Chapter Five

The Phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached. When it came near to her, Lina bent down upon her knee; for in the very air through which this Spirit moved, it seemed to spread gloom and mystery.

It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing of it visible, save one outstretched hand. But for this, it would have been difficult to detach its figure from the night and separate it from the darkness it was surrounded.

"Am I in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?" Lina asked.

The Spirit did not reply but pointed onward with its hand.

"You are about to show me what will happen in the future," Lina pursued. "Is that so, Spirit?"

A shadowed figure stood stock in an eerie silence that made Lina even more uneasy than she had felt upon seeing it initially.

Right now, she was longing for the sweet, kind smile of her friend.

"Do you not speak?" Lina ventured again.

The Spirit nodded its head.

"Then speak, show me your face, lift the veil from over your face and let me see who you had chosen to appear before me as," Lina said with more confidence than she was feeling; she'd had Yvette already and Keira who could this Ghost of future Christmasses be? Was it Alexa? A part of her hoped it was so that even though she knew it wasn't her Alexa that at least she'd have a familiar face to look upon.

The garment's upper portion contracted for an instant in its folds as if the Spirit had inclined its head. That was the only answer Lina received.

Although well used to ghostly company by now, Lina feared the silent shape so much that her legs trembled beneath her, and she found that she could hardly stand when she prepared to follow it. The Spirit paused a moment, as observing her condition, and giving her time to recover.

Lina watched through wide eyes as the Spirit slowly pushed back the hood and veil that covered its face from view. With dramatic intent, the ghostly material fell slowly back and revealed a terrifying all too familiar face.

Lina gasped; of all the people who could have been chosen, this terrible choice was more terrifying than what she thought was shown.

"I knew I should fear you the most." Lina eyed the specter before her suspiciously. "You come with Lilith's face, whenever she comes to see me, nothing good ever happens."

The Spirit just stared ahead at her.

It gave her no reply. The hand was pointed straight before them.

"Lead on!" said Lina. "Lead on, The night is moving fast, and it is a precious time for me, I know. Lead on, Spirit."

The Phantom moved away as it had come towards her. Lina followed in the shadow of its dress, which bore it up, Lina thought and carried it along. Black never was Lilith's color.

They scarcely seemed to enter the City, for the City instead seemed to spring up about them and encompass them... But there they were in the heart of it.

The Spirit stopped beside one little knot of businessmen. Observing that the hand was pointed to them, Lina advanced to listen to their talk.

"No," said a great fat man with a monstrous chin, "I don't know much about it either way. I only know she's called in the debt of every pauper in the City and threatened prison for those who do not repay her."

"How did she get away with that?" Another asked, his cheeks so narrow it looked like he was sucking on a piece of candy.

Lina frowned.

The fat man nodded. "And last night I was leaving work to get to my car and what did I see but a raid on that local corner store, the vans were from Leonard Inc."

"No way!"

"Yes, it was very distressing watching them carry that man away his wife screaming after him."

Lina turned hard eyes onto the Spirit that reflected the face of her step-mother. "What happened?"

The Spirit looked back at her; for a moment, it looked as though she would speak but instead said nothing, pointing back at the group of men.

"How did she manage to do what her brother and mother failed so miserably?" He thinner man asked.

"She has an inner evil that even outshines Lilith Leonard." The nugget man assured his friend.

Lina's eyes widened with fear. "No, this can't be, I'd never do that!" There was no way in any world she could ever hurt any living soul, the idea she ever would seem so very wrong.

The Spirit said nothing; Lina was beginning to hate her mother's stoic face more than she hated the arrogant one she usually bestowed upon her. No, Lina, this is not Lilith.

A third appeared behind the two jovial men, his neck and lower face covered by a large warm looking scarf. "Freezing isn't it guys? I swear if my wife hadn't nagged it off years ago, this biting cold would have frozen my baby maker off by now."

The two other men laughed heartily. "We were just discussing the Leonard purge of the city."

The third man gasped, ghostlike most flowing from his mouth like smoke. "Did you hear about last night?"

"That's just What we were saying." The thinner man said, enjoying the moment far too much. Lina wanted to punch him right between his eyes.

The Phantom glided on into a street. Its finger pointed to two people meeting. Lina listened again, thinking that the explanation might lie here.

They were unfamiliar to Lina's eyes, and yet she watched with fascination as the two conversed. The tall blonde man held large red bags under his bloodshot eyes as though he hadn't slept for a long time.

"Did you inform the police department?" His companion asked, grasping firmly onto his blond friend's arm for support.

"Yes, but they didn't care. You know Lina Leonard has the police in her pocket."

"They can't surely think keeping the children too is right?"

The blond man lowered his head holding in a strained sob that threatened to burst out. "They say they are to be kept until I repay the loan, but I have no money to repay it, my kids aren't threats to anyone John, my eldest is the sweetest little girl in the world she builds sandcastles and plays with her dolls, how can she be a threat?"

Lina furrowed her eyebrows struggling to capture what the two were saying. She turned her worried green eyes to the Spirit, finding Lilith's face watching her was a very terrifying thing.

Still, these eyes did not scream pride; they gave her the feeling of condemnation, hate, and not the usual type she had received from Lilith Leonard.

Swallowing hard, Lina felt the pressure hurt her throat as the saliva stubbornly went down. "Did I do that?"

The Spirit nodded calmly.

