Grace finished up the crystals downstairs and in her office upstairs and then went to check on Danny. She knocked twice on the door, but there was no answer. She knocked again before turning the knob and gently pushing the door open.
Grace smiled to herself as she moved across the room, weaving her way through the mess cluttering the space. Danny made up for the lack of clothes strewn around the room in the number of books, papers, and “projects” covering every surface. The agreement was, he was allowed to do what he wanted in his bedroom, but the mess wasn’t allowed to spread to the rest of the house.
Sure enough, Danny was hard at work, typing away on the computer, head phones on, music blaring. From what Grace saw, gazing over his head at the computer screen, he was already researching mind control abilities.
Grace put her hand in between the computer screen and Danny’s eyes wiggling her fingers. He tried to move to one side to see around her, but she kept shifting her hand until he pulled off his headphones and faced her with a frown.
“I’m sorry, kiddo. You’re right. You deserve a chance to continue being friends with Sophie as much as I deserve a chance to learn about my abilities.”
He sat looking up at her, his face twisted in a partial scowl, but hope showing in his eyes.
“Yes, you can have Sophie be a part of your birthday party, okay?”
Danny let out a whoop and jumped up from his chair to squeeze Grace in a tight hug.
“Thank you, Gracie! Thank you! Best birthday present this decade!”
“Bold statement for an eleven-year-old.” Grace shook her head and squeezed him back.
“Only for twenty-four more hours.” He grinned before turning to drop into his seat and plop on his headphones.
Grace held her wrist in front of the screen to show Danny the time on her watch. He finally focused on the watch rather than the screen behind it and turned to give her a quick nod without removing his head phones.
She raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned and nodded a few more times before returning to the screen. She had to remind him on occasion not to stay manifested for too long. He got nightmares if he did. They didn’t have a real explanation of why, but they had learned to monitor things to keep the dreams at bay.
She moved back through the room, touching the various geodes and replenishing the ones Danny had used to manifest. She passed by his ashes where he kept them in an old science fair trophy. Another example of his special sense of humor. Knowing Danny, he wouldn’t come up for air for several more hours. This gave her the time she needed to recharge herself before work.
Grace changed into a comfortable t-shirt and some loose sweat pants then went to her exercise room. Her run that morning gave her an aerobic workout for the day. But yoga and some meditation were needed to unwind and re-energize her body and mind.
After her accident, she learned that her intuition was strongest after meditating. As she let go of the tension, her mind was open to free association, and problems solved themselves. She willed her body to relax and focused her mind on her breathing. She would need all the intuition she had to handle the situation with DL’s girls and the man who was stalking them.
Chapter 9
Grace sat fidgeting on the sofa, her undamaged leg bouncing. She glanced over at Danny, who was pretending to read a book on his Kindle, legs dangling over the arm of the chair across from her.
Grace noticed he hadn’t “turned” a page for the last five minutes, his eyes scanning the same page over and over again. She wasn’t the only one nervous about the evening. But she was the only one not trying to hide it.
Danny laid his Kindle on the table with a sigh, sitting up to face her. “I can’t concentrate on my book with you bouncing your leg like that.”
Grace made an effort to stop the motion of her leg.
“Really? You’re going to pretend you’re not nervous about Sophie and your big ‘reveal’ tonight?” She raised her eyebrows at him.
“Yeah, a bit nervous. But mostly I’m excited I’ll get to talk with Sophie again. I’ve missed her.”
“I’m sure she’s missed you, too. But I’m having second, third, and fourth thoughts about sharing our situation.”
“Gracie, we’ve been over this. We need to share with Sophie so she can help us understand our abilities and I can get my friend back.”
“I agree. I just don’t believe we should tell her everything—my ability to see ghosts, my ability to read objects, your ability to manifest from my energy. All that might be too much to share at one time.”
“Why should we keep any secrets from her?”
“I can’t help wondering what this evening will mean for you and me. I’m not even sure Sophie can help us. And what if she freaks out about what we tell her, and she stops being a friend?” She bit one corner of her lip. In spite of her best efforts, her leg started bouncing again.
“Sophie’s been our friend for a couple years. She won’t freak out. In fact, she’ll be happy I’m still around, even in this state.” He motioned to his body.
Grace reached up to cup the crystal pendant hanging at her throat. Its gentle warmth eased her tension, and she took a few deep breaths to relax before releasing it.
“Not that long ago, you didn’t believe in all this stuff, yourself, Gracie.” Danny gave her one of his mischievous grins. “And now you have your own powers and are friends with a Medium.”
“I’m glad we got to know her and became friends. Especially you, since you weren’t exactly overwhelmed with female friends at the time.”
“Could say the same thing for you, Gracie. Especially the really girlie ones.”
“All right, point scored, smart ass.”
“It was great to have someone who wasn’t intimidated by me or the grown up stuff I was interested in and enjoyed listening to me talk about whatever I was into.”
“She loved you, Danny. The accident and your death devastated her.”
“And she was a good friend to you, too. Despite how badly she was feeling, Sophie was always there to help you whenever you needed errands run or a pep talk.”
