by Mary Lindsey
I did the math in my head. “If Rose was nineteen when she died in 1900, how could she have been around when he was executed in 1863?”
“That was the previous cycle. Rose was born for that cycle in 1831. She was thirty-two when she had the affair with Smith that led to his execution. She died from a fever in 1875 and returned for the next cycle in 1881.”
Alden’s description of Smith didn’t make the ghoul any less creepy or dangerous, but at least I knew why he wanted me dead. I stared at the message carved into my flesh. I will kill you again. “Alden, what does this mean, ‘kill me again’?”
“I have no idea. Smith just wants to scare you, I guess.”
It was working. At least I knew what to be scared of now.
“You’re not going to keep stuff from me from now on, right? We’re partners, just like you and Rose were.”
He reached over and squeezed my hand. “Yes. Partners.”
I selected some upbeat music on the iPod and leaned my seat back and closed my eyes.
Soon after we reached the Houston city limits, Alden received a call from his mom’s office manager asking him to go pick his sister up early from school. The teacher wanted to meet with a family member as soon as possible regarding Charlotte, Elizabeth’s imaginary friend.
We drove straight to the posh learning center and were ushered into a bright white room just off the lobby, decorated with framed artwork drawn by children. Alden drummed his fingers on the glass table while we waited for the teacher to arrive.
“This thing with Charlotte feels wrong,” he said.
When Miss Mason walked in, I recognized her as the same teacher who had met Alden at the car when he picked Izzy up last time. She fiddled with the top button on her blouse as she sat. Her blond hair was pulled into a twist at the base of her neck, which made her look older than she probably was.
“Mr. Thomas, I appreciate your willingness to meet with me on such short notice. I tried to reach your parents, but they are both evidently in surgery today and sent word for me to speak with you in their place.” She began fiddling with her button again. “I hate that it has come to this, but I need you to tell your parents that if they cannot end Elizabeth’s obsession with her imaginary friend, we will need them to enroll her in counseling.”
“Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad,” Alden said. “It’s just a phase. Lots of little girls have imaginary friends.”
“No, Mr. Thomas, this is not a phase.” She wrung her hands in her lap. “It isn’t normal. She expounds on women’s rights and the Suffrage Movement. Little girls have princesses, ponies, bunnies, and unicorns as imaginary friends, not feminists. She says that Charlotte is very old, which is unusual for an imaginary friend as well. Mr. Thomas, I received my degree in child psychology. Honestly, I’m worried about Elizabeth.”
“Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Wait a minute,” I interrupted. “Let me talk to her. If she agrees to not talk about Charlotte at school, will you allow her to stay without counseling?”
“Well, I suppose so, but she would need to stop completely. She becomes very animated and intense when she talks about Charlotte. It troubles the other children.”
I stood. “Deal. She’ll be Charlotte-free tomorrow.”
Miss Mason seemed skeptical, but agreed and asked us to wait until she could retrieve Elizabeth.
“What are you thinking?” Alden whispered.
“I’m thinking it’s time for a tea party with Charlotte,” I said with a smile. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t figured this out.
“How is that going to help Izzy?”
It felt good to know more than Alden, for once. “I believe that it will help Charlotte.”
He appeared mystified.
“Come on, Alden. Put two and two together. Charlotte is an old woman who lives in your little sister’s room. Spook growled at Izzy’s door the first time I was at your house. Izzy insists Charlotte is real. Izzy is picking up historical information that’s not typical for a little girl. You said that kids are more sensitive to the paranormal than adults. Don’t you think that sounds like a job I can handle?”
“No way! You think Charlotte is a Hindered?”
“Yep. Almost positive.”
“I’ve never even considered that. Izzy’s always had a great imagination. I would never have thought of . . .” A grin swept across his face. “That’s brilliant! I hope you’re right. Getting rid of a Hindered is a lot easier than getting rid of a figment of a little girl’s imagination.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Elizabeth loaded up a tray with a pile of Oreos to take upstairs, nibbling as she stacked. She said she E needed to eat the broken ones because they were ugly and Charlotte should only have pretty ones.
“Are we going to take her some juice?” Izzy asked, standing on her tiptoes to see over the counter. She had black crumbs at both corners of her mouth.
“Does Charlotte drink juice?” I asked.
“She used to.”
“Mm-hm.” I pushed the refrigerator door closed with my foot and arranged juice boxes on the tray. “Before we go up, can we talk about Charlotte?”
Izzy tossed her gold curls and put her hands on her hips. “She’s not ’maginary!”
“I know. I just don’t want to ask questions in front of her. Okay?”
“’Kay.” She climbed up onto a stool at the kitchen counter next to Alden, who was doing his part to make sure Charlotte wasn’t exposed to offensive broken cookies.
“Are you able to see Charlotte, Izzy?” I asked.
“No. She just talks to me. But she’s real!”
“I believe you. There are lots of real things we can’t see. Does she go places with you?”
“No. She’s scared to leave my room.”
I nodded. “Why do you think she’s in your room?”
Izzy stuffed another cookie piece in her mouth. “’Cause she’s ’fraid of being alone. She said so. I tell my dollies to keep her company.” She pushed Alden’s hand away to keep him from wiping her mouth with a napkin.
