Alex McKenna & the Academy of Souls

by Vicki-Ann Bush

  Ophelia waited for a response, but Ms. Dunworthy just sat for a moment with her eyes narrowed, and back stiff. When she finally spoke, the explanation frightened Ophelia more than the dream.

  "Did either of you know anyone by that name in life?" The doctor leaned forward.

  "No. Why do you ask?" Ophelia squirmed in her chair.

  "I don't believe this was a dream. I believe your sister was reaching out."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "The name. If you had both known an Alex in life, I'd say coincidence perhaps. But you didn't. Therefore, I think this is someone Haven wants you to know about, or maybe it's the name of the man holding her. Either way, I strongly believe she is attempting communication."

  Ophelia's brow furrowed. This was not the explanations she'd expected.

  "What can I do? I've tried every avenue I know to find her, but I have nothing." Ophelia quaked inside.

  "Wait and see if she comes to you again, but this time, try communicating with her. Be aware of yourself in the vision. She’s searching for you, but you're the beacon. That gives you more control than you realize. Try to find out who Alex is."

  Ms. Dunworthy stood up and walked over to Ophelia. She bent down and gently squeezed her hand.

  "You will find her. I feel it. Pay attention Ophelia, the answers are there if you let them in."

  Ophelia forced a smile before getting up and thanking the doctor for her help. Floating back to her dorm room, she trembled from the unsettling weight in her chest. Something told her she was running out of time.

  Amry was lying on her bed when Ophelia got home. She was quiet, avoided her usual greeting as Ophelia closed the door. Another, less pressing issue than Haven's whereabouts was Amry's change in personality the past week. Normally, Amry was, well—Amry. Smiles and happiness were a daily outfit, but Ophelia wondered what was really going on inside, when the glee turned to gloom. Amry had taken an interest in a junior, Jeffrey Wright. They started spending nights together in the courtyard just outside Ophelia and Amry's dorm window. But without warning one evening, just after they kissed goodnight, Jeffrey took the light. Amry was stunned. She never mentioned a word about him again. Ophelia tried to gently coax her friend to confide in her what might have happened, but it was useless.

  "I didn't think you'd be here. Don't you have that group thing for science?" Ophelia swirled around the room searching for her notebook.

  "It got canceled." Amry pulled the pillow over her head.

  "Oh. That's too bad. Why did it get canceled?'

  "I canceled it,” her voice muffled.

  "You? Why?" Ophelia sat down next to her friend.

  "Because I wanted to. End of story. What were you doing out so early?"

  "I went to see Ms. Dunworthy."

  "Why? What's wrong?'

  "Bad dreams." Ophelia floated to her own bed.

  "About?" Amry rolled over.

  "I'll tell, if you will." Ophelia narrowed her eyes.

  "Tell what?" Amry snapped.

  "Why you think Jeffrey left."

  "I don't know."

  "Yes, you do."

  Amry glided up toward the ceiling and disappeared. In moments, she walked through the front door and plopped down on her bed. She held a letter in her hand.

  "Where did you go? And what's that?" Ophelia stretched her neck to get a better look.

  "My locker. This was waiting for me the morning after Jeffrey left.

  Amry,

  I don't think I could ever express how much you mean to me. If we had been lucky enough to know each other during our breather years, I know I would have wanted to spend every minute with you. But the light has come for me several times lately, and I have you to thank for that. Never being in love was my burden. It stopped me from moving on and reuniting with my family. I know you'll never leave if Ophelia is still searching for Haven. I get it, I really do. You're as good a friend as you are a love, but it's my time and I didn't want to give you added pressure. I know you would have refused, and this way is easier for both of us. I hope one day you can forgive me.

  Eternally yours,

  Jeffrey

  Amry let the letter fall from her fingers and float to the floor.

  "What the skilamalink? How did he get it in your locker if he was already gone?" Ophelia gritted her teeth.

