by Simone Pond
I laughed and laughed, unable to stop.
“Is that funny?” Marlo asked, sounding a little nervous.
“Oh, sorry. I’m laughing at the irony. My vision … Get it.”
The silence lingered with a gooey awkwardness neither of us could wipe off.
“I’m so sorry,” she finally said.
“I didn’t take any offense,” I assured her, resting my hand on her shoulder. “Actually, I think it’s funny. And I’m glad you stopped to say hi because if anyone was an inspiration to anyone, it’s you, Marlo. From what I remember, you’re a quantum theory genius. You’d make Einstein blush.”
She laughed at that comment. “I’m about to start sophomore year at MIT, but honestly, I still don’t know if this is what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.” The conversation paused and grew still for a moment. “And, Sibyl, I’m just so sorry. About what happened.” She sniffed and started crying right there in line, the pretty light around her edges flickering in and out.
A dark entity oozed from behind Marlo in the shadows. A Spirit Handler was making a slow approach toward her. Something rushed through me. I needed to stop that evilness from making contact with this sweet girl. I couldn’t run away as I had done every other time. Surely, I could handle one of them on my own. The desire to comfort her and help bring back her glistening radiance overtook my fear. I grabbed her hand and moved out of the coffee line off to a corner where we could have a moment of privacy. The jitters from the tumult of the morning had vanished, and I felt serene and steady as I held her hand in mine.
“Don’t be sorry,” I told her. “Things happen for a reason. We might not know why at the time, but one day we will. If it makes you feel any better, I’m still figuring out what I’m doing with my life, too. You know, I think the best ones do that their whole life. Seek. Explore. Maybe that’s our purpose? To keep seeking?”
Woof!
“That and dogs,” I said, smiling.
Marlo laughed and the brilliant turquoise glow around her silhouette returned, letting me know her spirit had lifted once again. The evil creature had slithered away into the darkness. I realized they were stronger when our spirits were low—when we were most vulnerable. And when we were vulnerable, they made their move.
“Thanks for saying that. Always so wise,” Marlo said, then hugged me so that I breathed in her honeysuckle scent. “I’m glad I got to say hi before I head off for school this weekend. Driving across the country. Do you still have the same number?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“I want to stay in touch. If that’s okay?”
“Of course! And this cool new watch reads texts for me. So fire away.”
“Once I’m settled, I’ll hit you up. I better get going. Road trip to pack for and all.”
After Marlo left, Vago led me up to the counter. I was about to order a latte—my first one in a very long time—when the barista recited my order before I had a chance to utter a word.
“Tall almond-milk latte, no foam for Sib.” His voice sent ripples down my neck.
“Impressive,” I replied, keeping a calm demeanor, though my insides shook like the aftermath of an earthquake.
Of all the people to bump into as a rookie, why’d it have to be my ex? The one who didn’t find it at all difficult to split up after the accident. The one I had given up more than just my study hours to. Jack had taken something else from me that I could never get back—my innocence. Just a couple months before everything changed. He was my first. And apparently, we never forget our first. So I’d have the unfortunate burden of carrying around Jack Davenport as my first and possibly my only.
“Don’t remember me?” His spirit shimmered forest green with flecks of amber.
“How could I forget my ex-boyfriend?” I smiled, tilting my head in what used to be my signature move with Jack.
“Good to see you, Sibyl,” he said.
“You too. I mean … good to hear your voice.” I corrected myself. Then I felt self-conscious and quickly changed the subject. “Why are you here? I thought you were going to some university in the Midwest to play football. Wasn’t that one of your ‘top three reasons’ for the break-up?” I hadn’t meant to sound so bitter, so I smiled sweetly.
“I’m at Hillside. Decided to stay in town. Didn’t get the scholarship I was hoping for, so I’m working here to pay for classes.” He paused. “Anyway, I better get your drink order going. Got a line of caffeine addicts building up … I’ll come find you during my break.”
I gave him my credit card. “I’ll be here for a while, so take your time.”
