Paranormal Talent Agency Episodes 4-6

by Heather Silvio

  “My guess is he had a backup plan in case you didn’t. He probably knew you’d protected me last year.”

  “Not that you needed protection.”

  She grinned. “You didn’t know that. And Mark thought he was strong enough to manipulate you.”

  “He was,” I said in a small voice.

  “Not in the end. He couldn’t hold you. You didn’t shoot me. I was able to get my confession. You helped with that, Barbara.”

  I raised my head and nodded. “I did.”

  “And you didn’t have to.”

  “I didn’t.” My voice sounded stronger. Maybe this would be okay after all.

  “You’ll be fine, Barbara,” Olivia assured me. “I have to go. Paperwork to file.”

  “I remember angel bureaucracy. I can only imagine it’s exponentially worse as an archangel.” We shared a smile.

  “Liam, I’ll be in touch.” And with that, she left.

  Liam started to follow, without a glance at me.

  “Wait.”

  He turned, that blank expression still lodged on his face. “Yes?”

  “Can we talk?”

  A grimace of pain indicated the crack in his façade. The act of speaking appeared difficult. “This might be too much. I thought you turned a corner. Now…”

  Tears filled my eyes. “It’s too late?”

  “I can’t, I won’t, go down that path again with you.” With a sorrowful shake of his head, he continued walking toward my front door.

  “Goodbye, Barbara.”

  A heart I didn’t think could still love shattered into a million pieces. After all this time, I finally chose the right path. It was too late. I lost my love. Again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The next morning dawned far too beautiful for my mood. April in Las Vegas could be so wonderful. It was the day of the election. Such a tortured twisted road to get here. And I no longer really cared.

  I trudged through my morning routine, running through the expectations for Candidate Barbara Knollman. A glance at my clock confirmed I still had a few hours before I was expected at campaign headquarters for monitoring the voting returns.

  My mind swirled with the choices I’d made over the past months, years, decades even, but most importantly the past week. So many opportunities to choose the right path. I couldn’t fully blame it on misunderstanding my premonitions. They were never clear cut; I knew a being’s personality filtered the interpretation of them. Had I continually interpreted them to support my desire for power? Apparently so. And what had that gotten me? Well, I was probably about to win the mayor’s seat. There was that.

  I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. What could be my next steps? Assuming I won – fairly clear-cut, I mused, given I was the only candidate still alive – maybe I could focus on improving the image of supernaturals, now that humanity knew of our existence. This energized me some.

  If I couldn’t have love, I could use my powers for good. I barked a laugh in my empty kitchen. A demon doing good. Would wonders never cease.

  Breakfast consisted of whatever I had on hand, I didn’t even pay attention. Soon I was heading to campaign headquarters. Although not expected for another couple of hours, I didn’t want to sit home alone in my sterile house, staring at the walls.

  I pulled open the door to the building, catching sight of busy-bee volunteers manning phones and chatting with each other. They were excited, though I wasn’t sure how known it was that I was the only candidate left.

  “Are you okay?” Lynn Fox, my campaign manager greeted me just inside the door, her expression concerned behind her red-rimmed glasses.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Elizabeth Addison mentioned on her show this morning that Mammon was killed – and you were present.”

  “She did, huh?”

  Lynn frowned. “Yes. What happened?”

  I debated how to answer, before deciding on a half-truth. “He came to my home, threatening me and several members of the entertainment industry. He was… eliminated. Self-defense?” My inflection suggested I wasn’t so sure of that and Lynn’s eyebrows rose. She recovered quickly.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” she stated. “The upside of the crazy last week is that you’re the only candidate left. You’ve got it in the bag.”

  “Unless they pick None of the Above,” I quipped.

  Lynn bit back a laugh at my joke. “I doubt they’ll do that.”

  I smiled. “No, I don’t think they will.”

  “What would you like to do?” She glanced at her watch. Results wouldn’t be coming in for quite a while, so she probably didn’t know what to do with me.

  “I’d like to chat with the volunteers about how this election has been for them and what they’d like me to focus on when I win.”

  Lynn couldn’t cover her surprise fast enough. If my disinterest in my constituency had been this obvious, how on earth did I keep getting volunteers, let alone winning elections?

  “That’d be great, Madam Councilwoman. Follow me.” She turned and I followed.

  The next hours passed in a blur of getting to know the various volunteers that I had only smiled at and said hello to in the past. It was gratifying to hear from them what they’d enjoyed and what they’d like to see from me. I could also tell they were happy I was asking their opinions. Why hadn’t I done this sooner?

  “Okay, everybody, it looks like FOX5 is about to call the election,” Lynn announced late that evening. We’d pulled the uncomfortable metal folding chairs around the large flat screen television in one corner of the space. Volunteers munched on finger food. Excitement was palpable in the air. This was kind of fun.

  The camera framed Elizabeth Addison following a local car commercial. Her brown hair shined under the lights and she wore her anchor expression. I inwardly laughed; sometimes it seemed she was the only newscaster in town!

