Her face, Abby saw with a queer curl of fear starting in her belly, now looked bored.
“Something’s wrong,” Abby whispered but Cash saw it too.
“Angus,” Cash’s voice cut through Cassandra’s muttering.
“Not long now, lad,” Angus replied, still grinning.
Cash pushed Abby behind him and demanded, “Angus, look at her.”
Peering around his body, Abby watched Vivianna’s arms uncross and lift toward the ceiling as her ribcage was folded up.
Then Abby watched as Vivianna’s eyes moved toward Cash and Abby.
Then she grinned.
Cash tensed, Abby took several steps back and then Cash shouted, “Angus!”
Before anyone could move Vivianna’s arms shot straight down. She hurtled herself toward the ceiling, her body coming out of the fold as she did. A firework of every colour purple you could imagine, from the palest lilac to the brightest violet to the deepest aubergine, detonated, bursting forth, filling the space and bouncing (thankfully harmlessly) off everyone standing at the circle.
Then the circle itself exploded yet again in a burst of white.
Abby heard cries and shouts but all she saw was Cash whirling.
The instant his eyes hit Abby, he barked, “Run!”
Abby, heart in her throat, ran and this time she didn’t look back.
But six feet from the door she was lifted clean off her feet.
Not by Cash.
Instead by Vivianna.
All of a sudden Abby found herself floating close to the ceiling, Vivianna’s bitch-from-hell arm locked around her waist and Abby was hanging in mid-air like a ragdoll.
Fenella, again, screamed.
Abby struggled.
Vivianna shot toward the door.
Suzanne, luckily, got there before her and slammed it closed, whirling and throwing her back against it, arms wide.
Vivianna halted, Abby’s body still moving forward, she let out a whoosh of air and Vivianna turned and shot toward the hall, taking Abby with her.
Fenella was running to the double doors that led to the hall and Abby saw Angus again with his whip. His arm came up and out sharply, the whip whistling through the air. Abby’s body jerked reflexively as the whip came toward her but its end passed straight through Abby and curled around Vivianna.
Vivianna knew it was coming, she made another turn against the direction of the whip’s tip and it fell useless to the floor.
Abby kept struggling as Vivianna moved them in another direction, always away from Cash but, Abby noted with no small amount of alarm, toward a window. Abby saw (intermittently) that Cash had his eyes on them and was circling slowly, his face like thunder, body both taut but strangely loose, looking like a big cat waiting for its opportunity, ready to strike.
Then they stopped on another jarring halt, this time something strong and vital had wrapped around Abby’s ankle preventing their progress.
Abby looked down to see Jenny had a hold of her. Vivianna tugged at Abby’s body, Abby shoved at Vivianna’s arm and Jenny held on tight, lifting her other hand to hold on too, her feet slipping across the floorboards in her effort to hold on.
Mrs. Truman dashed behind Jenny and wrapped her arms around Jenny’s waist.
“Let go of Abigail!” Mrs. Truman shrieked, angry, affronted eyes on Vivianna as if she could not believe this phantom would have the audacity to put her vile ghost hands on Mrs. Truman’s precious Abigail Butler.
Mrs. Truman was leaning all of her weight back, holding onto Jenny for all she was worth but Abby felt Jenny’s hands slipping.
“Don’t let go, Jenny!” Abby shouted desperately just as Jenny lost her grip and both she and Mrs. Truman flew backwards, arms wind-milling.
Vivianna only managed to move inches away when Kieran was there, his fingers closing around the ankle Jenny let go and Abby felt another set of fingers on her other ankle. Her head turned and she saw Nicola had a hold of her there.
“Angus,” Cash’s voice was close, it was a low, angry growl but Abby couldn’t see him.
“Hang on,” Angus replied.
“Hang on!” Nicola cried, putting all her weight into holding Abby safe. “What do you mean ‘hang on’? Abby’s suspended in mid-air! Do something!”
“We’re resurrecting the circle,” Cassandra called calmly.
“The circle is out. We’re moving to Plan B,” Cash declared.
“We don’t have a Plan B!” Jenny yelled, running back toward Abby, jumping up and grabbing onto Abby’s hand.
“Plan B is getting the fuck out of here,” Cash announced.
“I’m good with that,” Abby noted quickly. “Plan B sounds good to me. Let’s do Plan B, like, now,” Abby ended on a screech just as Honor arrived, made a leap and grabbed Abby’s other hand.
Abby heard Cassandra say, “Let him in, Fenella.”
“But, Abby doesn’t want –” Fenella replied.
“Let him in!” Cassandra returned impatiently.
Abby heard a door open and all of a sudden Vivianna’s body shook. It felt to Abby like Vivianna was fighting something even as she was holding onto Abby. As this happened, Abby heard the unmistakable noise of a feline’s low growl. Abby kept shoving against Vivianna’s arm but twisted to see that Vivianna was trying to push off Abby’s cat, Zee, who was attached to Vivianna, growling, hissing, spitting and scratching.
Abby’s stomach did a nosedive.
“Who brought my cat?” Abby shouted, glaring down at her friends.
“We did, Mrs. Truman and me,” Jenny answered.
Vivianna jerked this way and that, still keeping firm hold on Abby’s waist and all of Abby’s limbs were pulled to the breaking point.
“I thought I said no Zee!” Abby snapped.
“We figured we could use all the help we could get!” Jenny snapped back. “And it looks like we weren’t wrong!”
Abby thought, somewhat hysterically, even though she wanted to she really couldn’t argue with that.
Vivianna’s struggles were fierce and Abby’s body was wrenched painfully with Vivianna’s fight against Abby’s cat as everyone kept hold on her limbs.
“Hold her steady,” Angus encouraged from somewhere behind Abby.
“You hold her steady! This ghosty she-bitch is strong and she’s freaking out!” Jenny cried as Vivianna gave a mighty tug at Abby’s waist and all of Abby’s friends went skidding several inches along the floor boards.
“Angus, goddamn it!” Cash shouted from somewhere close but also somewhere Abby could not see. She didn’t have time to look as she was still shoving against Vivianna’s arm and praying she nor Zee would be torn limb-from-limb.
Abby, however, didn’t have to see Cash. She knew by the tone of his voice that his patience was depleted and she knew exactly how he felt.
Then suddenly Angus shouted, “Now!”
Abby saw something golden and glistening fall around them. It settled at Abby’s waist then passed through, as if it was a mirage. Vivianna was yanked back viciously, Zee leapt away and at the same time all Abby’s protectors jerked her forward.
Vivianna’s arm came loose from Abby’s waist and Abby was falling.
She twisted automatically, not wanting to fall flat on her face but before she hit the ground, strong arms wrapped around her, one at her back, one at her thighs.
Abby looked up to see Cash had hold of her and he didn’t waste any time. He started sprinting, Abby in his arms, toward the door.
Abby saw Suzanne open it for them then Abby looked back, watching Angus struggling wildly with what looked like a golden rope which was lassoed around a mad-as-hell Vivianna’s waist.