“That was a moment we had. That was a happy moment. The first really good moment I’ve had since I realized I lost my husband in an accident and then my best friend because I chose to come here. I’m sorry, too, Abe. For thinking you were a nice guy. But if you won’t even try… Good night, Abe.” Ariana closed her eyes, cutting his view into her soul, and she pushed the elevator button.
CHAPTER 21
A hot bath was just what Ariana needed. She would just wash the stress down the drain.
She put her hair up in a clippie, left her clothes in a heap on the floor and got in the oversized Jacuzzi while the water was still running. The tub had a built-in headrest, perfect for laying back and relaxing without getting a cramp in her neck.
She laid back and, when the water was deep enough, she turned the faucet off with her toes and pushed the button to get the jets going. The voices were still going through her head, but they weren’t as loud, for some reason. Maybe when she used her power earlier to make fire and water, it took enough magic out of her to dull the mind reading thing. She did feel tired, like she didn’t have any energy.
As she laid there in the tub, soaking, her mind couldn’t help but go back over the choices she’d made. It settled on her best friend, Janie.
Ariana closed her eyes and said in a soft whisper, “Take me to Janie’s dreams.”
She really didn’t think anything would happen, but her heart rate slowed down and everything went black. She tried to open her eyes, but there was nothing. She could see nothing. She could hear a heartbeat, hers or someone else’s; she wasn’t sure. And then her surroundings began to grow brighter. It was Mel’s Bar and Grill. Janie was taping something to the door. Ariana realized there were stacks and stacks of flyers with her picture and HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL? in large bold letters on them. Janie had already stuck eight flyers on that one door. A little extreme, Janie, don’t you think? Ariana thought. When Janie turned to stick flyers on the window, she saw her.
“Will you help me, please? I’ve been putting these flyers up everywhere. I went door to door, asking people if they’ve seen my best friend, but no one has seen her. If you’ll help me we can get a lot more done.” Janie sniffed and wiped at a tear that was rolling down her face.
“Janie. It’s me, Ariana. I know you’re dreaming, but I’m really here, in your dream, with you. I have a lot of things to tell you that aren’t going to make a whole lot of sense, but you have to believe me.”
Janie walked a little closer to Ariana. “You sound like Ariana, but I can’t see your face. You’re blurry. If you’re really my best friend, then what’s my favorite snack?”
“Celery, peanut butter and raisins. You call it ants on a log. I think it’s freaking gross to even think about eating a bug,” Ariana said as she made her best ‘eww, gross’ face and scrunched her nose.
“Ariana? Is it really you?” Janie said as she cupped her hands over her mouth.
“Yes, and I want you to know that I am fine and you can quit with the flyers. I’m alive and well, just not able to come and see you right now. Except in your dreams.”
“Where are you?” Janie grabbed Ariana and pulled her into a bear hug. “I miss you so much. I have been so worried. The only reason I’m asleep now is because Mrs. Lochalan gave me one of her nerve pills and it knocked me right out.”
“I miss you, too, Janie bug. I can’t tell you exactly where I am, because I don’t really know, for one thing. All I know is that it’s a big island that humans can’t see.”
“How can you see it, then?” Janie let go of Ariana and crossed her arms.
“I’m not human, Janie. I’m a witch. This island is full of witches and… and vampires. They’re not bad, nothing scary. Well, except for a few of them.” Now she understood what Rainey meant when she tried to explain it to her. Eternal Island was a hard thing to explain.
“These dreams just keep getting crazier and crazier; maybe they need to put me in a mental hospital and then I can move to an island with fairies and leprechauns,” Janie said as she put another flyer up.
“Look, I know you don’t believe me, but how else would I be able to be in your dream? Part of my magic is that I can dream walk. I’m a really powerful witch and I haven’t even began to learn anything yet. I can read minds, too, but that is really just a big headache. Listen, you don’t have to believe in witches and vampires. Just believe that I’m okay, and that I’m not where anyone can find me. Stop looking for me before you drive yourself crazy.”
