Hidden Truths (Intertwined Souls Series Book 3)

by Mary D. Brooks

  “Stella...Cra..” Eva stopped just in time and Stella’s face creased into a smile.

  “Crazy Aunty Stella,” Stella finished Eva’s sentence and laughed. “Yes, that is me, Crazy Aunty Stella.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t know um...”

  “What are you apologizing for? It’s true.”

  “You’re crazy?”

  “No, but it’s easier for people to think I am. Makes life so much quieter, don’t you think?”

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Oh, come on, of course you do.” Stella gazed at Eva with a smile. “You seem the type that is very good at not showing people the real you. I know someone else who is just like that.”

  “You don’t know anything about me except for what you hear in the village.”

  “I don’t pay attention to what those silly women say. What’s your name?”

  “You already know the answer to that question, since you know who I am.”

  Stella chuckled. “Yes, good point. The village gossips say you are Eva Muller, the child of the Butcher. What do you call yourself?”

  “Eva Haralambos.”

  Stella grinned. “Your father is Father Haralambos.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re very tall.”

  “Yes.”

  “And talkative,” Stella quipped. Eva continued to stare, which only made Stella giggle. “I do love talking to myself, but maybe you can help me out here and say something other than yes and your name?”

  “Why?”

  Stella laughed. “Well, that’s a new word. Do you know why they call me Crazy Stella?”

  Eva smiled despite herself. “Does it have to do with your fashion sense?”

  Stella laughed heartily. “What’s wrong with my fashion sense? Oh, my Goddess, you are funny. No, it has nothing to do with my fashion sense.”

  “Your black eyes?”

  “I don’t have black eyes—they’re dark brown.” Stella’s eyes went wide and then she smiled. “I’m going to hazard a guess that those blue eyes of yours get you as much attention as my nearly black ones.”

  Eva tilted her head and regarded Stella for a long moment. Stella sighed and shook her head. “Goddess,” she exclaimed. “You and Zoe were a little more than friends out there.”

  “You were spying on us?”

  “Yes, I did rather well in hiding myself, considering you can see me from Mount Olympus in this outfit.” Stella chortled. “So are you and my niece lovers?”

  Eva stayed quiet for a long moment. “Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?”

  Stella grinned. “I like the sound of your voice.”

  Eva was not expecting that answer and she laughed, which made Stella punch the air in triumph. “You like the sound of my German accent?”

  “German? Hmm.”

  Eva narrowed her eyes. Stella knew more about her than was commonly known. She tried to recall if Father Haralambos had mentioned Zoe’s aunt, but she didn’t remember any conversation.

  “Oh, don’t give me that look.” Stella rolled her eyes. “Zoe looks happy.”

  Eva smiled and visibly relaxed. She was on a more sure footing when talking about Zoe than about herself. “She is very happy.”

  “That’s just absolutely fascinating.”

  “What is?”

  “Your face. Your whole face changes when you mention her name. Your smile becomes brighter, and your body relaxes. Fascinating.”

  “Zoe won’t be back for at least an hour. She went into the village.” Eva avoided talking about her feelings for Zoe.

  “Yes, I know.” Stella nodded. “You are going to make me spell it out for you, right?”

  Eva’s answer was to smile and stay where she was.

  “You are a little similar to your aunt, but you’re not. You both have that Faber dimple, and you are both tall and gorgeous.”

  “You are mistaken. I don’t have an aunt living in Larissa.”

  “That is incorrect.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure I don’t.”

  “You are right about one thing—you don’t think you had an aunt living in Larissa. She hasn’t been in Larissa.” Eva remained silent. “Oh, you are good at this, aren’t you?”

  “You are not aware of your aunt, but she is aware of you,” Stella continued and Eva’s demeanor changed. “You have a maternal aunt.”

  “I had a maternal aunt. My mother’s younger sister died in a fire.”

  Eva was startled when there was a heavy thud on the door and then it swung open to reveal Zoe with two large bags. Eva rushed to her side and took the bags, blocking Zoe’s view into the cabin. Zoe grinned, and stopped Eva by taking hold of her shirt and kissed her.

