"Let's go ahead and get started." Connor smiled as he handed me a pen. "Eva, do you need us to go through the contract with you again?"
"By god, no." I started flipping through pages as thick as a novel, signing on the blank lines and dating them. "I know the drill, Connor. And my own lawyers have been through this already."
That much was true. I was committing myself to twenty-five episodes for the second season of Grave Messages. I promised Theia Productions that they would film my escapades as the Sibyl while I talked to the dead. Or grappled with demons. Whatever came my way. And they would pay me handsomely for the privilege. Just as I signed the last line and passed it over to Connor, the door to the conference room opened.
"I'm here. I made it." Joey Lawson bounded into the room with a massive smile on his face. Our cameraman ruffled my hair as he dropped down in the chair next to mine. "Traffic was a bitc..."
"Joey," I interrupted as I gestured to the panel of suits sitting across from us. "We've got company."
"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." Joey grinned as he took the pen from my hand. "Now, where do I sign?"
"Good morning to you too, Mr. Lawson." Connor dropped a folder in front of Joey. "Your paperwork is inside."
"Awesome." He muttered as he began going through the pages just as I had done. I glanced up to see Elliot still standing over to the side by the door. He seemed unsettled as he watched us.
"Elliot, why are you still trying to hold up the wall?" I shifted in my chair to face him. "Shouldn't you be over here with the rest of us?"
"I signed my contracts this morning." Elliot glanced over at Connor with a look that spoke volumes. They were hiding something from me. "We decided to make some changes."
"What sort of changes?" I narrowed my eyes at his tone. "What are you talking about?"
"She's going to find out sooner rather than later." Connor spoke up from his position at the head of the table. "Much sooner. Your replacement will be here any minute."
"Replacement." I said every syllable in the word as I glared at Elliot. "You're leaving the show? How could you leave the show? It was your idea in the first place!"
"Eva, calm down." Elliot held his hands up. "I'm not leaving Grave Messages. My role is changing. That's all."
"How?" I pushed my chair back to stand up, but a knock on the door froze me into place. I remembered our audience and willed myself to breathe. "I want to talk about this later."
Elliot nodded as he opened the door. I groaned as I recognized the pair who entered. The man from the coffee shop, now dressed in a Grave Messages polo shirt sold at the gift shop in the lobby was holding onto the arm of the stunning black woman who had helped him. He stopped just short of the table with the same harsh smile he had given me this morning.
"Drama, unease. Copious amounts of tension." He turned his head towards the woman. "Lilabet, we must be in the right place."
"Ah, Leyton!" Connor moved around the table with a grin. "Welcome. Please, have a seat."
The lawyer at the end of the table stood up as Connor shook the man's hand. My boss turned to us and began with the introductions.
"Eva, Joey, meet Leyton Northfield. He will be replacing Elliot as a presenter on the show."
Leyton nodded to each of us as he took the seat the lawyer vacated. He gestured to the girl to his right.
"This is Elizabeth. Elizabeth Tilman. She is my personal assistant. Seeing eye person. All round great gal."
I saw Joey mouth the words 'seeing eye person' and shook my head as the stranger continued.
"My apologies for being late. I had an unfortunate encounter with a woman more interested in her conversation than where she was going."
"Watch it, buddy." I glared at him. "That woman was me."
"Ah, you must be Eva." Leyton tilted his head in my direction. "The infamous Sibyl. Daughter of Apollo. Tell me, is there any danger in running into the projector you use on set to create the images you see?"
"Why is he here?" I turned towards Connor, nearly spitting in my anger. "You can't be serious about replacing Elliot with this...this..."
"Seer." Leyton piped up. "I am known as the Seer."
"Excuse me?"
"I am known as the Seer." Leyton repeated himself as if I were deaf. "From my understanding, I am to go to your locations, sense what I can about the upcoming filming, and talk about it on television. Then you go in, do your mumbo jumbo, and we're done."
"I don't do 'mumbo jumbo'." I leaned across the table to get as close to him as I could. It wasn't much. "If you know anything about the show, then you know what I do is real."
