The warmth from underneath me grows hotter by the second.
The turmoil in the room becomes insanity, out of control and frightening as we struggle to stay planted beside the bed.
Then, as fast as it started—it stops.
The room is pitch-black, our eyes dimming back to normal.
Even the storm outside has grown still.
Stone-cold silence surrounds us.
“Is everyone okay?” Gram asks in a shaky voice.
The second the lights come back on, everyone releases their hold on each other’s hands.
I step back to view the state of the room, but the most unbelievable sight startles me.
Like something you’d only see in a horror movie, we’re surrounded by hundreds of people.
I look closer, squinting to make out the faint details.
Wait a minute. They’re not people. Well, not exactly. They’re transparent and fuzzy, with faded white color—like clothes washed one too many times.
They’re ghosts! “Holy shit!” I mutter aloud.
My heart’s pounding so hard I can barely breathe.
Gram walks around the altar to stand at the foot of Pap’s bed. “Never in my wildest dreams have I have ever imagined something so magnificent.”
Movement from within the sea of ghost-like images catches my eye.
The translucent figure moves towards us, forcing every hair on my body to stand on end.
The closer it gets, the easier it is for me to see it’s a woman. Yes, definitely a woman.
Now about twenty feet in front of me, I can plainly see who it is. “Mom?” I ask, mystified at the sight now before me.
Oh my god, this is so unreal.
As reality settles in, my thudding heart begins to slow.
Fear, is now replaced by overwhelming happiness.
The family mumbles, but I’m so entranced by her presence I can’t make out their words.
My mother makes her way towards us—but stops in front of me. “Chloe, I knew you could do it. I knew it! You see, you are strong enough.” She smiles, affection radiating from her clear, safflower-blue eyes.
But what is she talking about?
Clearly, by the dumbfounded expression on everyone’s face, we’re all confused.
“What do you mean? I don’t understand.” I shake my head.
She lifts her hand, pointing towards Pap’s bed. “Look for yourself.”
We follow her pointing finger, only to find the most unimaginable sight there ever was.
“Oh my god!” Dru yells. “Pap’s alive! And awake!
He lay there watching us with a humorous smile stretched across his wrinkled face.
I cover my bursting heart with my palms. “It worked, Gram. Your spell worked!”
I could bounce off the walls right now I’m so excited.
Gram seems perplexed as she scratches her head, eyebrows scrunching.
My mom moves closer. “No, Chloe. It was you.”
Huh? What’s she talking about?
Now more baffled than ever, I look at Gram, then back to my mom again. “I don’t understand. I didn’t do anything. Gram did, with her spell.”
“You’re partly right.” Her full pink lips curl up. “What your gram did was tap into the Moon ‘Power-Well’. She found a way to release the unused power from our ancestors who were buried on this land over the last three hundred years.” Then she lifts her hands in the air, spinning in circles as she points out the other spirits. “Which is why we’re all here.”
Wow, there are so many of them. Both in the house—and outside in the yard.
She walks around the room. “There’s a lot this family doesn’t know, and it’s now become important that you do.”
Other than me, no one seems able to speak. “Go ahead, Mom. We’re listening,” I say, but what else can there be?
“This family is destined for greatness, and it was foretold centuries ago. There’s a Prophecy which explains everything, but your gram can show you that part later.”
I turn to Gram. She’s wearing a pleased look on her face, shaking her head in agreement with my mom.
“These things destined for your future were not possible until today’s events took place,” Mom says. “What you witnessed moments ago with the bright light—and everyone’s eyes glowing at the same time—was this family’s Ascension. Your powers have all become one, which also means it’s unlocked an additional power you and Morgan have both had since the loss of your twins.” She pauses, clasping her delicate hands against her chest. “You see, when a normal Witch in our family dies, their power stays on our land and lives within the elements, until surviving family members invoke it. Like you did tonight. But when a Witch dies who’s a twin, their power automatically transfers to the living twin—provided there is one, of course. This is something we never knew before.”
Say what? I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Aunt Morgan and I stare at each other. I’m sure my expression must be just as flummoxed as hers is right now. If not more.
“Morgan, you now have my power. Which, we all know what that is. The surprise, however, is the power Chloe received from her twin when she died at birth. No one ever knew what it was.” She steps closer to me. “It’s actually always been there, you just had no clue.”
She pauses for a moment, turning toward Gram and Pap who listen with such interest.
“Chloe. In addition to being a Seer . . . you’re also a gifted Healer.”
Excuse me? “You’re kidding me, right?” My mouth falls open.
