by Jill Sanders
The Calling
Jill Sanders
Summary
Sometimes the voices in your head are real…
All her life, Joleen has been hearing voices. Coming from a religiously devout family, she learned to ignore them, until one stormy night when the screaming wouldn’t stop. Thankfully, this time she listened and wound up in the arms of a stranger. Now they will have to rely on one another to escape the horrors of the shadowy world that she has been trying to avoid her entire life.
Mason was on a mission to find the cause of all the strange animal behavior surrounding a small town in Georgia. As a scientist, he believed in what he could prove. But after meeting Joleen, and seeing the powers she holds, everything in his life will change.
Prologue
Joleen stood on the mound and glanced around the full bases that surrounded her. She lived for times like this. The pressure, the excitement, the thrill of not knowing what was going to happen in the next few minutes. That feeling had only happened once in a while in her lifetime.
Concentrating, she let her body flow in the practiced moves until the softball left her fingertips and flew towards home base. Hearing the telltale sound of the perfect connection between bat and ball, she cringed inwardly. Okay, so she should have practiced a lot more during the summer months. But it had been so damn hot, and her parents had shipped her off to another religious summer camp. One that didn’t offer softball in their curriculum.
“Look up!”
Her eyes zoned in on the ball that was heading directly towards her nose. Reflexes took over and she shoved her glove in front of her face. The ball landed in it, inches from her nose.
“Out!” the referee called out.
“Home base, throw the ball to home!”
She gripped the ball and flung it towards home and watched in excitement as Libby, the catcher for her team, caught it and tagged the player that had been sliding into home.
“Out!” the referee called out again.
Excitement exploded around her and suddenly she was lifted and tossed about as her teammates chanted her name over and over.
An hour later, she sat with the rest of her tenth-grade teammates at Denny’s as everyone sucked down the burger, fries, and milkshakes their coach, Mrs. Payne, purchased for them each time they won a game.
She half-heartedly listened to the chatter and gossip of her friends that surrounded her. It was hard to be excited about winning when she knew for a fact that she’d somehow cheated.
Even if no one in the world would ever believe her, she’d had the advantage. She’d always had the advantage. Her heart sank as her stomach did little flips. She pushed her plate aside and stood up.
“I’d better get home,” she said to her coach.
“Want me to drive you?” Mrs. Payne asked.
“No, I live just a block away.” She picked up her heavy bag full of her gear and clothing. “Thanks.”
Mrs. Payne stood up and hugged her. “You came through for us again, JoJo.”
“JoJo!” everyone shouted, holding up their empty milkshake mugs.
She chuckled and turned to leave.
“Help Tammy!”
She felt her entire body freeze. Her bag dropped to the ground as her eyes moved over to her friend. No one was paying attention to the mousy blonde girl sitting alone in the corner. Tammy’s hands were wrapped around her throat, and her lips had turned slightly blue.
“Tammy!” Joleen gasped.
Mrs. Payne shot up again and rushed to the booth where Tammy was sitting, pushing Joleen aside.
Joleen fell to the floor. The sting in her hands and knees didn’t faze her as she watched Mrs. Payne perform the Heimlich maneuver on Tammy.
When the French fry that had been lodged in Tamny’s throat finally shot out of her teammate’s mouth, everyone cheered and started chanting Mrs. Payne’s name.
Joleen picked herself up off the ground and grabbed her bag. She cried the entire way home. Once again, she’d disobeyed her parents. Once again, she’d listened to the voice.
She knew what was coming. The moment she stepped foot in the house, her father would know. He could tell by just looking into her eyes.
She tried to delay walking in the front door of the small home, but it was already getting dark outside, and the punishment for coming in after dark far outweighed the punishment for listening to demons.
Chapter One
Eight years later….
Joleen lost count of how many items she’d shoved into the paper bag. Her mind hadn’t been on her work for weeks. Not since she’d gotten word that Reagan had died in a car crash in Santa Fe.
It wasn’t as if Joleen and Reagan had been close. To be honest, she’d spent most of her childhood despising the popular girl. Reagan had, the entire time she’d lived in Hidden Creek, Georgia, had everything she’d ever wanted.
Her parents had been lawyers who had both come from wealthy families. Which meant the McCormicks had lived in one of the biggest, nicest homes in town. After graduation, Reagan had been whisked away from the small town and had traveled abroad for two years.
Of course, Reagan hadn’t let any site or expensive meal go unnoticed. Her online feeds were filled with beautiful places, people, and things. Joleen didn’t count herself a jealous person, except when it came to Reagan.
Less than a year ago, Reagan had returned home and, of course, had bumped into Joleen at her job.
Working at Smelly Kelly’s, as the townspeople called Kelly’s, the local grocery store with no real name, wasn’t where she’d pictured herself years ago. Or ever, for that matter.
Since she’d moved out on her own a week after she’d graduated from high school, things had been rough. Not as bad as they’d been living under her parents’ roof, but tough enough that she’d found herself taking on several jobs just to make ends meet. She’d jumped from job to job in the small town over the years. Anything to pay the bills and keep her fed.
