“Yep, I can do it. For being a cybersecurity expert, she picks the most ridiculous passwords,” he mentioned. “Okay, nothing on social media, emails have been unread for over a week. She hasn’t checked anything.”
“What does this prove?” Celeste queried.
“If Celine reverted to Josie, she’d be checking her email,” Damien assured them. “Josie was always connected. The only time she wasn’t was when she started having the issues with the dreams and… well, became Celine.”
“The lack of access on Josie’s accounts seems to suggest she has not reverted to Josie,”
Alexander surmised.
“Correct,” Damien concurred. “Last piece of evidence for that theory will come from Aunt Monica tomorrow. I’ll text her in the morning. If there is no sign of Celine with Aunt Monica, I’d say it’s safe to assume Celine did not revert to Josie.” Damien closed his laptop. “If you don’t mind, could we play that game of chess now?”
“Of course,” Alexander replied.
Damien and Alexander spent the next two hours engaged in a few games of chess. Damien excused himself in the wee hours of the morning, supposing he could sleep. He fell asleep just before sunrise. Despite having no answers, he felt as though he had accomplished something by ruling out one possibility.
Celine pulled herself from her communication with Damien. She wanted to speak with him, but something warned her to leave. She opened her eyes, allowing her senses to return to her cell. She sensed danger. After climbing to her feet, she glanced out the window into the basement. Marcus must be nearby. The danger she sensed must be his presence. Within seconds, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. A figure descended the stairs, approaching her cell.
“Ah, Celine, you are still awake. How fortunate,” Marcus said.
“What do you want now?” Celine asked, annoyed.
“I wanted to impart one last important detail from our conversation.”
“It could have waited,” Celine assured him.
“Ah, but it may influence your decision, my dear. Therefore, I made the effort to return.” He dangled a small crystal vial on a string. It sparkled, glowing from within.
Celine’s brow furrowed and her curiosity overcame her. “What is that?” Celine inquired.
“Remember when Benjamin Abbott painted your portrait and captured a piece of your soul?” Marcus questioned.
“Yes,” Celine answered.
“While I was… away, I learned how to transfer soul shards from one object to another.” Celine cocked her head as understanding set in. Her jaw dropped open in disbelief. “While it proved difficult, I retrieved your soul shard from your portrait, Celine.” He dangled the container in front of her. “So, if you are expecting your portrait to preserve the Buckley household when I begin my assault, it will do you no good. I have rendered it useless.”
“You are lying!” Celine screeched.
“Oh, come, Celine. Have I ever lied to you?”
“Give it to me,” Celine demanded.
“Oh, no, mon chérie!” He stared at the sparkling vial. “I couldn’t bear to part with it. It is my most prized possession. For now.”
Celine set her jaw, furious and frustrated. “Well, I shall allow you to return to your contemplation. Au revoir, Celine.” He strolled away, disappearing up the stairs. Celine held back tears. The situation was becoming more dangerous by the moment. She hoped she could force a solution soon. Yet she still had to proceed with caution. She couldn’t endanger Damien’s life to save hers. She wanted to reach out to him again, but she stopped herself. Patience, Celine, she chided herself, patience.
Damien awoke mid-morning. He yawned and stretched. A glance at the clock sent him leaping from his bed. He raced around his room, dressing for the day. He admonished himself for sleeping so long. He should have set the alarm. How foolish he had been. The few hours of sleep helped, but he hated to get such a late start on the day.
He hurried from his room down to the dining room. Coffee should still be available on the sideboard. He’d grab a cup before searching for everyone. As he entered the dining room, he found a note on the table. Gone to Alexander’s. Meet us there when you wake up. ~ Gray
Damien gulped down a cup of coffee, impatient to get to Alexander’s. While he drank it, he pulled his phone from his pocket. He opened his text app and sent a text to his aunt, Josie’s mom: Good morning Aunt Monica… just checking in… how are you?
He finished his coffee and zipped his hoodie as he made his way across the foyer. He stepped into the crisp air outside. Already autumn was fading, giving way to winter. Soon it would snow here. His phone chimed as he set off on the path to Alexander’s. He pulled it from his pocket, swiping it open. He received a return text from Aunt Monica: Hi sweetie! I’m doing just fine! It’s great to hear from you. How is the move going? I miss both of you!
Damien read it, pondering it as he formulated a response. Aunt Monica missed both of them. Did she mean in general or did she mean because she hadn’t heard from Celine? Damien devised a response to find out: We miss you, too! Speaking of… has Josie called or texted you? She said she was planning on calling and I didn’t get to ask her if she did.
Alexander’s house came into view. He hurried toward it, impatient to continue searching for Celine and to get out of the cold. As he approached the door, his phone chimed again. He considered checking the message before knocking, but the cold drove him to seek entrance. He knocked at the door. Alexander greeted him in moments. “Come in, Damien,” he invited him.
Damien entered the foyer, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Good morning. I got Gray’s note. Sorry I wasn’t here earlier, I slept in.”
“No problem at all,” Alexander assured him. “We’re in the sitting room.”
They entered the sitting room, joining Gray, Millie and Michael. “Hey, good morning, buddy. Finally got some sleep, huh?” Michael
