Previous chapters of the Vista Falls story:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

How should the story continue? Voting is open on the current chapter!

Last time, while in search of the terrifying portrait of Sam and Jenny Colbert, the teens, Mr. Dinello and Mr. Jaquith had become trapped in the museum’s service elevator. Despite sounding the alarm—which eventually stopped ringing—they remained sealed in the cramped elevator for quite a long time. Vera, who has a fear of confined spaces, began to have a panic attack which worried her friends and family. Vera had a weak heart which had been damaged years before. When she became upset, she ran the risk of becoming seriously ill. While the others tried to calm Vera down, TJ noticed a trapdoor in the ceiling of the elevator and suggested that Ward boost him out of the trapdoor to see if he could find a way of escaping. At first, Mr. Dinello didn’t agree, but seeing how upset Vera had become, Mr. Dinello eventually let TJ go ahead. When TJ opened the trapdoor, he was surprised when something fell out, onto the floor. It was a rolled-up canvas—the kind upon which an artist paints. Mr. Dinello picked up the canvas and looked at it. His eyes widened with fear. What was painted on the canvas? Here’s what you decided.

Chapter 7: From the Machine
By Joseph Crisalli

“Vera,” Lucy said to her twin, “try to stay calm. Remember your heart.”

“That’s right.” Kate’s eyes widened as she remembered that her cousin, Vera, had a badly damaged heart. It was important that Vera’s heart rate not get too high or else she could become very ill.

“Vera, why don’t you sit down on the floor in the corner where it’s cool and you have space. I just want to look at this canvas. Then, we’ll try the trapdoor again.” Mr. Dinello said.

“Fine.” Vera went to the corner of the elevator and sat down.

Mr. Dinello unrolled the canvas and looked at it. His eyes widened in horror.

“What is it, Jeff?” Mr. Jaquith asked. “What’s painted on there?”

Mr. Dinello shook his head in disbelief.

“It’s…it’s nothing.” Mr. Dinello said, rolling up the canvas.

“Wait a minute, Mr. D.” Ward said, reaching for the canvas.

“Ward, don’t!” Mr. Dinello shouted. But, it was too late. Ward had unrolled it.

“Vera!” Ward gasped. “It’s…Vera!”

“What?” Lucy walked over and looked at it.

“It is.” Lucy’s face became very pale. “It’s my twin sister.”

“What are you talking about?” Vera stood up from the corner where she had been sitting and slowly walked over to the canvas.

“No.” Ward tried to hide it.

Vera snatched it from his hands. She looked at the painting and screamed. “It’s me!”

Her hands began to shake worse than they already were.

As Lucy and Kate held Vera up, the others looked at the painting.

The girl painted on the canvas was clearly recognizable as Vera. There was no mistaking it, even, for Vera’s twin Lucy. The painting showed Vera with her wavy red hair cascading over her shoulders as she always wore it. It even showed the gold pendant in the shape of the letter “V” that Vera always wore. What made the painting upsetting, however, was that it depicted Vera as she would look if she were very ill—pale skin, dark circles around her eyes, a pained expression on her face. She looked gaunt, thin and weak. As was the case in the other painting, the background was a sea of faces—faces in agony, angry faces, crying faces, sad faces.

“Why?” Vera gasped, shaking and sweating. “Why?”

“I don’t know, Vera.” Mr. Dinello said. “But, when we get out of here, we’ll find out.”

“IF…if we get out of here,” Vera screamed. Suddenly, her body shook and her eyes fluttered. With another gasp, Vera fell to the floor.

“Vera!” Lucy shouted, bending over her sister.

Suddenly, the elevator started to move. They could hear the motor humming and felt the elevator lift them up to the next floor.

“Finally!” Ward said as the elevator doors opened.

Lucy knelt down next to her sister. “Help me lift her up so we can get her out of here.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t move her!” Delia said nervously.

“I see people over there.” Ward pointed to the end of the hallway.

“It’s Mr. and Mrs. DeLorca!” Mr. Jaquith said.

“And Miss Duomo and someone else. They look angry.” Rick said.

“Mrs. DeLorca is the museum’s curator. She’ll help us.”

“What should we do?” Kate began to cry.

What should they do?

TJ and Rick should run over to Mr. and Mrs. DeLorca and say they need help?
They should carry Vera out of the elevator?
They should shout for the people at the end of the hall to come to them?

Email your thoughts!

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