Timeless (17 page)

Alexandria could never recall the house and the grounds looking so beautiful, other than Christmas, when her mother would go all out and decorate the house from top to bottom. When had all this been done, she wondered, and by whom?

"We have our ways," Aunt Mindy had simply said, tapping the side of her nose and giving Alexandria a wink as she hurried off to get dressed.

As tradition demanded, Alexandria, Andrew, Nina and Aunt Mindy were all dressed in white, the mourning colour of the Rivenfell Clan, and their feet were bare. The women wore garlands of forest flowers in their hair, except for Nina, who wore red roses, as was the custom of the Rosenberg clan. Alexandria thought it strange, seeing Nina dressed in anything other than her customary black. The white fabric of her floor-length lace gown made her look even more pale than usual.

Even Andrew looked handsome dressed in a white, long-sleeved button-up shirt, a hand-me-down from Alexandria's father's closet. He did not wear a garland on his head, but rather a yellow wildflower in one of the buttonholes in his shirt.

At the stroke of midnight, the perfect witching hour, they all stood at the base of the gazebo, waiting for their guests. Matilda, the esteemed guest of honour, looked beautiful lying on a bed of flowers in the gazebo, and illuminated by candlelight and a million tiny fireflies.

The forest gentry arrived first, the mystical folk that inhabited the forest: fairies, pixies, sprites, dwarfs, and the elves, the tallest of the motley crew. Mysterious and mischievous, they all hailed from the far corners of the mystical world. Some flew, their transparent, rainbow-coloured wings making a musical humming sound. Some arrived perched on the backs of deer and foxes. Others walked, carrying musical instruments or pushing tiny timber barrels of liquor. Some carried armfuls of beautifully crafted wreaths made from forest flowers, which they laid on the ground around Matilda's altar. No matter what their kind or clan, they all blessed Matilda with a kiss on her forehead. Those not blessed with the advantage of height were quickly lifted up by someone taller.

Aunt Mindy leaned across to Alexandria. "Don't stare, Alexandria, it's rude," she whispered.

Alexandria turned to whisper back, "I just wasn't expecting one of my childhood storybooks to spill open and all the characters come to life. Are these the Rivenfell people?"

She was trying not to stare, but how could she not? This was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. Even Andrew had to concentrate on keeping his mouth shut and not staring.

"Kat is going to be so sorry she missed this," Alexandria whispered into Andrew's ear.

A few moments later, a beautiful white wolf trotted gracefully into the clearing, then walked up and sat down next to a stunned Alexandria. She edged closer to Andrew, away from the wolf, and wondered if it was the same wolf she'd seen on several occasions, including the time a wolf had knocked over that poor little photographer at the cemetery, the first day she had arrived in Ferntree Falls.

"I think he's harmless," Andrew said, patting the wolf on the head.

Alexandria held out her hand apprehensively, then smiled when the wolf nuzzled her hand, then licked it. "You're right, he is quite friendly. I wonder whom he belongs to. I'm pretty sure I've seen him before."

At exactly half past twelve, the sky above turned almost as bright as day, as glimmering, crystalline snowflakes rained down through the branches of the old oak tree above the gazebo. The sweet sounds of flutes, harps, and violins filled the night air.

The scene unfolding around Alexandria was surreal; it was almost impossible to take it all in. Magical people that she had only ever dreamed about, all dressed in simple white attire and adorned with a kaleidoscope of wildflowers, the heavenly music wafting through the branches above, and the beautiful girl who now would never fall in love. As beautiful as it all was, and it truly was, Alexandria could not help but feel sad. The sound of Aunt Mindy's voice pulled her from her reverie.

"These are the representatives for the Rivenfell Clan," Aunt Mindy said looking skyward, a little smile playing on her lips.

"Where?" Alexandria asked, her eyes darting around in all directions.

"Up there," she said, motioning with her hand towards the snowflakes settling on the ground all around the gazebo.

