The Calling

by Jill Sanders

  “I guess it’s a good thing you came to town,” Jacob said. “Can you tell us what you think happened?”

  “I took some readings earlier today around the store. There’s a build-up of ultraviolet waves surrounding the building.”

  “Ultraviolet?” Xtina asked as she looked at Jessica. “Would that cause the birds to freak out like they did?”

  “Harmonics such as ultraviolet waves can affect all sorts of animals. It’s been known to cause mass bird deaths before,” Mason explained.

  “Sound waves or light waves?” Jacob asked. “What’s the difference? I mean, other than one is sound and one is light.”

  “Just that. Ultraviolet waves can’t be seen by the naked eye or heard by the naked ears. But some creatures can pick up on both. My instruments can determine which is which and, this time, it’s the light waves that are built up around the store.”

  Jacob nodded slowly. “I’ve heard they can cause problems before. Just never thought it would happen in our little town.”

  “There are a lot of supernatural phenomenon that can easily be explained with science,” Mason said to the room.

  “We’re bringing you into our inner circle. I was outvoted and while I agreed to bring Joleen in, I had reservations about you.” Xtina motioned to Mason. “If you’ll allow me?” She held out her hand for Mason’s.

  Joleen saw Mason frown at her outstretched hand. He glanced around the room and then chuckled. “I don’t see how this is going to…” He reached out and took her hand in his. He stilled as Xtina’s eyes changed.

  Joleen had never witnessed anything like it. It was as if her green eyes started to glow. Then before she could really get a closer look, Xtina broke the contact and smiled, then waved to Jessica. “Right. I think it’s time we showed them. Go ahead, you have my permission”

  Everyone turned to Jessica, who sighed before standing up.

  “You have to promise not to freak out,” Jessica said as she looked between Joleen and Mason.

  “Why would we…” Mason asked, but before he could finish his sentence, Jessica disappeared before their eyes.

  Joleen gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Then before she knew it, Jessica reappeared, holding another tray filled with fresh fruit and a hot container of coffee.

  “How did…” Mason stood up and walked over to poke Jessica in the shoulder as he slowly walked around her. His eyes traveled everywhere around the room while Joleen sat there blinking in disbelief.

  “I’m a witch,” Jessica said easily with a smile.

  “You mean a Wiccan?” he asked after a moment.

  She laughed. “No, that’s a religion. I’m just a straight-up witch. Every generation in my family has had a witch in it.” She moved over and set the tray down.

  “It’s got to be a trick,” Mason said, shaking his head. “Do it again.”

  Jessica chuckled. “How about a different trick then?” She held out her hand and a cup flew towards her.

  Mason immediately took the cup from her fingers and examined it closely, no doubt checking it for wires.

  She sat there, unbelieving, as she blinked a few times. She didn’t believe in witches, but then again, she hadn’t believed in aliens either. And what else could that creature from last night be?

  “Trust me,” Jacob said, “it’s not a trick. She’s a witch, alright.”

  Jessica sat down next to him and nudged him in the ribs, causing him to chuckle and wrap his arms around her.

  “For the last year, our team”—Xtina motioned around the room—“the six of us, have been working together.”

  “Working together, why?” Mason asked.

  “We’ve been saving the world,” Jessica answered with a shrug.

  “From?” Mason asked as he moved over and sat on the edge of the sofa.

  Joleen was thankful Mason was there, since she was still so stunned, she wasn’t able to think straight. Mason, on the other hand, was throwing questions at the group, questions she wouldn’t have thought of even if she had hours.

  “You may not believe us, but basically, we’ve been fighting entities that are not of this world,” Michael said.

  “Needless to say, the threat we faced and fought last year wasn’t completely destroyed.” Jacob glanced towards Jessica. He stood up and started pacing the room. “We believe that the other night might have something to do with what happened last year.”

  “What happened last year?” Joleen asked.

  Mason glanced at her suddenly. “We should tell them.”

  “Tell us what?” Jessica asked as Jacob sat down again.

  She took a deep breath. “We may have run into something the other night that fits that description.”

  “What description?” Jessica asked.

  “Something not of this world,” Mason said.

  “What was it?” Xtina asked.

  “Large, black, strange-looking creature,” Joleen said quickly. She figured the faster she got it out, the easier it would be for them to take. She knew they sounded crazy, but then again, they’d just watched Jessica disappear into thin air and admit that she was a witch. So…

  “Joleen sent it away after she made friends with it,” Mason added.

  “She did?” Xtina sounded excited.

  “I knew you were special.” Jessica smiled at her. “Like us. I could feel it every time you came into the Coffee Corner. Last year, after I was awakened of sorts, I could sense things just like Xtina can.”

  “I have to touch someone, but Jess, she has the real power,” Xtina said.

  “We kicked butt last year, but as much as we’d like to think that we are done”—she took a deep breath—“everyone here has sensed something else was lingering around,” Jessica admitted.

  “Something different,” Xtina added.

