“And I was serious when I asked if we should skip it. We can still make a majority of the sessions if we hurry.”
“I called Connor this morning and told him what happened. Fortunately, he agreed with me when I said it was a bad idea for you to go.” Elliot handed me another folder. “In fact, he gave me two choices. We can either return home for a few days or leave straight from here to head out to our first location.”
“So we’re not going back downstairs at all?”
I was skeptical. After all, Elliot loved to be surrounded by all the nut jobs who thought like he did. But my friend was serious.
I didn’t know if I should call him just a friend after our kiss this morning.
“Not to the conference if that’s what you mean.” Elliot tossed the folder aside. “What would you like to do today?”
“I’ll decide after my shower.”
I was ecstatic over the opportunity to have my first free day with Elliot since this whole mess started. I didn’t give him a chance to respond. Instead, I rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I stopped only once, making sure I closed my eyes as I passed the large mirror. It was still covered up by the huge comforter, so there was no way I could have seen anything. But I wasn’t going to risk anything ruining the day which had started so well.
***
I know I was in the shower longer than I needed to be, but without the worries of being late to one appointment or another, I used the time spent under the water to relax. Or at least, I tried to. Cyrus’ words from last night kept creeping back into my thoughts like a bad dream that just wouldn’t fade away. If what he said was true, I was immortal. I had been given a gift by the gods. I had powers no woman should possess. Granted, those powers were to talk to the dead, but still. I had access to an ability which couldn’t be ignored very easily.
As I replayed the conversation from the night before, questions filtered through that I hadn’t considered before. Would I never see my own reflection again? Would I really outlive everyone I’d ever known, and would come to know? I laughed out loud at the thought of it. Impossible. Elliot was right about one thing. Cyrus knew how to pull me in. He was starting to make me believe things I would have dismissed as fantasy yesterday.
No, that’s not right. I wanted to dismiss his words as fantasy, yet it was harder than I realized. I’d seen three images I didn’t have the ability to explain with science. I was still hearing the whispers and having the strange dreams. I couldn’t explain these either. The only fact I could cling to right now was that the whole situation was spiraling out of control faster than I could get a handle on it.
I tried to go back to my original defense of hitting my head or being overwhelmed by all the changes which had occurred in my life over the past few weeks. I tried to talk myself out of believing what I saw in the mirrors yesterday were real. I even tried to convince myself that insanity was contagious. After being surrounded by the nuts dressed as aliens and zombies all day, Kathy Carter had pushed me over the edge.
Yet, even as I was telling myself to calm down and stop being stupid, I realized my thoughts were hollow. I knew what I saw. I knew what I felt when I looked into the mirror the night before. For the first time in a very long time, I had been at peace. I was happy. I wasn’t sure if even Elliot could have kept me from joining the woman who had so sweetly beckoned me.
Elliot. I groaned as I brushed the water from my eyes. He was a completely different matter all together. My thoughts of Cyrus and the Sibyl shifted into a replay of what had happened between us this morning. It was so unexpected. After four years, why now? Why was Elliot suddenly making his move? I’d have to talk to him about it sooner or later. Truth be told, I needed to get my own feelings straight first. Had the Carter woman been right? Was I in love with him? Could he be in love with me?
I was doubtful. Elliot could have his choice of women; even more so now that he was going to be on television. I was nothing more than the old college buddy tagging along in the hope he would find a spot for me in his life after school.
I shut off the water, welcoming the chilled air as it broke my thoughts away from my feelings for Elliot. I’d wanted to spend my time alone relaxing. Instead, I brought up my own insecurities and fears of losing the one true friend I’d ever had. One who was going to spend the day with me. I stepped out of the shower and came face to face with the large, covered mirror when a new fear pierced through my heart.
How in the world was I going to make myself presentable without being able to see what I’m doing?
I jumped at the sound of a knock on the door, snagging a thick white towel and wrapping it around me before I answered. “I’m nowhere near done, Eli. You might as well get comfortable.”
“Ms. McRayne, it is Cyrus.”
I felt my heart sink at the sound of his voice. Of course he’d be here. What he was doing in my room uninvited was a whole other matter. If he was going to be my shadow, it appeared we would have to set some boundaries. Ones I wasn’t sure he’d be too eager to agree to.
I didn’t answer until I’d thrown on a bathrobe and wrapped my hair in the aforementioned towel. Then I opened the door to face the stranger who had forced himself into my life only yesterday. I was pleased to see a faint blush spread across his flawless face as he noted my attire. I was even more pleased when he had the graciousness to look away.
“What?” I wanted to sound stern, but my voice cracked. I swallowed and tried again. “What can I do for you today, Cyrus?”
“I need to speak with you immediately about this show you are doing.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out his ever-present cell phone. “After all that has transpired, I feel it would be best for you if you dropped out of the production all together.”
For once, I was at a loss for words. Elliot had mentioned something last night about how this guy might use me to get into the entertainment business. Instead, Cyrus was trying to pull me out of it. He glanced in my direction and opened his mouth as if he wished to say more, but stayed quiet when I raised my hand. I responded with the first words which came to mind. I couldn’t stop myself.