  "He asked his friend Oliver to put it there after the light came for him again." Amry pulled the comforter up to her neck and folded into a fetus pose. "I thought getting a scoundrel like Zachary Kowal at the Academy might take my mind off of it. I tried to push it down deep, keep up the smiles, but yesterday Oliver approached me after the last class. Told me how much Jeffrey really did love me, how it was so hard for him. If it was so damn hard, then why did he go?" Amry's voice was shaky.

  "I wish I knew. I'll never understand boys." Ophelia bit her lower lip. "They do the strangest things.'

  "Your turn." Amry sat up. "Spill. What's going on?"

  Ophelia explained her recent dream about Haven, the name Alex, and Ms. Dunworthy's interpretation.

  "Visions, huh. Do you think she's right?" Amry snapped the letter up from the floor and place it under her pillow.

  "I don't know, but I'm going to try out her advice. It can't hurt. There's something else, though."

  "What's that?"

  "I got a feeling like Haven's running out of time." Ophelia glanced out the window. The clouds rolling in soaked up the last drop of sunlight, casting a dark silhouette in the courtyard. "I need to find out who this Alex is, and what he means to Haven.

  3

  Meet Haven

  The house was peaceful, Alex’s mom and brother were sleeping. They were leaving early in the morning for a week in Orlando, Florida. Visiting family that had migrated to warmer climate, was a yearly trip he'd have to miss this time. It was mid-year finals at the Academy, so he would have to experience palm trees and sandy beaches second hand. Checking his phone for the time, it was later than he thought. He ambled into the kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator for leftovers. Pizza, orange chicken, and a three-day old cheeseburger from Grille Kings—pizza it was. Throwing a slice of pie on a paper plate, and nuking it for sixty seconds, answered the gnawing pangs in his stomach. A glass of cola and he was off to bed.

  A soothing shower called to him as he rounded the corner to the second floor. Not bothering to retrieve his pajamas, he swung directly into the bathroom. A thick, midnight blue robe, hung from hook behind the door. He had given his mom grief for buying him such a lame gift, but he used it way more often than he'd admit to her. Twisting the shower faucet on hot, he let steam build up in the room, warming his bones. Removing his shirt, he yanked on his binder, twisting it down past his hips until it dropped to the floor. His chest sawed a heavy breath as the air hit his bare skin. It felt good to be free of the day’s constraints. Turning to check his five o'clock shadow in the foggy mirror, he reached out and wiped away the condensation. Glancing down at the exposed fleshy plumps protruding from his chest, his stomach roiled. He was running out of patience, surgery needed to happen sooner rather than later.

  Stepping under the hot rain, he tilted back his head and let the water wash away the memories that suffocated his mind. Learning to let go of the death of an innocent was harder than anything he'd ever done. It wasn't working.

  Jolted by the picture of Tom's dead body lying in his living-room, Alex huddled by the wall of the shower. Looking down at his trembling hands, the pruned tips of his fingers beckoned for him to get out. He had lost track of time. Soaping down, he quickly rinsed and shut down the tranquility. Reaching for the towel that he had thrown on the lid of the toilet, he briskly dried his body and wrapped up. A chill tickled the back of his neck and he shuddered. From the corner of his eye, the flash of a bright light poked his temple with the same precision as an ice pick. Alex grabbed the side of his head and squeezed. Tilting his chin down, he momentarily lost his balance. The vision beside him spiraled with a kaleidoscope
of luminous shades of green. Slowly, the ribbon of color etched out to form an opening in the center. The eye of the storm.

  Alex squinted, straining to focus on the anomaly. Reaching out, he caught a glimpse of the goosebumps mapping their way over the skin of his forearm. He recoiled his hand to his side. What the hell am I doing? Stepping away, he pressed his back against the door and faced his unwanted guest. In the heart of the calm, stood a little girl. Her chestnut braid cascaded down the front of her long white nightgown, masking portions of the pale blue lace trim. Soft brown eyes held the weight of sadness. Both arms stretched out, fully extended, her small hands trying to wriggle closer to him. The child's mouth mimicked the mechanics of conversation, but only silence escaped her pale, pink lips.

  "Who are you?" Alex whispered.

  The little girl's words fell silent.

  "I can't hear you. Can you understand me? If you can, nod your head."