  How long had Joleen kept her secret? All her life. Had Xtina and Jessica been keeping their own secrets that long? She thought back to how many times it was obvious that maybe the friends were more like her than normal kids. She’d told herself over the years that no one could ever understand what she was going through. It was strange to know that they had been so close to her. If she’d just opened her eyes, she might not have felt so lonely all those years.

  Her next words slipped from her before she could even think of all the consequences.

  “I hear voices,” she said, her eyes turning to Mason, who looked at her like so many others had looked at her over the years. She felt her heart break in her chest at the thought of him judging her.

  Chapter Ten

  Mason couldn’t believe what he was hearing or what he’d witnessed in the last half hour. To add to it, what Joleen had just admitted rocked him to his core. Why hadn’t she told him this last night after they’d witnessed the creature? Or better yet, earlier that day when they’d discussed what had happened last night. Sure, the man at the hotel had told him what people were saying about her but hearing it from her was completely different.

  “What kind of voices?” Xtina asked.

  “What do they say?” Jessica asked at the same time.

  Everyone in the room was watching Joleen now. Her eyes were searching his, as if looking for answers or… acceptance.

  He nodded slightly and took her hand in his and encouraged her. “If you feel up to it, tell us.”

  She took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ve heard them all my life, really.”

  “Them? As in multiple voices?” Jessica asked.

  Joleen appeared to be thinking about it. “Well, more like just one voice, really. As for what it says, well, it has said many things over the years.”

  “What has it said recently?” Xtina asked.

  “Lately, it’s just been saying that something was coming,” Joleen admitted. “At first, I thought...” She glanced at Mason, and he felt his heart skip. The look in her eyes had him realizing just how she must feel. How many times had people looked at him like that? Like he was odd, out of place, just because he was s
marter than most people. He tried to smile and encourage her to go on, but she shook her head and broke eye contact with him. “Then the creature showed up, and Mason told me that I’d sent it away somehow.”

  “You sent it away?” Jacob questioned.

  “She spoke Latin,” he supplied.

  Joleen shrugged. “I don’t remember doing so.”

  “Just like me,” Jessica said with a slight smile. “That happened to me as well.”

  “Could she be a witch like you?” Jacob asked.

  “Not sure.” Jessica shrugged.

  “If you’re willing,” Xtina broke into the silence that followed, “would you allow me to try something?”

  He watched Joleen struggle to make a decision, then she asked, “It’s true, then? You really can read minds?” Joleen’s eyes moved between everyone in the room.

  Several people chuckled.

  “We each have unique… talents,” Jessica said.

  “I will only see what you want to show me. I promise not to go into anything other than what pertains to this,” Xtina replied.

  Joleen hesitated for a moment before reaching across the space and taking Xtina’s hands.

  Mason watched Xtina’s eyes closely to see if there was any change in them like there had been when she’d taken his hand. Instead, Xtina jerked her hands free and narrowed her eyes at Joleen.

  “You’re… different. Something’s not right.” She shook her head. “Something is off.” She moved back and rested back in the chair and suddenly looked very tired. “The baby has been throwing me off my game lately,” she excused.

  “You keep mentioning something that happened last year,” Mason said. “Any chance you could explain exactly what went down? I’ve read what was in the papers, but something tells me, after what you just admitted”—he nodded towards Jessica—“that there is more to it.”

  For the next half hour, he listened as the group told them about fighting off Thanatos, the god of death, and how Jessica’s mother had sacrificed herself and was now in an eternal slumber alongside the god in his prison. Locked in a dark deep chasm on the moon.

  A loud yawn broke the silence once the story was done. Everyone turned towards Xtina.

  “Sorry, suddenly I’m very tried.” She glanced over at Jessica. “Jess, why don’t you try getting a reading from Joleen? I think I’m going to head on upstairs.” She rubbed her hands over her large belly.

  Just then the baby started crying through the monitor, and Jacob stood up quickly.

  “I’ll get him,” he offered.

  “I’ll help get Xtina upstairs to rest.” Michael stood up as well.

  “Jess, see what you can,” Xtina said before being helped out of the chair and up the stairs.

  “When is the baby due?” Joleen asked.

  “Not for another three weeks,” Breanna answered.

  “It’s tiring making a whole other human,” Jessica said with a smile.

  “What did she mean, something was not right?” Joleen asked.

  “I’m not sure but let me try something different.” Jessica got up and moved closer to Joleen.

  “Are you really a witch?” Joleen asked her.

  Jessica smiled, then held up her palm and took a deep breath.

  They watched as a small blue flame of fire formed in her palm.

  “That’s a new trick I’ve been working on,” Jessica said with a chuckle. She closed her palm and the flame disappeared. Then she held her hand out again. “Xtina’s been working with me on this part. Let me see what I can get from you.”

  When Joleen and Jessica held hands, the room grew silent. For the first few moments, everyone seemed to hold their breaths.

  “Sorry,” Jessica broke in after a moment, “it sometimes takes me a while.” She closed her eyes and shifted to get more comfortable.

  A slow frown formed on her lips a moment later. “Xtina’s correct.” Jessica’s eyes opened and zoned in on Joleen. “There is something… off about you. I can’t…” She shook her head, then tilted it. “It’s almost as if you are… out of phase.” She broke the connection and moved to sit down again. “I can’t quite read you.”

