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| Victoria and India |
A single moment in our lives can shape our futures forever. It can be a happy moment, filled with family and friends and all the excitement and joy we can imagine, or it can be dark and twisted, castings shadows on our whole existence for all time. This looming shadow, like a curse, can burden us and future generations for as long as the moon reflects the light of the sun in the blackest sky.
India do Arco has seen happiness in her life. She has seen joy. She has seen a world of love and acceptance, that is, up until the moment right after she met her paternal family; her bloodline belongs to a cursed family from Collinsport, Maine.
This reunion, with her father's family, betrayed what she believed was reality and ushered in horrors only a twisted imagination could create.
In an instant, an Onyx Ring belonging to the vampire Barnabas Collins shifted India's world, real and tangible, into a world of confusion, fear, darkness and the macabre. This black stoned ring took India back in time to the year 1966 to the very moment Victoria Winters arrived at Collinwood.
This twisting of time has a purpose, but the answers, you see, are yet to be revealed.
This is an alternate beginning to long told over time and builds on the mystery that is the Collins family's legacy of secrets they thought long buried behind a wall of stone.
This is India's journey into this world of the past, into the world created by a lie revived by
The Onyx Curse.
**COLLINSPORT, MAINE 1966**
All India could see was the darkness of the night and trees passing here as she ran down the sloped hill that made up the western edge of the Collinwood compound on Widow's Hill. She ran so fast the night air stung the skin on her face like an icy winter's kiss. She ran and she ran, never looking back at Collinwood where she had seen a young Victoria Winters enter the mansion. It was real. This was real. The black Onyx ring that mysteriously appeared around her neck in 2019 had created a time swap and she was really, truly back in 1966.
As India's mind grappled with what was really happening, she continued to run towards the village. She didn't even realize she had arrived at the edge of town; when she was suddenly stopped in the middle of the rural road that lead up to Collinwood by a speeding car that came to a screeching halt almost hitting her. The person driving punched the breaks inches from hitting India as she turned her face away from the bright headlights that pierced through the dark foggy night.
"HEY LADY! Are you crazy!? Get out of the street!" The man barked to India as he jumped out of the driver side and stood in the street.
India stood under the street lamp that brightly hovered over her like a tiny sun in a cloudy sky.
India didn't move. She just turned back and looked at the car, large and bulky as they were in 1966. She couldn't believe it was real. She had never seen anything like it except in the movies. The man shook his head, trembling too with the shock of almost hitting her.
He was tall, handsome with golden brown hair and short beard. His clothes were like a costume from a 1960s party. India, remained frozen in front of his car.
"Are you ok? I don't think I hit you." The man said coming close to India.
"I...Uh....." She said, unsure how to reply and looking down at her body.
"Hey....Miss? Are you ok?" The tall handsome man said touching her shoulder. "You're not ok. I guess, having a car almost plow you down in the middle of the night could be scary. Can I give you a lift somewhere?" He asked.
"Uh.... umm" India was dumbstruck, the shock of where she was, and how it happened was still settling in, she grabbed the necklace and placed it under her shirt hiding Barnabas' ring that hung on it's long silver chain.
"Uhhhh Ok." The man said, his face showing concern for India's well being and that she couldn't even speak.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and led her to his car. He opened the door and sat her down on the cold leather seats. As he swung back around into the driver's seat, India was still speechless. She could smell the leather of the seats, another sign this was really happening to her and it was not a dream.
As the man began driving away from the edge of the Collins' property and deeper into town, the street lights suddenly blacked out leaving the road outside the Collins estate in a black gauzy fog.
The man could see India was in a very bad place. Her eyes were like sauces, constantly taking in the 1966 version of Collinsport that was beyond her imagination. He was growing further concerned, he didn't hit her, but the shock of almost hitting her seemed to be just as bad.
"You jumped out into the street....from that big patch of land." The man said, trying to make conversation. "Anyone could have hit you." He added as she looked over at him still speechless.
"I'm sorry." She suddenly said in a quiet voice.
