The Candle (Haunted Series Book 23)

by Alexie Aaron

  “I have until the next full moon to find the wisher and have him or her break the candle. Upon doing so, time will resume at the point at which the wish was made. Anything that happens during the quest doesn’t matter if I get the candle broken in time.”

  “That’s scientifically impossible. Anything you do in the past affects the future. It’s why time travel is so dangerous,” Ted said.

  “I know, but not in this case. This is magic not science,” Mia said.

  “Science before magic or things could get tragic,” Ted said.

  “Magic before science, things stay in compliance,” Mia argued.

  “You two said that before,” Murphy told them. “Ted’s called you Mighty Mouse before.”

  “Yes, that’s why I thought he was the candle wisher. You see, I can’t prove it, but the wisher may actually have retained his or her memories too.”

  “You mean in the group there are people who don’t know they have been wished backwards?” Cid asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Who was all there?” Ted asked.

  Mia pulled the card out of her back pocket and handed it to Ted.

  The teen looked at the names. “I don’t know any of these people with the exception of Cid, you, and Murphy. Wait, Mike Dupree…”

  “Give me that,” Cid said. “Yes, that’s the guy who was all-state in track last year. He’s in high school. Not in Wichita, somewhere north of here.”

  “It doesn’t faze you at all that twenty years from now Cid is still with you?” Mia asked.

  “No, should it?” Ted asked.

  “I guess not.”

  “Who am I to you?” Ted asked Mia.

  Mia looked at Murphy for support. “Tell him, Mia.”

  “In the future, you’re my husband. We have two sons, Brian and Varden, and have adopted a teenager named Dieter. We live in Big Bear Lake, Illinois. We work for Paranormal Entity Exposure Partners, and at the time of the wish, you had worked your way into becoming one of the partners. Mike Dupree and Burt Hicks are the founding partners. We meet when your group investigates Murphy’s farmhouse.”

  “I’m a ghost hunter?” Ted asked. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “You handle all the technical stuff. You run the command center. You invented these little earcoms and give us information while we’re investigating.” Mia turned to Cid. “You come along later and help Ted - if you’re not in front of the camera or running the camera.”

  “Wait, someone wants this in front of a camera? What am I, the comedy relief?” Cid asked.

  Mia slid off the bed and put her hands atop Cid’s shoulders. “You know what a beautiful a person you are inside right now?”

  Cid nodded.

  “Well, you’re that beautifully handsome on the outside twenty years from now. We call you Superman because you look like him. And your super hearing, of course.”

  Cid took one of Mia’s hands off his shoulder and held it. “Are you lying to me?”

  “No. You’re more than just a colleague, Cid. You’re a dear friend who is part of our family. You’re building a house near our farm. Ted and I wouldn’t know what to do if you left us.”

  Ted walked over and yanked Mia’s hand out of Cid’s. “My future wife, Garrett.”

  “You’re a jerk,” Cid said.

  Mia looked at Murphy. “Have I said too much?”

  “No. But these gentlemen have to realize that the future already has changed. This may never happen, no matter what they know. This is why it’s very important to find the Duprees and Burt Hicks before the full moon. Also, there could be a more sinister reason all of this has occurred.”

  “Can we eat first before discussing this?” Mia asked, walking over to her backpack and pulling out what was left of the mangled sandwiches.

  “Oh no, you’re not eating that,” Cid said, taking it from her. “Follow me, I’m sure there is something I can find to cook in the Martins’ kitchen.”

  Mia turned around and pushed Ted. “If I get stuck in this timeline, Martin, I’m not going to live with an insecure jerk. There are better men out there, like Cid.”

  Ted frowned.

  Murphy felt sorry for him, but he had to learn his insecurity could and had caused a lot of heartbreak.

  ~

  Orion steeled himself before he knocked on Fredericka Cooper’s door.

  She opened it and stared down in disbelief. “Orion?”

  He looked at the woman who was in the winter of her life, but he still saw the beauty that attracted him to her in the first place. “Fredericka, may I come in? I have something very important to discuss with you.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s about your granddaughter Mia.”

