The glow blasted out of Melody’s fingertips, aimed at the center of Mildred’s forehead.
Her face undulated, switching back and forth between Mildred and Candace’s personas, each with their mouth agape, screaming. The glow spread out from its focal point, consuming Mildred’s head. Her eye sockets lit up and light poured from her mouth and ears.
Candace’s body jerked as the glow engulfed her, splitting her chest open and sending a tunnel of blue light and swirling spirits heavenward, shooting into the sky. She gave one last explosive jerk and then the glow was gone.
Empty, the husk that had been Candace collapsed to the ground.
Melody, her foot all aglow, kicked the body for good measure.
“Okay, Mel. You did perfect, but don’t go wasting any more of our good, strong power on beating a dead old lady. Put Avery and me back,” I said. “Avery first.”
“Sorry! It’s not like I’ve actually done this before!”
My sister moved her hand and pointed it at Avery’s body. I felt the glow lessen as he climbed out of Melody and back into his self. After a moment, he raised his head, rewinding into a standing position.
Feeling the pull of my own body, I gave into the sensation, letting it transport me back. I, too, rewound into a standing position.
With Melody no longer inhabited by our spirits, Christopher and Ben took their hands from her shoulders. Slowly, the group disconnected, the glow dissipating as the spirits left their host bodies.
“Uh, everybody cool?” I said brilliantly.
Hey, I had just died and been brought back to life for the second time, it was bound to kill some brain cells.
Avery chuckled, stumbling over and wrapping his arms around me from behind. I don’t know if he knew it, but he probably did. He was holding me together.
Dad raised his arms in the air and gazed upward. “Thank you, Heavenly Father,” he prayed, “for giving us the strength to fight evil. For granting my daughters and all of the people like them their blessed abilities so that they may do your work here on earth.”
“Amen,” Avery whispered in my ear.
Dad lowered his arms and spread them wide, getting into bear hug posture.
Mom patted him on the back and looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“Go,” Avery said.
My sister and I ran to him, letting him love on us as only our daddy could.
“He finally gets it,” said Grandma Rachel, appearing over Dad’s shoulder. Grandpa Richard stood next to her, beaming.
“Aunt Hazel!” Mom called, scanning the small clusters of people and spirits reuniting and talking to one another. “Mom and Dad are over here!”
Melody and I pulled back.
“I think Aunt Hazel’s already back at work,” Melody said. “Which, speaking of…” She gave Dad one more quick squeeze and then went in search of her fellow Lookouts.
“Zellie,” Mr. Adams said. “Can you help me talk to Avery?”
I turned to him and held out my hand. “Your Dad wants to say something to you.”
He chuckled again, giving me a crinkly-eyed smile. “I know. I can hear him.”
Mr. Adams’ mouth dropped open, followed by mine and Mom’s. “You can?” we all said at once.
“I guess,” Avery said, “when it comes to dying and being brought back to life, third time’s the charm.”
Mom, Dad and I all looked at each other, eyes wide. Dad said what we were all thinking. “Don’t tell Melody that.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Wes emerged from the first cabin and shuddered. “Good thing I was gay before,” he said to no one in particular. “Because being inside Mildred is enough to put even the straightest dude off of women.”
For fuck’s sake, go to the light already. There was no way he was gonna let that dumbass con Christopher into getting back together.
“Ben!”
He turned, in a daze, still reeling from all the energy that he’d pumped through himself, and looked in the direction of his mom’s voice. Then, suddenly, she was standing in front of him with a man by her side.
Ben gawked at his father. Tall, dark, a slightly younger, scowlier version of Frank. He stared off in the distance, doing his best impression of a catatonic patient. This was the man that Antoine Sr. had claimed was pretty funny for a white dude?
“Oh, honey,” his mom said, reaching out and running her hand through his. “I really wish I could hug you, but buzzing you will have to do.”
Ben moved his hand away from her. “Maybe in a second. I’ve kinda had all the buzzing I can stand at the moment.”
