Poltergeists & Change of Life (Mystical Midlife in Maine #15)

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

A rmed with a vial of world-saving potion and a questionable amount of courage, Aidon, Stella, and I ventured into what used to be my living room. It now looked more like the aftermath of a supernatural frat party. If frat boys could levitate furniture and turn the laws of physics into suggestions. Nina was at school and Mom was in the kitchen with Nana, Mythia, Selene, and Layla.

"Hattie?" I called out, my voice embarrassingly shaky. "We need to talk. Preferably without the whole 'hurling objects at my head' thing. I'm rather attached to my cranium."

The room temperature plummeted faster than my hopes for a peaceful resolution. My eyes traveled to the walls where frost was creeping up and forming intricate patterns. They would have been beautiful if they weren't, you know, harbingers of doom.

"Phoebe," Aidon whispered urgently, "maybe antagonizing the angry poltergeist isn't the best opening move?"

I shot him a look. "You got a better idea? Should I offer her a cup of tea and a scone? ‘Sorry about the whole being dead and corrupted by Lyra’s dark magic thing.’ Would you like a biscuit?"

Before Aidon could respond with what I'm sure would have been a perfectly reasonable suggestion that I'd promptly ignore, the air in front of us shimmered. Hattie materialized, but this wasn't the Hattie I remembered. This Hattie looked like she'd been dragged through Hell's own Instagram filter.

Her form flickered between the woman I knew and something else. Lyra's violation had gone a step further. She now had too many limbs and not enough humanity. Her once warm and kind eyes were now glowing with an unholy light that made my insides do the cha-cha.

"Hattie," I tried again. I took a step forward despite every instinct screaming at me to run. "It's me, Phoebe. Remember? The girl you saved because you thought I was worthy to receive your magic? I know you're in there somewhere."

Hattie's head tilted at an angle that human necks were definitely not meant to achieve. When she spoke, her voice was a cacophony of sounds. When I focused, I picked up several people talking at once. None of them were saying anything pleasant.

"Phoebe," she finally hissed. She rippled like a mirage in the desert. "You shouldn't be here. This house is mine. This power is mine!"

"Okay, first of all. Rude," I retorted. My patience for being nice had taken a vacation. "We both know this house has terrible plumbing. There’s also that weird stain on the ceiling in the Sanctum that looks like Elvis. Why would you even want it? As for the Pleiades power? You gave it to me. You’re being controlled by evil magic that's killing you. Or... re-killing you? Whatever. The point is, these aren’t your thoughts. Lyra is using you like a supernatural puppet."

For a moment, I saw a flicker of the real Hattie in those otherworldly eyes. There was a fraction of a second where I saw a flash of recognition and pain. Then it was gone. It was replaced by a fury so intense I could practically feel my eyebrows sizzling.

"Lies!" Hattie roared, and the house shook with her rage. "Lyra gave me strength! Lyra gave me purpose!"

"Lyra gave you a one-way ticket to Crazy Town. Population: you," I shot back. "Come on, Hattie. Think! Would the real you ever want this? To hurt people? To destroy the home you loved so much?"

For a breathless moment, I thought I'd gotten through to her. Hattie's form stabilized. She looked more like the woman I remembered and less like an evil witch's fashion experiment. It didn’t last long. Lyra's magic surged, making Stella yelp and close the distance to my side.

“Has Lyra found her way into the house?” Stella whispered.

I shook my head. “No. Look. It’s just her power.” I pointed to the dark tendrils of energy that wrapped around Hattie and seeped into her spectral body. It was like watching a time-lapse video of corruption. Hattie screamed. What came out was a sound of pure anguish that made my heart break.

"Phoebe!" Aidon yelled, grabbing my arm. "The potion. Now!"

Right. Our magical Hail Mary. It was contained in a convenient travel-size bottle. I fumbled with the vial and nearly dropped it when Hattie's transformation reached its terrifying climax. A creature straight out of my worst nightmares stood where Hattie had been moments before. Trust me, being pregnant with triplets had given me some pretty weird dreams. This thing made those seem like pleasant daydreams in comparison.

The massive spirit filled the room with wrongness that went down to a molecular level. Tentacles of pure shadow whipped through the air. They left trails of darkness that hurt to look at directly. And at the center of it all was Hattie's face. It was contorted in a silent scream.

