Conjuring Darkness

by Melanie James

  She thought for a bit and added, “She wants Kurt’s old spy buddy to act as a private security guard to go along and make sure you are okay. You are her only family too, you know. I’m sure she wants to be certain that her little sister will be in good hands.” Marcie thought for a few seconds about the best way to twist her own words to lighten Lexi’s mood. “Who knows? Maybe he will be good with his hands!”

  Lexi smiled and silently let Marcie’s synopsis of the situation seep in to her head, to see if it covered all of her concerns before adding, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Still, it seems odd that she would say that ‘we’ needed this dude along for the trip. I mean, this is the guy that Kurt said we should get ahold of if we were in any trouble. He didn’t recommend him solely as a travel guide.”

  With a sassiness only Lexi could pull off, she added “Or as a gigolo for desperate times!”

  “Ha! One more thing, and I want to say this in the nicest possible way, Lexi. She knows how you sort of…” Marcie stopped herself short.

  “Go on, just say it,” Lexi gave a tight smile.

  “Well, let’s face it. You’re always trying to conquer what life throws at you. I think that is actually the most admirable quality about you, but sometimes you have to know when to just let the tide come in and let it wash over you. You never know what good fortune could be coming your way. There was that time when you locked your keys inside your truck with Allie inside, remember? That’s an example of what I’m saying. Remember that hot piece of cop came along to help? When he paid you a compliment and tried to ask you out, you could have just went with the flow, but no. Not you! You turned him in for sexual harassment. The guy ended up moving away. Adam, I think his name was. Wrong conclusion. You possibly thwarted the forces of fate. It’s okay to let the wind push you in a different direction once in a while.”

  Lexi laughed and replied, “I know. I wouldn’t say I am a control freak, though. I don’t get hung up on pet peeves, you know what I mean? I’m not annoyed by the little things in life or the habits of other people. I just feel that my entire childhood was left to what you called the forces of fate and fate was not very kind about it. I would rather not have to live like I am on the defensive and trying to shape my life by constantly reacting to things. I want to have control of my destiny, while at the same time I look forward to excitement and adventure. My paradox, I suppose.” Lexi thought more about what Marcie said.

  “I’ll keep it in mind and at least try to think ahead a bit, before I do anything that would create a disaster. I promise. About that cop though, let me give you the whole story. You would have been a little leery of that guy too. I never told you the line he laid on me when he got Allie Cat out of the truck. He was holding her and stroking her fur, then he said he would be glad to help me out with my cute pussy anytime I needed. Yeah, that was harassment!”

  “What? You never told me that. You’re nuts. Don’t take a cheesy come-on from a guy for sexual harassment. If that were the case, just about everyone I know would be guilty at some point and I’m including myself in that group too. I would’ve been making sure he had my number, my email and my address, not to mention my Facebook, and Twitter info. Hell, I would have thrown a cheesy one-liner right back at him. Something like, ‘Well maybe next time, I’ll let you come over and pet my pussy and maybe even feed her a treat.’ You don’t have to worry about him now. I heard now he is off the market anyway. Married to some damn nurse. Lucky bitch.”

  “Oh, YOU would say that back to him! It’s not my style, kiddo. Now let’s go over some stuff for the store, and the house. You can stay here if you like. I would really prefer it if you could.”

  After they had discussed enough of the details for Marcie to act as Lexi’s proxy, they prepared to head for bed. Marcie was setting up a place to sleep on the couch, while Lexi was in the bedroom changing into her usual nighttime attire, a simple cut off tank top and her underwear. It was perfect for the warm summer night.

  Outside the bedroom window Lexi heard the gloomy call of the owl that had been there the night before. The silhouette against the last shade of the evening’s pale light unnerved Lexi. The shape eerily resembled a human head with short horns that slightly curved up. Earlier in the day when she had been flipping through a book about archaeological sites in the Middle East, she remembered seeing the image of an owl on more than one piece of ancient art. Her focus at the time was on the general region and she never took the effort to look up the significance of the owl, but she was certain that it was an important symbol for the people that originally built Gobekli Tepe.

