Paranormal is Relative

by S.J. Drew

go to me

  Refrain x2

  Track 3 - Green-eyed Monster

  The Interview:

  Bryan: This track has lightens up the mood a bit with a pop tune and a catchy hook.

  Lenore: Don't pop tunes have to have catchy hooks?

  Kelly: Of course. The lyrics seem similarly light until that last verse after the bridge. Obviously the song is about jealousy. Do you ever get jealous of each other?

  Belle: Of course we do. That's human nature. Each of us has her own talents. And we wouldn't have gotten into the music business if we didn't want to be stars.

  Anna: And that means attention.

  Bryan: But you're known for avoiding attention.

  Belle: Only when we're not being the band. When we're the band, we want attention. But wanting attention also means ego, and wanting attention for ourselves.

  Kelly: So this expressing your jealousy of each other?

  Lenore: If you want to look at it that way.

  Bryan: So how do you keep from being too jealous of each other? So many bands have been broken up by the egos of their members.

  Lee: We dress identically and we credit the entire band for every song. Except Dave's songs. We give him full credit alone.

  Kelly: So your eclectic style is more than just a look?

  Anna: Yep.

  Lee: There's usually more to everything we do. Except, of course, when there isn't. So this is a song about jealousy. And maybe there's more to it. Or maybe not. As long as people like it, we're okay with that.

  The Inside Story:

  “It was nice of your grandmother to invite us to visit her,” Maryann said as Isabella steered the van through the North Carolina countryside. “I, um, hope she can afford it okay.”

  Isabella shrugged. “Grandma Ami does pretty well for herself, I guess. It's not my place to ask. If she wants to treat us to a weekend at a hot springs resort, then I'm not going to say no.”

  Nora raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  The blonde sighed. “I never technically said the word 'no' even if I tried to talk her out of it. But it's her money and it's not like Mom's counting on some big inheritance.”

  “Leah, what are you playing?” Maryann asked the band's fourth member, who was messing with her phone.

  “Well, when we have these conversations, I always think we need some kind of background music,” she answered.

  “What, like a movie soundtrack?” the redhead returned.

  “Something like that.”

  “You are so weird,” Nora said, shaking her head.

  “I'm guessing after that incident in Florida the answer to my next question is probably 'yes,'” Leah said, “But I'll ask anyway. Is your abuela a medium, like you?”

  Isabella nodded. “I think it's a family trait. Grandma Ami is a medium, great-Grandmother Hana was a medium, I'm a medium. It skipped Mom's generation though. I'm not sure why.”

  “Magic can be funny that way,” Maryann commented.

  “Well, at least when anything weird happens, she won't be surprised and we won't have to try to hide anything,” Leah said.

  “'When' not 'if?' What makes you think something weird's going to happen?” Nora asked.

  The short brunette shrugged. “It's us.”

  “That is a really good point, actually,” Maryann said.

  “Just once when we get a chance to relax, I'd like to relax,” Nora sighed.

  “No rest for the weary,” Isabella sighed.

  “Or the weird,” Leah added dryly. “So, what do you think of this theme music?”

  They reached the Blue Lake Hot Springs resort near sunset and found the main building to check in. They did so and were directed to one of the many cabins.

  "This place isn't very rustic, is it?" Nora said as she looked at the cabin they would be staying in. It clearly had electricity and running water and was, according to the resort brochure, large enough for six guests.

  "You don't seem disappointed," Leah replied.

  "No, I'm glad. You know I hate camping."

  "It's really not that bad," Maryann said.

  Isabella knocked on the door.

  In a minute it was opened by a short, frail, and clearly Japanese woman in her eighties. "Isa-chan," she said with a smile.

  Isabella hugged the old woman. "Grandma Ami. I'm so glad to see you. These are my friends and band members."

  The others were visibly surprised and Maryann was doing the worst job of hiding it.

  "Come in, please, dinner will be ready soon. Tomorrow we can explore all the hot springs."

  They followed her inside. The cabin had three bedrooms with two beds, so Leah and Maryann paired off, as did Nora and Isabella, and of course Ami had a room to herself. The cabin also had a full kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a back porch that opened out for a view of the rest of the resort.

  "So, Isa-chan, you didn't tell them I was Japanese?" Ami said as she finished up dinner.