She gave him a goofy smile. “Duh.”
Frank came up behind him and put his arm around Ben’s shoulders. He nodded at Ben’s mom. “Good to have you back, Laura. I’ve really missed you, missed everything about you.”
His mom stood on tip-toe and gave Frank a good buzz on the cheek. “Thank you for being there for our boy. He, uh, seems to have gotten a fuckuva lot more powerful since the last time I saw him.”
Frank blushed. “That’s all on you, baby.” He nodded at Ben’s dad. “Brandon, it’s good to see you too, brother, even though it’s under such awful circumstances. I’m sorry we didn’t know that Mildred had come after you. I hope you know we would’ve done anything we could to stop this from happening.”
His dad snapped to attention and looked at his mom, taken aback. “Frank can see us?”
She patted his arm. “Yes, when he’s touching Ben or another Retroact with that power. Remember, sweetie? You used to know that.”
He grimaced. “Yeah, well, I’ve been out of this world for a long time. By choice. Remember, sweetie?”
“Awesome,” Ben muttered.
“What was that, son?” his dad asked, a challenge in his voice.
“I said, ‘awesome’. As in, it’s awesome that I finally get to meet my dad and he’s a giant A-hole.”
A sliver of a grin crossed Ben’s dad’s mouth. “Sorry, it’s just that in the death vision your mother had about me, I met you for the first time on the day I was killed. I never planned on dying so young or ever meeting you, especially like this.”
“How long have you been dead?” Frank asked.
Ben’s dad looked to Ben’s mom. She answered for him. “He’s only been dead since last night and reconnected with me since this morning.” She gave Ben a sympathetic smile. “He’s a little out of it, as you can imagine.”
“Sure, sure,” Frank said. “Look, Bran, I’ll deal with your body. I don’t suspect anyone’s found it yet. You die at home?”
His dad nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay, don’t worry. I’ll get it all set up, the funeral and everything.”
He looked at Frank. “I guess the upside of my being dead is that you can introduce the kid to the family now. My funeral is probably as good a time as any.”
Frank snorted. “Yeah, if you want Mom and Allie to have heart attacks and join you in the spirit realm.”
His mom stuck her finger out and buzzed Frank on the chest. “You two.”
“Okay,” Ben drawled. Frank had been right about the reunion. He was so not ready to be his father’s son. “As nice and totally awkward as this all is, I better go check on Christopher. He seems to be sobbing all over Connor.”
Frank slid his arm from Ben’s shoulders and addressed the air in front of him. “Stick around, guys, we’ll talk more later. I’m off to help Hazel and Melody deal with ten confused women and a dead body.” He took off in the direction of the second cabin.
“We’re not going anywhere, sweetheart,” his mom said. “You go do what you need to do.”
Ben walked over to Christopher. “You all right, man?” He made a “sorry” face at Connor and extricated him from Christopher’s ugly cry death grip.
“I-I-he’s not even my-my-”
“He’s overcome by the outpouring of love his mom and her trigger gave him,” Connor said.
“Ah-ha.” Ben looked around th
e scene, there were spirits everywhere. “Where’d they go?”
“They said they would give him some space. I guess the trigger’s been dead for a month and has come to terms with it so he and Christopher’s mom went to go chat up the new kids.”
Christopher cry-snorted and launched himself at Ben. “They’re so good.”
Melody sauntered up, all business. “Pull it together, Chris. We need you to convince the old ladies that they’re on a bus tour of the Oregon Outback and their flights all leave from Bend tomorrow.”
He wiped the tears and snot from his face and pulled his shoulders back. “I’d be h-happy to.” He headed for the cabin.
Melody rolled her eyes. She turned to Ben. “You guys are outta here in twenty. Frank’s going to take you and the ladies back to Rosedell in the shuttle bus.”
Ben grinned. He loved authoritative Melody. “You’re not coming back with us?”
“Nah. Aunt Hazel and I are stealing Candace’s Escalade and taking her body to Roger’s.”
