"How?" I said to Ms. Kelly. "Did Ms. Harrison reach out in some way?"
She shook her head. "No, nothing that clear. But we're hoping to strengthen the channel." She looked from Shane to me. "And we believe you might hold the key."
After all this time, I thought it wouldn't be creepy anymore, the way Ms. Kelly could read me.
But nope.
She noticed something different about me right away, and now she was suggesting that Shane and I "held the key" to reaching Ms. Harrison.
No matter how often the psychic channel was used between us, it still shocked me every time.
Ms. Reed went to the oven and pulled on mitts. Whatever scrumptious goody she was about to pull out, it was back-burnered in my mind as I stared into Ms. Kelly's eyes.
"We found my father's grave," I stated.
She sat up straight and pressed her lips together.
"Yes. That must be what I felt." She nodded. "Where? Did it have any details or information for you?" She tipped her head, feeling the mix of unsettled emotions that oozed from me.
"I found it in the graveyard by the Dawson farmland," I told her. "It was hidden near mine, under thick moss. His name was the only engraving on it."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"Thomas Alexander Douglas," I added.
Ms. Reed's head snapped to Ms. Kelly before she had time to buffer the reaction. Ms. Kelly held her gaze for a moment, then turned back to me.
"Yes," she said. "That's it. I know the name."
She looked off in a blank stare as I considered my next words.
I glanced at Shane, and he gave me a nod.
"There was more," I said.
Ms. Kelly blinked her attention back to me.
I swallowed hard. "When I dug into the dirt, searching for more engravings on his stone, I found a box buried deep at its base."
I watched her for any reaction, and she only nodded, waiting for more details, so I continued.
"At first, I didn't think I should open it, but then, well, I felt like he would have wanted me to." I rethought my actions and still felt like I'd done the right thing. "There was an item inside, like a spyglass or a magnifying glass, only not."
Ms. Reed dropped the pan she had taken from the oven with a startle. It landed on the burners with a crash, causing us all to jump. Shaking a mitt off one hand, she ran her fingers under the cold tap.
"Sorry. Hot lil' feller," she apologized.
But it was too late. There was no hiding her reaction to the description of the talisman.
I turned my attention back to Ms. Kelly, and this time, I waited for her to speak.
She reached for her coffee cup and took a slow sip as Shane and I watched her every move.
Placing it down again, she folded her hands on the table and cleared her throat.
"We know of a lost amulet by the same description. The pure quartz center is said to enhance and strengthen one's sight. It attunes to your higher self and shows what you seek."
I contemplated her description and what I had seen when I looked through the talisman. I saw an earlier version of my father's grave—a clear vision of the past.
"I think he hid it there for me to find," I stated. "It's like it could be used to save him somehow, and he knew I'd try."
Ms. Kelly exhaled with a nod.
"Do you have it with you?" she asked. "Can we see it?"
I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled it out. As I open my fingers to reveal it in my palm, Ms. Reed gasped.
Ms. Kelly huffed. "Oh." She blinked and reached for her chest. "I never thought I'd lay my eyes on it."
Ms. Reed jumped to a shelf that held a carved-wood box, and she lifted the lid. She pulled out a purple velvet pouch and brought it over to me.
"Here," she said. "Keep it in this. It will harness its energy while keeping it safe."
She moved to another shelf with several jars lined along its length. She reached into one and pinched an amount of something out of it.
"Black salt," she said, as she sprinkled it on the talisman. "It's powerfully protective."
She murmured a string of rhythmic words as she brushed the final bits of salt from her fingers onto the pouch.
"Will it be useful to us?" I asked. "Do you think it will help my father? Or Shane?"
Ms. Kelly reached for it. "May I?"
I passed it into her open palm and watched as she absorbed its energy through her body.
"It belongs to you," she stated. "That is clear to me. Only you will have the ability to use it." She pondered the signals further. "I think it will help us."
Shane and I leaned in closer.
"But to use it effectively, to free the souls of the ones you love, you must first face the truth as to why they were lost in the first place." She kept her eyes fixed on the talisman.
My eyebrows pulled in tight.
What the hell was she talking about?
Shane sat back as if offended. And I wasn't far behind.
The Dark Witch was to blame for their lost souls. That's all I knew, and it was all that mattered.
Her words made it sound like my father or Shane may have held some responsibility in their situations, and that pissed me off. Suggesting that we needed to face the truth was a dig, as if we were wandering blindly.
I paused for a moment, remembering Ms. Kelly's position within the UMAs, within The Trifecta, and within the Higher Order. She knew what she was talking about, and every word or action was always for the right reason.
I released my held breath, feeling more ready to hear her.
Without lifting her gaze, she added one final comment.
"You must trust your instinct and uncover the secrets of the past."
I reached for the purple pouch and loosened its strings. Holding it open, I moved it toward Ms. Kelly. Without a flinch, she slid the talisman into the velvet bag, and I pulled the strings tight.
Ms. Reed brought warm cinnamon bread to the table, along with a homemade buttercream spread. Without hesitation, everyone dug in and enjoyed the comfort it brought between us, allowing for quiet reflection.
