Loved Ones Lost (Edgewater Curse Book 1)

by J. C. Everlyn

  ∞∞∞

  Friday, May 11, 2018

  The next thing Bri knew, it was Friday, and they were at Lucas’s funeral. Bri requested that the letter Lucas left be read during the eulogy.

  Dear Mom,

  I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t handle the thought of having the nightmares over and over again. I have to be with Dad. Please tell Matthew, Travis, Crystal, and Rose that I love them. I hope that you all understand. Tell Grandma and Grandpa Aldridge that I love them also. I love you, Mom, and I’m sorry that I hurt you by doing this. I will always be with you all in spirit, just like you say Dad is. We will be watching you all grow.

  Love Always and Forever,

  Lucas

  The service was beautiful; so many people showed up to pay their respects: Jared’s family, Lucas’s teachers and peers from his school—even some of Bri’s aunts, uncles, and cousins whom she hadn’t seen since Jared’s funeral.

  Afterward, Bri invited everyone back to the house to reflect on the day and share stories of Lucas. As their guests enter the home, there is a beautiful foyer with marble floors, a grand staircase just to the right, and a Victorian-style chandelier hanging from the ceiling. To the left is the family room, where Bri and the kids spend most nights watching movies and catching up with each other. This room leads into the study where Jared used to sometimes work from home and maintain the household finances, although now, it had become Matthew’s. To the right is the formal living room, used mostly to entertain guests and where everyone was gathering this evening. From this room, French doors lead out to a wraparound deck and patio. Toward the back of the house is a breakfast nook surrounded by floor to ceiling windows and a kitchen to the left that exits to a three-car garage. To the right of the breakfast nook is the formal dining room that also connects to the living room through an open archway.

  Everyone seems to be making their way around the room, talking and whispering. Bri notices that no one from her side of the family came back to the house from the funeral. She recalled at the funeral her family had behaved strangely, looking at her and the children more with curiosity than sympathy, almost like they were expecting something to happen.

  After a couple of hours, people start to leave, and only Bri and the children are left where they had gathered in the family room. Crystal is angry.

  “How could he do this to us? How could he think this was okay and that we would just move on like nothing happened? HE’S SELFISH!”

  “Crystal, stop it!” Travis scolds.

  “Travis honey, it’s okay.” Bri puts a hand on his arm and Matthew a hand on his shoulder. Travis immediately starts to visually relax.

  Bri gives them all a sympathetic look, “We all have different feelings about what has happened. We all have a right to feel what we do. We may not all agree with each other, but it’s good to get our feelings out. I don’t want anyone holding any feelings in. I don’t want anyone to feel that they can’t talk about how they feel. I don’t want to lose anyone else because they don’t think they can handle life and how it treats us sometimes. All I ask is that you try to remain calm when you express yourselves and please don’t yell at each other. Please.”

  “Sorry Mom, you’re right. I’m sorry Crystal, please forgive me.” Travis embraces Crystal in his arms to comfort her.

  Crystal apologizes to everyone as well. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t be so angry; I just don’t know how to feel right now.”

  Bri stands up. “I know honey, and that is completely understandable. If all of you don’t mind, please excuse me. I am going to go upstairs to take a hot bath and go to bed. I'm tired, and I don’t think that I can stay up much longer. Tomorrow will be a new day. We just need to take one day at a time. We all need to be there for each other to help each other get through this. I love you all, and I will see you in the morning.”

  Everyone responds in unison, “We love you too, Mom.”

  When Bri gets to her room, she decides to put on some soothing music and settle into the tub to soak for a while. Tears begin to run down her face as she starts to cry. Everything is catching up with her now and the last few days start flooding into her mind. Within minutes, she feels her body begin to relax just a little too much from exhaustion, so she decides to get out of the tub before she accidentally falls asleep. She changes into her pajamas and heads to her bed to lie down.

  Thinking she sees a shadow out of the corner of her eye moving out on the deck, Bri walks to the doors, opens them and steps out. There, sitting in a chair at the small table to the left, is Jared. Bri knows she has to be imagining it; after all, Jared has been dead for three years. She slowly walks toward the table and sits in the chair across from him.

  “Am I imagining you? Am I losing my mind?”

  Jared smiles. “You are dreaming this. You are not losing your mind, my love. If you look at the bed, you will see that you are already asleep.”

  Bri looks to the bed, and there she sees herself sleeping. She must have fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

  “I’ve missed you, Jared. We all have. Is Lucas with you? Is he okay?”

  “Yes, he is with me, and he will be okay.”

  “Oh Jared, I don’t know what went wrong. I thought he was getting better. I thought that I was getting through to him. I’m sorry, so sorry; I have failed as his mother.”

  “No, no, you haven’t. You did everything you could. Some things you just can’t prevent. You need to stay strong and don’t blame yourself. You need to be there for the rest of our children. Don’t give up; don’t lose hope. There are going to be more challenging times ahead, I’m sorry to say, but as long as you take one day at a time you will make it through.”

