by Jen Stevens
“Never. You’re the only person here who doesn’t treat me like the dirt on the bottom of their shoe.”
She busied her hands with cleaning up our spilled coffee cups to hide the emotion in her face. I could sense it, though. Even the way she carried herself across the kitchen was heavy and slow. Depressed.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this place, it’s that the people here don’t know how to value a good thing when they see it. You shine too bright for them, Blaire. They don’t know what to do with that.”
Her and Remy were sorely taken advantage of. I’d only known each of them for a handful of weeks and they’d both added more value to my life than anyone else, filling the void that was left by my aunt and father. People like Julia and her odd friends may have seemed like the obvious choice to befriend, but they had no substance. They were empty shells, reaching their peak in a town that most of the rest of the world had no idea even existed.
I remembered something Remy had said to me the last time we were together. We were sitting together on his balcony, and he was explaining how his gifts worked with the underworld to me as if it were simply the next town over.
“So, you can see people who have passed?” I asked in disbelief. I’d give so much to be able to speak to my parents or Aunt Ash, and he was talking about it so casually.
“Kind of. I can visit their souls once they've reached the other side.”
“Then, you can see my parents?”
“Probably. If I wanted to.”
An idea rolled around in my head then. I considered whether or not I should even voice it to him. I still hadn’t revealed much to Remy about myself or what I’d found while researching my family. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, per se. I just didn’t know what he would do if he knew I was a Counter. Eventually, I just threw it out there. “And you can ask them how they really died?”
He shook his head, his face holding that serious mask it always had as he thought of how to explain it to me. “It's not really like that. Souls that have passed into the spirit world don't dwell on their time here in the physical world. To them, we’re just the meat suits that they use to evolve into the next level of vibrations.”
Meat suits. That was a disturbing thought.
“Oh,” I said dejectedly. “So, they aren’t really around me like everyone always says?” I felt like a child being told Santa Clause isn't real. Of course, they didn’t watch over me.
“No, it's not like that. They know what they signed up for when they came into our world—even their untimely deaths. Each lifetime that a soul chooses to take on is meant to teach them a valuable lesson and help them grow.”
When that didn’t appear to make me feel any better, he went on.
“For example, if a soul needs to work on their ability to forgive, then they'll spend a physical lifetime being wronged over and over. But when they get back into the spirit world, they let go of all that negativity because they know it served a purpose and brought them closer to the gods. The spirit world is filled with love and light. They know that your journey is different from theirs and they still miss you. They just know you'll return soon enough.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I don't know. I've spent a lot of time there.”
I’d originally taken offense to the term he used to describe us—meat suits. But now, I could see what he meant. Some of the people in Beacon Grove truly lived up to the disgusting concept of being a meat suit. Those were the ones that didn’t appreciate the amazing souls they were sharing their existence with.
The sheep.
“Thank you.” Blaire’s voice pulled me from the memory, thick with emotion. “I know you don’t really like it here, but I’m so grateful you stumbled into our little town.”
My arms pulled her into a hug, squeezing tight so she knew exactly how much her words meant to me. I never imagined that on the path to finding out more about my family, I’d find a true friend.
Chapter 25
Storie
Beacon Grove was having yet another town meeting. I was under the impression when I first arrived that these meetings were only held once a month, but it appeared the townspeople couldn't seem to get enough of each other. That, and everyone wanted to get their opinions voiced about the incidents that occurred over the past few weeks.
As a business owner, Tabitha was obligated to attend. She griped and grumbled the whole way there, making no effort to keep down her insults about the people she shared a home with in Beacon Grove.
Blaire had been more than willing to attend, and I had nothing better to do since I'd hit a dead end on finding any more information about my family. Besides, any opportunity to learn more about Rayner and his agenda with the Movement was more than enough of an excuse for me.
“Young women don't just disappear without a trace. Someone is hunting them, and I think we all know who.”
A few people rolled their eyes at Rayner's dramatics, while others looked terrified at his words.
“Rayner,” the mayor warned in an exasperated sigh.
His forehead now rested on one chubby hand, the other holding the gavel that had proven to be useless in silencing the crowd. It took all of ten minutes for him to lose control of the meeting.
Officer Kyle stood to his right with his hand firmly planted on his gun. I assumed he was there to discourage the crowd from getting too aggressive, but they ignored him just as easily as they had the mayor.
“Mayor Douglas, don't you think the families of these young women deserve to have every possibility explored?”
“Of course, I do. That doesn't mean we can accuse those boys of a crime when there's no evidence pointing to them.”
“Come on, Mayor. Mabon proved that their powers are weakening, and their families are searching for the Counters responsible.”
The room boomed with conflicting thoughts, half agreeing with Rayner and the other half defending the Quarters.
“We should find the Counters ourselves and eliminate the problem at the source,” I heard one man grumble. His words gave me pause and stopped my heart from skipping a beat, especially when the few around him mumbled their agreements.
