Stressed!

by Deborah Martin

  “Did I answer you?”

  OK, that was a lot to think about but I nodded yes. So, I was supposed to get re-involved with him, it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing and oh by the way, we had to get Happy out of our lives. That last was a “duh”. I guess it was time to call him and talk.

  “Can you concentrate on learning to shield after finding that out?” Tommy asked.

  “Yes, I think so. I got the answer I was looking for and I can’t really do much else until I talk with Tony. I know he’s out and about since it’s Friday night so I’ll call him tomorrow afternoon.” I looked at Cassandra. “How do you feel about having a werewolf in the family?” She laughed. “If you can keep his teeth tucked in, I won’t have any problem at all.”

  I looked back at Tommy. “Now, what do I need to do? Is this something I’m going to have to concentrate on all the time with no room for any other thought?”

  “No. Once you get the hang of it, it will be very similar to the basic shielding you’re already doing. According to Cassandra, you know how to strengthen your shield at parties or any time you’re around a lot of non-humans. You’ll do the same when that guy is around. Ready?” Tommy rubbed his hands together. It was time to get down to work.

  When Cassandra had taught me to shield, she said to envision a bubble of light around me. The first time I tried, I almost suffocated myself. Apparently, the bubble was too strong and I’d managed to cut off my air supply! (Who knew that could happen?) She finally got me to imagine a cocoon of screening material. The holes were large on a normal basis and I simply shrunk the size of the holes when I felt it necessary to do so. Sort of like the difference between keeping bees and gnats out of the house.

  Cassandra told me she doesn’t even think about her shield unless she gets an itchy feeling about something. I’m not that tuned into it. It only took one argument between Ev and one of the dwarf guards to remind me to think about it. Now I do my imagining each morning while I’m doing my stretching and I do the “shrinking” when something in the air at work gives me a warning, or as I’m checking myself in the mirror prior to leaving for a party.

  On this particular night, Tommy taught me a different sort of shield. This one was imposed over my normal layer of protection, enveloped only my head and looked like it was a screen made of razor wire with all of the sharp points facing away from me. (At least that’s the way I saw it in my head.)

  “I have no ability to invade people’s minds so I can’t test it,” Tommy said. “But I can feel it. It’s not pleasant. Were I you, I’d tighten the weave to nearly solid when that guy is around. Just try not to suffocate yourself again, huh?”

  “OK. I’ll work on it,” I said. “Now I have another question.” I proceeded to ask about shielding the office like my apartment.

  “I’m not sure that’s possible,” Cassandra said. “You and your neighbors have lived in that building for years and you all like and support each other a lot. You’ve formed a family and that produces love. That love builds up over time and forms its own shield that in our terms is called a threshold. It puts a secondary wall up behind Mr. Owens’ wards. Because love is so powerful and the nasties can’t comprehend it, they can’t go past that wall. I found it very interesting that Andy could get past both wards. He shouldn’t have been able to. I’ve thought about it and the only explanation I can think of is that his obsession is also a form of love and somehow, that allowed him through.

  “The office, on the other hand, doesn’t have that protection. Sure, you, Ev and Sally like each other but it’s not love. Even if it was, there are entirely too many non-family members, if you will, going in and out to allow that love shield to build up.

  “With Tommy’s help, I’ve already strengthened the wards on the building to the best of our abilities. We did it mostly to prevent another episode like Andy. It’s obvious that isn’t keeping Happy away. I’m sorry, Amy, but I don’t know anything else to do.”

  I heaved a sigh. “I trust you guys. If you say nothing can be done well then, nothing can. We’ll just have to figure out a way to get rid of Happy permanently. Can we change the subject to something more positive, now? Like, what’s up with you two?”

  Cassandra blushed again. While she looked good in red clothing, red on her face wasn’t attractive at all. Tommy even had the good graces to blush a little.

  “I always thought ‘Dra was a hot chick. More than that, I liked the way she thought about a lot of things. I just had to wait for her to decide I was worth a second look,” Tommy said.

  “’Dra?” I was confused.

  “She won’t let me call her Cass or Cassie, and Cassandra’s too much of a mouthful on a regular basis. She doesn’t look like a Sandy, does she?”

  “Nope.” I said and turned to Cassandra. “I never thought you’d let anyone give you a nickname. ‘Dra’s clever, though and since you haven’t punched his lights out, I assume you’re OK with it?”

  Cassandra blushed even deeper, if that was possible. “Mom will never let me hear the end of it when she hears that for the first time. She’s the one who instilled the whole full-name thing into me. But coming from him, I like it. You, on the other hand, may not give me a pet nickname!”

  I laughed and told her I’d obey. “So, you mentioned your Mom. I take it that means there’s a meeting with the parents in the offing?”

  “Yeah. They’re biting the bullet and coming here for Yule. Dad doesn’t like winter anymore but since I want them to meet Tommy and we can’t both be gone from the deli at the same time, they’re coming here instead of us going there. Tommy’s dad has agreed to come to my house for Yule so it’s going to be a party. It’ll be the first time since my folks moved that we’ll be here for the winter holiday and I’m going to go all out. You’ll help me, right?”