He didn’t take my card. “It’s on me, Sib.”
“In that case, can I also have a chocolate croissant?” It was the least he could do for breaking up with me a few days after the accident.
Outside among the other people, I sipped my latte in heavenly glory and tore off flaky pieces of my buttery chocolate croissant. I almost felt like a normal nineteen-year-old just hanging out waiting for fall semester to begin. Except for the part where I was blind, the dog at my feet shifted into a human at midnight, and I could see spirits and visions. Otherwise, I was totally normal and fit right in with the crowd on the patio.
After some light conversations with some of the other customers and a few kids who fell in love with Vago, I spotted Jack’s forest green spirit coming my way.
“Sibyl Forsyth,” Jack said, pulling out the chair next to me.
“Jack Davenport,” I replied, taking note of the amber flecks in his spirit lighting up brighter.
He bent down to pet Vago. “Who’s this handsome guy?”
“Vago. My guide dog.”
Vago crept closer to me, not being his usual friendly self with Jack.
“And best friend,” I added, giving Vago a solid behind-the-ears scratch so that his blue spirit glimmered like sapphires.
“I’ve missed you, Sib,” Jack blurted.
My throat tightened up and I took a sip of my latte. That was completely unexpected, and I didn’t know how to respond without laying into him. After all, he was the one who shattered what was left of my broken heart after my parents died. In my hospital-bed delirium, I might’ve been the one who alluded to splitting up, but he didn’t even fight for me. Not for a second. He bolted through the window of opportunity as though I had threatened him with a shotgun.
At the table, the silence continued stretching between us, but I refused to fill it with fluff. Instead, I took a huge bite of my croissant to keep my mouth busy. It was better than saying a bunch of lame stuff that I’d regret later. Jack wasn’t a bad guy. He broke up with me because it was the right thing to do. If he hadn’t done it, I would’ve eventually.
“I still think about that night you single-handedly won the state championship game and got MVP. I’ve gone back a thousand times, wondering what I could’ve done differently.” He finally said something to break the groaning silence.
“Thank you for putting it that way,” I said softly.
“What way?”
“For not saying since the accident. Everyone always says that. Including me. It’s like this giant bookmark in my life that I wish would just go away. But you know what? It will never go away. No matter how many times any of us go back to that night. For some reason it was meant to be exactly how it happened. And maybe the loss of my parents, the end of my softball career, losing my sight, well, maybe one day all of those things will work together for some greater good. Who knows …”
Once those words exited my lips and entered the world, I felt an overwhelming release of weight from my body. Like I had removed a vest made of iron. Like the metal chains that were shackled to my wrists and ankles suddenly clanked to the cement below. I could finally breathe. Fully and freely.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Jack asked.
“Hmm. I didn’t realize how much I missed talking with other people.”
Woof!
“Sorry, Vago. What I meant to say was, I didn�
�t realize how much I want to feel normal around people. Regardless of what happened. I don’t want to be ashamed of my condition. I’ve been hiding myself away for so long I thought maybe I didn’t belong anywhere anymore.”
“Aww, Sibyl.” Jack patted my arm.
The touch wasn’t tender or sensual like when we were dating. No passion or longing exuded from the tips of his fingers. All I felt coming off of Jack was pity. He felt sorry for me. Like I was some broken girl who needed his assurance. What a joke! After I had spoken those words to him, I had actually experienced a breakthrough. I didn’t want his pity to ruin my special moment. I was about to explain this to him when I noticed a tall guy walking down the sidewalk toward the coffee shop. I noticed him because he didn’t appear like everyone else in a shadowy silhouette with a spirit sparkling around the edges. I could actually see him—the same way I could see Vago after he’d shift into his human form at midnight.
The guy strutted along, his blond hair draping over his forehead in a perfect swoop. His eyes—a crystal clear blue just like mine and Vago’s—actually twinkled when they caught sunlight. He wore a short-sleeve vintage shirt and narrow pants that looked straight out of a photograph from the John F. Kennedy days. Tall and slender, he carried himself with a relaxed confidence that gave him an air of maturity, yet there was something boyish about him. I was so shocked that I could actually see him, I hadn’t realized Jack had been talking.
