mischief...You're up to something, tell me! Where were you for six months?!"

Elizabeth and Agatha were seated on a stone bench in the garden, until Elizabeth jumped up and spun to face her cousin as she shouted, her cheeks and the tips of her ears tinged pink.

Agatha's shoulders slumped. "I have become a Banshee. I made a deal with an older Banshee. I had to, I would have died..."

"No! I don't want to hear one of your stories...Banshees and fairies and nonsense! Tell me the.."

Agatha mumbled a spell under her breath. A spell that caused her glamour to vanish, revealing her real appearance, with long glistening white hair that floated and moved around her head as though she were underwater. Agatha tried to keep her expression neutral as she gazed at Elizabeth with ruby eyes.

Elizabeth screamed and backed away so quickly her feet tangled in her skirt and she fell on the stone pathway.

Elizabeth covered her mouth, eyes wide as they could go. Agatha felt like time slowed to a crawl, as she waited to hear what Elizabeth would say.

'Who...what are you..." Elizabeth stammered in a whisper.

Agatha closed her eyes and whispered the words of the spell to restore her glamour.

"It's ok! I know it's a shock."

Elizabeth didn't move or speak, just sat there staring, taking shallow gasping breaths.

"You can't tell anyone, I'll explain everything, but please, you must..."

"Elizabeth!" The voice of her father Denis was raised in alarm as he hurried over and helped his daughter to her feet. "What happened? I heard you scream!" Denis spoke to his daughter, but his gaze was narrowed on Agatha.

"I'm fine, Papa. I saw a mouse, it scared me so badly I tripped trying to run from it."

Agatha breathed a quiet sigh of relief. I'll make this up to you, somehow.

Denis turned and helped his daughter to her feet. "If there are mice in the garden, we'll have to set out traps."

"Or get a cat," Agatha offered.

Denis turned and looked at her coldly. "I don't care for cats. Filthy, sneaky beasts."

"Come inside, Elizabeth," Denis said as he turned his back and walked into the house with Elizabeth by his side.

Agatha followed more slowly. He isn't overtly hostile, He allows me to live here, but he could just as easily cast me out in the street if he chose.

When she entered the house, Elizabeth was walking up the stairs, and Denis was sitting on a cushioned bench near the back door. When he saw Agatha, he motioned for her to have a seat on a nearby stool.

"Agatha, I wanted to speak with you about your position in this house. Please have a seat."

"I have no problem with you being here, I am happy to give a place to a poor homeless relative of my wife's family. But, I do have some requests to make of you, in return for our generosity," Denis said as he pulled a folded sheet of paper from the pocket of his vest.

"I wrote out a list of daily chores that I want you to complete, in addition to your duties to Elizabeth."

She slowly took the paper from his outstretched hand.