  “Naturally. I’ll even cook stuff if you write out exact instructions for whatever it is.”

  “Cooking isn’t really the issue. As you well know, I like to do that even on my off days and now that I have a really good sous-chef …” She smiled at Tommy and there was more than just friendship in her eyes. “I was thinking more about decorating the house. You know, tree, lights, the whole nine.”

  “Oh, you want Christmas decorations. That I can do. My folks used to double their electricity bill for the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sure, I’ll be happy to help.”

  Cassandra frowned. “I know you come from a Christian background but we celebrate at the winter solstice – a couple of days before Christmas. The tree is definitely pagan in nature. All the lights and stuff are just plain fun. However, unless you want to get into a very long theological discussion with my dad, don’t mention Christmas, OK? He gets all hot under the collar about it.”

  It was my turn to be embarrassed. “Sorry. I didn’t know I was stepping on any toes. But this celebrating at the solstice explains why you always left for Arizona so early and why Tommy always closed the deli around the twenty-first of the month instead of the twenty-fourth. Makes a lot more sense, now. No problemo, though. I’ll still help. And I’ll try to keep my mouth shut around your dad. Theology never was my strong suit. If you want to get the best decorations, we’d better start shopping now. Sad to say but now that Halloween has passed, it’s full-on Christmas shopping season. Do you have any ideas on what you want to do?”

  We spent the next hour planning what we would need based on the way she wanted the house to look. Tommy took one look at two women in the throes of a decorating discussion and beat a hasty retreat to Cassandra’s workroom. Shortly thereafter I heard some harp music and a lovely aroma wafted its way out of that room. Cassandra interrupted our conversation long enough to tell me that Tommy spent his spare time creating magical oils for one need or another. Her house smelled lovely whenever he was there.

  Finally, about eleven we both started yawning. I could sleep in but she had to get up early to open the shop so it was time I was on my way. (Not to mention that Fudge would be looking for dinner.) I
went into the workroom to say goodnight to Tommy and he handed me a small vial of oil.

  “Dab a drop of this on your pillow each night and on the back of your office chair each morning. It will help you keep that shield up.”

  I took a whiff of it and it smelled wonderful. I thanked him and said goodnight. Then I hugged Cassandra and walked home.

  Halfway home it started to snow. Not heavily, just light flakes, but enough to remind me that the holiday season was fast approaching and for the first time since my folks died, I had somewhere to spend the festive days. And, perhaps, someone to spend them with. It all depended on what Tony had to say.

  Chapter 14

  I slept really late on Saturday. When I finally opened my eyes I discovered why the sun hadn’t woken me up at its usually insane hour and why Fudge was still curled up next to me. The sun hadn’t been able to break through the heavy cloud cover. There was an inch or more of snow on the ground and it was still coming down. I was right: we were in for an early winter. This was the earliest snowfall I could remember in many years. Days like this I always wished I had a fireplace. There’s something about snow and a fireplace that naturally go together. I made do by lighting a lot of candles.

  I thought about the previous night as I sipped my coffee and stared at one of the large candles I had going on my étagère. I really did like Tony but were my feelings strong enough to put up with his affliction? Honestly? Yes. I had entertained thoughts of a long-term relationship until that one fateful evening. If we could find a way to deal with it, I thought I could be happy with him.

  Happy. Hmm. He was the thorn in everyone’s collective side. Not living on that side of the fence, I couldn’t think of a way to get rid of a demon so I’d have to rely on my friends to come up with a solution. I could do all the research in the world (if I even had a clue where to start looking) but I wouldn’t know what to do with what I found. Since he was seriously into research, I hoped Cassandra’s Uncle Morris would find something.

  By mid-afternoon I figured Tony would have finally woken from the previous night’s revel so I called. I got his voice mail. I almost hung up but then screwed up my courage. “Tony, it’s Amy. We need to talk. Call me before Monday, OK?”

  I couldn’t get into the correct frame of mind to write a romance story when my own love life was so screwed up. I spent the day cleaning. That evening I tried to read but couldn’t concentrate on anything. Television was my last bastion and I lost myself in two of the Harry Potter movies. One of the family channels was having a marathon weekend which suited me fine. It was after midnight when I was finally sleepy enough to go to bed. The snow still fell.

  The next morning, I was on my second cup of coffee, staring out at a thick blanket of white when the phone rang. Caller ID said it was Tony. I started shaking as I reached for my phone and it had nothing to do with caffeine overload.

  “I’m glad you called,” he said when I answered the phone.

  “What are you doing up so early?” I asked. “It’s not even ten in the morning my time. You must have a plane to catch or something.”

  “Actually, I was in Vancouver when I got your message yesterday. I took the red eye this morning and just arrived home. I thought it best if I was comfortable when we talked. So, what’s on your mind?”

  “I’m not sure where to start. Tony, I really like you but your species scares the bejeezus out of me. That last time together had me shaking in my boots for days. I don’t want a repeat, y’know?”