He tapped my arm. “Helllllo, Sibyl?”
“Sorry, got distracted,” I mumbled, keeping my gaze focused on the guy heading toward the coffee shop.
As he got closer to the table, Vago got up from his spot on the sidewalk and ran over to sniff his hands. Vago’s blue spirit lit up as he stood on his hind legs and began licking the guy’s face.
I jumped out of my chair and pulled Vago away. “I’m so sorry!”
The guy laughed. “Oh, it’s okay. I remember this handsome fellow. Apparently, he remembers me, too.” His voice, deep and smooth, settled over me like a warm breeze.
My knees did a slight buckle thing. “You know Vago?”
“Yeah. I remember all of my grandmother’s dogs.”
Mystery solved … Eli Townsend had arrived.
I somewhat breathlessly said, “Hi, I’m Sibyl. And that’s Vago. Well, I guess you already know him …”
Jack stood up abruptly, scraping his chair along the cement. “I better get back to my shift. Good chatting with you, Sib. Hope to see a lot more of you.” When he leaned over and pecked my cheek, his kiss dripped with the same sentiment as before: a whole bunch of unwarranted pity. But I no longer felt the urge to explain myself.
“Thanks for the latte and croissant,” I said to Jack, then immediately turned my attention back to the conversation I actually wanted to pursue.
“Nice to officially meet you, Sibyl.” Eli held out his hand, then shook his head, embarrassed.
But I reached forward, not letting the moment slip by.
Upon resting my hand against Eli’s sturdy but gentle grip, I knew without a smidgen of doubt that things—supernatural and otherwise—most definitely happen for a reason.
Chapter Fourteen
Vago
When Eli Townsend showed up at the coffee shop, a sudden breeze passed across my nose and ran through me with a hundred fragments of memories that—for a split second—congealed before they split apart again. I recognized his scent. Eli and I had to have known each other from my forgotten past. The moment I caught wind of him approaching the table, something in the air brought back all the familiarity of home. He might be the one to unlock the mystery. I couldn’t stop my tail from wagging or stop myself from jumping up to get a deeper inhale and a closer look. His eyes were the same clear blue as Sibyl’s—the same as mine—and also seemed to look beyond this world …
When my tongue made contact with Eli’s chin, I knew after a few licks the boy was different. While he appeared like your average college student, he had a supernatural vibe that flickered off of his skin like a stick of dynamite getting ready to blow. Something untapped lay just beneath the surface. The three of us meeting at that coffee shop was no mistake. It couldn’t have been.
He patted my head with a smile, not minding my intrusive behavior, then he knelt down to my level. Sibyl leaned in closer as she spoke to Eli and her voice was more relaxed. When she reached out and grabbed his hand, they both jumped back as a spark of electricity shot between their fingertips.
Eli’s eyes widened. “Whoa, did you—”
“Feel that?” she said.
Eli looked at his hand. “What was that?”
“Maybe you should get some coffee first.” Sibyl smiled, resting her hand on his arm.
“Sounds ominous. Should I be worried?” He had a wry grin.
Woof!
“Vago wants you to get some coffee and join us,” she said.
Eli looked at me, then back to Sibyl with his brows raised slightly. I wagged my tail, letting him know he was safe in our company. He laughed and nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
Sibyl returned to her chair, and I rested my head on her lap as she scratched behind my ears. “You feel something, too, don’t you?” she asked.
Woof!
“I don’t know what’s going on, but there is definitely something beyond the norm. I can see him, buddy. Like the way I see you. That’s gotta mean something, don’t you think?”
I licked her hand to let her know I agreed. It seemed like we had found the missing piece that might help us solve this supernatural puzzle. Give us some answers about my past. Maybe help us glean a better understanding about our visions. Eli was the link between his grandmother, Sibyl and me. We just had to line it all up.
