Portals

by Wilson, Maer

  Thulu was up on the third floor in the studio, going through his karate exercises. Carter could be very loud for such a small child. I wondered if Thulu could hear him up there through the soundproofing. I doubted it, but of course, Thulu probably blocked it out since he was a master of calm and focus. It was one of his more annoying traits.

  Like me, Carter could see and hear the dead. That fact had driven Lynda-Jean, his birth mother and a family friend for over fifteen years, to do things that had eventually resulted in her death the month before.

  The paperwork on our adoption had been rushed through so fast that I was sure magic had been used. Or something. I didn't care. I'd always adored Carter, with his soft brown hair, big brown eyes and little boy charm. I hadn’t wished Lynda-Jean ill, but I wasn’t sorry that her death resulted in our getting her son, either. We had quickly adapted to each other, the three of us.

  Jenna, the non-living child, had been four when she was killed, caught up in the events surrounding the portal openings. An angelic looking child with a mass of blonde curls and bright blue eyes, Jenna was very close to appearing solid.

  Only Parker was missing that morning. I wasn’t sure where he had gone after our early morning excitement. The dead sometimes entered a zone that kept them from having a complete understanding of time and the corporeal world.

  Parker had it easier than many of them. He was more solid and could even handle things like the TV, which he and Jenna would watch while the live members of our family slept.

  I finally finished folding laundry and looked around the family room. It was a comfortable room, done in earth tones, with very modern, super comfy sofa and chairs. Carter had been playing in the room earlier and several of his toys were scattered around the room.

  It looks like a small child lives here. I smiled at the thought.

  I picked up the laundry basket and moved to the bottom of the stairs waiting for Carter to make it safely to the ground floor. It seemed there was three times the laundry from when it was just me and Thulu. Not that I was complaining, mind you, but it amazed me that one small boy could go through so many clothes in one day.

  There were a few moments of silence as Carter took a breath, and I heard the brass knocker of the front door across the entryway from where I stood. It had a deliberate sound and I got the impression this wasn't the first knock.

  I set my laundry basket down with a sigh and moved to the front door, peeking out through the peep hole. I really didn't like it when people came over without calling first. Since family and friends already knew that, I knew this had to be someone we didn't know or at least not well.

  Two men in dripping raincoats stood on the front porch. One I recognized as Jeremy Lassiter, a cop friend of Thulu's. I didn't know who the other man was, but I got a weird feeling when I saw him. Of course, I didn't like the authorities even on a good day. While Lassiter seemed nice enough, that childhood fear of being taken away and studied kept me from getting too close to him. Those with supernatural abilities did well to keep them secret, and I stuck by that rigorously.

  Jenna could travel to the third floor faster than Carter. I debated running up myself and had taken a few steps back from the door when I heard the knocker once more.

  I sighed. “Jenna, please get Thulu to come downstairs.” Hopefully, he wasn't meditating and would see her. She was very rarely able to impact the physical world.

  I reluctantly unlocked the dead bolts and opened the door.

  “Detective Lassiter,” I tried to put a pleasant expression on my face, but my formal tone probably contradicted that. He gave a rather strained smile in return. Well, hell, he was Thulu's friend, not mine, after all.

  The three of us stood at the door awkwardly for a few moments before my grandmother's training took over and I opened the door wider.

  “Won't you please come in?” I invited, a sick feeling starting in the pit of my stomach.

  They carefully wiped their feet on the mat and took off their lightweight raincoats, shaking the drops off before coming in. I gave them points for that as I took their coats and hung them on the coat rack in the foyer. The thick rug underneath the rack would catch any remaining drops.

  My hands were shaking as I shut the door behind them. That was weird even for me. My unusual reaction was as unnerving as their presence.

  “Hey, Jeremy,” my husband's voice sounded from behind. I turned to see him coming down the last flight of steps, barefoot, dressed in his karate gi, but shirt open and missing his black belt. Tousled, sun streaked brown hair, gold flecked, brown eyes and dimples that could be either infuriating or endearing, my husband was a view I usually enjoyed. Right then all I felt was relief.