“Yes, Sophie knew when I needed to talk or when I wanted someone there without needing to have a conversation. She was better at it than Billy.” She smiled smugly.
“But you never talked to Sophie about your abilities—all that time?”
“No, I wanted one person in my life who didn’t think I was crazy. The doctors would have locked me up if I hadn’t learned to keep what I was experiencing to myself.”
“Those jerks treated you like a crazy person because you saw things they couldn’t. I wish we had known about materializing me, then. I would have shocked their closed little minds and given them all a heart attack.”
Grace laughed half-heartedly at the image as a hitching pain cramped her chest at the memories.
“I didn’t tell Sophie about the ghosts, or the readings, or you. I thought it was safer to keep it between us.”
“But you told Billy.”
“Billy is ‘family,’ Danny. You can’t compare knowing someone your whole life with knowing someone a few years, no matter how close you are.”
“But tonight we’ll tell Sophie all about it.”
“Tonight will change things, for better or worse. I’m praying for the better. But let’s be a little cautious, not overwhelm her. We can tell her I can see ghosts and show her how you can manifest. If that goes well, I’ll get her up to speed on the readings part later, okay?”
Danny’s face grew pinched, and he looked like he would continue arguing with her. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Danny turned to glance at the front door, then looked back at Grace. He drew in a deep breath, releasing it forcefully through his nose.
“Okay, Gracie. It’s a deal.”
“Great. Are you ready?”
“Born ready.” His special mischievous grin sprang to life across his face.
With that, he jumped from his seat and rushed upstairs to his room to wait f
or Grace’s signal.
Chapter 10
Grace opened the door to catch Sophie staggering under the weight of a large, wrapped package, her expression sheepish.
“I know you said not to bring presents,” she apologized as she squeezed past Grace and into the house. “But I found these last year at Thomas & Jean’s used book store downtown and couldn’t resist buying them. Now I know why!” Sophie lowered the package to the table with a thump, smoothing out the ribbon on top.
Grace joined her at the table to admire the colorful, periodic-table-themed wrapping paper. “What is it?” She moved to peak at the card on top of the package.
“Oh, no.” Sophie slapped her hand away. “Not until we’ve blown out the candles and eaten the cake and ice cream.”
“Okay, okay!” Grace raised her hands in submission and headed toward the kitchen. “Let’s get those candles, then.”
Sophie followed her, her face lit with excitement.
Grace brought down Danny’s golden birthday cake with chocolate frosting from the top of the fridge. Few people would agree with having a birthday party for a brother who had been dead for almost a year. Fewer still would bring a present and be eager to share in the ice cream and cake. But with Sophie’s line of work, this might be a normal thing.
Sophie settled into a chair and put out three plates and forks while Grace lit the candles on the cake. Sophie leaned forward once Grace finished with the twelve candles. She had added one more for this year.
“Wait a minute,” Grace said. “I need to get something from upstairs. I’ll be right back.”
Grace left Sophie eyeing the lit cake and hurried into the living room. She didn’t need to step outside the room to call Danny, but she thought it would be better to manage his entrance from the other room.
“Let’s roll!” She motioned to Danny who had already snuck out of his room and was peering over the banister.
At her cue, he rushed down the steps two at a time to come tearing across the living room. He wasn’t manifest yet but was obviously ready to get his party kicked off.
Grace held up her hand to slow him down and led the way. As she entered the kitchen, she began singing “Happy Birthday” in a loud voice. Sophie jumped in right along with her up through “…you look like a monkey, and you smell like a zoo.”
“Blow out the candles,” Grace said with a wide grin.
Grace grabbed Danny’s hand where he was hovering behind her and pushed her energy into him. Before Sophie released the giant breath she held, Danny manifested and ran in to blow out the candles, some of which took extra effort to get out.
Sophie froze, the deep breath unreleased, as she stared with wide eyes at Danny.
Danny, sporting a mischievous grin, waved vigorously at her. “Hi Sophie.”
Sophie finally released her breath and faced Grace. “Is he real?” she asked with a small squeak.
“Real as a ghost can get,” Grace said, enjoying the surprised look on Sophie’s face. “I thought this type of thing was all in a day’s work for you,” she teased.
“Ghosts are not all in a day’s work.”
Sophie turned her attention back to Danny, who had finished cutting an enormous piece of cake for himself and was smothering it with scoops of vanilla ice cream. “Reading cards, yes, seeing ghosts…not what I do.”
“Well, welcome to my world,” Grace said.
Grabbing the knife, she cut pieces of the cake for herself and Sophie as Danny shoveled large chunks of food into his mouth. Luckily, the food disappeared like it would for a normal person, although where it went, they’d never figured out.
Grace handed Sophie a slice of cake with a scoop of ice cream. She started on her own food while she waited for Sophie to decide whether to eat or ask questions. Now came the tricky part. How would Sophie react?
Without warning, Sophie jumped up from her chair. She grabbed Danny in a hug, squeezing him tight enough that he dropped the forkful of cake heading to his mouth.
“Hey!” Danny groused as the food landed on the table.
Sophie continued to hug Danny as she turned to Grace, tears in her eyes. “How did this happen? When did this happen? How long has he been here?” The questions spilled from her in rapid fire.