“Hey, watch it,” the woman she’d been bagging groceries for hissed at her. “You’ve just dropped a can of soup on my bread.”
“Sorry.” Joleen shook her head and cleared her mind. “I’ll go get you another loaf,” she offered.
“Don’t bother.” The woman’s eyes narrowed at her. “You’re Mary’s daughter, aren’t you?”
Joleen recognized her mother’s friend and nodded. She really should pay better attention to her work.
The woman sighed and shook her head, as if she too was disappointed in Joleen.
She tossed the rest of Mrs. Livingston’s items into bags and swiped the woman’s credit card. After offering to help her out to her car with her bags and getting a denial, she glanced around the store to find Mark, her boss, helping someone else. She walked over and told him, “I’m taking five.” She motioned to the checkout.
Mark looked down his nose at her but gave her a quick nod. She knew that even if Mark didn’t like her, Charles, the owner of the store, adored her.
Stepping out the back door of the grocery store, she took several deep breaths until she felt her entire body relax.
“Problems at Smelly’s?”
Joleen almost jumped, but then she saw her best friend, Lane, walk into the light that hung above the back door.
Lane was easily the sexiest man in Hidden Creek, a fact that had at first shocked her. His blond hair was always perfect, and he had this Captain America charm about him that melted most peoples’ hearts. But after the town had found out that the newcomer was gay, almost everyone had turned their backs on him.
Lane had moved into town a few years back and opened up his own pet store. It was filled with food, pet supplies, and rescued animals.
She’d met Lane the day he’d moved into town from Nashville.<
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Lane was a few years older than her, but after she’d helped him fend off a few of her old high school friends who were harassing him at the store, they’d become best friends.
She’d never had a best friend before and, after telling Lane this, he’d taken her under his wing and schooled her on what exactly best friend’s roles were. She’d been so thankful to have someone to talk her out of some really stupid decisions. Like dating Kevin, for one.
“No, just needed some air.” She leaned against the door. “What are you doing sneaking around here?”
Lane chuckled and held up the cape to his vampire costume. “I’ve been bitten, and I’ve turned into a real vampire.” His voice changed, and he wiggled his fingers towards her. “I’ve come to suck your blood.”
She giggled and pushed him away. “You are, without a doubt, the biggest dork I know.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Did you leave the party to come harass me?”
Lane was supposed to be at his boyfriend Charles’s birthday party. She would have attended the party herself if she hadn’t been called to cover Monica’s shift at the store.
“Ice run,” he said with a shrug. “I thought I’d come down here and give you…”—he held up a finger and then disappeared into the darkness again, coming back with a small container—“cake.” He smiled.
She grabbed at the Tupperware and held it to her chest. “My god.” She groaned. “Is it your caramel cheesecake?”
He chuckled. “You know it.”
She lifted the lid and sighed. “You should’ve opened a bakery instead of a pet store.”
He sighed. “Someday I’ll have both. Until I save all the lost or abused animals in the world, I’ll stick to baking on the side.”
She grabbed the fork he held out for her and dug into the cake. “My god, how do you make this so amazing?”
He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “A little LSD will keep people coming back for more,” he joked.
She laughed and sighed. “Trust me, if there were any drugs in here, I don’t think I’d mind heading back in there a little…”
“High?” he offered.
“Sedated,” she amended, causing him to chuckle.
“Ice.” She motioned to the large container that sat on the side of the building. “You’re paid in full.” She motioned to the cake.
“Thanks,” he said, walking over and taking a bag out of the chest.
“How did Charles like your gift?” she asked through a full mouth.
Lane’s eyes turned sad. “I… haven’t given it to him yet.”
She lifted her chin. “So, you didn’t really come down here for ice or to give me this cake. I’m a distraction as well?”
He lifted his hands, ice bag and all. “You caught me.”
“Hey.” She set the container down on the picnic table, which she often ate her lunch at. Then she walked over and laid her hands on each of Lane’s shoulders. “You have nothing to worry about. He’s going to love it.”
Lane rolled his eyes. “I’m jumping too fast,” he groaned.
“You’ve been dating Charles for over a year. That’s not fast,” she pointed out.
“It’s only a year.” Lane shook his head. “What if he doesn’t want forever?”
“Lane?” She waited until his blue eyes focused on hers. “Something tells me he does. He’s probably been waiting for you to ask him for months.”
Lane’s eyes narrowed. “Did he tell you something?” He gasped. “Oh my god! Did he say something to you?”
“No.” Joleen raised her hands in the air. “I swear. Just…” She nudged his shoulders. “Go. Ask the man you love to marry you.”
She hugged him and then, for good measure, shoved him towards his car again.
“I’m going.” He chuckled. “Wish me luck.”
“You won’t need it, but… good luck.”
After finishing off the rest of the cheesecake, she tossed Lane’s empty Tupperware container in her locker and went back to work, energized by the extra sugar and the friendship.
