“So they can physically hurt me now?” I hissed in an attempt to keep my voice down. It was hard enough to sit here as if nothing had happened. “I thought my powers were limited to just seeing and speaking with them. Messenger of the dead, remember?”
“I do.” Cyrus kept his hands together in his lap. “Messenger of the dead, daughter of Apollo. Those are your titles, Little One. I thought you did the readings I gave you. Did you skip the ones regarding Hades?”
“I don’t know. I read a lot, mind you. It seems like I missed the most important parts though.” I sighed. “How can I keep them from harming me? Or at the very least, from being so scared I need to change my jeans after an encounter.”
He chuckled. “Time? Practice? Exposure? There are no certain methods to protect yourself, Little One. I can only tell you what the others before you found to be useful. Expect to see them. Learn to listen to the sounds of the dead long before you are faced with a portal they can get though.”
“Like the mirror upstairs.”
“Yes. I told you before, use only Apollo’s mirror to make contact. The glass is too small for them to reach through.” Cyrus tapped the side of my head gently. “Stop and listen before you walk into any space. If you start to hear the whispers, put up the door in your mind. This will hold them off until you can actively do so when faced by them in the glass itself. If they come through, form a shield much like your door around you. This too will be easier with practice. I will be able to pull you free if I must, but it is dangerous for you.”
“My new role has become extraordinarily tedious.” I grumbled as I stood up to go outside. I could feel the hate in this place now, and it was so much more than I could have believed possible. The very walls seemed to vibrate with the resounding scream still echoing inside my mind. “Let’s go. I think we are done here for now.”
“Yes, I believe so as well.” Cyrus nodded as he followed me. “For now.”
Chapter Twelve
“I know this might be a bad time to bring up the blood and all, but do either of you care to explain to me what happened back there?”
Joey had a mouth full of pizza as he spoke. I handed him a napkin from the basket in front of me with a sigh. We had left the farmhouse on the pretense of getting ready for our investigation tonight. Well, it wasn’t much of a pretense. We really did need to get our equipment together. Truth be told though, I needed to get out of there and the boys needed to eat. After a quick stop so I could change clothes, we found a pizza joint and collapsed into the most secluded booth we could find.
“I’m not sure if you want to know, Joey.” I pushed my own plate aside. Having your throat slit by an angry spirit did wonders for killing your appetite. “It’s quite the long story.”
“Hey, I’m on the clock. I got nothing but time since you’re paying me to be here.” Joey turned his attention to Elliot as if he would give him the answers I wasn’t willing to give up so easily. “So what gives, Lancaster? Your girl some sort of psychic or something?”
“Or something.” Elliot took my hand from across the table. “It’s up to you, Eva. Your story. Your choice.”
“If Joey is going to be with us for awhile, he will need to know.” I sighed. “Ok. Just promise you won’t call me crazy when I’m done, ok?”
“I won’t call you crazy. I can make no promises, however, of not making fun of you.”
I smiled despite myself. “Fair enough. Remember Paracon?”
“Yeah. I got out of it since I’m just the equipment guy.”
“Well, we had to go because of the classes being offered on the paranormal. I just walked away with a bigger souvenir than the classic swag bag.”
I started from the beginning. How could I not? I told him about the scrying session, how Kathy Carter tricked me into taking the mirror, and how I had chanted the words which changed me. Cyrus was lurking in the shadows, leaning against the wall next to our table, and only nodded when I introduced him to Joey for what he really was. I told our poor camera man everything I knew, which admittedly, wasn’t much. When I finally fell silent, Joey whistled.
“That’s one hell of a hook, McRayne. You gonna use it?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. With all the blood and death and screaming spirits, I had to find something amusing. Joey taking this so well? That was my something. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
I ignored his mention of the show. I had already made the promise to Apollo to use television to bring attention to him. I just had no idea how to do it yet.
“So this is it. You found the one thing to make yourself stand out from all the other paranormal gigs out there.”