  Mason had remained silent up until then. So many questions had been swirling around in his mind. A week ago, he would have chalked the entire evening up to mass hallucinations or tricks of lighting, but after last night, he wasn’t going to discount anything.

  “How long have you known about your… gifts?” He longed to pull out his notepad but didn’t want them to think he was going to expose the secrets they had entrusted to them.

  “All my life, but I didn’t realize what they were until last year.” Jessica’s eyes moved to the other people in the room before returning to Joleen. “When you hear the voice, are you doing anything… to channel it?”

  “Channel…” Joleen sighed. “No, it just pops into my head like it has the keys to my internal speaker system.” She rolled her eyes.

  “When was the last time you heard it?” Ethan asked.

  “Last night before…” She glanced at Mason. “Before I saw him standing outside my home and before we ran into that… creature. I thought it was a bear.”

  “What did the voice say?” Breanna asked.

  “Help him,” Joleen said, and a shiver raced through her.

  “Does that mean that the voice is good?” Breanna asked.

  He thought about it. Had Joleen really heard a voice or had it been her subconscious playing tricks on her after she’d glanced out the window and spotted him and the creature?

  Of course, he wasn’t about to tell her that. He wasn’t even sure of anything at this point. For all he knew, she had heard a voice. After all, he was sitting in a room with a witch.

  “Through all of my studies about the human mind, I’ve learned that it’s very complex. There could be so many different scientific reasons for what Joleen is describing. Cognitive distortion is a way the mind tries to explain the unexplainable. Through mild suggestions, anyone could be led to believe an untruth.”

  “Is that what you believe?” Joleen asked, and he could hear the hurt in her tone.

  His eyes met hers and he knew the truth. It was written clearly on her face. In her eyes. Besides, after everything that had just happened, he wasn’t going to discount anything at this point.

  “No,” he said easily. She relaxed slightly. He felt his heart skip when the corners of her mouth turned up in a slight smile.

  “Not everything can be explained,” Breanna said softly.

  “What about you?” Joleen asked Breanna. “Where do you fit in all this?” She glanced between the remaining people in the room. “I guess I’m asking if the rest of you have powers as well?”

  Ethan chuckled. “If you’d asked that a year ago, I think we would have all answered differently.”

  Breanna stood up. “I can do this…” she said and, as with Jessica, one minute she was there, and the next there was an empty space where she’d been standing. This time, instead of flashing back into the room, she walked out of the kitchen holding a cookie. “Sorry, I’m still learning to control it.” She sat back down next to Ethan.

  “So, you’re a witch too?” Joleen asked.

  Breanna laughed. “No, that’s my only trick so far.”

  “Jacob can control people when he maintains eye connection or by touching them,” Ethan said. “Michael’s gift is a little… harder to explain. He basically senses danger. I can heal people. Not myself,” he added quickly. “Unless Michael is with me, in which case, I drain his energy. Here.” He leaned forward and just simply touched Joleen’s arm. When he leaned back, he motioned for her to remove one of the bandages covering the cuts she’d gotten from the bird attack.

  She did so and frowned down at her perfect skin.

  “Wow,” Joleen said, removing another bandage and exposing her perfect skin. “Seriously.” She smiled over at him. “Thanks.”

  Ethan nodded. “Any time.”

  “Did you fe
el anything when he did that?” Mason asked.

  “No, nothing.” She smiled.

  “When I healed my brother after he’d been shot… there was a lot of pain on both our parts. Little things don’t seem to bother either party,” Ethan explained.

  Mason wanted nothing more than to study the group of people. There were so many possibilities, then he thought of another one. His heart jumped and then sank. Here was a man who could have potentially saved his mother. Saved so many others in the world as well.

  “Cancer,” he said to the room. “If you can heal, can you heal diseases too?”

  Ethan frowned. “No, not as of yet. So far, it only works on cuts, broken bones, and wounds,” he said with a shrug. “Anything internal, such as headaches and terminal illnesses, doesn’t seem to be effected.”

  When Mason felt a throb in his temple from trying to keep all the details straight, he pulled out his notepad and jotted down a few notes.

  “Don’t worry,” Joleen said, “it’s what he does.” By then Jacob and Michael had returned to the room. “Kind of like his superpower,” she joked. “He studies everything.”

  When he’d finished taking down notes, he asked a few questions.

  “Have you always had these powers?” he asked the room.

  “No,” each of them responded.

  “Only Xtina has had her abilities her entire life. I guess I had mine my entire life too, but they didn’t awake until last year. The rest got theirs when they came into town,” Jessica answered.

  “When?” he asked, writing something else down.

  “We all discovered them shortly after we arrived here,” Breanna answered. “I didn’t mean to move here, it’s just… I kept… appearing in town. Then, well, I fell in love.” She smiled over at Ethan, who grabbed up her hand in his and kissed it.

  Mason’s eyes flashed to Joleen for a second. He’d felt that kind of pull towards her since he’d first watched her rushing towards him.