Elizabeth really had to practise how to open her portals because instead of the Secret Base, she appeared in the library, even if it lead to the Secret Base, she had wanted to go there directly.
Since she didn't want to risk failing again, she decided to use the same entrance that Mrs. Harding used this morning; so she went to the book that activated the secret door and pulled on it.

The door opened in front of her and she stepped inside, she was in a dark corridor but unlike with Mrs. Harding the torches didn't light up, forcing her to walk in the dark.
There were many turns and different corridors that was connected to this one and wrong turns led to different places. She was certain she didn't even know all the secret rooms in the Secret Base. Once GreatHill had told her that one of the turns led to the school Generator but she wasn't shown where it was, and if she tried venturing on her own, she was sure to get lost.

Soon she reached the door to the main Base but wondered how she'd get in since only the Spell Caster could get it to open.
Right then she frowned and turned her head, she could've sworn she heard a rusty sound, as if the gate had been opened.
She looked around for a window so she could check on the gate but soon remembered that there weren't any windows where she was, but she was certain it'd been the gate making that sound, she almost wanted to go find out.

"I hope you have prepared yourself Elizabeth."

Elizabeth turned to the voice and saw Mrs. Harding with Mr. Reymond smiling down at her, while standing in the door way.

Elizabeth instantly forgot about the gate, she put on a straight face and affirmed, "Absolutely, and I cannot wait to get started."

"Very well, come along then, the others are waiting." Said Mrs. Harding ushering her to get inside

Elizabeth took a deep breath...she was ready, no, she was more than ready, because once she stepped inside she could officially say that her life had begun and it was a wonderful feeling.
She went inside and saw principal GreatHill sitting in a chair beside Ms. Clinton. Elizabeth felt relieved that Iris's body wasn't there, that way she could focus on herself and not the Tracker who would've bested her one day.

Mrs. Harding and Mr. Reymond walked past her and stood next to the other members who rose from their seat, they all looked at her warmly and she couldn't help feeling proud.
Mrs. Harding came forward and stretched her hands, and said, "The time has come Elizabeth, are you certain you really wish to do this? For it is not easy for a young girl to be a Vessel Carrier, are you certain you do not wish to walk away because once a spirit enters you, there will be no turning back."

Elizabeth looked at each of them, they all awaited her answer and it'd have to be a true one. She knew what she was doing and she was ready to take her father's responsibility on her young shoulders.
There was nothing she'd ever want more than for her father to be proud of her, so she looked at each of them with a hand over her heart and declared with certainty, "I am ready to take on my responsibilities to the Assembly and the Council, and assure you that I do not wish to back down."

Mr. Reymond and Ms. Clinton both nodded at her choice, while GreatHill gently smiled at her but deep down, he wasn't feeling right about all this, something felt wrong.

Mrs. Harding too was feeling it but she too smiled at Elizabeth and stretched her hands to her, "In that case take my hands, and let the summoning begin." She proclaimed

If Elizabeth wasn't so keen on acting like a professional, she would've squealed and giggled like her friend Darling, or even fainted like her other friend Amy.
But she only smiled delicately and put her hands in that of the Spell Caster, who lead her off to the spirits.

While walking with the Spell Caster she noticed that her eyes were redder than normal and seemed to be burning brightly. And now that they held hands, Elizabeth could feel a vibration from the Spell Caster that made her feel weak, as if her powers were getting drained. She wondered if her father had felt that way too on his first summoning?

She looked back at the other members, there was Mr. Reymond and Ms. Clinton who watched her go, they were crossing their arms and seemed so proud of her, their presence reassured her and settled her nerves.
But when she looked at GreatHill, she saw that he was seated and deep in thought. He wasn't even looking at her, he just kept rubbing his beard and had a deep frown on his face. This filled her with concern, did he not want her to do the summoning, was he doubting she'd be any good?

All these questions got her more and more fearful of what she was getting into, but then she caught Mr. Reymond holding his thumbs up for her and felt less worried.
Now she looked ahead with determination, whether GreatHill doubted her, she didn't and wouldn't care, as long as three people supported her, she'd be fine. Besides it had been his idea that she became a Vessel Carrier so why would he change his mind now?
He was probably just thinking of all that happened with little Henry and Iris. And in any case, she was about to be the youngest Vessel Carrier ever, this was her moment.

🕸️

Elizabeth now stood in a room filled with mirrors of different shapes and sizes. They were big, bigger, biggest while some are small, smaller, smallest. The room she was in didn't have any windows or doors so how did they get in?
Well this room was hidden right behind the library, before coming here, Mrs. Harding had taken her there. She had touched a wall with her glowing red hand and magically the wall had begun to shrink, once they stepped inside the hidden room, the wall had grown back to its full size.

The Spell Caster stood beside her and Elizabeth gulped when she looked at her eyes, the room was truly dark, so Elizabeth couldn't really see her. But she could very well see her red eyes, but why were they so bright, was it a good sign or not?

When she took a closer look, she saw strange veins coming out her eyes and it ran down her face. Her skin grew pale, her red eyes lost all its light, turning completely white and so did her once long red hair.
She slightly levitated off the ground as her legs disappeared, instead it was a sort of fog that came out her knee high robe, and her hair too levitated and moved like the wind.
Now Mrs. Harding didn't look like Mrs. Harding, rather she looked like a ghost, a real ghost even her voice came out thick and echoed when she ordered, "Face...the...mirrors."

Elizabeth's heart beat quickened and she was so nervous she couldn't help trembling, but she faced the mirrors as she was told. Even if the room was dark and standing next to Mrs. Harding in her true form was freaking her out, she had gone this far and couldn't give up now. With that in mind, she bulged up her courage, took a calming breath and now looked more resolute than before.