  “Um, Zo...”

  “Yes?” Zoe asked as she put her arms around Eva’s waist. “You know what I would like to do now? Since we have a bit of time before we head to the farm, I was getting all hot and bothered walking up —”

  Stella cleared her throat and Zoe looked at Eva. “That wasn’t you.”

  “No, it wasn’t me.”

  Zoe closed her eyes and buried her face into Eva’s chest in embarrassment.

  “Oh god, Evy,” Zoe said in German.

  “Look around me,” Eva replied also in German.

  Zoe peeked around Eva. “Aunty Stella!” she said, and rushed to her aunt. She laughed as Stella hugged her and then tenderly kissed her on the cheek.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me, little one.” Stella cupped Zoe’s face. “I loved her so much, and I love you. Well, your mama would be most proud of you. You have grown into a beautiful woman.”

  “Thank you, Aunty.”

  “I prayed for you and for her. I think the Goddess heard my prayer,” Stella whispered into Zoe’s ear. “You’re not so little anymore and you found a beautiful woman to share your life.”

  “You know?” Zoe tentatively asked.

  “Of course, I know. I’m not blind. I don’t see many girls rushing in to their friends and kissing them like that!” Stella replied as she turned her attention to Eva, who was smiling and looking at them. Stella turned back to Zoe. “Yes, I know, darling. It’s alright.”

  “You don’t-”

  “I’m the last person to judge you for falling in love with a woman.” Stella put her arm around Zoe and kissed her on the cheek. “She is a little on the cryptic side, but that’s alright. I’m not used to Mitsos women being so cryptic.”

  Zoe watched Eva go into the kitchenette with the bags.

  “I’ll go and get her from her hiding place,” Eva heard Zoe say. She stopped emptying the bag when Zoe put her arms around her waist and rested her cheek against her back for a moment. “So that’s your aunty Stella.”

  “Yes, and I can’t believe you didn’t warn me.”

  “Love, you caught me by surprise.”

  Zoe shook her head and took Eva’s hand. She kissed it and they both walked back into the main cabin, still holding hands.

  Eva sat down opposite Stella. Zoe had brought up another chair and joined Eva.

  Stella met Eva’s gaze. “I was telling your girl about her aunt before you came in.”

  Zoe turned to Eva with a quizzical look on her face. “I thought your aunt Theresa died in a fire?”

  “She did,” Eva replied.

  “How many aunts do you have?”

  “One that I know about.”

  “Does Eva have another aunt?” Zoe asked. “Where is she?”

  “You see, that’s how you play the game,” Stella gently admonished Eva. “You ask questions, you learn instead of sitting there looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes and giving me a look that you’ve practiced in the mirror many times.”

  Zoe laughed. “Was Eva giving you her icy cold stare?”

  “Is that what you call it? It works. Very frustrating. Now getting back to my story, which is taking longer than I thought it would.” Stella put her hands on her head and straightened her
hair. “Where was I?”

  “My deceased aunt,” Eva replied.

  “You don’t have a deceased aunt,” Stella exasperatedly exclaimed. “Maybe I should start at the beginning.”

  “That would be good,” Eva said icily.

  “Is she always this difficult with people she doesn’t know?” Stella quizzed Zoe.

  “Yes.” Zoe gave Eva a little bump.

  “Goddess, this is harder than I thought. Now where was I?”

  “Aunt. Not dead,” Eva responded.

  “Your mother’s younger sister, Theresa, did not die in a fire.”

  “My mother gave me Theresa’s name as my middle name to honor her memory.”

  “Yes, that is true. Daphne loved Tessa so much.”

  “Did my mother lie to me?” Eva asked as she glanced at Zoe.

  “No, your mother was not lying. She believed Tessa had died.”

  “But she hadn’t?”

  “No,” Stella replied. “Your aunty Tessa is very much alive.”

  “What happened to her?”

  Stella met Eva’s gaze. “This is going to sound fanciful, but I’m going to try and explain. Tessa was sent to a lunatic asylum in Athens.”