  “Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the primary elections for the mayor and open city council seats. We’ll get to the other seats in a moment. Not surprisingly, we are able to call the election for Mayor. As the only remaining candidate alive, we can confidently state that Barbara Knollman has won in a landslide and will be your new Mayor.”

  Elizabeth continued to talk, but the cheering volunteers around me drowned her out. People patted me on the back and hugged each other. Congratulations floated around the room. Lynn leaned in to me.

  “Congratulations, ma’am,” she said with a wide smile.

  “Speech, speech, speech.” The chanting rose in volume. I noticed a couple of cameramen filming us, the reporters standing just off to the side.

  I fixed a smile on my face and held my hands up to silence the crowd. They complied. The cameras and reporters moved in closer.

  “Thank you all for all of your hard work. It paid off.” Cheers rose again from the crowd, and then silenced. “I would not be here tonight if not for the many people working tirelessly behind the scenes on my behalf.

  “Thank you, first and foremost, to Lynn Fox, my campaign manager.” I turned toward her. “You kept me going and focused on the right things, right up to the end.” I was piling the manure a little high, but it was expected. I then proceeded to thank some of the lead volunteers, and the group more generally. After the applause died down, I paused, my smile dipping for a moment. Tension increased in the room.

  “For the past months, a new world has been identified here in Las Vegas,” I started, my voice quiet, though building steam. “What has been dubbed the paranormal underworld.” I ignored the gasps from the audience. I was way off-book.

  “I am familiar with this underworld.” The gasps were louder. “I plan to ask Elizabeth Addison to have me on her show tomorrow morning, to discuss the rumors and misinformation that has been swirling for these past months. I hope you will all tune in. Thank you.” You could hear a pin drop in the absolute silence that followed my statement.

 
I nodded at the crowd, at Lynn, and strode to the back office, the blood pounding in my head. This was a bold move. I heard my cellphone vibrating on the desk.

  I closed the door behind me and answered my phone. “Hi, Liam.”

  “That was some speech.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “I have mixed feelings. What are you playing at?”

  That stung. “I’m not playing. Supernatural creatures are only nominally out of the closet. I aim to change that.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean, why?”

  “What’s in it for you?”

  “That’s unnecessarily harsh,” I snapped, then softened my tone. “I told you. I’m making new choices now. I had a premonition last year—” I stopped. Mist had begun swirling before me.

  “Barbara?”

  “Liam, I have to go.” I ended the call, vaguely aware he was still speaking. I closed my eyes to focus on the image forming.

  A dark-haired man, seen from behind, though I knew without question it was Liam. The man turned to face me, his face open yet questioning. He looked to the side and Catherine came into view. I wondered if this was related to me thinking about the prior premonition. Liam nodded at Catherine, who seemed perplexed. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, I gasped.

  White light glowed from within Catherine. Liam nodded and seemed to stare at me. He approached, reached out a hand. Even though premonitions didn’t come with tactile sensations, I swore I could feel his fingers on my cheek. He smiled, nodded again at Catherine, and turned away. I felt hollow as I watched him walk further and further until I could no longer see him.

  Catherine blinked and the white light vanished. Peace surrounded her. That didn’t make sense to me, yet I knew it to be true. She also smiled at me, then turned to follow Liam, walking until she too vanished from the premonition.

  Where were they going? Why was Liam following Catherine? Was the premonition telling me he would be on her path?

  Whatever that was.

  I opened my eyes, and gasped when I saw Liam standing there, an uncertain expression on his face. I held onto that peace from the premonition and smiled at him.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked, a frown playing on his lips.

  “It’s good that you came,” I answered.

  “It is?”

  “I know what to do now.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Liam stepped fully into the office and closed the door behind him. He hesitated.

  “Please have a seat.”

  He did and we stared at each other for a beat.

  “Putting aside your doubts about my motivation, what do you think about supernatural beings being more visible? Being truly considered in the world.”

  “I’m honestly not sure, given how humanity sometimes reacts to individuals different than themselves.” He shrugged. “Remember the clashing that killed us hundreds of years ago. But, this may be the new way of things.”

  I nodded. “I agree. I believe there could, should, be more for us.”

  “What do you propose? What do you plan to say on the show tomorrow?”

  “Let me back up a bit first.”

  He nodded.

  “Last year, I had a premonition of the importance of Catherine Rodham to my future. Or what I thought was my future. I believe I misread that premonition.”

  “You do?”

  I reddened. “I’ve been misreading a few of them of late,” I admitted and a small smile formed on his face in response. “You realize I was experiencing another premonition when you arrived?”

  “I assumed. I wasn’t sure why you disconnected the call—”

  “Were you worried about me?”

  “Maybe.” He coughed. “When I walked in, I recognized that blank stare,” he hurried to add. The premonitions had started when we’d been given angel status, and Liam had watched me have them for a hundred years.