“Aunt Hazel couldn’t do that by herself?” he teased.
Melody’s cheeks flamed red. “I thought I’d stop in and see how Raleigh’s doing.”
“Uh-huh.”
She slapped him on the arm. “Get your ass in gear and start walking to the bus, Benjamin.”
Connor linked arms with Ben and they started down the gravel road. “So, what’s next?” He shivered. “Please tell me you don’t have any more enemies to fight.”
Ben put his hand on Connor’s arm. “Not that I know of.” He thought for a second. “We’ve got to get you and Marcus back to L.A. and we’ve got a lot of people and spirits to reconnect. I’m sure Frank will want to leave tomorrow after he gets the women sent home.”
“How long can you stay?” Connor leaned his head over and rested it on Ben’s shoulder.
Ben kissed his hair, inhaling his scent. “That’s the thing, I think…indefinitely?”
Connor tightened his grip on Ben’s arm. “Really?”
“Yeah, back before all of this craziness happened, Christopher and I were spit-balling one night about how we should turn the Society Headquarters into kind of a school. Y’know, teach new Retros and Lookouts and seers the ropes. We’d spend a few months tracking kids down and then offer for them to come to the school if they wanted to learn more about their gifts. Make it a safe place for people like us, y’know?”
“Would you live at the headquarters?” Connor asked.
“No. I thought I’d move in with you, if that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay. I was about ready to kick Dutch out anyways. He’s a horrible roommate even when he isn’t trying to slit my throat.”
“Ha. Well, it seems like my future is settled for the time being.”
Connor looked up at him. “Couldn’t you tell what the future was if you really wanted to?”
Ben pushed Connor’s death vision from his mind. “I could, but I like living in the now better.”
“Me too.” Conner started walking faster, dragging Ben by the arm.
“What’s the hurry?” Ben laughed.
Connor’s eyes lit up, mischievous. “Three words: empty shuttle bus.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Amen.”
I let go of my sister’s hand, still holding onto Avery’s, and leaned across her. “And that’s,” I whispered to Raleigh, “the fun and excitement that is youth group.”
He chuckled. “It’s no Solstice celebration, but any extra time I get to spend with your sister is fun and exciting. Your dad’s got her on a pretty tight leash.”
Melody snorted. “I wonder whose fault that is.”
We all stood up and pushed our chairs in under the table. Assistant Pastor Dodson began collecting the Bibles.
“Y’know, Pastor Dodson, if you need to head upstairs to get ready, I’m sure Melody and Raleigh can put the Bibles away for you.”
He smiled at my sister. “That’d be a big help. Thanks, Melody.”
“No problem?” Melody said, a confused expression on her face.
I winked at her. “Trust me on this one.”
She looked from me to the office and back again, her eyes growing wide.
Avery laughed and pulled me toward the stairwell. “C’mon, we don’t want to be late.”
We walked down the aisle and took our places in the second pew from the front next to Mom and Mr. Adams and Becky. That’s what she wanted me to call her now because the way she saw it, Mom was Mrs. Adams and had always been and maybe she was better suited to be a Mrs. Wells. Avery and I vowed never to marry or change our names. At least not until we were in our thirties.
Mom took my hand; her palm was cold and clammy. “You nervous?” I asked.
She nodded her head. “Leaving your baby in the nursery for the first time is always nerve wracking and even more so when Colleen Carlton’s in charge. She’ll probably frighten him into talking or perfecting some other skill and I’ll miss it.”
“I could go down and watch over him,” Mr. Adams offered. “I’ll pop right back up if you’re missing anything.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” I said.
Mom and Becky stood up and slid past Avery and me, muttering something about checking on Wy one more time.
“That kid is so spoiled,” Mr. Adams mused.
“He’s lucky. They’re just trying to get it right for once, Dad.”
I felt a tug on my ponytail. “What up, yo?” Claire asked from the pew behind me.
I twisted around. “Just chillin’ in my pew, homes.”
