Chapter 13: Beth Meets A Lady

   “…the lady in the shadows…the one who watches you and wants you dead…”

 As the little girl's words from her vision swept over her,Beth felt a sense of terrifying unease.

It was a coincidence,she told herself,nothing more.It was impossible that the little girl and Marcus could be speaking of the same thing,it was just impossible!

“The lady in the shadows?”she said,her hands trembling in fear.

In her mind she saw herself lying cold and frozen in that casket.

“Beth?Are you okay?”Marcus asked.”You seem upset.Its just a story.....”

“I’m fine,”she said,reaching out to take his hand.”I just remembered there's something I have to do.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Just for a little while Marcus,I'll be back later.”

“Okay.If you want,I can show you some of Grandma’s journals.Dad gave them to me after she passed.She speaks about these things a lot in them.”

“Thanks Marcus,”she said,her mind racing in 10 different directions at once.

She needed fresh air.She had to get out of there.All of this was just too strange for her to handle right now and way too coincidental.

What were the chances that the girl in her vision and Marcus both referred to a supernatural entity known as ‘the lady in the shadows',both while speaking to her?

She ran up the stairs.Her purse was still in Ethan’s bedroom.

And then she heard it as she passed the portrait.Her name,as if set to a gentle,haunting melody…

“Beth….”

The voice was a whisper,but strong and clear.Beth felt the world spin around her as she turned with a sense of fear and trepidation,holding on to the banister for dear life.

“Oh my God!’she gasped,wide eyed with shock,feeling her knees were about to give way beneath her.

She clutched at her chest,her heart beating so fast it seemed it would break through.What she was seeing was beyond the realm of possibility…..

Inside the portrait,Lady Katherine Swann was moving,walking away from where she had been painted, towards her.

“Do not be afraid Beth.”Lady Katherine said.”You will soon understand why this is happening.”

At the sound of her name,from the lips of a woman immortalized in a painting,Beth's breath came in short gasps as she felt her chest tighten and her heart began to race in fear.This could not be real,could not be happening to her!

The portrait of Lady Katherine Swann had come to life in her sight.

She was struck by the impossible absurdity of the situation.

This was questioning the very core of her belief in life,death and the afterlife.These things were the trademarks of fiction and Hollywood movies.

Could it be possible?Could some semblance of the soul remain even after death?Could this remnant of a mortal existence find a way to manifest itself,even after being dead for so long?

For a heartbeat Beth imagined that she was unconscious,that when she’d left Marcus to race up the stairs,she'd fallen and hit her head and this was all some vivid dream.

But this did not have the feel of any dream she had ever had.This was lucid and very real.

Lady Katherine had come to a standstill next to the fireplace in the portrait,the flames a vibrant orange glow.She folded her hands,her eyes alternating between concern and curiosity.

“What do you want?”Beth asked as a tremor of shock coursed through her veins,turning her voice into nothing more than a hoarse whisper.”How can this be?”

“I am here to warn you Bethany,”Lady Katherine said.”Your life,as well as Ethan’s,is in mortal danger.”

“Oh God!”Beth rasped again.”What do you mean?”She gripped the banister ever so tighter,until her hand hurt from holding on.She felt faint and nauseous.

Against all probability,she was having a conversation with a woman,dead for hundreds of years.

“You must listen carefully Beth,”Lady Katherine continued.”A dark spirit seeks to end your lives and she will not stop until she has succeeded in her task,until you and Ethan are both dead.”

“How do you know this?”Beth asked,frantically.”Answer me!Please!”

“Because the very spirit seeking to take your lives,is the one who took mine.”