“Lance is not going to believe this.”
“Maybe I’ll visit his dreams, too. I’ll come and see you again, but I have to go now.” Ariana gave Janie a quick hug. “I feel like I’m being pulled by something. I love you and I will see you soon, now that I know how this works. If you don’t want everyone and their dog to think you’re crazy, just wait until Lance brings the subject up. I’ll visit him tomorrow night, if I can.” Ariana felt something jerk her backwards. “Bye, Janie.”
Ariana woke up to Becky shaking her. She had already turned the jets off and was now yelling in her face to wake up.
“I’m awake, what’s wrong?”
“You, girl! I’ve been trying to get you to wake up for five minutes now. You don’t need to be napping in there; you could drown,” Becky said as she went to get Ariana a towel.
“I figured it out,” Ariana said as Becky handed her the towel and she stepped out of the tub.
“You figured what out? How crazy you are for falling asleep in a tub the size of a swimming pool?”
“No, I can dream walk. You’ve just pulled me out of Janie’s dream. It’s okay, though. I got to talk to her for a little while. I told her I was fine and to stop looking for me.”
Ariana looked at her wrinkled hands. “Eww. I must have talked with her for a long while; I’m waterlogged. And, hey, when Abe and I were on our way back, we stopped beside the park and I made fire come out of my hands. I did manage to set a tree on fire, but then I made water come out of thin air and put the fire out. I wish you had been there, it was so freaking cool. And scary. Scary and cool.”
“Yeah, I heard,” Becky said, tucking the corner of her bottom lip in between her teeth.
“How…? Abe,” Ariana said, gritting her teeth in irritation.
“Uh-huh. And he is so depressed, girl. What is your deal? He is hot, and head over heels in love with you. Not to mention that he is the King of this here island.”
“And spoiled like a two year-old. Ugh, I don’t even want to think about him right now.”
“Fine. But Rainey wants to see you first thing in the morning. She said to tell you to not even brush your hair or put your make-up on, just get your ass in her lair pronto. I think you could probably brush your teeth. I imagine she would appreciate that.”
“Great. So now I’m in trouble because I’m mad at Prince Charming! It’s not my fault things aren’t going as planned. They should have thought about every outcome. Like, for example, that I may not even want to be with that arrogant-egotistical-overbearing baboon.”
Becky smiled. “No, I don’t think it has to do with Abe, if he is the baboon you’re referring to, but I’m sure Rainey will cover that, too, while you’re there.”
“I’m sure she will.” Ariana turned her bedside lamp out and crawled into bed. Tomorrow has got to be better, she thought as she yawned and drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 22
The room was dimmed. Only a single candle burned as Julia gathered the ingredients for her spell. She had to be extra careful with her thoughts now that there was a new mind-reading little witch, with more power than she could fathom, on the island. This spell should put her on her toes. Abe won’t be too happy about it, either, Julia thought as she made her circle and went to the center to add asafetida gum and mayweed to her bowl. She was running low on her live-forever leaves, but she had plenty of them to do what she needed to do now. She added a few of them and an ounce of holy water that she had confiscated from the chur
ch after she’d said her ‘Hail Mary’s’ and before joining Abe and his friends at the club. Her going to confession was just an excuse to get the holy water; she didn’t have anything to be sorry for.
Once all the ingredients were combined, she stirred it three times to the left and then three times to the right. She placed the jar with the salamander to the left of the bowl and the dagger to the right. She positioned the last and most valuable ingredient in front of her. Julia closed her eyes and recited the spell she had memorized earlier. She felt like she was a better witch when she didn’t have to refer to the spell book during a spell.
“Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North, East, South and West. Hear me. I come in purpose. Hear me. I offer you my blood,” Julia said as she cut her palm with the dagger and let a few drops fall into the bowl. And I offer you a sacrifice for your service. Hear me!”
Thunder roared and a thick black cloud settled over the palace as she began her spell.
“I bring you back unconditionally,
To find what you have lost.
