“Where is he now?” Luke asked.
I took another deep breath and forced myself to look around the room. A knock sounded at my right. I physically jumped at the sound.
“Steady.” Luke’s arm encircled my waist.
Another knock this time closer.
“There.” I pointed across the room by the dining room table.
“Yes. The spirit is there. Now make contact.”
I could do this. Luke was here. I was not alone. I focused on the spot above the table and slowly an image began to form. A white shimmering light began to wave in and out, and ever so slowly an outline came into focus. A face, there was a face. I could just make it out as it flickered in and out of the sunlight streaming through the window.
I tried to force the panic from my voice. “It looks like a child.”
Luke’s arm tightened around me. “Good.”
“He’s small, maybe ten or eleven years old.”
“Ask for a name. Ask out loud, ‘What’s your name?’”
My lips trembled as I forced the words out, “Who are you?”
“Thomas.” The word floated past me as if carried on the wind.
“He says his name is Thomas.”
The presence moved toward me, and I instinctively began to back up.
“Stand your ground. Don’t be afraid,” Luke said. “Trust me. It’s okay, you’re not in any danger.”
The shadow continued forward until it was directly before me. And then I felt the sensation of small fingers caressing my arm.
“Colina,” the child-like voice said my name.
“He just said my name.”
“Good. Ask him what he wants.”
I spoke again, but this time my voice was stronger and calmer, “What do you want?”
“A message…for you.” The words were there again, and with them a warm tingle of air fluttered against my cheek.
“What’s the message?”
The words this time slid across my brain. “He’s coming for you.”
Small invisible fingers were running down my hand.
“Who?” I asked, trying not to freak out and pull my arm back.
“The one you’ve been seeking.” There was a childlike giggle and then the words, “he doesn’t like it that you got away. You’re the one that got away.” I felt a tug on my hair. “It won’t be long now. He’ll find you.”
A cupboard door banged open and shut once and then twice.
“Who will?” I demanded.
“Are you ready for judgment day?” the boy whispered and then vanished in front of me.
I shook my head trying to make sense of what the child had said. I raised trembling hands to my face, turned and looked at Luke. “The boy, he didn’t try to possess me.”
“Most won’t. They want only to be seen and acknowledged.” His hand came up and gently brushed the bangs out of my face. “The ones that possess have a powerful need. They weren’t ready to die and will do anything to try and make it back into this world.”
“And what happens,” I tried to get the words out. “When they take over a person and you can’t get them out?”
“Usually it’s when they jump into someone who has natural abilities, but no idea how to use them. These people are unprepared for the assault, and when it happens, they’re pushed back and left helpless. Trapped.”
At the very thought, a shiver ran down my spine. “And the spirits, they stay inside them forever?”
His expression turned grim. “The spirits use these unsuspecting people, these vessels, to make their way through the world. How long they stay depends on how strong they are.”
Luke’s fingers wrapped around mine. “Your hand is freezing. When spirits come forth, they tend to bring down the temperature. How about some hot chocolate or tea to help warm you up?”
I didn’t want him to move away. It felt good having his body against mine again. I gave him a smile. “Tea sounds good.”
He let go of my hand and made his way back into the kitchen.
I followed behind him.
He grabbed an electric kettle off the counter and started filling it with water from the sink. “And the insane,” he suddenly said.
“The insane?” I asked.
The kettle was filled, and he plugged it in and pointed toward the cupboard. “Grab a couple mugs, will you. People who don’t have full control of their capacities. They’re always on the edge of reality anyway. And those who are on the edge can be easily manipulated by the dead.”
I opened the cupboard and pulled out two red mugs. “How can you tell if you meet someone who’s possessed, someone who has a spirit commanding them?”
He pulled out two bags of tea from a canister on the countertop. “You can tell sometimes, but not always. You can feel the wrongness inside them. You feel it in your gut.”
I set the mugs down in front of him. “But this spirit, the one that just came to me, you met him before?”
“He’s a young child whose family used to live here.” Luke pointed toward the floor. “Not in this barn, but on this same piece of land years ago before it was a barn. He died of a fever. He’s bound to this particular spot.”
“And he can’t go to the light?” I asked.
Luke shook his head. “No.”
“So he just stays here?”
Luke gave me a ghost of a smile. “We share our space with spirits all the time.”
I looked around the room, a feeling of dread filling me. Was another spirit going to pop out at any minute? “And they always contact you when they’re around?”
He shook his head. “Not always.”
“But you know when they’re around? When they’re in the room?” I asked, looking around the room. It was no longer cold, and I felt normal, did that mean we were for the moment alone?
“Yes, you can feel their presence.”
For the rest of my life, I was going to be bombarded with spirits. I was having a hard time getting my mind around it. “And what do you do if you don’t want to communicate with them, but they want to talk to you?”
