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Perrie
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Perrie woke this morning to Vale robotically poking her arm, and she kept swatting him away, trying to fall back to sleep. Then she shot up when she realized they would be at the Glass Vault that day.
Maisie was already jogging in place at the doorway while Nev stared at her with, Perrie’s guess was, longing.
Even though the city was in shambles, the weather was perfect with the sun shining high up in the sky. Maybe the world was trying to tell her that everything would be all right.
They took off on a heavy sprint, running the entire way without stopping once. Perrie’s bare feet slapped against the ground and after each step, she felt freer. With how good the earth felt against her feet, she may never wear shoes again.
As they went down Oak Street, a pit formed in Perrie’s stomach as the Glass Vault loomed before them. It appeared just the same as the last time she’d walked out from it. They slowed to a stop in front of the building, and she gazed up at its outer shell. She thought that maybe it would’ve vanished, like it had all those weeks ago when she’d come with Aunt Krista and Uncle Jaron. But no, here the piece of shit was now—existing before them with its tall wooden door, no windows, and gray-colored stones that wrapped around its entirety.
Vale’s curls swayed as the warm breeze blew through the strands, a lock fluttering right at his brow. “Let’s get this over with and put the Glass Vault back where it belongs,” he said, his jaw clenched, determined. No worry sounded in his voice, and that helped to trigger a new-found confidence to bloom in her chest. He stared at the stone museum, barely blinking—the first time he was seeing it in person as his true self.
Perrie reached out and squeezed his hand to give him support, even if he didn’t think he needed it. “Let’s send it back,” she whispered.
The three of them waited for Vale to make it disappear, but instead, he said, “I am going to go inside, and I will be back out in a moment.”
Perrie’s heart felt as though it stopped beating before plummeting to her toes.
“What do you mean go in?” Nev demanded.
“I mean, I have to walk inside, stroll down each of the halls, make it to the circular room, look at each display properly, return through the hallways, and then appear back out here.” Vale cocked his head and stared at Nev.
Nev narrowed his eyes at Vale’s sarcasm. “I didn’t need all that info. The point is, why do you have to go inside at all?”
“I did not say you had to follow me inside.”
“Yeah, I’m not following you inside that shit show again.”
“I’ll come with you.” Maisie raised her hand, and Nev shot her a dirty look.
Perrie’s stomach was more than tied in knots at the thought of entering this building again. It was bound together by ropes, chains, and locks—all squeezing at her intestines. She didn’t want to go back in there, and she couldn’t believe Maisie would volunteer to. But it was Maisie.
As much as Perrie would rather have a tea party in the forest, she wasn’t going to let her cousin traipse inside by herself. Perrie didn’t think Vale would do anything, but it was the Glass Vault—who knew if it would trigger some magical slap of brainwash once inside. Then they would be back to square one.
“Me too,” Perrie sighed, and reluctantly raised her hand.
“That means we’re all going, apparently,” Nev huffed, “but you’re leading the way this time, Vale. None of that walking behind us shit.”
“Fine.” Vale shrugged and started for the door, followed by Maisie, while Perrie and Nev watched. She reassured herself by knowing that if they got rid of the museum of horrors, then maybe the world could be semi-okay. Swallowing her fear, Perrie grabbed onto the back of Maisie’s dress. Maisie gave her a quick pat on the hand, letting Perrie know everything was all rainbows and roses. Yeah, maybe black decaying roses and rainbows leading to evil leprechauns.
Vale opened the door, and they stepped into the long hallway. The lanterns lining the walls were still lit with what must be a magical fire that never dissipated. Not surprising. As soon as they were halfway down the red wallpaper hall, that now reminded her of dark blood, the door slammed shut.
Everyone froze except for Vale who continued walking. Maybe we should’ve waited outside. Vale halted and peered back at them, then rolled his eyes harder than Nev ever had. “It is only an effect. Now, come on.” He motioned them all forward to the torture chamber.
A need burned through her veins to help end this, so she hurried and jogged up behind Vale.
They completed their walk through hallway number one and turned down the next, where the chandeliers were practically waiting to drop and crush them below. Perrie wondered about the halls, but she would ask questions about them later. The walls were drenched in blue, like an ocean, but then an image came to mind of blue lips on a bloated dead body.
Perrie gripped the back of Vale’s silky shirt, and he offered her an encouraging small smile. Maisie then latched onto the back of Perrie’s dress, and Nev fastened onto her cousin’s. End of hallway number two was now complete. One more.
