I reached out and pinched him. “I was too concerned about making sure you were free and at peace to worry about what happened after.”
“Cupcake, you know you love me.” He rubbed where I had pinched him and winked at me. “You’re stuck with me now.”
“What have I done?” I asked, slapping my hands on my cheeks and pretending to scream.
“All kidding aside, I wanted to say thank you.”
Smiling, I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. It felt more solid than before, and it no longer felt cold.
“This alone is worth it.” He put his hand over mine. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, but from the way Vovó talks, it sounds like I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
“That took more energy than I would have guessed.” Vovó yawned, her normally rosy cheeks pale. Perspiration pebbled along her upper lip. “We will discuss this in the morning. For now, Yara needs to rest and so do I. Release him for tonight.”
The idea of having to release DJ unsettled me, but I told him he was free to do what he pleased until we needed him.
He gave me a mock salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.” Then he disappeared.
I hugged Vovó goodnight and dragged myself to my room. Before I could throw myself across my bed, my cell phone belted out Brent’s ringtone from the chest of drawers. “Hey handsome, are you home?”
“Yes!” he practically shouted.
I held the phone further from my ear. “What’s up?”
“What’s up? I’ve been home for almost an hour, and I’ve called you about thirty times!” I could hear the genuine concern through his anger. “If your dad hadn’t picked up the last time I called, I’d be halfway to your house by now.”
Sure enough the clock read one thirty in the morning. “Wow. I had no idea how late it was.”
He groaned. “Sorry to snap at you, but I was really worried. I was one call away from jumping back in my car and checking on you in person.”
“I’m sorry too, Brent. I was working with Vovó.”
The tension melted from Brent’s voice. “You were working with Vovó? Your dad didn’t mention that. Has she made your house DJ proof?”
I dropped my face into my hands, really not looking forward to telling Brent about what I’d done. “Um . . . Not exactly.”
“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?” Brent asked warily. “Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like this?”
“Well . . . DJ was waiting for me in my room when I got home and after talking with Vovó she kind of decided to bind him to me.”
“What?”
I didn’t think a summary would work. I started over, explaining in great detail everything that had happened since he dropped me off at home.
Brent was silent, I only knew he hadn’t hung up because I could hear his breathing. “So instead of getting rid of him, he’s now bound to you?”
“Pretty much.”
“I really hate that guy.”
“I know.” I ran fingers across my comforter, following the seams. “Vovó seemed positive that doing this with DJ was important, almost vital.”
“I’m not about to argue with Vovó, but it will take a lot for me to learn to trust him.”
“I get that. If I hadn’t felt such overwhelming emotions during the ceremony I wouldn’t be inclined to trust him either, but I do.”
“Overwhelming emotions? I bet he just loves that.” I could picture him scrubbing his hands across his jaw. “Not important. Your grandma says he’s bound to protect you now, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good at least.” He sounded more resigned than happy. “It’s a win for us, right?”
I sighed and lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. “I hope so.” I was tired, but didn’t want to hang up, so we stayed on the phone. Finally the soothing sound of Brent’s voice and the warmth of the bed lulled me to sleep.
Chapter 9
Kevin smiled at me. My brother’s body was bathed in an eternal golden light. His hands were stretched out, reaching for something I couldn’t see. Neal, Brent’s brother, stepped up beside him and he too reached for the same thing, something beyond me.
I glanced over my shoulder and found Brent moving toward them. Behind him his body laid crumpled on the ground, blood streaming from his nose, his chest not moving. His spirit smiled, the bright light shining on his face, highlighting his brown hair and chocolate eyes. His fingers stretched toward them, mere inches away, moving closer.
“No!”
I sat up in bed, the word ‘no’ still on my lips. Tears slid down my cheeks. My heart felt like a wrecking ball had slammed into it. I tried to tell myself it had only been a dream. But I knew better.
It wasn’t just a nightmare, but a prophetic dream. The ones that were too vivid to just be my subconscious.
I brought my knees to my chest and rocked back and forth, trying to keep that shadow of the future away.
My phone still lay on my pillow. Brent must have hung up after I drifted off. Even though I knew he’d still be asleep, I dialed his number.
“’Lo,” he mumbled groggily.
“Hey, I’m sorry to wake you, but I had to hear your voice.”
“What’s wrong?” He sounded much more alert.
“I had a horrible dream.” A cold frost shivered inside me while I described my dream for him.
“It wasn’t just a normal nightmare, was it?” he asked in an eerily calm voice.
I hesitated. Would answering truthfully hurt him? Rob him of hope? I wondered if I would want to know if I were in his place. I would. That made up my mind for me.
“No. It wasn’t.” I pulled my covers over my head. “I didn’t tell you everything that happened with Kalina. She said in every vision of the future she’s seen for you . . . you die.”
He didn’t speak for a moment. Finally he said, “Huh.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep.” He cleared his throat. “The thing is, I haven’t been totally honest with you either.”
