by Polen, Teri
“Seriously, Cain, it’s one in the afternoon. Are you that lazy? “
“Shut up, Finn. Look at his face – something’s wrong. Cain, what happened?”
Then the horrors of last night came rushing back. Sarah’s malevolent smile, the overwhelming feeling of danger, Eby’s act of bravery, and the feeling of Sarah invading my body. Eby. My heart sank. Was he alright?
“Eby. Did you see him when you came in?” I asked, my stomach rolling in the fear that Sarah had hurt him.
“Eby did this to you? I always knew that cat was hiding something and up to no good.”
“Finn, were you raised by wild hogs? Eby was downstairs on the screened porch sleeping in the sun. He’s fine, Cain,” Lindsey reassured me, gripping my hand.
“It was her. Sarah.” Then I relayed the grisly details of last night.
“Cain, you must have been petrified! And Eby – he tried to protect you.”
“I’ve always felt weak after Sarah ‘borrowed’ me, but never like this. Never incapacitated,” I said, still trying to wiggle my fingers, toes, anything.
“It’s like she literally sucked your energy right out of you,” Finn said, his brow furrowing. “And after that, you were here all night, right?”
“Look at me, Finn. I can’t even lift my arms. How would I go anywhere when I can’t get out of bed?”
Finn and Lindsey looked at each other, silently communicating something I wasn’t privy to. “I guess him being like this could account for what happened, if you believe in that sort of thing, right?”
Lindsey nodded. “My aunt can probably explain it better, but the chances of it being a coincidence are pretty astronomical.”
Now I was just annoyed. Besides lying in bed like a useless lump of Play-Doh, the two of them acted as if I wasn’t even here. “Would someone tell what’s going on? Finn, you said it involved death. What happened?”
“Liam Brooks is dead.”
What? I blinked slowly. A unicorn bursting through my door with Thor on its back wouldn’t have surprised me more. “He’s……dead?” Lindsey ran her hand across my shoulder and up through my hair. “How?” I was afraid to hear, but needed to know the answer.
“It was a car accident. Kind of,” Finn added. “He ran off the road.”
“And this happened last night?”
“Yeah. He’d been with Jacob and Nathan, but dropped them off and was driving home. They last saw him around eleven o’clock last night and he was found early this morning. Do you think Sarah had something to do with his death?”
Was it possible Sarah had killed Liam? Could ghosts do that? A week ago, I wasn’t even sure I believed in ghosts. Now I had proof of their existence, so what made me think Sarah wasn’t capable of murder? With all the rage and anger she’d been holding onto, she would definitely hurt the three of them if given the opportunity. But murder? Then I remembered how Sarah had looked last night, the way my instincts told me in no uncertain terms that I was in danger.
“I don’t know, but driving off the side of the road late at night and hitting something isn’t uncommon. Why do you think she might be responsible?”
“Did I say he hit anything?” Liam was dead, but didn’t hit anything? Maybe the car rolled?
“You know my dad’s a journalist, right, Cain?” I nodded. Lindsey had mentioned it at dinner the other night, but I’d almost forgotten about her dad working for the local newspaper. “This information doesn’t leave the room, because it could cause trouble for him. I heard him on the phone this morning. Liam ran off the road, but the car was found in a grassy area, still running, headlights on. He hadn’t hit anything, and there was no damage to the car.
“The thing is, Liam’s head was nearly torn from his body. No windows were broken, so it wasn’t from the glass, no weapons were found, and there were no traces of footprints around the car. I can’t imagine what he went through. What a horrible way to die.” Lindsey’s eyes were rimmed with tears. If my arms had worked, they’d be around her right now.
“With you being all useless like this, I guess Sarah was able to absorb enough energy to get out of here, hunt down Liam, and kill him. I can’t believe I just said that about a ghost. Are we on Supernatural? Did I miss something?”
Then it hit me. And just the possibility that it could have happened was enough to steal the breath from my body and clench my soul. “You were asking if I’d been here all night because you thought Sarah might have used me to kill Liam.”
“Well, yeah.” Finn replied.
“No,” Lindsey said firmly, challenging Finn to disagree with her. But he did, of course.
“Look, Cain, I know there’s not a chance in the world you’d have hurt Liam. But you weren’t you last night and when Sarah was in control before, you didn’t always know where you’d been or what you’d done.”
I gritted my teeth. “I didn’t kill Liam.” Finn searched my face for any hint of doubt in my involvement, but finding none, he nodded once.
“We know you didn’t. You couldn’t. But the sooner we get to my aunt’s place, the better. How are you feeling now, Cain?”
Testing the waters again, I discovered my limbs were moving slightly. Nowhere near the full range of motion, but it was better than nothing. “I’m starving. Maybe if I eat something, it would help.”
Lindsey grinned, then kissed my cheek. “I’ll go downstairs and fix you a sandwich. Finn, make yourself useful and get him in the shower while I’m gone,” she said, slapping him on the back as she headed out the door.
