The Long Way Around

A/N: Hello, beautiful reviewers! This is based off of a Dark Shadows roleplaying game that I have created and am in charge of on LiveJournal. If you’re interested in joining, please, by all means, do! It’s free, and SO much fun! Since this site seems to eat away at links, all you have to go to is livejournal.com, then type darkshadows_rpg under search for information. Please R&R!

Ding-a-ling-a-ling.

Maggie listened to the pleasant tinkling of the overhead bell as she entered Madame Serenity's Junk, her best friend, Eva's old antique shop. Although antiques weren't necessarily her thing, Maggie figured that she really needed a second opinion over what had recently been imposed upon her.

Finding Eva snuggled in a corner in one of her antique easy chairs and reading a book, Maggie greeted politely, "Hello, Eva...how are you this morning?"

Setting down her oh-so exciting book, Eva returned rather sarcastically, "Oh just fine, Maggie dear. I'm delighted to say that I haven't had any scary and/or horrible visions as of late."

"Oh? Well that's wonderful news!", Maggie returned cheerily, far too excited to be dampened by her friend's rather sour mood. "You'll never believe what Joe asked me last night at the Blue Whale!"

Eva visibly stiffened, yet she calmed her voice down before questioning coolly, "What was that?"

Hardly able to contain herself, the lovely brunette set her purse down upon an old table, revealing animatedly in response, "He asked me if I would move in with him! Originally I told him no since I can't leave Pop behind, but then he suggested that he just move in with us, and...well...I think I'm going to accept. What would you do?"

Hiding a scowl full of jealousy, the clairvoyant gritted her teeth with masked agitation. "I would tell him no. I don't think it's quite right that your boyfriend moves in when you two are not even engaged!"

Maggie's bottom lip protruded slightly with disappointment, yet she inwardly conceded that she was right. "I-I was afraid you'd say that", she began uneasily, "but if it helps, I think he's going to propose. He's been acting terribly romantic as of late...I don't want to rush the process, or anything, but I must admit that I am getting rather impatient."

Forcing her jaw not to drop down in astonishment, Eva hurried to change the subject. "Uhhh...Maggie, I had another terrible vision! Do you think you could help me figure it out?"

"Oh?" The brunette appeared to be terribly concerned. "What happened? Was it about your past, again, or the future?"

"I don't know..." The girl trailed off helplessly, the image of a bloody body flashing before her very eyes. It was so terrible, the gory details of the crime inscribed on the body like a map of clandestine sins and transgressions.

"Well try...do you see anyone we know, or is it another stranger?", Maggie pressed, leaning forward and placing a comforting hand over Eva's. "I know you dislike talking about such things, but this could really save someone's life."

"I-I thi-" The brunette went into a sudden fit, now screaming horribly at the top of her lungs. "Make it stop!!", she pleaded, her eyes rolling back in her head as she fought to retain her consciousness.

"Eva!", Maggie exclaimed, shaking her frantically by the shoulders. "Eva, please...open your eyes!"

With her eyes still rolled back, Eva stopped her radical fit, now speaking in a soft tone, "Maggie...I-I don't know what's happening, but there's someone new coming to Collinwood. I don't know who it is, but I think it's a man...I-I can see the back of his head! Maggie, NO! Maggie, stay away from the stranger!"

Gasping, Eva plunged forward, passing out abruptly within Maggie's arms.

"Eva!", the frightened brunette exclaimed, frantically dropping down and to her knees before slapping her friend lightly on the cheek. "Eva! Oh, God...what did you mean!?"

The girl only moaned in response before opening her eyes. They were usually a dark, chocolaty black, but now they were a bright blue, lingering on the boundaries of silver. "My eyes... They hurt so bad..."

"Oh...Eva!", Maggie gasped, placing a hand over her mouth in horror. "Your eyes...they're blue! What on earth has happened to you!?"

"I think it was the vision...they might be like this forever! Oh, Maggie, please, whatever you do, stay away from the stranger..." Then, just as before, Eva collapsed in a limp heap.

Trembling, Maggie slowly took the girl's hand in hers, checking for a pulse to make sure that she was not dead. Upon further inspection, she found that Eva was, in fact, quite the opposite; her heartbeat was erratic and much faster than the average pulse. So much so that it frightened her.

Eva had had odd spells like these before, yet none this severe nor frightening. This was the first time that she had continuously gone weak in the limbs and fainted as if she had seen a ghost. Whatever the true reason, Maggie knew that she needed to get a doctor, and fast.

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"How is she, doctor?"

The man addressed removed his spectacles from his long, thin nose, then released a huff of utter frustration. "Frankly, my dear," he began earnestly, "I don't have the faintest idea. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before."

"Unlike anything you've ever seen?", Maggie reiterated, thoroughly baffled. "In what way?"

Sighing, the doctor lifted Eva's limp arm up within his grasp, explaining somberly in response, "You see, Miss Evans, I originally perceived Miss Serenity's ailment to be related to that of heart trouble, yet that just cannot be since her heart doesn't seem to function like a natural human being's. When I first evaluated her heartbeat, it was normal and steady like anyone else's, yet upon my second investigation, it had accelerated to such a monstrous beat that I thought I had gone mad!"

Maggie blanched. "B-but what can that mean, doctor? Will she be alright?"

"That, Miss Evans," he returned dryly, "is a mystery even to me."

Suddenly, Eva groaned from beneath them, opening her now crystal blue eyes. "Where am I?", she questioned weakly, her voice barely above a squeak.

"Oh! Eva!", Maggie exclaimed, immediately rushing over and to her friend's side in order to console her. "What happened? Do you know?"

