Fire in Frost

by Alicia Rades

  I stared up at her nervously. Was I? I didn’t really believe that she would magically turn psychic. Is that the kind of faith I was lacking?

  To my surprise, she burst out laughing. It took me a few moments to realize she was playing around with me. I laughed with her to ease my anxiety.

  “I’m going to keep practicing,” she said. “Your mom said that anyone can be psychic, so I’ll probably take up meditation or something. Maybe we could start doing yoga together.”

  The doorbell rang and interrupted her. Emma and I exchanged a confused expression.

  “Who could that be?” I asked. We were only expecting my mom and her friends, but they wouldn’t have to ring the doorbell, and they wouldn’t be home for another few hours.

  I rose from my seat to get the door, but Emma grabbed my hand to stop me. “This is a perfect opportunity to practice,” she said.

  “Practice what?”

  “Your psychic abilities. I read about this exercise where you try to guess who’s calling or who’s at the door. It can help you improve your abilities.”

  The doorbell rang again, but Emma wasn’t going to let me go until I at least tried. I sighed and closed my eyes as I focused on the guest at my front door. It only took a few seconds before I saw an image of the mystery man, a guy my age with bright blue eyes and curly light brown hair.

  I took off down the hall so that Derek wouldn’t think I was trying to avoid him. Emma raced after me. I came to an abrupt halt at the front door and took a deep breath.

  “Sorry, Emma, but your game is far too easy,” I teased, opening the door.

  Derek stood on the porch with his Cat in the Hat hat on. When he saw us, his face fell. “Aw, man, you guys are having a party without me?”

  I giggled at him as he entered the house. I was excited that he was here. I wasn’t sure if it was because we hadn’t spent a lot of quality time together lately or if I was simply glad to escape Emma’s games.

  “Why are you wearing that?” Emma asked, pointing to his hat.

  Derek shrugged. “I’m a sucker for Halloween. And I thought Crystal would find it funny, but I didn’t expect to see you here, Emma.”

  “What brings you over?” I asked.

  “I don’t have to babysit my sisters tonight since Mom is home, so I thought I’d escape for a while. You don’t mind, do you?”

  Emma and I exchanged a glance. He couldn’t stay, could he?

  “Um . . . give us one minute,” I said, pulling Emma back down the hall toward my bedroom. “He can’t stay,” I whispered once I closed my door. “I mean, something like a séance will scare him off, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Emma said, a hint of wonder in her voice. “He seems like he’s taking the whole psychic thing pretty well.”

  “That’s because he doesn’t actually believe us. Look, I want to share this with him as much as you do, but we can’t have a skeptic here when trying to contact Olivia. There’s too much information we need, so I need as much time with her as I can get.”

  “Maybe we could—wait, what information?”

  I sighed. I knew I had to tell Emma about Kelli sooner or later, but I figured it would be easier when everyone was together. “I’ll tell you about it later. Are we going to get rid of him or not?”

  “I think you should let him in on it. Your prediction said to put more trust in your friends.”

  She had me there, but was my prediction true? Did I need to put more faith in them?

  “Look, Derek might be a skeptic, but he won’t be if we can prove your talents to him. Come on,” she said, grabbing my arm to lead me back into the living room. Ugh. More of her games? She had me feeling like a lab rat.

  “Okay, Derek, you can stay,” Emma told him when we came back into the room. “But on one condition.”

  Derek sat on the couch silently, but I could tell he was wondering what we were up to.

  “We can’t have any skeptics here tonight, so you either fully believe Crystal is psychic or you leave.” Her tone was so demanding that I almost felt sorry for Derek.

  Derek raised an eyebrow. “You guys are serious?”

  We both nodded our heads.

  “Look,” Derek started, “the finding the pencil thing was pretty cool, but I don’t know if I can really believe you’re psychic, Crystal. I don’t know what you guys are smoking.”

  That stung, but I didn’t let it show. “If I’m not psychic,” I retorted, “how did I know where to find Emma’s copy of Charlotte’s Web?”

  Derek raised both eyebrows. “You’re the one who told Emma where to find it?”

  I nodded, but by his tone, I knew he still didn’t believe me.

  “I want to prove it to you, Derek,” I said as I came closer and knelt beside him. “What can I do to prove to you what I am?”

  He thought about this for a moment while Emma moved and sat on the couch next to Derek.

  “What kind of pet did I have when I was four?”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “First of all, it doesn’t work on demand like that. Second, I already knew you used to have a pet gold fish.”

  Derek snapped his fingers in disappointment and then stared me in the eyes. “I want to believe you, Crystal. I really do, but I don’t know if I really believe in psychics.”

  I didn’t know where it came from, but suddenly I was blurting out Derek’s deepest, darkest secret that he hadn’t told anyone about. “You’re adopted.”

  My hand flew up to my mouth. Where had that come from? Was it even true?

  Derek’s eyes widened. “How did you—oh my God. You are—you have to be. I mean, I just recently found out. My parents never told anyone. You—how long have you known?”

  I looked at Emma for help, but her eyes were just as wide. Her jaw had practically fallen to the floor.

