by Kim Cormack
His granny looked straight at her and said, “Sorry, dear, no ghosts allowed. You will need to wait in the car. If I let one of you in, it will turn into Grand Central Station around here.”
Granny Winnie was reasonably polite to Chloe considering their prior relationship in life, acting like it was no big deal that Kevin had the ghost of his girlfriend’s dead twin sister coming for a car ride and a visit. Granny Winnie then shut the door in Chloe’s face with a giant fake smile. There it was. Kevin almost let a chuckle escape. It had been bouncing around his belly like a time bomb of hilarity since he had pulled up at his granny’s. Granny Winnie and Chloe had always had a strange love-hate relationship. Well, in all honesty he thought it was mostly hate. He snapped back into the serious conversation that he was supposed to be having with his grandmother.
“I prepared an area for us to speak freely, Kevin,” she said, signaling him into the circle of stones and what looked like salt. His grandmother took out a deck of tarot cards. She flipped five over. “I know everything, so let’s just cut to the chase shall we. You need to let your abilities guide your actions. In the beginning it’s hard to just let go. Being a psychic is like blindly jumping from a plane. You feel like you have a parachute on, but you have no idea whether or not it will open. Usually a psychic has years to develop their skills. You need to surrender to them completely right now or you stand absolutely no chance of seeing your next birthday. I can do little to help you.”
Granny took his hand, turning it over she could see the faint symbol of Ankh. “First and foremost, thank God for Kayn. This may sound strange, but at least you’re protected by a good clan.” She ran her hand over the symbol. “There have been a lot of accidents in my circle lately—strange accidents; we are not fools, we know what is going on of course. That’s one of the perks of having the ability to see clearly, as we do,” his granny spoke sweetly. “That Triad clan has been sniffing around here for a while.” Granny Winnie poured some tea for herself, motioning to Kevin to see if he wanted some. “Do you have something else you need to discuss?” Something stirred in his grandmother’s eyes telling Kevin that she already knew the answer.
“I had a dream last night; someone said that I was going to die,” Kevin said his voice cracking.
“We are all going to die, Kevin,” Stroking his hand, she whispered, “Trust in your clan; you will never truly die.”
“So I’m really going to die?” Kevin whispered back feeling his heart race.
“Death is just a word. It’s a human word—a term meaning absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. Let me explain something to you. The symbol on your hand is the symbol of Ankh. You are now of service to the clan as an oracle, which is why you need your abilities to become triggered early. They are most commonly triggered by death, or a near death experience. So dying or almost dying will help you achieve proper Second Tier status, and improve your psychic ability.” Granny explained calmly as if death were simply no big deal. “You need not fear death for you are now a member of a clan which includes healers. There will be someone to bring you back from whatever fate befalls you, Kevin.”
Granny Winnie spoke softly to Kevin as if she knew that his mind had to grasp so much that he might need to be tippy-toed around. “Trust in your clan as I trust in my circle and you will always be protected Kevin … I promise.” Granny continued to speak gently. “The dreams that you are beginning to have, along with Chloe sitting in your car, are wonderful signs that your gift was lying dormant underneath the surface, waiting to be triggered. I have known the date of my mortal death for over thirty years now. I even know the violent graphic details. I am going to die, and I am not afraid. I go on to do great things after my death. My death is only the beginning of a new stage in my existence.”
Kevin just listened to his grandmother’s words although he had a hard time with the confirmation of his impending death. He was beginning to open up to the possibility that it did not mean it was the end for him.
“It’s a great honor to be taken into one of the three clans; you will have a front row seat for all that is to come,” she said quietly. Granny paused for a second and then continued to speak, “You will save many second tiers in the future. The powers that be have been erasing tainted family lines for a thousand years. They have been attempting to stop the human race from evolving. The extremely powerful adults that manage to escape the correction process are eventually found by the Abaddon. The gifted ones never make it through childhood without being slated for correction. The young do not know they need to hide. Power is a seductive playmate for a child. Your purpose right now is to train with the Ankh. You need their protection, until your eighteenth birthday, from the legion of Abaddon. Once you reach the age of eighteen, your soul becomes sealed to your clan. You can be stolen by the other clans as well as the Legion of Abaddon until you reach that age. Your purpose after you reach the age of eighteen will be to achieve enlightenment. Some of you will not acquire your full potential until your Testing. There will be a test at the end. You will have to show what you have learned. You will have to prove your worth. I know that it’s a lot to take in. Trust me. You just need to listen carefully and absorb it all,” his Granny stated.
