by J. S. Malcom
“Probably not,” Jerome admits.
Gloria's attention shifts to the items on the table. “Is that my necklace?”
Jerome glances down sheepishly. “Um, it might be.”
Gloria frowns. “What's going on here? Where did you get my necklace?”
Jerome’s face turns red, and I can guess why. “Well, I bought it at a... charity event. Someone donated it.” He tries to keep things moving to avoid more possible awkwardness. “Oh, and we’re witches. We used your necklace to try a reverse medium spell.”
“Witches,” Gloria says. “Actual witches?”
“Right, the kind that use magic,” Jerome says.
I don’t know if he intended it as a ploy, but the change in subject seems to have worked, since they’ve moved past discussing how Gloria’s personal belongings ended up at a parking lot fundraiser.
Gloria asks, “What’s a reverse medium spell?”
“It’s supposed to attract mediums that are, well, on the other side,” Jerome says. “It appears to have worked. I mean, assuming you’re an actual medium and not a, well, medium who can’t actually medium.” Yes, his face is beet red now, although somewhat deservedly. A medium who can’t medium? Seriously?
All the same, Gloria appears to take his meaning in stride. “I’m an actual medium,” she says. “So, yes, your spell appears to work. How can I help you?”
Jerome fidgets nervously. “Um...”
Oh, my God, this is killing me. Typical Jerome and Bobby to mess with magic for no good reason. They’re like big toddlers who can bend the laws of physics.
Thankfully, Wendy comes to Jerome’s rescue. “We were curious to know how it works. Why would people on the other side need a medium? Can’t you just, like, come here and look around? I always thought you guys could do that.”
Gloria shakes her head. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, dear. You’re confusing earth-bound spirits with those waiting in-between. Add to that, there are multiple dimensions where we now reside, some interacting and others not. From your perspective, that must sound terribly complicated, but it feels quite natural here.”
“I don’t get it,” Lissette says. “Why would dead people—I’m sorry, people in the in-between—need a psychic?”
Gloria shrugs. “For the same reason they do in your realm. For guidance, to help them make decisions. And, sometimes, because they’re worried about those they left behind. Believe me, it’s not like we’ve forgotten how difficult life can be.”
Gloria’s comment has the same effect on all of us, since we all mull that one over for a moment. Jerome is the first to speak up, probably because he feels obligated. Which he should. “Thank you for coming, Gloria. Like Wendy said, we were just curious. I hope we didn’t cause you or”—he gestures to where her companions remain milling about in the back yard—“your friends any inconvenience.”
“None at all,” Gloria says. “This has been interesting. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that things that might seem completely random, often aren’t at all. For example, you felt the need to perform a reverse medium spell. What if there’s a reason for that?”
Anna perches forward. “Like Jerome said, we were just—”
Gloria nods. “Oh, I heard your friend. And I’m sure you thought you were just curious. But what if the timing involved more than mere curiosity? Because, I keep picking up on something here.”
Oh, shit.
Slowly, Gloria starts looking around the table again, but I have a pretty good idea where her attention is going to land.
“And the feeling I keep getting,” Gloria says, “is different from anything I’ve picked up on before, here or in your physical realm. One of you is different. Very different.”
Yep, here it comes. Gloria finishes her round of psychic inspection and, sure enough, locks her eyes on mine again.
“And, as I said before, there are realms you know about, and others you don’t. There’s a reason for that. A very good reason. Because there are some places that humans—or even those, I dare say, who are more than human—should be very careful about visiting. You have to be careful where you go. Very, very careful.”
As she finishes speaking, it’s more than clear that Gloria is talking to me, and to me alone.
CHAPTER 2
Not surprisingly, a silence follows Gloria’s departure as all eyes remain glued to me. In a life full of strange moments, I suspect this one will still manage to stand out.
“Wow, that was weird,” I say. “What was that?”