Finn eyes widened. “What? That’s just all kinds of wrong. I know how to make sandwiches! Why don’t you get him in the shower?”
“Finn, we’ve showered in the same locker room for years. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” I said, struggling to sit up.
“But this is different. It’s only us and it’s so…..up close and personal.”
“Just get in the bathroom, start the shower, then close your eyes.”
. . . . .
A hot shower and food worked miracles in restoring my energy, and I was walking almost normally by the time we got to King Street. Aunt Mona’s shop wasn’t too far from Market Street, and considering how often Mom had dragged me to the open air markets there, I was surprised I’d never noticed it before. Walking into Mystical Magic was like being transported to another world. And it was a really good-smelling world full of colorful crystals, unusual jewelry, old books, loose leaf teas, and a wide assortment of things I couldn’t identify.
It looked as if the original wood floors were intact, with exposed brick and built-in bookshelves, giving it that old Charleston charm. Some of the free-standing shelves looked like they were made of reclaimed wood and the arched doorways matched the era of the building. Not that I sat around watching HGTV with Mom, but with her being a realtor, I’d picked up on a lot of industry lingo and details. And it was kind of cool, preserving a bit of history instead of opening a store in a strip mall that lacked the warmth and personality of Mystical Magic
The music playing in the background was that calming stuff, like what Mom played when she practiced yoga. Overall, the place had a very serene and welcoming vibe.
“It smells better in here than new leather soccer shoes. Almost,” Finn said.
“It’s yellow sandalwood, an aid in seeking peace and calmness,” a throaty voice said from behind me, causing me to stiffen in surprise.
I turned to see Lindsey standing with a woman who could almost be Lindsey herself in thirty years. They were nearly identical in facial features, eye color, and build, but where Lindsey’s hair was blond and wavy, this woman had long coils of copper ringlets, although they may have
been outnumbered by the bracelets along both her arms. Mona made a distinct clinking sound when she moved.
Lindsey had one arm looped through Mona’s. “This is Finn and Cain. Guys, my Aunt Mona.”
“It’s so nice to meet friends of my favorite niece,” Mona said, using her other arm to shake Finn’s hand.
“Your only niece,” Lindsey laughed, leaning in to kiss Mona’s cheek.
As Mona shifted to me and the warmth of her hand enveloped mine, she froze, scrutinizing my face. “Oh, it’s you alright.” My eyebrows puckered in confusion.
Lindsey placed her arm around Mona’s shoulder and gently pulled her away, while she still observed me. “I didn’t give her any details about what’s been going on, just that one of you is having troubles and needs some help.”
“How can you tell it’s me just by touching my hand?”
“Honey, I felt it the second you walked through the door, before I even saw you. Negative energy is wrapped around you like a blanket. I can feel that whatever it is, it almost drained you recently and you’re barely standing right now. How about we go back to my office and talk.”
Without waiting for an answer, Mona looked over her shoulder and spoke to a younger woman at the register. “Claire, I’ll be in my office if you need anything.” Putting one arm around my back and draping the other over Lindsey’s shoulder, Mona guided us to the back of the store. “Once I hear what you have to say, Cain, we’ll come up with some things to help you, although I have a couple of ideas already.”
“Any kind of help sounds really good right about now,” I said, grateful Mona was willing to try. The twinge building in my chest just might be a tiny spark of hope.
Chapter 22
After Finn, Lindsey, and I finished relaying the sordid tale of Sarah, Mona sat immobile behind her desk, hands clasped, staring down. Several towers of books and jars of unidentified substances cluttered her desk and the shelves around the office and I was afraid any sudden movements could be disastrous.
Mona pushed her squeaky chair away from the desk and slowly stood, then wandered over to a window and observed the pedestrians ambling by on the sidewalk. Finn mouthed “What’s wrong with her?” to Lindsey, who shrugged her shoulders in reply, then slid her hand into mine. I never realized how comforting it could be to hold someone’s hand. Erin’s pink talons used to pull and claw at me, tugging me here or there, usually someplace I had no interest in going. Lindsey’s hand was soft and warm and fit perfectly in my own. Guess it just had to be the right person.
While I studied our intertwined hands, Mona cleared her throat, then turned to face us. “Okay, here’s what I’m thinking based on what you’ve told me and what I see and feel in Cain. Clearly, Sarah was wronged in some way, but we’re not positive she was murdered by those boys. Still, she feels cheated at the loss of her life and is separated from her loved ones, so we have a vengeful spirit seeking retribution.
“Cain, after your concussion, your body and mind’s ability to guard itself was weakened and Sarah realized she could take advantage of this, becoming a passenger which enabled her to see what was happening in the lives of the boys she feels are responsible for her death. Sarah saw them going about their lives, showing no remorse, and doing things she’ll never have the opportunity to experience. It’s like she never mattered.
“I’m sure you understand by now that your blackouts occurred when Sarah drew on your strength and essentially took over your body, expressing what she really thought about Erin and her distrust of men in general to Lindsey. You were drawn to the football field because Sarah was watching them.”