  “Challenging times? What kind of challenging times? Haven’t we been through enough?”

  “I can’t tell you what they’re going to be yet, but in time I will. Unfortunately, this is not something you or I can control.”

  Bri sighs. “Why did you have to be taken from me? I don’t know how I am going to do this without you.”

  Jared leans forward and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Life isn’t fair, my love; we both know that all too well. You will make it through this, and I will be with you. You’ll know when I am there because you will feel my tender touch on your cheek. The same is true for the kids; you can tell them that if you want. Maybe it will help to comfort them. Now, unfortunately, this visit can’t last forever; it's time for me to go.”

  “Already? Can’t you stay just a little longer? Can’t you stay and hold me for a while?”

  “Okay, for a little while.” Jared smiles, moves closer, and wraps his arms around her. “I love you, Bri.”

  “I love you too, Jared, and I always will.” Bri places her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes.

  Chapter Two

  A Ghostly Presence

  Saturday, May 12, 2018

  The next morning, Bri wakes to the smell of coffee and pancakes. She sits up and stretches, then stills. She didn’t have a nightmare last night. She had to stop and think, try to remember—was it really true? Then she remembers. She did dream, but no, it was not a nightmare. Jared had come to her in her dream. He had comforted her and held her until she had fallen asleep in his arms in her own dream. Did this mean her nightmares will stop altogether or was that just a one-night thing? Will he come to her in her dreams again? Could he appear to her every night? Then she also remembered his warning.

  “Oh God, what else could possibly happen to us?”

  “Mom? Are you okay? Who are you talking to?” Matthew is standing in the doorway. Apparently, he had been knocking, but Bri was too deep in her thoughts to hear him.

  “Matthew, good morning, I’m okay. How are you? I smell breakfast; did you do that? What time is it? Is everyone else up? How are they?” Bri starts to stand but immediately gets lightheaded and has to sit back down on the bed.

  Matthew races forward and sits beside her, putting his arms arou
nd her. “Whoa there, Mom, slow down. You’re not okay; what’s going on?”

  “Oh Matthew, you’ll think I’m crazy if I tell you.”

  “No Mom, I won’t, please tell me.”

  Bri pauses for a moment, debating whether she should say anything, but has a strong feeling that she can trust him with anything.

  “Well...I remember coming up here after saying goodnight to all of you. I ran a bath and soaked for a while, then started feeling a little too relaxed so I decided to get out and go to bed. When I started walking toward the bed, I thought I saw something or someone on the deck out of the corner of my eye. I walked out there and saw your dad.”

  Matthew’s face looks quizzical and then changes to understanding as Bri continues.

  “It turns out I was dreaming. Your dad told me that I was, in my dream, because I thought I was losing my mind. He pointed to me lying in bed, and when I looked, I saw myself lying there sleeping. It was the weirdest thing because it felt so real. It was the first time since your dad died that I haven’t had a nightmare. He told me something in my dream too; he said I need to be strong because we still have challenging times ahead. He also asked me to tell all of you something from him. He wanted you all to know that he is here with us and we’ll all know when he’s around because we’ll feel his tender touch on our cheek.”

  Just at that moment, first Bri and then Matthew feel the slightest touch on their cheeks.

  Bri smiles with surprise as she realizes, at that moment, Jared was real in her dream. Then she sees the stunned look on Matthew’s face too.

  “There, did you feel that?”

  Matthew can’t speak; he just nods yes and then smiles. After a moment, he finally speaks. “Wow, this can’t be real, can it?”

  “I don’t know, but I want to believe it is. I want to be able to have some kind of connection with him; I hope that he will somehow be here to help us all through this.”

  “Mom, do you think we should tell the others? Or maybe we should give it some time to see if this is all really happening first.”

  “No, I don’t think we should wait. Let's tell them now. I don’t want one of them to experience something and then get frightened because they don’t know what, or who, it is. Let’s go downstairs and tell them over breakfast. It may be easier if they hear it from both of us rather than just from me. It might make more sense and less like I’m losing my mind.”

  “Okay, but I’m not even sure I can make sense of this yet. Here, let me help you downstairs. You still look a bit shaken, and we don’t need anything happening to you too. We all need you, Mom. Let me help take care of you.”

  “Thank you, Matthew. I’m sure it’s just exhaustion. Maybe once I get some food in my stomach, I will start feeling better. I love you, Matthew.”

  “I love you too, Mom.” Matthew smiles and helps steady Bri down the stairs by wrapping one arm around her waist and guiding her with the other.

  When they reach the kitchen, Travis, Rose, and Crystal are sitting at the table in the breakfast nook eating. Travis looks up from the NASCAR magazine he is reading, “Good morning, Mom. You okay? You look kind of pale.” He stands up to pull a chair out for her.

  She smiles and nods.

  Matthew responds, “She had a dream last night that we both think would be good to share with all of you.” Bri gives Matthew a reassuring nod, indicating that she would like it if he recounted the events of the dream. Matthew looks to Travis. “Can you get Mom a cup of coffee and some breakfast so I can grab a plate for myself, then we can all discuss the dream?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  When Matthew and Travis return to the table, they both sit down, and Matthew begins to recount the events of Bri’s dream between bites of food. When he’s done, he asks Bri if he left anything out.