"Oh! No, no, please don't be sorry." The man said, as he slowly made his way through town. "I guess I should have been more careful too, that part of town can be a bit dark at night. The street lights usually don't work up there, surprised they were tonight, but lucky for you they were, right?" He answered shyly.
"Excuse me, where are we going?" India asked finally realizing she was in a stranger's car and minutes into town.
"I'm guessing you could use a cup of coffee to warm you up, you weren't really giving me much to go on, so I'm just going to pull into the cafe here at the Inn. My friend Maggie owes me a cup of coffee, so...." He said as he slowly pulled into the Collinsport Inn's parking lot.
"Maggie...." India said, she remembered that name.
"Yeah...she's the waitress...do you know her?" The man said.
"I don't ...." India replied quickly, as she wasn't sure how to answer. She was afraid to say yes, Maggie certainly wouldn't remember her. "No." India replied again.
They pulled into a small parking lot outside a building painted in white-wash, an early 1800's farm house style building with an American Flag hanging in the fog above a wrap-around porch. It was the Inn in it's 1966 form before its various renovations over the years that would come.
The man stood outside of his car and bent down and looked back in through the driver seat window that was open. The red and blue lights from the Inn's CAFE sign flashed on India's perfect skin. He looked at her and waited for her to open her own door but she just stared at the Inn from the other side of the windshield. The hotel was so different than it was in 2019 version. It was smaller, more quaint, the whole look was astonishingly different.
"Miss?" The man asked, wondering why she hand't come out.
"Oh!" India said, realizing how bizarre she must be coming off. Whatever was happening to her, was real. She could feel it. This was no dream. And she knew that she had to snap out of the shock if she wanted to figure everything out and get back to her real life, her real time. Inside of her mind India knew she had to quickly get used to where she was to find the answers to whatever made this happen to her.
The two slowly made their way into the Inn's Cafe. It was quiet, only a three people sat on red and white gingham covered tables sipping on coffee and eating small little sandwiches. A short-haired waitress with a paper hat and pink uniform poked her head from around the swinging kitchen door. It was a young vibrant Maggie Evans.
"Hey Justin, come on in, sit where ever, I'll be with you in a sec." She said, then snapped her head in a double take when she noticed he was with a beautiful new face: India do Arco.
The man, who India just now discovered was named Justin, lead her to a side booth right next to a window facing the street covered by a short curtain in the same gingham pattern as the table cloth. Maggie lifted an eye brown and sauntered over to Justin and India's table tapping a pencil on her order pad.
"So...what can I get you two?" Maggie said with a smirk.
"You owe me a coffee." Justin said smiling.
"I do? Since when do I owe you anything Justin?" Maggie said sarcastically.
"You do." Justin replied with an equally bright smile.
"Fine. And for you miss?" Maggie said turning to India.
"She can have the coffee, I just came along for the ride." Just replied.
"How valiant of you." Maggie replied in more of her trademark sarcasm.
As Maggie made her way for the Coffee, India leaned in and asked Justin for directions to the Cafe's lady's room. Justin pointed to the corner and India rushed off.
"So who is she?" Maggie said returning and pouring two mugs of coffee.
"I don't know. I was driving home through a short cut up by Widow's Hill and she literally bounced out of the bushes and I almost hit her. She hasn't even told me her name. I felt bad, I must of freaked her out bad. She didn't talk to me almost the whole way here." Justin explained.
"Widow's Hill, huh? By the Collins place? So odd--that's twice tonight." Maggie said.
"What's twice tonight?" Just wondered.
"About an hour before you came in just now, two other people new to town came in. One was a lady going up to to Collinwood....she needed a cab. I think I've heard the name Collins more in one night than I have in a whole month, and that's enough!" Maggie said as she shook off a shiver that ran through her whole body at the mention of the Collins name.
"Really? Do you think she has something to do with those other new people? You know they're always switching up the employees up there. Especially when ---you know--they go missing." Justin said with wide eyes.