Mom giggles. “I’m telling you the truth, sweetie. That’s why your pap is awake after the doctors told you he was brain dead. Do you recall the warmth and light that radiated from underneath when you held onto to him? Well that’s what happens when you heal. At that moment, all you wanted was to save him. You wanted to help him because you thought he was in pain. So you did. You healed him, Chloe.”
“I . . . I . . . I don’t know what to say.” There are no words. Nor any sense of reason.
“Do you remember last week when you were on the way to the hospital with Dru and Dhelia? The day you calmed Dru?”
I nod.
“Well Dru’s the one who helped Dhelia, but it was you who healed Dru’s pain after he absorbed Dhelia’s panic attack.”
How? “But there was no glow or warmth that day, so how could it have been?” I’m so confused.
“Well, it’s not always the same. The more power you need to use, the stronger the reaction. It was nothing that day. What you don’t realize is, your eyes did light up. You just couldn’t see it.”
“I knew it!” Dru yells.
No way. “Wow. This is just so crazy. It’s gonna take me a while to digest this.” If I can digest it at all.
“That’s part of why this whole thing needed to happen tonight. You all need to be aware of your abilities and learn how to use them. When I told Chloe last week there were difficult things ahead, that was putting it mildly. There will be a series of events to come. And no, I can’t tell you what they are. The prophecy needs to unfold organically. The only reason I’m able to tell you this now is because you’ve gotten this far on your own. I’m just telling you the ‘how’s’ and the ‘why’s’. The rest you’ll need to figure out as you go.”
She pauses, turning her head as if she hears something from afar. Then she turns back to us. “It’s time for us to go now. But just remember you’ll always be able to ‘drink from the well’ so to speak, whenever you need to. And trust me, you will. Once your gram explains the prophecy, it will make a lot more sense.”
She walks around the room to hug everyone and tell them how much she loves them. Since she isn’t corporeal, I’m not sure how she’s able to pull it off. But she does, somehow.
Gram moves to stand beside Mom, facing our sister Witches who now stand before us. “Thank you so much for coming. And for helping us during our family’s hour of need. Blessed be.”
A simultaneou
s “Blessed be” echoes through the air around us.
And in the blink of an eye, they vanish.
As my mom begins to shimmer, she winks. “I’ll be watching you,” she says, then disappears as she blows a kiss.
I turn towards my loved ones, looking just as bewildered as I feel. I can’t help but ask, “Did that really just happen, or did I just have the most insane vision of my life?”
They all laugh, the most beautiful laughter I can ever recall.
“No dear, it all happened. Every single second of it.” Gram wraps her loving arms around me. “Thank you, Chloe. Thank you for bringing your pap back where he belongs.”
“Um . . . I’d say it was a collective effort. We did it, together.”
Before another word is spoken, we rush towards the bed to greet Pap.
We smother him with hugs and kisses, but he just laughs. “Miss me or something?”
As we back up a bit to give him room to breathe, Gram leans down to kiss him on the cheek. “Don’t you ever do that to me again, old man. You hear me?” She tries to look tough with her pursed lips and crinkled brow, but she can only maintain the facade for a few seconds. “How are you feeling, my darling?” she asks, resting her loving palm on his leather-like cheek.
“Surprisingly enough, I feel pretty damn good. Well, other than the bedsores on my boney ass. Why the hell didn’t you heal those bastards?” He winks at me.
“Oh, Pap, it’s so good to see you awake. Do you need anything? Are you thirsty?” Great. Now I sound like Gram.
Everyone chimes in asking him questions, but he just keeps laughing. A sound I never thought I’d be hearing again after the news last night.
Aunt Morgan moves beside Gram. “Well, now you’ve proved you’ll do just about anything to have your entire family under one roof.” She turns towards the boys who are both beaming as they watch the playful interaction.
His face lights up. “Boys! Aren’t you a sight for cataract-eyes?” He turns to face Aunt Morgan again, this time with a more serious face. “So I guess things must have been pretty bad then?”
She pauses before answering. “Well, when you didn’t wake up after the surgery, I got a little worried. Then once they said you were in a coma, Mom told us about the promise she made you. Not that she ever doubted you’d be okay, but she knew how much trouble she’d be in if she didn’t keep her word. But just so you know, I was planning to bring them here anyway. It just happened a few weeks earlier than I’d planned.” She sends the boys a sympathetic smile.
“Mom. Seriously. It’s okay. We don’t care about a stupid graduation ceremony.” Ash tries to ease her guilt.
“They’re lame anyway,” Aidan adds.
“Graduation? How the hell long was I out?” Pap asks, his bushy eyebrows moving like caterpillars across his forehead.
Morgan looks up, most likely trying to figure out how to respond. “Almost two weeks.”
