Chapter 2 #2
“So far, I haven’t been able to train my psychic skills to work that way, at least not consistently. I’ve been picking up some weird vibes lately, but I have no idea what it’s related to. At least not yet.”
Kizzy picked up her cocktail napkin and began tearing it.
“If only we had the other books. Maybe we’d have complete control over our powers.
I know our great-grandma tracked two of them to Boston, which is why we’re here, but one went to South America.
How the heck are we supposed to find all three without the ability to pinpoint them? And why can’t we, by the way?”
“Silly woman. They must be protected by wards, just as ours is. I’m not sure I’d want all three. It’s tough, I know. You win some, you lose some. If we won all the time, don’t you know what would happen?”
“Yeah. We’d be found out pretty quickly.”
“Yep. And then what?”
Kizzy sighed. “And then we’d be interrogated, expected to let everyone in on our secrets, other doctors would publish papers throughout the medical community, and we’d probably be kidnapped by the government and forced to work for the Department of Defense.”
Ruth giggled. “You’re so dramatic. I doubt the government would utilize us for slave labor, but letting this stuff fall into the hands of certain unprincipled people could spell disaster. We’re healers. But we could harm, if we wanted to.”
“Are you sure? We’ve never even tried to harm anyone.”
Her sister winced. “I have.”
She said it so softly, Kizzy wasn’t sure she heard her correctly. “Fudge cake! What do you mean? Did you do something intentionally?”
After a brief hesitation, Ruth said, “We were little. Mom had just told us how we were different from other kids and how we had to use our power only for good while still respecting the free will of all humankind. She said if we wished anyone harm, karma would get us eventually…and then she explained what that meant.”
“I remember that day.”
Ruth picked up her wineglass and swirled the contents. “I wasn’t sure if she was telling us the truth, so I had to test it.” She set down her glass and clasped her hands. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
“Of course not. What did you do?”
Ruth’s face turned pink. “Remember the brat who used to live across the street? Eddie?”
“Yeah…” Kizzy remembered how the neighbors across the street moved in a hurry. No one seemed to know why or where they went.
“Well, he was teasing me, as usual, and I wished with all my heart that he would go away and never come back. The next day, moving vans came, packed everything up, and off they went. I don’t know for sure if that was because of me, but I think it must’ve been.”
“And did karma kick your ass?”
“Maybe. The guilt has weighed heavily on me ever since.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure they had some kind of plan. People don’t just up and move overnight.”
“Unless a witch cast a spell on them. What if they just found themselves driving a moving van across the country, no jobs, no home to go to…nothing but questions?”
Kizzy gave that some thought. “I imagine they would have come back. If they hadn’t quit their jobs and sold their home, that stuff would still be waiting for them. Right?”
“But I added the words ‘never ever to return.’”
“I guess we can’t know. Unless you want to try to find them.”
Ruth looked sheepish. “Do you think I should? I mean, I’d rather not. There’s not much I can do about it seventeen years later.”
“You could just look him up on Facebook. If he landed on his feet, you can stop feeling guilty. If not, you can do a spell to help him and his family.”
“I already tried a reversal spell. Because they didn’t come back, I don’t know if it worked or not. Thus the nagging voice in my head for seventeen years.”
Kizzy winced. “Man, you were a naughty girl. I just believed everything I was told.”
“You were older. I kind of wish Mom had waited until I was a little more mature and could have handled it better.”
“I had no idea you were having any problem handling it at all.”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re having a tough time with it right now. And you’ve always been the smarter, more responsible one.”
“I don’t know about that, but being responsible drives me up the wall sometimes. I don’t want to be responsible for picking and choosing who lives and who dies. Especially if several family members are involved. Do I save the mom, the child, or the father?”
Ruth’s facial expression bespoke pity. Ordinarily, pity wasn’t something Kizzy wanted. Tonight, she did.
“Have you ever thought about just not using your power?”
Kizzy hesitated. “I’ve actually vowed not to and broken that vow in three days or less. When someone needs my help and medical help isn’t enough, I can’t refuse to use the power at my disposal. As long as I have enough strength in me.”
Ruth reached across the table and grasped her hand. “That’s the sister I know and love. So I guess you’re stuck with it—the responsibility, the knowledge, and the power to save one human life that never would have made it without you. But only one per day.”
