by Stacy Eaton
All three of them glanced around and finally realized they were in the ladies’ locker room. David smirked at me, “Yeah, I see that now. Okay, I’m out of here.” Before I could smile in return he disappeared.
I turned to the other two, and Montgomery smiled, “Touché, I guess this means you would like a bit of time to yourself?”
I nodded to him and smiled. “Please.”
“Fine, young lady, I think you deserve some quiet time. We are connected, so if you need me, all you have to do is reach in and you will feel me. You can come to me anytime, but I would rather you not leave the Realm anytime soon. There is still much for you to learn.”
“I can’t promise you anything. I didn’t have much control over it the last time, but I will do my best to remain here.”
“Very good, I will see you later.” He phased away as soon as the last word left his mouth.
I turned to Brock, his full lips still tightly pressed together, his thick arms crossed over his chest. He was only a few inches taller than I, and we practically glowered at each other. I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting.
“Did your memory come back?” he finally asked me while taking a step closer.
I held my breath for a moment and hesitated, “No.”
He lowered his chin and stared at me through his thick brown eyelashes, “You do know that lying is a sin.”
I swallowed, “Yes.”
“Do not go back to the living arena, Coralenna. You are not ready to face what happens there.”
“Is Joe really an Os Malos?”
His chin jerked up, “You do remember!” He stepped closer and dropped his arms.
“What? No! You called that guy down there Joe.” I shook my head and stepped away from him.
He watched me and stepped closer, I saw his hand twitch at his side before I met his stare again. My breathing accelerated and I wanted to phase away from him but couldn’t concentrate enough to do so.
He focused on my lips and I felt them part on a fast heavy breath. Why was it that this guy scared me, or was it something else? Mitch’s face flashed into my mind, and I stepped back from him.
“Don’t phase down again.” Brock stood another two seconds before he vanished from my sight.
I released a huge gush of air from my lungs and sank to the bench.
~ Brock ~
I had phased down to the Earth level to watch over another one of my charges, trying hard to keep a tag on Coralenna as I did.
Unfortunately, this charge was walking a very tight line between good and bad and needed some direct attention for a few minutes.
I had just finished mentally convincing my charge that wearing the new clothes she was trying on under her own older clothes was not a good idea when David phased to my side, sheer panic on his face so great that I tensed.
“She phased!” he yelled at me.
“What do you mean she phased?” I asked quickly.
“We were talking, and she just disappeared! I tried to keep her there, but I couldn’t.” David was shaking his head, clearly worried.
“She’s in the Realm, right?”
The guilty expression that passed over his face told me the answer, and I grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward. “Where the hell did she phase to?”
“I don’t know! I couldn’t feel her in the Realm, that’s why I came to find you. She has to be on this level.”
Immediately, I tried to relax and listened for her inner voice. Hearing her, I phased and pulled David along with me.
Dammit! I took in the scene around me and the vulnerable concern on her face as she observed Mitch and Beth on the porch. I stepped in front of her before she could get closer. If she could phase so quickly, would she be able to reach out to them? I couldn’t take that chance, not yet.
I could feel the confusion racing through her and wondered if her memory was coming back. Jealousy spiked in her, and I needed to get control of the situation before she remembered everything. I couldn’t take the chance of touching her now and stepped away for David to take control and lead her back.
When Joe showed up, things only got worse. I wanted to punch him in the face when he spoke to her. I flicked a quick look at David when I realized he must have explained some other things to her about who else walked this level.
I phased to her balcony, and David followed with her. Montgomery felt us enter and came to us immediately, so closely connected to me that he knew what had happened.
All of us were amazed that she could phase out of the Realm, no one had ever been able to do that so quickly. Hell, it took me several weeks before I could phase within the Realm and I was one of the stronger ones.
Something was going on inside her mind, I could feel her heart racing, and she was trying to distance herself. I watched her carefully.
If I had been in the Realm earlier instead of keeping my other charge from stealing, I would have felt her phase out. I felt responsible and it pissed me off. Watching her sit down shakily only increased my agitation.
Montgomery stood beside her and turned to me, “Well, I guess we know who her charge is, don’t we?” I didn’t want to explain it to him yet, so I turned away.
“I’ve been assigned someone already? I thought I had to train first.” Her voice rose slightly as she spoke, was that fear in her words?
“Normally, you do have to train, but—” We all exchanged glances with each other when David stopped talking, we knew what he was going to say, and so did she.
“But I’m special. Got it.” She wouldn’t look at any of us.
Montgomery got her to test her phasing, and we were all stunned that she was able to do it her first time. While her location was quite humorous to us all, I didn’t care where we ended up. I needed to stay close to her. The thought that I could lose her crossed my mind.
Her dark blue gaze met mine. I felt the pull. Did she?
I waited till everyone left. Should I reach out to her? I wondered, but my fear held me back. What if the connection wasn’t what I had hoped for?