"Here are my documents." The man ignored me as his assistant produced a manila envelope. "Signed as required."
"Great." Connor took the envelope before placing it on the folders holding the other two contracts. "If that is all, we will leave you to get to know your new co-workers."
"Wait." I started, but Connor simply smiled as he followed the lawyers out the door. "Traitor."
"Is this diva behavior common?" Leyton turned towards his assistant. "I was so sure I would be welcome with open arms after the spill Mr. Garrison gave me."
"It comes and goes." Joey joined in. "Come on, Eva. Think about it. Two people with supernatural abilities facing down the ghosts and the ghoulies in scary places. This could be fun"
"Yeah. Fun. If I don't kill him first." I muttered. "Elliot, can I see you outside?"
"No need." Joey again. "I'll take Leyton and Elizabeth down to the office. Show them where the magic happens. Give them the ol' tour."
"Fine." Leyton pushed himself back from the table to take the girl's arm. "I would like to go over our next location with you as soon as possible."
Joey wiggled his eyebrows in my direction as he followed them out the door. I rolled my eyes at his excitement. When we were finally alone, I leaned against the table with my arms crossed over my chest. "
"Ok, Elliot. What the hell just happened?"
"Eva," He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to avoid my gaze. "You know as well as I do that you are Grave Messages. I am nothing more than a prop at our locations."
"That's not true." I frowned. "You deal with the equipment. You help me with the walkthrough. The introductions. I need you, Elliot."
"No, you don't. Joey can handle the equipment better than I can, and the Erinyes episode? Highest ratings for a paranormal show ever for the network." Elliot dropped his hand with a shrug. "Yeah, there was a lot of pushback, but the truth is you're better off without me."
Pushback. I winced at the word. See, our season finale was the episode where I faced off against one Allison Thompson. She had sacrificed herself to a trio of vengeful beings called the Erinyes who forced me to fight her to the death.
It didn't end well for Allison. So when footage of me stabbing her through the chest hit the air? There was a backlash. Media sites called for the show to be cancelled. Fans clamored to Bachelor's Grove Cemetery where we filmed the fight. Ultimately, the PR department was able to smooth things over since Allison disappeared after I stabbed her. Apparently, murder victims don't just disappear into thin air after you kill them. The entire fight was chalked up to a play for ratings and all was forgiven.
Those who wanted to believe did. Those who didn't?
I'm still struggling with reports that what I do is fake. A good trick of the light or special effects against a green screen.
"So what will you do?" I sighed. "What will I do without you there?"
"I'll be there." Elliot stepped forward to take my hands. "I'm going to be an on-set advisor. Producer. I'll help keep Leyton in check if he gets out of hand."
"No need to worry about that." I snorted. "He's a charmer. Really knows how to talk to the ladies."
"Give him a chance, Evie. He's good. Really good."
"I can't make any promises." I squeezed his hands. "But I can try, Eli. I can try."
Chapter Three
We found the wandering trio in the editing room. Joey was ex
plaining all the dials and knobs he used when putting the episode frames together. He tried to teach me about them once, but I ended up zoning out halfway through. So the only thing I'd been able to learn?
Where the on switch was.
"Joey, it's their first day in the office." I leaned forward into the dark room. "Can't you wait a few days before trying to bore them to death?"
"Hey, it's not like they are going anywhere." Joey grinned over his shoulder at me. "Contracts have been signed. Sealed. All but delivered. They are stuck with us."
"Have you actually shown them the office? Where the bathrooms are?" I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched him. "Or did you drag our guests in here straight away?"
"Hey. That's not fair, Evie. There was minimal dragging." Joey swiveled around in his chair with a sigh. "Fine. We can show them the can if you want."
"Technically, we are not guests." Leyton stood. "I am now an employee."
"And your assistant?" I tilted my head towards the woman. "What about her?"
"We are a package deal. Lilabet is much easier to converse with than a dog. She will be by my side indefinitely."
So that's what he meant when he called her his seeing eye person. I took a step back when I realized Leyton wasn't wearing those glasses as a fashion statement. My new co-host was blind.