  “Come in,” she said, stepping away from the door. “I’ve just made some tea. Would you like a cup?”

  “That would be nice,” he said, following her into the brightly lit kitchen.

  He sat down at the kitchen table and watched as Fredericka brought over the teapot, cups, milk, and sugar. She stopped and placed some of the cookies she had just baked on a plate and brought them over too.

  “I know you told me never to come back, and I wouldn’t have, but I feel that the welfare of your granddaughter is worth the intrusion.”

  “Go on, what’s wrong with Mia?”

  “According to my associates, she lives in a Dickensian nightmare of an existence. She’s not properly fed or clothed. There is nothing that would nurture a girl in that home. The house stinks of cigarettes. There is evidence of neglect. My associates want to call social services, but they can’t presently find her.”

  “What do you want me to do about it?” Fredericka said dully. “Charles has forbidden me from visiting them. I only get to see her if they can’t find someone else to watch her when they go on digs where she’d be an inconvenience. I can’t talk about magic or why the girl sees ghosts. If I do, I’ll never see her again. Charles has made himself clear.”

  “Was he always this way?” Orion asked.

  “No. Just since he met that woman, Amanda. He can’t form a sentence without her name in it. She sniffs and he’s there to hold a tissue under her nose. It’s rather disgusting. I thought after the child was born he’d change, divide his attentions between the two, but evidently, I was wrong.”

  “There’s a ghost who attends her.”

  “Really?”

  “I think that’s the only love Mia receives beyond the attention that Ralph Mendlessohn gives her.”

  “Amanda only allows him there because she doesn’t know what to do with Mia when Charles is gone. Evidently, when Mia was a tot, she ended up on the other side of the lake, and the police brought her home. The social services were called. I was under the impression she was being cared for…” she said before she closed her eyes and admitted, “No, I knew. I knew and did nothing.”

  “She looks like she’s a Soviet sparrow in training,” Orion said.

  “Why do you care?” Fredericka spat.

  “Amanda, Charles is my son, isn’t he?”

  Fredericka didn’t speak.

  “I know you didn’t love me when we were together, but you had to know I’d love to be part of my son’s life.”

  She still sat mute.

  “I know you’re a victim of the Cooper curse, something that I’m surprised is already documented. That means someone prior to me has looked it up. Whomever that was failed to flag you as toxic.”

  “I didn’t encourage you, Orion,” Fredericka lied.

  “You stalked me,” Orion accused. “I think I know why, and it’s horrible. How could you?”

  Fredericka walked over to the sink and looked out, not really seeing anything.

  “A demon recently pointed out to me how cold birdmen and Gray Ladies’ parents are. Selling their children to the Brotherhood. But you’re worse. You allowed yourself to be a broodmare in order to create what? What is Mia going to become? What was your payoff for opening your legs to me?” Orion
asked.

  “A seat at the Council of Women when I die,” she said. “I can do so much good. Right now, they’re an antiquated, matriarchal group overseeing the fight for good over evil. I can supply them the person who will turn the tide in our favor. Genetically, she is a marvel. We just have to harden her heart. Make her bitter. Make her hate the fallen, hate ghosts, and hate demons. Soon, all her hardships will appear to be caused by these foul creatures. I think, maybe, she should be forced into the Brotherhood. I think a few years under their training will prepare her for her encounter with…” Fredericka stopped talking.

  Orion could see her hands shaking. “But she’s your granddaughter, how can you sit back and watch this happen to her?”

  “The end justifies the means,” Fredericka said.

  Orion rose to leave.

  “If you’re thinking of telling the child, or Charles for that matter, think about what Mia could do for the good side. She has demon in her; she could just as easily slip into allegiance with them.”

  “Are you aware that right now she’s with Wyatt Wayne and they’re headed to New Orleans?”

  “How did this happen?”

  “He lives in the same town. Did no one ever check?” Orion asked.

