Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

  I was suddenly sick to my stomach and I was glad I hadn’t eaten anything since the burger at lunch. I push the horrifying thought away and ask, “My mother was telekinetic?”

  He nods. “Aunt Simza said she was very powerful. She could move boulders and buses. She could uproot trees and juggle hundreds of balls at the same time.”

  “And you, too?”

  He shakes his head. “I’m not that strong. Aunt Simza said it’s because I don’t use it often. I’m suppressing it, because everything she’s ever told me scared me. The only time something happens is when I’m angry.”

  I can relate. My emotions rule my ability. I open my mouth to say so, and then tighten my lips.

  “How does your mother not know? Didn’t you always have this ability, even when you were young?” I remember all of those natural disasters that weren’t so natural. They followed me to every town. Dad knew it from the moment I was born, or so he told me.

  “I’ve always had it. Ma was so wrapped up in her drama...her problems...her ability, that she rarely paid attention to me. I’ve always been an introvert, so I spent a lot of the time by myself, playing alone.”

  “And Aunt Simza saw you?”

  “Yes, she saw it when I was very young. She protected me, too. She’d coach me to not use my ability in front of anyone. She’d tell me the boogieman would come and snatch me. As I grew older, she told me other people would hunt me down if they knew what I could do. Just like...”

  “Just like what?” My curiosity peaks and I feel my body stiffen.

  “Like they hunted your mother.”

  I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. “The Hunters,” I whisper.

  “What?” he asks.

  By him confiding in me, it’s like an instant bond has formed between us. When I glance up to meet his eyes, I feel I can trust him. “Dad told me she died giving birth to me.” I’m filled with an overwhelming numbness.

  “Aunt Simza said your mother and father ran away from everyone before they had you. She figures the Hunters got her because Lyuba appeared to Aunt Simza.”

  It dawns on me that Aunt Simza speaks with the dead. “Did my mother tell her?”

  “She didn’t speak to Aunt Simza, she only appeared to let her know she’d passed. A warning to leave. That’s when Aunt Simza, Ma, and Pa took me and ran. They escaped our grandfather and found refuge with a carnival. The first in a long line of changes.”

  “This is so much...I don’t know what to think or say.” My mind races. “Why were you arguing with her tonight? Aunt Simza, that is.”

  “She called Ma and told her she was leaving and this time she wanted to leave alone. She didn’t want us to follow her or bother her anymore.” He leans back and studies the ceiling. “She wouldn’t tell me why. She’s so angry. I have no idea why they are fighting and what is causing her to leave us. We’ve been together forever and it feels like she’s abandoning us...me. She was the only one who knew.”

  “You trust her.”

  “She warned us if we were ever in danger. The dead always look out for her. Why would she put us in harm’s way by leaving us?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Will you keep my secret?” His eyes plead with me.

  “Yes.”

  “Tell no one ever?”

  “It’s not my secret to share. I’d never do that to you.”

  “I believe you.” He stands. “I’m going to go. I’m sure you’re tired from working.”

  “Thank you, Fonso.” I hug him. It’s tempting to tell him my secret...the biggest secret of my life, but that warning written on a piece of paper enters my head. Make sure no one learns of your ability...no one!

  He leaves and thoughts of my mother flood me. Did the Hunters get her? Did she really die like Dad had told me? I came here for answers, searching for my father, but all I find is more questions.

  Low on clothes, I head into town early to shop. Filled with bags, I arrive at work and stuff them in Roger’s office.

  “Went shopping?” Kyle smiles. He flips a sizzling burger on the grill.

  “Needed to get a few things. Running low on supplies.”

  “We aren’t your storage unit, you know.” Abby pushes her retro looking glasses up her nose.

  “Hush, Abby.” Roger says. “You’re getting crankier by the minute, I swear. Let’s go home.”

  “You’re married?” It came out of my mouth before I could hold it in and it sounded awful.

  Roger laughs. “Going on forty-five years now, believe it or not.”

