Clarissa let go, allowing Jackson’s soul to snap back into his body like a taut rubber band that’s been cruelly released. It reverberated throughout his system, raising his heart rate and causing his eyes to tear up at the corners. His soul was very flexible and not easily broken, but it still hurts a body when someone messes around with it.
“Shit,” Jackson expelled the crude word on a breathy whisper. “Remind me again not to do that.” He touched his sides, feeling them for injury. There weren’t any. As anyone who knows, the torturing of the soul leaves no visible markings. While the pain can become excruciating for the victim the physical results, if there are any, can be written off as any other illness or common diseases.
“I told you, my gifts aren’t good.” Clarissa replied after several seconds of watching Jackson catch his breath. She bit her bottom lip, staring down at her hands, hands of destruction. “My gifts are meant to destroy. It’s what I am.”
“I know. I felt it.” He brushed his hand over his forehead, wiping at the sheen of sweat that had formed over the smooth tanned skin. Bringing it away, he looked down to see that mixed in with the clear liquid were the swirls of his own blood.
“And he knows, doesn’t he?” Jackson made the statement all the while still looking at the evidence of her gifts on his fingers.
“What?” Clarissa couldn’t believe what she was hearing from him. She had thought she’d extracted him from her inner self before he could see too deeply or guess at what she had to hide.
“I saw him,” Jackson said. “I see him even now, now that I know what I’m looking at. I don’t know who he is, but I know he’s like you except reversed. He’s who you’re supposed to hate. This man, who has given his energy to make you whole and I see the evidence of his work reflected on your skin and in your soul. He knows what you are and he knows what that means.”
A flash of sympathy flashed across Jackson’s face as he tilted his head and saw her for what she was. “You care for him and you’re afraid that you’ll be forced to choose between keeping him and doing what’s in your blood to do.” A bitter tinged chuckle escaped his mouth.
“And I thought I had issues, but you my friend you win the eff’d up prize for today. Here,” he handed her a snack cake from an open box on the coffee table. “You need this more than I do.”
“Thanks,” she said, taking the cream filled cake. Opening the transparent wrapping she popped the whole cake in her mouth. Talking around the food in her mouth she continued. “We’re a pretty melodramatic pair, aren’t we? Sorry about that thing I did, you got to be careful around me. I’m a little dangerous at times.”
“You’re telling me, you’re like a femme fatal or something,” he scoffed. “Let’s be clear about all this.” Jackson leaned forward, his arms braced on his knees. “What are you exactly and who is this guy you’re obviously heart-struck for and is apparently in the same precarious position with you? You know you haven’t even been in this city a week and already everyone knows who you are? And I think you and I both know your name isn’t brought up to compliment your stylish fashion choices. By the way, is that my old back-pack?”
Clarissa glanced down at the ratty old back-pack she’d put on the floor near the recliner. “Yeah, is it,” she answered. “You left it here and I thought I could borrow it. It’s really not so worn out. I just had to put a safety pin in one of the straps and I used a pair of tweezers to bend back the broken zipper teeth. And the worn frayed part on the front pocket could be covered with a decal sticker or a stitch on patch. Really there’s a lot you could do to spiff it up and make it almost new again.”
“Is that a thing you do all the time?” Jackson criticized with a half grin. “Steering people away from uncomfortable conversations all the while making people think you’re that nice simple human woman who’s always apologizing for things. I’m sorry that’s not going to work for me. Don’t forget I’ve already seen that dark spot inside you.”
“Then if you know, then you know why I make such a point not to show it.” She rubbed her hands on the soft fabric of her skirt. “I have to try extra hard to remember not to use my gifts. Most of it I don’t even understand, nor do I want to find out. Corrigan only see’s the good in me, he thinks he’s evil inside and that I’m nothing but pure goodness. But he’s wrong. Inside me is that dark spot that I fear will consume me if I let it. He may be a monster, but so am I.”
