by SJ Sanford
Clarissa gave her a long look then said with a sad smile, “you are totally winging this.”
“Pretty much.” Jayme looped her arm through Clarissa's and tugged her from the room. “Let me show you where were setting up tonight. I need a circle...” She glanced over her shoulder toward Chaz who was now glaring in their direction. Lowering her voice she added, “and an exorcism.”
Chapter 6
“Hey Jay, can I have a moment?” Otis asked, tugging her away from the preparations, she, Theo and Clarissa were doing.
“What’s up?”
“Someone wants to talk to you.” He held up his phone.
She frown glancing at the screen, but all it revealed was the label Hot Chef. Putting it to her ear she hesitantly said, “hello.”
“I have a message for you from Kimmie Lee. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
Jayme knew that voice she hadn’t heard it in a few years but she was sure. “Charlie?”
“Yeah, seriously Jayme this thing is bad. Like Happy Valley bad.”
“Why did Kimmie Lee come to you and not me, or Theo.”
“Best guess she can’t get to you two. I think that thing is blocking your guides. Nana Anna and Aunt Penny have been visiting me as well because they're worried about Theo. I think you're too focused on Chaz, the real threat is going to be coming from where you least expect it. He’s not possessed just under the entities influence. Can the exorcism, and focus on a banishment.”
Jayme chewed on her lips, eyes on Otis who was watching her intently. “Say I believe you, which spirit should I banish? There are several here.”
“Kimmie say’s that you know. It’s the one you least expect. Come on you know how cryptic ghosts are, especially Kimmie Lee.” Charlie paused and then added, “I smell infection. Does that help?”
“Actually yes it does.” Jayme replied, thinking back to the journal.
“Listen, you know how I feel about you since what happen… I wouldn't be talking to you if I didn’t think this was serious.”
Jayme felt a twinge of hurt, but trampled it down now wasn’t the time to try and hash out something that had happened a long time ago. “Ok point made, we’ll try it your way. If it doesn’t work…”
“If it doesn’t work I’ll come down there myself and kick some spirit ass.”
Jayme couldn’t help smiling that was the Charlie she knew and loved. “After this you and I are going to talk. And I’m going to find out why you're calling Otis, instead of Theo.”
“When you get back, we’ll talk.”
Jayme hung up and handed it back to Otis. “You and I are going to talk later.”
He gave her a goofy grin and nodded, taking the phone from her. Shaking her head, Jayme stepped back into the room. “Change of plans we need a banishment spell, not exorcism.” Clarissa and Theo looked at her questioningly, so she explained what Charlie had told her on the phone.
Clarissa shrugged, “It’s not that much of a difference, but we will need to know which spirit to banish.”
“I think I do.”
“Think?”
“Ninety-nine percent sure.”
Theo shook his head, “I hope you girls know what you're doing.”
****
Jayme knelt in the center of a circle of salt with Clarissa. Fat white pillar candles sat around the circle, marking the five points of the star. The whole thing was just for show Clarissa didn’t need the props to have the protective circle. The salt and candles just made it look good for the others in the room. Andy, Otis, Theo, Luca, and Belinda sat around sat around the room. Luca and Otis were filming, Theo and Belinda sat on the bed, while Andy leaned against the mantle arms crossed clearly not happy about this.
Jayme turned her attention back to Clarissa, between them sat Jayme’s specialty made spirit board. The golden oak grain was engraved with protective runes around the edges and a set of decorative double doors in the center. In one corner was an elaborate sun with the word yes under it, opposite this was an equally elaborate moon with the word no under it. Next to the board sat a fat stick of sage and a black candle.
“Ready?”
Clarissa nodded, placing her fingertips on the frosted glass planchette, and Jayme followed suit. “We call Tessie, to join us in the circle and speak with us.”
Inside the circle the air shimmered and Tessie appeared. From somewhere downstairs there was a muffled yell. Jayme focused her attention on the spirit before them. The girls eyes were wide as she surveyed the room, then turned to Jayme.
“What are you doing?” The planchette flew around the board as she spoke.
“Tessie, I saw Dr Trent’s notes. I know that you were possessed, and what they did to you.”
Tessie turned her eyes to the ground, as she whispered, “It hurt me, and made me do horrible things.” Jayme began to wonder if she had made a mistake and Tessie was just another victim to the dark entity. The girl lifted her head, her hair falling back to reveal a rivulet of blood trickling from her eye like tears. An invisible wind picked up swirling around the circle as Tessie’s clothes changed to a dirty straight jacket and once white night gown. The girls dark hair whipped about like a thousand tiny snakes. “And I liked it.” Tessie screamed, with a malicious smile. Her voice changed as a darkness surrounded her, sounding as if a hundred people spoke through her at once. “We have taken many souls, and yours will be no different.”
“Oh really?” Jayme nodded to Clarissa.
The High Priestess picked up the sage stick, chanting as she lit it on the flickering black candle. The sweet smell of burning sage filled the room. Jayme let down her guards, beneath her fingers the board hummed in tune with the power running through her. A new wind picked up a tornado it’s vortex the spirit board. Jayme heard Tessie scream in anger and fear as she was caught in this new wind and sucked toward the board. The girl struggled and fought against the pull, the darkness twisting and turning as it was dragged along with her. Clarissa’s chanting grew louder as the two were sucked into the board. Suddenly the wind died, and Clarissa trailed off hesitantly. The board glowed a soft red, then turned back to normal.
“Is it over?” Clarissa asked.
Jayme nodded, putting a hand to her head as a dull throbbing pain began to make itself known.
Epilogue
Andy slapped a file on the desk in front of Jayme. “Here’s everything we could find on Tessie. You’re not going to like it.”
Jayme pulled the file closer and flicked it open. The young woman known as Tessa Jarome was evil before the entity got it’s claws in her. She’d been accused of poisoning neighbor’s pets and farm animals. The last straw was when she “accidently” killed her baby brother. Her parents had abandoned her at the asylum. Where she had poisoned her fellow patients. At thirteen she had been given a lobotomy, which became infected and killed her.
Closing her eyes, Jayme flipped the file shut. Andy rubbed her shoulders, “Sorry, Hon.”
Dragging in a breath, she shrugged him off. “I’m supposed to meet Charlie at Tillie’s for lunch, wanna come?”
Andy nodded, “are you sure you want to do this?”
“Otis says she needs help and I owe her after everything that went down at Happy Valley.”
“Ok,” Andy sighed. “You are the boss.”
Jayme smiled up at him. “And don’t you forget it.”
About the Author- S.J also known as Shandy Jo lives in Upstate New York with her husband, two kids, four cats, and dog. By day is a not so mild mannered sewing machine operator. At night, and on weekends, she is Super Mom. Chasing kids, cleaning house, wrangling animals and whatever else might come up. She also runs several blogs. You can find out more about Shandy on her main blog https://mmosj.blogspot.com/
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