“It is okay, you know.”
“What’s okay?”
“To be exhausted.”
“I’m not weak,” he straightened and looked her in the eyes. They were filled with compassion and fear.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Chaos said. “Look, for some reason you don’t like me and that’s fine. I’m just here to get Dead Bill off my back and then I’ll be gone. But what you did last night, that was amazing. I don’t know what it was or how you did it. Heck, I don’t even know what the hell was going on in the first place but I think you saved my life.”
“You saved your own life.” And maybe his, too, he thought. Without her energy this morning and her willingness to care for him he’d have been in dire straits. Usually, after his spirit divided, it took him days to get back on his feet. With Chaos’s help he was back on his feet in less than twelve hours.
He owed her now and that worried him. He didn’t want to owe her anything, least of all his life. But his present attitude and approach wasn’t working. Maybe being guarded against her wasn’t the right tactic. Maybe, instead of pushing her away, he should stick close to her. It wasn’t like she was going anywhere anytime soon and it was clear that Chaos was attracted to him. The way she looked at him this morning when she’d thought he was asleep was proof of that. It’d made him want her even more. Maybe it was time to get closer to Chaos.
Chapter Seventeen
Cursed
Chaos shook her head to deny it but Linda opened the door before they’d even set foot on Linda’s porch steps. When she’d done that yesterday Chaos assumed she’d been looking out the window. Today, she wasn’t so sure.
“I told you dear, I can hear your thoughts,” Linda said. “We’ll work on quieting them in a bit. First, we must help Dakota get back to his old self.”
Chaos glanced at Dakota. He stood, turned slightly away from her, with his arms crossed and a fierce scowl on his face. He seemed like his old self to her. Not that she knew him well enough to know any better but the silent treatment on the car ride to Linda seemed to be consistent with his hostile personality. Save the awkward sexual conversation this morning and the heated moment in the shower, he avoided talking to her. “So I guess I’ll leave you to it then. Should I come back later or..?” When were they going to get rid of Dead Bill?
“Oh, you’re staying and helping me, unless you have someplace else to be. We have to get Dakota back to health before we can confront your ghost.”
Linda didn’t wait for her response; she simply cupped her arm and guided Chaos to a door. She opened it and headed down a flight of stairs. Chaos followed and heard Dakota behind her. Smoke lingered in the stairwell. This time she knew it was sage. For goodness sake, she thought, the woman was always burning sage. How much bad energy lingered in Linda’s home?
Chaos reached the landing and looked around. It was a fully furnished basement complete with a red couch, and several large floor pillows. Two high backed antique chairs sat on either side of a small side table. Positioned across from the couch they looked out of place. But it wasn’t their antique nature that attracted her attention; it was the large bowl of burning herbs on the table that she focused on. Linda already had the room set up for whatever she had planned for today and she’d clearly been waiting for them.
“It’s a bit cold down here. I’ve opened the windows to give the bad energy an escape. Don’t want it or the smoke lingering in my home. Dakota, sit on the couch please. You look better than I expected. Chaos must have taken good care of you.”
The sage burned in shiny bronze bowls positioned on the floor around the room. Chaos also noticed rock salt in bowls and a large pentagram, pointy side up, hanging on the wall. It freaked her out. Didn’t witches use pentagrams? “What is this place?”
“It’s the cleansing room. I like to keep cleansings contained. It makes it easier to get the junk out of my home.”
“And the bowls of salt and the star?”
“The salt is also to collect the bad energy. We use crystals to do that too. I have a few crystals inside my home that will help absorb and chase away negative energy. The star on the wall represents the four elements and spirit. It’s protection. Not witches.”
“Protection?” Seemed like she was expecting Armageddon with all of this stuff, Chaos thought. What the heck went on down here?
“You don’t want to know. Come here, dear.”
“Me?” Chaos took a step backward. She felt uneasy in the room and completely out of her element.
“Yes, you dear. You have schmootz on you from last night. It’s probably what is making you feel anxious in here. We get it off and you’ll feel better.”
Chaos was curious what she meant by schmootz but didn’t ask. She wouldn’t believe Linda anyway; it was all too much. She just wanted to get rid of Dead Bill and get out of here. Chaos reluctantly moved over to stand next to Linda.
“Your aura is one of the brightest I’ve ever seen but you’re a mess and last night didn’t help.”
Chaos fought the urge to roll her eyes. Aura? Please. “So what does all this do?
“Shhh. I need to concentrate. Do I have your permission to clean your energy?”
“Um…sure. It’s not going to hurt is it?” The urge to leave this place intensified. Chaos wanted to get outside in the fresh air and sunshine. She wanted a cup of coffee and a place to rest, a place where ghosts, and ghost hunters, didn’t exist. She remained standing.
“On the contrary.”
Linda sat down on one of the floor pillows and gestured to Chaos to sit too. She did and mirrored Linda’s cross legged posture. They sat there quietly. Chaos glanced at Dakota but he seemed to be asleep on the couch.
Linda opened her eyes and rose to her feet. “Stand, dear.”
