Divided (Elena Ronen, Private Investigator)

by Jennifer Sights

  “If you’d shut the hell up for a minute, I’d tell you that now I know how to use my power for healing, I can heal you, too. But now, I’m not so sure I want to.”

  We stared at each other and I felt my power prickle down my spine with my anger. I didn’t want to hurt Kevin. I wanted to heal him. But I was angry.

  I gave in first. “Kevin, I’m sorry. Do you want me to try to heal you?”

  “Try?”

  “Well I haven’t done it on a physical wound on anyone else. You know this is all new to me, so please stop giving me such a rough time.”

  He sighed. “I’m sorry, too, Elena. You’re right. We’re both really stressed out. But yeah, if you could heal me, that would be awesome. This battered face kind of sucks, and my arm hurts like hell.”

  “Alright. When I healed myself, I didn’t feel anything. I don’t know what it will feel like for you. But I’ll do what I can. Just try to relax. Lie on the bed. I’m going to meditate for a few minutes to calm my mind. I’ll tell you before I do anything.” I sat on the floor, counting my breaths. As my mind calmed, I saw how to heal Kevin.

  “I’m going to kneel next to you on the bed and hold my hands over your body. Just relax.” I called my power, held the thought ‘heal his body’ in my mind, and pictured Kevin whole and well. I moved my hands along his body, not quite touching him, and gently pushed my power into him. I moved slowly, waiting until I felt each area was completely healed before moving to the next. When I finally felt that he was healed, I called my power back to me and collapsed on the bed, exhausted.

  “Elena? Elena? Are you okay?” Kevin sounded frantic.

  “Yes, just tired. Need sleep, and food.”

  “What do you want first?”

  “Don’t care.” The world went black.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  When I woke, it was dark. I wasn’t sure if it was nighttime, or simply the drapes blocking out the sun. Vittorio sat at the little table in the corner, hunched over his laptop. Kevin sat on the other bed watching TV. I sat up and saw a cheeseburger and fries on the nightstand. My stomach growled, ordering me to eat. I took a bite to find it was cold.

  Vittorio came to me when I moved. “Are you alright, mio amore?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just really tired.”

  “You have healed both Kevin and me in a matter of hours. That would be draining for the most experienced practitioner of the power. For someone as new as you, who did not know how to heal until today…I am surprised you are awake already. I would have thought you would sleep for at least a full day.”

  “Sorry the burger’s cold, Elena,” Kevin said. “You were out like a light, and I didn’t know what you needed, so I ordered it as soon as I could. I can go ask them if they can heat it up or something.”

  I was already taking another bite, shaking my head. “Uh-uh,” I said through a mouthful of food. “Need to eat.”

  “Very ladylike,” Kevin said.

  I shot him a Look, then swallowed. “You should be nice to me. Didn’t you have a broken arm a few hours ago?”

  “Yeah, thanks for that. I really appreciate it.”

  “Anytime.”

  “Let’s hope not. Just because you can heal me like that doesn’t mean I want to go around breaking my arm every day.”

  I finished the burger, then relaxed into Vittorio’s arms. I was still exhausted, and realized I was shivering. “Why am I so cold?”

  “Your body is depleted of energy.” Now that I was done stuffing my face, the full force of the coldness hit me, and I couldn’t stop shivering. “The bathtub is very shallow. I think I will take you down to the hot tub to help you warm up. Kevin, will you be alright here by yourself for a while?”

  “Sure thing, boss.” He again saluted.

  “Would you like to sit in the hot tub for a while, mio amore?”

  “Yeah, that would be good. I’m freezing.” Vittorio helped me change into a swimsuit that he must have had Julian bring with the rest of our clothes and I put my robe on over it. I was shivering so violently Vittorio had to help me walk down the steps to the pool area. I stuck a toe into the hot tub and it felt as if it would burn, but once my skin grew accustomed to the heat, it felt heavenly. I sank down into the hot water with a contented sigh.

  “You and Kevin seem to be getting along pretty well. Boss.” I said, grinning.

  “We had a man to man talk while you were sleeping. It seems that when you healed him, he also got a glimpse into your heart. He was able to see how happy I make you. He told me that anyone who could make you that happy was okay by him. I promised him I would take the best care of you I could.”

  “I’m glad you two are getting along.”

  “You really do need to be more careful with your power Elena. If you use too much energy, you could seriously harm yourself. Healing takes a lot out of a person. Most will not perform more than one major healing in a twenty-four hour time span. You are far more powerful than anyone I have heard of. You will be able to do great things, mio amore.”

  “I don’t want to do great things. I just want this mess to be over with, and to be with you.” I huddled closer to him in the water.

  “I know. We will have to take things one day at a time. We can do nothing else.”

  I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by ‘great things,’ but I was too tired to worry about it just then. I just wanted to be normal. Some of this magic stuff was cool, but I wasn’t sure it was worth the cost.

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  Vittorio and I spent the next day poring over stories about the Fountain of Youth. We studied the map, but couldn’t figure out how the spell was hidden in it or what it might mean.

  “It is possible that only the original will show the spell. Because we are working with a copy, it may not show up.”