“Once every thousand years or so, Kevin, a spiritual mix-up happens and a Conduit is formed. Kayn is a receiving vessel for abilities, good and bad. She’s like a magnet of sorts. Kayn has to survive and not only survive, but she has to stay the good person that she is right now. Kayn must remain with Ankh. This is the most important thing. Kayn remains with Ankh.”
“Won’t you get in trouble for telling me this?” Kevin said. He suddenly had the feeling that something more was going on here.
“We are protected in this circle. Psychics are allowed to share the rules with other physics so if anyone asks, I was simply telling you the rules,” Granny said softly. “I am also willing my abilities to you today, Kevin.” Granny took off her necklace, a multicolored stone that had hung around her neck as long as he could remember. She rose from her seat and walked toward her grandson holding the stone in her outstretched hands. “You need to put this on. Do not take it off, not even to shower.”
“No, I can’t. What if you need your abilities?” Kevin said, shaking his head in disbelief, his eyes tearing up as he took the stone from her shaking hands.
“Kevin, I will have them until I pass on. This necklace will simply make you the receiver of them when I am gone,” his grandmother said with peaceful acceptance. “Pay attention now, child. You have a lot to learn and I have little time to teach you.” Granny calmly began to tell him some simple rules. “A good psychic knows all but tells some. Always hold back because you will discover that people do not really want to know the bad things that are coming. If you tell too much, you may find a mortal that you have told something sensitive to, corrected; always keep that in the back of your mind, Kevin. Kayn is a vessel, a very important vessel. You are the tether that will keep Kayn in charge and not Chloe. I know that you do not want to lose Kayn. You can’t worry about this, Kevin. The souls must combine. Kayn needs the strength of both good and evil in order to survive. Try to keep Kayn in charge. They are like the opposite ends of a battery; Kayn receives good, and Chloe receives evil.”
“Chloe isn’t evil, Granny, she is just Chloe,” Kevin spoke out in her defense. After all she was sitting in the car waiting for him.
“Evil is a strong word. Chloe’s half is very dark; Kayn’s half has always been light. You will understand soon enough because you will start to see it in everyone you pass. You will know who to trust simply by the immediate feeling that you get. If you end up with even half of my abilities, you will be a huge asset to the clan.” Granny laid her hand on Kevin’s shoulder as she spoke. They embraced, got up, and went out the front door
Chloe was still waiting in the car.
“You’re really going to make me sit in the backseat, young lady?” Granny Winnie asked sweetly.
“Oh, all right
,” Chloe grumbled and appeared in the back seat pouting a little.
Kevin looked in his rearview mirror at Chloe’s smiling face as she said, “Are we going to pick up Kayn now?”
“Actually, I was thinking that I would drop you two off at my parents. You can have a chat about the afterlife and I will go get Kayn by myself,” Kevin teased, feeling a little awkward about the emotional conversation he’d had a few hours ago with his girlfriend’s dead sister. She had told him she was looking forward to being with him. This whole situation was messed up. He didn’t want to spring talking to Chloe on Kayn at a family dinner. This was all so weird. Nothing really made it sound better.
“So we are agreed I will drop you guys off first and come back for you later then,” Kevin stated.
“I guess so. If she’s going to promise to be nice to me, I will stick around,” Chloe replied pointing her finger menacingly at Granny Winnie.
“Granny can you at least make an attempt to be nice to Chloe?” Kevin questioned, raising his eyebrows in her direction.
“I am always nice,” Granny Winnie pouted and glared at Chloe.