A little over three hours later, she let herself into her small two-bedroom cottage and was greeted by Fred, the ten-year-old tabby that Lane had talked her into rescuing a few months back. Fred meowed loudly at her until she dumped some food into his bowl. Fred was blind in one eye, and Joleen was pretty sure he was possessed by a grasshopper since the cat hopped instead of walked most of the time.
She pulled off her jacket and tossed it on the end of the sofa. She was about to remove her shoes and plop down to fall asleep watching television when she froze.
“It’s almost time!”
“No!” She shook her head. How long had it been since she’d heard the voices? Months? Years?
Closing her eyes, she swayed as the disappointment flooded in. She’d believed she’d sufficiently blocked them.
“If you don’t do something, he’s going to kill everyone.”
“NO!” She almost shouted it this time. “Go away!”
“The time is almost up. Only you can stop him. The choice is yours.”
She narrowed her eyes and pulled off her shoes. “You’re not real,” she said to the empty room. “Go away.” She threw herself down on the sofa and hit the remote for her television. The news blared, causing her to jump slightly. She hit the volume button to lower the sound.
“I’ll see you soon,” the voice chanted over and over until she buried her head under a pillow and screamed. When that didn’t work, she got up and poured herself a tall glass of vodka and drank until everything went dull.
She woke to pounding. Groaning, she opened an eye and looked up at Fred. The damn cat was sitting on her chest meowing, most likely for his breakfast.
“Joleen, open up.”
Lane. She rolled over and realized she was lying on the floor, still fully clothed.
“Coming,” she said, her voice a little hoarse. Instead of walking, she crawled towards the door. Using the door handle to pull herself up, she opened her door and immediately knew something was wrong.
“What?” she asked quickly. “Did Charles say no?” She felt her heart skip.
Lane’s face was flooded with concern and fear.
Instead of answering, he wrapped his arms around her and sighed. “Where have you been?”
“Here.” She frowned and patted him on the back. “I…” She realized then that she must look and smell terrible. “I fell asleep watching TV.”
Lane leaned back and ran his eyes over her. “You… when was the last time you saw me?” he asked.
“Last night.” She laughed and walked over to pour Fred his breakfast.
“Two days ago,” Lane said as he walked in and shut the door behind him.
Fred attacked the food as if he was starving.
“No way.” She laughed. “Good one.” She rolled her shoulders and smiled at him.
“JoJo, Charles’s birthday party was two days ago. I’ve been calling and texting you since Charles said you missed work. When you didn’t respond, I stopped by—that was yesterday—and dropped off some new toys for Fred and fed him. I accidently left my keys to your place in here.” He motioned to the kitchen table. Sure enough, his silly smiley face key ring was sitting on the table. Then again, it could have been there last night when she’d come in. But then she noticed the vodka bottle sitting beside it and frowned. She would have seen his keys last night. Wouldn’t she have?
The voices. She felt a shiver race through her entire body. She’d been so preoccupied with the voices that she probably hadn’t noticed them.
“Lane.” She shook her head.
“Here.” He walked over and flipped on her television. Once again, the news was so loud it caused them both to jump. Lane hit the mute button. “It’s Sunday.” He motioned to the set. “Not Friday.”
She moved closer and watched for a few moments. Sure enough, even muted, she could tell they were giving the Sunday news report.
“What the…” She glanced around
her place. “I was here.” She motioned to the floor. “I… had…” She glanced towards the bottle. “I had a drink.” Okay, three, but she wasn’t going to tell Lane that. “Then I watched some news and fell asleep. Right here.” She motioned to the spot.
“You weren’t here,” he said, watching her.
She closed her eyes and felt everything spin. Lane shoved her onto the sofa, and she took several deep breaths until she felt calm again.
“What did Charles say?” she asked when she opened her eyes again.
Lane smiled and she knew the answer.
“Charles said yes.”
Joleen hugged him. “Congrats.” She tried to block out the possibilities of where she’d been. Why she’d been missing two full days. Had she really been that drunk? Could she have gone somewhere? Or had she hidden in the closet and crawled out just before Lane arrived?
“You scared us. Next time you decide to take off, leave Fred with us, okay? And tell your boss you’re not coming in. He was worried just as much as I was,” he said into her hair.
“Was he pissed too?” she asked.
“For a while, but I talked him down for you.” He smiled. “You still have a job.”
“Thanks. I’m sorry, I really don’t know what happened.”
For the next week, she did as much research as possible on what had happened to her. Her working theory was that she’d crawled into her closet in a drunken stupor and hidden away until sometime just before Lane had shown up and banged on her door.
Of course, there was no proof of it, but she just knew she had to have been somewhere at her place.
Naturally, Charles had hugged her then given her grief over missing her shift. It wasn’t the first time she’d missed a day. But normally, she’d called ahead of time or within an hour after her shift was supposed to start.
Charles normally didn’t mind. It was Mark who was in charge of the schedules. But when she brought it up to him that she’d covered for Monica, who everyone in town now knew had attended Charles’s party, he let it go that she hadn’t called ahead of time.