“I see,” I said.
Izzy finished off her cookie.
“Come on,” I said, picking up the tray. “Let’s go have a tea party.”
We stopped outside the room. “Maybe you should tell Charlotte that she has company,” I suggested.
Izzy disappeared into her room, shutting the door behind her. I put my ear to the door and motioned for Alden to do the same. “Do you hear that, Alden?”
“I hear Izzy having a one-sided conversation.”
I grinned. “I hear two distinct voices, plain as day.”
The resolution with Charlotte was simple. She was a charming lady of around eighty years old. She was thrilled with the news that the Twentieth Amendment had been ratified in 1920, giving women the right to vote. Charlotte had devoted a large part of her adult life to the Woman Suffrage Movement, trying to secure that right. She was even happier that women were serving in both houses of Congress, the presidential cabinet, and had even run for president of the United States. She didn’t believe it until Alden produced a current newspaper.
“I have completed my job, then,” Charlotte said.
“You did a good job,” I said. “Is there anything else you need to finish before you go?”
“I wish I could hug Elizabeth.”
“Elizabeth, is it okay if Charlotte gives you a hug through me?”
The little girl nodded and clapped in delight.
I invited Charlotte to use my body to complete this last task. She must have been a proud woman. She had me stand very straight when she entered. Before speaking, she cleared my throat. The voice was rich and much lower than mine. “Do not allow yourself to be denied, Elizabeth. You must make yourself heard, no matter the cost.” She took Elizabeth in my arms. “Thank you for keeping me company.”
“Are you ready to go now, Charlotte? I’ll help you out,” Alden said from his perch on Izzy’s bed.
; “Yes, young man, I am ready now.”
Alden touched my shoulder and entered to dislodge Charlotte. She appeared, dressed in a long skirt and pleated striped blouse. She closed her eyes and smiled as she was engulfed in a shaft of white light.
Charlotte was a Hindered, Alden marveled. I can’t believe I missed that.
“Why did she hang out with Izzy? Is Izzy a Speaker?” I asked.
No. Speakers are very rare. Charlotte was probably just drawn here because of me. Sometimes Hindered hang out where a Protector lives because they know the Speaker will turn up. Most kids can hear Hindered if they concentrate, but never get the chance.
Izzy walked over to where Alden’s empty body stood. She took his lifeless hand and, after a moment, raised her frightened eyes to his face.
Time to go. She can’t handle the whole story. Brace yourself.
I nodded.
Out, he ordered his soul. Immediately, the body that had been lifeless a moment before took a deep breath and looked lovingly down at his little sister. He got on his knees and hugged her to him. “I love you, Izzy. I know you’ll miss Charlotte.”
“Alden, what happened?” she asked.
“Magic. A secret that only the three of us share, okay? You can’t tell anybody.”
“Okay. Pinky promise.” She held her tiny hand up and Alden linked his pinky finger through hers.
After having what Izzy deemed “the bestest tea party ever,” Alden and I retreated to his room so he could close Charlotte’s file and rack us up some more points.
I sat on the edge of the bed and watched him log on to his computer. I stared down at my arm and read Smith’s words, “I will kill you again.” The letters were raised and stung when I brushed my fingertips over them. Alden had said Rose drowned, but he had only shown me the memory up to the part where they kissed on the roof.
“Are you sure Smith didn’t have something to do with Rose’s death in 1900?”
He stopped typing, but didn’t turn around. His shoulders rose and fell as he took a deep breath. “Positive.”
I rolled my sleeve back over my forearm. “How do you know?”
Still facing away, he answered, “There’s something you need to know about Rose’s death. Something you deserve to know.” He turned in the desk chair to face me. I’d never seen him like this—so troubled. “I should have told you right away, but I was so grateful you came back, I didn’t want to ruin it.”
I stood. “Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad. You said I’ve died lots of times. I was a little late to the party, but so what?”
He put his face in his hands.
I ran my fingers through his silky hair. “Alden, what is it?”
He remained motionless with his head down and his hands over his face. What on earth could it be? He was unraveling before my eyes. I felt helpless . . . and responsible somehow.
“Look, Alden, if you don’t want to talk about it—”
“I have to talk about it.” His stormy eyes met mine. “I need to talk about it. I haven’t told a soul for over a hundred years, and it’s killing me. For three lifetimes, people have told me how sorry they were that you were taken from me in that tragic accident.”
“Well, I’m sure they were trying to make you feel better, Alden.”
“They shouldn’t have.” He pulled away and strode to the window, staring out with his back to me “I’m sick of pretending, Lenzi. I’ve planned for over a century how I was going to apologize if I were ever fortunate enough to see you again.” He turned to face me. “Well, here you are, and what do I do? I take advantage of the fact you don’t remember, and I act like it didn’t happen. Instead of telling you the truth, I kissed you, for God’s sake! I got so wrapped up in the fact that I turned you on for the first time ever, I became a selfish ass.” He turned away and placed his hands on the window casing.
It made my heart ache to see him in so much pain. “It’s okay, Alden.”