  “I—I’m sorry,” I said, shifting my weight and pulling my knees to my chest as my hands came up to cover my eyes. “I don’t know how I knew. I didn’t even know I knew. I just . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—mean to intrude.”

  Derek placed a hand on my shoulder to stop my babbling. He didn’t say anything for a long time. None of us did. Then he bent down to my level and wrapped his arms around me. I felt warm in his embrace. He pulled my head to his chest and rocked me back and forth as Emma shifted her weight on the couch and came closer to stroke my hair. I was sobbing now.

  “Crystal,” Derek said, “don’t cry. You don’t have to cry.”

  “Please don’t cry, Crystal,” Emma sniffled. “Now I’m going to start crying.”

  When my sobs stopped, I released my hands and looked up at both of them. I wiped my eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so emotional. It’s just, how can you trust me when I intrude on your personal lives like this? It’s not fair to you.”

  Emma continued running her fingers through my hair. “It’s okay, Crystal. We don’t mind. Do we, Derek?”

  Derek shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I was going to tell you guys eventually. It’s just that I only found out a few weeks ago. It was a bit of a shock.”

  As I looked back and forth between my two best friends, I realized how much we’d been hiding from each other. “No more hiding things,” I told them, and they nodded back.

  “Um . . . guys,” Emma said after a few quiet moments. She looked down at her hands. “Derek, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but my parents are getting divorced.”

  “Oh, Emma. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys I was adopted. I only found out when we went in to get my driver’s permit, and they needed my birth certificate. My mom didn’t want me to see it at first, but I looked at it anyway. I was just too surprised to say anything to you two, and it doesn’t really change who I am.”

  “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys I was psychic sooner,” I admitted. We all looked at each other and started laughing as if our problems were so trivial.

  “Are you going to search for your birth parents?” Emma asked D
erek after our laughter died down.

  “No.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “I guess the only reason I was put up for adoption was because my birth parents died. There’s no one to go searching for.”

  “How did you end up with your parents?” Emma asked curiously, which put us on the subject of sharing our secrets for a long time.

  I’d learned that Derek’s parents thought they couldn’t have kids, so they were quite surprised when they found out they were pregnant with twin girls. I also found out he wasn’t upset about being adopted or that his parents hadn’t told him.

  The conversation soon switched to Emma’s parents’ divorce. We were on the subject of my abilities, which Emma was raving about how cool they were, when the front door opened.

  “What are you guys up to?” my mom asked as she entered, followed in toe by Sophie and Diane.

  My best friends and I exchanged glances and burst out laughing again, reveling in our own little secrets.

  Mom rolled her eyes at us. Then her expression shifted to nervousness. “Is Derek staying?”

  I looked between my best friends as they did the same. “Well, Derek, are you staying?” I asked. What I was really asking was whether he believed me or not.

  He shrugged. “I guess so. What are we doing?”

  “We’re holding a séance,” Emma said casually.

  Derek’s jaw dropped to the floor.

  22

  I was honestly surprised Derek was taking this so well. After he’d picked his jaw up off the floor, he seemed pretty cool with it.

  We all sat around the kitchen table, the blinds successfully leaving us in privacy, the candles set around the table, and the number 17 volleyball jersey spread out in the middle. Everyone applauded Emma’s efforts for getting the jersey, saying it was a good idea. I scolded her for stealing, but she promised she was going to return it.

  My mother sat me at the head of the table. She said since I’d seen Olivia before, this was my thing, but I honestly didn’t know how to run the show. I took a good look around the table to make sure everything was in place. Looking at the candles in front of me, I was reminded of the way Olivia died.

  “Look, guys,” I said, interrupting the chatter. “I have to tell you all something.” Everyone stared at me expectantly, but I didn’t know how to start speaking. I took a few breaths to gather my thoughts. “I know we’re here for Olivia, but it’s more than that.” I kept my gaze low, not wanting to look anyone in the eyes. I had promised to keep this secret, hadn’t I? But I knew they needed to know.

  Sighing, I continued. “Olivia asked me to help someone, and I think that’s why she’s still stuck here. Her friend Kelli is in trouble, and I believe that if we contact Olivia, she’ll help us help Kelli.”

  I looked up to meet their gazes. They were all still staring at me and listening intently.

  “Kelli has been in an abusive relationship since before Olivia’s death, and I think Olivia knew about it. That’s the real reason we’re here.”

  There. That wasn’t too hard.

  But I couldn’t stop talking. I had more to explain. “Justine Hanson came to me to help Kelli, but I didn’t know until yesterday that Olivia wanted me to help her, too. Justine is convinced that there’s some proof out there. I don’t know how. Maybe she’s psychic, too.”

  Sophie scoffed.

  “What?” I asked, looking up to meet her gaze.

  She shook her head but spoke in a friendly tone. “Justine isn’t psychic.”

  “How do you know? She said it runs in her family.”

  “And I’m part of her family.” She pointed to herself proudly. Realization suddenly dawned on me. Sophie was the aunt Justine was talking about. How was it that I never knew they were related?

  I didn’t have time to wonder. I shook off this newfound information and focused on the real issue. “Regardless of how Justine knew, she claims that there’s something out there that can help us save Kelli, and I think Olivia knows where it is.”