  She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes from the owl and tried to convince herself that the curved horns were simply the tufts of long feathers and nothing more. Large spooky yellow eyes appeared from the shadow hanging in the tree. They looked directly at her and when another series of lonely notes sang out, she thought that it was communicating a message or perhaps, even chanting a spell. I have got to quit being so imaginative. I’m letting that thing creep me out now. She turned away from the window and when she looked back, it had flown away.

  Marcie walked in through the door of the bedroom and noticed how Lexi looked shaken by something. She padded over and took Lexi’s hands in hers. As Marcie gently massaged them, Lexi unexpectedly began to blush. “What’s wrong, Lex? Are you getting nervous about this trip? You don’t have to go you know, you always have a choice.”

  “No Marcie, it’s not that. There is this owl that shows up outside in the tree every night lately. I’ve never been creeped out by an owl or anything for that matter, but this thing seems like it’s...”

  “Like it’s what, Lexi?”

  “It’s stupid, really. It seems like it’s watching me...and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it seems like it is trying to say something to me. Weird, right?”

  “It’s just a bird, Lex. Of course it seems scary, that’s exactly why they use owls as often as bats, spiders, witches, and shit on the covers of those stupid Halloween books you sell in your store.”

  “Uh, would you mind staying in here with me tonight?” Lexi asked timidly.

  “You mean I don’t have to sleep on your lumpy couch. Yay! Come on let’s get you in bed.” Marcie looked around the room and in her typical lighthearted fashion, commented on Lexi’s decorating choices. “So, did you do this on purpose, or are you color blind?”

  Lexi’s room reflected the spirit of a girl that comfortably lived alone. Unconstrained by others’ opinions, Lexi had painted her room in purples. Each wall had been gifted its own shade. When Lexi had told her sister about her paint scheme for the bedroom the phone was silent for a full minute. When she finally spoke, Lexi immediately picked up on the tone of false concern in Kate’s voice.

  “Really Lexi, I think it is time for you to get in to see a shrink. Why would you choose to turn your bedroom into a tomb for Barney?” While it didn’t meet Kate’s approval, the color scheme was perfect for Lexi. The soft shades of purple were carefully chosen from her evening sunset sessions. The colors provided a perfect background to the framed prints of pre-Raphaelite paintings that she had selected.

  Centered against the largest wall was an enormous ancient wooden bed that Lexi picked up from an antique store in town. She loved the Victorian look so much that she eventually acquired an entire bedroom set of that style.

  Marcie climbed up onto the bed and retrieved Lexi’s hairbrush from the nightstand. Lexi followed her onto the plush comforter.

  “Okay Lex, turn around and let me brush your hair for you.” Lexi sat cross legged with her back to Marcie. Marcie began to brush Lexi’s hair in long slow movements. Lexi felt Marcie’s breath on her neck. She was surprised and confused at the unexpected tingling feeling of arousal that was building inside of her. Lexi could feel that Marcie seemed to have a subtle erotic aura about her. As quickly as the feelings crept up, she forced them right back out of her mind and body.

  Suddenly Marcie announced, “Alright, let’s get so
me sleep, you’ve got a long day ahead of you.” They laid down, side by side in the dark. “How long will you be gone, Lexi?”

  “I don’t expect to be gone more than a week. Ten days maybe.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go along? I’m sure we can find someone to watch Allie Cat. Just shut the store down. What do you say?”

  “Sorry Marcie, I really need you to keep things open here. Plus, I would be a nervous wreck with Allie being with a total stranger. I tell you what, I promise the two of us will take a road trip someplace fun when I get back.”

  Marcie rolled over and laid her head on Lexi’s shoulder and put an arm around her waist. Her tender touch comforted Lexi and she fell into a deep sleep.

  Lexi’s dreams carried her to a sandy desert. It was night and she held a flaming torch that lit the path before her. Large gray stones that had been cut into rectangular shapes were arranged so that they formed a circle. Each of the stones was the size of a coffin. She walked around the stones and counted seven of them.