"Oh, come on!" I yelled. "This is just excessive. Regular ghost powers weren't enough? You had to go full Lovecraft?"

The creature that used to be Hattie roared. The sound existed somewhere between a banshee's wail and nails on the universe's chalkboard. One of the windows shattered and rained glass that thankfully bounced off Stella's hastily erected shield. Good thing her mind was firing on all cylinders because mine was not.

"Any time now, Phoebe!" Mom shouted from somewhere behind me. "Preferably before it decides to destroy everything!"

Shit. The potion. I had to save the world. Focus, Phoebe . I took a deep breath and then locked eyes with what I hoped was still Hattie. She had to be in there somewhere in that writhing mass of tentacles and terror. I did the only thing I could think of. I charged.

Look, I told you my pregnant brain wasn’t working like normal. But sometimes, when faced with impossible odds and a distinct lack of better options, you had to take a page out of the 'Leeroy Jenkins Guide to Tactics' and go for it.

As I ran towards certain doom with the vial clutched in my hand like the world's least effective weapon, I had just one thought: If we survived this, I was definitely going to need a vacation. And chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. Running at a tentacled monstrosity while heavily pregnant wasn't exactly what they covered in Lamaze class. I made a mental note to suggest a new chapter for ‘What to Expect When You're Expecting’. It would be titled, ‘Week 35: Confronting Cosmic Horrors and Other Light Cardio’.

As I closed the distance, the creature that was once Hattie lashed out. A tendril of darkness whipped toward me. I had a split second to think, "This is going to hurt worse than the time I tried hot yoga," before it connected.

The impact never came. Instead, the darkness seemed to pass right through me. My babies had erected a shield around us. All I experienced was a chill that went soul-deep. Using my thumb, I flipped the cork out of the top. I couldn’t forget the ‘drink me’ part of this Alice in Wonderland nightmare. I’d be a shitty hero if I forgot the most crucial part of our ‘Save the World in Three Easy Steps’ plan. Step one: Brew potion. Step two: Drink potion. Step three: Don't die horribly. It was simple, really.

I brought the vial to my lips and downed its contents in one gulp. Pro tip: World-saving potions tasted like a smoothie made of regret and broken promises, with a hint of mint. Persephone and Mom needed to work on their recipe. Maybe they could add some pineapple next time. Or vodka. Definitely vodka.

The effect was immediate. And frankly, trippy as hell. My vision blurred, and the world took on a kaleidoscopic quality. It made me want to add a ‘Handling Magical Hallucinogens 101’ class to the introductory to magic educational program I wanted to create.

Heat surged through my veins. It felt like liquid starlight and molten determination had decided to throw a rave in my bloodstream. Every cell in my body was vibrating and humming with a power that felt ancient and new all at once. It was like being plugged directly into the universe's power socket. If the universe ran on caffeine, adrenaline, and pure unadulterated sass.

"Oh," I breathed and blinked rapidly as the world came into sharp focus. And I mean sharp. I could see the individual motes of dust swirling in the air. I could also trace the patterns of energy flowing through the room like rivers of light. "That's... wow. Is this how Persephone sees things all the time? No wonder she always looks so smug. If I had HD vision for the fabric of reality, I'd be insufferable too."

The creature formerly known as Hattie recoiled. Its tentacles writhed in what I hoped was agony and not just a particularly energetic dance routine. Its form seemed less solid now. It was flickering at the edges like a bad TV signal. "Hattie?" I called out. The way my voice resonated with power surprised me. It was like I'd swallowed a magical megaphone.

"Can you hear me? It's Phoebe. I'm here to help. Also, if you could stop with the whole 'tentacle monster from beyond' thing, that'd be great. It's not a good look for you. Plus, it's hell on the furniture. Do you know how hard it is to get ectoplasm out of upholstery?” I paused and sobered and then told her, “I miss you and would love to see your beautiful smile again."

Nothing happened for a moment. Then, like a mirage solidifying in the desert, Hattie's human form emerged from the writhing mass of shadows. She looked... well, dead, obviously. But also confused. Almost like someone who'd just woken up from a century-long nap to find the world had moved on without her. I could relate. I felt the same way every time I tried to understand TikTok.

"Phoebe?" Hattie's voice was faint and echoed as if from a great distance. "What... where am I? What's happening?"

"Oh, you know," I shrugged, aiming for casual and probably landing somewhere closer to manic. "You fell victim to Lyra’s dark magic and cosmic horrors. How are you feeling? Other than, you know, being dead and recently yanked out of the afterlife."