Dread filled Lina, what had happened, that would make her turn so evil? To become even worse than Lilith and Leon?

"They say they are there until Leonard has finished her vile deeds and claimed her payments." The man gave up all pretense of being healthy and collapsed into his friend's arms, tears falling readily uncaring that he was in the middle of a busy street filled with people whose eyes were all now trained on him.

"What has happened?" Lina asked nervously, she wanted to know the answer, and yet it made her afraid.

The Ghost did not reply.

"Spirit, please these words they trouble me; I'm afraid, what are you saying I've done? What will I do?" Lena pleaded.

Nothing.

Instead, the Spirit touched Lina's shoulder, an ice-cold chill set through her from the spot where it held her, as the scene around them changed, and for the second time that night, she found herself standing in the middle of Alexa's apartment.

"Spirit?" Lina asked with caution as her eyes slowly turned to take in the apartment; the whole place sat in chaos, Alexa was nowhere in sight. "Where is Alexa?"

"You can't do this; she gave her life, and you to betrayed her!" Alexa's accusing voice boomed at them.

Lina gasped when she saw Alexa draw into sight, her face looked grey and unkempt, her eyes red and bloodshot, and she sat under puffy, baggy eyes; it was clear she'd not slept she swept her hands through her hair the slender digits trembled and shook.

"You really are so up, Leonard's fucking ass, you would betray my sister!" Alexa slammed her fist against the wall with such force when she pulled away part of the wall cake with it.

"Yeah, you already said!"

Seeing Alexa in such a state was too much, Lina launched herself forward, forgetting the format she had been in, and instead of pulling the woman into her arms, walked straight through her.

Green eyes filled with tears as she watched Alexa pace the floor, stress, and worry, filling every part of her body until it took over everything insight about her.

"Alexa." She whispered as the woman she loved cursed her name to the most bottomless darkest pits of hell.

The Spirit watched its charge for a long time; tears were usual; they were accustomed to them.

It reached its arms out to the woman to take hold of, Lina hesitates. She didn't want to leave Alexa, and yet the rational part of her knew this wasn't real, or at least there was nothing she could do.

Her hand met the spirits ice cold one, and again the scenery changed; things were happening quite quickly now; the place they emerged was far too familiar.

"My office," Lina said quietly.

The Spirit nodded.

"Why have you brought me here?" Lina asked, a dark thought clouding her mind ominously.

She advanced towards the desk, trembling. The Phantom was exactly as it had been, but Lina dreaded that she saw new meaning in its solemn shape.

"Before I draw nearer to the desk to which you point," said Lina, "answer me one question. Are these the images of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of the things that May be only?"

Still, the Ghost pointed downward to the desk by which it stood."

The Spirit pointed down to the papers on her desk; many sat there, but a file lay closed on top, the title made Lina jumped out of her skin with both fear and outrage.

City Purged By Lina Leonard

Terrified full green eyes faced the Spirit, de sought reassurance this was not as it seemed, that she was wrong.

"Spirit tell me the truth, is it really me who does all of this?"

The Spirit nodded.

"The children?"

The Ghost shook his head.

"No, I'd never hurt a child, ever, I'd never hurt anyone. I want to help people I want to do good things for the world, not this." Lina sobbed.

"Spirit!" She cried, tight clutching at its robe, "hear me! I am not the woman I was. I will not be the woman I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this if I am past all hope?'

For the first time, the hand appeared to shake.

"Good Spirit," She pursued, as down upon the ground she fell before it, "Your nature intercedes for me, and pities me. Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me by an altered life?"

The kind hand trembled.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Or the people that love me. Tell me I may wipe away the writing on this newspaper and purge my soul of corruption!'

In her agony, Lina caught the spectral hand. It sought to free itself, but she was steadfast in her plea and detained it. The Spirit, more robust yet, repulsed her.

Holding up her hands in the last prayer to have her fate reversed, she saw an alteration in the Phantom's hood and dress. It shrunk, collapsed, and dwindled down into a desk, which instantly before her eyes turned into her bed as the whole office transformed into Lina's bedroom.

Yes! And the bed was her own. The bed was her own, the room was her own. Best and happiest of all, the time before her was her own, to make amends in!

"I don't know what day of the month it is," said Lina. "I don't know how long I have been among the Spirits. I don't know."

Running to the window, she opened it and put out her head. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. Oh, glorious! Glorious!

"What's today?" cried Lina, calling across to a boy in Pyjamas who sat in a chair on the balcony across from her apartment building. He lay in wait for the moment he could rip into his mountain of gifts, and in the hope, he could catch a glimpse of Father Christmas on his return home.

"Eh?" returned the boy with all his might of wonder.

"What's today, my fine fellow?" said Lina, with such a happy mood he could not remember the last time she had felt this happy.

'Today! Are you okay, lady?" replied the boy. "It's Christmas Day."

"It's Christmas Day!" said Lina to himself. "I haven't missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course, they can. Of course, they can."

"I think you've had too many spirits all in one night." The young boy said, in confusion as to the strange woman's attitude.

Lina laughed happily. "Smart boy, enjoy your Christmas. I'm going to enjoy mine."

The boy watched with stunned awe as Lina turned away and went back into the warmth of her bedroom. "I will enjoy it very well." She whispered, rubbing her hands together. "I need to do one crucial thing, find the perfect ring I'm done wasting time, crying my days away, the spirits have shown me the error of my ways I'm going to get the woman I love, and I'm going to keep her."