A lost soul, taken of time too soon,
Your life was the cost.
Come to me in spirit,
Let the world see.
Bring yourself to the here and now,
So mote it be.”
Julia opened the jar and stabbed the salamander. She poured the dying creature into the bowl. She then opened the zip-lock bag with the last item to add to her concoction. The bag also contained a note.
Dear Ariana,
I know that you would want to have something of Michael’s, so I cut a lock of his hair during the funeral viewing. I put it in this locket so you can wear it as a necklace and keep him close to your heart.
I’ll love you always, Janie
“Oh, how sweet. Too bad Ariana never found the locket you got her, Janie,” Julia said as she opened the locket and dropped the hair in the potion. She was sure glad that Ariana hadn’t had the chance to go through the few things Janie had packed in her little hospital bag, or she might have had to knock the little bitch out and get it from around her neck. So silly of Becky Smith to leave her door unlocked when she went out. Julia cackled.
The mixture started to bubble and a thick smoke filled the room briefly. Julia waited patiently to see the outcome of her enchantment. As the smoke began to clear she could see a silhouette of a man with an athletic build, and she smiled as his features come into full view. Well, well, well… Ariana sure had good taste in men.
“Hello, Michael,” Julia said to the spirit.
CHAPTER 23
Ariana woke suddenly. She had this weird feeling something was wrong. She threw back the comforter and made her way into the bathroom. She splashed her face with cold water and leaned on the vanity. She took a few deep, calming breaths.
Her stomach kept doing flips and she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen, something related to her.
Deep slow breaths, deep slow breaths.
Something like a movie clip slammed into her head so fast it knocked her body against the bathroom door jamb, where she fell to the floor, half in, half out of the bathroom. Ariana’s head landed on the soft carpet of the bedroom and her vision continued.
“I love you, Ariana.”
Ariana turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin as she stared into the ghost-like eyes of Michael. She could see through him, but he was definitely there with her, and talking to her.
“Oh my God, Michael! How can you be here? Am I dreaming?”
He was still wearing what he had when he left for work, the day of his accident, Levi jeans and a green t-shirt with the company logo on the breast pocket.
“You’re not dreaming. I’m really here. I had to make sure that you were okay. I’m sorry that I died and ruined all our plans. I know you really wanted to go away on vacation for a while. I really wanted to give you that.” Michael looked around. “I guess you did get to go away, I just didn’t get to come with you, did I?” He smiled and dropped his gaze from her eyes.
“There is so much that I need to tell you. I’m a witch, Michael, and this island that we’re on is run by vampires. Please say that you believe me,” Ariana pleaded.
Michael walked closer and put his transparent hand on her cheek. It felt as if her skin was wet and a cool breeze blew upon her face. “After what I’ve seen, I’ll believe anything you tell me. I wish so much I could feel you in my arms again.” Michael bent down and placed his lips on top of hers, but again all Ariana felt was her lips getting cool. It was really starting to freak her out.
Ariana moved back and sat on a bench. She realized where she was now. She was behind the palace, in the gardens, in a maze of flowers, bushes and trees. The bench she sat on was in the middle of the maze.
“This has to be a dream. I was in the bathroom a few minutes ago, washing my face. I don’t remember coming out here.”
“I called to you.” Michael smiled. “Your body is in there,” he said as his gaze moved toward the palace. “Your spirit is here, with me.” He looked back into her eyes.
“Great, now I have ‘out of the body experiences’! I can’t keep up with all that’s happening to me.” Ariana looked down at her hands in her lap. She didn’t want to hurt Michael’s feelings, but she wasn’t sure she could handle him hanging around as a ghost to remind her every day that she couldn’t really have him again. She needed to grieve and go on.
“Will you be staying long or were you just checking up on me?” She raised her gaze, only to see that Michael’s features were pained.
“I feel, all of a sudden, as if you don’t want me to stay. Have you moved on so soon, Ariana?”