  “Or maybe I just can’t translate it like Samuel hopes.”

  “That is possible. I think he is grasping at straws. Your power is very strong, but there is no reason for him to believe you are the one strega this century to have that particular power.”

  “Do you think Clavius knows what Samuel is doing?” I asked while we ate room service for dinner.

  “I do not know. It is very possible he does not, he has been so grief-stricken. That may be why Samuel’s plans are just now ramping up. Courtney’s appearance may have kicked it off as well.”

  “They were using each other,” I said.

  Kevin and Vittorio raised eyebrows as if on queue.

  “When she ran away from home and Miriam started bringing her around, Samuel would have seen her as an easy opportunity to get the map Ms. Carmen wouldn’t sell to him. He would have thought a young girl like her would be flattered by an older man’s attention, so he flirted with her and started dating her as a way to get to the map.

  “What he didn’t know was Courtney was using him as a way into the coven. She would have done anything he asked if she thought he would convince Clavius to let her join.”

  “How do you know this?” Vittorio asked.

  “The second time I talked to her at The Chapel, I could tell by the way she looked at Samuel that she didn’t love him. She didn’t outright admit it, but she didn’t deny it, either.” I paused. “I’m going to try calling her again.”

  This time, she answered. “Courtney, it’s Elena. Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, I guess so, but something weird happened to me and I don’t know who I can talk to.”

  “You can talk to me if you want to,” I said.

  “Can I meet you somewhere?” She sounded nothing like the confident girl she was at The Chapel.

  I muted my phone and asked Vittorio, who agreed. After setting up a time and place, I hung up.

  Vittorio arranged for a cab to pick us up in the hotel parking garage and to drop us off a few blocks away from the coffee shop where we were meeting Courtney.

  “Isn’t this a bit of overkill?” I asked. “Nobody knows where we are, right? They would have come for
us by now if they did.”

  “You are probably right, but I can not be too careful with your safety, mio amore.”

  “Or your own,” I said.

  Courtney sat in the back of the coffee shop, staring blankly down at the empty table. She wore no makeup, and I got a hint of the girl next door from the photo her mother had given me. I ordered drinks for all of us, hoping plain coffee would be alright for Courtney. “What happened, Courtney?”

  “You’ll probably think I’m crazy,” she said, blowing on the coffee.

  “I doubt that. Please, you can trust me,” I said while looking her straight in the eye.

  “I don’t know. It’s just…” she paused, and I waited. “Well, Samuel convinced me to borrow my mom’s map. I know how much that thing means to her, so I made him promise he’d just make a copy then give it back. All he gave me was a blank piece of paper, though, as if he thought I was dumb enough not to check it before I left.”

  “Did you say anything to him?”

  “Of course. He made a big show of checking the poster tube it was in, then said he’d brought the wrong one home from his office. It seemed strange to me.”

  I raised an eyebrow at Vittorio.

  Ask if anyone was with Samuel when he returned the map, he said in my head, so I did.

  “Yeah, some guy. I’ve seen him a few times. I think his name is Neal.” She took a sip of coffee.

  She will have to stay someplace else until we know what Samuel is up to. If what I suspect is true, she isn’t safe. Perhaps I could get her a room at our hotel.

  How on earth was I supposed to tell her that without freaking her out? Well, let’s explain all this to her before scaring the crap out of her, okay?

  “I’m going to tell you something that may sound unbelievable, but please try to keep an open mind,” I said. “There are people in the world who have a power. You might call it magic, but we prefer to simply call it power. Everyone with power has different abilities. One of the abilities some people have is to cause people to see things in another manner from reality. It’s called glamour. You seem to be able to see through it.”

  “I don’t understand,” Courtney said, hands shaking around her coffee cup.

  “It seems as if you are blessed with power, Courtney,” Vittorio said.

  She sank down into her chair and said nothing for a full minute.

  “Courtney, are you alright?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. This is all so strange,” she said.

  “I understand, Courtney. I just discovered my power about a month ago, and it was quite a shock. My discovery was a bit more blatant than yours.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It was a very personal experience. I’ll tell you about it some other time, perhaps, but not right now.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Courtney, look, I don’t want to scare you, but Samuel’s mixed up in some bad stuff right now. Just to be safe, I don’t think you should stay at home for a few days.”

  “Is he going to hurt me? I didn’t even get the map back from him.” She sat up straight again, hands still shaking slightly.

  “I won’t lie to you; I don’t know. I want you to be careful. We’re actually doing the same thing right now. You can stay at the same hotel with us.”

  “But I can’t afford it, and my mom’s out of town, and I wouldn’t want to ask her for money anyway.”

  “I will pay for your room,” Vittorio said.

  “Oh, no, I couldn’t let you do that.”

  “Please, it is nothing. I am well able to afford it, and would prefer to see you safe, even if we are being overly cautious.”

  Courtney searched my face, as if asking me what she should do.

  I nodded, hoping she’d agree.

  “Well, if you’re sure.”