Chaos stood. Linda picked up a smoking sage bundle and circled her. “Out with the negative energy; in with the good.” Setting down the sage she picked up a bowl of rock salt and circled Chaos. Finally, she closed her eyes again. Chaos waited. Linda’s eyes popped open. “There’s something wrong.”
“With me?” Of course there was. She had a stalker ghost and a trail of death and tragedy followed her since birth.
“Hmmmm,” Linda circled her and studied her carefully.
Chaos felt like a bug under a microscope. “What’s going on?”
“When did you get that necklace?”
Chaos instinctively reached for the Winged Victory pendant hanging around her neck. She clutched the necklace in her right hand. “My mother left it for me. She was wearing it when she died. It was a gift from a friend.”
Linda shook her head and tsked. “Wasn’t a friend that gave it to her.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s cursed.”
This time Chaos couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. “Cursed. Come on. That’s bullshit.” She started to turn and walk away but forced herself to stop. These people were trying to help her. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you.”
“That’s not surprising. Take it off for a moment. I’ll show you.”
Chaos reluctantly unclasped the necklace and handed it to Linda. Linda set it on the rock salt and the darn thing sizzled. “What the…?”
“I told you. It’s cursed. The salt can’t handle the black energy contained in that necklace.”
She gestured for Chaos to sit on the couch. Not wanting to disturb Dakota and risk being the recipient of his scowl, Chaos moved to sit on the end of the couch.
“When did you start wearing it?”
“I don’t remember ever not wearing it. I have pictures of me wearing it when I was two.”
Linda nodded. “I suspect that necklace is what earned you your nickname.”
“What do you mean?” Chaos was having a hard time believing that her mother’s necklace was cursed. If she even believed in the concept of cursing something. Why would her mother wear a cursed necklace? And why would she give it to her baby daughter?
/> “She means that the necklace has caused you nothing but trouble since the day you put it on. It’s brought trouble to you every single day of your life,” Dakota muttered.
“I thought you were asleep,” Chaos grumbled. She resisted the urge to push him off of the couch. Chaos looked to Linda for confirmation. “Is that true?” She didn’t want to give up the only connection she had to her mother. Giving up the necklace would tear her apart.
“I think so. Would you mind leaving it with me? I think with a little research and some help I can figure out how to cleanse it so you can wear it again.”
Anger tickled her toes. Needling its way up her legs, it reached her stomach and blossomed. Chaos was ticked. An ugly thought slid down her spine and joined the roiling anger. Her mother was wearing that necklace when she died. “Did that necklace kill my mother?”
“She was wearing it when she died?”
Chaos nodded. If someone killed her mother, there would be hell to pay. She knew with the certainty an old oak tree has that one day it would fall, that she would find her mother’s killer and make them regret it.
“It probably didn’t help her,” Linda said. “I’m so sorry. Do you know who gave it to her?”
“No, and there’s no one I can ask.” Her dad was dead and her mother didn’t have any siblings. Her dad had a brother but they’d never been close. Chaos could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen her uncle in her lifetime. “Would Sheila be able to tell?” Chaos knew she was taking a big leap of faith here but if she was going to believe that her darned necklace was cursed then why not jump all the way in and believe in psychics? Maybe Sheila could do her thing and see who gave her mom that necklace.
“She generally sees the future but anything’s possible. First, let me see if I can make it safe for you to wear. Just give me a few days, okay? Dakota, you’re up.”
Linda knelt down in front of Dakota, who was still slumped on the couch. Chaos noticed that his eyes were open but barely, just enough to let some light in. Something inside her urged her to touch him but she fought the urge. He made it clear that he didn’t like her. She should just stay away.
“So, Dakota,” Linda said. “What happened last night? We cleansed the house from top to bottom but I need to know if I was dealing with something other than a very strong shithead ghost.”
“Nope. Just a ghost,” he grunted. “A strong one.”
“What did it want with Chaos?”
Dakota shrugged. “She gives off energy like heat emanating off of the Las Vegas pavement in August. It practically burns your eyes.”
“In a good way, dear,” she said turning to Chaos. “It just wanted some of her strength?”
“I think so.”
“Sure did a number on you. Did you explain what happened to Chaos?”
“She didn’t ask.”
Linda cocked an eyebrow at Chaos and then turned back to Dakota.
“Go ahead and tell her,” he said.
“No, dear. That’s for you to tell. I will tell her that it wasn’t Bill that attacked her last night.”
“She already knows. Got to meet good old Dead Bill this morning.” Dakota pushed himself a bit more upright. He moved slowly and grimaced with each motion like he was in a lot of pain. “Nasty guy. Strong.”
“He showed up in the room while you were there?”
“No. The shower.”
“How did you know he was in the shower,” Chaos asked. She hadn’t screamed or yelled.
Dakota looked her in the eyes. Black as obsidian, his eyes fixated on her and held her attention. Chaos felt her body respond.
“I just knew,” he said. “The air in the room changed.”
“So what did you do?” Linda asked. “I need you to move to the floor, Dakota. Can you do it?”