“Like hell you are, you old bat,” Chloe huffed, folding her arms, pouting as dramatically as the elderly lady in the front seat.
“You know what, young lady … you’re dead. If I want to I can simply ignore you. So unless you want the silent treatment from the one person who can break up your time in limbo, you little hussy, I suggest that you find some respect for the elderly,” Granny retaliated her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“It takes one to know one, you menthol reeking, snaggle-toothed, aging cougar,” Chloe slammed back.
It was at that moment that Kevin realized that he had them all wrong; they liked each other. They were both smiling. He had the distinct feeling that they had missed the verbal warfare they participated in every time they crossed paths. Kevin pulled up in front of his parents’ house.
“Listen, Granny, you know that nobody else can see Chloe so unless you want to find yourself booked into the psych ward by Mom and Dad, you need to simmer down.”
“You,” he said to Chloe. “There are ways of making you have to wait outside.” Kevin hopped out and opened his Granny’s door.
“I’ll behave,” Granny replied sweetly with an innocent smile.
Kevin stood there waiting for Chloe to follow Granny into the house; she wasn’t budging. “Get out of the car, Chloe. You’re not coming with me,” Kevin said sweetly.
“Never threaten me, Kevin,” Chloe pouted and sat there with her arms folded across her chest stubbornly.
“I’m sorry; now please get out of the car, Chloe,” Kevin spoke, still maintaining his patience.
“Aren’t you going to open my door, too?” Chloe said stubbornly.
“Seriously, Chloe?” Kevin stated and opened her door. She hopped out, smiling at him.
“I would get inside of that house quickly, if I were you, before Granny Winnie surrounds it with salt.”
Chloe did her infamous pageant smile and said, “Go get Candy Kayn. Even if I just get to watch it’s going to be so much fun being a fly on the wall for one of these dinners that I was never invited to.”
“I honestly never thought that you would come,” Kevin stated feeling a slight pang of guilt, which was quickly snuffed out by Chloe adding flippantly, “Probably not.”
He watched her walk toward the house and straight through the closed front door. “Bitch,” he said as he shook his head, laughing at her for making him open the car door. Kevin had missed her and it wasn’t just siren Chloe that he had missed; it was every fake smiling inch of her. He shook his head and laughed the entire drive to Kayn’s house, wondering what was going on with Granny and Chloe because he knew that Chloe would be going out of her way to piss Granny Winnie off.
So, I’m actually a psychic now, Kevin thought. Kevin was a dead people seeing, scary dreaming psychic. Hopping out of the car at Kayn’s house he walked up the rocky driveway path thinking, They really should pave this someday.
Jenkins, all dressed in uniform, answered the knock on the door, “Hey Kevy, I’m on my way to work. Take care of our girl.” He pushed passed him to his partner’s car on the street.
Sure, Kevin thought, we are just going to have dinner with my psychic Granny and Kayn’s dead twin sister. I saw her earlier; looks fantastic. Kevin said instead, “Always,” and went inside the house, shut the door, and yelled, “Ready Kayn, Matt?”
~
It had been a very unusual afternoon in Kayn’s little place in the universe. She had received a few texts from Jesse which had made her feel a little guilty. She should have texted him back right away and said she was in a relationship with Kevin. She had forgotten to clarify the situation. He wasn’t stupid though. He had seen them together. Boys had never bothered to chase her in the past. It was flattering. They never contacted her for any reason other than her twin sister. She put on a bit of sparkling lip gloss and took a good look at herself in the mirror. Was it wrong to want to feel desirable? She had always been strong and funny. Why couldn’t she be a little bit of everything? She heard Kevin call for her.
She hollered back at Kevin, “Yes, just a second. I’m in the bathroom, and Matt is already at your house.” Kayn padded down the hallway and descended the stairs. She knew nobody was home, and she jumped right into his arms at the bottom of the stairs.