In the lady's room India just stared at herself in the mirror. She shook her head and turned on the faucet letting the cold water pool in her hands and then splashing it on her face forcing her to realize--again--that this was no dream. She was really where she was, an old bathroom at the old Cafe of the old Collinsport Inn in 1966. She dried her hands and face just as an older woman came out of the stall.
"You alright deary? You seem upset. I saw you come in with that Justin Patterson boy....careful with that one." The lady said washing her hands.
"Why should I be careful?" India asked softly as she looked at the woman from the reflection of the mirror.
"Oh honey, he's a known heart-breaker. He may be the Sheriff's son, but the good and honorable gene didn't make into that apple, believe you/me. Many a young lady in this town have had to deal with his shenanigans and you'll just be one for the record books. If I were you, I'd get my things and call a cab. Let him keep his coffee! " The old lady said as she walked out of the bathroom leaving India to stew in her warning.
It was all too much. India pulled out the necklace from around her neck and held Barnabas' ring in her had. She could feel it warm the flesh on her fingers.
"What the hell do you want from me?" She whispered to herself.
India closed her eyes and took a deep breath, replaced the necklace in her shirt and reached for the bathroom door.
As India made her way back to her seat with Justin, Maggie smiled at her and watched with an eagle's eye as she sat back down carefully curating an opinion of the second new female face to town right down to her movements and body language.
"So....how's the coffee?" Maggie said as India reached for the mug to taste it. India smiled and motioned it was good. "Good? Great---so Justin and I were chatting while you were away and he told me where he found you."
"Maggie!" Justin said, surprised by Maggie's forceful prodding.
"Were you coming from Collinwood? How do you know the Collins family?" Maggie continued prodding despite her earlier discomfort discussing the family.
The old woman overheard this and her eyes bugged out of her head. She quickly left her money on the table and grabbed her husband's arm.
"She's a Collins!" The old woman whispered to her husband who was confused by the whole situation and still wanting to finish his coffee and doughnut.
India knew she had to make some allies if she was ever going to make it home, she couldn't risk alienating anyone so soon.
"I was up there...because...well, funny thing, I was hired as a governess and turns out they were double booked. Someone else had the job before me, so I guess I missed out." India said lying.
"You'd think so." Maggie said, sarcastically hinting that perhaps India dodged a bullet missing out on the job.
"Sorry?" India replied
"Oh, nothing....so wheres you're stuff?" Maggie asked.
"My stuff? OH! Well, that's what I forgot. I must of left it up at the house." India continued to lie.
"You'd think that would have been the first thing you'd reach for when you realized that you had to leave, huh? Your things." Maggie said as Justin jumped in.
"Don't listen to Maggie, she has all these crazy ideas about the Collins family."
"Crazy?!?!" Maggie objected to Justin quickly changing the subject.
"What's your name?" Justin asked.
"India. India doArco."
"Pretty." Maggie replied.
"And you were hired as a governess but someone else had the job first?" Justin asked again.
"That's right." India replied reaffirming her lie that Maggie and Justin both didn't believe but were going with it.
"Well it looks like it's going to be a long night for you, hon, so why don't I grab you a slice of pie, ok?" Maggie said irritated with India's sudden lack of transparency.
"You'll have to excuse Mags....there's a lot about this town that kind of ...well anyway, I guess we're just confused India. Even if the Collins family accidentally hired two nannies, why wouldn't they let you stay at the house until the morning so you could get back home in the day time? I mean to set you off in the dark down that hill with all the crazy...." Justin paused again. "uhh...animals that roam around out there, it's just really hard to believe. Do you know anyone else in town? Maybe I can take you to their house, or maybe you can get a room here."
Suddenly it dawned on India as she remembered Julia Hoffman's final words to her just before the time switch. She remembered Julia saying to her "COME FIND ME", she could hear her voice so clear, it was like a bell ringing in her mind. Julia! Julia would not only believe her but help her find a way back, and find a way out of this bizarre nightmare. Julia would be the only person alive in this time that could crack this mystery and help her figure out why she was where she was and why she was chosen by Barnabas in the first place.