  In her dream-like vision she thought that there was something on each stone. A small object had been placed there but she couldn’t make out what it was. She continued to walk around the stones. Suddenly, a black shrouded figure of a woman appeared in the light of the flickering torch. Her face was hidden by the loose hood of her gown that flowed around her. The woman did not move or speak. Lexi was compelled to continue walking around the stones, even though she tried with every fiber of her muscles to turn and run. The mysterious woman spoke to Lexi in a hissing voice. “My sisters are waiting.”

  Lexi replied, “Waiting? Who are you? Where are your sisters?” The woman did not answer. Lexi asked, “What are they waiting for?” The woman silently pointed her cloaked arm out into the empty dark desert. Lexi heard several whispering voices that came from the shadows that lay just beyond the torch light that danced around her.

  Lexi was startled by the realistic frightening dream and felt grateful for Marcie’s warm soft body embracing her from behind. Lexi held Marcie’s arms close to her chest and felt comforted enough to fall back to a peaceful sleep. This time she had no desire to push away the feelings that led to more enjoyable dreams.

  The morning light had released the night’s magic spell on the room and from Lexi’s mind. She was already up getting dressed and ready for her trip. Marcie was laying on the bed with Allie in her arms. “Hey, I have to head out now. I’ll call when I get there and see how everything is going here.”

  Allie jumped from Marcie’s embrace and walked over to Lexi. Her soft tail lovingly curled around Lexi’s leg and she bid her farewell. As their goodbyes echoed in her mind, Lexi headed off to take on this adventure that Kate had thrown into her lap. Her thoughts about travel details were pushed aside by renewed concerns for her sister. Waves of questions had begun to batter her mind about what was ahead. It didn’t help that she would be traveling alone. It was times like that when small worries seemed to mushroom into complex problems, building on each other until it was difficult to clearly find any answers, only more questions.

  After she boarded her flight to D.C., she felt mentally exhausted and was overpowered by sleep. She dreamt that she was in her bed alone and the window was inexplicably left open. In the distance a dog was barking as if someone dared to trespass on its territory. The curtains were blowing and she got up to close the window. When she looked outside she saw the owl’s silhouette. This dream owl was much larger than life and there was a reddish glow from its eyes. She heard someone knocking at her front door, softly at first, but the sound became more insistent and then violently loud. It seemed as if someone was pounding on the door with both clenched fists with all of their might. The pounding ceased and Lexi sat on her bed in the dark.

  It took all of her will to move off of the bed and make her way to the open window. As often happens in dreams each one of her movements was excruciatingly slow and difficult. When she finally arrived at the window she slammed it down and returned to her bed. Something scratched at the glass of the window. It clawed repeatedly and the scratching sound grew louder.

  The plane’s tires screamed under the pressure as the flight touched down. The sudden jolt woke Lexi from her nightmare. Her heart pounded from the fear she felt in the dream.

  Lexi looked out and thought about how the airplane had so easily reduced her once epic journey west, to just one effortless afternoon backwards to her old home. She picked up her rental car and drove the still familiar paths through Arlington. She felt comforted by the sight of the large ranch home, with its mature trees that stretched out arms of green. “Welcome home Lexi,” she said out loud.

  Standing at the front door she fished in her bag for her crowded keychain. She still had her old keys and she surprised herself at how easily she identified the right key and opened the locks. It seemed as if she had only been gone for a day.

  A wave of sadness washed over Lexi. The comforting feeling of seeing her familiar old home was washed away by the reminder that Kate was not there and Kurt had left their lives so long before. Once she opened the door a thought flashed through her mind. What if Kate is actually home? Probably not, but I wish. She called out “Hello? Kate, it’s me! Lexi!” Her words seemed to hang in the air in the quiet house. Well, worth a try I guess. Tears pooled up in her eyes and she took a deep breath to shake off the lonely feeling.

  She wasted no time and immediately went to the bedroom closet. The combination was simple to remember thanks to Kate’s clue. The numbers corresponded to the months and days of their parents’ birthdays. The inside of the safe had a couple of drawers and a big compartment underneath.