  I tried to regain my composure as Thulu shook hands with the two men and ushered them into our small parlor. I told myself they were here to ask Thulu for help and it had nothing to do with portals opening and the return of magic to Earth.

  I bent to pick up the laundry basket, but Lassiter said, “La Fi, we'd like to speak to you, as well, if you don't mind.”

  “Oh, well, let me get Carter settled in the other room.” I took Carter's hand and led him into the family room, trailed by Jenna and Sophie, the ghost Pomeranian. I quickly switched the TV channel over to one that would hold the kids' attention. I looked from him to Jenna and spoke in a very low voice. “Stay here and watch TV, okay?”

  They both nodded solemnly. My nerves hadn't gone unnoticed by either of them. Even Sophie gave me what I was sure was a pitying look. I didn't bother trying to pretend to be perky for the kids. They'd see right through it anyway.

  I went back to the parlor and perched next to Thulu on the antique loveseat. His arm automatically went around my shoulders. It didn't sound like they'd been chatting. The air felt thick and everyone seemed to feel awkward and uncomfortable. The two men sat on the chairs and seemed uncomfortable in the room. We'd furnished this one with antiques, but they were nice solid pieces we'd mostly refinished ourselves.

  Lassiter spoke up. “Sorry to disturb you guys, but Special Agent Brown here asked for an introduction.” I rather liked how he threw the ball straight to the other man, letting us know it wasn't his idea to be there.

  The other man looked to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties and had dark blonde hair and kind, dark eyes. “It's been a very long time, Fiona. Do you remember me?”

  I shook my head, as I stared at him intently, trying to figure out where I might know him from. Just as I was convinced I'd never seen him before, it came to me. A night of storms and crashes. The night I lost my parents in a fiery freeway pileup.

  “My parents - you came to pick me up,” I said.

  He nodded.

  “Okay, so yeah, I remember you. Why are you here?”

  “A fair question. It does go back a way. Back to that night, in fact.” He paused.

  Once again Nana Fae's training kicked in. Or maybe just my instinct to delay what was coming. “May I offer you something to drink? Coffee, soda, water?”

  Both men seemed to relax a bit, which I suppose is the point of being hospitable.

  Brown answered first. “Water would be fine, thanks,”

  “Coffee or soda. Either one would be appreciated,” said Lassiter.

  I jumped up quickly to go get their drinks. It didn't take nearly long enough before I was back in the parlor. I carried a tray full of soda cans, glasses of ice and a pitcher of ice water. Thulu got up to take it from me and put it on the coffee table between the chairs and our sofa.

  Lassiter and Brown both thanked me. I gave a nod with a mumbled, “My pleasure.”

  I think Lassiter snorted, but he quickly covered it with a cough. I looked at him suspiciously, but he stared back, with only a twinkle in his eye. I gave him a rueful smile in return before returning my attention to Brown.

  “So, Officer Brown, you were going to tell me why you're --”

  “Special Agent,” he corrected.

  He reached into an inner pocket in his
suit jacket and held out a leather wallet. Flipping it open, it showed his picture and a gold shield. FBI. Not good, in my opinion. Not good at all.

  I sat back, my heart pounding, remembering the story Nana Fae had told me of that friend of hers. He'd been a psychic and helped the police with missing persons and kidnap victims. Well, helped until somebody rounded him up and he disappeared. Nana Fae had been an empath and she said that she could still feel him, even decades later. She knew he was alive, but also knew he was kept locked up somewhere, sometimes deeply afraid and in pain.

  It had been on her advice that I insisted our detective agency stay as low-key as possible.

  It seemed my worst nightmare was coming true. I hadn't been pleased a couple of weeks before to discover that Thulu had quietly helped Lassiter now and then. However, Lassiter had kept our names out of it.