  "I didn't think about it," she replied.

  "I didn't know 'Amy' was a Japanese name," Maryann said.

  "It is when spelled with an 'i' instead of a 'y.' As is Hana if spelled 'h-a-n-a,'" Ami explained.

  "Oh, I see."

  "If you young ladies are interested, I'll tell you how I met Isa-chan's grandfather George."

  "Sure," Nora replied.

  Ami obliged, and it turned out Isabella's grandfather had been in the Army, and Isabella's mother had been an Army brat.

  “That's so romantic,” Maryann sighed wistfully.

  “Ah, yes, you would say so,” she said.

  The redhead glared at Isabella. “What have you been saying about me?” she demanded.

  The old woman laughed. “Only that you have a tendency to fall in love easily.”

  “That's fine. I guess. So, um, if you don't mind me asking, can you do spirit magic like Isabella?”

  “Who do you think taught Isa-chan?”

  “Oh. I never thought of that.”

  “You wouldn't,” Nora said snidely.

  Maryann glared at her.

  “Isa-chan, of course, has learned much on her own and her magic is not the same as mine anymore. Usually the ability to interact with the spirit world, being a medium as you may call it, is passed down from generation to generation,” Ami explained, “but sometimes it skips a generation. Perhaps this time it was because I married an outsider to the normal bloodlines my family mixes with. None of my children had the ability. I was grateful, actually.”

  “Why do you say 'ability' instead of 'gift?'” Maryann asked.

  “I don't see this as a gift or a curse. It is what I am, and what Isa-chan is, and neither good nor bad. 'Gift' and 'curse' carry those connotations, so I prefer a neutral word like 'ability.' I like that about English, you know. Words don't always carry so much weight.”

  “If you think this ability is neutral, why were you grateful your children didn't express it?” Nora asked.

  She smiled bitterly. “Because life is in many ways easier for those who cannot truly see. I've been fortunate; others with this ability have been called insane. Without understanding the ability, or how to control it, it is likely they were eventually driven insane.” She sighed and took a sip of tea. “Isa-chan is the only one of my grandchildren to manifest the ability. I watched out for it, so when my daughter expressed worries to me that Isa-chan was acting oddly, I guessed what was really going on. It has not been easy since I lived so far away. I, unlike many people my age, embraced new technology. I did it to keep in touch with my Isa-chan.”

  Isabella smiled. “I'm glad you did. I would have gone crazy or done something stupid if you hadn't taught me better.”

  “What is the wise old grandmother for?” she said with a laugh. “But unless you want to hear me ramble on, please tell me about your life on the road.”

  The band switched topics and they talked until Ami ordered them to bed. All b
ut Isabella obeyed her; she joined her grandmother out on the back porch.

  “How are you doing, Grandma?” she asked.

  Ami was sitting in a rocking chair, sipping some tea. “Well, getting on as well as I can. It's been so hard since George passed,” she sighed. “I'm glad he went on, though. As much as I loved that man, I wouldn't want him to stay here.”

  “Do you think you'll be joining him soon?” Isabella tried to sound matter-of-fact, but her voice choked a little anyway.

  Ami patted her hand. “I've got some time left, I think. My family is very long-lived although there are a lot of disadvantages. My eyesight is going and I'm starting to see the Other Side more clearly than this one. I hear their voices more strongly than I ever did. I'm not so much worried about dying as accidentally going through a door and not being able to return, or not wanting too.”

  “I have so much to look forward to,” Isabella said acidly.

  “Well, the ability manifests differently in each individual. Perhaps you won't have the same side-effects I do.”

  “Maybe.”

  There were a few moments of silence. “I'm glad you found such nice friends. Or maybe it would be better to say I'm glad they found you. It's hard finding people who understand us, especially outside of family, and you found three.”

  “Sometimes not even family,” Isabella said bitterly.

  “Your father leaving was not your fault,” Ami replied.

  “I know, I know. But you know how little kids are. You can tell them that but they don't understand. I know I'm not a little kid anymore, either, but Dad can't even send an email. He did let me know he doesn't approve of my career.”

  “I'm sorry, Isa-chan. But I'm proud of you, and your mother is too, even if she had other ideas about your future. Grandparents have an advantage there, you