  “How did you get involved in this?” Fredericka asked. “Scribes aren’t the Brotherhood’s go-to guys for intrigue.”

  “I’m not sure exactly? Wyatt Wayne put a book we’ve been pining for up for sale. I was sent to authenticate it.”

  “Seems to me…” she stopped and shook her head. “None of this makes sense.”

  “I’ve seen and talked to her. She’s a little bratty, but she’s smart, older than her years. Angelo had an immediate visceral attachment to her. He claims he’s been in her mind before, but that could be a trick to draw him in.”

  “She’s not as beautiful as I would like, but that will change as she matures. Still, she can attract a birdman who has a sworn oath to never hurt a child. Excellent.”

  “Tell me one more thing, and I’ll leave you and your little project alone,” Orion lied.

  “Go on, I’m listening.”

  “Is Émile Neyer involved? You needed Amanda as another broodmare.”

  “He’s clueless, the spineless fence-sitter. But Amanda’s ballet teacher, Piers Savatier, was involved,” Fredericka said with a smirk. “And her first boyfriend, André Chaput, but he’s dead now, killed by Amanda.”

  “You let my son marry a murderer?”

  “It’s the curse, Orion, the Cooper curse. Now, get out,” Fredericka said, holding the door.

  Orion left but transformed himself into a humming bird and hovered outside Fredericka’s window listening.

  She picked up the phone and waited for it to be answered. “I think we have to kill Mia and start again. Let’s make Amanda fertile again. This time, she’ll bear a baby that she positively hates. Charles won’t bat an eye when I suggest we adopt the child out. With luck, we’ll get the sociopath we wanted in the first place. If not, the child being a midlife, unwanted baby may be enough to twist her. I’ll make sure she knows this every time I see her. Yes, find Mia and kill her. She’s of no use to us now,” she said and hung up the phone.

  Orion flew as fast as he could to where Victor and Angelo were waiting for him. “What have I done?” he asked once he explained what had happened. “I just wanted to warn her that her demon-enriched grandchild was now the pet of a fallen angel.”

  Nicholai looked over at Angelo. “It explains your urges.”

  Angelo closed his eyes. “No, it was as if somehow the woman Mia had been transformed into a child. Who would do such a thing?”

  “But the evidence is, Mia was born twelve years ago. She is a child,” Orion insisted.

  “In our timeline,” Nicholai said. “Is there magic that can send someone back in time?”

  “I don’t know of a time travel spell,” Orion said. “Other magic could be used, I suppose. It would have to take a genius to sort it out.”

  “It seems to me such a genius is sitting in a particularly long time-out,” Nicholai said.

  “You don’t mean?” Orion stopped him from saying the creature’s name. “It’s true he can already slow time, but can he control it?”

  “But why? Why send Mia Cooper back in time?” Nicholai asked.

  “Because grown Mia is a danger to him. He can’t kill her without Heaven and Hell wanting to know why. But if he can get the council to do it, or us, then he’s once again in the clear,” Orion said.

  “Gentlemen, can I have you listen to me for a moment without passing judgement?” Angelo pleaded.

  “Yes of course,” Nicholai said.

  “Yes, I’m in no position to judge anyone,” Orion told him. “Please, speak with impunity.”

  “The marker I left in Mia Cooper’s mind wasn’t a primal tag or a warning or even just a key to visit with ease. It was one of love. The Mia Cooper in the future that everyone is so afraid of, I must have fallen in love with. I assure you, I’m not made up to fall in love with an evil person. The Mia that the council worked so hard to create into a sociopathic killer, I’m sure turned out to be a good person.”

  “It’s the Neyer genes. They have been negotiators for peace between Heaven and Hell for centuries. It’s possible that the council didn’t foresee that as being a problem,” Orion said.

  “It could be part of it, but I think that something unexpected happened. Something that couldn’t be foreseen or controlled. It could be as simple as Mia meeting someone else in a time in her life when she was the most unloved.”

  “The curse?” Orion asked.

  “When is love ever a curse?” Nicholai asked.