He put a tea bag in each mug and reached over and grabbed the kettle. He slowly filled each cup with hot water. “You learn how to tune out. How to sort of turn it off. And that works in most cases, but if a spirit is strong enough, desperate enough to communicate with you, it will.”
My hands went to my head again. I would be like this forever. Any place I walked into now I would be seeing spirits. My life had just turned into a new type of nightmare.
He turned and gave me a reassuring smile. “I promise it gets easier with practice. It’s something you grow accustomed to.”
I looked at him like he’d lost his mind. I couldn’t imagine ever getting used to talking to the dead.
“Have you felt anyone from your family since last night?”
His question stopped me in my tracks. “No.”
“It’s easier at night when the world is quiet, when people settle down, to hear the spirits. We’ll see if they come to you tonight.” He handed me a mug.
I took it and wrapped my fingers around it. It was warm and felt good against my cold fingers. I took a sip and looked at him over the rim of my cup. “And if they don’t?”
He leaned against the counter. “They will. And we’ll find Darla.”
He sounded so sure of himself. “And the last ritual?”
“I’m working on it.”
“Why can’t we get it done tonight?” I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
“I don’t have what I need for it yet, but I will soon.”
I wanted to ask him what he was waiting for, what new horrifying situation I was going to find myself in, but I couldn’t force the words out.
“Before I forget.” Luke put his mug down and reached into his pocket and pulled out the gypsy’s pouch. “Until you learn how to protect yourself, this will keep you closed off. It will keep anything from trying to posses you.”
I reached fo
r it, but he pulled it away. “The thing is, we want your family to contact you. You need to stay open. So I don’t want you to use the pouch yet.” He put the pouch down on the counter. “But later I’ll need you to carry it with you.”
I reached for my toast. It was cold. I dropped it back onto the plate. I had suddenly lost my appetite. “So what’s the plan for the day?”
“We are heading to the hospital.”
I turned and stared at him. “Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?”
He gave me a smile. “I’m fine. There’s just an errand I have to run, and someone I have to see. Drink your tea, it’s getting cold.”
There was something about his expression when he answered the question. I had been with him long enough I was now able to read his body language and moods. I had the strongest feeling he wasn’t telling me the whole truth. A shiver ran down my spine. I wondered what was really going on and what he wasn’t telling me.
* * * *
The rest of the morning was relatively normal. No spirits showed up. No ghostly boy dropped by to give me more messages. Luke spent most of the morning on the phone. Whatever he was planning he didn’t want me within earshot of his conversations. Every time I wandered his way he’d make a, none too subtle, move to another room. If the guy wanted to keep secrets, so be it. He couldn’t leave me in the dark forever. Not if he wanted my help.
Sometime after three, he announced that it was time to head to the hospital. I grabbed a short black coat from pagan’s closet and found a pair of elbow high black and white striped fingerless gloves. The weather outside had turned chilly.
Storm clouds were gathering overhead and when he opened the front door, and we stepped out, I could see my breath. I stood in the doorway and buttoned my coat.
Luke came to my side. He was wearing a black parka. He reached into his pocket and held out the pouch.
I took the pouch from his hand, but I didn’t hide the surprise I was feeling. “I can have it now?”
He nodded his head. “You’ll need it where we’re going. Ready?”
“Yes,” I answered, but for what I had no idea.
Inside the car, Luke turned up the radio, which made conversation impossible. There were quite a few questions I wanted to ask him swirling around in my head. What was with all the mysterious phone calls? Why were we going to the hospital? What did the last ritual entail?
I looked over at him. He looked relaxed. He was singing along to a song on the radio, but there was an apprehension about him, a tension radiating off of him. A look in his eyes that set my nerves on end.
When we finally pulled up into the hospital parking lot, the tension building inside me was almost unbearable.
What the heck are we doing here? I wanted to shout at him.
Luke shut off the car and turned toward me. “The pouch, you should wear it around your neck. It will give you the best protection that way.”
I took the pouch out of my pocket and set it in my lap. I slowly started to unwind the leather wrapped around the top of it.
He slid closer to me. “Here, let me help.”
I handed him the pouch and lifted my hair off my neck. “How long are we going to be at the hospital?”
“Not too long.” He lifted the pouch and wrapped it around my neck. He slowly tied the two pieces of leather together. His fingers lingered for a moment on the base of my neck.
Delicious sensations ran across my skin where his fingers grazed across my neck.
Luke edged his body closer.
My breath hitched in the back of my throat.
“There’s something you have to know,” he said, his voice low.
I turned and faced him.
“Now that you’re one of us, the hospital…” he seemed to be searching for words. “It’s not an easy place to be. There are a lot of souls passing, a lot of spirits lingering around.”
My hand went to the pouch around my neck. “But this will keep them from bothering me.”
“Not entirely. They won’t be able to possess you, but it’s not strong enough magic to keep them completely at bay. You’ll be able to feel them around. You’ll be able to sense them. Maybe see and hear them.”