I shifted in my chair, still uncomfortable knowing that Sarah had been in the driver’s seat. “We figured that was probably the deal. What I don’t understand exactly is what happened to me last night? Liam is dead. I know I didn’t kill him, but how could Sarah be responsible? She’s a ghost and they can’t really hurt people, right? I mean, knocking a person around a little, wreaking some havoc in the house every now and then, but murder?”
Mona walked around the desk and knelt in front of me, placing her hands on my knees. “Cain, honey, I wish I could tell you that you’re right, but I can’t. It’s true, most ghosts are harmless. Maybe they’re here because they don’t realize they’re dead, or they choose to stay in a place where they were happiest during their life. Sometimes they have unfinished business they hope to take care of and some ghosts want to stay close to their loved ones and watch over them.”
“I don’t think any of those things fit into Sarah’s agenda,” Finn said.
Mona stood, sighing heavily. “Unfortunately, you’re right, Finn. Sarah’s animosity toward the boys, her outrage over what was done to her, and even her own self-loathing for allowing herself to be tricked has been brewing for all these months. Finding out that the boys not only got away with what they did, but show no remorse and have gone on with their lives has fueled her, making her stronger and more desperate for revenge.
“Last night, Sarah managed to discover a way to absorb most of Cain’s life energy, giving her enough strength to move about freely without the need of his body. Her anger is escalating and I’m certain she won’t stop at killing only one of the boys.”
I didn’t like the way this was sounding at all. Things were bad - I mean, Liam had been murdered in a tragic, unspeakable way and according to Mona, Sarah had only just begun Operation Revenge. “Are you saying she’ll try to siphon off more energy from me? I had no way of defending myself last night.”
Mona leaned against the edge of her desk, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
“Um….good, I think. I could really use something good right about now,” I said, my voice wavering slightly.
“Okay. I don’t think Sarah needs to draw any more energy from you, Cain. She took enough last night to sustain her for a while. The bad news is that the act of killing only makes her more powerful. She absorbed whatever Liam had to give and the longer Sarah remains in this realm, the stronger she’ll become, especially since she knows the other two boys are still alive and well.”
“Wait,” Finn interrupted, “You mean she grows stronger the longer she’s around?”
“In this case, it’s highly likely. When a person’s life is taken, especially if it’s very suddenly, their spirit may not even realize they’ve passed on at first, so they’re confused and unsure of what happened or where to go. The longer they remain in this plane, the angrier they become, especially, as in Sarah’s case, when they understand what has happened to them and hope to gain justice against the people responsible for their death. Sarah has been here for several months now, and even in the short time since she latched onto Cain, look how forceful she’s become.”
From hanging out in my attic and scaring Eby, writing in condensation on the bathroom mirror, and opening and closing the attic door, to murder? Yeah, Sarah was far more powerful and thinking that she might be waiting for me when I got home gave me a sinking, heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“So, what should we do now? Do you think Sarah will just leave my house?”
Mona tilted her head, raised her bracelet-clad arm and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Oh, Cain, I really wish it was that simple, honey.”
Somehow I knew that would be too easy. Sarah also didn’t strike me as someone whose persistence wavered.
“Is there anything we can do, Aunt Mona? Is there some way we can keep her from hurting Cain or anyone else again?” Lindsey asked, voicing my own thoughts.
Mona went over toward the cluttered shelves, shuffling jars and boxes, searching for something. “I have a couple of ideas, some things that can help you right now, honey. Now where did I put….”
As Mona mumbled to herself while she combed through her shelves, I squeezed Lindsey’s hand. “Thanks for bringing me here, Lindsey. If I hadn’t met Mona, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“If we hadn’t gotten you out of the house this afternoon, Sarah might have strung you up and beat you like a piñata to amuse herself between killings,” Finn said, ever the brutally honest friend. “So yeah, you’re welcome.”
“Finn, how can you even joke about something like that?” Lindsey admonished.
“It’s called a diversion tactic, sweetheart. If I didn’t do something, Cain would do nothing but worry and withdraw into himself. He’d become a basket case instead of work on a solution to the problem.”
“And how do you know he’d become a basket case? Considering everything he’s been through, I think he’s handling it pretty well.”
“I saw it after his dad’s accident and I won’t let it happen to him again,” Finn said, his tone rigid.
Lindsey’s eyes glistened, she nodded once, and lowered her head.
After my Dad died, all I’d thought about was Mom and Maddie and what would happen to my family without him. Finn had stayed with me, listening to my ramblings, offering suggestions, helping with Maddie, or just sitting quietly, letting me know he was there. He’d pulled me into activities – soccer, movies, video games – anything to give my mind a break. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t been there for me.
The sound of Mona’s bracelets clacking together brought our attention back to her. If she had something to help me, I’d give her every bit of my attention.
“I finally found what I was looking for. I keep telling myself I’ll clean out this office someday, but that day never seems to come around. Now, Cain, to start off, I want you to wear this amulet.”