“I don’t know, Joey.” Elliot grimaced. “I don’t want Eva to turn into a sideshow.”
“She won’t be.” Joey rubbed his hands together before taking another slice of pizza from the pan in between us. “You’ve already promised Connor you’d find a way to make the show stand out, right? This is how you do it. We won’t have to change much in the way of formatting, either. We go in, get the history. Then, bring out the fancy mirror. Let Eva talk to the spirits while we film the whole encounter in the dark. Hell, you gave me enough footage this afternoon to get started. We’ll call it Grave Messages. ”
“I hate to admit it, but I do like that title.” I took a sip of my water as I considered what he said. “This just might work. Cyrus is teaching me how to keep the voices quiet. And I’m working on how to shut the mirrors down before I can be attacked. We can cover the mirrors in our locations until we are ready to film the part where I contact them.”
Elliot pulled a notebook out of his jeans and gestured to me for a pen. I handed him the first one out of my purse. He began to write, jotting down the ideas now flying between the three of us about the show. This was a meeting that should have happened back in L.A. when the contracts were first signed. But the timing never seemed right. Now, we had ideas. We had formatting.
We had a show.
***
After our impromptu meeting, the four of us had gone back to the hotel to grab the equipment; packing it up in the back of the crew’s rented SUV. Elliot had pulled me aside once we finished, tugging me into a dark corner of the hotel lobby.
“Eva, are you sure about this?” Elliot was holding my hands between us, searching my face for any signs of doubt. “We can find some other way for this to work.”
“Eli, I’m sure.” I freed one hand to caress his cheek. “I believe this is going to work. I believe Cyrus will protect me if need be.”
“I will be there, too.” Elliot leaned into my touch. “Cyrus isn’t the only one who can help you.”
“I know you are.” I smiled as he tugged on the hand he still held to pull me into his embrace. “Just stay safe yourself, ok? I’ve seen Catherine twice now. She is extraordinarily strong.”
“Twice?” Elliot rested his chin on the top of my head. “I didn’t realize.”
“Yeah. She hit me up in the midst of my beauty routine this morning.” I closed my eyes, relishing in how good it felt to be held by him. “Besides, neither of us can get hurt. You never did take me out for coffee in New York, Eli. I’m holding you to your promise.”
His laughter ruffled my hair as he pulled away just enough to look down at me. “And you have been a really good sport about all this.”
“Exactly.” I hit his chest lightly. “So forget the cheap corner stuff. We’re talking Starbucks quality now, mister.”
Elliot’s only response was to close all distance between us. He kissed me; slow and sweet. I didn’t want this moment to end.
Too bad we were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. I turned to see Cyrus tapping his fingers against the hotel counter and Joey rolling his eyes as he headed to the door.
“We going or what?” Joey held the door open. “I didn’t lug all those cases down those stairs for nothing, you know.”
“Fine.” I muttered as Elliot returned his grip on my hand. “I guess we should
n’t keep the others waiting.”
“Guess not. Those two might just go off and leave us here.”
“Do you really think they would?”
“Don’t sound so hopeful.” Elliot smirked as we walked outside. He was right. The other two were already climbing inside the vehicle. “It’ll ruin your reputation as a good ghost hunter if people find out you don’t want to go into spooky old houses.”
“Ah, yes. My ghost hunting reputation. Whatever would I do without it?” I got in the front seat and buckled my seatbelt. “Whatever would I be?”
***
I was more than just a little disappointed to find the house still standing as we pulled into the driveway leading up to it. Wasn’t Kansas known for its wicked tornadoes? I was even more disappointed to find Joanna standing on the porch with her gloved hands crossed over the front of her skirt.
“What is she still doing here?” I turned to Joey whose eyes widen into the very picture of innocence as he shrugged.
“Don’t ask me. The setup crew told her to clear out before the sun went down.”