  “When it’s with the wrong being,” Angelo said.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mia, Ted, and Cid were sitting laughing around the kitchen table when Ted’s sisters Hallie, Connie, and Raedelle came in the door. They were used to seeing Cid in the kitchen and welcomed his forays into cooking, but they had never seen a girl voluntarily spend more than two minutes in the presence of their jerky brother.

  “Mia, these are the three witches from Macbeth. They will try to convince you they are my sisters, but since none of them have my IQ, it’s simply not possible.”

  Mia waved at the three. “He doesn’t mean that.”

  “No, he means it. Mia, have you lost a bet or something?” Hallie asked. “Blink twice if this is a hostage situation.”

  “No, I’m here voluntarily. You all have beautiful hair. I’m so jealous. I’m cursed with hair that dye won’t even stick to.”

  “Your mother lets you dye your hair?” Connie asked, amazed.

  “I don’t think she noticed. As I said, it didn’t stick.”

  “How old are you?” Raedelle asked.

  “Twelve.”

  “Do you go to school with the idiot savant?” Hallie asked.

  “No.”

  “She’s my girlfriend,” Cid blurted out. “She’s from another state.”

  “No, that’s not possible,” Hallie said.

  “Why not?” Mia asked. “I’ve been in love with Cid Garrett since basketball camp. He and I spent a lot of time on the bench together.”

  Ted frowned. He didn’t like the way this was going. Wasn’t he the future husband of the mouthy blonde girl?

  “Love is blind,” Connie announced. “Cid, can we have some of that goulash?”

  “It’s your food, I just mixed it up.”

  “Thank you, Cid. Now I don’t have to cook. Mom’s going to be late,” Hallie announced.

  “I know, seven,” Ted said. He got up. “We’re going to go upstairs.”

  “Keep the door open. I don’t want Cid and Mia on the bed at the same time,” Hallie ordered.

  Cid groaned in embarrassment.

  “Why don’t we go outside? Let me get my coat,” Mia said and ran up the steps.

  Murphy was waiting for her in the bedroom. She shut the door.

  “We have to get going
. Three more PEEPs to check out,” Murphy said.

  “I know, but I’m going to need someplace to sleep. Do you think they will let me stay at a motel?”

  “Not by yourself. What if I materialized and secured the room?”

  “It could work. Let’s see what the boys think. They’re from around here,” Mia said. “We’re going outside. Want to come along? There are beautiful trees in this neighborhood, if memory serves me.”

  “I’ll meet you outside,” he promised.

  Mia pulled on the jacket Nordin bought her, after pulling off the price tags. It was nice he was so good at the details. Otherwise, she’d be without a coat and money to survive in Kansas.

  They walked over to Cid’s house in silence. Cid and Mia tried to start a conversation, but Ted wouldn’t talk. He was pouting.

  Finally, Mia blurted out, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Cid gasped at her language.

  Ted laughed. “What do you think, wife?”

  “Oh, you mean that stuff in the kitchen?” Mia asked.

  “Yes. How’d you go from being my wife to Cid’s girlfriend so fast?”

  “Ted, calm down,” Cid said.

  “No, you started it, little traitor.”

  “I was drawing attention away from Mia not belonging here. What if your sisters called the cops, because she appears to be a runaway. She doesn’t sound like us at all.”

  “I don’t?” Mia asked.

  “Sorry, but you got that northern Illinois twang.”

  “Twang? How dare you?” Mia said, offended. “At least I don’t sound like a diluted Canadian.”

  “What?” Cid said, surprised.

  Ted started laughing. “Look at us. We’re arguing over accents. And Mia, you’re acting like a twelve-year-old.”

  “I know. It’s starting to settle in. Soon I’ll be a twelve-year-old permanently.”

  “No, you’re going to find that damn candle,” Ted said seriously.

  “In the beginning, I thought it was just an innocent wish. Probably made by Audrey. Maybe she had thought she’d wished to look younger, and… well, here I am. But the more I delved into it, the more it started to look like this was planned.”