Grace felt a moment of guilt. She hadn’t stopped to consider how seeing Danny again might affect Sophie. Her focus had been on her fears for herself and Danny.
“Enough hugging, more eating,” Danny said through a full mouth of mushy cake.
Sophie planted a kiss on the top of Danny’s head and took her seat, drying her eyes with a party napkin and picking up a fork.
“Spill!” she said, jabbing her fork at Grace and then Danny. “Tell me everything!”
Grace walked Sophie through their story as they finished their food and Danny had two more helpings. She talked about the moment she had awakened in the hospital, terrified at seeing the ghosts of people who’d died there, continuing up through learning how to manifest Danny. Sophie sat through the whole retelling, mesmerized, her fork moving on autopilot from the plate to her mouth.
“What do you think?” Grace asked, once she finished getting her up to speed.
“It’s great!” Sophie reached out to take Danny’s hand, which he allowed, his cheeks reddening. “It’s wonderful Danny’s back, no matter how it happened.”
“But that’s what we were hoping you could tell us!” Grace said. “What happened to me? How is this happening?” She pointed between herself and Danny.
“Goodness, Grace.” Sophie threw her hands up. “I don’t know what’s going on here. How could I?”
“Whoa, what do you mean you don’t know?” Danny asked, his attention on the conversation now that he’d cleaned his plate.
“But…” Grace’s voice faltered as her hope began to fade. “We thought you would help us figure it all out.”
Sophie shook her head, looking at Grace and Danny with compassion.
“Like I said earlier, I’m not a clairvoyant who can see ghosts or emanations. The tarot reading I do is by reading auras. The cards are for the clients to have something to focus on. They help me translate what I’m seeing in the clients’ auras. But I never see ghosts or interact with them. I’m not that type of Paranorm.”
Chapter 11
“Paranorm?” Grace and Danny said together.
A flash of dismay crossed Sophie’s face before a guarded expression replaced it. A chill moved down Grace’s spine as her open and flamboyant friend turned quiet.
“What just happened?” Danny’s exuberance drained away as he looked between Grace and Sophie.
“I’m guessing she said something she shouldn’t have.” Grace shrugged.
“The ‘Paranorm’ thing?”
“That’s what I would bet.”
Sophie sat, her lips pursed, her gaze flicking between Grace and Danny. She gave a deep sigh. “Okay, I guess it’s only fair for me to tell you more, since you told me about your abilities.”
“Yes, it is.” The tightness in Grace’s shoulders lessened.
“I’m not sure where to start, but here goes,” Sophie said. “This ability you possess, seeing and talking to ghosts like Danny. You aren’t the only one who can do these things. There are several clairvoyants in the city.” She waved her hand over her shoulder in the general direction of the street. “In fact, some of them live in this community with us.”
“Now that’s way cool!” Danny said, his excitement returning.
“How is it I never saw anything special about anyone in the neighborhood?” Grace asked, irritated with herself for not figuring it out.
“We value our privacy as much as you and Danny do, and we fear exposure as much as you do.”
Grace nodded her understanding. “How many are there? Is there a whole group of these ‘Paranorms,’ like a club, or gang, or something?”
Sophie laughed, shaking her head. “Nothing so sinister. The only way we are like a syndicate is we are all family, dista
nt cousins and such.”
“Can we meet more of them?” Danny pressed her.
Grace imagined his scientific mind was already moving into investigation mode at the discovery of an entire culture of people living unnoticed in the city.
A thousand questions were rolling through her mind, but she focused on the most important one at the moment.
“Can one of them help me with my ability? Will one of them help me?” She tried to keep the pleading out of her voice, her hope once again rising.
Sophie looked down at the table. “I’ve already told you more than I should.”
She held up her hand as Grace started to object. “Our family is sworn to secrecy for our own protection, and for reasons I won’t go into right now.”
“But how can it be a secret? You’re out there doing readings in broad daylight. Isn’t that the opposite of keeping things secret?”
“Ever hear of hiding in plain sight? What I do is a distraction to focus everyone’s mind on something they can almost trust. The people who come are one of three types: the curious unbeliever, the true believer, and the disbeliever wanting to prove it’s all a hoax. I read right off which type they are from their auras and then give them just enough to keep them guessing if it’s all real or not.”
“A great strategy.” Danny smiled in appreciation.
“But not one that gets us closer to getting answers,” Grace grumped.
“Back to your original question about talking to other Paranorms. I believe your abilities allow for an exception.” Sophie paused, looking back and forth between them.
“There’s someone I can try to get you in touch with who may be able to help you with your situation.”
“Another Paranorm? Somebody in your family?” Grace asked.
Sophie hesitated, her mouth twisting. “Not exactly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Grace asked, getting annoyed again.
Sophie held up her hands in pleading gesture. “I’m doing the best I can here. This is way outside my comfort zone. I’ll do whatever I can to help you and Danny, but please don’t ask me anything more. I’m in enough trouble already for sharing this much.”
Glamorous: A Grace Bishop Novel (Grace Bishop Novels) Page 5