I sat up in bed and the loss of my warm blanket cocoon made goose bumps break out along my skin. Or maybe it was the sudden dread settling in my stomach. “What have you been hiding?”
“I told you I was seeing spirits. And I know we still haven’t discussed it, but it doesn’t matter. What I was afraid to tell you was: I’ve been seeing Neal . . . and Kevin. That’s why I thought I was dying.” Something creaked on his end and I wondered if he was pacing around his room. “I see them all the time. They’re talking to me, but I can’t hear them. It’s like somebody pushed the mute button. But they’re always reaching for me. Just like in your dream.”
“You’ve seen Kevin?” My eyes found the picture of my brother on my dresser. “Does he look happy?”
“He does.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Thank you,” I said gripping my phone tight. Even though I’d seen my brother once, hearing about his continued welfare soothed me. “What about you? How are you doing?”
“Me? I’m fine. I think I’m finally ready to keep my promise to you. I said I loved you enough to live for you. I do, but I wasn’t sure I could make it happen. I thought I was okay with dying and that I’d made my peace with it, but you know, having Crosby destroy the scroll, and Kalina predict my death, and even your dream, well I’m ticked off. The universe might be dealing out this crap hand, but I refuse to fold.”
My heart beat faster. Brent had more fight in his voice than he’d expressed in a long time.
“So, I refuse to let any of them win. Crosby wants me to die. Well, too bad. I’m going to beat this. I am putting my faith in you and Vovó. We are going to win. I’m coming over tomorrow to practice. We need to start training.”
“That sounds wonderful.” I almost choked on happy tears.
“And Yara, thank you for telling me. I’m glad you didn’t keep this to yourself. We need to be honest with each other and truly know what we’re up against if we
’re going to win.”
“I know. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
When we hung up, a feeling of hope stronger than I had felt in years settled over me and I instantly fell back asleep.
The huge jar of Brent’s medicine dug into my chest as I knocked on Steve’s door. Brent had been crashing at Steve’s house since everything with his mom. The two still weren’t talking.
Steve opened the door and gave me a friendly nod. “Hey, Yara. Brent’s out with your dad. Was he supposed to meet you?”
“No, I knew he would need more of his medicine.” I held it up for him to see.
He took the container from me, the thick liquid splashing up against the sides. “I’m not sure it’s working that well. There’s something you need to see.”
I gave him a sharp look.
He opened the door wider so I could come in. I wiped my sandals on the doormat and followed him into the kitchen.
They must have finished breakfast not too long ago; dishes and condiments were still spread across the table.
“He’s going through this stuff pretty fast.” Steve opened a cupboard and set the bottle down beside a similar one that was almost empty. Brent had finished it faster than ever.
“Yeah, I know.”
Steve walked to the table and pointed to one of the plates. “Did you know about this?”
I saw the contents and my throat tightened. Eggs, blueberry syrup, and Tabasco sauce all mixed together lay unfinished on a plate.
“This is Brent’s?”
Steve sighed. “Yeah.”
“Has he been eating this the whole time he’s been here?”
“No, just the last couple days.” Steve picked up the bottle of blueberry syrup and spun it in his hands. “He didn’t tell you?”
I shook my head, unable to take my eyes away from it. I’d only seen Brent eat this horrid mixture a few times, when he was truly sick. It had been a craving of one of the souls once trapped in his body.
This meant some of their lingering cravings and illnesses were seeping through the medicine.
It meant we were running out of time.
When I left Steve’s house, I was glad Brent hadn’t been there. Seeing his breakfast had brought my personal terror level to a red, and I wasn’t ready to face him while on high alert. For now I needed an extended vacation at Hotel Denial.
I decided to stop by the police station to give me something else to think about. I’d had some dealings with two detectives, Velasco and Roberts, during my senior year of high school. They had listened when I had pointed the finger at Crosby. They also hadn’t carried me off to the loony bin when I told them I could see ghosts.
The lobby was fairly quiet and a lot less intimidating than had I expected, reminding me of a doctor’s office. To the left, blue chairs and a TV filled a waiting room dotted with a few potted plants. To the right, a middle-aged file clerk sat at a metallic desk behind a Plexiglas barrier. As I approached, he asked how he could help.
I tried my best to look trustworthy. “I was wondering if I could speak with detectives Roberts or Velasco.”
“I’m sorry. Velasco transferred about a year ago after she got married. Roberts is on leave for a few more months.”
“Leave?” I asked, hoping for more information than that. I didn’t think I had months to wait.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t give you more information than that.”
“I understand. Thank you anyway.”
I briefly considered astral projecting and trying to find the information myself, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking and figured all the computers would be password protected.
I called Cherie as soon as I left the building. The clack of her typing filled my ear as I crossed the wide lawn and passed the decorative fountain. Before I got to the car she had already found news about Roberts on the Internet.
“He was in a car accident,” Cherie said. “A minor crash while in pursuit of a suspect.”
“Is that why he’s on leave?”
“Well . . .” Cherie clicked her tongue. “It looks like the accident was minor, but that he hit his head pretty hard. So maybe the leave is for a head injury.”