"Actually, yes, I do know someone. Is there any way you might know a woman named Dr. Julia Hoffman. She ---- she'll help me." India said just as Maggie returned with the pie.
"No Doctor here by that name." Maggie said returning with the pie.
"Don't you have a phone book?" Justin replied to Maggie who rolled her eyes, not trusting the second new woman in town one bit.
As Maggie reached under the large breakfast counter Justin looked deep into India's hazel eyes. He could sense fear, uncertainty and confusion in her stare. She was lost, he could tell but he had no idea just how lost she really was.
Then the loud bang of the phone book slamming the table broke his gaze on India. Irritated, Justin thanked Maggie who walked off to clean the other tables.
"Ok, let's see, Hoffman, Hoffman....H........Henderson, Hendrix, Hollister, Horner....No Hoffman. This is the Collinsport Index, let me check the Bangor side." Justin explained.
"The phone book has both?" India asked.
"Are you kidding? We're a tiny area, this phone book has 4 cities in it, Bangor is the biggest. If your friend is anywhere, she's in Bangor......let's see. Hammer, Harmer, Harmer again, Henderson, another Henderson, a third Henderson, Hofflyn, Hoffman....THERE! Hoffman, J. That has to be her. There's only one! 14892 Saynes Rd in Bangor." Justin said.
"Can you take me there? Please, she's really the only person I think can help me." India said.
"Yeah, Sure! Right now?" Justin wondered looking at the clock.
"Please, I have to see her." India said rushing out of the booth and over to the Cafe door. Justin jumped too and followed India.
"Thanks Maggie!" Justin shouted.
"That was two coffees! Now you owe ME one!" She shouted back with a grin.
"Next time!" Justin smiled.
India and Justin got into his car and took off for the short ride to Bangor.
Maggie paused and she cleaned up Justin and India's table. Just as a dark haired, handsome man walked into the diner from the Hotel Lobby that was just adjacent.
"Saynes Rd....." She wondered to herself. "That's where Windcliff is." Maggie said recognizing the street where her mother spent her last years....Maggie and Justin's family knew Windcliff very well.
"What are you muttering to yourself." The dark haired man said smirking at Maggie, whom he had a conversation with earlier in the evening when he too arrived to Collinsport via the train station.
"Oh Burke! Don't mind me. Ready for that night cap?" Maggie asked shaking off her thoughts and identifying the man as Burke Devlin, a former resident of town who had just returned.
"Sure, thanks Mags. Where was the Patterson kid running off to?" Burke asked sipping from the cocktail Maggie had just poured.
"You don't want to know." Maggie said grinning. "So what's on your agenda? I know you've got to be back for a reason or two." She added.
Burke smiled, he was back for the long haul...something in him, tenacity, strength, whatever it was, made sure that his return would be remembered for all time.
"You'll see." Burke said grinning.
****
At Collinwood the dim lights of main drawing room reflected the beautiful alabaster skin of the lady of the house. She sat in a black velvet dress dripping in pearls and diamonds from ear to sternum as she flipped through a book and warming her skin by the fire from the great hearth in the center of the room. A large portrait of her great-great grandfather hung above her stared down at her like a guardian angel protecting her from all the would ill her.
"Really Liz! Do you actually think David is going to ever get used to governess after governess? This is the 4th this year." A male voice said from behind the woman. It was Roger Collins, entering from the foyer with a half a glass of Sherry and a dark plumb colored smoking jacket.
"Roger, please," the lady said rolling her eyes. "I don't want to get into this with you again. Victoria comes highly recommended and I believe David needs someone in his life that isn't constantly undermining his own creativity like you do. Besides you're too busy with work and I don't usually have the energy or the time to rush around with a 10 year old boy." Roger's sister Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard replied, never once lifting her eyes from her book.
"But from a Foundling home? Was there no agency that could---" Roger began before Elizabeth interrupted.