  Thulu and I hardly ever argued. And we hadn't actually fought when I found out about his helping Lassiter, but inside I was angry he had kept that from me. The wound of what I considered his betrayal was still raw, but we were getting through it. Compared to other couples, we had a blissful relationship. And I think deep down, I’d suspected all along, but had refused to look at it very closely. I can be good at denial sometimes. So, even if Thulu hadn’t told me, to be fair, I hadn’t allowed myself to know, either. Still we’d have to talk about it sooner or later. I just wasn’t ready to yet.

  I looked at Lassiter, and I'm sure he saw the accusation in my eyes. He shook his head at me.

  “No, La Fi, he came to me.”

  Brown followed this and nodded in agreement.

  “That's true, Fiona. After the night I met you –” he paused, took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. “Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be a cop. But the night of that crash – well, I decided I needed a different direction. Between the bodies pulled from those cars and your reaction when we came to pick you up – something told me that being a traffic cop was not what I wanted to do. So, I applied to the Bureau.”

  “My reaction?”

  He nodded. “Families were crying and screaming, demanding answers we didn't have. And then there was this little girl. She was this calm little person in the middle of a frantic storm. Marna was right that night. Do you remember my partner?”

  I remembered. A tall woman, with freckles and compassion. “Yeah, I do.”

  “She said you knew. When we came to pick you up, you didn't question us about your parents. You didn't ask why we were there. All you did was ask for our identification. And then you sat at the police station for hours while you waited for your grandmother. You didn't ask about her, either. You just waited, as if you knew she was going to be there. In contrast to everyone else's reactions, yours stood out even more.”

  He gave me a crooked smile.

  “I knew there were no agents tucked away in little basements investigating supernatural phenomenon, but still, I felt the Bureau was the best place for me. I wanted something different from traffic accidents. I wanted to investigate stories and people and maybe make a difference that way. And if there were those who somehow impossibly knew what they couldn't possibly know – well then maybe I could find out a little more about it. So, the supernatural part has been more of a hobby for me. And it's not one I advertise, but still the other agents have picked up on it over the years. As you can imagine I take a lot of good-natured ribbing about it.

  “I've seen and heard some interesting things over the last fifteen years, I can tell you that. But then I don't have to say that to you, do I?”

  He looked from me to Thulu, but neither of us was going to give him any information or ammunition. Thulu already had one arm around me and he took my hand in his free hand, giving my cold fingers a squeeze. A glance at Thulu showed me he was maintaining a pleasant, polite expression. I hoped mine was equally polite, but right then I'd settle for a bland, non-panicking expression.

  “I was transferred to the San Francisco field office about eight years ago. When the portals opened, maybe I wasn't as shocked or surprised as some of the others were. Then, I saw your grandmother's name on the list of victims killed during a family barbecue – a barbecue attended by fairies, elves and other creatures that had recently come through the portals. While the local police had jurisdiction over this, we flagged it because of the off-worlders involved. I requested the case and my superiors agreed to let me liaison with the local police on it.

  “Fiona, I know you're not going to want to talk to me. I know you're suspicious and afraid. But I also know you have a connection to the off-worlders. Sure, the higher-ups have contact with the elves and the others. But down on the ground, in the local field offices, we don't. The police have very little information in this case. Your friend, Tyler Jones, has used his power and influence to keep us, all of us, as far from your family as he can. But we need to know whether this is a threat to anyone else. Is this a trend? Are other humans in danger?”

  “Humans are not in danger from the person responsible for killing our family,” said Thulu firmly.

  Brown leaned forward. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because he's dead.” Thulu's voice was flat.

  “I see,” Brown sat back and looked at the two of us. He took a sip of his water and pulled his phone from a pocket, prepared to type in his notes. “Won't you please tell us what happened?”

  I didn't want to tell them what happened.

  “It’s in the reports,” I mumbled.