  “What for?”

  Stella clasped her hands in front of her as she gazed at the floor before she turned her attention to Eva. “She was sent there because exorcism was proven not to work for her, so the only solution was to shut her in a lunatic asylum and for the doctors to treat her for her illness.”

  Eva stared at Stella as she tried to process what the woman was telling her. Her aunt Theresa was possessed? She felt a heavy weight had settled on her chest and she tried to keep herself calm, but she felt she was losing that battle. Theo had been right when he told her Theresa was in a lunatic asylum.

  “Exorcism from what?” Eva finally asked when she thought she could talk without it coming out like a strangled cry.

  “Demon possession,” Stella replied. “What the priests didn’t understand was always demon possession.”

  “What didn’t they understand?”

  “Tessa is gifted. What we don’t understand, we attribute to the supernatural, but that’s not always the case.”

  “If my aunt Theresa is alive, why hasn’t she contacted me? Where has she been?”

  “That’s where you are wrong, my dear girl.” Stella reached into her bag and took out a large satchel. “She has contacted you.”

  Eva’s heart began to beat faster. She tried to swallow, but the lump in her throat made it difficult. Eva glanced at Zoe and knew she was thinking the same thing.

  “You know what I’m talking about.” Stella took Eva’s hands. “She has been with you since the day you were born.”

  “How?” Eva asked. Her voice sounded strange to her ears, as if it had come from someone other than herself.

  “As I said, Tessa is gifted. Her gift can be a curse.” Stella looked at Zoe. “Tessa’s gifts are something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Do you know what astral projection is?”

  “Visions?”

  “Hmm, not exactly. It is the ability to project yourself in another time and place.”

  “It was her,” Eva whispered as she leaned forward. “It was her that I saw.”

  “Are we talking about seeing someone as if they were a vision?” Zoe asked the question Eva had already figured out the answer to.

  Stella nodded. “It was Tessa. Did you not think that it would be someone who cared about you?”

  “Uh...I thought I was hallucinating.”

  “No, my dear, you weren’t. Tessa has a few gifts. One of her other abilities is far stronger, Eva. Do you know what precognition is?”

  “It’s knowing the fu...” Eva stopped when she realized what she had just said. “She knows the future?”

  “She doesn’t know the future, but she does know events that will happen in the future.”

  “Isn’t that the same thing?”

  “No.” Stella shook her head. “She has the ability to know what will happen, but not when it will happen; just that it happens.”

  “If she is alive and was responsible for my visions as you say, where is she now? Why isn’t she here?”

  Stella smiled. “Who said she wasn’t here?” She turned to Zoe. “Did young Theo tell you I was at the farm?”

  “Yes, he said you were at the farm and you brought a patient you were caring for...”

  “My patient is Tessa,” Stella replied. “We are both staying at the farm. I wanted to come here first, to see you, to talk to you.”

  “Why didn’t she come?”

  “We felt it necessary to tell you about her gifts before you met her. Tessa is also an artist.” Stella opened the satchel and took out several pieces of paper. She gazed at Eva and then chose a drawing. Stella looked at the drawing for a long time and then handed it to Zoe instead of to Eva.

  Eva glanced at it quickly and felt an overwhelming fear grip her. She got up from her chair and found her knees were trembling. With the little strength that she had, she ran to the door and out into the night, leaving Zoe gasping at the drawing in front of her.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Eva threw the door open and stumbled out. Her heart beat so loudly it was the only thing she could hear. Everything else was a blur. She wiped the sweat from her brow and took a deep breath. The pounding in her head began to keep rhythm with the beat of her heart. She felt like she was in a pain-filled fog, and gulped to try to get a hold of herself.

  “Please, God, help me.” Eva moaned. She leaned against the nearest tree, unable to take a deep breath. Her legs felt like molten lead, the pain in her chest increased, and her legs finally gave out and she slid down the side of the tree and landed with a thud on the gravel. Her head fell back against the tree trunk as she fought to take a breath.

