The Dark Masion

2:00pm

  Camille stood at the door of the manor, every inch of her body was telling her to go back upstairs and into the office to see what was going on. But instead she remembered what Derek had told her, “each time she killed herself, I could feel it, and I bet you did too, she created us, so in some way we are still connected. You can embrace it like I have and be loyal to her, or you can push it aside,” he does what he has to in order to keep the queen happy, and if that means bedding Derek, she has to let it happen. Camille snapped her fingers and a cloud of smoke rose from the ground and covered her and seconds later dropped to reveal a elderly woman with an oval face and peppered looking hair that was only pinned at the sides letting the rest fall around her neck, she used a thin body unlike before. Camille had her dressed in a white shirt that was tucked into a black skit that went past her knees with a black matching blazer, she wore stockings and small 1 inch pumps to match. She held a black clutch bag, and as she walked out the door she slipped on a white pair of gloves. “I wonder if I cuss a few times or say something out of place it would attract him to follow me thought out the day,” she walked down the pathway to the black iron gates of the manor, she looked around no human in sight, waved her hand and the gate opened just slightly to let her out, just moved her way though and started walking into the little town. 

  In this form people were extremely nice to her, opening doors and helping her across the street. The children came to her and told her she had beautiful hair. The tailor she went to asked if she was passing through from Hollywood going to New York, he didn't have such orders or such beautiful woman coming into his shop. She loved all the compliments throughout the day, she felt like a big movie star, and without Lola here to steal all the fame for her beauty she felt like she was on top of the world. As she left the tailor’s shop she looked around, next to that was the general store, then a little coffee shop she was thinking of sitting outside of for a cup of coffee. In front of her was a little shoe shop, next to that a hat, then the hardware store she looked down the road and saw the blacksmith and butcher shop, the fire between her legs burned as she felt Derek push his groin on hers. “Dear Hal why do my legs burn?” she asked herself as she resisted the urge to put her hand down her skirt and touch herself, she had to remind herself she was an old woman. 

  She walked down to the coffee shop and sat outside, just a moment later a little slender woman with a flower covered apron came out of the front door, she looked a little older than Camille's normal form, her red hair was pulled up into a bun, her small round face had huge round glasses that covered half of her face and did not complement her cheeks at all Camille thought, under her apron was a purple turtleneck sweater with the sleeves rolled up, she had on a light pair of tan parachute pants, “Hi Honey, What could I get you?” she had a deep south accent and gave Camille a warming smile as she wiped her hands on her apron.

 “I hope you don't mind dear,” Camille said in her sweet old lady voice “But I have been moving around all damn day and just couldn't help but notice what lovely patio furniture you folks have, thought I would take a seat and have a nice cup of coffee and maybe a cookie or two and rest a while, maybe read a little of my romance novel,” She let out a adorable old woman squeal and pulled the small thin book out of her clutch bag, “it takes me places I can't go since my husband died,” she held the book close to her heart then looked up at the woman.

 “Of course honey, that's no problem at all, I'll bring you some coffee, cream and sugar no problem, I have a few new cookie recipes if you would like to try one of them?”

 “Sounds lovely dear,” Camille gave her a warm smile and started into her novel. “Sin Is a Redhead” was about the character Steve Harragan (who was also the author) is a former crime reporter who hit it big playing the ponies and retired to become a hardboiled amateur detective. He is referred to as a private eye, but he's not, at least not in this book. In “Sin is a red head”, Harragan is driving down the street in New York City when he spots the beautiful Flame Tilson. He makes her acquaintance, finds out that she's the girlfriend of jazz trumpeter Siggy Houston, and regretfully decides that there won't be any romance with the gorgeous Flame. But then she calls on him for help, Siggy winds up dead, Flame disappears, and Steve (who, to be honest, is not the brightest guy in the world) winds up on the spot for the murder. So off he goes, galloping around the New York underworld trying to find the real killer and rescue Flame from the bad guys. Along the way he winds up in a couple of pretty diabolical death traps, which he barely escapes.

  “Hey honey, are you doing alright out here?” Camille came out of her book the little woman was pouring her another cup of coffee, she had been sitting at the café for two hours now and after the second cup of coffee Camille found out her name was Barbara, very sweet woman who was in a happy loving marriage with her husband who built the very coffee shop she sat at for his wife, Camille found it all so romantic. Each time she touched the woman she could lived vicariously through her eyes for just a moment, the normality this woman had made Camille jealous, but also nothing she could do, she had a lover, she knew he loved her, but she started to begin to think about how he made it his duty to make his Queen happy no matter the cost.

 “Oh I'm doing just fine sweetheart, thank you.” she put the book down and replaced it with the coffee to her lips, she began to tell Barbbra about the book and how it made her feel. If sweet Barbara didn't bring her out of the book she would have never felt the eyes, and the dark souls present on her, he was taking the bait. “Sweet Barbara, are you going to the haunted house party they are going to have at that beautiful manor? I saw that woman in red and I must say I have to see what kind of show she put on. She is damn well beautiful and I bet she is like the redhead of my book” she held up her book for young Barbara to see and she could feel this dark soul gained more interest for her.”

 Barbara looked at the old woman with a lifted eyebrow, I did not think about it, and i did not see you as a type of woman who would be seen at such a thing.” Camille grabbed on to Barbara’s hand lightly, she pushed away all concern of the manor away and made it seem like a relaxing fun place.

 “Oh Barbara it would be such fun for you and your husband, you should go I bet you work so hard here at the café,” Camille's power of persuasion worked.

 “I do work hard, and I would like some fun. I'm going to go talk to Richard now. Thank you Miss Camille I appreciate you so much.” Barbara walked off with the coffee mug inside to talk with her husband.

 Camille placed a hundred dollar bill on the table as payment, she picked up her bags from shopping and walked off, feeling the cold eyes of the dark soul following her. She had an hour and a half to get the dark soul to follow her to the manor, she couldn't tell where he was for certain but she could tell he was close so she spent the next half hour getting him to follow her. Every time Camille felt she was getting close to Ed, someone or something would distract him from trying to strike at her and would set him back. After leaving the butcher shop and obtaining fresh lamb, she began the walk back to the manor. The Dark soul followed her and kept his distance but he finally took the bait and Camille was finally able to take a smell step into his mind making him one though Camille, making him completely obsessed with the woman until he got his hands on her skin. Once Camille got to the manor she opened the large gate by hand this time knowing eyes were following her.

  Ed stopped at the end of the road and watched as Camille opened the gate and anger came over him, then Ed remembered that was the Manor everyone in town was talking about that would be open tonight to all, he could slip in and slip out without being seen he thought, there had to be a place in the gate he could throw the woman over after he knocks her out and kills her, She had beautiful skin and that was all he could think about, cutting it off and making a dress out of it, or wearing her face ask a musk to please mother. 

 “That will not please me.” a small whisper was coming out of the shadows it sounded like his mother, “did you see the book that w***e was reading? And she calls herself a woman, HA” the whisper was coming from everywhere now, “Kill that woman, kill her and hang her like a deer.”