  “That may be all you’re getting, you big oaf.” Abby frowns.

  “I’m sorry, that wasn’t my place to ask.”

  “Don’t worry your head none.” Roger waves and rushes Abby out the door.

  “It doesn’t make sense, does it?” Kyle pokes his head through the window.

  “Not at all.” I put my apron on. “I don’t know why I didn’t pick up on it before.”

  “Because they don’t act like a married couple.” Kyle places two plates in the window. “Order.”

  The night flies by as a constant stream of diners come in. The tips feel heavy in my pocket and I don’t feel so guilty for spending money on clothes today. All the extra money that was in that envelope is almost gone and I need to start buying groceries and paying rent soon.

  Roger comes in at eleven and shoos us out, saying he’ll help with the dishes since the washer guy didn’t show tonight. Kyle took turns cleaning and cooking all night.

  “I’ll need you both back on Tuesday. Enjoy your days off.”

  “Thanks Roger.”

  Kyle holds the door open. “Seems like we are official work partners. I think Roger has ulterior motives.”

  “Huh?”

  “We work together...the same hours, and now he’s giving us the same time off?”

  “Oh.” My face feels flushed.

  “Would you like to...if you’re not too tired, that is...go watch the stars with me?” He rakes his hands through his hair.

  “Now?” He shrugs. No one has ever asked me to go stargazing. “Okay. Sounds like fun.”

  “Really?” He grins. “Let’s go. I have a great telescope. You will be amazed.”

  Kyle drives fifteen minutes west. “It’s the best place to see the night clearly, away from the lights of the town and the coast.”

  He parks at the dead end of a dirt road.

  “This is secluded.”

  He grabs his gear from the back, including a huge lens.

  “Do you need help?” I ask.

  “Can you take the bag? It has the tripod in it. That would help.”

  I follow him down a path to an open clearing. Grass and dandelions stand ankle high.

  “Wow, you’re right. It’s so dark and the stars are so bright.”

  A few clouds pass over the hundreds of twinkling stars, making way for the clearest, liveliest night sky I’ve ever seen.

  “Wait until you see it through the scope.” Kyle sets it up and his enthusiasm entices me to be equally excited.

  “You really are passionate about this.”

  “I’ve always been fascinated with space and the possibilities.” He messes with the knob on the telescope as he looks through the lens. “Look at this.”

  I can see craters on the grayish moon. “That’s amazing.” I stare longer and see the cracks and wonder how big some of those holes are.

  Pulling back, he readjusts the position.

  “Here’s another one that will blow you away. I’m so glad we can see it tonight.” He backs away and lets me gaze.

  “I can see the rings.” It looks like two rings around Saturn. “It’s so clear and seems so close.”

  He allows me to watch a while longer. I feel like I’m watching a National Geographic special. I pull back. “You want to see Jupiter?” he asks.

  I nod.

  He continues to show me a pinwheel galaxy, some clusters, and several planets in our solar system.
We move to the blanket when our space exploration finishes.

  “I didn’t know they could be so beautiful through the telescope like that. I mean, I’ve seen them on TV, but this is so pure and raw and real.” My smile widens as we lay with our arms holding our heads up.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He turns on his side and faces me. “It’s the best time to see it, on a clear night with no clouds. The weatherman says we are in store for showers tomorrow night, so I wanted to get out tonight and see what space had to offer me.”

  “Thank you for inviting me. I truly loved it.”

  “Alice?” I turn toward him, seeing his shadow silhouetted in the moonlight.

  His hand finds the side of my neck. He leans in and my lips part. The kiss starts out slow and soft, but turns into long and passionate. I lean back, the side of his body pressing against me. He pulls back, smiling.

  “I should get you home.”

  “Yes, that’s probably a good idea.” I could literally stay here all night and kiss him. There is something that feels different with him than Colin. Kyle is alluring in a more seductive way. His voice implies things his words doesn’t and there are parts of me that tune into them and want them. Colin is thoughtful, yes, but our attraction to each other is raw, instinctual. He has a magnetic pull on part of my soul I can’t resist.