  She pulled open one of the drawers and retrieved an envelope. Inside, she discovered the old coin mentioned in Kate’s letter. The size of the coin surprised her. She imagined that it would be small, like the ancient Roman coins she had seen. While those old relics were only the size of a penny or smaller, this coin was twice the size of a silver dollar and more than twice as thick. It was heavy and she wondered if it was made of gold. Its finish was smoothed by the centuries but its golden luster still shined.

  She carefully studied the markings on it. One side had an intricate design that appeared to be an ornate seven pointed star. Toward the outer edge were several symbols that looked like they could be Hebrew, but she wasn’t sure about that.

  She flipped the coin over and saw the image of a woman with large wings that stretched out from her back. Her hands were pointing down with palms turned outward in front of her and the head had two curved horns. The feet were not human, but those of a bird of prey. The talons dug into the flesh of a captive animal. Lexi presumed that it must be a lion.

  The surface had several of the same kinds of symbols. They had as little of a meaning to Lexi as the ones on the other side. The coin made Lexi feel uneasy and she felt a chill run up the back of her neck. She gently set the coin back into the drawer as if it were something fragile or dangerous.

  The larger compartment had a door that she opened. She was greeted by a pile of cash. The money was all counted and bundled with paper wrappers according to denomination, just like the ones she saw at the bank. There were 100s, 50s, and some 20s that totaled $90,000. “Holy cats!” Lexi shouted out loud.

  She whispered, “Kate, why would you keep all of this cash in this safe and not in some bank account? What were you expecting to need it for? Maybe this was Kurt’s idea.” She closed up the safe with the thought that it would be better to leave everything inside, until it was needed.

  Her next step was to make contact with the man that was apparently going to be her security guard for the trip. Her eyes filled with unshed tears as she walked into Kurt’s old home office. It was strange how everything looked like he had just walked out of the room and would be back any minute. Lexi realized that Kate still couldn’t bring herself to pack up anything. She had simply decided to leave the room alone to defer renewed grief for another day. Kurt’s old desk chair had a black leather sw
ivel chair with a tall back. Lexi always thought it was the most comfortable chair ever designed.

  His polished mahogany desk still held a calendar and displayed the date he died. Several pictures were on the desk. The most prominent was a snapshot taken of Kurt with Kate, smiling as if they had eternity before them. Randomly placed frames held more pictures of him, some with other men, all armed to the teeth. Some of them were in the desert and some were in jungles. These were the remaining fragments of Kurt’s danger filled days as a CIA operative.

  Lexi took a minute to look at the men, trying decide if any of them would be the man she was going to meet. Every one of them were sculpted masterpieces of muscle. She pulled the key that she had received in the package out of her pocket and slid it into the silver drawer lock.

  The drawer contained various papers and a single manila folder. The folder had a yellow post-it note that said, “Kate, here are the instructions if you ever need to reach Kidd in an emergency.”

  Lexi removed the envelope from the drawer and laid the contents out before her on the desk. There was a sheet of paper that had a phone number with an area code that Lexi recognized as Miami Florida as well as step by step instructions on how to call and identify who she was and what she needed. She also noted an index card with the name of a bank in Switzerland with a couple of sets of numbers.

  Oh God, I can’t imagine having to do business like this on a daily basis. Following the instructions, she dialed the number from Kurt’s old desk phone. The call picked up on the other end with a recorded message that said, “Please stay on the line.” While Lexi waited she looked over the framed pictures on the desk again. Some interesting looking guys on here, I wonder which one will be for me? Each one is hotter than the next. This is way better than shopping for shoes online! Wow! I would love to have a guy like that. Her eyes were drawn to a tall muscular man with dark hair and it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a week or maybe two. He was bare-chested and a leather shoulder holster that held a large silver pistol hung from his broad shoulders. She nearly drooled at his solid muscular chest and his well-defined abs. Lexi picked up the frame and looked closely at his face and then down to his waist.