I knew the Quarters were a danger to Counters—trained in eliminating the threat that they believed Counters were to them. But I hadn't considered the possibility of their followers being willing to do the work for them.
Mayor Douglas slammed his gavel and demanded the room's silence. Tabitha and Blaire stayed quiet, observing the chaos with pure amusement. Slowly, the noise died down as friends and neighbors quieted their individual arguments.
“This is insane,” Blaire commented beside me.
“Now, that's enough!” Mayor Douglas shouted at the buzzing crowd before him. “We've gathered here to work together as a community and help bring these girls home. They are our neighbors. Their families are our friends. This isn't the time to point fingers and place blame. We have a full staff of police who are doing their jobs and investigating. Rayner, you cannot keep using these town meetings to push your political agenda on everyone. One more outburst, and you'll be banned from attending town meetings for the foreseeable future.”
Rayner blanched, placing his hand on his chest in a clearly theatrical attempt to look offended. “Do you see this? Now, we're being silenced for speaking against the almighty Quarters.”
The room went crazy again, and this time, Mayor Douglas didn't even attempt to calm it. He simply rolled his eyes and walked off the stage, leaving his constituents to fight it out. Officer Kyle followed closely behind, returning his eyes to the crowd every few seconds. Blaire grabbed my wrist and jerked her head toward the door, where Tabitha was already walking out.
“They can't seriously think the Quarters are behind all of those disappearances, can they?” I wondered aloud. But I realized that I had my own doubts about them, too.
I knew Remy was a Quarter and my first instinct upon finding out was that he wanted to kill me fo
r possibly being a Counter. I still wasn't sure what his intentions were, or why he chose to open himself up to me, but I didn't think he was capable of kidnapping innocent girls.
“They'll grasp onto any theory that makes enough sense in their minds,” Tabitha said, still walking at least two steps ahead of us.
I glanced over at Blaire beside me, realizing she hadn't said anything yet. Sometime between our breakfast the other day and now, she'd completely changed her opinion about the girls’ disappearances and who was behind them. I assumed that Tabitha got into her head about it, but I was curious to know what she could have said to do so.
She kept her eyes to the ground, her brows pinched tightly together in a scowl. It was unlike her to not have anything to say. Did she think she could be considered next as a victim?
We paused at the entrance to the hotel, but Blaire walked past me and Tabitha, ripping open the office door and disappearing inside before we could say anything.
“What's wrong with her?” I mindlessly asked, not expecting an answer.
“She's afraid. You should be too,” the old woman grumbled.
“Why should we be afraid? Are you saying it is the Quarters?”
My thoughts fell to Remy and how none of this made any sense. He wasn't capable of hurting anyone. He didn't even want his powers. In fact, he should be warned that the town was turning against him.
As always, Tabitha didn't show any indication of what she truly felt, and I hadn't expected her to. I figured she'd offer a vague response and leave without an explanation.
Instead, she surprised me by waving her hand and saying, “Come. We need to talk.”
---
She led me into a study down the hall from Blaire's room that I hadn't seen before. When we passed Blaire's closed door, I could hear music blasting through her speakers. I've never seen her shut down like this, though I knew Tabitha wouldn't provide any more insight.
She took a seat in one of the two brown leather recliners placed on either side of the room. A small, empty coffee table separated them, and the walls were lined with bookshelves that nearly reached the ceiling. The leatherbound books that were nestled inside each shelf looked worn down and older than she did.
There weren't any decorations hung. Nothing to show Tabitha's personality or interests. Just the furniture and the books.
“Your family has been a part of Beacon Grove since the town was created,” she began.
I remembered Remy telling me the same thing, though I wasn't sure what that really meant in the grand scheme of things. All of my family was dead.
“Your bloodline has deep ties in this soil and many of us fought to keep it alive. That wasn't an easy task, though. People were hunting the original thirteen. They wanted those lines severed.”
“Why?”
“So they could make changes to the town and the coven without any consequences.”
She reached over to the shelf on her left and grabbed one of the thick, brown leather books. The cover had a layer of dust coating it and when she opened it up, the parchment looked brittle in her fingers.
“As I'm sure you've realized, our coven relies on our four Quarters to protect us while we practice our magic. Blaire has given you the modern version of their story, but it goes back hundreds of years. Since before our ancestors even stepped foot on American soil.”
She turned the book toward me, and an ancient-looking drawing covered the pages.
“It's said they were given their gifts from the gods themselves. That Hecate personally blessed them with the tools they required to protect their coven. But as with any gift that comes from the gods, there was a caveat.”
She pointed to an amateur drawing of four figures sketched in black with a compass scribbled in the middle. Each one had a corresponding red figure standing beside it, and the compass was missing its center, as if that part had been erased or scratched off the paper.
“The Quarters were each given counterparts. These were entities that they had to share their power with. Their abilities flowed fluidly through the Quarter and the Counter, so that the burden didn't exhaust the Quarter.”