“Hallway of doom,” Maisie whispered.
Perrie focused on the white of Vale’s shirt instead of the green walls as they continued walking in a line that connected like a train. Sparks of lightning crackled within her as her heart thundered.
Once they reached the opening leading to the displays, Perrie lifted her chin, holding her head high, and took slow breaths.
Vale glanced over his shoulder at her. “Here we are.”
“Yes, here we are,” Perrie said sarcastically. Then she yanked on his shirt, his back meeting her chest. “If we walk in there, we aren’t getting sucked into the displays, right?” Sparks sizzled inside her, prepared in case something fucked went down.
“No. You will only be able to go back in if I allow you to.”
Vale placed his hand in hers, and she stepped beside him. Perrie remembered the moment he’d taken her hand when she’d awoken as the Bride. But the way he looked at their entwined fingers now, the same way she was looking at them, like it was familiar yet unfamiliar, made her feel strange. But not in a bad way—she couldn’t even explain it to herself at that moment.
At the center of the circular room, the displays all still remained, except this time, some of the glass figures were missing. Perrie came across the werewolf scene—the wolf stood in a new position, but Little Red Riding Hood was gone. The wolf’s glass fur was the color of tree bark, and a pile of human skin surrounded its clawed feet. She peered at the Frankenstein’s Monster scene, finding it empty.
“Why isn’t there a statue in that one?” Perrie nodded to the empty display.
Vale bit his lip as he studied the scene. “Because that one is mine, but I do not have to be in it.” Victor Frankenstein. Fair enough.
“What are you doing?” Perrie watched as Vale walked away, scanning the displays.
“I am making sure they are all here.”
Perrie’s gaze followed him and stopped on Sleepy Hollow. Glass heads, drenched in bright blood, surrounded the hooves of the rider’s horse. The Headless Horseman’s blackened buttoned-up coat shone under the light as did his dark brown boots that appeared as though they could crush anyone. If it wasn’t for the transparency of the glass, she would think the horse could leap out of the display. Maybe it still can... She brushed the thought away and glanced at the other scenes—the victims were all missing, but the villains looked the same. Only, they stood in different poses than before.
Vale focused on the Jack the Ripper display, squinting his eyes like he was trying to read the scene. The box held no one. Perrie’s heart unfolded like paper origami with stress lines practically tearing it apart.
“She is not there,” Vale whispered. He finished searching the rest of the displays as Maisie and Nev watched him closely, but Perrie’s eyes lingered on the empty display. She should’ve known that bitch would be tricky. Fannie seemed to be tamed by Vale, like she was his personal mannequin to do with as he saw fit. But there was always something off about her.
The sound of Vale’s heavy feet echoed through the room as he ran to the first display, then studied each one with precision again.
“If only I had a magnifying glass,” Maisie grunted as she inspected the scenes.
Perrie rushed to the opposite side and examined slowly. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for exactly—if it was supposed to be a glass figure of Fannie in her normal attire or a top hat and cloak, so Perrie searched for both. But she found neither.
Vale scratched his head and turned to face them. “Well, she is not in her display.”
“I knew something fucked was going to happen here.” Nev struck his leg with his fist, seeming to want to break every statue in this place.
As anger shot through Perrie, her power sparking, she might join him on that damn adventure.
Vale arched a brow at Nev like he was an idiot. “Fannie may not be there.” He pointed both his hands like they were guns at the Jack the Ripper display. “But she is here.” Then he took his gun-made hands and triggered them at the ceiling.
Perrie marched right up next to him as he lowered his pretend guns. Nev watched them as if actual bullets were going to appear. But in this place, anything was possible.
“How do you know?” She hadn’t seen a sign of her anywhere.
Vale glanced at the empty hallway as if Fannie would pop out right there. “Because when I sent the souls from the Underworld back here, I put a barrier up. The front door is sealed, preventing their escape. There is also a seal keeping them from stepping out of the displays.”
That couldn’t be right because Perrie had seen Fannie with who she’d thought was Neven. “I don’t understand. Fannie has been out of the Glass Vault before.”
Vale chewed on his lip, as if thinking about the same thing, which he probably was with how fiercely he dug into that lip. “That was only when she was allowed out. At that time, the barrier was open to her, but now it is closed to all of them, including her.”