Ariana jumped to her feet. Her pent-up frustration flared out of control at Michael’s words. “What am I supposed to do with you? I can’t touch you, feel you touch me. How could this work? I have mourned for you and I mourn for you still, but you can’t stay and expect us to have what we used to have. Did you come to make sure that I’m okay, or to see if I’m okay without you, because I can answer both of those questions in one: I’m fine!” Ariana closed her eyes and willed her mind back to her body.
This was déjà-vu. Becky was shaking her and yelling at her to wake up.
“Oh, God. Finally. You are scaring me to death tonight, Ariana. I think we need to take you to the island’s clinic and have the Shaman check you out.”
Ariana sat up on the bedroom floor and started to cry.
Becky knelt down beside her. “What’s wrong, girl? What happened to you?”
“Michael is here. I mean, his spirit is here. He called for me, and my spirit just jumped right out of my body and went flying to him. I got mad and said some things I shouldn’t have said, and then forced myself to return. I don’t know if he’s staying and I didn’t even say goodbye.”
“I know you didn’t mean it.”
Ariana and Becky both jumped as Michael walked over to Ariana.
Becky stared in amazement. “Damn, he’s hot, too, Ariana. I mean he’s hot, not that you’re interested in anyone else that’s hot. I think I’ll leave you to it and go talk to our new neighbor. Jonah moved in next door and I haven’t thanked him properly for the dress yet. I’ll see you later, girl. Nice to meet you, Michael.” Becky slipped through the door, leaving Ariana alone with Michael’s ghost.
“I’m sorry…”
“I know, and you don’t have to apologize to me. So, you are seeing someone else. That’s why you got so upset earlier? I’m not mad at you, Ariana. There really is nothing I can do about it. I want you to be happy, and if someone else can make you happy, then so be it.”
“No, yes, I don’t know. I’m sort of expected to be with someone; that’s why I’ve been brought here in the first place. But I’m not sure I even want to be with anyone else, ever. I got upset because I don’t think I can look at you every day like this and know that I can never touch you.” She started to cry again.
Jonah burst through the d
oor. “I have got to see this. I thought I’d seen everything… and now I have,” Jonah said as he smiled at Michael. “Hey, my man, I’d punch fists with you, but I really don’t see how that’s gonna happen. Nice to meet you. I’m Jonah.”
Michael smiled. “I’m Michael, Ariana’s…”
“Dead husband,” Becky said, and everyone shot her a look. “What? I’m sorry, the truth hurts. What else are you gonna call him? You can’t call him her ex-husband because they didn’t get a divorce, and he is evidently dead ’cause I ain’t never been able to put my hand through any of the guys I dated. I’m just sayin’.”
“It’s okay, Becky. I guess none of us have ever been in this situation before. I don’t even know what to call him. I just don’t think I would have been that blunt.” Ariana smiled and nudged Becky’s arm. “Jonah is a vampire,” she said, turning her attention back to Michael. “He is one of many on this island.”
Michael frowned. “I know, I’ve met one already. The one who summoned me here. It seems to me that particular one could cause a little trouble. I don’t think she wanted me here to do Ariana any favors. She thought it would make her unhappy. Sorry, baby, I don’t think she likes you very much.”
“Julia…”
As Julia’s name came out of Ariana’s mouth Jonah and Becky both grabbed their phones and looked at each other. Becky spoke first, saying “Rainey”; Jonah said “Abe” right after, then their phones were at their ears.
Abe had just got out of the shower when he heard his phone ring. He rushed to it thinking it might be Ariana, but then he remembered it couldn’t be; he hadn’t had the chance to give her a cell yet, with all that was going on. Jonah, damn.
“Yeah.” Abe wasn’t interested in anything Jonah had to say.
“Abe, you’re gonna want to come to Ariana’s room, like, now, dude.”
He didn’t have to say any more. Abe ended the call and grabbed his shirt and jeans off the bed before darting out the door. He could change in the elevator on the way there. He could get there faster if he took the stairs but he didn’t think Ariana would appreciate him showing up in a towel and only a towel, so he took the slow route.
Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) Page 13