He spun around. “It’s not okay. It will never be okay. It wasn’t an accident, Lenzi. It was my fault you died. I killed you!”
It was like the earth had stopped. I couldn’t breathe. “That’s impossible,” I whispered.
“It’s not impossible. I’ve played the memory over in my head a million times. It’s irrefutable. Everyone was mystified that you didn’t recycle. I wasn’t. I knew why you stayed away. I broke the rules, and you died because of it.”
I knew there was no way he would have intentionally killed Rose. “What rules? How did you kill me? I drowned. How is that your fault? Did you throw me off the roof or something?”
“No.”
“Then how is it your fault?”
He sat down on the bed, appearing emotionally drained, staring straight ahead.
He’d never shown me what happened after the kiss. “Show me, Alden.”
“It wasn’t an accident.”
I remained silent. It was frightening to see him teetering on the edge of control.
He ran his hands through his hair. “You may not remember, but your soul does. When I showed you the cause, you became very angry.”
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, Alden.”
“The kiss, Lenzi. The kiss on the roof is why you died.”
“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me! You’re talking about the memory you showed me from the storm?”
“Yes. Your soul became turbulent when you saw it.”
“I didn’t get mad because of some cosmic past-life suppressed memory, for crying out loud!” I took his face in my hands and met his eyes. “Alden, you’re right; I did get mad. I was watching you kiss someone else. I was jealous. I wasn’t mad because you kissed me in some past life I don’t remember. I was mad because you won’t kiss me in this lifetime.”
I let his face go. He groaned and shook his head. “You don’t understand.”
“Make me understand, Alden. Show me. If you killed Rose, show me, but let me tell you something—I know that you loved Rose and would never have hurt her. Any more than you would hurt me.” I sat down next to him on the bed and took his hands. “Show me, Alden.”
He closed his eyes. “Out,” he whispered almost too quietly to hear.
I didn’t make a sound as he entered. The memory started right away. Alden and Rose were huddled together on the roof. Debris slammed all around them. She pulled him to her, and they kissed.
“She started it, Alden,” I said.
He remained silent as the memory ran through my mind. I started it over from the beginning again.
“See? She started it, and she’s totally into it.”
The kiss deepened, and Rose pulled away screaming, “No, Alden. No.” She scooted down the roof away from him shouting for him to stay away. She screamed something else as lightning ripped through the sky and thunder drowned out her words.
“She’s not mad, Alden, she’s scared. Totally freaked out by something. Look at her. It isn’t you.”
He remained silent.
In my mind, Rose stood on the edge of the roof, paused long enough to meet Alden’s eyes, and jumped backward into the water. Was that the look my dad had on his face before he killed himself too?
Alden stopped the memory before she went under.
I’m sorry. I can’t watch you die again.
I sat motionless on the bed. “Please return to your body, Alden.”
Out.
He poured his soul back into his body and we sat side by side, hands clasped. After a while, I let his hands go and walked over to the window. He had it all wrong.
“What am I supposed to do with that information, Alden?” I waited for an answer that didn’t come. “Am I supposed to rant at you for kissing Rose back when it’s obvious she jumped you first? Am I supposed to kick you out of my life or report you to the big bad IC meanies because she freaked out and committed suicide?”
He shrugged.
“There’s more to this. We can’t hear everything she said because of the thunder. She
didn’t do this because you kissed her. I mean, I’m sure it was good. You’re a great kisser, but come on. You’ve told me over and over how in control she was. No way she’d lose it over a kiss.”
“You saw it yourself, Lenzi. There’s no other explanation.”
Spook began to growl and bark fiercely from downstairs. Time felt suspended as we stared at each other, waiting. Then it hit. “Oh, God, Alden. It’s that smell! The one from the car.” I covered my mouth and held my breath. Terror grabbed my insides so hard I felt numb. This time I knew who it was, and I knew what he wanted.
Alden took me in his arms. “Remember to call me when it’s time, Lenzi.”
“No!” I screamed at the demon. “Begone!”
Smith’s voice was close, and when he spoke, his clipped consonants echoed in my head. “Ah, so brave, my love. Will he be too late again?”
“Now, Alden!”
Alden entered before I finished saying his name.
I’m here, Lenzi, you’re safe.
“That was a tragic mistake,” Smith growled. “If I cannot have you, I will have one you love!”
Alden’s empty body fell as if it had been knocked over. Oh, God! The thing was hurting Alden. I had to do something, but what? A cut streamed across on his cheek as his body was lifted over my head and dropped to the floor. Smith’s terrible, menacing laughter rang out as I threw myself over Alden’s body.
“No! You can’t have him,” I screamed.
“A little too attached this time, perhaps? That’s what happened last time,” Smith taunted. “But you can’t save everyone!”
His laughter faded into empty air.
I remained draped across Alden’s empty body. I had never felt rage like this. It made me shake from head to toe. I wanted nothing more than to send Smith from this world permanently.
I feel your anger. Let it go. It’s okay. My body isn’t damaged. Focus, Lenzi. He’s not finished yet, Alden warned.
I sat up and listened. Spook ran by the door, growling. She began barking like crazy from somewhere down the hallway.