“Bristol,” Sapphire said. “Can you hear me?”
I looked around. I was alone in the room, sitting by the fireplace, just as I had been before. Where was she?
“I’m right here,” she said. “Just look at me.”
I followed the voice, and there she was, sitting right across from me again.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Let’s take a look at Seth together,” she said.
“It’s not pleasant,” I warned.
Sapphire offered me a sad smile. “I appreciate the warning, but I’m quite certain that I’ll be able to handle whatever it is you’ve seen.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go.”
I took her hand and concentrated on the memory of my vision of Seth. Slowly, it came into focus. There he was, using a small, stubby pencil to draw out a dog on a napkin.
“My lord,” Sapphire sighed, gripping my hand more tightly. “He’s so thin. So small.”
“I know,” I said as I moved closer. “He looks like he’s around eight or nine, right?”
Sapphire nodded as she studied the child in front of us.
I looked closely at Seth who was moving in slow motion.
“You slowed the memory?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. We began to circle him, looking at details as Sapphire spoke aloud. “Seth has straw colored hair. Looks a little wavy, but it’s dirty, and on the longer side. Poor boy desperately needs a haircut and a bath. His face is thin, but then again, so is the rest of him. His eyes remind me of Archer’s, when Archer was little. Looks a lot like my grandson Wynn, just more lean. Pale skin. His eyes are blue. Not as deep as Payne’s, almost grey.”
I looked at his clothes, and decided to talk so she could observe. “His t-shirt is way too big. I wish he’d sit up so we could see if there’s a graphic on the front. He has on pants that look like pajama bottoms. They look like a younger girl’s. I think that’s pink, although it’s hard to say since their so filthy. They’re tight, and don’t reach his ankles. They’re way too small for him. Worn out. There’s a big hole down the right seam.”
“Let’s look around the room,” Sapphire said.
It was hard to make out any details because the room was so dark. But Sapphire seemed to get plenty of information.
“This is a basement,” she told me. “Look at the pipes – and there are no windows. There’s the door. It’s metal and sturdy. If it’s locked, it’s locked from the outside.”
Nothing else stood out until Seth moved to the mattress. I got a look at his shirt. It had a cartoonish picture of a tadpole and said ‘Iweda County Tadpoles’ on it. As he placed the napkin down, I saw it had some words in the corner. ‘On The Go.’
We both watched as Seth glanced at his almost empty water bottle and then drank the last bit of water. The bottled was labeled Sierra Water. Sapphire kept spelling out the details so everyone else could record them.
Finally, the bang came. It sounded even more sinister slowed down. Sapphire looked to the door and the world moved at a normal speed. I watched closely as the footsteps pounded closer. I thought I saw movement in the shadows under the door.
With the final bang, we were both back in the room, staring at the fire, but still in the dream state. From her chair, Sapphire looked shaken, but determined.
“Is that all?” she asked.
“Pretty much,” I said. “There was one more, but I’m not sure how much more detailed it was.”
“Remember it,” she told me.
I did.
Seth was back. Or rather, we were back with Seth. His eyes were wide in terror. He was curled into a small ball in the corner of the room.
All I had seen in this vision was Seth, frightened beyond belief as he waited for the door to open. And the voice.
“It’s okay,” someone else said. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Who is that?” Sapphire asked.
Before I could answer, there was a final bang and the vision ended.
Once again, we were sitting by the fire place alone.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I didn’t see who said it, but I asked Barry if there was one child or two. He only saw Seth. So I’m guessing that it was a ghost. Someone that was there to reassure him.
Sapphire sat back and considered me.
“It’s funny,” she said. “Whenever I think of ghosts, I never thought of them as comforting. Just scary.”
“No,” I said to her. “I’ve been around ghosts since I was little. They don’t want to scare us. Just like Seth, I’ve found comfort with the dead since I was a little girl.”
Suddenly, the scene changed. I was standing in my old apartment back in New York City. I was eight years old. My father was pacing. My mother was crying as she listened to messages on an answering machine. Each one told the same story.
“It was horrible,” one woman’s voice said. “He just grabbed his chest in front of the children, and then fell over. I don’t know how Melissa is ever going to forget this. Be grateful that Bristol wasn’t there to see it.”
I had seen my teacher have a heart attack in my dreams the night before. I hadn’t wanted to go to school and when I told my parents why, to my great surprise, they hadn’t made me. Instead, we had a wonderful family day. I had almost forgotten about it until we’d gotten home and my parents played the messages.
I watched as my mother and father both looked at me with panic in their eyes. Dad hit the button on the answering machine until it stopped playing. I was pretty sure that he had broken it.
“Shows you what she knows,” I said. “I did see it. I told you this morning. Not my fault that I didn’t have to be there.”
I watched in silent horror as my mother reacted to my younger self’s words by slapping my face and calling me a freak. The smaller Bristol cried, looking to my father, expecting him to ride to her rescue.
Only my father wouldn’t even look at me.
The scene changed again. It was only minutes afterwards. I sat on my bed, crying. Soon enough, I wasn’t alone.
A woman was beside me, a plump redhead, with a friendly smile.