He nodded. Their gaze broke and Chaos was left wanting. He slid off the couch onto his knees. Chaos desperately wanted to reach out to help him but he didn’t ask and she didn’t want to interfere. Linda circled Dakota with the sage. Chaos noticed he was starting to look green.
Dakota swayed. He closed his eyes. “I told him to go. He flipped me off and disappeared.”
“He’ll be back,” Linda said.
“Undoubtedly,” he mumbled.
“I’m surprised he was brave enough to manifest while you were there. I didn’t expect that. I’ll have to rethink my plan.”
Chaos watched Dakota’s skin turn an ashy shade of grey, like the bark of a dead birch tree. She couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “You okay? You don’t look good.”
Dakota didn’t answer. Chaos looked at Linda for help. Linda tipped her head in the direction of a large yellow bucket sitting on the floor. Chaos jumped up, grabbed the bucket, and set it on the ground next to him.“Is this all because of what happened last night?” Chaos asked. “Or is there more? Can you get rid of Dead Bill with this stuff?
“Bill is not with you now so no, I don't believe this is the answer you're seeking. When you asked your family spirits for assistance last night a few stragglers came along. They attacked Dakota.”
“I don't understand.”
“You know that all matter has energy and that energy doesn't vanish when a person dies. You know this because you've seen it. Bill isn't anything more than a big bunch of negative, very negative, energy. He’s not solid matter anymore.”
“And he's pissed about it.”
“Apparently. The spirit that attacked you last night was pissed about it, too. When you sought help last night to help extricate you from its negative energy your father came.”
“I guess.” She’d been too terrified to have an emotional reaction to the presence of her father and when it was all over, she assumed she had imagined him. If Linda had seen him too then it had really happened.
“You know,” Linda said, daring Chaos to contradict her. “You saw him. I saw it in your eyes. When he answered your call, which was the strongest call to a spirit I have ever encountered, by the way, he opened a portal or a door between the spirit world or heaven and our world. Spirits can do that once they've passed over into the spirit realm. However, on their quick journey through the door they opened they also let in a few negative beings. They sort of linger and wait for portals to open. They’re not spirits of the dead. They’re, well I’m not sure what they are. They’re like little insects that feed off of the positive energy of strong people.”
“Like leeches?” She’d come across a few leeches in her life, human and worms.
“Yes. Perfect. You had a few leeches. I took care of them.”
“What about Dakota. He has leeches too?” She glanced at Dakota, still kneeling on the floor. He looked tired but his skin had returned to its normal amber hue.
“Dakota, why don't you tell Chaos about it while I get everyone a cup of tea?” As she passed by Chaos on her way toward the stairs she whispered. “Take care of him. He’s not as well as he looks. I’ll be right back.”
“I don’t need to know,” she said unsure why she was giving him a way out. After the way he treated her she should be delighted to have him on the hot seat but he just looked so miserable kneeling on the floor. “I’ll just tell myself you have a twin. I’m good with that explanation.” Chaos sat down on the couch next to him. If she stretched out her arm she could touch him. She noticed that his shirt was drenched in sweat.
“Last night you saw two of me, right?”
“Yes. One in the middle of the kitchen chanting and one trying to free me from...um....from that ghost.” Swaying on his knees, he looked like he was going to tip over. “Can I help you onto the couch?”
He nodded. Chaos held out her uninjured hand for support. Dakota took it. She felt warmth zing through her. It filled her chest and made her feel like she was bathing in warm honey. His eyes met hers. He pulled on her hand. It tugged her off balance. She fell forward. Her injured arm curled against her body and trapped in a sling, Chaos knocked Dakota over and landed on top of him with a thud. She lay a
gainst him for a few seconds, enjoying the feel of his body against hers. “I’m sorry,” she said, pushing up.
Dakota held her against him. “You don’t believe what you saw?”
His black eyes implored her. The answer meant something to him. It was the perfect time to push him away. They were getting too close. She was getting too close. It was dangerous. Chaos pulled away. “Would you believe it if you were me?”
“No.” Sitting up, he leaned back against the couch for support and closed his eyes. “You’re managing it all much better than anyone could expect.”
Was that a compliment? Surely she had heard him wrong. Maybe he really was quite sick, she thought. “How were there two of you?”
“You saw my spirit body and my physical body separated. I can separate the two, like astral projection. Have you heard of that?”
“No,” she said, afraid of what he was going to tell her.
“Native Americans and some other cultures believe that the spirit can leave the body and travel.”
“They believe it or they can do it?” Chaos asked, already knowing the truth. She’d seen two of him last night and one of them had been illuminated like an angel.
“Some can. I can. I can control my spirit outside of my body. My physical body usually stays where the spirit leaves it. Last night I was in the van when I heard the screams. I sent my spirit into the bakery to help. But I was able to move my physical body as well so you saw two of me. It’s never been possible before last night.”
Questions assaulted Chaos. Why did he separate? What was the purpose? Why send his spirit into a place, surely it was dangerous. One question stood out above the others. “Why?” she asked. “What made last night different?”
“You.”
Chapter Eighteen
Deadly Chaos Page 11