  “I’d like to hear it straight from you, though,” Brown kept his voice soft.

  Didn’t he understand that I didn't want to relive that horrible afternoon? Even though Nana Fae, Mama Deb and Evan had not gone through the Light, and I still saw them on a regular basis, it wasn't the same. They were still dead. And I didn't want to remember the horror of their deaths.

  Thulu hadn't been there, except at the beginning. He’d been tossed through a portal as soon as Gabriel had materialized. So, that pretty much left me as the only human who knew exactly what had happened and why.

  I wished Aela would show up. Tiny, fairy princess and fearsome warrior, with her deadly bow and no-nonsense attitude. Barbie meets Xena, Warrior Princess. She could tell these cops what they wanted to know much easier than I could. She'd protected me from Gabriel, which had probably looked funny at the time. But Gabriel hadn't been laughing as he stared at her tiny, poisoned arrow, one of the few things that could actually kill him.

  But, of course, I didn't know how to call Aela, and I wondered if these cops would believe her even if she showed. Did they know that fairies didn't – couldn't – lie?

  Where was I to start? Maybe if I sat there long enough without saying anything they'd get bored and go away. Of course, I knew that was a futile wish.

  Thulu and I looked at each other, and he gave my hand another squeeze.

  “Some of the people who came through the portal had come to my parents' house for a barbecue –” Thulu began, as Brown made notes.

  Brown held up a hand to stop him. “Why were they coming to your parents' house for a barbecue?”

  “Because we invited them,” I said.

  Brown exchanged a look with Lassiter, before giving me a stern look.

  “Fiona, you know that's not what I meant.”

  I attempted to look innocent, twirling a strand of blonde hair around one finger. I shrugged.

  “Shall we try again?” asked Brown.

  I sighed heavily and looked at Thulu. He took over.

  “As you know we have a detective agency. Two months ago, a client hired us to find some relics that would help him close a portal to another world. At the time, even La Fi and I didn't know about the portals.”

  Brown interrupted, “Who was your client?”

  Thulu shook his head. “Sorry. Client confidentiality. Besides, it's irrelevant. Anyway, the client informed us that there were portals to all these other realms. And that there was one particular race looking to come to Earth. This race, call
ed Light Ones, needs the energy from positive emotions to survive. Their feeding ground was at war and they were planning to use humans as a new energy source.

  “The portal to that world is different from other portals. Our client has monitored and kept it closed for thousands of years. After a while, the magic weakens and has to be renewed. When that happens, our client uses the relics to close the portal. The time in between varies, but it has to be renewed every few hundred years. Only this time, the relics used to seal it were missing.”

  “Thousands of years? Your client isn’t human.” It wasn’t a question. Brown looked up from his typing.

  Thulu shook his head.

  “So these Light Ones wanted to invade Earth.”

  “Well, that's a bit melodramatic, but basically – yeah.” Thulu said.

  “And when this client told you all of this about the portals and other worlds, you had no problem believing him?”

  Thulu and I exchanged a glance.

  “Yes, we believed him,” Thulu continued, without elaborating. “He explained that the Light Ones will do anything they can to keep their hosts happy. If that means supplying them with drugs to keep them happy, that's what the Light Ones will do. Eventually, the host will burn out, go insane, sometimes die.

  “So, obviously La Fi and I were motivated to help the client find his lost relics. The leader of the Light Ones, Gabriel, was doing his best to find them, too, so he could open the portal completely. When he realized we could find the relics, he decided to coerce us into giving him the relics once we found them.”

  Brown and Lassiter were nodding.

  “And killing your family members was part of that coercion.” Brown wasn't asking.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Thulu had explained it just fine. My relief was short-lived. I wasn't going to get off that easily.

  “So walk me through this. Exactly what happened?”

  My heart sank again.

  Thulu continued, “Gabriel showed up at my parents' house.”

  “Wait,” interrupted Brown. “How did Gabriel know to go there?”