Ancient Fire

by Judi Calhoun

I had dozed off in the overstuffed, green chair while finishing homework as I usually do on Sunday afternoons, when mom woke me, wanting to chat.

  She was smiling the way she used to, all sunshine and flowers. And for half a second, I had felt a flash of happiness; the way home used to be before dad died. It would be heaven again, if I didn’t believe that mom’s joy came from an unhealthy relationship with a dangerous murdering spirit.

  They had been dating now for over three weeks, a record for mom, since most of her hookups expired faster than our non-fat milk in the refrigerator.

  Mom placed her cup on the table and her eyes sparkled with excitement. Suddenly, she yanked me clumsily from my warm seat. “I have some exciting news!” she said, giggling slightly and twirling me around ballerina style. On the last pirouette, her hand posed in front of my eyes. “Isn’t this the most beautiful ring in the world?” A mega-sized diamond ring, encrusted with emerald stones, decorated her finger. “I wanted you to be the first to know…I’m engaged!”

  My world stopped spinning. I stumbled back into the chair. “What?” I asked. What happened to waiting? For that matter what happened to breaking up?

  “I’m getting married! Isn’t it great? I’ll be Mrs. Ian Corbet.”

  This is a disaster! My heart was hammering too fast, causing me to swoon. I was much too young for a heart attack, right?

  “Mom,” I whispered in a panic. “You can’t marry this guy. He’s evil.”

  I just blurted it out.

  Mom stared in shock. “You think Ian is evil? Why would you say a thing like that, Bee?”

  Now I wished I had kept my big mouth shut, because I had no real argument. I seriously believed she would have dumped this guy by now and not get engaged! What could I say that would convince her? I think Ian might be a Familiar Spirit, sent from the Underworld to destroy us. Instead, I tried a different approach. “I just don’t trust him.”

  “Ian told me you weren’t going to be happy. As usual, he was right,” she sighed, staring down at her ring. “I know this is all happening kind of fast. Love can be so fortuitous. I’ve always believed in love at first sight. That’s what it is, Shonna. Love.”

  “Mom, you can’t seriously be in love.”

  She hung her head and sank down on the ottoman, gently pushing my feet aside. “I think I understand what’s happening here. Ian is never going to replace your father. No man could ever do that.” She smoothed her skirt and breathing deeply. “It's been over six years since Sam died ...God knows I still miss him. I'm going to admit something to you that I’ve never said out loud to anyone. I am lonely Bee. Oh, I know I have you. Thank God for that, or I would have gone completely crazy. Now, I’ve met Ian and he makes me smile. I feel like I’m alive again.”

  “You don’t even know him that well. He could be a thief, or worse, a murderer.”

  Mom rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop it!”

  “I’m only giving you the same advice that you’d give me.”

  “Although I appreciate your concern, you couldn’t be more wrong. Ian is no murderer. In fact, he’s quite the opposite. I have never met a man more protective and a thief? Why that’s just ridiculous. Ian is quite well off. ”

  “That’s odd,” I said. “Isn’t he unemployed.”

  “That’s just temporary. He’s working on a project right now.”

  “Not many dignitary jobs around New Bedford,” I said.

  “He’s going into a completely different line of work.”

  Yeah, sure, whatever! “Mom, just promise me that you won’t rush into this?”

  “Um...” Mom cocked her head to the right, gazing up at the ceiling with a coy smile. “That’s going to be hard to promise, since we’ve already set the date.”

  “When?” I asked with an edge of impatience.

  “December ninth.” she whispered, gazing at her ring.

  “Are you kidding me? That’s less than two months away!”

  Mom nodded. “I know. I have so much to do.”

  “And you don’t think that might be rushing things?”

  “I know it’s not a long engagement, but we can’t wait,” she said smiling.

  “Is there a reason to rush?”

  A curious, yet confused expression crossed her face. “I’m not expecting a baby, if that’s what you think!” She shook her head chuckling. “Oh come on, Shonna. I am happy and I want my best friend to enjoy this with me. Well, at the very least you could be a little supportive.”

  “Can’t you wait until school’s out…seven months from now?” I asked. “Give me some time to get to know Ian, before you jump into this.”

  “If I talk to Ian about waiting and he agrees,” she said, “will you promise to be my maid of honor?”

  I closed my eyes. “Yes, I promise.”

  Mom grabbed my head with both hands and kissed my forehead. “You’ve made me so happy. Oh.” She glanced down at her watch. “I’ve got to run. Ian has a surprise for me.” She headed out the door.