  The child nodded yes.

  "Are you lost?" Alex inched closer.

  Placing her arms by her side, she nodded again.

  "Are you in danger?"

  Her head turned away.

  Alex’s shoulder’s stiffened Not a yes, but not a no either.

  "Are you trying to find someone?"

  The girl's mouth moved, her lips forming a long trail of silent sentences.

  "Whoa. Stop. I still can't hear you." Alex furrowed his brow.

  The little girl put her hands up, covering her face.

  "Hey, it's okay. I'll figure something out, hold on."

  Alex sized up the room looking for anything to aide in their communication. Staring at the half-fogged mirror, his eyes widened. Hastily, he turned the shower back on and twisted the knob until it rested solely on the hot water. Within moments the air thickened and a veil of steam covered the reflective glass. With his pointer finger, he laid out the alphabet across the balmy surface. Turning back toward the child, she was smiling.

  "You understand?" Alex pointed to the letters.

  Clapping her hands, she nodded yes.

  "Okay. I'll ask you a question and then starting with A, I'll point to the letters. You nod to let me know if it's the right one. Good?"

  Rapidly, she agreed.

  "Let's start with something simple. What's your name?"

  Alex pointed to the letters one at a time until he hit H. The girl drew up a hand to indicate stop.

  "Okay great. Now let's go to the vowels. A?"

  She nodded yes.

  Once again, he started pointing. When he reached V, she jumped up.

  "Let's see we have, H—a—v... huh. I'm not sure, let's keep going. It's probably another vowel. How about, I?"

  She adamantly shook her head no.

  "E?" Alex outlined the letters on the bottom corner of the mirror.

  The clapped once again

  "H—A—V—E... Haven? Is that it? Are you Haven?"

  The girl grinned and patted both hands on her chest.

  "Nice to meet you, Haven. I'm Alex."

  The little girl pointed to her eye.

  "Something's wrong with your eyes?"

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. First pointing to her eyes again, she then pointed to him.

  "Eye? Eye—or wait, I? Haven is it I?" Alex tapped the letter in the alphabet string.

  She replied with a nod and pointed to Alex again.

  "Hmm. What are you trying to say? I, me, I, Alex, I'm Alex! Haven, you already know who I am?"

  Haven nodded her head in agreement.

  "Did you know me before you died? How do you know me?" Alex fired the questions like bullets.

  Without warning, Haven's face dropped, and her body stiffened. Snapping her gaze to peer over her shoulder, she turned back to Alex, wide-eyed and gaping mouth—she was screaming.

  "Haven. What's wrong? Haven!"

  Before the last syllable escaped his breath, she was gone.

  Stunned, Alex furiously retraced the last few minutes in his mind, hoping to find something he might have missed. Nothing.

  Frustrated, he ambled to his bedroom and pulled on some sweats and a t-shirt. Turning back the covers, he slid underneath the solace of warm blankets and feathery-like pillow. Reaching for his phone from the table beside his bed, he called the one person that always made him feel better, Margaret.

  She picked up after the first ring.

  "Hey, I thought you were going to bed after I left?"

  Margaret's voice soothed Alex's tension.

  "I decided to take a hot shower. Tesoro, something happened," Alex's voice cracked.

  "What? Are you all right?"

  "I'm fine. A little off balance. This young girl, Haven, came to me. She couldn't be more than seven or eight. It was strange. She spoke, but there was no sound. It was like watching a damn silent film," Alex sighed.

  "How do you know her name then?"

  "It was crazy. The room was steamy, so I wrote the alphabet on the mirror. I felt like I was in a Wheel of Fortune nightmare. She was smart though, caught on right away."

  "What did she want?" Margaret cleared her throat.

  "That's it, I don't know. One minute we're having a conversation, and the next she gets this horrified look in her eyes and she's gone. I think she was screaming. I don't know what to do. I have no idea who she is, or where she came from. Just this overwhelming sense of needing to help her. I think she really needs me."

  "Maybe tomorrow you should call your Gram. She might be able to give you some ideas."

  "Yeah. I'll try her in the morning. She's probably gone to bed, which is what I'm gonna try and do. You still working on homework?"