“How are things up the mountain?” Avery asked. “We missed you in youth group.”
Her family was living at The Lodge while they tried to sell their house. The day after the kidnapping, her Dad had hired some movers to pack up all their stuff and transform three suites on the top floor of The Lodge into their home.
“They’re good. You can’t beat a top notch breakfast buffet every morning. I even have a go-to waffle guy. His name is Ken. He’s a snowboarder during the season and a killer waffle chef in the summer. I find him dreamy. And I suppose living there gives me a chance to hang out with my parents more.” She lowered her voice. “Which I like, but don’t tell anyone.”
“That might be the most scandalous thing I’ve ever heard you say.” I zipped my lips.
Jason scooted up next to her. “Is she going on about Ken again? That guy is such a douche and he makes soggy waffles.”
“Jealous much?” Claire smiled at him. “Anyways, I’ll be able to make it to youth group from now on because, drum roll please…” Avery made a drum roll noise with his mouth, “I’m getting my license this week!”
“No way! That’s awesome. How did that happen, I thought you were banned until next February?”
“One of the newbie lawyers at the firm that’s handling the kidnapping case knew someone who knew someone and voila, I get to be a normal sixteen-year-old.”
All three of us raised our eyebrows at her.
“All right, fine.” She giggled. “Whatevs. I hear superfreak is the new normal in these parts.”
The processional music began as Dad and Assistant Pastor Dodson walked up to the altar and stood in front of the congregation. From the back of the church, my mom jogged down the aisle carrying a peacefully sleeping Wyatt. She was followed by Becky who had her head down like she was avoiding the paparazzi and my sister and Raleigh, who had yet to perfect the “coming into church late” slink.
Mom stood at the end of the pew. “Move down,” she stage whispered. “We’ll all slide in.”
I made to move down, but I couldn’t. “Avery, you’re sitting on my skirt.”
“We’ll just sit with Jason and Claire,” my sister said, blushing at having all eyes on her.
Avery tilted toward the aisle, freeing my skirt from under his leg as mom swiveled toward Melody saying, “Honey there’s plenty of room,” and whacking Avery in the forehead with Wyatt’s foot. She turned back to A
very and cringed. “Oops, sorry sweetie.”
I scooted down. Avery scooted down. Mom took a seat next to Avery. Wyatt woke up and started crying. Becky squeezed in next to Mom and started making silly faces at Wy to get him to hush.
“Becky,” Mom whispered a little more quietly this time. “You’re sitting in Mike.”
Melody, who was still hovering at the end of the pew waiting to get in, threw her hands in the air. “We’ll just sit with Jason and Claire!”
The music ended and the whole sanctuary went silent except for the sound of my dad, who was bent over holding his stomach with the church giggles.
Everyone finally got settled into their respective pews.
Assistant Pastor Dobson opened his Bible. “Let us stand.”
Dad snort-laughed and slapped his knee. We all joined in.
Like Claire said, superfreak is the new normal in these parts.
The End
Acknowledgements
I’m a lucky girl to have the support and love of my friends and family. Not every writer has that. I’m eternally grateful.
Much love to Valerie Wallace for getting this party started and making my lovely book covers. You’re the Melody to my Zellie.
Awkward high-fives disguised as zany dance moves for Sarah Scott. Thanks for caring enough about me and my characters to read all of my books more times than I have. I will painstakingly bedazzle anything of your choosing.
Mom and Dad, I love you more.
To my husband, Rob, and our kids, Gus and Arlo, thank you for understanding that writing is something I have to do and giving me the space to do it. I owe you all several months worth of Goodnight kisses and decent dinners. Love you.
As always, I’m blown away by the support the indie writing community has given me. Thanks to the Indie Book Collective, all the ROW80 folks, my Kindleboards brethren, and my Twitter and Facebook friends.
I would also like to thank all of the readers and book bloggers out there who have enjoyed the Zellie books. You guys have given me my writing career.
Zellie Wells Trilogy Page 48