“Well, it’s not night yet.” I muttered as I pressed the button to release the seatbelt. “Maybe she is hoping for one more monologue on camera.”
“Oh, wonderful!” Joanna bounded down the front stairs with a dexterity I found surprising given the layer of skirts she was wearing. “You’re back.”
Elliot stepped out just as she came to a halt in front of the car. I didn’t miss the disappointment in her voice as the woman continued. “You’re all back.”
“Of course we are.” I slammed the car door as Joey began to unload our equipment. “We are supposed to start filming tonight, right?”
“Yes, well,” Joanna’s disappointment turned into a sickening sweetness. “I just thought, since you were hurt, Elliot here might need someone to stand in as co-host.”
“So you wanted to take my place.” I tilted my head in her direction as I turned towards Elliot. “I don’t think she realizes what we are here to do.”
“You are here to document my darling Catherine and Samuel.” Joanna’s eyes flashed. “I wanted to make sure the show was still going to happen despite your breakdown earlier.”
“Breakdown. How nice.” I had a sharp retort ready, but swallowed it down as I remembered the ironclad contracts and flight across the country. “Ok. Let’s start over, shall we? Ms. Whitaker, I am fine. I did not have a breakdown. I saw Catherine.”
“You saw her?” Joanna gasped, placing her hands over her heart. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“I am not going to say anything more. You will see our evidence when we are finished. I believe this was in your contract to Theia Productions which allows us to film here in the first place. Now if you will excuse us, we need to make sure this location is secure.”
I gestured for Cyrus to follow behind me as Joey took Ms. Whitaker by the arm to escort her to her own vehicle. When we got to the porch, I turned to him.
“Are you sure I can do this?” Even outside in the fading afternoon sunlight, the darkness of this place was starting to surround me. “Because I’m starting to think this was a very bad idea.”
“You can always leave.” Cyrus shrugged. “I will do what I can to explain to Apollo why you decided against being a part of this horrible television show. Perhaps you can attend conferences much like Ms. Carter did.”
“No,” I sighed as I watched Elliot and Joey. I decided to ignore what he said about conferences. I’d had enough of those for a lifetime. “Those two are depending on me. I won’t let them down but Cyrus, you have got to tell me how it is you are able to talk to Apollo someday. I am curious about it. Do you go somewhere sacred? Does the room shake when he speaks?”
Cyrus gave me his lopsided grin and waved his ever present cell phone in the air next to his head. “Text messages. The golden one loves human technology. He uses it every chance he gets.”
Well that explained why Cyrus was so attached to his smart phone. I chuckled and snatched it from him. “Let me see.”
“Actually,” Cyrus pulled out a flat phone much like his own, except this one was encased in a shiny gold case. “Apollo asked me to give you this.”
“A gift?” I took the phone with more than just a little hesitation. “Why?”
“So you won’t burn candles on his mirror anymore.” Cyrus smirked at my surprise. “Yeah, he told me all about your little spell back in New York.”
“You found out about that?” I grimaced. “Did I cross a line or something?”
“Or something. There are no rules saying you can’t contact him directly. In fact, Apollo found it amusing. Hence, the cell phone. He thinks you are quite the entertaining creature.”
Cyrus leaned over my shoulder, touching the sun symbol on the screen and a blank screen popped up. “Here. This is how you contact him.”
“So no more candles?”
“Pray, no. It took me two hours to scrub the wax from the glass. I do not wish to do that again anytime soon.”
I was so busy teasing my keeper I failed to notice the other two had finished moving all the cases inside. Elliot came over and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Ready?”
“Yeah.” I handed Cyrus back his own cell phone. “I want to see what you’ve been saying about me later.”
I let Elliot lead me inside as I sent my first message on my new phone to Apollo, crossing the threshold as I hit send.