Dabbing the final crumbs with my finger, certain to not waste a bit, I nibbled at the last distraction before having to speak again.
"That was so good," I said to Ms. Reed. "Like, beyond belief."
Ms. Kelly chuckled. "Yes, quite divine."
Shane wiped at the side of his mouth. "Best I've ever had." Then he turned his attention to Ms. Kelly. "There's more to it than that, though," he stated out of the blue.
I took a double-take, not sure what he was alluding to.
Ms. Kelly lifted her chin. "I suspected as much."
My head tipped.
Of course she knew there was more.
Shane nodded. "It's more than just uncovering the secrets of our pasts." He glanced at me, and I nudged him to continue. "We know the reign of the Dark Witch is over. We've felt the shift. Millicent's return to the past has blocked her ability to continue crossing over."
Ms. Kelly lifted her brow in agreement.
"But her curse remains," he added. "My soul is still trapped, and Brynn's father is still lost in the abyss. Her death curse continues."
"Yes," Ms. Kelly said. "We feel it too. We'd hoped for balance to return once the portal was destroyed, but no. We sense the unrest still. Her curse was strong."
"And protected," Ms. Reed added.
"Exactly," Shane blurted. "She created it to be unbreakable. Is there any way to stop a protection spell?"
Ms. Reed moved to her row of spell books and trailed her finger across them in thought.
"This is exactly the time when we need Ms. Harrison. Our trifecta is powerful and would stand a chance at fighting the curse. Without her, we'll be relying on whatever we can find here."
I swallowed hard.
Without the combined power of The Witch Trifecta, it would come down to those who were left.
"Each of us has unique abilities. If we pull our gifts tight
er together, strengthen them, we could find a way," I said. "I just need to know where to begin."
I glanced at Ms. Reed, hoping she'd found an incantation or maybe a potion that could help us. She held an open book in her hand and leafed through its pages.
"It takes time to develop the skill we had as a trifecta," Ms. Reed said. "Years of practice." She turned to a worn page within the book and tapped on it.
She came over to the table and pushed her plate aside with the book. We quickly gathered the dishes and wiped down the surface.
"I will need a transparent crystal. Clear quartz," she said.
I tightened my fingers around the purple pouch.
"Can we use the talisman?" I asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "That will do."
She stepped to a side table that held small bottles of varying colors. Taking the pink one, she brought it back to the table with a small dish.
"Rose oil," she stated, placing it in the center. "I have a spell for developing psychic abilities. It will loosen us to allow our abilities to flow more freely. Then, and only then, will we be able to step onto our new path."
Opening the pouch, she placed the talisman into my palm and lifted my other hand to cover it. As I cupped it, she read from the book and said, "Open for me the way to wisdom, second sight, and spirituality. Open for me the pathways to everything possible."
She lifted her gaze to me. "Take the top hand off now," she said. "And look into the crystal. Repeat with me."
Together, we said, "Open for me the way to wisdom, second sight, and spirituality. Open for me the pathways to everything possible."
"Now move the talisman to your other hand," she instructed. "Dip your finger in the rose oil and touch it to your third eye."
I blinked in confusion.
"The middle of your forehead," she clarified. "Now say, I open my spirit to all that is light. May I experience psychic possibility protected by my guides."
I spoke the words with her, following along in the book, and felt a door open deep within my mind. I lowered my guard and allowed the energy to flow around the table through all four of us.
We each sat taller and looked more robust as the surge grew in intensity.
Ms. Reed held the dish of rose oil toward me. "Now dab the oil at the base of your throat, then onto the pulse points of your inner wrists."
I followed her instructions, ignoring the cynical nagging at the back of my mind. I couldn't help but think the spell was a weak one.
"Now, gaze at the crystal and allow images, words, and feelings to flow." Her smooth voice carried the magical words like poetry, making it difficult to shut them out.
Taking one last look through the crystal in the talisman, I prepared to place it back into the pouch. But before I could even blink, images of a twisting maze filled my sight. Spiraling with dizziness, I dropped the talisman onto the table with a clang.
"What is it?" Shane spat.
"The maze," I said through a shaking voice. "The same one I saw when I blacked-out in the cemetery."
"You had another seizure?" Ms. Kelly interjected, her voice laced with worry.
"Yes," Shane answered for me. "Probably."
His speaking for me was annoying at first, but honestly, I wasn't sure what had happened when he found me on the ground. He was the one who found me in that state in the cemetery, so his observation was probably right.
"Yeah, I think so," I murmured. "I had a strange vision just as everything went dark. And now I just saw it again in the crystal."
Ms. Kelly looked at Shane and then to me. "You must search your memory of the repeating vision for clues. The familiar maze will likely lead you to the answers you seek. Your truths will be waiting there for you."
Chapter 4
As we drove away from Ms. Reed's cottage, I couldn't squash the unsettled feeling in my gut. It was like a warning that we were about to enter a dangerous realm of the unknown, one that was best left undisturbed.
"How are we supposed to explore our pasts?" I murmured. "I've pretty much blocked mine out. I don't even know where to begin."