  Oddly, they hadn’t stopped when I’d been struck down as a demon after telling Liam in a fit of anger that I was tired of humanity and would rather pursue my own interests as a demon rather than continue as an angel. Maybe a piece of my angelic nature still remained.

  I rather liked that thought, but that was a consideration for another day. I stilled my wandering thoughts and focused on his questioning expression.

  “The premonition tonight also featured Catherine.”

  He quirked an eyebrow.

  “I’m not entirely sure what it meant.” I hesitated.

  “But you have an idea?”

  “I’m almost certain it is related to bringing the supernatural world fully into the realm of humanity.”

  “How come?”

  I hesitated again. “I’d rather not say. In case I’m wrong again.”

  We shared a smile.

  “There was more,” I continued, tapping my nails on the desk. His expression told me he recognized my nervous fidgeting for what it was.

  “Yes?”

  “You were in the premonition.” His eyes dilated, his desire surprising me.

  “I was?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I dropped my gaze, gathering my courage. “My victory tonight was hollow.” I raised my head. “I know one piece is what I plan to speak about tomorrow. However, the premonition tonight confirmed something else.”

  He remained silent.

  “I love you.” He frowned. Not the reaction I hoped for. “I’ve always loved you.”

  “Love was never our problem.”

  “I agree. My choice of power over love was. Has been.” I cleared my throat. “I want to change that.”

  “How?”

  “I know you said that you couldn’t walk this path with me again. And, if that remains the case, I won’t bother you further. If you’re open to it… if it’s not too late, I would like to try again. I made the wrong choice before. And I made the wrong choice with Mark. I won’t blame it on my premonitions. Those were mine to interpret, and I chose interpretations that fit with my lust for power. But, when the announcement was made that I’d won tonight, I didn’t care. My greed for power blinded me to what was real.” I stopped.

  “How do I know this isn’t just a blip?” His words questioned. His open posture said he was listening.

  “As a show of good faith, I’ll resign my position as Mayor.”

  “You just won,” he reminded me.

  “I’d stay on long enough for a smooth transition. You’re stalling.”

  “I am.”

  “Why?”

  “My heart tells me to jump at this chance. My brain tells me I’ll be burned again.” He half-smiled. “No pun intended.”

  I belly laughed at the reference to my glowing eyes, startling Liam. “That’s why I’m offering to resign. I want you to know that I’m all in this time. Forever.”

  “On one condition. Tell me why you changed your name to Barbara?”

  “That’s your condition?” I shrugged. “Having the name of a pagan goddess seemed wrong as a demon.”

  “I liked Brighid.”

  “As did I.”

  “I like Barbara, too,” Liam admitted.

  “I’m glad, since it’d be awkward to change it back at this point.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  He stood and walked around the chair to stand over me. His hand cupped my chin and I leaned in to the touch. “I’ll accept that your name is Barbara, not Brighid, going forward.”

  “Is that all?” I whispered.

  “It’s not too late for us. I’ve been waiting hundreds of years for you to come to your senses.”

  “Even though I’m a demon?”

  “What’s a relationship if it doesn’t have some challenges?”

  I stood and we embraced, his warm arms encircling me. I inhaled his scent, reveling in how good he felt. “I’ll let the Council know immediately of my resignation.”

  L
iam held me at arms’ length. “You don’t need to resign.”

  I pulled fully away with a shake of my head. “I appreciate that, but I do. I don’t want to be tempted down the wrong path again.”

  “I don’t believe you will,” he countered.

  “You don’t?”

  “I don’t. You haven’t talked about helping others since you lost your angel status and became a demon. I believe you’ve truly turned over a new leaf with your goal of developing human-supernatural relations.”

  “As do I,” came a female voice.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Olivia stood five feet from us, in all her blue-haired archangel glory. She smiled benevolently. Somehow I wasn’t surprised she could materialize. No wonder she’d never ridden on a private jet before, I thought with an internal chuckle. She walked toward us, so graceful she appeared to be gliding. Heck, maybe she was.

  “You do, too?” I asked.

  “I do.”

  “Why?”

  “Besides the reasons Liam gave? Because I’ve been watching your evolution, and you’re ready.”

  “You’ve been watching me?” I asked, ignoring the rest of her statement.

  “Of course. When you chose power over love, I was the one who stripped you of your angel status and relegated you to living as a demon.”

  My hand flew to my mouth, but nothing emerged. My eyes cut to Liam’s similarly surprised expression.

  Olivia grinned. “Guess you guys didn’t know that.”

  I shook my head.

  “I also was the one who elevated you both,” she said.

  “That shapeless light Liam and I saw? That was you?”

  “Yes, it was.”

  I met Liam’s eyes. That light was the last thing either of us remembered before waking up as angels. Olivia really got around. I wondered idly how long she’d been around.

  “This was always going to be your path,” she continued.

  “Destiny?”

  “Something like that?”

  “Don’t we have free will like the humans?”

  “Of course.”

  She didn’t even hesitate stating these completely contradictory statements. I frowned.