"ENOUGH! Victoria Winters is my employee, I am paying for her services, not you, so you don't have to worry about anything but yourself. As per usual." Elizabeth shot back shutting her younger brother up as he filled his Sherry glass at the wet-bar.
"You know some of this anxiety would really pass if you got out of this house more often. I think you've mourned enough." Roger replied in a huff, referring to the fact his sister hadn't left their mansion since the disappearance of her husband Paul over 20 years ago.
Elizabeth lifted an eye brown, the dim lights of the lamps on two corners of the wood-paneled room shined an orange glow on her disapproving reaction.
"I would watch your mouth if I were you." She warned.
Roger sighed and decided to take a break from ripping at his older sister who he knew would match him wit for wit and changed the subject quickly back to Victoria Winters.
"Where is she now anyway?" He asked feeling reprimanded.
"Upstairs getting settled in her room. I want you to treat her with respect and kindness, do you understand me? She's come a very long way and perhaps has had to suffer unimaginable grief in her life. You don't end up growing up in a Foundling home in New York City and not have a rough life. Is that understood? I'm having the same conversation with Carolyn as soon as she gets in." Elizabeth further warned.
Roger nodded. "Where is kitten anyway?" Roger asked of his 21 year old niece.
Elizabeth sighed with a lifted brow again, flicked the page of her book and muttered in her Mid-Atlantic accent: "Out."
****
The docks on the Collinsport harbor were dark and foggy. As the buoys dinged in the distant quiet waves of black water a beautiful blonde woman stood at the end of a dock under a fogged out pier light. She had been out with a friend at the Blue Whale Tavern but things didn't go her way that night as a bizarre fight occurred. But it didn't matter, she had other plans.
The beautiful blond stood with her legs exposed from under a black trench coat and watched as a black car slowly rolled up next to her. Her second date, so to speak, of the night.
The tinted back window rolled down and the blond haired woman, Elizabeth's daughter Carolyn Stoddard looked in.
The beautiful blond stood with her legs exposed from under a black trench coat and watched as a black car slowly rolled up next to her. Her second date, so to speak, of the night.
The tinted back window rolled down and the blond haired woman, Elizabeth's daughter Carolyn Stoddard looked in.
"You came." She said to the person in the car. "I...I was afraid you'd never make it."
The person in the car reached over revealing a hand in a black leather glove and unlocked the manual car door allowing Carolyn to pull the door open and step into the dark car.
"Thank you...I really needed your help. With you here, I can finally get the answers I've been looking for. I'm tired of the lies." Carolyn said.
"You won't have to worry now, I'm here. I'll fix it all." the voice said from the shadowy back seat. "Driver, take us to Collinwood please." The person added to the driver in the front seat who tipped his black hat in the review mirror and slowly drove off leaving the docks desolate and dark again.
****
As Justin drove quickly onto the Seaside Highway on their way to find Julia Hoffman in Bangor, India looked out of the car window and saw the twinkling lights of the town of Collinsport below. The town looked so quaint and quiet, revealing none of the twisted things that lay just below the surface of the fog. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath signaling to Justin she was worried about something.
"You're a very quiet person." She said joking.
"I just have so much on my mind." She replied.
"That's really interesting ring you have on your necklace." Justin said to India's surprise.
"What do you know about it??" India replied shocked.
"What? Nothing. I just saw it around your neck when I almost hit you earlier tonight. Who's was it?" Justin asked confused by India's sudden panic.
"How do you know it belonged to someone?" India replied, suspiciously, thinking everything that was happening had a meaning.
"Look, I'm not gonna pry ok." Justin said with a laugh. "It's just obviously not yours. I mean if it were yours you'd be wearing it on your finger but its on a necklace. That's all." He finished.
"You're right, I'm sorry, I've just had a really long night. I want to get to Bangor, get to Dr. Hoffman and get this over with. I just wish I could explain more but if I even tried to tell you what was really going on, you'd never believe me." India said.
"Bangor is about a 40 minute drive, we have the time." Justin said, flashing his bright smile.