Protect us, Golden One. I believe we are all going to need it.
a
The inside of the old farmhouse was quiet. It was almost peaceful. Elliot whistled as he stepped around the power cords running across the floors connecting large boom microphones to the walls. The tacky furniture remained, but it had been rearranged to give us some breathing room. I joined Joey next to the cases, pulling out the tape recorders we would need to pick up any audible noises made by Catherine or Samuel. We decided to use some of the more basic equipment to substantiate my communication with the spirits. Spirit boxes, digital recorders, motion sensors – all could be used to track the movements of the dead.
“It feels like a thunderstorm is brewing in here.” Elliot joined us. “The energies in this room are amazing.”
“If you say so.” I checked the batteries of the recorder in my hand, making sure to tuck a few extra ones in my pocket just in case. I may not have been a paranormal expert, but I’d seen enough television to know spirits liked to drain battery sources. A few extra couldn’t hurt in case we were stuck upstairs. “I don’t feel anything.”
“Really?” Elliot took the recorder I handed him. “Joey, let’s get some dialogue on film before we turn the lights off.”
“Sounds good to me.” Joey stood and lifted his camera onto his shoulder. He focused it onto me. “Just act natural. Be normal.”
Natural? Normal? In a house known for its tragedy? Where I knew there was a really big mirror with a really angry spirit inside of it?
Yeah, ok.
I nodded then moved to stand by the staircase. We were going to improvise our lines when talking about the history of the house. It was decided I should be the one to start, since I was officially coming out to the public as the Sibyl. Elliot shifted around the sofa and stood behind Joey.
“Welcome to the very first episode of Grave Messages.” I didn’t know what to do with my hands, so I tucked them into my back pockets. “My name is Eva McRayne. I am joined by Elliot Lancaster and Joey Lawson. Tonight we are showcasing the Tillotson farmhouse which is located in the heart of the middle of nowhere otherwise known as Black Hollow, Kansas.
I was sure Joanna was not going to be pleased that I refused to use the term ‘murder house’ on television. It sounded too cheesy. Thankfully, the guys had agreed with me. I locked eyes with Elliot as I continued. “The local papers documented the deaths of two people –Catherine and Samuel Tillotson- here at this very house during the blizzard of January 1876. Their bodies were found weeks later after the ice had thawed. Cather
ine was nothing more than a pile of bones while her husband had stabbed himself to death. Since then, there have been numerous reports of paranormal activity within these walls.”
“Cut.” Joey grinned as he flipped the camera up towards the ceiling. “I’ve always wanted to say that. Anyway, so far, so good. Let’s get Elliot in there.”
Elliot moved over to stand next to me, introducing himself to the camera much as I had. But where I had gone into a brief history of the house, he focused on the paranormal activity.
“Locals claim to see shadow figures walking through the rooms. Objects move around the rooms; sometimes thrown at unlucky visitors. Voices call out from the walls. In fact, we have had our own experience here earlier today.”
“Shall we?” I picked up the recorder I’d disregarded on the table next to the stairs. “We will start with the classic EVPs. Electronic voice phenomena. This will be our initial method for contacting the spirits. Then I will use my own gift, which will be featured later on during the show.”
Elliot took a second recorder and walked the length of the first floor. Joey was following behind, stopping to swing the camera back around to focus on the front room. He moved so quickly he almost knocked me over.
“What was that?”
“What?” I turned to see a shadow sweep across the room heading towards the stairs. I could see its outline against the windows. I beckoned for Joey to follow me as I approached the front. “Whose there?”
Strange noises began to fill the air around us; moans and creaks I would have caulked up to it being an old house. Elliot stood in the center of the room, firing off questions then pausing.
“Who are you?”
“Is anyone there?”
“What’s your name?”
He stopped only to allow the spirits a chance to answer. I went to stand beside him as he rewound the tape. His voice came through loud and clear. There were no answers to the first two questions. Yet on the third, a thin whisper could be heard beneath the white noise.
The Oracle Series: Volumes 1-3 Page 12