  “Amy, I have tried to apologize. Normally I pay close attention to not only the moon phases but my body’s reaction to them. I know when to disappear or at least sequester myself. That has never happened to me before or since. I knew it was the full moon but I wanted to see you. That wizard told me his potion was fail-proof and I wouldn’t change when the moon came up that night. Obviously, it didn’t work. I would have never even come to the Twin Cities if I’d thought I’d change. It scared me, too. Not only that I was with you but that I was around humans at all that night. It wasn’t a pleasant night in my hotel room, and I can tell you that I paid a hefty damage fee when I checked out the next day.

  “As I told you Thursday night, I now have a moon phase app on my cell phone just in case I get caught up in something and don’t pay attention to my body. I’ve always planned around the full moon, made sure my schedule is clear and gotten out of town a couple of days before. This is my belt-and-suspenders approach.

  I really want to be able to see you the other twenty-some days of the month. I enjoy our time together. Please, can’t we try again?”

  I was quiet for a moment, trying to sort out my feelings and reflecting on Cassandra’s reading Friday night.

  “I’d like to try again, too,” I finally said. “But there’s the large question looming over our heads: Happy. What do we do about him? He’ll probably figure he’s the reason we’re together and ask for whatever payment he generally gets when one of his matches works. I don’t want to know his price, much less pay it.”

  “I’m with you there but I don’t know what to do about him. And I don’t think telling him he’s not the reason we’re seeing each other is going to work.”

  Just then, my computer beeped at me. I had a new email message. While I thought about what Tony had said, I opened my inbox to find an email from Cassandra with the subject line, “Uncle Morris”. I told Tony to hang on a minute and opened the message to discover she’d forwarded the following to me:

  My dear Cassandra,

  What a pleasant surprise to hear from you. I am very glad that you and the deli are doing well.

  It wasn’t pleasant, however, to read the actual reason for your message. While I will admonish you not to get involved with demons (as if you did not know this already), I will answer your question as best I can from the research I have conducted over the centuries.

  There are various levels of demons. The ones seen most often on our plane and in human-like form have been relegated here by their superiors as punishment for some infraction of their rules. One may call a demon in ritual, yes, but these generally do not completely materialise. If the witch or wizard is most careful in calling, they are banished back to their realm immediately upon completion of their task.

  I do not know the demon you referenced, but that is not surprising. There are three levels in the demon hierarchy, with thousands in the lowest. I would surmise the one you referenced is of the lowest level. He has only to fulfill his punishment to be reunited with his peers. They generally do not like our realm so they make every effort to return home as soon as possible.

  It may be that his infraction was to fall in love with someone. Love is frowned upon in their realm as an unnecessary emotion. Power is all that counts. His punishment is to play ‘Cupid’ on this plane (although Cupid probably does not like that comparison). Once he has united a couple in whatever form of marriage appropriate to that species, the two united souls will also become demons. His superiors are always looking for ways to increase their numbers. The more demons they have under their control, the more power they have. He, naturally, has a quota and apparently, hasn’t yet met that quota.

  I would caution your friend not to become attached to anyone this demon may introduce her to, no matter the attraction, unless she relishes the thought of becoming a demon.

  I can not immediately think of a way to get this demon out of your friend’s life without knowing his real name. Should you be able to find that out, I do have a ritual that will banish him back to his realm, at least temporarily. He will be returned here by his superior to fulfill his punishment but as time moves differently there, it will not be for one or two hundred of our years.

  If your friend is not human (has an extended life span) and wishes to be ‘permanently’ rid of this demon, she will need to participate in the spell because she will need the protection the spell will also offer. If he is banished by spellwork, his punishment will undoubtedly be extended for being so caught. He will not be h
appy and could make her life miserable.

  Please give my love to your mother when next you speak with her.

  Your Ever Loving,

  Morris

  I read Morris’ message to Tony. “If we can figure out his name, you and I have plenty of witch friends to do the spell. But how do we find out his name?” he asked.

  “I know some other folks who are also irritated with Happy. Let me make a few phone calls and spread the word. Maybe with a network we can find it out.” I took a deep breath. “Back to us.”

  “As much as I’d like to hop on a plane and be with you in a few hours,” he said, “I think it best that we confine ourselves to the telephone until we figure out what to do about Happy. Since he doesn’t appear to use a telephone much at all, it seems to me he wouldn’t be able to track electronic conversations the same way he can face-to-face meetings. The energies have got to be different. I’ll make a couple of calls, too, to widen the network. There are a few folks out here in the same boat as me. We just need to make sure he doesn’t get wind of the fact that someone is searching out his true name. He could make it unpleasant for us all.

  “Amy, I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re going to give us another chance. That said, I’m bushed and need to catch a few hours of shut-eye before a film premiere tonight. I’ll call you in a few days, OK?”

  With that, we said our goodbyes. I hung up, feeling more optimistic about things than I had in quite some time. I might have a boyfriend again and I might get an irritant out of my life. I poured another cup of coffee and called Cassandra.

  “Hiya. What’d you think about Uncle Morris’ reply?” is how she answered the phone.

  “I was on the phone with Tony when I got the message. We both think your uncle has a good idea. The question now is Happy’s real name. We’re both going to put out feelers to see if we can find it.”