I couldn’t keep the horror I was feeling from showing on my face.
He reached out and grabbed my hand. “I wouldn’t have brought you here, not so soon after you’ve done the first two rituals, but we’re running out of time. You have to get used to dealing with spirits. You have to learn how to trust and use your new abilities. We don’t have the luxury of taking things slow. Normally you’d be eased into dealing with the spirits, you’d have a lot of time to adjust, but…” he looked away.
I squeezed his hand. “It’s all right. The only thing that matters is getting your sister back.” I said it out loud, but I knew as the words left my mouth it wasn’t true. Finding the men who killed my family and making them pay was the one thing that kept me going.
He let out a sigh and looked back at me. “Whatever happens, remember I’m beside you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I nodded my head.
He reached out and his finger gently brushed against my cheek. “Just remember to breathe.”
“Breathe. Got it.”
We made our way across the parking lot and went through a pair of sliding glass doors.
Remember to breathe, Luke said. Easier said than done. The minute I walked into the building the breath was knocked right out of me. It was as if a wave of static electricity slammed into me. It buzzed against my skin. I stood there trying to get my bearings when a cold draft rushed by me. And then another. I heard a whisper of voices on the wind. We weren’t alone.
I felt like I was suddenly in a crowded room. I tried to take a breath but couldn’t. I was claustrophobic--there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. Everything began to close in on me. I felt my knees start to buckle.
And then Luke’s was in front of me. His eyes filled with concern. He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay. It’ll get better in a minute. Try to concentrate on me.”
I nodded my head and looked into his eyes, and the feeling of panic, the feeling of being crowded in, started to ebb away.
I took one breath and then another.
“Keep your focus on me. Focusing on the living helps.”
I nodded my head and looked around at the hustle and bustle of the hospital. Plenty of living were roaming the halls, and I needed to keep my focus on them and away from whatever was lurking in the shadows.
Luke took my hand, and we headed through a waiting room and into a wide hallway. We walked up and down a maze of halls, pushing open a door, we headed up a flight of stairs. We were entering another wing of the hospital. In this section rooms were full of patients. As we passed open doors, I could make out shapes lying in bed. Many of the people seemed hooked up to machines. The sound of beeping filled the air. There were fewer nurses in this section of the hospital. One glared at us from behind a desk.
Luke abruptly stopped and dropped my hand. He pointed to a group of chairs over in a corner. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
At the loss of physical contact, I felt a moment of panic. My hand came up and grasped the pouch. I settled into a chair and watched Luke head down the hallway.
He stopped in front of one of the rooms. A woman came out and greeted him. They shook hands. I watched them and then realized someone was talking to me.
“I know you can hear me.”
I turned and looked up expecting to see someone standing over me. No one was there. I was alone. But I wasn’t.
“See. I knew you could hear me.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
The seat next to me rattled. “Listen to me. I need you to listen to me. My son, he needs to know about the ring, I meant to tell him, I thought there was still time.”
I felt a tug on my arm and realized I was on my feet, heading toward a room.
I stood in the doorway.
There was an elderly lady lying in one of the beds. She was hooked up to machines and a mask covered her face. Tubes protruded from her arms.
“Tell him that I put the ring in a blue box, in the back of the closet. My hiding place in case someone tried to rob my house.”
I realized there were other people in the room. A man and woman were sitting in chairs in the corner of the room by the window. They were holding hands. Sadness filled the man’s face.
“He’s going to marry her. He told me last week that he was going to propose. He asked me for the ring, but before I could give it to him…” the voice trailed off.
This was crazy. What was I going to say to the couple? I shouldn’t be in the room. I shouldn’t be interfering in these people’s lives, not when they were dealing with something so tragic.
I started to back out of the room, but there was the tug on my arm again. “You have to tell him where to find the ring.”
I opened my mouth the words rushed out, “Excuse me, sir.”
The man looked up at me. Grief filled his face.
“Your mother wanted you to know…”
He rose from his seat. “Are you a friend of hers?” He put out his hand. “I’m sorry, I don’t know all her friends.”
I took a step back and shook my head. I felt a nudge at my shoulder as if someone gave me a gentle push.
The voice again this time more insistent, “Tell him about the ring. His grandmother’s ring.”
“Your mother wanted me to tell you that she left the ring in a box. A blue box in the back of her closet.”
“The ring?”
“Your grandmother’s engagement ring.”
A light of understanding came into his eyes. He turned and looked at the woman. “Oh the ring.”
The voice whispered in my ear, “Tell him, not to worry. I’m going to a better place.”
“Your mother…she says…she says not to worry. She’s going to a better place.”
“I don’t understand.” He took in my appearance and then his gaze rested on the pouch hanging around my neck. His face suddenly filled with fear. “Who are you?” he demanded.
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