Chapter Nine
“Tell me something, will you?” Mickey asked finally. “After Grace died, did Jed ever visit again?”
Selene nodded. “He came nearly every week and brought us food.”
“Then he knew about you being there?” Mickey wanted to know.
Selene nodded. “Yeah, he knew about me. I was still a kid but he knew.”
“Then why didn’t he ever tell anyone about you?” Mickey asked angrily. “No one ever knew you were there. Hell, we never knew Sharon was there either.”
“I think that was Grace’s plan all along. Sharon embarrassed her by being different and she couldn’t stand it.”
“That difference wouldn’t have mattered to anyone here. And Grace knew that after she lived here for a while,” Mickey insisted. “She didn’t have to hide her cousin away like that.”
Selene shook her head. “She couldn’t admit Sharon was her cousin either. I mean what if one of her children was born to look like Sharon? Grace had more pride than that and she did not care about others like she should have.”
Mickey shook his head. “Grace was a fool.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “So you came to warn us? About Jude and Jasmine being here and that they were looking for something Leroy might have left behind.”
Selene nodded. “Yeah, I've been watching them and they’re desperate to find something. They have been out looking for it but they can’t find it. It’s a good thing too.”
“Why is that?” Mickey asked.
“Because what they are looking for would kill a lot of people and that’s what they plan to do. You can’t kill people. That’s just plain ole wrong.”
Mickey just stared at her then he asked, “Do you know of a place they call Shimmer Valley?”
Selene froze and stared at him. “What do you want with that old place? People around here think it's haunted.”
Mickey tilted his head in curiosity. “People think it's haunted. Do you think it is?”
She shrugged. “Yes, because it is always covered in fog. They think that is to hide the ghosts that live there. It isn’t really.
Even though it is spooky. My grandma explained to me that it was because the valley is so far under sea level that it’s almost unknown and that it’s another place here.
She told me she’d been down there and the place is really beautiful when you get through the fog that hides it.
Like the place was our favorite because we are sort of like that.
We were also misunderstood and people thought we were ghosts. She took me there a few times."
“So you do know how to get there,” Mickey asked.
Selene nodded, then said, “I do for sure...But someone had been using that area as a bomb shelter and he left the bombs behind.”
“Would you be willing to share this news with the people that are in Maudie’s house right now?” Mickey asked.
Selene looked at the house and shivered. “I don’t know them. And there are a lot of people inside right now, ain’t there?”
Mickey nodded. “Selene, need you to help us find this place before Jude and Jasmine find it. We need to get those bombs out of there and safely stored. So they can’t ever get their hands on them and use them to kill more people.
We think Jude might be involved with some hateful people.
They want those bombs so they can kill and get more power. We have to stop them any way we can.”
“Are you talking about the Chosen?” she asked.
Mickey felt surprised that she knew about them. “What do you know about that group?”
“I know you and yours killed Soloman Porter a few weeks ago and that you took Leroy away for making those bombs. But now you’re telling me he made even more bombs and that he used Shimmer Valley to keep them safe.”
Mickey nodded. “Bethy... Leroy’s daughter can only find the valley by starting at home but she can’t exactly go there right now. If they see her, she could be in danger.”
Selene swallowed hard and concluded, “Yeah, I guess you do need me to find the valley. There’s more going on that you all need to know.”
Mickey paused at this then he nodded. “We need you to stay around until tomorrow morning when Shay gets here. He’s the one that took Leroy and the Chosen away. He can safely move the bombs and arrest Jude and Jasmine.”
Selene was still for a long moment then she nodded. “I can do that. But you better tell your man Shay that it is Jasmine he needs to worry about, not Jude. She’s the real mastermind behind the Chosen.”
“And how do you know that?” Mickey asked.
Selene scoffed. “When you take the time to listen you can find out more than shouting. I was taught to listen.” She glanced at Maudie’s house then looked at Mickey. “Take me inside but promise me you won’t leave me alone with anyone.”
“No one there is going to hurt you, we ain’t like that,” he assured her.
“I know that. I mean the Hogans are good people. But I trust you the most right now. I’ll stay with you if that’s alright?”
Mickey smiled. “It is fine. You can stay right next to me.” He reached out to her.
Looking down at his hand, she asked, “You aren’t afraid to touch me?”
Mickey’s smile faded from his face. “What?”
Selene sighed. “People have seen me and they got scared every time. This was before I knew they would be afraid. After that, I stayed hidden.”
He slowly shook his head. “That’s just wrong. You are a person, Selene.”
“But I don’t look like—”
Mickey grabbed her hand. “I don’t care. And the people in the house won’t either.” He tugged her along and they walked across the verandah.
When they entered, they made their way to the kitchen.
The group were discussing where they believed Shimmer Valley was.
Harry was telling them where he believed it was, “There’s an old rod iron fence...Falling down and the trees almost hide it.”
Clive nodded. “Yeah, we saw it a few months back. On Salamander Road.”
“It is about two miles from there,” Selene told them all.
They all turned their heads to look at her.
Looking nervous, she moved close to Mickey as they all stared.
Mickey led her to a chair. She sat down and he sat next to her. “Everyone, this is Selene and she is Sharon’s granddaughter.”
“So she was a grandmother,” King said.
Nodding her head, Selene replied, “The best grandmother in the world.”
“She took care of you?” King asked.
“Yes, she taught me everything she knew. She was my mom, dad and granny.”
“How did you get to the swamp, sha?” Maudie asked her.
“I was born to parents that did not want me. They brought me to Sharon and dumped me there.”
“I love your eyes,” Bethy told her. “Like they are so blue.”
Selene looked over at her as she looked shocked. “You do?”
“And your hair,” Renee added. “It is so pretty.”
Leeza nodded. “Like spun silk.”
Maudie agreed with them, “You look like the goddess you were named after.”
Selene gasped and looked over at her now. “How did you know about that?”
Maudie nodded at her. “I heard your name in a dream. I am so glad you came to us.”
“Why?” Selene asked her outright.
“Why?” Maudie repeated. “Because I felt that you were in danger.”
“How can you know such a thing?” Selene asked skeptically.
“She has special abilities,” King answered this.
Sonny nodded. “We trust what she says.”
“Maudie has saved our lives...many times,” Clive added.
“They came to my cabin,” Selene admitted as she stared at Maudie.
“They?” Mickey asked her.
“She means Jude and Jasmine,” Maudie said.
“I think they saw me when I tried to listen to their conversation the day before. Then I went and told Mickey about them. Now I can’t go home. So I came to warn you all about them.”
Boomer finally spoke up, “What did you hear?”
With a gasp, Selene jumped at his loud voice.
Mickey shook his head at Boomer. “You scared her.”