  I looked around again. They all seemed to understand. I nodded, ready to get on with it and finally save the people I’d been sent to help. I looked back at the candles on the table, the ones that reminded me of how Olivia died. “Um, maybe we should get rid of the candles,” I suggested. Everyone looked at me, but after a moment, they all completely understood. It just didn’t seem right to have them lit when Olivia died because of a candle.

  We blew out the candles and sat in total darkness—apart from the gentle illumination coming from the digital clock on the stove and the light from the street lamps seeping in past the curtains.

  My mother sat opposite our oval table from me and explained how the séance would work. Even though you didn’t need to link hands, we would hold hands to raise the energy in the room. She explained that we needed to set our minds free and to focus on Olivia. When she was done, it was my turn again.

  “Um . . .” What exactly was I supposed to do? “Everyone link hands please.”

  I found Derek’s and Emma’s hands in the darkness. Once the circle was complete, I could feel the energy pulsing in the room.

  I spoke gently. “I’d like for us to take a few moments to clear our minds. Forget about your troubles, be conscious of a wandering mind, and focus on Olivia.”

  It was completely silent for quite some time as I allowed everyone around the table to relax. I needed the time, too, so I cleared my mind and reached out toward Olivia. When I was ready, I finally spoke. “Olivia Owen, we know you want us to help Kelli, but we also want to help you. If you’re here, we ask that you make your presence known.”

  We all waited, but nothing happened.

  “Olivia, you came to me for help, and I’m ready to help you. I want to help Kelli, too. What can you tell me about her? Olivia, please help us help you.”

  Still nothing. I continued by repeating several versions of my call out to Olivia, but I still couldn’t get through to her. This routine seemed to last forever. I dropped my hands, which prompted everyone to open their eyes and look at me.

  I stared back at each of them. “This isn’t working.”

  Everyone exchanged glances, looking for someone to explain. Thoughts of self-doubt spun in my head. Am I doing this right? Maybe I need more practice. What if I’m not strong enough?

  “What should we do?” Emma’s voice cut through my thoughts.

  No, I told myself. I can do this. I believe in myself.

  That’s when I realized that not everyone here did believe in me. I looked around the table nervously until my eyes fell upon Derek. All other eyes in the room followed.

  Derek’s face fell, and he nodded. “I get it.”

  “I am so sorry, Derek,” I said. “It’s just that we can’t have a skeptic in the room.”

  He nodded again. His expression was one of apology. “I want to believe you, Crystal, but I guess I’m just not ready.” He stood up. “I want to be here for you, though, no matter what I believe or what you’re going through.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I told him again.

  “It’s okay. Really. I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m screwing this whole thing up. You guys have fun, okay?” With that, he turned and left.

  I wanted to follow him and make him understand, but I was more than ready to get in contact with Olivia. Olivia’s need for me won out.

  When I heard the front door close, I guided everyone back to our séance. I linked hands with Diane and took a deep breath.

  We sat in silence for several minutes. It was so quiet in the room that I swore I could hear each of our heart beats.

  “Olivia,” I called out again.

  After a few minutes of focus, I felt a shift of energy in the room. A chill spread out from my spine to my fingertips. “Olivia! She’s here!” I shouted the words. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my own excitement or to inform the others. Even though I could feel her presence, I couldn’t find a clear image of her. She was weak, it seemed,
so I pushed further, reaching out to her and pulling her back into our realm.

  “Olivia, we need your help to help Kelli. What can you tell us?”

  Still nothing. After seeing her so easily and clearly the first few times, this almost seemed like too much of a struggle.

  “Please, everyone,” I begged, “clear your minds and focus on Olivia. She needs us to be strong for her.”

  With this reminder, suddenly the energy in the room shifted. I opened my eyes to search for her. Everyone else in the room still had their eyes closed. Had they not felt the energy shift?

  “Olivia, come to us. We’re here to help.”

  I could feel her reaching out to me, so I reached back.

  “Crystal,” I heard Olivia’s voice in my head. “Help. Please help.”

  Shivers ran up and down my body.

  “I’m—I’m not very strong,” Olivia whispered in my head again. “I’ve become so weak after protecting you from Nate.”

  My hands gripped tighter around Diane’s and Emma’s. I wasn’t sure if that had caused them to send the squeeze around the table and intensify our energy or if it broke something inside of me, but suddenly, the energy in the room burst like an ignited fire. I watched as a glowing Olivia appeared at the opposite end of the table next to my mother. Her blonde hair and brown eyes were bright in the dark room and clear as day.

  Olivia rambled with urgency. “Crystal, I don’t know how, but you can see me when no one else can. I need your help. I was going to help Kelli. I was, but I died before I got the chance.”

  “Slow down,” I pleaded.

  “I can’t. I may not have much time. I never do. Please, just listen. You’re the only one who can see me.”

  I nodded.

  “The video. I left it in my locker. My mom. She has it. She kept it when they gave her back my stuff.”

  “Video, what video? And who gave her back your stuff?” I asked in as much urgency as she conveyed.