  Through the pounding ache in her head, Eva felt Zoe’s presence. She knew Zoe was there but couldn’t hear what she was saying until Zoe cupped her face in her hands.

  “Evy! Look at me!”

  Eva tried to focus but her vision was blurred. Zoe took her in her arms and held her as she took in large gasps of air. She could hear Zoe talking to her and she felt like she was outside her own skin.

  “Evy, I've got you,” Zoe said repeatedly, and held Eva against her. “Look at me, focus on me.”

  “I can't...” Eva stammered as she became more aware of her surroundings. The pounding in her head continued and she felt hot. She opened her eyes and through her tears she could see Stella, who went to the giant drum of water that was used for washing. She took her scarf off her head, dipped it in the water and handed it to Zoe.

  “She’s having a panic attack and feeling very hot at the moment. Put this on her forehead,” Stella calmly instructed.

  Eva tried to move but only managed to fall backwards into Zoe's arms.

  “Are you hurting anywhere?” Zoe asked.

  Eva nodded. “My legs feel like lead.” Her heart was still racing but not as bad now. The pounding in her head also receded. She felt weak, as if she had run up the mountain. “I’m sorry.”

  “What are you sorry about, child?” Stella gently cupped Eva’s cheek. “It is I who should apologize. I’m sorry for hurting you.” She quickly looked at Zoe as they both helped Eva up. Eva was feeling a little sturdier. She lent her weight on Zoe and they made their way back into the cabin.

  Zoe quickly glanced at Stella, who hurriedly put away the artwork. She stashed it under the sofa cushion the moment they came back inside. Stella indicated to Zoe she should let Eva rest. Eva and Zoe went into the bedroom and shut the door.

  Eva sat heavily on the bed and sighed. “I made a total fool of myself.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Zoe took off Eva’s shoes. She rolled down her stockings and removed them. “I am going to have a word with Crazy—”

  “She’s not crazy. Don’t call her that.”

  “Well, I’m crazy mad, so one of us is
going to be crazy tonight,” Zoe muttered, and then met Eva’s eyes. “I’m scared for you. You’ve never had such a bad panic attack.”

  “I know,” Eva replied quietly. She took off her shirt. “I’m just going to rest.”

  “Do you want something to eat?”

  “No, I’m not hungry, love.” Eva lay down on the bed and Zoe pulled the blanket up. They looked at each other for a moment before Zoe went down on her knees and kissed her.

  Without another word Zoe left and closed the door.

  Zoe’s anger was building. She faced the closed door, her hand still on the handle, and rested her head on it.

  “Take a deep breath and calm down.”

  “I...”

  “Don’t react. Just calm down,” Stella very quietly said. She took Zoe’s hand off the door handle and held it. “Just breathe and don’t react.”

  “That was painful.”

  “Yes, it was. I’m sorry. I just didn’t think.”

  Zoe turned to face her aunt as she roughly wiped the tears from her face. “Do you know how much courage Eva needed to come to this place? To this cabin?”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “No, you don’t.” Zoe shook her head as she went into the main living area and sat down. “You don’t know.”

  “What makes you think I don’t know?”

  Zoe remained sullen. “You don’t know Eva.”

  “I don’t know Eva, no, but I know of her and what she has gone through.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  Stella slid across the sofa and retrieved the artwork. “Tell me what I don’t know.” She gave it to Zoe.

  Zoe looked down at the art. It was so detailed, so vivid that Zoe’s nape hairs stood up. If she had been the subject of this image, she would have had a panic attack herself. The room was dark and looked extremely claustrophobic. In the middle of the room was a chair to which a young Eva was strapped into, her head held in place by a thick black strap. She had a thick short bar in her mouth. A man stood behind her, but what horrified Zoe even more was the look of pain and fear on Eva’s face. It was contorted into a silent scream that hit Zoe the hardest. There was also the man at the edge of the art, his hand resting on a square device with knobs. Zoe noticed a date in the corner. Her eyes went wide and she looked up at her aunt. “This artwork was done on January 20, 1938!”