Of course, it’s a question posed rhetorically, and not one I intend to further explore. At least, not out loud. Instead, I’m just going to let that one simmer for now and see if the pot of crazy keeps bubbling until it boils over.
The thing is, it’s not like I can’t see part way through the fog of what Gloria just said. Some of it made no sense at all, of course. That part about being more than human, in particular. Then again, aren’t all witches in a way more than a human? My guess is that Gloria was simply reacting to the effect we veil witches have on ghosts. Okay, technically she wasn’t a ghost. But she was still a being from a different dimension visiting the one I’m supernaturally programmed to protect. It stands to reason she’d feel a little rattled being around me. If she didn’t, it would be like a cat failing to notice a staring Doberman. Not that she elicited my attack mode, but that dynamic could still have been present on a subconscious level.
The other part, though, about visiting realms best avoided. Yeah, that part she pretty much nailed. What the hell? She must be one kick-ass psychic to have picked up on that. Definitely impressive.
I do a fake yawn that probably seems totally obvious. I’m a shitty actor. “Well, it’s been a long day,” I say. “I should probably hit it.”
“Okay, cool,” Anna says.
“Thanks for coming,” Lissette says.
Wendy, Bobby and Jerome all chime in too, although somewhat distractedly. I have no doubt that they’ll be talking about me as soon as I leave. Not that I blame them. Who wouldn’t be curious? The thing is, I haven't told them about what happened with Grayson, or what happened with Julia, or what I know so far. How can I, when I know next to nothing? Maybe I should tell them. Should I? I just don’t know, so I make my exit.
I tell myself that I should go up to my apartment and at least try getting some rest. Maybe give in and call Autumn to discuss things with her. But talking isn't going to make any difference, and prowling is what I do when I'm troubled. In the past, I've tracked down demons and vampires that way, and maybe that's exactly what I need right now to blow off some supernatural steam.
So, I head downstairs and out into the street just as a light rain starts to fall. I resume my hunt, with no idea of where to look, once again prepared to find nothing as I've done each day and night. But this time I barely reach the end of the block before I suddenly stop, drawing in a quick breath at what I see. The air before me ripples, like heatwaves rising from the road on this cool November night. I close my eyes, and then look again, but there’s no doubt that it’s what I’ve come to think of as “the shimmer,” that diaphanous seam between realms. Except there’s no way this can be happening. I’ve searched for days, walked for miles and repeatedly returned to the places I’ve encountered it before. Now, it waits just outside my building?
Too much of a coincidence to be trusted? Definitely. Although, part of me wonders if somehow, just somehow, Gloria’s psychic observation connected me again to this phenomenon. If that’s the case, is it me that makes it happen? No, it can’t be. If I could make the shimmer appear, I would have by now.
Should I ignore it and try again tomorrow? Same answer. Definitely. Only a fool would plunge in when she’s this tired and confused. But then there’s Julia, isn’t there? The person who kept me from becoming a ghost when my body was taken. I can’t just ignore what I see and go back home, not when I've finally found it again. Even if I did, it’s not like I’d sleep. I’d be torture
d with guilt for my inaction.
I reach out and the air undulates at my touch, that invisible curtain parting, this time allowing light to seep through to where I stand in the dark street. There’s no point in testing again, or thinking about it more. I already know what I’m going to do. So I brace myself for whatever that realm holds for me next. Then I part the seam once more and step through.
CHAPTER 3
Once again, I stand at the edge of the dead forest, flanked by trees of unearthly colors. A dusting of white covers the ground, and snowflakes swirl down through the air. Like the other times, I'm slightly chilly but not cold, even though I wear just the jeans and sweatshirt I threw on to play cards with my friends. I'd guess it to be sixty degrees, in the mid-fifties at the least. Which makes no sense, I realize, as does the fact that it was night in the place I just left but it’s barely twilight here. But what about this makes sense? Nothing, obviously.
