Loving Through Glass

Chapter Two: Secrets On Brooklyn Avenue

Liz stumbled through the alleys as she made her way out of the winding roads, the mind bending maze that would have most any normal person confused and wandering around aimlessly for hours.

But Liz was no normal person.

Gradually, she eased herself out into the open sidewalks busy with shop goers and midday tourists finding their way about for lunch.

The rain had stopped its assault and the sun had begun to shine, aiding in drying off Liz's rain soaked clothes and showing her off to the others around her.

Liz wasn't the type of girl that would make men swoon at their feet, and neither was she so incredibly mortifying that she refused to look out into the world, but the one feature that marked her for what she was to society was one scar.

One scar that stretched from the left hand corner of her eye, almost like the trail of a teardrop, curved over her cheekbone and then arched itself back to the sharp edge of her jaw.

Hiding her scar with her hair, she travelled down Brooklyn Avenue to visit the one woman who still dared to communicate with her without fear of being attacked by the others who harassed Liz.

Korine was an eccentric type of woman who stuck to reading palms and telling the future , and with already being somewhat of an outsider she was able to gain Liz's trust, having her open up to her about her past.

She was the only one who knew. The only one who knew the whole entire truth.

And that truth would go with her to the grave, or so she swore it to Liz.

Walking into the shop she saw the familiar light above her decorated with large portions of fabric that hung in all directions to signify some unity Korine had been rambling on about in weeks previous.

Liz set her bag down onto one of the old metal stools that was situated next to the counter full of assorted charms, necklaces and beads.

"Korine!" She said, picking up a lamp that had strange handwriting on it, as she was inspecting its insides closer Korine came hustling out of the back room.

The beads that hung from the doorway announced her hasty entrance as they swung to and fro in chaos.

"Liz! You have no idea how much I had been hoping you would come in child, come here come here." She said in a rush, holding her hands out.

Liz carefully came closer, but nearly buckled to the ground when a wave of nausea rushed over her.

Korine refused to let her fall, pinching her wrists with her frail fingers and gripping the back of her neck with her abnormally strong hands.

Liz began to shake, fear that she had not realized was still there began to take over, her body was frozen at a stand still and she was incapable of even twitching one of her fingers.

"Elizabeth Steele," A low and throaty voice rose up from within Korine's chest, "you know what you must do."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "It-It can't be." She choked out, the feeling of a thousand rocks pressing down on her. "I still have time, I promised that I would-w-would finish the job, regardless of what happened to me."

Korine's eyes flashed, and Liz watched in horror as her friends once green eyes were painted over with a sickly black.

"Your friend knows of the deceit you use, if anyone finds out the true reason you are cursed with that hideous face it will be the end of us and we refuse to fall without you."

Korine's hands came up to Liz's throat and lifted her into the air, choking the air from her lungs before throwing her into one of the display cases.

Liz coughed and hacked, shakily drawing in breaths when the swan necklace slipped out from the inside of her shirt.

The being holding control over Korine stepped forward, disbelief scattered across its face.

"Where did you find this." It hissed. "That is not yours to hold! You will complete the task you were assigned to do, otherwise, André shall be given orders that you will regret. Now hand over the talisman!" It shrieked in dismay, lunging for Liz's neck.

She shot back and scrambled away from the possessed form of her friend, throwing whatever she could find at the beast.

"You are a worthless piece of filth! Do you not realize you are such a waste of space on this god forsaken planet that not even your brother would leave you on it without marking your transgressions upon your face!"

Liz grabbed onto the swan and screamed, pain streaming from her scar as the being moved forward.

But before it could attack, the swan locket cracked open, and the sound of beating wings filled the air followed by a screech beyond comprehension.

In a flash of light the being was gone and Korine was collapsed on the floor.

Liz twitched on the ground, the swan sealed shut and her scar still burning in agony.

She lifted her hand up to her face and looked at her reflection in the broken shards of a mirror.

The entire length of her scar, instead of being its normal pale pink color had turned a bright shimmering gold.

Liz screamed in horror and ran from the mirror, tripping over Korine's unconscious body before escaping the fortune teller's store and sprinting down the street.

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