"I can't see anyone," she whispered, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Neither can I," Andrew whispered back.

Seconds later, one after the other, like a bag of popcorn popping in a microwave, the fallen snowflakes erupted into blinding white pillars of light surrounding the gazebo. The pillars collapsed into shimmering piles of white dust on the ground, revealing twenty hooded figures completely dressed in white.

"They like to make an entrance that's hard to forget," Nina said, to which Alexandria replied, "There is nothing about this day that I will forget."

One by one, each hooded figure walked up the stairs onto the gazebo. Each removed their hood, took a wildflower from the wreath crowning their head, and placed it on Matilda, then blessed her with a kiss.

"They're all women," Alexandria said.

"This is women's business," Aunty Mindy replied.

After the last Rivenfell ancestor had offered her blessings, the forest gentry gathered around, making their acquaintances and catching up with old friends, signalling the beginning of the celebrations. Food and drink was passed around. Glasses were raised, toasts were made; the forest gentry certainly did know how to celebrate such an occasion.

Andrew made friends with a funny little elf, who taught him an Irish drinking game. Needless to say, the elf won, and Andrew would most certainly wake up with a hangover in the morning. Luckily for him, though, Aunt Mindy had a marvellous hangover remedy, which although it smelled of dirty socks, tasted like red cordial.

Alexandria was more than taken aback when she had her hair braided with wildflowers by her childhood friend, Fern, a sprite, who was still exactly the same height as she'd been when Alexandria had been just a child. Fern confessed that it was she who had flown in her bedroom window, keeping Alexandria's room clean, knowing that she would return one day.

"Dear Alexandria," a cheerful man's voice behind her said, and she spun around, to be caught in a bear hug by Billy Bob and his dainty wife, Violet, from the Newsagency in town.

"You're here," she said, shaking her head. "How?"

"Car's out the front," he said, pulling up his trousers, then snatching his spectacles off his nose to clean them on his shirtsleeve. "An old man can still drive a car, Princess. Wouldn't trust the missus though," he said, giving Violet a little nudge with his elbow, which earned him a sharp slap on the arm. They were both dressed in white. Violet looked exceptionally pretty, with her hair swept up on her head with masses of flowers.

"No, I mean, how did you know about this?" she said, motioning around with her arms.

He pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and put his arm around Violet. "We're elves, dear. Violet and I fell in love out there in those woods," he said, grinning and nodding towards the woods at the back of Witchwood while hitching up his trousers again with his free hand. "We elves love to gossip. Nothing much happens around Ferntree Falls without us finding out about it first."

Nina disappeared without a word, back into the house, knowing that her kind unnerved many of the forest gentry. They did not approve of her choices when it came to her eating habits.

The most beautiful of the Rivenfell witches, who appeared to hover fractionally above the ground rather than walking on it, greeted Mindy with a warm embrace. "It has been too long, my friend."

"I wholeheartedly agree, Caitlin. It's just a shame that it's under these circumstances." She turned and put her arm around Alexandria's waist. "Can I steal her away from you for a moment?" she asked Violet, who nodded.

The white wolf was never far from Alexandria's side.

"Caitlin, this is my niece, Alexandria Harvey-Santorini, the owner of Witchwood Estate, and Felicity's daughter."

Caitlin bowed. "It is an honour to meet you, Alexandria. We have all waited patiently for your return to Witchwood."

"The honour is all mine," Alexandria said, surprised by the woman's formal greeting. She returned the bow, just in case it was Rivenfell tradition, which, of course, had Mindy and Caitlin both smiling. Over Caitlin's shoulder, Alexandria noticed a lone Rivenfell witch standing silently by Matilda's altar. "Will you excuse me ... there is someone I must speak to quite urgently."

"Of course, my dear," Caitlin said, bowing again. Alexandria did a quick curtsy, then shot off towards the gazebo, nearly tripping over a dwarf, who was leaning up against his whiskey barrel and snoring like a buzz saw, an empty glass still clutched in his fist.