“There, there,” she said to me. “It’ll be all right. Your mom and dad love you. I know they do. They were just shocked. That’s all.”
The smaller me shook her head.
“No,” I said, determined to stop my tears. “They hate me. Mommy called me a freak. That’s what I am.”
“Oh no, you’re not.” The red headed woman said.
“Yes, I am,” I insisted. “What do you know, anyway? You’re just a ghost. I wouldn’t even be able to see you if I weren’t such a freak.”
If I had offended her, she didn’t let it show.
“But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be here for you,” she said.
I turned away from her, but she stayed by my side, looking around my room. “You know what you need? A pet. When I was alive, I had lots of pets.”
I shrugged.
“We can’t have any dogs or cats in out building,” I said. “I wish we could. I’d get a dog.”
The red headed woman smiled and moved in front of me.
“You know what I used to have when I lived in an apartment building that didn’t allow dogs?” She asked. “A hamster. They’re wonderful. They don’t need to be walked. My hamster was named Lucy.”
Suddenly, on my dresser was a small hamster cage. At that age, I didn’t understand that this was only a projection of the pet hamster my new ghost friend had once owned.
“You know, I named her after the woman from the show,” she said. “I Love Lucy. I always said I would get another one and name him Ricky, but I never did. I bet you could have a hamster.”
I watched as the younger me went over to examine Lucy. The little hamster was running on her wheel. When I tapped the tank, she came over and wiggled her tiny, little nose at me.
“She likes me,” I said.
“Of course she does,” The r
ed-headed ghost said. “That’s the wonderful thing about pets. They love us no matter what.”
“Bristol,” Sapphire said. “It’s time to leave. Now.”
My world shifted and I was back in the council room. This time, it was no memory. Everyone was there, and they were angry.
“What happened?” Payne was yelling. “What the hell did you do to her?”
I tried to tell him that I was okay, but I couldn’t get the words out.
I heard Archer warning Sapphire to get away from me. Hunter was telling everyone to calm down.
Uncle Mark bent down near me.
“Bristol,” He said softly. “Are you alright?”
I nodded as I wiped away my tears.
“Quiet!” Sapphire said. Her voice was commanding and firm. “Bristol is not hurt. She simply encountered a memory. Something private.”
Everyone looked at me. I hated when everyone looked at me.
“I’m fine,” I said. “But could I have a moment alone with Mrs. McKnight?”
Slowly and reluctantly, everyone cleared the room. Payne was the last to go, not wanting to leave me.
Sapphire sat down next to me again. She reached for my hand.
“Mrs. McKnight,” I said.
“If we’re going to be friends,” she interrupted with her hand up in the universal ‘stop’ gesture, “I’d like you to drop this Mrs. McKnight bit. Please, call me Sapphire.”
I smiled.
“Sapphire,” I started again. “That wasn’t your fault, and I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Bristol, it wasn’t your fault either. Have you talked to anyone about how your parents treated you?”
I shook my head.
“My mother never hit me again. Or before either. That was the one and only time. They never got that upset again. Mostly, they were indifferent towards me after that. I probably could have gotten in a ton of trouble if I had wanted to, but there was always some spirit hanging around telling me to do the right thing.”
She leaned in and hugged me.
“I don’t want my uncle to know,” I confessed. “There’s nothing that can be done now.”
“Of course there is,” Sapphire told me. “Talking can help.”
I just shook my head.
“I want to concentrate on Seth. He’s what matters now. I’m fine.”
Sapphire nodded.
“May I ask one more question? Did you ever get a pet of any sort?”
I smiled and reached for my cell phone. Flipping through the photos, I showed Sapphire a single picture.
“It took me a few years,” I said. “But my mother and father said if I could save enough of my allowance to buy a hamster, and the tank, and everything I needed, they’d let me get one. By the time I saved enough, I was almost thirteen. He’s my oldest friend. His name is Ricky.”
I felt the last bits of tension fade as the room was filled with the sound of Sapphire’s laughter.
Chapter Six
Place Your Bets
“So,” Uncle Mark said as we were driving home alone. “You want to tell me what happened?”
I started to say no. I wanted to say no. But I also wanted to admit that something was wrong.
“Bristol,” my uncle urged, pulling into the parking lot of a nearby mall so he could look at me. “Talk to me.”
I sighed, and decided it was time.
“Let’s face it,” I said. “I’ve been nothing but trouble since I got here. It’s been a little over a year. Zack was nearly paralyzed, and Simon was nearly blown up. You managed to have a fairly normal home before I arrived. And now, on top of all of that, we’re trying to save a little boy who you have no reason to believe exists. I didn’t want to hand you anything else. I mean, I’ve made peace with the fact that my parents didn’t love me, but I just...”
Uncle Mark waited a moment before interrupting me.
“Just what?”
I shrugged again.
“I just can’t understand,” I said. “I thought I was over this. When I first came here, I was afraid.”
“Why were you afraid?”
“My parents didn’t really know about my abilities. The one time they had the chance to learn, they made it clear they didn’t want to know. After that, they didn’t care. I could have done whatever I wanted - stayed out late, started to drink or smoke, or done things with boys that you don’t want to even think about.”