“Did your memory come back?” I asked her, sounding pushier than I had intended. The magnetism between us pulled me closer.
“No,” I knew she was lying, and I told her so in not so many words. She didn’t trust me; I had to earn her trust first.
“Do not go back to the Earth level, Coralenna. You are not ready to face what happens there,” I warned her sternly.
“Is Joe really an Os Malos?”
“You do remember!” I stepped closer without thinking, wanting to force the memories away, almost grabbing her shoulders as the words came out.
“What? No! You called that guy down there Joe.” She stepped away, but I followed her, wanting desperately to see exactly what would happen if I did touch her. Her lips were so full and they parted as I glanced down. As her breath rushed out of her erratically, I knew that I couldn’t do this to her here, not now, not like this.
She ultimately made the final decision when she stepped further away, hitting the back of her knees on the bench. I warned her again and phased away before I could test the connection for which my body yearned.
I ended up on the shore, staring up at the moon. Montgomery stood beside me a moment later.
“Your punishment?” he asked casually.
“Yep,” I answered.
I saw him nod from the corner of my eye. “Good one, I didn’t expect that. Did the Maker tell you why?”
I shook my head, “Said she had unfinished business with him. She has to finish it.”
“Unfinished business? What does he want to do, condemn her to hell through a mortal affair with Mitch?”
My head snapped toward him, “No! That can’t be it,” but even as I said the words, I knew that was it. This was a test. My head fell forward, and I groaned. I could still lose her to him.
“Brock, does she remember anything?” He turned in the sand to face me.
I lifted my head to him, “I think she does, but she doesn’t tru
st me enough to tell me.”
“You need to gain her trust. Stop trying to scare her.” He stopped for a moment, “You haven’t tried to physically connect with her yet, have you?”
“No.”
“What are you afraid of?” He leaned his head forward and studied me.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” I shot back and stepped away from him.
“It sure seems like you are, Brock, which I find odd, because you aren’t afraid of anything.” He moved beside me, and we started walking along the shore.
The gentle slap of the waves should have relaxed me, that was why I came here, but they did just the opposite. The tender lapping roared in my ears instead.
“Are you afraid that the connection will not be enough? That it won’t be what you want?”
“I’m not afraid, Montgomery. I just don’t want to scare her.”
He laughed deeply, “Scare her? Brock, every time she sees you, you frighten her.”
I stopped walking. “I know. That’s why I don’t want to test the connection. I want her to trust me, not be scared by what she will feel.”
We took another few steps forward.
“Alright, I agree that does make sense, but with this new situation, you might want to work harder to get her to trust you.”
I turned to him, “How?”
“That I don’t know, but you need to think of something, and quickly. With the way she is remembering and the way she is able to phase so quickly, I am concerned that she will come amongst her other abilities quickly, and then we might have a very serious problem.”
“Do you think she has the ability to walk among them mortally yet?”
“I’m afraid that if she can’t already, she will be able to soon.” He turned to face the now dark water.
A shiver raced down my spine, “That is what I am afraid of, too.”
Part 4 – The Funeral
~ Mitchell ~
For the rest of the day, I sat quietly on the front porch and thought about what had happened. Beth sat with me for a while, and I finally explained to her what had exactly transpired with the incident. I figured I at least owed her that.
She left me alone when I was done, bringing me food and only interrupting my thoughts when she handed me the phone. Joe had been calling relentlessly.
“How you doing, man?” he asked after I said hello.
“Numb,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, I’m sure you are,” he answered, and I heard music playing in the background, sounded like a Led Zeppelin tune.
“I just left the station; the funeral is arranged for Friday. Did Beth tell you I called earlier about it?”
“Yeah, she told me they wanted me to carry.” I watched a squirrel run across the road and up a tree.
“You going to? They asked me to carry also.”
“I don’t know if I can, Joe.”
“Oh, come on! You were having an affair with the woman! It’s the least you can do.”
I sat up straight, tensing, and turned toward the screen door to see if Beth was there. “I was not, Joe, and you need to keep that shit to yourself and not go starting rumors.”
“Aw, come on, don’t you know everyone knows you two were meeting all the time? Someone even saw you two kissing in the park.”
This was exactly what I didn’t need. I had never wanted to tarnish her reputation. “Joe, let it go. No one saw anything, and people need to find something else to talk about.”
“Whatever, Mitch, you gonna do it or what?” he snapped back at me.
“What the hell is your problem? Ever since Corey died you have been a total asshole.”
He was quiet for a moment, “You’re not the only one who is sorry she’s dead.”
His words were cold, and I wondered why. Was Corey more important to him than I knew? Was he jealous of what I had with her?
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
He acknowledged my answer and then said he’d call later with the other arrangements.
I set the cordless phone next to me and leaned back on the cushion. Beth walked out the door, watching me closely. Had she heard anything? Had I said anything? I didn’t think so, but my head wasn't on exactly straight anymore.