  "I am. A couple more minutes and I'm done. My eyes can barely stay open. I'll see you at school tomorrow," Margaret's voice trailed off.

  Alex set his phone down on the table.

  Rolling over to face the wall, he traced the encounter with Haven in his mind. Frame by frame—until sleep ushered in the darkness.

  At the break of dawn his phone alarm sounded, and Alex fumbled to shut it. A restless night focused on dreams of Haven left him feeling exhausted. Thank the gods it's Friday, he thought. Throwing back the security of his comforter, he rolled out of bed. Retracting his feet from the bite of the cold floor, he hesitated before releasing them again and hobbling to his dresser. Pulling out a pair of white crew socks, he quickly put them on. Better. His hunger churned the acids in his stomach, echoing a loud grumble.

  Breakfast before a shower sounded like a good plan.

  Ambling down the stairs, he grinned. There was a loud commotion of voices coming from the kitchen—his aunts had arrived. Jennie and Carla were his moms’ older sisters, and the three of them were glued at the hip.

  He could hear his little brother, Wilby, begging to sit in the front seat of the car, and his mom issuing a firm no. Walking through the gateway to chaos, he was greeted by his exasperated mom.

  “Alex, there you are, I thought I was going to have to come up and get you.” His mom continued to pack a small cooler with water. “We're heading out, and we should be at your uncle's house in two days. Tonight, we're stopping in Jacksonville, the hotel information is on the fridge.”

  “You guys all cramming in one car?” asked Alex.

  His aunts were piling luggage in their arms, they looked like they were evacuating a sinking ship.

  “Of course, mia prezioso,” Aunt Jennie continued, “it would not be safe to split the family. What if there's an accident? Or one of us gets lost? We stay together.”

  “That's right,” Aunt Carla interjected, “we're always stronger as a family.”

  Alex understood. They were stronger together, much like any other family, but they also shared a special bond—their abilities. As one, they could do some awesome things, but as a group, they were nearly unstoppable.

  “Mio figlio, stay out of trouble while we're gone. You hear me? No new cases. Gram is still in town if you need anything. But take this time to rest, we all suffered a huge los
s, and the wounds have only begun to heal. I wish you were going with us, I'd feel much better,” said his mom.

  “Ma. I'll be fine. Margaret and I are gonna study, and we have some movie time planned. It's all good. Don't worry about me, okay?”

  “Come here.” His mom squeezed him tight.

  “Gina let's go. We'll hit a load of traffic if we leave any later.” Aunt Jennie huffed. “Alex, listen to what your mom said, no funny business.”

  Alex nodded, he knew nothing he would say was going to satisfy their worry, he'd just have to hold on a few more minutes until they left. After an eternity of kisses, and hugs exchanged between everybody, the front door slammed shut.

  He took a moment to soak in the calm, it felt peaceful. Perusing the kitchen for the ingredients to stunt the growing hunger in his belly, his go to breakfast of toasted crusty bread, smothered in butter, would have to wait. He'd forgotten to stop by the deli on the way home from school yesterday. The coffee was ready, thank you technology, and after a few minutes of indecision, he decided Stella D'oro original breakfast cookies, would be the best substitution. Perfect for dunking, his taste buds salivated thinking of the sugary substance.

  Setting a plate with four cookies and a mug of coffee on the table, he called his grandmother and put it on speaker.

  "Bonzetta. You're calling early, are you all right?"

  "I'm fine, Gram. I had a visitor last night and I'm not sure what to do."

  Alex detailed the story about Haven, and the bad feeling that was haunting him.

  "You want to call her spirit back?"

  "Yes. I think she really needs me. It's bugging me that I can't hear her. That's a first."

  "It might be where the child is located. There are places that can keep a soul from finding the light. Realms beyond the space of the living and the dead. Do you remember that boy your grandfather helped in Naples last year? The one that haunted him for months. He was one of those souls. Not with the living or the dead, he wandered between worlds, held captive by a lost spirit. It drained your papa trying to track him down. The spirit kept moving the boy to different dimensions."