I make my way to the tree line and stare out across the vast expanse. The city I saw last time at night, with its spires and lights glittering like icy jewels, now rises like an island in a dead white sea. I try to gauge the distance between where I stand and that skyline. It seems impossibly far, a world away, but in reality it might be just a few miles, the distance exaggerated by fear and the desolation surrounding me.
Is Julia somewhere over there? My thudding heart says yes, she's there. As is Ellie, having been dragged back by those men pursuing her. Once again, I wonder what it was that first brought me here. Was it because Autumn and I already knew what was going on? We’d read about those kids whose parents claimed they’d been replaced, who said their real children had been somehow taken. On some unconscious level, had the veil witch in me already started exploring her options to help? But if that’s the case, why not Autumn too?
There's something more, though, isn't there? It’s not like I’ve forgotten what Grayson said, those words that keep echoing through my mind, their meaning remaining maddeningly elusive. We’re talking about something much larger than you can imagine. You’re part of it. Make no mistake about that.
I check the violet-tinged sky, to find it empty except for a few stray clouds. A speckle of dim stars is just starting to show. I start walking, slowly at first, looking around to be sure. No, I’m definitely alone and there’s nothing in the sky. No planes, no helicopters, and definitely no dragons. Besides, I tell myself, if there really was a dragon, it’s not like it would be here waiting for me again. Right? I mean, dragons must have better things to do.
I gradually increase my pace, to where I'm jogging, and then running. I keep thinking the same thing over and over, that I just need to get to the city. Maybe I'll find some clues, or someone who can help. A desperate plan, one that's completely unrealistic. But maybe, at the very least, I can discover some way of coming and going that doesn't leave me each time in the middle of nowhere.
The city grows more visible by the minute, despite the waning light. The buildings take on definition, some sleek mirrors reflecting the sky, others tiered in levels showing what look like balconies, much like our own office and apartment buildings. See? It's not so different, I tell myself. It's just a city full of people, some bad but most probably good. I just need to get there.
I’m maybe halfway across when I hear it again, that thumping against the sky. Oh, come on! This just can’t be happening. Looking up proves me wrong. The creature approaches from out of the sunset, at first obscured in that golden pink glare. Soon, it takes on form, streaking toward me with its great wings spread upon the air.
Instinctively, I swerve and run back toward the trees, although I'm not sure if that makes sense. Which side is closer now? I just can't say, and it’s too late to change my mind. My vision blurs as sweat runs down my face, my heart racing as I sprint full-bore, pumping my legs with everything I have.
A shadow looms in my peripheral vision as the dragon sweeps in low, and only then do I realize I'm not out here alone. Another figure dashes across the wasteland, a young man running much faster than me. He has long, powerful legs, his strides probably twice the distance of my own. Still, he doesn't have a chance of escaping, and it's not the dragon alone chasing him. Like Ellie last time, he's being pursued by men on horseback. I can't tell if it's the same men, but all of them have that white-blonde hair. I don't spot the dark-haired one this time, as they charge after their prey, seeming completely unafraid of the dragon soaring above their heads. Somehow, they must control the creature. What other explanation can there be?
I don't know if I've been seen, but I can't worry about that now. Nor can I do anything to help that other poor soul. All I can do is pour my remaining strength into my sprint toward the forest. I don't dare to look back again, even as a screeching roar sounds against the sky. My hair blows over my face from a sudden gust caused by massive wings. I sweep it out of my eyes to keep from stumbling as I crash through the trees, ignoring the sting of lashing branches and holding my hands out to protect my face. I keep going for as long as I can, trying to stay hidden within the thicket. Finally, I have to stop.
I want to drop to my knees, or collapse to the ground. Instead I bend over and suck air into my lungs, my head dizzy and my legs trembling. My sweat drips into the snow as my heart pounds in my ears. I don't know how long I remain that way. A minute? Twenty? Time seems to have lost all meaning, and moving seems all but impossible.
Then suddenly my head jerks up, my attention caught by rustling branches as a figure darts through the trees. Not toward me, thank God, but away. My thoughts go to the one I saw running across the wasteland, but it can't be him. There's no way he escaped.