Vale stretched his spine to his full length. “I am going to have to go in.”
“Go in where?” Perrie blurted. He couldn’t be talking about what she thought he was.
“The displays. She is in one. But her statue is not appearing because she is not in the correct scene.”
“How do you even know that?” Nev asked.
“Because while I may not know which display the corrupt souls are in without seeing their statue in their correct scene, I can still feel her inside the museum.” He ticked his index finger back and forth at the Jack the Ripper scene.
“Which display do we all start in, then?” Maisie asked, stepping beside Vale.
Nev ran his hand agitatedly through his hair, seeming more pissed than he was earlier. “Maisie! Seriously! Enough of this. We already traveled through this death house to fulfill your investigation needs. But get real, there’s no need to go traipsing through different horror shows here.”
Maisie pointed between Nev and herself. “We are immortal. Therefore, we’ll be fine.”
Perrie arched a brow at her. Maisie might be all about venturing back into the displays, but she sure as fuck wasn’t.
“If you want to begin at one end, I will start at the other,” Vale said to Maisie, then paused. “But when you reach the Sleeping Beauty scene, you will have to stop there and wait for me. You are right about being immortal, but if you enter the Snow White display again, there is no escaping, and you will be heading back with the Glass Vault.”
“To the Underworld?” Perrie gasped, taking a few steps back.
Vale slowly nodded, his lips pursed.
“Fuck that. Vale can go by himself,” Nev hissed.
Perrie shut her eyes for a moment—she would face this. Opening her lids, she took a deep breath. “Maisie, you stay here. As the older one, I’ll do it.”
Maisie whipped her head to Perrie. “We’re the same age. You’re only older than me by a few weeks.
“Exactly.” Perrie smiled. “So you stay here.”
Nev shook his head. “Wait a minute, what if Vale becomes ‘Bad Vale’ in the displays again.”
Smart question. Before Perrie could respond, Maisie darted off to a display near the hallway. “Team effort. Perrie with Vale. Nev with me.” She waved Nev to her, and he stared at Maisie with wide eyes.
“Two things,” Vale started. “Good news, the souls listen to me and should not attack you. Bad news, you have no power inside the displays.” He gripped the back of his neck as he looked at Perrie. “That means your electricity will be gone.”
Fuck. “None of this is adding up. What if Fannie slips past us into one of the other displays, and we continuously run after her forever? Also, I won’t be able to run through my scene.”
Vale grinned. “The Bride is special, you can run through your display if you have to.”
That’s dumb. Then I should be able to use electricity if I’m so special.
Vale clapped his hands together. “Barriers are up.”
Perrie wrinkled her nose, confused. “Sometimes you have to explain things a little more to us. I thought they were already up.”
“I wasn’t close enough to put that barrier up earlier. Whichever display Fannie is in, she won’t be able to leave it now that they are up between each display.”
“Then why can we walk through the barriers?” Maisie called over.
“Because I am allowing you to. Weapons will be at your waist in case you need them for Fannie.”
That must’ve been answer enough because Maisie looked toward a display, where a glass pond rested in front of a greenish, fish-like creature. Maisie clasped Nev’s hand tightly, seeming to wait for the wind, that had pulled them in before, to blow. Nothing happened.
Vale snapped his fingers, and a gust of wind stirred, blowing Perrie’s hair around her head. But it didn’t tug at her though, only dragged Nev and Maisie’s feet across the floor.
“Meet you at Sleeping Beauty,” Maisie shouted while waving like she was going on a damn vacation.
“See you then,” Perrie yelled back. She tried to appear calm, but inside she was freaking out—she didn’t want to be separated from Maisie again. They’ll be okay, Perrie told herself once they were both gone.
“You know you can wait out here for us,” Vale said. “You do not have to go.”
Waiting out here would be easier, but Perrie didn’t want to do easy. She wanted Fannie to be sent back to where she belonged, and she would help put her there.
“Let’s do this.” Perrie punched the air as Maisie would’ve, then followed Vale to a Hansel and Gretel display. She truly believed the world was laughing at her. But then she remembered all the fun times she’d had playing Hansel and Gretel with Maisie when they were kids. Vale did say the immortals wouldn’t attack, but was he even sure about that?
Vale held his hand out to hers, and she peered into his emerald eyes. There wasn’t fear she felt, only hope, so she gripped it tightly.
“Together?” he asked.
“Together.” Perrie smiled.
