SCENE 3
The clay seemed to have a life of its own as Maggie tried to work with it. It wouldn't do what she wanted, and it just became more frustrating the more she tried.
"Maybe you should stop for awhile. Give yourself a break and it will come," said Roger from his seat on Maggie's bed. "You're trying too hard."
"No, I need to work through this," she replied, kneading the clay, trying to make it bend to her will. "Otherwise it will get the best of me. I can't let this frustration stop me."
"Actually, I like seeing you like this. Now you know what I've been feeling for the past fifteen months."
Maggie shot him a dirty look. "That's not fair, Roger. It wasn't frustration that stopped you. You just haven't tried. Maybe you should go back to your painting. It would be good for you to have a creative outlet."
"I'll never go back to painting. Too many unpleasant memories attached to it." He laid down, hoping Maggie would get the hint.
But she was too involved in her sculpting. "An artist never truly stops being an artist."
Roger stood up and came around behind Maggie. "You need to relax." He put his hands on her shoulders, kneading deep into her knotted muscles. "You are way too tense."
Maggie stretched her neck, feeling the warmth of his hands. Her eyes closed as she began to let herself fall into the abyss, Roger's strong touch pulling her in. She felt the touch of his lips on her neck, which brought her back to reality. She couldn't do this, not now. "Roger, stop." She pulled away from him.
Annoyance tinged his voice as he spoke. "What's wrong now?"
Maggie turned on him. "Roger, your wife may be coming back to Collinsport. What do you think is wrong?"
"I don't understand why everyone seems to view Laura's return as some harbinger of the apocalypse. First Liz, now you. At least my sister has some reason: she has actually met Laura. But you, Maggie? It's not like you to make judgments about someone you know almost nothing about." He reached for her again.
Maggie stepped away from him. "Of course. I spent the past eight months having a secret affair with a married man, put up with the looks, the lies, not to mention my father's disapproval, and you expect me to be thrilled that your wife is coming back to town?" She looked at the floor, knowing he would not be happy with what she was about to say. "Even if she was a normal woman."
Roger stared at her for a second, surprised at her vehemence. Then he heard her last remark and practically laughed. "You aren't going to bring up this insane idea of yours that Laura is a witch, are you? Let's not get ridiculous."
"It's not ridiculous, Roger. It's true," she said matter-of-factly, all her anger seemingly gone now. She had to get through to him. She had to make him realize they were both in danger. "There's too much evidence to ignore it. How else can you explain your odd attacks? The doctor says there is nothing physically wrong with you. And what about David's odd behavior?"
Roger glared at her. "David's odd behavior has never needed a supernatural excuse. He's simply a disturbed boy. I wish I could help him, but it seems obvious that I can't." He turned to the door. "I can't talk to you when you're like this. I'm going to the office." He grabbed his coat.
Maggie tried to stop him. "Roger, wait. It's important that you believe me."
His hand on the knob, he turned back briefly. "I lived with Laura for over ten years. Wouldn't I have noticed something, had some sort of suspicion, if she was a witch?"
He opened the door and started to leave, but Maggie grabbed his arm and spun him around. "Roger, I'm warning you. Don't ignore Laura's powers. If you do, it's at the risk of your own life. And mine."
Roger gave her a stern look, then pulled away from her and left.
SCENE 4
The colors of the sunset were almost hypnotic as Barnabas watched from his window at Lang's house. Pinks and purples and reds found nowhere else in nature spread across the horizon as he stood mesmerized. It wasn't until the last rays of the sun dipped below the Earth's edge that he turned to see Dr. Lang standing behind him.
The doctor smiled. "Enjoying the view, Mr. Collins?"
"Yes," he said without a trace of humor. "I love the sun. It is an old friend who visits rarely. I want to see it as often as possible."
Lang chuckled softly. "I can understand that. How long has been?"
"A few months ago, I was able to tolerate a small amount of sunlight, courtesy of Dr. Hoffman. I faced it before I was ready and it made me quite ill. Still, it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Before that, I hadn't seen the light of day in almost 200 years."
"A long time."
"Yes, it was. Dr. Lang, you said my cure is not permanent."
Lang looked away from him. "Unfortunately, that is true. Six months is probably the best we can hope for, maybe less. There are too many variables to say with any certainty."
Barnabas took a step toward him. "You said you might have a way to cure me permanently, to let me live a normal life." Lang turned to him and nodded. "Tell me about it."
Eric seemed about to speak, but then changed his mind. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm not far enough along to go into any detail yet." Barnabas' face fell in disappointment. "But soon I will be. And let me assure you, Mr. Collins, if my experiment is successful, it will make a completely new man of you. You'll never have to suffer the curse of darkness again."
"You cannot imagine how much that would mean to me, Doctor. To be free, to lead a normal life." He stopped abruptly as a thought came to him. "Doctor, how is Victoria Winters? Is she alright?"
Dr. Lang noticed an almost wistful look in Barnabas' eyes. "Miss Winters is doing just fine. She's down the hall. I'm keeping her for one more night just to keep an eye on her, but she will probably be ready to return to Collinwood tomorrow."
"Would it be alright for me to see her?"
"Of course." Lang paused for a moment, then made an educated guess. "You care about her, don't you?"
"Yes, I do, Dr. Lang. I love her more than life itself. Just as I loved her 200 years ago." He looked up. "We were leaving together for England when we got into the accident, so we could be together."
"Was that her choice or yours?" Barnabas gave Lang a hard look, but he went on. "I saw the fang marks on her neck, Mr. Collins."
The guilt struck Barnabas anew. "What I did to her was necessary. She had occasion to discover what I am…or rather, what I was. Though she did not remember the details, the memories began to surface." He looked the doctor straight in the eye. "I could not allow that to happen. But she does love me."
"If that's true, then there should be no problem. But I warn you, Miss Winters is no longer under your power." Barnabas registered surprise. "The fang marks disappeared from her neck at the same time you were cured, as they would have from any of your victims. They are all free now."
Suddenly Barnabas was concerned. "Will they…does Victoria remember anything about what I did to her?"
Eric chuckled slightly. "No, Mr. Collins, she doesn't. She must have been a relatively recent victim. The longer they are under your power, the more likely they are to remember their time as your slave. So if you have any long-term victims, you may want to be careful."
He thought about his other victims, Willie and Carolyn. He couldn't imagine Willie would be a problem, but he should have Julia check on Carolyn. "Dr. Lang, thank you again. For everything."
"No, Mr. Collins, thank you." He shook Barnabas' hand. "For more than you will ever know."
