Subj: Redemption -- 4
Date: 6/23/00 4:10:37 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Daphne

"I have run, I have crawled. I have scaled these city walls, only to be with you. But I still haven't found what I'm looking for." —U2

"Eight...nine....now that's odd. Where could Julia be this time of morning?" Sarah Johnson wondered aloud as she washed the dishes and listened to the distant chime of the foyer's grandfather clock. Normally there wasn't enough time to worry about the mundane comings and goings of the Collins family; each of them had their own schedule that kept her busy throughout the morning, and the various curses that frequently plagued Collinwood made normal breakfasts something of a luxury. It hadn't occurred to her earlier that something might be amiss until she noticed how late it was...usually Quentin and Carolyn were the ones who stayed in bed all morning. Julia was often the first one in the kitchen, eager to start the day before she had a cup of coffee or a cigarette. They had become good friends over lemon poppy seed muffins and French Vanilla coffee, and now Mrs. Johnson was certain that something was terribly wrong. Of course, it could have been that there was some matter requiring her immediate attention (Collinwood's mysteries always seemed to somehow involve Julia) but something just didn't feel right. Deciding that she wouldn't feel better until she checked on her friend, Mrs. Johnson put down the last glass and entered the dark passageway that led to the second floor. Usually, she didn't bother with the hidden stairwells that wound between the walls of the mansion because they were too musty and claustrophobia, but she felt drawn to the darkness this time. What was it about this house that always made her feel like she was being watched?

"You must go to her, Sarah... she needs your help..." The voice seemed to whisper through the hallway, almost musical in its tone, but for a moment, Mrs. Johnson refused to climb the stairs any further. Although the voice sounded gentle and innocent, there had been other ghosts at Collinwood, ones whose menacing wrath had frightened and endangered everyone. Who was to say that this ghost wasn't trying to trick her? Before she could retreat, a mist began to materialize, taking the form of a beautiful young woman. She wore a simple white gown and had long auburn hair that tumbled down her back in loose curls. Her bearing was that of an aristocrat, but despite her beauty and poise, there was tragic sadness in her eyes, and Sarah knew that someone capable of such emotion wouldn't be there to harm her.

"Who are you?" she asked, not certain if she really wanted an answer.

"I was once known as Josette," the girl sadly explained, "but that was long ago, before evil drove me away from those I loved. It was not my destiny to die when I did, so I have remained here. I am this place's guardian, and I will not be able to rest until Collinwood knows true peace. It is my duty to alert the living when I sense danger. The spirits that have already left this world cannot work on behalf of mortals. That is Satan's work. We must only act as guides to help them discover the mysteries between life and death. To do otherwise would mean we would be cast into the netherworld."

"Like Lucifer's fall from heaven?" Mrs. Johnson asked, thinking that she understood this spirit's reason for appearing to her.

"Precisely," Josette agreed, beginning to silently cry as she was once again confronted with the truth of her fate. "Free will is God's greatest gift to humanity, and because of that I cannot physically intervene in the events that are about to take place. I can only warn you that your friend is in grave danger. A spirit far older and stronger than me has invaded her soul and plans to use her for evil. I can't help her, Sarah, but you and the rest of the family can. It will be difficult to fight this spirit because Julia will be trapped between two worlds, but with your help the enemy will be vanquished. Love is stronger than hate...remember that and the evil that plagues this house will be gone forever."

"But how are we supposed to fight this monster?" Mrs. Johnson wondered, but it was too late for further revelations, for Josette had already begun to disappear, taking the secrets of the past with her into the darkness.

*************

Julia struggled against the oppressive darkness like a butterfly fighting to prematurely free itself from its cocoon; each time she thought she'd found a way out, the sticky blackness would once again enfold her. There was no way out, and despite her attempts not to panic, Julia felt as if her heart would explode if she didn't regain control of herself.

"Barnabas, help me!" she called out, desperate for a sign that she wasn't alone. All she needed was to see his hand reaching out to guide her home, to hear his voice giving her the strength she needed to break free from her prison...

Instead of freedom, all she found was agony as she saw Barnabas sitting in the study of the Old House, staring at a fading portrait of Angelique. Though she wasn't close enough to hear his words, she was certain that he was repeating the mantra that had broken her heart in 1840: Angelique is the only woman I've ever loved...

"No! You can't love her!" Julia screamed, mere seconds before the darkness exploded with daylight's fury.

*************

"Julia, please wake up!" Mrs. Johnson called out as she frantically knocked on her friend's bedroom door. Josette's warning had been frightening enough, but she hadn't considered what would happen if she was too late to help Julia. She'd seen many terrible things at Collinwood, and in the past she'd been unable to stop them. This time, however, she'd been given a warning, a way to help prevent the evil that was descending once again upon them all. How would she be able to deal with herself if she wasn't able to warn Julia of the danger? Reaching out to knock on the door again, she was startled when it suddenly swung open to reveal a disheveled Julia, who looked as though she hadn't slept all night.

"Oh thanks goodness you're awake!" Sarah exclaimed, "I thought something terrible had happened to you!"

"Why would you think that? I merely overslept," Julia snapped, unaware of how angry she sounded.

"Well, I wouldn't have thought much about it, except that..." Sarah's voice trailed off as she took a good look at her friend's condition. Julia had dark circles under her eyes, and it seemed to be an effort for her to even stand up, much less be carrying on a conversation. What could have possibly happened to her in the night?

"Except what?" The look in Julia's eyes was almost frightening, and Sarah was reluctant to tell her what had transpired in the corridor, but she had to warn her.

"Well at first I thought it was strange that you overslept because you're usually the first one awake in the house besides myself..."

"Will you please get to the point, Sarah? I don't have all day."

Mrs. Johnson was taken aback by Julia's behavior. Normally a very private woman, Julia was capable of extreme emotion when someone she cared about was in trouble; she had even been known to charm Roger on occasion, which was no easy task. She loved the Collins family as if they were her own relatives, and she would have never been this awful to anyone at Collinwood on purpose. Josette had warned her that an evil spirit had come to Collinwood to hurt Julia, and although she wasn't sure if she believed it before, she knew now that Josette's story had been true. Something terrible had happened....

"Well I was coming up here to check on you when I saw the ghost of someone named Josette who told me you were in trouble. She said something about an evil spirit that had done something to you, so I was worried."

Julia gave an exasperated sigh that made Mrs. Johnson acutely aware that she should drop the issue. "Really, Sarah, do you believe that everything that happens at Collinwood is related to the supernatural? Nothing evil has happened in this house in well over a year, and we don't need hysterical ravings like this to stir things up again. I'm perfectly fine...now if you'll please excuse me, I need to get dressed. I'll be downstairs in a little while." She shut the door in her friend's face, leaving Mrs. Johnson standing in the hallway as she prepared for the task that the evening would bring. Taking the revolver from her dresser, she thought of the past as she slipped the silver bullets into the chamber. Barnabas had never loved her...there would never be a future for either of them, and nobody would know that she had ended her pain until it was too late....she would kill Barnabas. It was the only way to find peace.

"I know what I have to do," she whispered, looking into the mirror that sat atop the dresser....

Julia was too preoccupied with her "plan" to notice that the face reflected in the glass was one that belonged to a younger woman, a woman whose soul laughed manically at her from the pits of Hell as Fate once again spun its web around Collinwood...

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production