  “No, it sounds like you mentioned everything.” Bri looks around the table at each of them and one by one they all have a look of surprise, as if Jared has just touched their cheek. All except Travis. His expression goes from surprise to confusion in a split second. She knew Jared was there, trying to help them understand and believe what they were being told. “Travis, do you have a question? You look confused,” Bri asks.

  After a moment of hesitation, Travis replies, “I am confused. Does everybody really believe this is real; that Dad is really here with us? Personally, I don’t believe in that stuff. Science has never truly proven that ghosts are real. I believe that when people think they see something or feel something, it’s just their imagination—something they believe they are seeing because they are overly stressed or scared and looking for some kind of connection to the ones they’ve lost. Did you see Lucas too, Mom?!” Travis asks the last part with sarcasm.

  Matthew puts a hand on Travis’s arm and speaks before Bri has a chance to respond. “Travis! We will all respect your beliefs and disbeliefs, but speaking to Mom in that tone is uncalled for. We are just as confused about this as you are and we don’t know why Mom had the dream she had. Nobody can control what they dream. It is very possible that it is just that...a dream. We felt that if we shared the dream Mom had with all of you, then if something did happen, you may be less inclined to be scared and rather, more comforted by the possibility that it could be Dad.”

  Bri could visually see Travis start to relax until a small reassuring smile appeared on his face. Bri and Matthew exchange relieved looks and then Bri adds, “And to answer your question Travis, no, I did not see Lucas in my dream; however, Dad did say Lucas was with him and he would be okay. As Matthew just explained, neither of us know if there is anything to this dream I had or if any of it is even real, but I’m choosing to believe it is. It not only felt real to me but believing that Lucas is okay and with your father and believing that your father is really here with us in spirit, watching over us, is helping me cope with everything that has happened. If this is how I keep my sanity and strength so I can be here for my children, then so be it.”

  Travis looks at Bri apologetically. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “It’s okay. I do want to add, though, if any of you do believe that it really is your father, then I would suggest that it stays only between the five of us. Some people don’t believe in ghosts, as Travis has just proven, and I don’t want any added stress on anyone in this family because peers at school or work decide to start bullying because of it. Also, if any of you need to talk, about anything, at any time, please don’t hesitate to come to me. I love you all, and I am here for you. Now, do we all agree?”

  Everyone replies in unison, “Yes Mom.” They all smile and then continue eating their breakfast.

  The rest of the day is pretty quiet. Since it was a Saturday, no one had school or work. Matthew was in the study most of the day going over the household finances. Bri always thought that she should have been handling that and not her oldest son, but since he was graduating from college next June and he was already working as a Senior Financial Manager at McCormick & Prescott, she felt confident enough to let him. He had taken to the industry and excelled so fast that he not only had a 4.0 grade point average with a major in Finance and minor in Accounting, but he had received three promotions since he started working at the company as a file clerk the summer after graduating high school. Besides, he would do a better job than she would. If he hadn't insisted, she probably would be spending money hiring someone to do it for her. His goal was to start his own financial advisory business someday.

  Travis was out in the garage working on tuning up his GTO and as usual, Duke was with him. He had told Bri he was planning on going to the storage facility to check on Lucas’s Chevelle after he was done, but would be back in time for dinner. Rose was in her room singing, only her songs were a bit more melancholy than usual—not surprising after the events of the last few days. Crystal was out in the garden writing in her journal and Bri was in her hobby room making more lavender soaps and lotions for everyone, hoping that they would help with the stress.

  As the day passed by, everyone m
ade their own lunches instead of eating together, then went about doing their own activities. About an hour before dinner, Destiny arrived, and they all met in the family room to spend some time together. Matthew had invited her to join them. The two of them had been dating for a little over three years now. Their relationship was strong and deepening more and more every day. After dinner, the family gathered back in the family room to enjoy a movie and some popcorn. Bri had a hard time keeping her eyes open due to exhaustion and about midway through the movie, she ended up going up to her room.

  She ran herself another bath and soaked for about twenty minutes before slipping on a nightgown, sliding into bed and snuggling down with the latest book she had lying on her nightstand.

  Her head felt foggy, and there was a light buzzing sound. The darkness was beginning to ease into light, and her surroundings started to become clearer. The light she was seeing was the glow from the moon. She was in the garden. But wasn’t she asleep in her bed? When did she wake up? When did she end up in the garden? How did she get there? Did she sleepwalk? Why was she still in her nightgown? She was sitting at the patio table, the umbrella was open, and there was a light rain falling on the grass, making it glisten in the moonlight. An image was slowly starting to appear in the distance, moving slowly, moving closer. It was Jared.

  Chapter Three

  A Legacy Explained

  “I was wondering if I was going to see you again.”

  Jared smiles. “Of course, now that we have made contact, you will see me more often. It is your power.”