Kevin said, “If we didn’t have the family dinner from hell waiting for us at my house, I would throw you over my shoulder and take you upstairs right now.” Kevin grabbed her hand and led her out of the house. She locked the door, and he began to tow her to the car. He said, “To make a long story short, I had a bad dream, a strange, scary, yet kind of sexy car ride with your dead sister, then went to Granny’s and she gave me some ominous warnings. You are the Conduit. We’ll look that up later. Then Granny and Chloe argued in the car all the way to my parents’ house. I dropped them off together. So by now I am pretty sure that they think Granny’s gone completely insane. Did you catch all of that?” Kevin took a deep breath awaiting her answer. Kayn didn’t flinch. It was a sad sign that everything strange was now completely normal.
Kayn began to laugh and said, “So, you own your physic gifts now … congratulations.”
“Yay … congratulations to me,” Kevin grumbled.
Kayn spoke again. “Is Chloe really there at your house? How does she look?”
“At first she looked like an escapee from The Night of the Living Dead. Then she got all hot, and flirty just as she was when she was alive,” Kevin said.
Kayn smiled wryly and added, “Does my dead sister still make you horny, Kevin?”
“Sadly … yes,” Kevin cautiously stated, for it was a plain and simple fact. “It’s like she still has her voodoo powers or something, although she’s less effective as a walking corpse. When she changed to hot Chloe it was back on.”
“Necrophilia is totally where I draw the line of understanding, Kevin, just putting that out there,” Kayn teased. She leaned in and kissed him, her line was drawn in the sand.
Kevin pulled his car up to the curb in front of the Smith house, looking visibly disturbed. “I have a bad feeling about this.” They both hopped out and ran up the driveway towards the front door.
They could hear Granny’s melt down from the road. Flinging open the front door Kayn could hear the conversation in detail. Granny was openly arguing with Chloe. That wasn’t good.
She grabbed a bun off the table and flung it at an empty seat, “You smelly little wench—you smell like a thousand farts. Did you know that?”
Wow, Kayn thought, smiling as she noticed that the rest of his family was trying to ignore Granny, who was drinking red wine quite heavily. Kayn thought, good cover—a crazy old drunk lady, instead of just insane.
Granny screeched again, “Ghosts smell like sulfur, like a nasty gassy fart, a gross nasty smelly cheese and feet fart.”
“How drunk was she when you dropped her off today? We
could have used a warning or something,” Clay leaned over and whispered to Kevin.
“Sorry, man, she was shit-faced when I got there, and I wasn’t sure what to do,” Kevin answered innocently.
“She hasn’t been this drunk in years. She is insulting and swearing at people who aren’t even there,” Kevin’s mother whispered, looking a little worried.
Kayn smiled, and she remembered Kevin telling her about his mother’s tales about Granny’s drunken rants. Kayn and Kevin understood now that she had never been a drunk; she just had been accosted by spirits on a regular basis. Kayn glanced at Kevin. It was easier to let them think Granny was hammered than to attempt explaining things they would never believe. If Kevin’s family caught on, they would be killed just like Kayn’s family. Kayn stood up walked around the table and sat in the empty seat that Chloe had obviously been sitting in. In Granny’s ear, Kayn whispered, “They think you’re drunk. I say just go with it.”
Granny hissed, “I am not drunk, I never have been. I am just being harassed by dead people—very smelly, bitchy, dead people.” Granny grimaced as a bun hit her in the forehead from out of nowhere. She picked up a bun in retaliation and stood up screeching, “Show yourself you skanky whore bag.”
Everyone’s eyes widened like saucers then suddenly the room erupted with laughter and Clay yelled, “She’s over here!” He pointed at Matt.
Granny wound up and rifled a bun right at Matt’s head as he looked down at his plate. Poor Matty was making an attempt to pretend that everyone had not gone nutty at the Smith house. His sense of humor sparked when the bun hit him in the head and knocked over his wine.
“That’s it, Granny; it’s on.” Matt wound up and winged a bun at Granny’s head.
Granny Winnie snapped back to reality and said, “Oh, yes, young man, it’s on.” She picked up a handful of Brussels sprouts and threw them across the table at him.
Matt ducked, and they landed on Kevin’s dad’s dinner plate and knocked over his wine.