India looked at him from her perch on the passenger seat. He was all smiles. He was clearly smitten with her. She thought for a split second and blurt out: "The ring belongs to a vampire who transported me from the year 2019 to the year 1966 and I don't know why. Dr. Hoffman is his future wife and she can help me figure out how to get back to my time."
Justin's face suddenly change. His eyes glazed over then suddenly he burst into a fit of laughter, he laughed so hard tears began to peek through his eyes. India expected that reaction.
"Ok ok....ok... I get it. The ring is your ex's or something, that's fine, I mean we just met I wouldn't expect you to tell me everything right away." He finally said as his laughter at India's true story finally subsided.
As Justin's car carved it's way through the winding Seaside Highway on it's way to Bangor, the light of the Collinsport lighthouse spun around as a constant guide for the sailors out to sea. This lighthouse, India remembered, was the burning force that the ring used as a conduit to bring her from 2019 to 1966.
She continued to stare at it's spinning white light. Around and around, flash---flash---flash---flash.
Every 20 seconds the light of the lighthouse down below would spin back and hit India in her face. The ring around her neck began to warn, it was so warm it began to burn the skin on her neck. India winched with pain and pulled the ring from out of her shirt and grabbed it, suddenly India's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she passed out.
"India?? HEY! INDIA!!?? Oh my god! Are you ok??" Justin screamed as he saw India's head bobbing in the passenger seat.
When Justin looked up he was in the wrong lane of the road, just as a truck coming in the oposite direction turned a corner. The truck honked it's deep long horn like a ship signaling its arrival at port and swerved. Justin quickly pulled the wheel to the side, his car careening over into the side of the hill crushing the front of it and pushing his face into the steering wheel knocking him unconscious.
When Justin looked up he was in the wrong lane of the road, just as a truck coming in the oposite direction turned a corner. The truck honked it's deep long horn like a ship signaling its arrival at port and swerved. Justin quickly pulled the wheel to the side, his car careening over into the side of the hill crushing the front of it and pushing his face into the steering wheel knocking him unconscious.
****
"FATHER! FATHER!!!! COME QUICK!!!" David's voice said screaming from the top of the stairs at Collinwood.
Roger and Elizabeth rushed into the foyer and saw David crouched down next to Victoria Winter's who had fainted just as the pair were coming down the steps.
"Oh My God!" Elizabeth shouted as she covered her mouth in shock
"What's happened??" Roger questioned his son, as he leaped up the stairs and lifted Victoria's head into his lap, carefully slapping her on the cheek to wake her.
"We were just coming down here to be with you and Aunt Elizabeth when suddenly she fained. I don't know what happened! Is she dead?? IS SHE DEAD????" David said screaming.
"David come here!" Elizabeth ordered as David quickly rushed down the steps to Elizabeth's side.
****
Justin woke up to the driver of the truck he almost hit slapping him on the face.
"HEY! You ok??? Are you ok?" The man said as Justin slowly woke up to the smoke and fumes coming from his crushed car.
"I'm...ughhhhgg" Justin said rubbing his head "fine...India?" Justin said looking over at the empty passenger seat. "Where's India?" He added.
"Who?" The truck driver asked.
"My friend...she was right here. India." Justin said, his forehead bleeding from the blow to the steering wheel.
"There was no one else in the car with you. Just you." the Truck driver said to a stunned Justin as he was helped out of the car.
"What????" Justin replied in total confusion. "She...she was right there. Right next to me!" Justin said getting out of his car and now standing on the foggy highway just above Collinsport in the swinging light of the lighthouse off to the side.
****
"Miss Winters? Miss Winters... are you ok?" Elizabeth's voice said as Vicky slowly opened her eyes finding herself now laying on the sofa in the drawing room.
"Are you ok Vicky?" David asked, as Vicky looked at him strangely. "I'm so sorry I was rude to you upstairs. I won't go through your things ever again!" David said, revealing his bad behavior to the rest of the family.
"What?" Elizabeth asked. "David what did you do?" Elizabeth screeched as David hid behind the sofa.