  I really wished I could share in her happiness. She deserved to fall in love, but this guy was so wrong. I just knew she was heading for heartbreak. I felt completely helpless to stop this relationship. It just was not fair. She wasn’t even married yet, and I had already lost my closest friend.

  When I heard the door slam, I ran for my bag, emptying its contents out. Hairbrush, papers, gum wrappers, and pencils, all tumbled to the floor. I found my cell phone. The battery was flashing low. Before it went completely dead, I dialed Jake, praying he would be home.

  “Hello,” said an older male voice.

  “Is Jake there?” I asked. Please say yes, please!

  “Hold on.” He must have placed his hand over the receiver because I heard muffled voices.

  “Hey,” said Jake.

  “She’s getting married,” I said, my throat going dry.

  “Do you want me to come over?”

  “Yes,” I said. I slipped down on the floor in front of my chair.

  I didn’t hear him knock…he was suddenly there, dropping down next to me on the rug. Without speaking a word, I lay my head on his shoulder, my face nuzzling the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms around me.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he assured me.

  That’s when it happened. I fell apart. I could not stop it. The tears came hot and fast. I sobbed all over him.

  In a blur of tears, I felt Jake awkwardly lay me on the sofa. He stretched out next to me and slipped his arm around my shoulders. My forehead leaned over onto his, briefly forgetting about mom.

  “Sorry,” I muttered, wiping away tears feeling a little embarrassed.

  He raised my chin and his lips lightly brushed against my swollen mouth. I closed my eyes feeling his lips parting into mine. I gave myself completely over to his embrace, running my fingers up his back and drawing him in closer.

  Jake wrapped his full body around me, and desire fanned the flames of need and rocked me hard. In spite of the warning going off inside my head, it felt good…so right, I wanted him, had to have him. My fingers tangled in his hair. His hand touched my face; so gentle, so light a shiver ran through me. Now, I couldn’t think, I didn’t want to think I only wanted to feel… Jake. The heat was building between us. I hoped it would never stop, but Jake did.

  He shot up like someone had tapped him on the shoulder, leaving me like a pressed flower in the cushions of the sofa. “I’m sorry,” he said, breathlessly. “I came over here to comfort you, not to…” He didn’t finish. He didn’t have to. I knew…sex. It completely surprised me that I could have easily lost control, too.

  He sat down in the green chair, and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “When is your mom getting married?”

  I sat up, fixing my clothes and my hair. “December ninth.”

  “He sure isn’t wasting any time,” said Jake. He pulled his phone from his pocket and started hitting keys.

  I sat in a daze, watching him text with his thumbs and nod his head. “G
auge says we should start at the cemetery.” He glanced at his watch. “They’re closed now. Can you go tomorrow after school?”

  I nodded. “So you think the demon I saw might be Ian?”

  “If I knew for sure, I’d kill him myself, right now. No, I don’t know. I agree with Gauge. That portal gravestone might have more information we need. It’s a start anyway.”

  I was trying to get ready for school. Mom was in the downstairs hall yelling up the stairs to me through the half-closed bathroom door. My hands were busy wrapping my loose strands of hair into a rubber band, so I stuck my sneaker in the opening and kicked the door open wide. “What did you say?”

  “Are you going anywhere after school tomorrow?” she asked.

  “Why?” I was afraid that tomorrow was the DD day that she’d been warning me about, my acronym for Dreaded Dress day, when mom would drag me off to the mall to be fitted for some ugly maid-of-honor dress. I was looking forward to that like painful root canal surgery.

  “Your Aunt Linda and Peter are coming from New Hampshire to stay with us for the wedding. I’d like you to be home when they arrive.”

  “I thought Peter was living with his dad in Nebraska.” I asked, shrugging on my black hoody I jogged down the stairs to face mom.

  “His dad remarried and Peter moved back with his mom.”

  I hadn’t seen Peter since dad’s funeral. He was a little kid who had played in the back yard with me. I felt my muscles tense up. “Um…how old is Peter?”

  “I don’t know, twelve maybe,” she said. “I forget. Linda hasn’t sent me any recent family photos. Will you please stop doing that? You’re driving me crazy.”

  I was unconsciously fidgeting with the zipper pull on my hoodie- a reaction to the thought of entertaining some little kid for the next four weeks. I rolled my eyes.

  Mom let out a long sigh. “Sweetie, this has all been such a burden on you. Do you want me to tell them to get a hotel room?”

  If only I believed, she’d do that, but I knew better. She was playing on my sympathy and it was working beautifully. I flashed her a fake smile, “It’s okay mom. I’ll be here.”

  She kissed my cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  * * *

  Chapter 9