“Wait,” Jackson interrupted. “You said his name is Corrigan?” He was actually flabbergasted at hearing that name and the fact that it was linked to Clarissa.
“Yes,” she answered tentatively, trying to figure out where he was going with the question. The LeMoyne family was well known to those close to the Eidolon, but rarely did anyone know of their personal names. A name gave them a measure of humanity and most of the citizens, living or dead in the old city wouldn’t give the creatures from the island the dignity.
“Wow, the world is indeed turning itself over on its side.” Jackson shook his head, almost not believing that Corrigan LeMoyne had finally fallen over the edge. The poor guy, he truly knew how to pick them. You’d think he and Clarissa would be about as compatible as a snake and mongoose.
“How do you know Corrigan?” Jackson had a lot of friends in the area. Clarissa already knew that he was a likeable guy. But she still found it hard to think of Jackson and Corrigan ever crossing paths let alone getting to know each other’s names. Corrigan wasn’t the mostly friendly on first time meetings.
“Actually, he saved my life.” Jackson leaned back again against the couch as he thought back to that night. He’d been out with his friends, hanging out in the Orlando area trying to figure out what to do on a Saturday night with one car, too little money and too young to get into any of the clubs.
“Some guys and I were walking by some stores along the OBT late one night. This was about three years ago.” At Clarissa’s raised eyebrows he pointed out the fact that he’d been young and stupid. “We were bored and wanted to see what a real prostitute looked like. Trust me, they’re not so well preserved standing out in the Florida sun. Anyway, there were a couple of older guys tailing us and they probably thought we were an easy target, well dressed and too stupid to know better than to hang around drug dealers and prostitutes.”
Jackson scratched his forehead, a sardonic smile on his mouth. “I can’t believe I was that young and naïve. The biggest one got one of my friends; he was about a year younger than I. The first thing they wanted was his wallet. But they were as bored as we were and thought they might have a little fun with us before they let us go.”
“I didn’t see him at first. It kind of freaks me out how he moves like he’s not really there. One minute there’s just a shadow between the lights and the building and then there’s Corrigan. He didn’t know who I was, but I guess he figured we weren’t buddies with the two thugs. It wasn’t pretty and I bet their family thinks they got shot on some bum deal.”
“He didn’t speak to any of us, just hauled the guys off behind one of those huge tourist T-shirt shops. I guess he was saving them until he could get rid out the ‘scared shit-less’ kids. Then he came back and told us that he didn’t want to see our scrawny asses anywhere near this place again.”
“He was right to warn you away. You could have been really hurt.” Clarissa gave Jackson a peeved look. “I can only imagine that your parents or grandmother were blissfully unaware you were out by yourself, so far away from home.”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “But what really confused me was that I knew what he was. I’ve been told my whole life that his kind is evil and that I shouldn’t be caught near one of them. I couldn’t figure out how something that’s supposed to be a monster would care about a couple of kids getting attacked. He didn’t know us and yet he’d saved our lives.”
“That’s Corrigan,” Clarissa said with a knowing smile. “He’s a complete contradiction to the norm.”
“That’s why I had to know more about him. But it
’s hard to track down one of them. They don’t exactly like living company. I got lucky, though, when I stumbled upon him walking the beach one night with this huge black dog. It was really bizarre. It had these red eyes that looked at me and I swear it could predict my own death.”
Clarissa nodded her head in understanding; the dog was a little off putting at first. Then again, Corrigan had that same quality about him as well. It took a second to get past the eyes then once you did you couldn’t help but find him adorable.
“Yes, that’s Corrigan’s favorite spot. It’s his thinking area.”
“He didn’t want to talk to me at first, told me several times to get my ass home. But I was persistent and he finally caved. He told me who he was and that he and his family lived on Anastasia Island, that they owned commercial real-estate and said that I had a real shot at sales. He thought I had the gift to make a saint yearn to fall into sin and a sinner pine for redemption, whatever that means.”