“Are you insane?” I felt the anger return to me as I pushed my way past him to the closet. “You have some nerve, buddy.”
“Ms. McRayne, it is far too dangerous. You must listen to me.”
“No.” I was snatching my clothes off the hangers so fast, the wooden bars clunked together. “You listen to me.”
I stormed past him, tossing the jeans and t-shirt on the bed before I turned to face him. “Who do you think you are, Cyrus? We met less than twenty-four hours ago, and you are already trying to tell me what to do with my life?”
“It is for your own protection.”
“I don’t care what your reasoning is.” I glared at him as I closed the distance between us and jabbed his chest with my finger. “You have no right to tell me who I am or what I am going to be. Sibyl or no. Are we clear on that?”
“As crystal.” Cyrus’ dark eyes flashed as he returned my glare. “Yet, you can not seriously be considering putting yourself into situations where you will be forced to confront spirits on a regular basis. I told you last night you were inexperienced and unknowledgeable.”
“I heard you last night, so you hear me now.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I am doing this show. I have to do it. I signed a very ironclad contract. I refuse to break it.”
I decided to return to the bathroom before he could respond. I grabbed up my clothes and headed in that direction when his next words stopped me in my tracks.
“What happens if you become someone else, Eva?” Cyrus’ voice was soft. “Sibyls have been known to become possessed by the spirits they are surrounded by. Not all ghosts are simple grandmothers wishing to contact their loved ones. Most are filled with hate. More than most are jealous of the living. You could very easily attack the ones you care for the most. Are you willing to take that chance?”
I could feel the heat rising in my
cheeks as I faced him again. “I’m not a violent person. No matter how crazy I seem right now, talking to you about ghosts and all. I won’t go around attacking people; much less my loved ones.”
“But the spirits might. Some of them can be very violent.” Cyrus gave me a sad smile as he clasped his hands behind his back. “You must take the time to train with me. Learn to control yourself if you insist on this nonsense.”
“It’s not nonsense.” I could hear my own disbelief as I spoke the words. “It’s important.”
“To Mr. Lancaster, certainly. Not to you.”
“Fine.” I huffed. “Then I suggest you do your job and teach me what I need to know. When do you want to start this training of yours?”
“This afternoon. I’d prefer immediately, but it appears you’ve made other plans.”
“I have.” I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was already after ten. “Let’s meet tonight. I’m sure you’ll be around.”
“Indeed.” He bowed his head towards me. “I’ll be close by if you need anything. Please remember. No mirrors. No psychics. Nothing that could attract the spirits to you. Understood?”
“Not really.” I shrugged, looping my arms together beneath the pile of clothes I was still holding. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll behave. I don’t want a repeat of what happened yesterday when I’m out on the streets of New York. I don’t need the general public to know I’ve gone crazy just yet. I’ll let the show do it for me.”
I earned a small smile from Cyrus with my words. One final bow and he was gone. I glanced at the clock again, wondering just where the hell Elliot had gotten off to before I started getting ready. Just when I finished brushing out my hair, I heard another knock on the door.
“Cyrus, I’ve already told you. I’m going to,” I jerked open the door and felt the fire sizzle out of my voice when I saw Elliot’s raised eyebrow. I finished anyway. “Behave.”
“When have you ever behaved, my dear?” My friend gave me a thin smile as he reached for my hand. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I let Elliot take my hand and felt the comfort of his palm against mine. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Any ideas of what you want to do?” Elliot led me down the hallway towards the elevator. “General sightseeing or shopping?”
“I want to do exactly the opposite of everything we’ve been doing the past two weeks.” I tightened my grip on his hand. “I want to forget everything that has happened, and not think about the things that could happen in the future. Think we can handle it?”
Elliot chuckled as he pressed the button on the elevator. “We’ll certainly try, Eva. We can try.”
Chapter Eight
My day with Elliot was a fantastic blur of all the cheesy things tourists do in a big city. We went to every skyscraper, rode on the ferry, and despite my adamant refusals to do anything I had been forced to do in L.A., Elliot talked me into a little shopping. We stayed on our feet until the sun began to set over the Hudson River and Elliot began to whine about dying of starvation before we got back to the hotel. So I tagged along as he found a small restaurant with dark tables and soft lighting.
I fell into the booth with a happy sigh as I tossed my bags aside. When Eli settled in across the table, I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as I leaned forward. “This has been amazing, Eli. Are you sure we can’t just do a travel show instead?”
Eli chuckled as the waitress approached our table. Two drink orders later, he responded. “We are doing a travel show, Eva. We just won’t focus on local landmarks.”
“Yeah, but I like going into places with modern conveniences.” I snagged a breadstick from the basket the waitress had left behind. “Lights and running water are huge bonuses for me.”
“I’ll bet they are.” Elliot shook his head as he browsed the menu. “I thought we were on strict orders not to discuss the show though. Are you changing things up on me, McRayne?”
“I’m not talking about the show per say.” I chewed on the edge of the breadstick for a second before sitting it on the table. “We’ve done very well at avoiding it all day. But there is something I need to tell you about.”