"No...but my eyes, Maggie. They hurt so bad..." Whimpering, she closed her eyes and allowed two large, pearly tears to fall down her cheeks. "I feel as if I want to rip out them out...please help me!"

"Oh?" The doctor rudely shoved Maggie out of the way for a close examination. "When was the first time they began hurting?"

"Today...th-this morning!", Eva screamed out in utter pain, gripping the sides of the bed as her eyes continued to water profusely.

The doctor gave an "I see", followed shortly by an indefinitely long "hmm".

Growing rather weary of this, Maggie demanded hotly, "Well? What are we looking at here, doctor?"


"I told you before that I do not know!", he growled irately in response, shining a light into Eva's eyes before giving a slight 'tsk'. "The discoloration in her eyes, however, is quite curious...you say she went into some sort of seizure-like fit before they changed?"

Maggie nodded. "Yes...that's right."

"Goddamnit! Help me!", Eva shrieked in frustration, blinking rapidly due to the annoying light.

"Well how can I if I don't even know what's wrong with you!?", the doctor demanded defensively, giving her a light pat on the cheek with the hopes of calming her down. "Perhaps if you told me what this is all about, I could actually do something!"


Maggie nodded in encouragement. "Yes...go on, Eva."

Clearly nervous, the girl offered cryptically, "I was having a seizure. Simple as that..."

"Over nothing?", the doctor demanded, absolutely incredulous. "Do you happen to have a medical history of this sort?"

"Yes."

"And what is the cause?"

"It just happens. Nothing really lets me know when it's going to occur." Shooting Maggie a furious glance, Eva started to cry. "Doctor, please! I really must be going!"

Giving the girl an astonished look, he placed a hand gently upon her chest, insisting in a surprisingly soothing voice, "There, there, now, my dear...I will leave, instead. You just stay here with Miss Evans and get some rest." Turning toward Maggie, he then questioned, "Is you father home?"

Maggie immediately shook her head. "No, sir...he's being paid a commission to paint a man's portrait a few states over. I'm not sure when he'll be back, but I'm sure he'll appreciate you taking care of our friend, nonetheless."

Nodding, the doctor picked up his medicinal bag, then snapped it shut before heading over toward the open bedroom door. "Make sure she gets plenty of fluids and lots and lots of rest. Agreed?"

"Agreed", Maggie acknowledged, smiling weakly as she showed him the rest of the way to the door and closed it behind him. She trusted that the doctor would see himself out the rest of the way.


Turning back around in order to face Eva, her smile immediately vanished. "And what, pray tell, was that all about?"

"Well what do you think it was about, Maggie? Did you expect me to tell a doctor that I can see brutal images in my mind!? Do you even think??" Eva's chest was rising up and down heavily as she said this, her anger quite clearly getting the better of her.

"Well what was I supposed to do? Let you die!?", Maggie demanded, suddenly quite irascible, herself. "You were lying on the floor, Eva, and-and I'd never seen you so distraught! How was I supposed to know for sure that it was all thanks to your visions!?"

"Listen! Whenever you see me like that, just let me be!" Stomping her foot like a child, Eva leapt out of the bed before storming out of the room like a madwoman.

"Eva!", Maggie called, dashing after the girl half-way before realizing that the pursuit was absolutely useless. When Eva made up her mind, she was never to be swayed.

Sighing, the dark-haired beauty rubbed her arm, then suddenly found herself gazing at her watch. "7pm?", she breathed, thoroughly stunned. "Oh, no! I was supposed to meet Joe at the Blue Whale over an hour ago!"

Cursing, Maggie swiped her jacket from off of the back of the couch, then hurried out into the cool night air of Collinsport. One thing was for sure, although she and Eva had a fight, a nice stiff drink at the Blue Whale was sure to make everything fall back into place, again.

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"Madame Foxworthy?"

Magnolia sighed, ceasing in brushing her shoulder-length chestnut locks as her personal maid entered her room and gave a brief curtsy.

"Beggin' your pardon, Miss", she apologized, "but I've brought in all of your books from the study, as requested."

"Oh! Well splendid!", Magnolia exclaimed, suddenly terribly exuberant as she leapt up from her perch and rushed over to her maid in order to give her a gut-busting hug. "Thank you, Lavinya! I've been absolutely dying to catch up on my old books!"

Smiling, Lavinya gestured for the young heiress to follow her out into the hallway, the young woman absolutely delighted to find three large cardboard boxes filled to the brim with her old books.

"How marvelous!", Magnolia breathed, dropping down and to her knees before ripping open the first box in order to find what treasures laid in waiting.

Upon noticing her mistress' bewildered gaze after unearthing the first book, however, Lavinya bent down at the waist so that she could now read the cover, questioning uneasily in response, "What is it, Madame Foxworthy? What's so unsettlin' about the history of the Collins family?"

Magnolia, however, didn't answer her right away, her voice seeming to have somehow deserted her as she raised her eyes to meet with her maid's and suddenly began to tremble. "Josette DuPres...", she whispered, her dark irises only magnifying in their intensity, "Josette...DuPres..."

"Madame Foxworthy," Lavinya gasped out, shivering, "you're scaring me! Please stop...please!"

Magnolia, however, did not desist in her aberrant chanting, her pupils glazing over a translucent blue color as she began to rock back and forth, all the while moaning, "Josette DuPres...Josette DuPres...Josette DuPres!"

In a flash, Lavinya backhanded her mistress, only to immediately regret it once Magnolia fainted and fell weakly into the sanction of her arms. "Madame Foxworthy!", she wailed, lightly patting her cheek. "Madame Foxworthy!"

Alas, it was no use. Magnolia was already too far out of reach...


A/N: Hopefully you enjoyed it! :)