“Not much. You just kept saying danger, danger,” Gray explained.
“Danger, danger? Like the robot on Lost in Space?” Celine joked.
“What?” Gray inquired, screwing up his face.
“Never mind. What else did I say?” Celine asked.
“You told us it wasn’t Celeste or the painting that made you feel this way. Just some foreboding sense that affected you physically.”
Celine leaned forward, furrowing her brow. “What is it then?”
“No idea, we don’t seem any closer to the truth, although according to your subconscious we’ve ruled out a few things,” Gray responded.
The door swung open and Damien poked his head in. “Everything okay with Michael?” Millie asked, jumping to her feet.
“Yeah, he’s asleep. Alexander is with him. Everything okay in here? I was getting a drink and heard some shouting.” he said.
“Yes, everything is okay. Millie hypnotized me in an attempt to discover what is causing these painful memories I’ve been experiencing.”
“And?” he asked, stepping into the room.
“Nothing. I just kept saying danger, danger.”
“Like the robot on Lost in Space?” Damien joked.
“Same thing I said,” Celine replied with a giggle. Gray glanced between them, confusion on his face. “Anyway,” Celine continued, “I babbled on about danger but failed to identify what was causing it.”
“And the non-identification caused that much turmoil?” Damien persisted.
“No.” Celine shook her head. “My nightmare cropped up again. That was the source of the commotion.”
“Ah. That’s the same nightmare that woke you the other day from your nap.”
“Yeah. It pops up from time to time,” Celine informed him.
“Hmm. Well, perhaps you should relax for the night, try to get some rest?” Damien suggested.
“Best suggestion I’ve heard all day, Damien,” Gray agreed.
“I’d concur with that,” Millie said. “We will try again in a day or so. Or sooner if you have another painful memory.”
“Sounds good,” Celine said. “I’ll be in Michael’s room.”
“No, no,” Gray argued. “You’ll go to bed. Alexander and I will stay with Michael.”
“I concur,” Damien said, chuckling.
“As do I,” Millie said. “I’ll check on Michael now, update you on his condition then retire for the evening.” She gathered her medical bag, leaving the room.
“I’m fine to sit with Michael, but I will yield to everyone’s opinion and try to rest,” Celine said, holding her hands in front of her to admit defeat.
“Good, let’s meet Millie and get her update so you can relax for the night,” Gray said.
They waited outside Michael’s room for Millie. After a brief exam, Millie reported to the group that Michael seemed stable and was resting under the effects of the sedative. After receiving the news, Gray insisted Celine rest. He entered Michael’s room, joining Alexander for the night watch.
Damien and Celine remained outside. “Want some company?” Celine asked Damien.
“I’d love some, but you’re supposed to be resting.”
“I will be resting. If I go back to my room, I will toss and turn. I will never sleep.”
“Come on, we’ll bunk together then,” Damien suggested.
“One more thing. I’ll meet you in your room in a minute,” Celine said, rushing off down the hall.
Within a few moments, she joined him in his bedroom, a pint of chocolate ice cream and two spoons in her hand. “NOW we can relax.” She giggled, climbing onto the bed next to him.
They dug into the pint, enjoying the cold treat. “So, what’s up with this whole sense of foreboding and danger thing?” Damien questioned between spoonfuls.
“No idea. We ruled out a few things, but I guess I couldn’t pinpoint what was causing it.”
“What did you rule out?”
“The missing painting and Celeste’s condition. Millie inquired about both. I said it wasn’t either. Only that I sensed danger each time I experienced the phenomenon.”
“Is there any pattern to it? Does it happen at a specific time?”
“No,” Celine answered. “It’s happened at various times of the day and night.”
“How about in the same location?”
“Nope, that’s been random, too.”
Damien’s wheels were turning as he tried to piece the puzzle together. “No identical times or locations… memories are always different, too, right?”
“Yes, each time it’s been a different memory.”
