Subj: Love's Familiar Face Ch10
Date: 5/29/99 5:37:00 PM Central Daylight Time
From: miranda

Chapter Ten
Parallel Time

Under Josette's hypnotic spell Alexis still refused to talk about her sister Angelique.

"What do you mean, you 'can't bear to think about it?" Josette demanded.

"I can't talk about her," Alexis whimpered.

Josette was not moved by Alexis' show of distress. "You haven't seen her since her wedding to Quentin Collins. Why?"

"I didn't even want to go to her wedding, but I felt I had to." Alexis began to cry.

"You will tell me what I need to know. Now!" Josette said in a cruel voice.

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

Ten years ago…

Angelique Blair leaned against a tombstone near the entrance to Eagle Hill Cemetery. She held herself in a mature manner that seemed more appropriate for someone much older then a mere fifteen year old teenager. She casually looked at her nails and did not seem at all disturbed by her morbid surroundings.

Finally, the two men for whom she had been waiting began to emerge from the many headstones. They looked dirty and bedraggled as if they had recently finished a hard, arduous task. The taller one spoke up as he neared Angelique. "Well it's done. I don't know how a young thing like you got all that money. I just want you to know that I wouldn't do something like this if it wasn't for that."

Angelique made a point to look the slovenly men up and down. She had picked them for the very reason that they were transients and were just passing through Collinsport. "Yes, I can see that you are both men of high standards and taste." She held out the rest of their payment. "I suggest you find living arrangements in another town as soon as possible."

"We don't want no trouble," the tall man replied. "Like I said, I ain't done nothing like this before…and I hope I never do again." The men slowly walked out the cemetery.

Angelique smiled to herself. Everything was going as planned. Soon a familiar voice called out to her. "Angelique? Where are you?"

"Over here Alexis," Angelique shouted back.

"Why on earth did you want me to come here? We'll have to hurry." Today was a special day for Alexis. She was being honored for winning a national essay writing contest. Even the mayor would be there.

"Just follow me," Angelique said. "I found something marvelous. You won't believe it when you see it."

As they made their way through the gray crumbling tombstones, Alexis continued to question what exactly it was that was so important that Angelique wanted her to come out to the middle of a cemetery on this important day. Just as Alexis relentlessly questioned her sister, Angelique continued to evade her questions.

When they finally arrived at their destination Alexis exclaimed, "The Collins' Family Mausoleum? You brought me here to see this?"

"Not at all, Alexis. It's what is inside that is so amazing. Come and see." Angelique entered through the rusty old gate and Alexis followed close behind. Once inside Angelique pushed her sister to the ground and quickly slipped outside the gate. She promptly locked it with a shiny new padlock.

"Let me out of here!" Alexis cried as she grasped the bars that held her a prisoner.

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for a little while. You may scream all you wish, but no one will hear you." Angelique began to walk away, but called out, "If you get lonely, I arranged for you to have some company."

Alexis could hear Angelique laughing to herself as she moved further and further away. She turned around slowly wondering what Angelique had meant about having company. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the darkness Alexis slowly made out a form propped up against the wall in the far corner of the room. She began to scream over and over when she recognized who it was. It was the dead and rotting corpse of a neighbor who had died recently.

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

"She left me there…with that body. She went to my party and pretended to be me. It was hours before anyone realized what had happened. Hours and hours with the putrid smell of decomposing flesh. She had done horrible things to me before that time, but this was the worst. I never fully understood the extent of how evil she truly was until that incident. And what did my mother do? She sent me away to a private school. She sent me away!"

Josette smiled. She had found the information she needed. There could be no doubt that Angelique Blair Collins was the reincarnation of Angelique Bouchard. "You will forget my visit here this evening," Josette instructed. "and you will not remember our conversation."

Josette disappeared from Alexis' presence. For a moment Alexis was disoriented, but then went about what she was doing before Josette had arrived as if the disturbing events of the evening had never taken place.