It bothered me because the task was a clear kick in the head—considering my up-ended past of moving from place to place, constantly switching schools, and carrying my mother the entire way.
Shane remained silent and focused on the road.
"Shane?"
He pressed his lips together and held his breath for a moment.
Then he finally spoke.
"She wants us to go farther back than that," he said. "Like, past-life regression."
I stared at him as his unnerving words sank in.
I'd heard of past-life regression, mostly around reincarnation topics, but didn't think it was something I'd ever be involved with. Plus, those concepts were always around being someone else and coming back as someone different. That just wasn't the case for us.
"Past-life regression?" I mumbled. "Is that really a thing?"
Shane shrugged and added, "We need to explore our origins."
My eyes widened, and I turned my gaze forward. Staring out at the road, I watched as the world whizzed by us.
"As in, where we came from." My eyes stung from lack of blinking. "Why does that sound so frightening?" I mumbled.
Digging that deep into the root of who I was, was terrifying to me.
What if we discovered something that would tear us apart? As messed up as things were, I was happy with my bond with Shane. I mean, yes, we needed to reconnect him with his soul to allow ourselves to fully embrace our lives together, but not if it meant tearing us apart.
I wasn't sure what I was afraid of.
But uncovering suppressed memories and knowledge of an earlier life was certainly a good start.
"Are we strong enough?" I asked. "You know, to face whatever it is we might discover?"
He slowed the RAV as he pulled onto the secluded road to his house.
"I don't know," he whispered. "It's something I've avoided for a long time. I just don't know what I'll find, but I have a pretty strong feeling that I won't like it."
I watched as the old, dilapidated manor came into view. Its boarded-up windows and loose shingles falling from the gables gave it the appearance of a gothic haunted house.
I studied its features as Shane drove around back to his modernized guest house. Looking back up at the second-floor windows of the condemned estate, I noticed the shine of lead glass from behind a loosened board. It drew my attention as if ready to spill its centuries-old secrets to anyone who would listen.
Shane parked the car and turned off the ignition. He followed my gaze and studied the ruin of his early home.
The look on his face had shifted, and it unnerved me. He'd gone sheet-white, and his knuckles clamped tight on the steering wheel. It was as if he were about to puke.
"What is it?" I whispered.
But I already knew.
Fear radiated off him as he studied the details of the house. He had no memory of his life before losing his soul to the Dark Witch's curse. And he was in no hurry to unravel the story locked behind the boards.
Focusing on his unblinking eyes as he stared at the manor, I understood our next move.
"We need to go in there, don't we?" I looked back at the boarded-up estate.
He remained silent for a moment, then swallowed hard.
"Yes."
I wondered when the last time was that Shane had entered his family home. From the state of the boarded-up windows and overgrown weeds on the front porch, it could have been... never.
"Have you been inside? You know, while living in this time period?" I kept my eyes on the house to give him space.
He shook his head. "No. There's nothing in there for me now."
I lowered my eyes, knowing that Shane's parents were long gone, and their memory would be in every room of the house.
"Do you remember much of it?" I asked.
"Bits. More like feelings. Security of family. Being taken care of. Having th
e world as my playground, thinking the grounds of the estate went on forever." He loosened his grip from the wheel.
"Those are memories of a good childhood," I said.
"Mhmm. But those memories are cut short by feelings of a storm, of screams and chaos." He pressed his lips together. "There's a reason I don't go in there. I'm just not exactly sure what it is."
Exploring Shane's past was going to be harder than I thought. There was a good chance we would uncover some traumatic events—ones that catapulted his life into the unknown, crossing paths with the Dark Witch along the way.
I had to believe my own story would not be without similar devastating events. I shuddered at the thought of having to relive them. There was just no way to know if Shane and I were ready for it.
Facing our biggest insecurities was a monumental ask, and Ms. Kelly didn't hesitate but to put it on our to-do list. I couldn't help but wonder if there was another way.
If the Dark Witch had had the power to destroy our lives in the past, then she probably also had the ability to rebuild them, for a price, of course. The notion of trying to come to an agreement with her didn't seem all that unreasonable.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to redirect my thoughts.
Had I really just considered making a pact with the Dark Witch.
I squirmed in my seat, hoping none of the UMAs had picked up on my thoughts. We'd been keeping our collective consciousness toned down recently for rest, but it was a very sensitive intuition that could be picked up on at any time.
Turning to Shane, I hoped he would have a new look in his eyes, one of empowerment or curiosity to explore. Maybe then we could consider taking the first steps toward our pasts.
But, instead, I pulled back from the shock of his judging glare.
"Did you seriously just consider that?" he spat.
Shit.
"What?" I shook my head in denial.
"Brynn. I can feel your emotions. They affect my own." He opened his door to get out. "I don't have to read your mind to know what you're thinking. I can feel it oozing off of you."
I covered my eyes with my hands. "It was just a random thought. I know it's not something I would ever do. I'm just grappling at ideas."
Urban Mystic Academy: Graduation (A Supernatural Academy Series Book 6) Page 3