Now she stood straight and showed no emotions, it was how her father taught her to ignore her fears.
Suddenly the most distant mirror lit up like a television, except that it was blank, then the next one lit up and the next until all six mirrors lit up.
A small whirlpool began to form in each mirror, Elizabeth could hear the spirits whispering from the mirrors, but it was in a language she couldn't understand.

The scary Mrs. Harding floated until she now faced her, she stretched her hands to her but Elizabeth only looked distrustful, so the Spell Caster explained in the same ghostly tone, "Life force is kept...then put back once spirit enters...in you."

It made sense, the Spell Caster would take most of her life force away so that she'd be an empty carcass, then the spirit could enter her body and once the spirit and her were one, her life force would be given back for the spirit to use.

Obviously the spirit didn't use too much, unless necessary to fight the evil ghosts, but most times they only used a little. Only problem was, one could never get the life force they lost back, it was why Vessel Carriers risked dying the more they did their jobs.

Without a second thought, she gave her hands to Mrs Harding, and when their hands touched Elizabeth noticed that hers hands glowed orange, but that glow was being sucked by Mrs. Harding which was why her pale body was now glowing orange.
By the time they were done
Elizabeth too had white eyes, and each time she exhaled, cold air came out. Her body felt cold and empty, her hair was white and her legs too had vanished; she had transformed into her true form and it felt... empty.
She was alive but dead, "What a strange sorrowful feeling." She thought with distaste, because if this was how ghosts felt, then no wonder they were evil!

Mrs. Harding turned to her and spoke in a voice that sounded a lot like Elizabeth's, she instructed, "Repeat after me...I, now Vessel Carrier, accept to let a spirit dwell in this body."

It was a bit hard for Elizabeth talk at first, almost as if she had water stuck in her throat. She pressed on her throat and forced herself to repeat what the Spell  Caster said, but her voice was deep and emotionless. Once she finished talking, two of the mirrors remained on while the others switched off.

It was the biggest and the smallest of the mirrors that remained on and Mrs. Harding looked surprised. Elizabeth too was surprised, only one spirit could get in a body, never two!

"I can't believe it, am I that powerful? How incredible..." Thought Elizabeth
But now that she thought of it, it wasn't so surprising if she was, being the daughter of two Vessel Carriers also came with twice the power right?

Slowly the spirits came out the mirrors, they were deep blue but see-threw, one was very big almost human size, while the other one was small enough to be a fairy. They didn't have an exact shape, as they flew around Elizabeth's ghostly form. Mrs. Harding had put some distance between them and was waiting to understand what was actually going on, since two spirits couldn't fit in one body.

For a time the spirits only moved around Elizabeth but then the big one stopped, it levitated before her while the other spirit continued moving around her.

Elizabeth couldn't stop grinning, she held her arms opened wide and closed her eyes, waiting for the big spirit to enter her. Mrs. Harding too observed the spirit, but instead of going into Elizabeth, suddenly it shrieked. It was so loud it pierced Elizabeth's ears and she let out a shriek of her own, she covered her ears and shook her head, unable to bare the spirit's scream.

Then unsuspectedly it stopped shrieking, and floated with all haste to the wall they had used to get in the room. Elizabeth watched in dismay and disbelief as it went threw the wall and left the room.
She looked to Mrs. Harding with a perplexed expression but the Spell Caster only shrugged, she had no idea what that was about. She then pointed to the small spirit which was also levitating in front of Elizabeth.

Since the big spirit had run off, Elizabeth knew that this was the spirit for her and she wasn't at all pleased.
Why should she get the small one, it was way skinnier than the big one and didn't glow as much. She, who'd thought she'd have two spirits in her, which would've insured her place as the best Vessel Carrier, now she'd only have the scrawny one dwell in her.
Not only was it disappointing but it was shameful too, didn't having Vessel Carriers as parents have any privileges...really, none?

In any case she still had her arms spread wide. When the Spirit floated closer to her, she sneered, "Gracious, it's so tiny, what good could it do to an evil ghost?" She said under her breath

The spirit came so close that it now stood in between Elizabeth's eyes and for a time all it did was observe her and Elizabeth wanted so much to order it to hurry up. She didn't exactly have all night, especially not for such a mediocre, unexceptional, pitiful excuse of a spirit! Yet the spirit still stood there and Elizabeth rolled her eyes in annoyance.

She looked even more ticked off when the Spirit began to hover around her and seemed to smell her. The round ball that was its head, moved around her like it was inhaling her scent, and Mrs. Harding knew it wasn't a good sign, but she refused to intervene.

After a minute of inhaling, Elizabeth really wished to kick it for daring to smell her.
Then finally it stopped before her once more and she sighed exasperatedly. It began to spin in a circle so fast, it made a spiral blue ring in front of her, and to Elizabeth's bafflement it floated back to it's mirror and it shut down.

Now all the mirrors looked like normal mirrors except the one the big spirit had excaped from. Mrs. Harding had her eyes completely opened and her lips slightly parted, never had she excepted to see that.

Even Elizabeth wasn't out of her shock, her arms were still widely opened as if thinking the spirits would come back, only spirits never came out the same month.

Mrs. Harding exhaled when she felt all Elizabeth's life force leave her body and return to it's rightful owner, so Elizabeth was back to her human form.

It was then that Elizabeth turned around and stared at Mrs. Harding in complete confusion, her arms were still spread wide. She looked hurt, angry and frustrated when she stammered, "Wh, why...he...it...I...I don't understand...why?" She really was in a state of shock and Mrs. Harding felt even more sorry to explain to her what it all meant.

She slowly approached her and not once did Elizabeth take her eyes off her, neither did her expression change when Mrs. Harding put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her expression was serious but sympathetic, her voice gentle when she spoke, "My dear...there is something you should know."