“Really? I guess I did freak you out a bit then. I’m sorry I worried everyone so much.” He rubs his freshly shaven cheek, thanks to Gram. “Moira told me I needed to take a little trip. But she was with me most of the time, you know.”
“She was? That’s so cool.” Dhelia’s face lights up. “Where’d she take you?”
“Oh, she took me everywhere. Don’t worry though, I’ll tell you all about it later. I just want to enjoy seeing my family together again. I’ve prayed for this day for years.” He gets all choked up staring at his long-lost grandsons.
“Pap, how about we move you somewhere more comfortable. Like to the living room or upstairs to your bed?” Dru holds Pap’s blanketed feet, awaiting a response.
“Okay, but only on one condition.”
Dru’s face lights up. “Name it.”
“Let’s plan a fishing trip while the boys are here.”
Dru turns to Ash and Aidan, both nodding their heads with the same childlike enthusiasm. “I think that can be arranged.”
“All right then. Off to the living room we go.” Pap points towards the destination.
We turn to walk out, but Gram stands like a granite statue in the middle of the floor, staring at her sunroom.
“What’s wrong, Gram?” I ask.
“Would you look at this mess?” She shakes her head so hard I swear something might fall out.
Everyone giggles. The room was nearly destroyed, but it can be fixed. And herbs can be replanted.
“Well, I’m so sorry I messed up your precious room. Next time kids, the plants and windows come first,” Pap spouts with a huff.
Gram relaxes, turning around to look at Pap. “Don’t sass me, old man. You know you come first. But I think it’s only appropriate you help me clean it up since you’re feeling so much better.
“Ha!” he blurts out. “Let me know how that works out for ya.”
Gram shakes her head again. “Yeah, we’ll see.”
Once in the living room, Pap says, “So, what have I missed since I’ve been out of it? I have the sinking suspicion it’s a lot.”
We look around the room at each other, unsure of what to say.
But Aunt Morgan answers, “Oh, we can fill you in tomorrow. Tonight, we should talk about the cool stuff that happened here. I’d say we’re all dying to ask Gram about this so called ‘prophecy’.”
A smile curves up Gram’s lips. “I’ve been waiting for someone to bring that up. But first…you shouldn’t be hearing such important information on an empty stomach.”
And it’s not difficult to convince us. Using our powers the way we did earlier, definitely helped work up an animal-like appetite.
While Gram throws food together, I text Hunter the good news about Pap. I’m not sure how to explain it to him, other than being a miracle. Technically, it is, so I’m not lying. Much.
I still can’t believe I have such an extraordinary power. After all these years, I was just now coming to terms with being a Seer. So how can I possibly be a Healer as well?
I can’t comprehend what it means to have this gift. The thing I’ve always hated about my visions is, I only see bad things—never anything good. No matter where I go, or who I’m with, I can have a vision of something terrible that’s going to happen to them.
It’s what’s always made it next to impossible to have friends.
It’s why I’ve always kept to myself.
In my mind, if I stayed away from people, I wouldn’t get visions. I don’t ‘see’ things about strangers, so my logic made perfect sense. Right?
Now, however, I possess something wonderful. What keeps going through my mind is, if I see someone getting hurt—or worse—perhaps I can save them. How amazing would that be?
I’m not sure if I’ll know how to handle something revered as a blessing. I think I might even be excited about it.
Me. Excited about Magic? That’s a new one.
I feel like a new person. Born again. Literally. But I am nervous about this so-called prophecy, even though I can’t wait to learn more about our Ascension, and what it means.
In no time at all, Gram returns with an enormous tray of wings, fries, quesadillas, and chicken fingers. In even less time—we devour it. I suppose everyone’s anxious to hear what she has to say.
She sits down, commanding our complete and undivided attention. “Before I let you read this, you must first know we don’t understand all of its meaning. But I’m sure as time goes by, it will all become clear. And, for a long time, we didn’t even think it applied to this family. But I’ll explain that part after you’ve read it.”
“So where’d this Prophecy come from anyway?” Dhelia asks.
“Well, it was written by the originating Wiccan in the Moon family, back in the early fifteen hundreds. Her name was Willow Moon . . . and she was also the first Seer. Chloe’s only the second.”
“Seriously? In over five hundred years there was never another Seer?” I ask, smacking my lips together in surprise.
“Not like you and Willow.” Gram shakes
her head. “There may have been a Clairvoyant, Psychic, or a Medium here and there, but not a true Seer. Your gift is quite rare.”
“Okay Gram, let’s see it. Don’t make us wait another minute.” Dru’s on the edge of his seat, his mouth hanging open like a salivating puppy.
“Okay, okay. I made a copy for everyone to look at. Here you go.” She shakes her head, pulling the pages out of a manila envelope.
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