“Jackson,” Clarissa said his name, a questioning note in her voice. She leaned forward in the recliner, resting her elbows on her knees. “Would you think I’m insane if I told you I don’t think the LeMoyne’s are responsible for all the deaths in this city?”
Jackson scratched his forehead absently, thinking for a second. “No,” he finally answered. “But everyone else would. It’s like this. The wolves eat the sheep in the fields. If the shepherd finds his sheep slaughtered in the pen, he’s not going to scratch his head and wonder who’s responsible. It’s always going to be the wolf.”
“What if it’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing,” Clarissa suggested, using the variation on the well known fairytale. Everyone always expected the wolf to present themselves in the disguise of innocent sheep. But what if the fluffy white creature had decided it wanted to play the monster?
“That’s an interesting turn of thought, but there’s a problem with that theory.” Jackson reached for a small envelope on the table. It was half concealed under the box of snack cakes. He pulled it out, extending it across the table to Clarissa.
“In the end the wolves are still wolves, evil monsters to the end. And the shepherd will always protect his sheep no matter how stupid or devious the powder-puff creatures are. Someone left that for you early this morning.”
Clarissa took the envelope from Jackson, seeing the gold curving letters on the outside. At once she knew it was from them; the council members. Pulling back the adhesive tab on the back she pulled out the thick white card stock.
‘You’re cordially invited…’ it read in bold thick lettering on the white card stock. Two weeks from now Clarissa, along with other fortunate members of the advisory council would be sitting in the dining room of one Cyrus Cercopoly. The esteemed host and his compatriots would sit down to a fine meal prepared by a guest chef flown in from Dallas. Then all would adjourn to the stark and coldly designed salon where they would discuss ‘community affairs’.
Clarissa was suspicious of having been asked to join the advisory council after only spending a few days in the city. Those who were previously asked had resided in St. Augustine for decades, some of them longer than Clarissa had been alive. The council’s graciousness held her in suspicion of their secretive nature. The few encounters with The Four had led her to believe that each kept secrets from the community and from each other. In the world of politicians these ghosts were the norm.
Chapter 18-
“What are going to wear for the dinner?” Eleanor asked as they sat in her sitting area up in her rooms. Boxes were stacked all over the floor and even more were piled on her bed in the other room. Lizzy had sent them over along with a note saying that she would be happy to be her go to designer when she traveled with the Eidolon council.
Clarissa stood by the window, her shoulder resting against the glass. It was getting colder outside. An unexpected but most appreciative cold front had deemed to push on through the barrier and bring extreme cold weather to the Sun Shine State. It would be the first cold snap of the season. But it wouldn’t last long.
The sun was leaving the city again and the wash of night could already be seen in the evening sky. Clarissa watched as the colors changed, thinking.
It had been a week and half now since Candice Snow had been attacked on the streets of downtown St. Augustine. She was recovering well, unfortunately she remembered very little of that night.
And in that time much had changed. Jackson had been right. A wolf was and always would be a wolf no matter how adorable and sweet they were. And she was forced to keep her wolf a secret from the rest because of it. Only her two human friends knew the truth.
“Clarissa, are you in the same room with me?” Eleanor invaded her musings.
Turning around she brushed at her hair, giving her ghost friend an apologetic grin. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. What did you say?”
Eleanor held up the dress in her lap. “What do you think of this one?” She held up a rose colored cocktail dress that looked like something worn by ladies in the nineteen fifties. “Retro is so in right now. I think this color would look absolutely beautiful with your coloring.” Placing the dress on the arm of the couch beside her she reached across the table and picked up one of the smaller boxes. “There are shoes to match as well. What do you think?” She put the shoes over the dress trying to see the effect without actually having them on a human body.
Clarissa fingered the delicate satin, liking it very much. She wondered what Corrigan would think of her if he saw her in this number. He wasn’t very up on fashion. He’d probably think it was something from this time period. Eleanor would have a complete fit to know that he only owned two pairs of shoes. But then on second thought she knew that they’d never have the opportunity to meet.