  Kyle packs up and frees one of his hands to hold mine as we walk back to the Jeep.

  “Thank you for coming with me tonight. I had a great time.”

  The ride home is quiet, but nice. He doesn’t let go of my hand the entire time and it feels comforting. My thoughts travel to the way I ignored Colin, and a sour feeling settles in my gut.

  He pulls up to my cabin. He leans across the console and kisses me lightly on my lips. “See you tomorrow?”

  “Maybe.”

  He nods. “No reason to rush things.” He waits for me to get inside before I hear his engine fade.

  I lean against the inside of the door and bite my lower lip thinking about our kiss. When I step away, I notice a note on the floor.

  It’s not a love note...it’s a warning.

  Last Chance. Your dad’s alive, but he won’t be for long if you don’t leave this place.

  Chapter 13

  I bang on Aunt Simza’s door. “I know you’re in there. Your dingy old truck is still here and you never go anywhere.”

  The trailer shakes as she walks through it. She opens the curtain, looking at me through the small window on the door. “Go away. I have nothing to say to you.”

  I shove the note against the window. “What’s this then? Seems you have plenty to say, but not to my face.”

  Her eyes narrows. “I didn’t write that, girl. Now go away.”

  “You didn’t write this? So who did?” I lower the note. “Who knows about my dad? Why was your name given to me?”

  Thunder rolls overhead; a downpour will start any minute.

  Aunt Simza watches the dark sky. “You’re bringing nothing but trouble, just like I knew you would.” She shuts the curtain and retreats to the back of the trailer.

  The rain starts on the way to my cabin.

  Doubt surfaces. If she didn’t write that note, which she could be lying about, then someone here knows who I am and that I’m searching for dad.

  Crashing into bed, I cry. Dad is in danger. He’s out there, probably hurt and worrying about me. A sense of helplessness asphyxiates me; it feels like a boulder pushing against me and I’m powerless to free myself.

  The storm drizzles and slows through the night, but I don’t sleep. The sounds of the drops falling from the pine trees above soothes my mood. The tranquility of nature brings me solace in the darkness.

  A knock at the door rouses me out of my waking slumber.

  Fonso, red-eyed, stands with a large, black duffel bag. “Can I stay with you?”

  “What’s the matter?”

  He plops the bag next to the couch.

  “My telekinesis wasn’t the only thing I was hiding.” He sits.

  “What?” I rub the sleepiness from my crusted eyes. “What happened?”

  “I blew up at Ma and couldn’t take it anymore. I let it slip. So much anger boiled inside of me that I popped.” He flings his fingers in the air.

  “You told her about the telekinesis?”

  He turns crimson. “No. I told her I was gay.”

  I cover my mouth to hide the forming smile.

  “You’re going to laugh at me?” His mouth curves downward.

  I shake my head. “She didn’t know?”

  “She refused to accept it, arguing about the importance of carrying on the line. She kept telling me ‘No, you’re not gay’ as if it were a choice.” He smacks his head. “I’ve never seen anyone more in denial in my life.”

  “What started all of this?”

  “I confronted her about Aunt Simza and demanded to know what they were fighting about. It escalated from there.”

  “You didn’t tell her about your gift though?”

  “No, and I’m very proud about that, by the way. I wanted to blow her entire China collection out of the cabinet. It took great restraint to not do that.” He leans back. “Did you know I was gay?”

  “It’s not a big deal. I don’t dwell on stuff, but I figured you were.”

  “Ma is so antiquated. She’s living in a different century, still wearing long skirts, short tops, headscarves, and massive jewelry.” He looks as me. “Doesn’t she realize her kids are born in modern times? Things change and she can’t seem to understand that. I told her I was leaving. I couldn’t live with her and her old ways anymore.”

  “Did she freak?”

  “She kept mumbling about her keeping us safe and we would die without her.”

