by J. A. Giunta
He glared at the three of them and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but all that came out was a long hissing noise like one of Grans old steam kettles.
“Great, a Sluagh possession,” Tara said, pulling harder on the ley line. “Seanna. Load up.”
Ember felt her cousin reach out her gathering spell, but before Seanna could pull the additional energy in to reinforce her side of the web, the possessed man sprang out of the shadows and attacked. He moved fast. Faster than humanly possible.
Before they could make a move, Seanna flew through the air. Ember felt the net of power stretch and thin as her cousin landed with a thud and tumbled to a stop more than fifteen yards away. The threads of protective energy snapped and wavered. Ember felt herself losing control of her power orb as the possessed man spun to face her.
“One down, two to go.” The man’s voice sounded like the edge of a metal saw being dragged across the sidewalk.
Fear gripped Ember’s throat. Not just fear of the dark power facing her, but of her own tenuous grasp on the power she held in her hands. The image of the last time she’d lost control rose up before her. She could almost feel the flames that had surrounded her before Mom and Aunt Brianna had been able to put them out. Auntie Bri still bore some of the scars from the magical wildfire that had touched her before they’d brought the flames under control.
“Hold on.” Tara grunted with the effort of pulling more energy up from the rivers of magic that flowed deep underground.
The man’s glowing eyes turned on her, as if in sudden understanding. “The power lines are not all down.”
Heat filled Ember’s hands as the energy fought to loose itself from her grip. No. Not now, she thought, sparing a glance at Seanna, who lay unmoving in the grass. She couldn’t lose control now. Cold sweat trickled down her back, and she suddenly thought of the stupid story book Lee had made her read to him about a million times when he was little, The Little Engine That Could. A hysterical laugh attempted to force itself from her and she gritted her teeth.
The man tilted his head to one side, as if sizing her up. Then, in a blur of motion, he rushed across the grass.
“Ember, catch!” Tara flooded the remaining energy at her. The shock of it nearly bowled her over before she got her palms turned outward and released the orb of power at him. It expanded as it flew through the air and hit him hard, encompassing his entire body. A high-pitched wail escaped him as he fell to the ground, writhing in pain, body jerking and spasming like he’d been hit with a high voltage taser.
“Whoa.” Tara panted beside her. “That was close.”
“Closer for some than others,” Seanna groaned, picking herself up and hobbling over to where Ember stood staring at her hands.
“Nice work,” Tara said, still a little breathless from having passed so much power.
The man had stopped moving. A purple glow still encompassed him, like a magical aura. “Let’s get him trussed up before the effects wear off.” Seanna pulled a pair of spelled handcuffs from her back pocket.
By the time they got back to the house, the possessed man was awake and making a loud ruckus in the trunk. His shouts alternated between the grinding snarled threats of the Sluagh and the yelling of an angry man ready to kick the ass of whomever, or whatever, got close enough.
Tara was driving and cursing him under her breath. Ember’s hands still burned from juggling the power orb without Seanna’s support, even though Tara had slathered on a thick layer of her infamous healing salve. If she hadn’t needed it, Ember would have refused. The stuff smelled like boiled cabbage mixed with sulphur and goat urine. She looked down at her hands. Maybe it was. She redoubled her efforts against touching anything.
In reality, she’d been lucky. The blast that left her hands could have maimed her. Probably would have. Before the Rumbling.
A not so muffled “...burn in hell...” came from the trunk. Tara took the turn into the driveway without slowing, and they heard the solid thud of a head hitting the trunk lid.
“Maybe that’ll shut him up.” Tara stamped on the brake and put the car in park.
“...bunch of lousy, good for nothing...”
“Guess not,” Seanna told her. “I told you we should have spelled a cone of silence around him.”
“Waste of power,” Tara said, shutting off the engine. “You’ll wear yourself out using it for everything like that.”
“I don’t use it for everything,” Seanna shot back. She slid out of the passenger seat and opened the door for Ember, who eased herself out of the back seat. Seanna made a face and backed away. “You know you can wipe that crap off after just a few minutes, right?”
“I thought it worked better the longer you left it on?”
Seanna let out a snort of laughter. “Seriously? Are you the last person to figure out Tara just tells everyone that to see how long they’ll put up with the smell?”
Tara stood at the back of the car, smirking. “Way to spoil the fun, Seanna.” She tossed Ember a rag.
“Great. You’re such a jerk.” Ember wiped the stinky salve from her hands and flung the rag back at her dark-haired cousin. Tara ducked and the rag went wide.
The pounding and yelling from inside the trunk grew louder.
“You better pick that up before someone’s dog gets hold of it.” Tara raised her voice to be heard over the noise.
“Why? Will it make them sick?” Ember glanced at Seanna.
She shook her head before Tara could spin up a tale.
“Spoilsport.” Tara rapped on the trunk as the noise level increased. “Hey. Quiet down in there, or you’ll get another dose.”
I don’t think I have it in me, Ember signed.
Tara’s hands flew through the air. He doesn’t know that. “Shields up,” she told Seanna.