“Your cell phone has been beeping all afternoon. I figured maybe you might want to see who has been trying to get in touch with you.” She held out my iPhone, and I took it from her. Had I erased Corey’s last messages?
She smiled softly and turned to go back inside. I turned on my screen to find fifteen missed calls, six voice messages, and twenty-nine text messages. Scrolling through the messages, I found that I had not deleted our last conversation. I glanced up at the door, had Beth read it? Damn.
My finger rested over the delete button, but I just couldn’t manage to remove it from the device. I knew I would have to, but I just couldn’t do it yet.
I skimmed through the rest of the text messages, and sent back a few replies. I wasn’t ready to listen to the voicemails yet, they could wait another day.
I lay my head back against the cushion and stared at a tree in the yard. Once again Corey’s face came to mind, blocking the view of the foliage. I couldn’t believe she was really gone.
~ Corey ~
When everyone finally left me alone, I phased back to my room and giggled as I realized how easy and fun phasing was. I embraced the quiet that filled my room and wandered around the kitchen checking in the cabinets and fridge. A bottle of my favorite wine stood on the top shelf, I snagged it.
After the day I had just had—I stopped suddenly. Had it only been a day? Time was strange here, I couldn’t be sure.
Inside a drawer, I found an opener and then pulled a glass from one of the cabinets. With the crystal filled almost to the rim, I stepped out onto the balcony again.
I sat down in a cushioned glider and allowed my feet to slowly push me back and forth, a gently swaying rhythm that kept time with the sound of the waves lapping the shore below.
The wine tasted heavenly, and I relished the cold liquid as it slid down my throat.
Memories of my life were ticking through my mind: learning to ride a bike, dinners with my parents, graduation from high school, my first kiss with a boy named Steve in fourth grade, and my last kiss—with Mitch.
I heaved a sigh and leaned my head back.
“Pretty heavy sigh, Coralenna.”
I whipped my head to the side where Brock stood. I raised my eyebrows. “I thought I was going to get some peace.”
He smiled roguishly. “Mind if I join you?” his voice was low and husky. I wanted to say no, but just maybe I could find out more about this daunting man standing before me.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” I allowed my visual exploration to travel over the powerful legs that filled his jeans to perfection.
“Sure, white Merlot, right?” He took a seat next to me in another glider.
I watched him fill the seat before I spoke again, “I assume you know that is my favorite?”
“Who do you think put the bottle in your fridge and the other items in your quarters?” The grin he shared was playful and just a touch seductive.
I fought a shiver and stood to get his wine. As I poured his glass, I wondered why there was such an intense chemistry between us. Did people in the Realm have relations like living people did?
I frowned as I carried his glass outside. The answer didn’t matter; I had no intentions of getting involved with him.
Once seated back in my glider, we lapsed into a comfortable silence. The moon shone down on us, and the stars were brighter than I had ever imagined.
“How long have you been here, Brock?” I finally broke the silence.
“Several years. I am one of the newer Gardaí.” He sipped his wine.
“Do you like what you do here?”
He turned to me, the brightness of the moon reflecting off of his face, throwing dark shadows over the sharp planes of his cheek. The darkness hid the color of his eyes, but I realize
d I already had that detail memorized.
“What’s not to like? You get to guide people to be better, to make the right choices. You give them an afterlife.” His voice was silky and raspy at the same time and it vibrated through my ear canals, down my neck, and right into my chest.
“I guess that’s good.” I filled my mouth with another taste of wine and swallowed slowly. Brock watched me.
“How long have you been watching over me?” I turned and surveyed the darkened land before me.
“From the moment I finished my training. You were the first one they assigned me to,” he laughed. “You were pretty easy to watch over,” his voice grew lower, “until recently.”
I turned to him, “What do you mean, ‘Until recently’?”
I saw him frown as he contemplated my words and waited to see if he would answer the question.
His shoulders dropped slightly, as if a decision had been made that he did not want to make.
“I know your memory is coming back, Coralenna. I can feel it, feel the changes inside your mind. I know you well.” He cast a quick glance my way. “You always made the best decisions, always thought before you did anything, until—”
I could have denied remembering, but Brock was right, I should not lie. “Until Mitch?”
He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs, and gently twirled his wineglass between his knees with his right hand. His face turned my way, “Yes, until Mitch.”
I stood up and tipped my glass back to finish my drink in two unladylike gulps. After setting my glass down on the table between us, I walked to the railing and leaned on it.
“I know that I made bad decisions, but I couldn’t help myself. There was this crazy chemistry between us.” Kind of like the zings I feel from you, I thought but did not add out loud. I didn’t hear him move up behind me.
“Kind of like what runs between us?” The sound of his voice was so close it resonated. I allowed it to wash over me.
“What chemistry?” I whispered into the air.
“Coralenna, look at me.” While his voice was soft, the power of his command was obvious, and I turned despite myself.
“What did I say about lying?”
