by S. L. Baum
They all stared straight at me.
“Last hand,” she whispered.
“Got it,” they whispered in response.
It was so quietly spoken that I wasn’t sure it would exactly qualify as a whisper. No mortal ear could hear the words.
When the hand was played, the couple got up from the table, and then the three of them walked away. The dealer blinked rapidly. He rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and stared at the girl (Eve) as she turned to go. It was as if he were seeing her for the first time. The confusion showed plainly on his face.
I walked up to the trio and introduced myself. “It seems I broke your concentration. Please accept my apologies. My name is Charity.”
“I’m Eve,” my now friend said, extending her hand.
As Eve clasped my hand, her expression grew thoughtful. I tried to withdraw from her grasp, but she held on and closed her eyes for a moment.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Eve smiled. “Getting to know you,” she answered.
“Verdict?” the man to her left asked.
“She’s something special. She calls herself an Immortal One,” Eve answered.
I could not hide the shock that instantly registered on my face. How could this... whatever she was, know about me?
“I want to see,” the woman on Eve’s right stated, and Eve placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder again. It was if they could pass information that way.
The woman snapped her head back toward me. “Where is your companion? Where is Catherine?” she asked.
“I really don’t understand what is going on,” I stated. “How are you getting this information from me?” I asked. “And, who are you?”
“My name is Elizabeth, this is Thomas, and of course Eve,” Elizabeth stated, clearly exasperated by my questions.
“We are Witches,” Eve explained. “I can gather information through close proximity, but I get my best results from skin contact. Elizabeth can extract that information from me through touch. I’ve just been, shall we say, getting to know your history a little better,” she smiled.
“Catherine,” Elizabeth repeated, the exasperation flowed through her voice. “Where is she?”
Catherine and James walked up behind me and stood at my sides. “Right here,” Catherine stated. “What exactly do you want with me?”
“I never thought I would see you again. I knew you were something special,” Elizabeth’s mouth twitched into a smile. “However, I find it unfair that you haven’t aged a day since I first saw you. I’m Elizabeth. I wrote you a letter many years ago, I slipped it to you, back in England, right before you left by ship!” she declared.
“Elizabeth,” Catherine whispered the name. “What a great mystery you made yourself to be. I’ve always wondered about that letter,” she burst into a genuine smile.
“I was tempted to book passage on the ship with you, but I was still a young girl learning to deal with the power that had just started to develop. I couldn’t leave my uncle until I had gained more knowledge.”
Catherine gasped. “Oh my, I remember you now. The young girl who delivered the lace... that was you.”
“That was me,” Elizabeth nodded. “After being abandoned as a toddler, I was taken in by a kindly elder gentleman. I considered him an uncle of sorts. He had an affinity for seeing the future, and he knew what I’d become. He wanted to make sure that I wasn’t acquired by the wrong people. Real Witches, especially ones controlled from a young age, were quite valuable back then. It was typical of that era. I suppose it would be a great asset today, to be able to control a Witch. But who ever could?” she said with a laugh.
“So you’re a Witch. How did you know that I wasn’t a mortal being?” Catherine asked.
“That was the first power to manifest itself in me. I have a nose for blood. I can smell the subtle differences that lie within a being’s blood. Until I categorize it, I just know it smells quite unusual.
“Witch blood was easy. My uncle carried the same scent as I, the faint aroma of a wood fire. Through acquaintances of Uncle, I learned that a Vampire smells of sulfur and salt. You though, were something I had never encountered before. The mist of an ocean breeze wafted toward me on the first day I made a lace delivery to the dress maker’s shop where you worked,” Elizabeth explained. “I have never met another, until today. And now, there are three ocean breezes right in front of me. You have found some companions who share your special qualities.”
“We are talking out in the open,” James warned.
Eve gave a small laugh. “Do not worry. Thomas has a sound bubble. Our conversation will be absorbed. No one but us can hear it.”
“Well that must come in handy,” James turned to Thomas.
Thomas shrugged, “It has its uses. I prefer this one though,” he ended with a mischievous smile.
At once, everything got blurry around the edges. My eyes stung. I felt as if I had been swimming in the ocean all day with my eyes opened wide. I gasped and rubbed my eyes. James and Catherine immediately followed suit. I blinked a few times, and everything returned to normal.
The three of us turned to glare at Thomas.
“How did you...? The effects usually last much longer. I can blind some people with that power,” he said with astonishment, and his face contorted in what could only be described as a pout.
“Our bodies self repair,” Catherine stated.
“It has its uses,” James raised his eyebrows.
“Thomas!” Eve rebuked. “Why are you playing with our new acquaintances? They have done nothing to you.”
“Oh shush, Eve darling,” Elizabeth laughed again. “Apparently no harm was done. It is his power and he does like to play. But that’s quite enough, Thomas. Show some kindness to my new, old friend Catherine.”
Thomas’s face became a blank slate. Elizabeth had spoken, and it seemed that he was in the habit of doing exactly what she said. I wondered what it felt like to have that kind of influence. She seemed to enjoy the feeling, because a contented smile came to her face as Thomas took a step back.
