Tommy and the Monster

Chapter Twelve

 Tommy stared into the mirror in shock as the image faded away, and he was looking at his own reflection again. The man staring back at him looked horrified by all that he now knew.

 He knew now why he always thought he heard someone calling his name.

 "How did you find your way in here?"

 Lady Floor had suddenly materialized in the doorway. He hadn't even heard her come in. He turned to the doorway, but couldn't bring himself to truly look her in the eye.

 "Tommy?" She stepped into the room. "What did you ask the mirror to show you?"

 He didn't answer her. He ran past her out of the room and down the many stairs, trying to get to the front doors as quickly as he could. If Roy and the others were still out in the forest, he could still catch up with them.

 Throwing the doors open, Tommy ran down the path at full speed, heading straight for the woods. They couldn't be too far away. He could still find them and tell them what happened to him.

 As soon as he reached the edge of the woods, he found himself being thrown back onto the ground with a thud. He slowly got up and balanced himself. He reached out his hand to touch what was apparently some invisible wall, something keeping him from going back out into the woods.

 "You must be in a bad way if you thought that would actually work."

 Tommy turned around. "Did I know this would happen? That I couldn't leave?"

 "I didn't know for certain," Lady Floor replied, "But I thought it would be. Whenever I wanted to leave and never come back, it wouldn't let me go."

 "Have you ever actually left?"

 "Not in a long time. I've never been able to leave. I'm not meant to."

 "What are you saying, then?" Tommy asked. "I'm not meant to leave, either? Am I meant to be trapped here forever?"

 "No, no. I don't believe so. It means that you're not meant to leave yet."

 "But my brother is looking for me! Simone from the inn and her friends went with him to look for me. They might not have left yet."

 She shook her head. "It is good that your absence is encouraging Mr. Khan to make some friends. But you can't go with them."

 Tommy stared at her for several long seconds. He then slowly walked back up the path, back into the castle, further away from those who were searching for him, worried for him.

~~~~~~

 "Tommy? Are you still awake?"

 Tommy lay silently on his bed, staring out the windows. He hadn't gone down for supper. He didn't anything to eat, and he didn't want to see her.

 "I know why you're upset," she said. "It is difficult for me to understand your connection to those people, and I know why. I know what you saw and heard when you asked the mirror to show you your brother. The story that man Thomas told...I'm sorry to say that it's true. I was that cold, unfeeling woman very few remember these days. I'm not surprised nearly everyone has forgotten me. I suppose you can see why I never told you about myself.

 "I wanted to tell you this face-to-face, but I didn't when a good time would be to tell you so. I asked the mirror if it would show me someone who could break the curse in this place, on me. And it showed me you. How you are to break it, I can't say. But I think you should know that I only have control over a small amount of magic on this castle. You're meant to be here, Tommy. Is there anything, anything at all, you would like to discuss?"

 She stood outside the door, hoping for a reply, but didn't hear a sound.

 "Goodnight, Tommy," she said softly.

~~~~~~

 Back in her own wing, Lady Floor let out a growl of frustration and kicked the table over on its side.

 She should have been honest with him form the beginning. She had thought the mysterious she came off as, the more drawn to her he would be. It had worked on men in the past, hadn't it?

 But this Tommy Karevik was honest. She had asked him to talk to her and answer her questions with genuine honesty, and he had done just that. Now she felt she should have done the same. But if she had, he surely would have tried to run away from her sooner.

 There had to be a chance still. The enchantments wouldn't let him leave when he tried to go after his brother.

 She would do better. She would be kinder to him, more sympathetic, more considerate. At this point, it seemed to be the best chance she had.