“Already done.” Seanna pointed to the sidewalk, where light shimmered like heat waves over a desert. “Not a complete blackout. Just enough blur so no one from more than ten feet away will be able to tell what’s happening. But it won’t last all day.” She popped the trunk open and they stared into the man’s angry eyes.
He hissed.
Seanna grabbed his bound ankles. Tara reached for his shoulders. His jaws snapped as he twisted his head around and tried to bite her. “Should have gagged him,” Tara said. “Look, Jug-head.” She pointed at Ember. “She was holding back in the park, but we don’t have to do this the easy way.”
His eyes flicked toward Ember. She gave him her most vicious smile.
He relaxed and let them haul him out of the trunk, even helped a little out of self-preservation. Once they had him standing, Seanna on one arm, Tara holding his other, he could barely shuffle a few inches at a time.
“This is taking too long.” Seanna ticked her eyes at the sidewalk. “Not going to hold long enough at this rate.”
“Fine. Untruss his ankles,” Tara said. “But no funny business,” she warned him.
Ember could see his brain working behind his eyes, even though he nodded. She tried not to sigh aloud as she flexed her fingers, wondering if she would be able to call up even a thread of energy.
They’d managed to herd him to the front door when he suddenly stiffened, his nostrils flaring. “Coven,” he growled, then let out a huge roar, yanking his arms free of Tara and Seanna. His hands were still cuffed behind him, but his legs were free, and he was making serious use of them.
Lee appeared in the doorway, managing to ask, “Who is this?” before the guy kicked him hard in the leg.
“Jackass!” Lee hauled off and punched him in the face with a loud crack.
“Hey!” Ember shouted. “You can’t go around punching people like that. Not anymore.” She glared at their struggling prisoner. “Besides, we’ve got this.”
The possessed man continued to kick and flail as they dragged him through the fron
t room and into the hallway. He caught Seanna in the face with his forehead and she thudded into the wall. Then he slammed a back-kick into Tara’s stomach.
A rush of anger hit Ember. She felt the heat rising in her already tender hands. “That’s it!” She snapped. Power raveled into her left hand, and she mashed a fresh orb of energy into the side of the man’s head. He let out an ear-piercing scream.
“Try it again,” she snarled, as she let the power fade out. “I dare you.” She swung open the basement door and shoved him inside. “Move,” she ordered, her hands shaking in surprise and elation at what she had just managed to do. Her palms practically itched for more power, but she knew the control she had just exerted had been a fluke. No way could she repeat it on command.
The man whimpered as he was herded down the stairs.
Six
Wed, Aug 24, 9:08pm
- Lee -
Jen answered the door with a look of happy surprise. Her eyes began to well up. She knew why he was there.
“I didn’t expect to see you again tonight,” she said and opened the door wider for him.
“I know,” Lee said. He took a step inside, and she caught him off guard with a hug. Lee could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Jen hug anyone but her mother. It was brief but heartfelt. When she stepped back and aside, he asked, “Is your mom awake?”
“No, but it’s all right.” She wiped a cheek and closed the door. He could sense in her happiness, relief and an influx of embarrassment. “Come on in. She’s upstairs, in bed.” He paused in the doorway. “It’s fine,” Jen insisted. “I’ll explain it to her.”
“Okay. Oh,” he said, when he caught sight of the pale blue polish, “you did your nails. I like that color.”
It was her turn to say, “I know.”
She closed the door behind him and led the way up the staircase.
Their house was simple, quiet, beautifully decorated with flowers and bright, colorful paintings. It was very different from his home, with the constant ebb and flow of relatives, the noise and lack of privacy. It sort of left him with an empty feeling. There were pictures on the mantle in the hallway but only of Jen and her mom.
Her dad had run off with the babysitter when they were seven. Lee remembered Louisa as a nice enough girl but couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to leave Mrs. Haley. Jen’s mom was unusually pretty, the sort that belonged in a clothing catalogue, with a perfect smile and big blue eyes. She’d always been nice to Lee, had watched him while his mother was at work and practically raised him alongside Jen.
They turned right at the top of the stairs and stepped into the bedroom. Lee’s heart sank when he saw her, pale and sunken cheeks, patches of hair missing. She was frail looking and thin, a stark contrast to the image he kept of her in his mind. The television was on, but she’d fallen asleep. Jen sat on the bed beside her, leaned in about to wake her.
“Wait,” Lee whispered, suddenly nervous, “don’t. What if I can’t? What if it doesn’t work?” He saw and felt Jen’s heart skip, saw the hope in her turn to fear. Quickly, he added, “I’m not saying it won’t, but…”
Jen looked down at her mom and understood. There was no reason to explain it all, to get her hopes up, if even the slightest chance existed that he couldn’t heal her. It was better if she just slept through the attempt.
Lee went around to the other side and sat beside Mrs. Haley. He took her hand gently into his. It’d been months since he’d seen her. He hadn’t realized what a toll the cancer and chemo had taken, how quickly she had deteriorated. That may have been what she wanted, to hide herself away until the sickness passed. Her fingers were cool to the touch and heartbreakingly fragile.