When Eli returned to the table with his coffee, he sat across from Sibyl and fidgeted with his coffee sleeve. Nervous energy flowed all around him, and I wondered what he was seeing. Did he know anything about this supernatural stuff? Sibyl needed to get down to business before the poor guy backed out.
Woof!
She glanced in my direction, irritated with my not-so-gentle nudging, then she stared across the table at Eli. “Thanks for meeting with me. I’m sure you’re wondering why I contacted you out of the blue.”
“I was a little surprised when I got your email. But your name kept ringing a bell somewhere in the back of my mind. I did an internet search. Sorry … but these days, you just don’t know who’s trying to scam you. Especially now that I’m in charge of my grandmother’s estate.”
Sibyl smiled and said, “Oh, no offense taken.”
Eli continued. “Once I read about you, it hit me like a ton of bricks. You were one of my grandmother’s students. She liked you so much that she gave you Vago.” He took a moment to rub behind my ears. “My grandmother loved working with you and was brokenhearted when you stopped coming. But she always said you’d come back around. That one day you and I would become close. Very close.” Eli’s cheeks reddened, but he kept talking. “I’d ask her how that was even possible since I lived all the way down in Southern California, but she’d just grin in her mischievous way. She was a strange and mysterious woman.”
Sibyl said shyly, “I’m sorry, but your grandmother never mentioned you. I didn’t know about you until Vago was searching the internet last night. I didn’t even know she had passed away.”
Eli gazed at Sibyl, then looked at me. “Your dog knows how to search the internet?”
“Hmm. That sounded strange. I meant we were together while I was searching …”
He smiled at Sibyl and rubbed my head. “Why were you searching for information about my grandmother?”
“It’s a long and bizarre story, but something came up related to Vago and me. Since your grandmother brought us together, I thought she might have some answers.”
Sibyl sat still, waiting for Eli to say something, but he remained silent. The afternoon sun moved across the sky and settled over the patio. He moved his chair to keep the sun out of his eyes.
Every move he made, Sibyl tracked from behind her dark-framed sunglasses. Was she going to tell him she could see him? Or mention any of the supernatural happenings? I didn’t know why she was stalling, but I was sure she had a reason.
“What kind of answers?” he asked after a prolonged silence.
“If you don’t know the whole story, it’ll just sound nuts. But mainly, we were hoping you might have some background information on Vago. Where he came from. Also, maybe some information about me …”
“Information about Vago, sure. I could dig through some of her files. But what exactly are you looking for about you?”
“Just … anything, um, unusual about my condition,” Sibyl said, trepidation now lacing each word.
Eli sipped his coffee and studied Sibyl carefully. “It’s a little tough to know what you need when you’re being so elusive.”
“I’m sorry. This was a bad idea.” Sibyl scooted her chair away from the table and stood up. “We thought maybe you’d know something we didn’t.”
“You keep saying ‘we’ like you and Vago are making decisions together or something,” he said in a light tone.
“I’ve wasted your time. We should get going.”
Sibyl took my leash and tried to pull me up off the sidewalk, but I ducked behind Eli’s legs, not willing to give up so easily. I couldn’t let her walk away without connecting a single dot in our story.
“Looks like Vago wants to stay,” Eli teased Sibyl.
“Come on, buddy.” She yanked the leash.
Woof!
When I wouldn’t budge from my spot, she set down the leash and lifted her wrist up to her mouth and spoke into the watch, asking for directions back to the house. The traitor was going to leave me behind at the coffee shop and go off on her own. I uncurled from behind Eli and joined her side, lifting my leash up to her hand.
Eli got up and stood a few inches from Sibyl. “You haven’t wasted my time. I’ve enjoyed talking with you. Although, I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. But I’ll look at my grandmother’s files later and see what I can find out about Vago. I’m sure there’s something about where she got him and the other dogs she trained. And when you’re ready to give me more details about what else you need, I’m here to help.”