Talk about awkward.
Blind or no, I promised Elliot that I would give him a chance. So I left Joey's man cave with the expectation that the two would follow me.
They did. I showed them the quickest way to get to our floor from the parking deck, where to get their badges made, and finally, the actual office. I was explaining the schedule we tended to follow when we were in L.A. until I was interrupted by a shifting of the shadows to my right.
"I was hoping our run in earlier had been some cruel jest of the Fates, Tiresias." Cyrus stepped forward to take his place by my side. "How unfortunate that I was wrong."
"Tiresias?" I frowned at my keeper as Elizabeth stepped forward. "No. This is Leyton Northfield and his assistant. They are joining us on the show this season."
"His name is Tiresias of Thebes." Cyrus glanced down at me then to Leyton. "I don't care what he calls himself in this life."
"Why, is that Cyrus? Cyrus of Crete?" Leyton cackled as he leaned forward. "I thought I recognized the stench of soldiers. Apollo must be pleased with your services. It has been how many centuries now?"
"It is time for you to leave, Seer." Cyrus nodded at Elizabeth. "Take your master elsewhere. He is not welcome here."
"Oh, but you are wrong!" Leyton grinned as he lifted his sunglasses to expose his icy white eyes. "One Connor Garrison believed my services would be quite useful to your Eva here. Help protect her by foretelling her of any dangers and all that."
"She will not benefit from your lies, Seer. Nor the dangers you pose with your presence." Cyrus took my arm. "Come on, Eva. We need to leave."
"Cyrus, slow down a minute." I stepped back with my hands up. "You too, Leyton. I'm confused."
"There's a shock." Leyton muttered as Elizabeth lowered him down in a chair. When Cyrus took a step forward, the man grinned once more. "Tsk, tsk. Hold your ground, soldier. You know the rules."
"Rules? Ok." I shook my head. "Let's start over. From the beginning. Cyrus, how do you know Leyton?"
"I told you. His name is not Leyton. Nor is it Northfield." My keeper had stuffed his hands in his pockets as if to keep from using them. "His name is Tiresias of Thebes. Blinded by the gods. Turned into a Seer by Zeus. He is a menace who should have been banished to the Underworld long before now."
"Sit down, dear Sibyl." Leyton gestured to the chair across from him. "Allow me to tell you my story as no brute ever could. It would be beneficial, after all, if we are to work together that you know the truth."
"Alright." I took a seat, but I didn't miss how Cyrus stayed planted by my chair. He glared at the newcomers with an intensity I found unsettling. I could almost imagine the conversation we were going to have as soon as we were alone. "I'm listening."
"As with all great men, I come from the most humble beginnings." Leyton began with his head bowed in mock humility. "I was once the son of a shepherd and a nymph. Meant to waste away in the fields until I died."
"And yet, you are here. In Los Angeles. Centuries removed from such a life." I rolled my eyes. "Please. Stop with the dramatics. Just get on with it."
"Like Keeper, like Sibyl. No appreciation for the art of storytelling. Poetry." Leyton sighed as he turned towards his assistant. "They have much to learn from us, Lilabet."
"Please continue."
I stressed my final word with a glance at the clock. It was already getting close to eleven. And there was no telling where Elliot or Joey had gotten off to. For a moment, I wished they were here with me. Elliot would be eating this up. As for Joey? Well. His snide comments would have done wonders to lighten the mood.
"Alright. I will give you the abbreviated story." Leyton tapped his fingers against the chair arm. "I first came to the attention of the gods when I was seventeen. Hera, to be exact. She caught me beating a snake and turned me into a woman as punishment."
"A woman? What's so bad about that?" I frowned at his tone. "That's not a punishment."
"It was in my day." Leyton shrugged. "Women had no rights. Our social order ranked them as the lowest beings. I returned home to my father and was promptly sold to a man who treated me as I should have been. I was property. An object."
"But you are a man now." I pointed out. "At least, you seem to be."