Hattie's form flickered, and pain etched across her features. "It hurts," she whispered. "Lyra... she's in my head.” Her hands flew up to cradle her skull. “Her magic... it's too strong."

"Fight it, Hattie," I urged, taking a step closer. The shadows around her recoiled from me like I was made of sunlight and stern disapproval. Given the potion coursing through me, that might not have been far off. I felt like a walking, talking ‘No Smoking’ sign for dark magic. "You're stronger than her magic. You're Hattie freaking Silva."

A ghost of a smile touched Hattie's lips. "Yes, I am."

“You're the woman who built a legacy with grit and enough stubbornness to put a mule to shame. You saved my life and changed my world. You're not some puppet for a third-rate witch with delusions of grandeur and a serious need for a hobby that doesn't involve corrupting the dead. Maybe she should take up lion taming. Or underwater basket weaving. Perhaps competitive cloud watching would be more her speed. Or she could try her hand at professional pillow fluffing. Anything less... nefarious."

Hattie's eyes cleared a bit more. "Phoebe," she said urgently. "Listen to me. There isn't much time. Lyra's magic... it's tied to an object. A locket. My locket."

"Your locket?" I blinked. "What does it look like? Where did you hide it? I don’t think I’ve come across it."

Hattie's brow furrowed as she tried to recall. "The locket is hidden in?—"

Suddenly, Hattie's form convulsed. The shadows surged back and wrapped around her like hungry vines. Or like me attacking the last slice of pizza after a long day of ghost hunting. "No!" I shouted and reached out to her. My hand passed right through her, and the chill of the grave seeped into my bones. It felt like I'd just high-fived a glacier. "Hattie! Where's the locket? Don't leave me hanging like a season finale cliffhanger!"

Through the writhing mass of darkness, I saw Hattie's eyes meet mine one last time. "The attic," she gasped out. "Behind the?—"

Before she could finish, she was swallowed up by the shadows faster than my self-control at an all-you-can-eat buffet. The tentacled monstrosity reformed. It was larger and angrier than ever. If Cthulhu and a thundercloud had a baby, and that baby was having a really bad day and had just discovered it was out of pain and suffering it might look something like this.

"Oh, come on!" I yelled at the universe in general. I channeled every ounce of frustration into my voice. "You couldn't let her finish the sentence? 'Behind the' what? The creepy doll collection? The stack of old National Geographics? The interdimensional portal to the land of conveniently hidden plot devices? Would it kill the cosmic forces to give us a straight answer for once?" The creature roared. It was a noise that existed somewhere between a heavy metal concert, a category-five hurricane, and my ex's snoring after Thanksgiving dinner.

"Shit," I muttered as Stella and I backed up slowly. "The locket is hidden behind something in the attic. How hard can it be to find? It's not like we have an entire house full of 'somethings' to search through or anything. This'll be a breeze.”

Stella snickered and added, “Like finding a needle in a haystack, if the needle was cursed and the haystack was trying to kill us."

“Pretty much,” I agreed.

We turned to make a strategic retreat. That was hero-speak for 'run away screaming while maintaining an air of dignified purpose'. I caught sight of my reflection in a miraculously unbroken mirror. I was... different. My eyes glowed with an inner light, and there was an aura around me that pulsed in time with my heartbeat.

Also, my hair looked fantastic. Mental note: ask Persephone if we can market this potion as a beauty treatment after we save the world. ‘Evil Radiance: Look Supernaturally Fabulous While Battling the Forces of Darkness’. We'd make a fortune.

"Okay, Team Triplet," I said, patting my belly. "Ready for a scavenger hunt in the attic of doom? Don't answer that. I have to pee. Your silence will be taken as enthusiastic agreement. Let's hope you inherit my keen sense of self-preservation and your father's annoying ability to find things. Seriously, the man can locate his keys in another dimension, but ask him to find the TV remote, and suddenly he's Mr. Magoo." I winked at Aidon when he began sputtering.

With one last look at the creature that was once Hattie, I made a break for the stairs. Time to find a locket, break a curse, and not die in the process. The cosmos really needed to offer a decent benefits package. Dental coverage for supernatural encounters would be nice. Do they make mouth guards to keep from screaming in terror? I made a mental note to look into that after saving the world... again.