“Great.” I hit the unlock button, climbed inside, and closed the door behind me. “I wonder how long that will take to heal.”
“Probably longer than we have.”
I tilted my head back against the driver’s seat. “I guess I can try and search for his partner.”
“I can do that. What can you tell me about her?”
I gave Cherie what little information I had on Velasco and she started searching online for me. “This may take some time.”
“I know. I just wish we had more of it.”
I dug my fingers into the soil next to the tomato plant. My grandma’s instructions bounced around inside my head. I wiggled my fingers in the loose dirt, trying to form a connection to it. I could easily find the water particles—my pet element, as Kalina called it—and with a thought I drew a few drops to the tips of my fingers. My control of air had improved, thanks to the continual training with Brent. I still knew nothing about fire, except that I should avoid it at all costs. Throughout my entire time in Brazil, I’d trained to deepen my relationship with the earth.
According to Vovó, the jolt of power I’d felt when my blood had mingled with hers during our big showdown with Crosby was some of her earth ability being transferred to me. I hoped so.
Focusing, I pushed the water aside seeking for… ah, I found it. It wasn’t strong, but a gentle flow of energy hummed between my hands and the earth. For a minute, the veins in my hands turned brown, looking like branches. Cool. I once saw the tips of Vovó’s fingers turn green while wielding her earth power. Green thumbs, literally.
I removed my hands from the soil and placed them a few inches from the ground willing some of the dirt to rise. A few clumps of soil floated up to my fingers hugging them close.
“That’s cool!” Brent clapped. “You’ve improved.”
“I would probably be better, but I’ve been slacking off since we’ve been back.” I shook my hands, releasing the soil. It fell back to the ground and the branch-like markings receded. I wiped my hands on dirt-dusted thighs. “How’s your practice going?”
“Watch.”
Brent twirled his index finger and a softball that had been resting at his feet hovered in the air. He pointed toward the target my dad had set up and the ball zoomed off, hitting the center so hard the target fell over.
“I’ve always had the brute force and strength, but my precision is getting better.”
“Impressive.” I dug my fingers back into the dirt. With a steadying breath, I brought up something I’d put off for a few hours. “So, about your choice of breakfast foods.”
Brent dropped his hands to his sides and his shoulders drooped. “You know?”
“I found out when I dropped off your batch of medicine. Why didn’t you tell me? Didn’t we agree that we wouldn’t keep anything from each other?”
“I didn’t want to see the look in your eyes that’s there right now. And you knowing doesn’t change anything. We’re doing everything we need to do. I’m sick. We know that. I knew telling you would only distract your focus.” He twirled his fingers and pointed them at me. A gentle wind lifted a single blossom into the air till it hovered in front of me, spinning. Its edges tickled my nose while I inhaled its perfume. “If it gets bad enough that I can’t help you, then I’ll let you know.”
I wanted to argue, but didn’t. If I pushed too hard, he might shut me out all together. Sometimes love was hard.
I snatched the flower out of the air and tucked it behind my ear.
“Let’s take a break. We’ve been at this for hours and I’m hot,” he said. He lifted his workout shirt to wipe his forehead, flashing me a glimpse of his perfectly defined six pack.
“Yeah you are, and it’s not just from the sun.”
Brent
grinned at me. “Is that right?” He crooked his finger toward me. “Come here.”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Why not?”
“You didn’t ask nicely.”
“I’m a man, my woman does what she is told.” He was lucky I knew he was kidding. He slunk back in a patio chair and folded his arms behind his head before closing his eyes. “Woman! Bring me water and then kiss me.”
Oh, I could give him some water. I sent out my water sense and found it in the watering can beside me. I swiped my hand toward the sky feeling the water rise. I motioned it toward Brent until it hovered above his head.
“Here’s your water, Handsome.”
I lowered my hands and the cold water drenched him. He shot out of the water with a yelp. He didn’t even hesitate before tackling me to the ground. The cold water soaked through my shirt and jeans.
“Dang, that was cold,” he said. He shook his head like a dog and sent more water flying, laughing hard.
“You said you were hot.”
“Ah, yes, but I was born that way.” His smile turned wolfish and he propped himself above me on his elbows. “I love that you never let me get away with acting like a caveman. But mainly, I simply love you.”
We met halfway in the middle and started a kiss that ignited instantly, his legs tangling with mine. He lowered himself on top of me and we crushed some of my mom’s lilies judging by the smell. My hands skimmed up and down his back while his played with my hair.
In this kiss, all worries about Crosby, about Brent’s health, and about the future vanished. For this one moment everything was perfect.
“Crosby is finally coming out of the woodwork.” Brent stacked a slice of ham onto of his sandwich. “My dad called and invited me to come to a rally Crosby is holding.”
My mouth dropped. “I thought you didn’t talk to your dad anymore.”
“I don’t. The man basically let the Clutch manipulate and blackmail me. He crossed so many lines I can never forgive him.” Brent sliced a tomato into thin strips. “Want some?”
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