Elizabeth and Catherine began to lose themselves in quiet conversation. Their many years of separation had given them quite a few things to discover about each other. They ended up talking all that night.
Our group of three Immortal Ones spent the next few days getting to know all three of the Witches before it was time for our journey to Texas. We learned of their powers, their slower aging, and of their similar traits to ours. Catherine shared with Elizabeth the knowledge that our blood could heal the wounds of others. James even cut himself to show how quickly we could self-repair. I had simply laid the foundation for a lasting friendship with Eve.
Their coven of three didn’t last very long. A few months after our departure, Eve literally stumbled upon Marcus in a casino one evening. She soon made her own exodus from Las Vegas, leaving Elizabeth to be with Marcus. She said she had known immediately that he was her destiny. They joined up with his brother Cozmo and a group of Witches that had been living together at the time. Thomas disappeared a few years later and Elizabeth had sent word that she’d never found out what had happened to him.
Elizabeth had stayed in Las Vegas and would gather new companions from time to time. She enjoyed the unusual qualities of the city and chose to leave for only a few months here and there to have one of her beloved exotic vacations to secluded island getaways. Catherine loved getting the random mysterious postcards that signaled her friend was travelling. But Elizabeth always returned to Sin City.
*****
A vibration disturbed my flash of memories, and I shook my head, bringing me back into the present again.
****
chapter six
CHANGE OF PLANS
It was my cell phone that had abruptly ended my flashback, it was buzzing away in the beaded clutch I was carrying. I pulled it out and stared at the screen. Summer’s name and number stared back at me. I answered the call and put the phone to me ear
. I didn’t know what she had to say, but I was pretty darn sure I knew who she would be calling me about.
“Hi, Summer. What’s up with Delilah?” I answered the phone.
“Freaky!” she exclaimed into the phone. “How in the friggin' world, did you know I was calling about her?”
“I haven’t a clue, but I figured why else would you be calling,” I sighed. “What’s our girl up to?” I asked.
“She’s gone. She totally took off. She left New York. Her mom is freakin’. For some reason they think I should know what is going on in that head of hers. And I know nothing! Stupid teenage-runaway-drama is raining down on me,” Summer rambled.
“She took off from New York all by herself?”
“No. Burke is gone too. They obviously went somewhere together. She sent me a text about an hour after I was texting you, you know... when you were on your way to the airport. Anyway, she was saying that she’s gonna be rich. And then like fifteen minutes later, her mom calls my mom and says Dee’s disappeared, won’t answer her cell phone, and some of her clothes and stuff is missing,” Summer finished and sucked in a huge breath of air.
“You are doing circles in your room, aren’t you?” I asked. I could just picture it. The few times I had seen Summer agitated, she would do laps around whatever space she was in. “Calm down, Summer. So, I’m guessing that the will was read. Do you have any details about what the lawyers told the family?” I asked.
“What’s going on?” Link whispered.
“Hold on, Summer.” I pulled the phone away from my ear, covering the mouthpiece for a second. “Dee took off with Burke, they’re MIA,” I whispered back to Link.
“I’ll call Rusty and see what I can find out,” he responded.
I took my hand away from the phone and spoke to Summer, “Sorry... What about the will?”
“I don’t know. Before she left, she said she was sure that her Grams was leaving her a trust fund. You think she took off because she has money now or something? Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Emily, I’m so sorry. I just freaked and called you immediately. You don’t need to be worrying about this. Okay, I guess I should hang up with you and ask my mom to ask her mom exactly what was in the will,” Summer concluded with a heavy sigh.
“No, it is fine. I want to know. Really. Link is gonna call Rusty, so we’ll piece this together. Call me back when you know more,” I told her and ended our conversation.
I insisted that the rest of the group go out and have fun, while Lincoln and I set up camp at a café just off the casino floor and tried to figure out what was going on with our friends.
An hour or so, and several phone calls and texts later, we pieced together a puzzle that went something like this: The will was read... Delilah got a ridiculous trust fund... Her mother was appointed executor of the trust... Dee would be granted free reign of the money when she turned twenty-five, or when she married, whichever would come first. So, since Dee and Burke took off together, we’re guessing she didn’t want to wait until she turned twenty-five to take control of the trust.
She and Burke were both eighteen. A quickie marriage in Las Vegas (there are obviously other places they could go, but I figured Dee wasn’t original enough to figure that out) would immediately grant her control of her money. A final call to the credit card company, by Delilah’s mom, confirmed our assumptions. Delilah had used her American Express to book two flights from Newark to Las Vegas. She must have thought that if they didn’t leave from New York they would be harder to track. The two of them had told everyone that they were going out for breakfast, but then never returned.
Delilah didn’t always think things all the way through.
“CRAP!” I screamed aloud, drawing stares from all those walking past.
Link jumped a little in his seat. “What?”
“They are somewhere here in this city, and now we have to find them,” I lowered my voice. “But what are friends for?” I sighed with sarcasm.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Link replied, placing his hand over mine.