“I don't understand. Why was Rayner saying they wanted to hunt their Counters then?”
“Because the Quarters became greedy over time. They didn't understand why their powers had to be shared at all, and they began looking for ways to cut their Counter off from receiving anything.”
“So, they want to have their powers to themselves. That's why they hunt and kill Counters,” I deduced.
Tabitha moved her head in an irritated negative shake. “You're getting mixed up with the fables that Blaire told you and the propaganda Rayner spreads around. Listen to me and ignore what you heard before.”
“Okay.” I was so confused.
“You have to remember, Quarters and Counters have been around for centuries. There has been a lot of time for corruption, and nature doesn't like corruption. Nature likes balance. That's why the Counters were created in the first place, right?”
I nodded.
“The Counter issue has been balanced. That was sorted out ages ago. The current issue is generational, but they don't want you to know that. They want to distract you with old problems, so you don't focus on what they're doing.”
None of that made any sense.
“Are you telling me this because I'm a Counter?” I finally asked, exasperated with her talking in circles and confusing code.
Tabitha's singular nod sent my heart dropping into my stomach. This was the first time I've spoken those words out loud. I kept these suspicions to myself for so long, they felt wrong to say. I've wanted someone to confirm them since I first heard Blaire talk about it but now that Tabitha had, I didn't feel any relief.
She pointed to the picture and circled her finger around the figures on the west side of the compass.
“All you need to know is that our current Quarters are not the ones who truly hold the power. They're being taken advantage of and villainized in front of the rest of the coven. I know you've been hanging around with the Wildes one. You need to stay away. It isn't safe for you.”
“Remy would never hurt me.” I was speaking to both her and myself. Maybe if I said the words enough, I could feel confident that they were true.
But Tabitha wasn't convinced. “Those boys have been fed lies by men who want nothing more than to retain their power. They've been raised since birth to hunt you. If he knew what you were to him, he wouldn't think twice about killing you. So long as Counter blood runs through your veins, they will consider you a threat to their position.”
Her tone didn't leave room for argument. Honestly, there wasn't anything I could say in his defense. She knew more about everything in this town than I could even fathom as a newcomer. Sure, my family may have helped build it from nothing, but they left before I ever had a chance to learn anything about them. She was the closest thing I had to a family at this point.
All the Grangers were, so why shouldn't I trust her?
“Why did my family leave? Not just my parents and Aunt Ash, but the rest of the Graves. Surely, there were more living here before I came along.”
“I've already given you the answer to that. Don't waste our time with silly questions. None of that matters anymore. What matters is that you and the other Counters stay alive, so that our Quarters can fulfill their duties and their fathers stay far away from power. Don't distract that boy any more than you have and don't put your life at risk.”
This conversation was reminiscent of the one I had with Aunt Ash after Rayner visited our home and she began her downward spiral.
“This is bigger than you and me, Storie. Don't put your life at risk,” she'd said when I fought against dropping out of my dream college to switch to an online one.
It was the final step we took before leaving our home. The one that took the most convincing on her end and the biggest compromise between us. I hadn't wanted to end up like her—a lonely spinster with hardly any career
to fall back on besides a small homeopathy and massage therapy business that hardly paid the bills. And I didn’t understand the risk she was speaking about.
Hearing Tabitha say the same words triggered emotions in me that I wanted to keep repressed. Negative emotions that I'd felt toward Aunt Ash for stripping my freedoms over something I could have never understood at the time.
But now, I understand. I know why she was so terrified. I know what Rayner was demanding when he threatened her that day. I know the sacrifice she made by not obeying. And I know that she was so much more than I ever gave her credit for.
I wasn't willing to give up my free will to this cause again, though. I wasn't going to continue to hide from a faceless enemy. I came to Beacon Grove to find answers, and now that I had some, I was going to fight for myself.
“Do you understand?” Tabitha pushed when I never responded.
I simply nodded. If she knew my thoughts, she would only try to convince me to change my mind, and that wasn't happening. Now that I'd finally been given some answers, I was only hungrier for more, and I knew just where to find them.
Tabitha didn't look convinced, but she still accepted my nod as an answer and slammed the dusty book shut. I watched her slide it on the shelf and tried to read some of the spines beside it but could only make out one of them. It read: Beacon Grove Birth Records 1997. Just as I began making out the title, Tabitha's plump figure stepped into view.
“That's all you need to see. Now, run along and remember what I told you.”
Chapter 26
Storie
I found him at the beach. It seemed as if he was waiting for me there, his pale colors a beautiful contrast to the onyx sand and navy waters surrounding him. I knew better than to let myself believe such lies. Tabitha may have triggered repressed feelings in me from Aunt Ash, but she knew the Quarters better than I did.
I didn’t waste any time with pleasantries. Instead, I shoved The Beacon into his chest, front page facing out. He stumbled back a bit, shocked. We both managed to ignore the pain that sliced through us from the quick brush of his fingers against mine.