Then I see him again, male definitely, wearing jeans and a hoodie pulled up to cover his head. My mind flashes back to when I was last yanked from this realm to find myself facing vampires. It has to be him, the same one who grabbed hold of me last time. It can’t be just a coincidence, unless this forest is full of people darting around wearing hoodies.
“Hey!” I regret calling out immediately. The last thing I need is to attract attention.
I run in that same direction, soon seeing him again. Just another quick glimpse as he leaps across a creek. I have no idea where I am now in relation to where I entered this realm. It could be yards away, or it could be miles.
Then I see him again, as he stops and turns toward me. I catch a quick flash of pale skin, curly brown hair and thick eyebrows. Then he turns to run. Who is he and what is he doing here? I keep running, even as it occurs to me that I might be doing exactly what he wants, that I might even be running into a trap.
And it's with that thought that I run headlong toward a pocket of rippling air. It’s too late to stop, and I spill back out onto a city street, my arms wind-milling until I manage to stop. It's nighttime and raining hard, the air cold and blustery. A bus zooms past and I jump back to the curb, diesel exhaust stinging my nose. I'm home, of that I have no doubt, and I watch as a hooded figure keeps running until he disappears into darkness.
CHAPTER 4
It starts to rain as I trudge through the night, but I don’t mind. Not even as my sweatshirt soaks through, or when I plunge my foot into a puddle. That water, running through my hair and down my face, reminds me that I’m both home and alive. But what now? Each time I return to that realm, things seem to get worse. I keep getting closer to being killed, and in that realm it wouldn't surprise me if I could be killed, despite being temporarily invulnerable on this side. There’s just no way to be sure. If Julia and the others are in that city somewhere, how can I help them? So far, I haven't managed to find a way of even getting close to where they might be held.
I look around, trying to get my bearings. It looks like, this time, the other realm spat me out about four miles from home. I'm up on West Franklin, not far from the university and pretty close to where Autumn lives. Maybe I should just show up at her door, soaking wet in the middle of the night, and ask for a ride. Yo, Sis, how’s it going? I was just in the neighborhood so… Yeah,
nothing suspicious there. I decide to keep walking.
I'm in a neighborhood full of old brick buildings. Townhouses, most of them, hunkered close together with tiny front yards and wrought iron fences. Although, one holds a business on the bottom floor, maybe a convenience store or possibly a bakery. It’s hard to tell with the lights turned off. Damn, what I’d give for it to be open so I could grab a bottle of water. My throat is completely dry, sore as hell from gasping as I ran. But the place is closed, obviously, and I’m almost upon it before I notice a figure sitting hunched in the doorway. No, I’m not afraid. Almost nothing could scare me, not after what I just experienced. Definitely not some old homeless guy trying to stay dry.
I slow down as I get closer, but he doesn’t look up. He must be asleep, cold and alone out here in the night. I fish in my pockets, finding a few crumpled bills and a couple of coins. I can make it home without money. At least I have a home to go to. I stop in front of him and speak softly. “Excuse me?”
He doesn’t move or look up. His head stays lowered, his chin resting on his chest.
I step closer and try again. “Excuse me, sir?”
When he still doesn’t look up, I decide to leave the money beside him. Hopefully, he’ll find it when he wakes up. I go to where he sits and crouch next to him, but something’s not right. He’s too still, and I don’t hear him breathing. I nudge his shoulder and speak softly. “Hey, are you okay?”
He slides down, and then topples onto his side. I jump back, dropping bills and coins to the ground. I raise one hand to my open mouth, while raking the other through my hair. Oh, my God, he must be—
I grab my phone to call someone, and then stop as shock ripples through me. It can’t be him. It has to be the dark fooling my eyes, my mind playing tricks on me. Still, I force myself to step closer. I crouch beside him again, this time using my phone to light up his face. I gasp as my eyes go wide.