  “Why did she do that?”

  “Because she’s delusional. All she can do is read past lives. Aunt Simza was the one keeping us safe, and now she’s leaving.”

  “Speaking of Aunt Simza.” I show the note to Fonso.

  Last Chance. Your dad’s alive, but he won’t be for long if you don’t leave this place.

  “What’s this?”

  “I came home last night and found that stuffed under my door.”

  “Your dad?”

  Time to reveal the truth. “I came down here to find him. I didn’t leave him. I think he’s been taken by the Hunters. That note with Aunt Simza’s name was my only clue to finding any information about him. I think Aunt Simza knows about Dad and she wants me to leave for fear the Hunters will find her.”

  “I don’t think this is Aunt Simza’s writing. Plus, she said she’s leaving, so I don’t think she would try to warn you away.” His eyebrows furrow. “Did you ask her about it?”

  “I banged on her door last night, but she said she didn’t write it. She said I’m bringing trouble, though, so she knows something.”

  “Someone knows why your here, though.” He places the note on the coffee table. “Why didn’t you tell us all this before?”

  “I didn’t, and still don’t know whom to trust. I don’t know who sent me the note about Aunt Simza, but it also said don’t...”

  “Don’t what?”

  “It also said to keep secrets and not tell anyone anything.” I lie. It’s becoming too easy to talk with Fonso.

  “Is your real name Alice?”

  I shake my head. Embarrassed to admit I’ve lied, but he’s been so open with me, and...I need to start telling the truth some time. “No. It’s Elysia.”

  “That makes more sense. You look like an Elysia. Definitely not an Alice.” He laughs.

  “I like Alice.” I shove him. “We are so used to using different names everywhere we go.”

  “You’ve moved around a lot, too, huh?” He lifts his legs up onto the coffee table. “How did you get away?”

  “Dad came to my apartment in the morning and told me it was time to leave. He had a bag packed for me and he didn’t give me time to grab anything else. He was adamant I leave, but
he wasn’t coming with me.”

  “He has a gift?”

  “He knows when trouble is coming.” I slap the pillow on the couch in frustration. “Why he didn’t come with me, I’ll never understand. We always moved together. He protected me.” I feel myself getting hysterical and I need to calm my nerves before I bring on a tidal wave.

  Fonso rests his hand over mine. The surging of anger in my veins slows. “Maybe he thought you’d be safer without him.”

  “He told me he needed to take care of a few things, but he never showed up at the place we were supposed to meet. Two Hunters did, though.”

  His eyes widen, as if I told him I saw a ghost, and fear found its way across his soft features. “You saw them? What happened?”

  “A woman and a man had tracked me down. I got a strange phone call warning me they were there. When I saw them, I started running. I didn’t see the man too well, but I was face to face with the woman. It won’t be any time too soon that I’ll forget her. She got a good look at my right hook though.”

  “My cousin, the bad ass.” He smiles.

  “So, I came here. A cryptic note leads me to Cassadaga and I run into a family I never knew about. Yeah, strange things seem to follow wherever I go.”

  A knock at the door causes both of us to jump.

  “I got it.” Fonso rises, answering the door. “Wow.”

  A huge bouquet of flowers hides the delivery person’s face.

  “Thanks.” Fonso takes them and closes the door. “Doesn’t seem like all bad things are happening to you.” He places them on the counter, grabbing the note attached to the top. “To Alice—”

  I snatch it from him. “That’s the biggest arrangement I’ve ever seen.” White, pink and yellow lilies mix in with pink roses and white carnations.

  “Who’s it from?” Fonso leans in to smell a rose. “These aren’t the cheap ones, either. You can smell a strong rose scent.”

  Alice, I had a wonderful time with you last night. Please have dinner with me tomorrow night.

  “It’s from Kyle.” I look at Fonso. “And, he left me his number.”

  “The dreamy guy you work with?” He grabs the note from me. “What did you two do last night?” He nudges my arm.