  “Yes, it is no problem,” Vittorio said. He did relax a little and let Courtney drive us back to the hotel so she would not have to leave her car parked on the street.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  “Perhaps I should set up a meeting with Clavius,” Vittorio said once we were back at the hotel and Courtney was safely in her room.

  “But what if he does know what Samuel is doing?” Kevin asked.

  “There is only one way for us to find out,” Vittorio said.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt by these people again. I won’t let you just give yourself up to this guy if he is part of it all,” Kevin said.

  “I’ll be armed, and it’s the only choice we have. We haven’t figured anything out on our own, and we can’t just sit in this hotel forever.”

  “At least let me go with you,” Kevin said.

  “Absolutely not. Look what happened last time. You have no defense against them. What if they killed you?” Tears pricked my eyes at the mere thought of losing Kevin.

  “Elena is right,” Vittorio said. “It would be safer if you stay here. I do not want her to be distracted with worry over you.”

  Kevin stood. “Fine. Whatever. I’m going to my room.”

  A tear slid down my face as he walked away.

  Vittorio reached across the table to wipe it away.

  “I am certain he understands, mio amore. It must be hard on him to be stuck here with us, hiding, yet unable to do anything to help.”

  “I know. I just hope our friendship can take it.”

  “It will. Kevin cares for you very much. He will not let this destroy your friendship.”

  I tried to smile.

  “Elena, I want to start teaching you more about witchcraft. Now, more than ever, with the strength of your power, you need to be able to decide if you would want to be Sacerdotessa or not.”

  “You said yourself you don’t even want to be Sacerdote. Why should I want something you don’t?”

  “I explained to you the obligation I feel to my coven and why I would not refuse the title. If you were by my side, it would be more bearable. We could do great things together.” He reached for my hand.

  “I don’t want to do great things, with or without you.”

  “Sometimes, the fates have things planned for us which we do not like, but must go along with even so. You would not be blessed with such power if there was not some purpose for it.”

  “Blessed? You call this a blessing?” I pulled my hand away from his.

  “Some would, yes.”

  “I don’t care about some. I care about you.”

  He paused, as if debating how to answer. “Yes, I call it a blessing. I know it is hard for you to understand. I have had power almost all my life; you only a short time. You do not understand. In time you will see it for the blessing it is. Look at what you did for Kevin, and for me. Would you give that up?”

  “Of course not! I would never take back having been able to heal both of you. It’s all just a bit overwhelming. Please, be patient with me.”

  “I understand, mio amore. Will you at least let me teach you? I will not push you one way or the other if the opportunity arises, but I want you to know my ways, even if you do not adopt them as your own.”

  “Yes. I want to learn. I need something in my life to center me. But I don’t know if I believe in God, much less many gods.”

  “All you can do is learn. Time will help you discover what you believe.”

  “I’ll do my best for you, Vittorio.”

  “Do your best for yourself, mio amore. Now, shall we retire? We both have a lot to think about.”

  “Clavius has agreed to meet us at the Eat Rite Diner. It’s a few miles from here, but we can make the walk,” Vittorio said the next day.

  “I’m going to tell Kevin where we’re going, and when we’ll be back.” I knocked on the door to Kevin’s room. “Kevin, Vittorio and I need to go out for a few hours.” I explained the situation to him. “If we don’t make it back, call Jerry. If we’re going to be late, I’ll call.”

  “I still think this is a bad idea.”

  “We don’t have much choice. We haven’t figured anything ou
t ourselves, and we don’t have time to waste.”

  “Arguing with you isn’t going to do any good, is it?”

  I shook my head.

  “Alright. Be careful.” He sat down and turned on the TV.

  Vittorio and I started walking to the restaurant.

  “Mio amore, your power is bleeding off you. You must concentrate,” he said after a few blocks.

  “Sorry. What if Clavius does know what Samuel is doing? We could be walking into a trap.”

  “That is why we must shield so strongly. We must block out any power he may attempt to throw at us.”

  We seemed to have arrived early, so got a table in the back and ordered coffee. I thought about ordering an appetizer, but my stomach flip-flopped too much for me to consider eating.

  Clavius slid into the booth across from us. He studied me as he had the first time we met, and I felt the weight of his gaze even more strongly. As I had before, I froze, unable to think or move. I recovered as soon as Clavius took his eyes off me to look at Vittorio, and made a mental note to be careful with him. He affected me as strongly as Vittorio did, but in a much less pleasant manner.

  “Tell me what is going on between you and Samuel.” Right to business.

  Vittorio told him everything. “Samuel seems to feel that not only does Elena want to replace Elizabeth, but that I am going to try to usurp your position. Please believe me when I say that is the furthest thing from my mind. I take my position as La Guardia very seriously, as I am sure you know, and that would go against everything I believe.”

  “Yet you want to bring someone as powerful as Elena into the coven.”

  “I love her. I did not know she had power when I first met her, and I have no intentions of taking over anyone’s power or position. I simply want to share all aspects of my life with the woman I love.”

  “I sense the truth of your words. Yet Samuel believes you are a threat.” He gave the waitress his drink order.

  “I am sorry for what he believes. I have tried to explain it to him, but he will not listen.”