Kizzy inhaled deeply and let out a long, resigned breath. “A blessing and a curse. What did I do to deserve this?”
* * *
“Hold that pose, sweetie. Oh, what a nice, big smile!” Mallory captured the picture before the squirmy, wormy toddler managed to break free of his mother’s death grip again, like Houdini.
“He’s a live wire, isn’t he?” a baritone voice said.
Mallory glanced over her shoulder and saw the kid’s grandfather. He looked just like him—well, a hint of what he’d look like in a few decades.
“A lot of kids seem to have extra energy spurts when they go to a photographer,” she said, maintaining her own polite smile.
“Let’s get a few more,” the young mother said.
“Sure. Would you like one with Granddad?” She indicated the gentleman to her right.
The woman’s posture stiffened. “With who?”
She faced the doting man and addressed him directly. “I don’t know what you like to be called, sir. Grandpa? Papa?”
“I’m his father. You can call me Mike.”
“Oh! Okay, Mike it is.”
The woman shot to her feet, almost dropping her two-year-old son. “What is wrong with you?”
Oh no. Here we go again. “I’m sorry. Did I say something to upset you?” She had obviously mistaken a spirit for flesh and bone again. Or maybe the woman was sensitive just because an older man was mistaken for a granddad.
Sometimes, Mallory tried to play dumb while coming up with something else she could have plausibly said. Let’s see. I said, Mike it is. So, talking about photos… Like it is? Tike that he is? Mice… Oh crap. I’m coming up with zilch.
“Yes, you upset me. Do you always talk to a kid’s dead father?”
“Dead father? Oh, I’m sorry!” Sheesh. I hope you left them lots of money, Mallory thought.
“If I didn’t, it’s too late now,” he joked.
Mallory had finally figured out she saw dead people. Unfortunately, she didn’t know if they were real or not, and occasionally, she made an oopsy, but this was the first one to read her mind! “Oh crap. It’s getting worse,” she mumbled.
“I’d like to speak to your boss.”
Her supervisor was a nice, understanding guy. But this was one misunderstanding he wouldn’t know how to smooth over. “There shouldn’t be any need to bother him, ma’am. I can offer you a free photo from this sitting and another free sitting if you don’t see one you like from today.”
“Like hell. I want your boss to know the kind of stunt you’re pulling. Although I’m not sure what your angle is yet. Is this where you tell me you’re a medium and my dear departed wants to tell me something, if I’d like to pay you for the information?”
“No! Nothing like that.”
Damn. She spotted her boss, Bailey, returning from lunch early, and it looked like he noticed something was wrong. He was picking up his pace.
The woman was struggling to get the squirming toddler into his spring jacket when Bailey arrived.
“Is everything all right here?”
“No. No, it is not.” And now the mom had tears in her eyes.
Mallory couldn’t help feeling awful about the misunderstanding, but how the heck could she explain it without sounding—well, crazy?
“I’m sorry, Bailey. There was a misunderstanding.
It was my fault. I told her I’d pay for her son’s picture and give her another sitting if she’s not happy with the shots I took. ”
“What was the misunderstanding?”
“I…uh…that is to say, I…”
“She tried to tell me she was communicating with my dead husband.”
“I didn’t tell her that! I saw someone and thought he was with them.”
“She called him by name.” The woman crossed her arms and glared. “There was nobody there. She spoke to thin air and asked if he—or whatever she was seeing—would like to get in the picture. Either it was some kind of scam, or your girl here has a screw loose.”
He gaped at her. “I don’t know what to say except what Mallory already said. We’re terribly sorry. There will be no charge for today, and we’ll be glad to retake the shoot whenever you like.”
“Is she going to be the one taking the pictures?” The woman zipped up her son’s jacket, and he started to cry.
Bailey glanced at Mallory. “She’s my usual photographer, but I have a part-timer coming on soon.”
Mallory didn’t know anything about a new hire.
The woman hoisted a huge diaper bag over her shoulder. “I’ll set up an appointment after you have a new employee.”
Mallory had to make nice with this woman. “When I have the proofs—”
“I’ll call you,” her boss interjected.
“Fine. I never want to see her again.” The woman swung the toddler up into her arms and marched off.
“What the hell happened while I was at lunch?” Bailey asked.
“I…uh…”
“Yeah. You said that a couple of times now. Can you give me a better explanation?”