The white wolf sat down beside the gazebo, watching every move that Alexandria made, listening to every word she spoke.

The elves began to dance.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Alexandria asked the woman who appeared to be the only person not keeping up with the obligatory traditions of the Rivenfell Clan. "You're not celebrating?"

"Forgive me," the woman said, suddenly aware of who was speaking to her. "But as a mother, it is difficult to celebrate the passing of one so young."

"As a mother?" Alexandria asked, suddenly aware of the same fair hair, the same brown eyes, and the same high cheekbones as the girl lying on the altar. "Matilda is your daughter? But you don't look old enough to be her mother."

"Matilda is my daughter," the woman said, her face grief stricken. "My name is Diana. I died during childbirth when I was twenty years old."

"Wait. What are you saying? You're dead?"

"Of course. We are all dead," she said, motioning with her hand towards the other Rivenfell women, who had fallen silent and turned to look at Alexandria. "You didn't know?" Diana asked, surprised by the look on Alexandria's face.

Alexandria shook her head. "No, I didn't know."

If she was going to be completely honest with herself, however, she'd known all along that they were dead. They were all impossibly beautiful; their skin glowed like spun silk, and their lips were the colour of rose petals. Their voices were the sweetest she had ever heard, musical, angelic. Their hair was as smooth and shiny as white satin sheets. Their eyes were all big, brown, and framed with incredibly long lashes. They hovered rather than walked, and they had fallen from the sky like snowflakes. Of course they were dead.

The Rivenfell women turned away, returning to their various conversations.

"You're a ghost," Alexandria said.

"Spirit," Diana said. "And I am here to take my little girl home." Her fingers brushed over Matilda's cold cheek. "Wake up, my child. It is time to go home."

Suddenly, all of the Rivenfell witches gathered around the gazebo, and Alexandria felt a distinct chill in the air. The Rivenfell women began to chant, summoning the spirit of Matilda. The girl on the altar shook, then jerked. The sounds of the forest for miles around fell silent, as though all living creatures were holding their breath in anticipation.

Matilda's body shook again, as though invisible hands were trying to shake her sleeping body awake.

The chanting grew louder, then suddenly stopped, and Alexandria found herself holding her own breath.

Diana looked at Alexandria with a pleading look on her face. "She is waiting for you to let her go. All the time you hang onto the notion that you can still save her, she's trapped in this mortal plane, neither dead nor alive."

Tears ran down Alexandria's cheek. It was true; in her heart, she had not let Matilda go. She wanted the girl to live, fall in love, have children, and grow old. That was what was supposed to happen.

Diana brushed the tears from Alexandria's cheeks with her cold fingers. "You have to understand, Alexandria. This is not the end for Matilda. It is a whole new beginning. You have to trust me on that. Please, let my daughter go."

Alexandria nodded, then turned to face the girl on the altar. "I'm letting you go, Matilda," she said in a small whisper. Nothing happened.

"She can't hear you," Diana said. "Please try again. As soon as the clock strikes three o'clock, she'll be trapped in the in-between, reliving her death over and over again, unable to move on."

Alexandria pulled out the pocket watch hanging around her neck and flicked it open. In less than one minute, it would be three o'clock in the morning. "Wake up," Alexandria shouted. "It's okay to go. I'm letting you go," she shouted louder still, shaking Matilda's arm. Nothing happened. Alexandria let go of the girl's arm, took a breath, and brushed her tears away. "Matilda," she said in a firm tone. "I'm telling you to leave this place, now."

Matilda's body heaved, her eyes shot open, and she sat bolt upright, then smiled. "Thank you, Alexandria. I will always remember you with kindness."

Alexandria leaned in to hug her, and was about to ask her who did this to her, but there was only air and the white dress where Matilda had been sitting. She turned around. Diana, Caitlin, and the rest of the Rivenfell witches had simply disappeared. Unlike their arrival, their departure had been instant and without fanfare.