“But each one has been of Celeste?”
“Yes. Every one has included Celeste.”
“It all points to worry over Celeste, I’m surprised your subconscious self doesn’t think it is.”
“I’m not. I’m worried about Celeste, but it’s nothing that would cause something this extreme. I’ve never experienced anything like this before, not even during the events leading up to my request to leave my life as Celine and become Josie. And at that time, I was so distraught I couldn’t eat or sleep. But never anything like this.”
“Do you think it’s because you were human again? Like a residual side effect from your days as Josie?”
“A new inability to deal with the perception of danger?”
“Something like that?”
“That sounds… improbable. I’m back to normal. I haven’t lost any of my abilities. I’m not even rusty. I’ve slipped back into the fold without even skipping a beat.”
“But we can’t know for sure. I mean, it’s not like there’s a big history of this for us to reference, right? How many people have been human and then turned into… well, flip-flopped between human and… people like you and Gray and Alexander for us to compare to?”
Celine chuckled as Damien stumbled through his point. “No, I doubt that has happened often in the past. But it just doesn’t seem to fit. And it’s okay, you can call us supernatural creatures, D. You don’t have to worry about offending me.”
“No!” Damien exclaimed. “I hate that! I’m not calling you a creature! You’re my cousin, you’re a sister to me, not some B-Movie beast.”
“You mean you never saw Creature from the Martinique Lagoon?” Celine teased.
“Not funny, Celine,” Damien said, “and for that, I get the last scoop of ice cream.” They tossed their spoons into the empty container and Celine set it aside on the night table.
“Okay, we better try to get some sleep. If Gray finds out we spent the night eating ice cream and trying to solve this mystery instead of resting, I’ll be in trouble!”
Damien yawned. “And I’ll be tired. I hope you sleep,” he said, climbing under the covers. “Can you turn the light out when you’re ready?”
Celine watched him nestle in the covers. She smiled down at him. She was lucky to have him as her family. She was also glad he would not spend the night obsessing over her new memory crisis. With the light shut off, she collapsed into the pillows next to him.
Damien drifted off to sleep within moments of the lights being out. Celine listened to the rhythmic sounds of his breath as he slept next to her. Turning toward him, she reached for his hand, clasping it in hers. She closed her eyes, trying to shut the world out. Unease plagued her about the information from her hypnosis session. As she suspected, the two major stressors in her life were not the source of her difficulty. What was the cause? What danger was so pervasive that it would affect her physically?
She pushed the thoughts from her mind, concentrating on the warmth of Damien’s hand. She focused on his presence, knowing she wasn’t alone. She squeezed his hand in hers, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths. His hand played the role of a lifeline, tethering her to the real world, bringing a sense of normalcy and relief. With the close connection, she relaxed and drifted off to sleep, still clutching Damien’s hand.
When she awoke, Damien was gone. She glanced around the
room, finding herself alone. The digital clock’s face was blank. She tried the light; it was not working either. The power must be out, she determined. She’d have to find a flashlight and search for Damien after checking on Michael.
Thunder sounded overhead as she climbed out of bed. Lightning illuminated the room as she navigated to the door. She stepped into the hallway, finding it was deserted. Her bare feet padded down the hall toward Michael’s door. His door was ajar to his darkened bedroom. She pushed it open, glancing into the room as lightening tore through the sky.
The room was empty, the bedsheets rumpled. Celine stepped inside, scanning the room. While the power outage was concerning, she didn’t understand the need to move Michael. Had something happened? If so, why wasn’t she told. She made her way to the bed. Lightning lit the room again, revealing an additional detail. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but the sheets were blood-stained.
She gasped, grasping the sheets to examine them closer in the dim light. Something must have happened to Michael. Had his wounds reopened? They were almost healed. Was he attacked again? Why hadn’t they woken her?
She tossed the sheets down, exiting the room. She called into the darkness, searching for anyone still in the house. There was no response. The stillness of the house disconcerted her. She called out again, her voice echoing off the walls.