He closed his eyes and sent cells in through her hand, directed them into the bloodstream. He made them duplicate and spread throughout her entire body, into every organ and system, every muscle and soft tissue. Even though the damage to her kidneys was immediately apparent, there were numerous other problems as a result of the treatments. They’d had to break her with toxins before helping her heal.
“Here we go,” Lee said.
He set to work on the kidneys first, once he’d found a healthy blueprint from which to work. He could’ve used one from his own but didn’t want to risk affecting her with the same changes he’d undergone. He also could have let the cells heal her without such scrutiny, but he wanted to be certain. He cared for Mrs. Haley as more than just his best friend’s mom. She was the mother he’d always wished his would be, open and honest, ready and willing to listen, not just focused on work.
Long minutes passed, as the cellular damage was undone bit by bit. Slowly, her kidneys were restored to full function and the rest of her body soon followed. The color returned to her cheeks. Her breathing grew strong, steady and restful. Lee let out a deep breath when she was fully healed, her immune system rebuilt and all the meds eliminated from her system.
At his nod, Jen shook her mother’s shoulder once, just enough to wake her. Mrs. Haley opened her eyes and saw the two of them staring back.
“Hey,” she said and smiled. “What’s going on? You two look like you’re up to no good.”
Jen asked, “How do you feel?”
Her mom considered, brow furrowed, looked at the two of them in turn and moved to sit up.
“I feel great,” she said finally. “I don’t understand. What happened? Am I dead?”
Jen laughed. “Mom, no! It was the Rumbling. When it ended, it changed people. It gave them abilities. Like healing.”
“You?” she asked Jen, eyes wide and proud. Lee’s sense of her gratitude was overwhelming, a joy so strong it hurt his chest. Jen was beyond happy too, so relieved she even let herself cry. Jen shook her head and looked to Lee. Her mom turned to him, and the emotion he felt from her seemed to catch in his throat. “You healed me?” she asked and squeezed his hand. He’d forgotten he was still holding it. “Thank you.”
She pulled him to her for a hug, the longest, most genuine embrace he could remember ever having. After all he’d been through that day, he admitted to himself how much he needed it too. He hugged her back and nearly cried. He was grateful for the openness of her love and appreciation but equally saddened that he couldn’t find that same level of respect and caring in his own family.
Mrs. Haley let him go, a hand still cupped behind his ear, and kissed him on the forehead. It was his turn to be embarrassed, but he endured the affection. It was the sort of maternal love he’d always wanted but never got.
The look in her eyes then changed, as if suddenly she saw him in a different light. With both hands, she pulled him back to her for a full kiss on the lips.
“Mom!” Jen yelled, equally shocked as Lee.
He slipped free, realizing what had happened. With a thought, he withdrew all his cells from her body. Every last one of them.
Mrs. Haley looked as if she’d woken from a dream and touched her lips in sudden shame.
“I’m so sorry,” she said and almost choked on the words. “I was just...so grateful. I don’t know what came over me.”
“No,” Lee said quickly. “No, it’s my fault. It’s a side effect of the healing. It doesn’t always happen, but I’m still new at this. I should’ve said something.”
Jen’s frown slowly disappeared. Lee knew, could feel, all the pain of her father leaving had rushed back to the surface in an instant.
Mrs. Haley laughed.
“Good,” she said, relieved. “Oh! It feels good to laugh. I am grateful, you know, even if I do feel a little foolish now.” She patted his hand. “Don’t worry. I have lots of time to get over it, thanks to you.”
Lee’s cheeks were still burning.
“I should go,” he said. “School in the morning.”
“You’re going?” Jen asked. “To school, I mean.”
He got up and headed for the door.
“Unless my mother tells me otherwise.”
Mrs. Haley said, “Goodnight, Lee. Come visit after school tomorrow. I feel the need to celebrate with chocolate cake.”
“I’ll be there,” he said, still sheepish at the thought that she’d kissed him.
Jen followed him out of the room and called down when he reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Lee,” she said and paused, as if she didn’t have the words for what she really wanted to say. “Thank you.”
He gave a nod and left.
Ember was outside waiting for him, sitting on the curb in front of their house. He walked over and sat next to her. They were quiet for a while, with only crickets and distant cars driving by to fill the silence. It was pretty warm out, but the alternative was to go inside with a family he didn’t want to see.
“She tell you everything?” Ember asked.
He could sense the probing in her words, the concern and fear at how he might react to her part in all their secrets and lies.
“Probably not,” Lee said, “but enough to piss me off. Magic is real, you’re all witches, and I was supposed to be a girl. That about sum it up?”
Ember looked away.
“Pretty much,” she said. He could feel she was hiding something else, that she wanted to say more. Instead, she made excuses. “They made me promise not to tell. Sorry,” she said and finally looked him in the eyes.
“Whatever.” Lee picked up a pebble and threw it down the block. It went much farther than he’d expected, dinged off a car in the street eight houses away. “Screw aunt Gwen,” he said. “Bitch.”
Ember gave a short, nervous laugh.
“Agreed.” She shook her head, and added in a more serious tone, “They’re afraid of you, what you might become. You know, because of dad.”