“It’s lovely.” Clarissa picked up the shoes. They had charming little kitten heels instead of the obnoxious four or eight inch heels that many women were wearing these days. Putting a hand on the arm of the chair she braced herself as she replaced her own shoes with the matching satin dress shoes.
Stepping back from the couch, she made a dramatic twirl in front of Eleanor. “How do they look on me?”
Eleanor smiled down at the satin slip-ons then up at Clarissa’s smiling face. “They look absolutely perfect. You’ll outshine them all at the dinner this weekend.”
Clarissa’s smile faltered. “I wish you could come with me to the dinner.” Eleanor had never been asked to be on the committee. “The other women aren’t the friendliest ghosts. They all give me those chilled vacant stares when they see me or find some reason to wander off where I’m sure they whisper about me.”
Eleanor pulled Clarissa down on to the couch next to her. “Don’t concern yourself with those washed out old prune faces. The whole lot of them are sour grapes with an over abundance of self importance just because they’re on some committee.” She eyed Clarissa, hurriedly adding, “Not that it’s not a privilege to be asked; of course.”
“I still don’t know why they want me,” Clarissa added.
Eleanor always had a ready response for this question. “Because the council members see that you are gifted and they want you to use your talents to help the community.” Eleanor still didn’t fully know what those talents were, but she knew that there would come a time when she would be a valuable asset against their enemies.
“Maybe,” Clarissa remarked, noncommittally.
“I asked Lizzy to put something together for Jackson too.” Eleanor went over to a large box in the corner by the window. “I don’t trust men to pick out their own clothes. So I thought just to be safe and to make sure he complimented your dress, I would choose for him.”
She opened the box, pulling out a pair of slacks. “Lizzy can work with tangible cloth too. She doesn’t keep much in the store, but she has a woman who runs a web-site for her that lets her sell online. She had the woman send these over from Ft. Lauderdale where Lizzy keeps a warehouse. She staffs about thirty tailors and seamstresses to make the clothes.”
/> Eleanor opened another box to reveal a burgundy colored dress shirt. A jacket was in yet another box along with a patterned tie and gold stick-pin. “I hope he has black dress shoes because I didn’t think to order any.”
Clarissa nodded her head in approval as Eleanor held up the clothing ensemble. “I think Jackson at least has shoes that you’ll find acceptable.”
Putting everything neatly back in the boxes Eleanor added with dire insistency, “And please, Clarissa, make sure he’s wearing the right color socks. Black socks and nothing else. Don’t let him out of this house in colored socks or, God forbid, white socks.”
Clarissa took off the satin dress shoes, putting them back in a floral colored shoe box. She sat on the couch, her feet curled under her. “I’ll make sure he looks good enough to be on the cover of GQ. Is that satisfactory enough?”
Eleanor came back to the couch. “How is he doing, by the way? He’s been staying here a lot more than usual. He comes over to the house after school every day now and stays for dinner. About the only thing he doesn’t do here is sleep. Jackson seems to open up to you more, like you’re a friend rather than an employer of his grandmother.”
Clarissa knew what Eleanor meant. Jackson had opened up to her about his life. He'd opened up more so to her because he felt that they both had to deal with being different and the at times difficult expectations of others who thought they knew what was best for them. Maddy hadn’t questioned her grandson overly much about the fight with his parents. Figuring that when he graduated from high school he’d be in a better position to make the next tough decisions in his life without his parent’s at times overbearing influence, but then neither did she want to steer him into a particular direction, the S.S., if that wasn’t what he wanted.
“He’s better when he’s here with us. He and Leah have been going out a lot and I think it’s good that he has a friend who doesn’t see him as weird or unnatural because of his gifts.”
Eleanor made a curious expression. “What do you think of Jackson and Leah? They could make a very interesting couple, don’t you think? They have been hanging out a lot more than usual.”
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