“Okay, what would she do? They landed a few hours ago. If she keeps using her credit card then her mom can track her and we’ll know where they plan on staying. But my guess is they would have gone straight to get a license and then to a hotel to change. Dee would insist on looking beyond amazing, even for a quickie wedding. Then they would search out a twenty four hour wedding place,” I voiced my thought process.
“That sounds logical. You are expecting Dee to follow a logical pattern. That may not be the wisest choice,” he smirked.
My phone buzzed across the café table. I didn’t recognize the number, which would normally lead to an automatic ignore... but not today.
“Hello?” I answered my phone.
“Hi Emily. It’s Summer.”
“Where are you?” I asked. My super hearing kicked in and I could hear the faint sound of an engine and wind rushing in the background. I could almost swear it was airplane noise.
“I’m coming to Vegas. I didn’t want to tell you in a text, and I didn’t really believe it would happen until just now. I just took off from the Telluride airport. Delilah’s mom was desperate. She convinced my mom to let me come and meet you. Since you are with your aunt and uncle, my mom caved. Dee’s mom thinks that I can talk some sense into her. Little does she know, huh! She arranged for a private plane to fly me out. Money does move mountains, I guess,” Summer sped through the words.
“Why didn’t her mom just come herself?” I asked.
“Her mom thinks she’d just make Dee angry and then she wouldn’t listen. She thinks her friends can do more good. Plus, I’m closer than she is. Who knows? Maybe I can get there and we can find her before she says I do. This is crazy!”
This was supposed to be my time to say I do. I had been looking forward to my Vegas wedding. It was supposed to be a time for me to cast all my cares away, to have fun, to be myself, and to push Emily to the side. But now that Delilah and Burke were here somewhere, and Summer was on her way, I would have to be both Emily and Charity. And to top it all off, I was supposed to be getting married tomorrow night. What were the odds of all that mess coming down on me right as I was about to walk down the aisle with the love of my life?
“Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you in just a little while then. Link and I will be at the airport when you land,” I assured her.
“Good. I’m sure my mom has tried to call Dr. Johnston, like a million times by now. He wasn’t answering earlier, when she left me at the airport. I lied, and told her I’d already talked to you. That calmed her down.”
“His cell must be on silent. I’ll have him call your mom soon. Don’t worry.”
“Who woulda thought I’d be coming to Vegas? This is kinda trippy. I think I’m in shock or something. I’ll see you soon,” Summer sighed.
“Yes, you will,” I agreed, and ended the call.
I almost felt like I wanted to cry. That tingly feeling was there in the back of my eyes. I blinked rapidly to ward off the tears.
“Lincoln, this ruins everything for us. Doesn’t it?” I grimaced.
“Not necessarily. We can postpone the wedding if we absolutely have to. But the fact that we can now both go without sleep, will work to our advantage. We’ll find them, ship them back home, and continue on with our plans,” Link said with false confidence.
“Thanks for trying to put on a brave face but I think we both know the odds are against us.”
“We are in Vegas, we’ll defeat the odds,” Link said with a bit more enthusiasm. “Do you doubt my awesome powers?” he asked, and my favorite, brilliant smile appeared on his face.
“Never have, never will.” I smiled back.
Our next move was to contact Catherine. I asked her to tell James to call Summer’s mother and assure her that Summer would be picked up at the airport. I stressed the need to let Summer’s mom know we’d take good care of her daughter. Then I asked Catherine to let Eve know that I needed her to meet Link
and me out by the taxi stands. I had to get over to the Clark County Courthouse before midnight, because that is when the office would close. It was pushing eleven already, so time was a huge factor.
The trip to the courthouse would actually accomplish two things. Link and I could get our Marriage License, while Eve scanned some memories and gathered some information. We needed both, so off we went.
You would think that after spending as many years on this earth as I have, I would have been granted the gift of patience. Not so much, it seemed. The couple in front of us at the courthouse, who were the spitting image of Morticia and Gomez, chatted way too much with the man behind the counter. If I had to listen to one more story about Uncle Fester or Cousin It, I was going to scream. My huge sigh of relief, which was noticed by all, came as Gomez took Morticia’s hand and helped her shuffle her way out the office door. Her black floor length gown was dragging all the way.
I was never so happy to hear the words, “Next in line,” in my life!
We stepped up to the counter and “Lawrence” had his head turned, chuckling with his co-worker about Fester and the light bulb. “...then the light popped on and his eyes got all huge. Man, I loved that show!”
“A-hem,” I cleared my throat.
When he finally turned back to help us, I plastered a huge fake smile on my face and handed him the stack of papers I was holding. Emily Charity Johnston (a recent and easy insertion of middle name had been done – because Link had wanted me to be able to use my own name when we married) with her fake ID and bogus information - well not completely bogus – gender, and physical description were correct – had all her paperwork scanned before Lincoln’s legitimate paperwork was handed over. Everything was double checked and then approved. By eleven forty-five we were walking out of the building, Marriage License in hand.