"Ah, you are an observant one, Sibyl." Leyton shook his head. "I suffered seven years of captivity as a wife. I was only freed when Hera returned to find me offering her blessed serpents refuge instead of the stick."
"Were you a Seer then?"
I glanced up when Cyrus snorted at my question, then decided to ignore him. I settled deeper in my chair. I had a feeling we were going to be here for awhile.
A very long while.
I was not disappointed. Leyton stopped to ask for water. Then crackers from the vending machine. He was enjoying the attention a bit too much for my liking. In fact, I was two seconds from getting up to go on about my day when he answered the question I had asked some thirty minutes before.
"No. Some of us are not as lucky as others. We are not blessed by an ancient relic that possesses the gifts of the gods. Some of us are forced to suffer."
"I'm sorry?" I frowned as I sat back down. "I do not consider what I do a 'blessing'."
"And yet, you are blessed. Your needs are more than taken care of. No harm will come to you." Leyton shrugged. "You may argue, but it is the truth. But I digress. Hera has played a great role in my existence. It is she who transformed me into a woman. And it was she who blinded me in a fit of rage."
Leyton fell silent as Elizabeth patted his hand. At last, he began to speak. "I stumbled across the goddess in the forests of Pallas. She was arguing with her husband over the most delicate matters. And I interceded."
"Delicate matters." I raised an eyebrow. Cyrus shook his head. I knew that meant I should keep my mouth shut. Instead, I spoke up. "What were they arguing about?"
"Sex, dear Sibyl. More accurately, which party gained the most enjoyment from the act of it." Leyton sneered at the wall behind me. "Since I had been both man and woman, I felt I could provide them with the answer. Hera was not pleased with my response. She struck me blind with a single flick of her wrist."
One of these days, I will learn to listen to my keeper. I felt the blush rising in my cheeks and I was grateful that the man in front of me was blind. I was sure he would have taken great pleasure in how uncomfortable I had become.
"Ok. Unexpected." I cleared my throat. "Go on."
"Well, Hera recognized me right away. She offered to return me to my feminine state at once. Of course, I refused. She begged for Zeus to aide me in regaining my sight, but the Father God was only half listening. He shocked my body with electricity in order t
o grant me the sight of prophecy instead. This is how I became the Seer, Eva. It was not a pleasant experience for me."
"Tell her the rest of your tale, Tiresias." Cyrus narrowed his eyes at the man across from us. "The most important part."
"Ah, but it will have to wait." Leyton tilted his head to the side as if listening for something. "The others are coming."
"So? If you are going to be working with us, then Elliot and Joey have every right to know your history." I opened the office door just as Joey was reaching for the door knob. He whistled. I gestured towards Leyton. "Thank the Seer. I think he heard you tip toeing down the hallway."
"I don't tip toe. I walk in a very manly fashion, thank you." Joey stepped aside so that Elliot could get past him. "I went down to Research. The boys pulled up quite the list for us to go through."
"Yay." I muttered as I took the folder out of Joey's hand. "Let me guess. More haunted asylums? Perhaps another convict claiming the devil is after his soul? Or even better. A renovated hotel where the patrons all commit suicide in one particular room?"
"You find us a hotel like that and you can determine where we go for the rest of the season." Elliot grinned at me as he sat down at his desk. "But you are pretty close. The list is nothing more than standard fare as far as ghost hunting goes. We were looking for spectacular, but found nothing more than mediocre."
"Eva, pass me the documents, please." Leyton reached out into thin air. "I wish to see them."
"Um," I looked to Elliot, who seemed just as confused as I was. "Alright."
Leyton took the folder from me and opened it. "Lilabet, darling, please take out the photographs. Put them on the table."
The assistant did as she was told while the rest of us gathered around the man as if he were the greatest show on the planet. He brushed his fingers over each photograph. Tracing lines and shadows. Stopping twice on some pictures before dismissing them outright. Finally, when all other photographs had been discarded in a pile to his right, Leyton jabbed one stubby finger down on the remaining image.
It was a brochure for an equestrian center.
The Oracle Series: Volumes 1-3 Page 27