“But you didn’t,” he said. “You’re too smart for that.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Part of the reason I didn’t was because I was helping so many spirits to move on, but many of them helped me too. Ghosts stay in this world for a reason.
“Look at Barry,” I continued. “The clown who told us about Seth. He didn’t move on because he felt Seth needed him. Sometimes other ghosts knew I needed someone. They’d talk to me about being safe and not doing stupid things, and waiting for someone who would treat me the way I deserved to be treated. I never wanted to disappoint them, and some of them wouldn’t move on until I promised I’d be good to myself.”
“Well,” Uncle Mark began, “It sounds like they gave you the guidance and attention you needed, but they weren’t a replacement for a family. In a family, you’re supposed to count on the same people being there for you day after day, no matter what. I want you to know that you have that now. I’m here for you.”
“I know you are,” I told him. “Living with you and the boys and even Grandpa has been more of a home to me than New York City ever was. I guess I’m still just worried that you’d only see me as a freak.”
“Hey,” Uncle Mark said, as he dried the tears that I hadn’t even realized I had cried. “Never.”
“Okay,” I said. “I don’t get it, but okay.”
Uncle Mark sighed and blew out a breath.
“You will,” he said. “When you have your own children, you’ll realize that nothing comes before them. I think you get it now. With the boys. I think, even though you’ve never met him, with Seth.”
He was right.
“I’m alright,” I promised him. “I swear. I’m glad we talked.”
“Good,” he said. “But I think I should tell you – that memory doesn’t quite mesh with the memories I have of my brother. He loved you, and so did your mom. They were thrilled when they found out they were pregnant, and when you were born, they were beyond ecstatic. Of course, they were so surprised you were a girl. That’s why they left. They were convinced it meant the curse had passed you over. All they cared about was protecting you. We’d talk here and there. I tried to keep in contact with them. Keep tabs on them and you. Whenever I talked to Drew or Jen, they seemed like the same people I’d always known. At least for a while. They just changed one day. They never called again and when I called, they didn’t have much to say. I don’t know what changed.”
I thought about what he said. It reminded me of what Ian had told me about his studies about the Blackburns and McKnights that had left Spirit. Often, it changed them.
“When was that?” I asked. “Can you remember?”
Uncle Mark rubbed his chin as he attempted to recall the memory.
“Best I can remember, it was just around the time Eve was pregnant with Zack.”
I did the math in my head.
“I would have been about eight,” I said. “That’s when I remember things changing, too. Today, when Sapphire brought me back, I realized something. It was such a shock to me. The way they reacted. The way they treated me. It didn’t match the way they had been. It was my new life, but it hadn’t been my life up until that moment. When they were faced with the fact that I was...different.”
We both thought about that for a few moments, but there didn’t seem to be much to add.
“Shouldn’t we be heading home?” I said.
“We’ve got some time,” Uncle Mark said. “C’mon. There’s a dinner in there that makes amazing milkshakes. Let me buy you one.”
We both got out and start
ed to walk to the mall.
“Um,” Uncle Mark said. “About what you said about waiting until it was with the right guy...”
I laughed.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Payne’s the right guy, but it’s not the right time yet.”
“Okay,” he said. I don’t know if I’d ever heard him sound so relieved. “Hey, there’s a pet store right across from the diner in there. Let’s get some hamster treats for Ricky, and then you’re driving home.”
I laughed.
Journal of Bristol Blackburn
It’s been nearly a week since I’ve talked to Sapphire. We still haven’t found Seth, although my uncle insists they’re getting closer. I hope he’s right. I can’t stop thinking about Seth.
In the meantime, I’ve started to have a few new visions, none of which make any sense. They’re all of Payne, but they keep shifting and changing. It’s like a vision of the future that changes before it’s even begun. In them, it doesn’t seem like Payne is in distress. They’re just confusing.
I think maybe I’m just so worried about Seth that I’m short circuiting. Yeah, that’s it. Makes perfect sense.
Whatever. I have other things to deal with. Starting with Friday night...
“Why are we here?” Maggie asked. “Why aren’t we at Frank’s? We go to Frank’s.”
“Uncle Mark brought me here,” I explained. “They make great milkshakes.”
Maggie eyed me suspiciously.
“They better,” She said. “My snuggle bunny likes Frank’s onion rings.”
I snuck a glance at Toby, who towered over Maggie. He was turning bright pink.
“Tell snuggle bunny that it’s good to try new places,” Payne replied in a matter-of-fact voice. “And new onion rings.”
“Right,” I agreed. “Besides, this works better for my plan. Are we all clear on my plan?”
Hunter rolled her eyes.
“Yes,” she said. “Since Archer has moved into Ian’s apartment, it makes sense that they’ll come in one car. What’s your friend’s name again?”
“Cassie,” I said. “Doolittle. From lab.”
“Right,” Hunter said. “Well, Cassie is going to meet us here. It’s a whole group, so it won’t seem like a setup. I’ll make eyes at Ian. Assuming he doesn’t faint, we’ll skip off together.”
Vision of Sacrifices Page 7