"Miss Winters, you fainted. Miss Winters?" Roger said, trying to pull focus back to getting Vicky well. "Please try and drink some water." He added as Vicky blinked her eyes as if she were trying to reset what she was seeing in front of her.... three foreign faces staring down at her.
A strange feeling overcame the new governess. She looked at them, she knew who they were by name but had no idea how she got there. How was it even happening...one minute she was somewhere else, the next she was on the sofa in the living room at Collinwood.
Vicky was terrified, trembling. Something wasn't right inside of her. Something wasn't right at all.
"Vicky?" The new governess whispered, that name did not compute in her mind. She didn't feel herself. Not one bit.
"Roger, why don't you help Vicky to her room. She needs to rest, I'm sure as soon as she does she'll be right as rain." Elizabeth said holding back David who was out of sorts after watching Vicky faint blaming himself for his bad behavior when Vicky apparently caught him going through her things.
Roger nodded his head in agreement.
"Come along Miss Winters." Roger said, helping Vicky up from the sofa.
"Miss Winters?" The weak woman said again, still in a dazed and confused state.
Roger looked at her funny.
"She's disoriented." He said to Elizabeth who nodded.
As Vicky and Roger made their way, slowly, over to the main staircase and into the long dim hall carpeted from wall to wall in blood red rugs, they passed a glass encased portrait of Naomi Collins. Suddenly, Vicky saw her reflection .... but it wasn't the face she was expecting.
Moments before she was in a different place.
She wasn't at the top of the stairs.
She wasn't even in the Collinwood mansion at all.
SHE was in a car driving on the Highway with Justin Patterson. She was India doArco.
The woman looking at the reflection of Victoria Winters wasn’t Victoria Winters at all, but India Do Arco, magically trapped inside of Vicky's body by the power of Barnabas Collins’ Onyx Ring that now hung around her neck under Victoria's soft white blouse.
The sleeping vampire, hidden away from all, had done this merging of the two women as part of a plan; a plan of his that would change the family forever. But why? What was Barnabas' plan for India now that she was trapped inside of Vicky. Why was Barnabas so keen on keeping India in 1966 that he combined the two woman together?
India gasped at the new face looking back at her in the glass of Naomi's frame. They, these two important women in the story of the Collins family, were now sharing one role, one body, one curse and she had no idea why.
"Miss Winters?" Roger asked.
India, now Vicky, couldn’t believe what was happening to her. Her mind was a mixture of terror and nerves. She didn’t understand anything that was happening to her, but inside all she could do was think that Julia could help her—save her...and take her home, to 2019.
“Miss Winters? Are you ok? You may have knocked your heard when you fainted” Roger repeated trying to form an explanation for himself for "Vicky's" strange behavior.
The reality of what was happening was almost unbelievable, and she knew she couldn't out-right explain it. India knew she had to play along with what was happening. No one in their right mind, she thought, would believe her explanation of inhabiting Vicky’s body by magic. She would sound insane, she would sound mad. India took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second and made the the conclusion she had to act as Vicky until it was safe. Until she knew what was really going on.
India, in Vicky’s body then smirked at the awaiting Roger who extended his hand to help her up the rest of the stairs. But her emotions got the best of her, India began to cry. She was so lost. So very lost.
"Oh, now, don't do that. You'll be fine. Come on, you need to rest a little. People faint all the time." Roger said warming up to the new woman in the house.
He was oblivious. He saw one woman in bodily form but another lurked just behind her eyes and mind in a state of confusion and fright. Was this just a bad dream? Was she really in 1966 and inside of a different woman's body living that woman's life, called by that woman's name?
How would this end? How would she get out of this!--India was overwhelmed.
Inside the mind India now shared with Vicky, all India could do was panic and wonder what in the world Barnabas had planned for her, and just how —or if—she would ever get out of this nightmare.
"Come along Miss Winters." Roger said, once more extending his hand for her to follow.
India dried her eyes...and took another deep breath...she was now Victoria Winters, but for how long?