Mallory fidgeted. “Not really. I saw someone out of the corner of my eye, thought it was the father or grandfather, and spoke with him about how much the kid looked like him.”
“And who were you speaking to?”
“Apparently, the father’s spirit. When I turned back, he wasn’t there.”
“Let me get this straight. You spoke to the child’s father, who you thought was there in the flesh, and yet he disappeared in the time it took to glance away.”
“Yes.”
“So were you talking to…a ghost?”
“Apparently.”
“Have you seen ghosts before?”
Mallory focused on her shoes and kicked at the floor. “Yes. A couple of times.”
Bailey was silent for a while. “And you can’t tell the difference between someone who’s actually there and a spirit? Like…you can’t see through them or anything?”
“No. I mean yes. I mean no, I can’t tell. Yes, I can’t see through them.”
“She said you called him by name. How did you know his name?”
“The man said to call him Mike.”
“So you heard as well as saw whatever it was?”
“Yes.”
“Can you see him now?”
“No.” After a brief hesitation, she filled in what would probably be his next question. “He left with the woman and her child.”
“Just now, while I was standing here.”
“Yes.”
Oh boy. She knew she was in for it. His expression didn’t give away much, but he walked to the phone and pushed a button. One button. Probably Security.
* * *
Dante had pored over the alchemy book, making lists of what they’d need. His brother played on his iPad and seemed oblivious, which was weird, since it was his book and experiment. “Noah, are you okay?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You just seem quieter than usual.”
“I’m fine. Just doing a little background check on Dr. Samuels.”
“Kizzy? Why? What have you found?”
“Just the usual stuff on Facebook. Pictures of her in her cap and gown. Some with an older guy who must be her father. A couple of shots at a lake with Ruth and a couple of other girls. She doesn’t post much.
There was a charity clothing drive and a 5K she was asking people to sponsor.
A LinkedIn and Google search confirmed that she’s a doctor at Boston General. ”
“So basically, she told you the truth. You didn’t discover any surprises?”
“Nope. The only thing she didn’t tell me is that she likes good causes.”
“So, how about if you invite her to the Battle of the Badges basketball game? It’s to raise money for the children’s hospital.”
“Sure, except I’ll be on the court, and she’ll be sitting alone in the stands.”
“She’d probably love watching you play for charity. And who says she’ll be alone? She could bring her sister or a friend.”
Noah nodded slowly, as if he were thinking about it.
“Not to change the subject, but I was about to go out and get some of the stuff we need to set up our lab,” Dante said.
Still not looking up, Noah asked, “Do you really think it’ll work?”
“There’s only one way to find out, dude. With your science brains and my Latin translation skills and both of us believing in the unbelievable, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re rolling in gold someday.”
Noah laughed. “Even if we only get a nugget, it’ll be more than we had before.”
“Do you want to come with? Or would you rather stay here and clean the spare room?”
Noah looked up from his iPad and opened his mouth as if to make a smart remark when Dante’s phone rang.
Dante held up one finger. “Hold that thought. Hello?”
“Dante, it’s Mallory. I…uh…I need a ride home from work. Would you be able to come and get me?”
“Sure.” He thought he heard her sniffle. “Are you okay?”
“Not really. I got fired from my job. The security guards escorted me outside and everything. They don’t want me to take the bus. They want someone to come and get me.”
“I’ll be right there. Where should I look for you?”
“I’ll be the loser on the sidewalk across from Lord & Taylor.”
“You’re not—”
“And don’t tell me I’m not a loser!”
“Okay. I’ll be there in fifteen or twenty minutes.” Dante hung up the phone and said, “Plans have changed, Bro. Mallory needs me to pick her up at the mall.”
“Does that get me out of cleaning the back room or shopping for glass beakers and stuff?”
“Hey, this is your baby. I’m just assisting you.” Dante grabbed his jacket and keys. “Maybe you can find that lead musket ball you’ve been hanging on to for some damn reason. We need lead to turn into gold.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll see what I can do about that. Maybe I’ll even clean up the spare room. Should I wait for you before I make my first million?”
“Nah. I don’t know when I’ll be back. Mallory might want to talk or something.”
“Okay. Go play knight in shining armor.”
Dante smiled. Noah was joking, but he’d love to be Mallory’s knight.