“What?” Elliot became very interested in the menu before him. “Does this have anything to do with Cyrus being in your room earlier?”
“Yeah.” I nodded to the waitress, waiting for her to leave the drinks behind. When she bounced away, I responded. “He was there when I got out of the shower. I’m surprised you let him in.”
“I didn’t.” Elliot’s features grew dark as he put the menu down. He clasped his hands over it. I couldn’t help but notice how white his knuckles had become. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Eli, really.” I took a sip of my coke to clear my throat. “I told you Cyrus isn’t out to hurt me. He just wanted to talk.”
“I don’t trust him, Eva. You shouldn’t either.” Eli went back to his menu. After an awkward moment, he sighed. “What did he want?”
I shrugged. “Cyrus doesn’t think it’s a good idea if I do the show. He said I’d be putting myself in unnecessary danger by being exposed to the spirits in the places we’d be going.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him to go to hell. I signed a contract. I’m not going to go back on my word because of some freaky woman and her suicide.”
“You told him that? In those exact words?” Elliot smirked as the waitress returned. She took our orders and left us alone. “No wonder he told you to behave.”
“Well, not those exact words.” I admitted. “Pretty close, though. Eli, I know perfectly well what I’m getting into by doing the show. Granted, I don’t know how the whole Sibyl thing will affect it. Cyrus did say I can be trained to protect myself at our locations. In fact, I’m supposed to meet with him when we get back to start my first lesson.”
“Tonight?” Elliot shook his head. “Not by yourself you’re not. I’ll come with you.”
“You can if you want.” I waved the waitress over since she’d been eyeing our table for the past few minutes. “I’m probably going to skip it though. We haven’t even started talking about how we are going to do the show. We need to figure out layout. Are we going to write dialogue at all? Hell, Eli. This project doesn’t even have a title yet.”
“I am pretty eager to get started.” Eli admitted. “Eva, there’s something else we need to talk about first. Something more important than the show.”
I felt my heart drop as images from our encounter this morning played behind my eyes. I knew this was coming, but I didn’t want to talk about it yet. The waitress picked that precise moment to trounce on over, and I was grateful for the interruption. The delay wasn’t long enough. As soon as our orders were put down on the table, we were alone again and Eli continued.
“What do you really think about this Sibyl story? Do you believe what Cyrus has been telling you?”
I shrugged and remained silent. Elliot didn’t rush me. He could be very patient when it meant the outcome would be just what he wanted it to be. In this case, he wanted me to talk. I’ll admit it. I stalled by playing with the napkins and silverware. When the silence between us became too much to bare, I picked up my fork and started tapping it against the table.
“I don’t think I have a choice in the matter. I have to believe him. I saw something yesterday. To be honest, I have experienced several things I cannot explain.”
My words got stuck in my throat. I swallowed them down before starting over by telling him about the woman I’d seen the night before and how I wanted so desperately to join her. I told him not just about seeing Kathy Carter. I told him what she said to me as well. To his credit, Elliot just listened. He didn’t interrupt me or ask me any stupid questions. Elliot’s only response was to push the plates aside and lean forward.
“When we get home, you should see a doctor to make sure you really didn’t hurt yourself when you fell.” Elliot raised his hand to shush me. “Listen, I get it. You’re stubborn a
nd hardheaded. I don’t care. You need to be checked out.”
“It’ll only be a waste of time.” I batted his hand down before taking a bite of my spaghetti. “There’s no point in zigzagging back and forth across the country when we can just leave from here.”
I didn’t bother to tell Elliot I had no intentions of seeing a doctor. I could do just fine without them hearing my story then sneaking off to sign my commitment papers. Elliot looked as if he wanted to argue, but the fight was draining out of him. He nodded instead.
“Then I guess we need to decide on where we’re going.” Elliot pulled his own plate to its spot in front of him. “So what’ll it be? Battleground? Mental hospital? Creepy abandoned house with a gory background?”
“No battlegrounds. Not yet.” I swallowed and wiped my mouth with a napkin. “I don’t know much about ghosts, but common sense should tell you that being outside is going to contaminate any evidence we get.”
“Makes sense to me, Eva. Elliot was digging into his plate of food like a man deprived. I almost felt sorry for him. “You know more about ghost hunting than you think you do.”
“I know enough to make fun of you about it.” I smirked as he chuckled. “And no mental wards either. Connor said we had to find a way to make ourselves stand out. A mental hospital is too stereotypical.”
Elliot gave me a huge grin for the first time since we’d sat down to dinner. “That’s my girl. Come on. Hurry up and eat so we can get back to the hotel. Speaking of Connor, I have to call him. He will want to know what our plans are going to be. Then we’ll work on the show to figure out just where we want to end up.”
***
We walked back to the hotel, stopping to admire the street sights New York City had to offer. I found myself stalling. Not from working on the show, of course. Cyrus would be waiting on me. As we approached my door, I stopped long enough to wonder about him. What was he? Obviously an immortal. Did he have to sleep? Did I have to sleep?
Maybe those training sessions would come in handy after all.
The Oracle Series: Volumes 1-3 Page 7