A noise drew her attention down the hall. She followed the hallway past Damien’s door, continuing guardedly in the darkness. Thunder crashed and lightning lit the next hallway. A figure loomed at the end. “Hello?” she called out. “Gray? Alexander?”
She received no response. She continued down the hall toward the figure. “What happened to Michael?” she asked, still not receiving a response.
Halfway down the hall, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. An overwhelming apprehension filled her. She gazed at the figure in front of her, suddenly alarmed. “Who are you?” she queried.
Thunder boomed, drowning out any potential response. As the lightning brightened the hallway, she stared at the figure. Shadows obscured any details. She swallowed hard, backing away from the figure. She inched backward as the figure approached her. Without warning, she bumped into something behind her. Glancing backward, she was surprised to find a wall at her back. A wall sealed the hallway which was once open to another wing.
Celine turned, pushing against the wall. The figure advanced toward her. Celine whipped around, placing her back against the wall, ready to fight. She reached out to cast a preemptive warning strike with a fireball, nothing happened. She jiggled her hand again, but to no avail. The figure closed in on her along with the walls. A scream escaped her mouth as lightning flickered across the figure.
Chapter 16
Celine shot up to sitting, gasping for breath. She clutched at her blanket, realizing she had been asleep, dreaming. The commotion awoke Damien. Confused, he sat up next to her. “Celine?” he asked, groggy from sleep. “What’s wrong?”
“Bad dream,” she answered.
“The nightmare again? Do you want me to get Millie?”
Celine shook her head. “No, no, not that nightmare, it was a different one. I’m fine, just startled.”
“You sure? You seem pretty rattled.”
Celine took a deep breath, “Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Let’s go back to sleep. Sorry for waking you.”
“Sounds good,” Damien said, yawning. He collapsed backwards into the pillows behind him, falling asleep in an instant.
Celine eased back into the pillow. She watched him sleep, unable to fall asleep herself. The nightmare still disturbed her. It seemed like a warning. Who was the figure? Why was she trapped? Why could she not use her powers?
Perhaps it wasn’t a warning. Perhaps it was a normal nightmare, like normal humans experienced. Damien may have a point. Maybe there were side effects from her second transition from human to supernatural creature. She chuckled to herself. She was not opposed to stating what she was even if Damien found it offensive to call her a creature.
Her mind returned to the dream. Just what she needed, another nightmare to plague her, she mused. At least this time, exhaustion wouldn’t become an issue for her. She’d discuss the dream with Millie in the morning. Something was off, the painful memories, the foreboding ambiance that accompanied them, the nightmares. It all pointed to something, but she couldn’t figure out what.
She sighed, trying to relax into sleep. One concern plagued her. She rose from the bed, approaching the window. She eased it open, breathing in the salty air. Extending her hand out the window, she tossed a fireball down toward the cliff below. She lobbed a second one just to be sure. Satisfied that her powers were intact, she closed the window and returned to the bed. She eased down the bed, covering herself with her blanket and nestled into the pillow. Sleep came to her without trouble after she flexed her supernatural muscles.
Bright sun streamed through the windows into Damien’s room. Celine yawned, opening her eyes. She squinted against the bright light, checking the clock. It was almost 8 a.m. Damien was still asleep. Celine dropped back onto the pillow. It had been a long time since she slept this late in the morning.
Her mind turned to her recent experiences. She reminded herself to speak with Millie about her dream, concerned it had something to do with her painful memories. Damien stirred.
“Good morning,” she said as he opened his eyes.
“Hey, good morning!” he answered, yawning. “What time is it?”
“Almost eight.”
A knock sounded at the door. Gray poked his head in. “Good morning, did I wake you?”
“No, we were up,” Celine answered, sitting up. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, but we have some developments with Michael.” Celine was already hopping off the bed. “We have it under control, Celine, no need to rush.”
Damien climbed out of bed, too. “We didn’t mean to sleep so late.”
“I’m glad you slept. Assuming you slept?” Gray questioned.
“I did,” Celine assured him. “What’s going on with Michael?” she asked as she slipped her slippers onto her feet and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail. She pulled on her robe, tying the belt around her waist.
“Millie recommended letting the sedative wear off after daybreak, when the danger was lessened. She gave him his last dose around 2 a.m.”
“And?” Celine prompted, realizing if the news was positive Gray wouldn’t have disturbed them.
“As soon as he awoke, he went right back to insisting he had to go to Celeste.”
Celine sighed, crossing the room to meet Gray. “Have you sedated him again?”
“Not yet. That’s why I came to get you. I wanted you to see him first.”
Celine nodded her head, waiting as Damien pulled his second shoe onto his foot. Together, they made their way to Michael’s room. Alexander and Millie waited with Michael.
“Oh great!” Michael grumbled, rolling his eyes. “A bigger audience to watch the show. Come on in! Enjoy!”
Celine glanced to Gray; her brows knit in confusion.
“Whoa!” Damien exclaimed. “You had to handcuff him to the bed?”
“Oh, they did, they did. Because I was acting ‘insane,’” Michael muttered. “This is ridiculous! I don’t have time for this. I need to get to Celeste.”
“Michael…” Celine began.
“No, no, nope. I do not want to hear the gentle ‘Michael, you need to relax, calm down, Celeste is fine’ bull.”
“I saw Celeste last night, Michael,” Celine continued. “She’s fine. I spoke with her. She’s not in any danger.”
“You wouldn’t tell me if she was,” Michael said, pulling at the restraint.
“I wouldn’t lie,” Celine said. “Gray and I were both there. He can tell you the same.”
“And I have,” Gray chimed in. “He doesn’t listen.”
“Something is wrong,” Michael insisted.
“She’s fine, Michael,” Celine asserted. “T
eddy is watching her. She’s safe.”
Michael pulled against the restraint again. “Won’t hurt for me to make sure then, will it?”
“We can’t take that chance,” Celine said. “You’re still recovering.”
“I’m fine. I’m almost healed, look!” he exclaimed, pulling his bandage aside to show the almost healed wounds. “I can’t keep laying in this bed day after day.”
“Can you all give us a minute alone?” Celine requested of everyone in the room.
“Celine?” Gray questioned.
She nodded at him. “Please, Gray, just a moment.”
“Whatever you say,” Gray agreed. “We’ll be right outside.”
“I’m not sure I recommend that,” Millie began.
“Just for a moment, Millie, please,” Celine assured her.
Gray, Alexander and Millie proceeded to the door. Damien stood, arms crossed, at the foot of the bed. Celine raised her eyebrows at him. “What?” he asked.
Celine motioned to the door. “I think she means you, too,” Gray informed him.
Damien glanced around, surprise on his face. “Oh! Oh I… but… I mean… okay,” Damien said, rushing to the door to join the others. “Figured I could stay since we’re like the threesome but yeah that’s cool,” he said, as they withdrew from the room, closing the door behind them.
Michael sighed as the door closed. “There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind, Celine.”
“I don’t plan to try,” Celine admitted.
Michael expressed shock followed by confusion on his face. “What?”
“I can assure you Celeste is okay. I checked on her. I talked to her last night, she told me everything is fine. But you’re right. Something is wrong. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is amiss.”
Michael sat straighter, tugging against the restraint again. “Even more reason to let me go! Celine! You can’t keep me drugged and asleep through this! Let me help!”
It was Celine’s turn to sigh. “Michael, I need you to stay safe. I can’t let you go to Celeste. I realize you have this desire you can’t overcome, it’s a common side effect from what you’ve been through. That’s why it’s too dangerous to let you go.”
Stolen Portrait Stolen Soul: A Shadow Slayers Story (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 2) Page 14