Lucy: A Paragon Society Novel (Book 3)

by David Delaney

  “Hey, you brought up being naked. I’m reacting like any red-blooded teenage boy would.”

  Lucy laughed again, this time with less sobbing.

  “You feeling a little better?”

  Lucy sniffled, “Yes.”

  “Good. So, I’m going to hang up now and you should throw some clothes on and go bug your brother. Or you could stay au natural until I get there and we could, you know, see what happens.”

  “As if.” Lucy laughed again. She was feeling better by the minute.

  “Okay, we’ll go with Plan A. I’m going to hang up now, cool?”

  “Cool. Thanks, Morgan.”

  “Anytime.”

  Lucy hung the phone up, pulled on a pair of shorts and her favorite Madonna t-shirt. Lucy opened the door to her room slowly, peeking down the hall. It was all clear. She sprinted down the passage, jumping past the doorway to the bathroom, and took the stairs two at a time. Lucy slid into the living room. Jason was watching Kung-Fu Theatre on TV. He had a giant bowl of popcorn in his lap.

  “I’m not changing it,” he announced.

  “That’s cool,” Lucy said, plopping down on the couch next to him, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

  Lucy could feel Jason watching her out of the corner of his eye.

  “What?” she demanded around a mouthful of popcorn.

  “What are you doing?” Jason asked.

  “Watching Kung-Fu Theater and eating popcorn. Why, are you writing a book?”

  “You’re so weird,” said Jason.

  “And you’re a dweeb. What’s your point?”

  “Whatever,” Jason said, settling back into the couch.

  Lucy smiled when he shifted the popcorn bowl over a smidge so that she could reach it easier. She really hoped that she hadn’t unleashed a Hell monster in her family’s house, because even though they totally got on her nerves—especially Jason—they were her family.

  Morgan arrived in less than ten minutes. He didn’t live that far away but still, he must have broken all the traffic laws to get there so quickly.

  Lucy opened the front door, feeling a little silly for her over-reaction.

  “Hey,” was all Morgan said.

  All the fear came flooding back. Lucy fell into his arms, holding him tight.

  “Thank you for coming,” Lucy said into his shoulder.

  Morgan rubbed her back. “I’ll always come when you call. I promise.”

  Lucy squeezed him even tighter, then let him go.

  “Do you want to go check out the bathroom?” he asked.

  “Okay.”

  Morgan led the way. He’d been to her house a million times. Lucy’s mom and dad considered him family, so being upstairs unsupervised wasn’t a big deal.

  Morgan paused in front of the bathroom. He pushed the door open with his foot and switched the light on. Lucy didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but it was just the bathroom. There were no lurking silver-eyed women or shadow-monsters, just a bathtub, two sinks and a toilet. Morgan walked inside and opened the small linen closet, revealing neatly stacked rows of towels. He went to the window and tested the lock, everything looked normal.

  “It all looks . . .” Morgan began.

  “Ordinary,” Lucy finished for him. She let out a huge sigh, “Let’s go to my room. We can check the instructions. See if we missed any, I don’t know, side-effects.”

  Morgan nodded.

  Lucy closed the bedroom door behind them so they could speak without worrying about being overheard. Lucy sooo didn’t want to explain what she’d been up to with the whole magic thing.

  “Why don’t you tell me exactly what happened when you did the ritual,” Morgan said.

  “I followed the instructions exactly. I lit the candles, I filled the tub, I poured in the potion and then followed the steps for the bath itself.”

  “And the first odd thing was the old lady?”

  “Yes. Wait, no. Did you get a tingling feeling all over and hear like a low buzzing sound when you did your ritual?”

  Morgan shook his head. “Nope. It was just me, the water and the candles. You really felt a physical sensation?”

  “Uh-huh.” Lucy wiggled her fingers up and down in front of her body. “All over. What do you think that means?”

  “I have no idea, all this weirdness is new to me too. Let’s check the paperwork, where’s it at?”

  Lucy bent down and dug around under her mattress. Morgan chuckled.

  “What?” Lucy asked, coming up with a packet of papers stapled together.

  “That’s not an official use of the under-the-mattress hiding place.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Lucy said, plopping down on her bed and scooching to make room for Morgan.

  Lucy and Morgan rifled through the instructions. It didn’t take very long, there were only five pages. There wasn’t even a hint at what could have caused Lucy’s vision.

  She said, “I still don’t like calling it a vision. It makes it sound like I didn’t actually see anything. That it was all in my head.”

  “It’s like I said, it could be like an Indian sweat-lodge type of thing. A vision quest, or a spirit animal.”

  “What I saw was not cool like that, it was horrible and scary,” Lucy insisted.

  “I know, but—”

  Lucy cut him off, “I think we need to call Marcus.”

  “Lucy, he’s a really busy businessman-type guy. He met with us that once, but I don’t think he wants a couple of eighteen-year-old kids bugging him all the time.”

  “This is not bugging him, this is a serious situation. I may have started a chain of events that could lead to possession. Didn’t you ever see the Exorcist?”

  Morgan said, “Of course I’ve seen the Exorcist, and I know for a fact that you have never seen it. Even just the music freaks you out.”

  “That’s not pertinent to this discussion.”

  Morgan’s mouth dropped open.

  Lucy said, “We’re talking about possession and possible Hell-portals being opened.”

  “Lucy, using fancy SAT words like ‘pertinent’ doesn’t change the fact that Marcus is a busy guy, and . . . well, he kind of creeps me out.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Come on,” said Morgan. “When we went to see him about all of this, you didn’t get a bad vibe from him? From that dark, spooky house in the hills? It felt more like a . . . lair.”

  “This isn’t a Batman comic book, Morgan. It was just a Bel Air mansion. They always seem a little off. I think it’s all the empty space. Our brains can’t help but imagine what may be lurking behind all the closed doors.”

  Morgan pointed a finger at her. “That’s what I’ve been saying. Our brains can imagine a lot of stuff.”

  Lucy threw the papers at him. “I did not imagine it! It really happened and we need to ask Marcus what it means.”

  Lucy crossed her arms, turned away from Morgan in a huff, and pouted. Lucy had learned a long time ago that boys are basically ruled by their desire to impress girls. She’d used it to her advantage ever since.

  “Lucy, come on,” Morgan whined. “This is silly, you can’t ignore me forever.”

  It only took a minute before he caved. Boys were so easy.

  “Alright, I’ll call him. But if he says no, that’s it. I’m hanging up the phone and we’ll just have to figure something else out. Agreed?”

  Lucy handed her phone to Morgan. “Agreed.”

  Morgan dialed the phone and held it in such a way that Lucy could listen as well. The line connected and only rang once before it was picked up.

  “Hello, Morgan.” Marcus had a smooth, silky voice and spoke in clipped tones. He didn’t claim British ancestry. Rather, it was clear he had been educated in super-expensive schools.

  “Oh, hi Marcus.”

  “Please, I’ve told you, call me Uncle Marcus.”

  “Right, Uncle Marcus. Um, how did you know it was me?”

  “Just an old parlo
r trick I picked up over the years. What can I do for you?”

  “Lucy and I did our ritual baths and—”

  “Excellent,” Marcus cut Morgan off. “Are you ready for your big trip to Las Vegas?”

  “Um, not exactly, that’s why I’m calling. You see, Lucy had kind of an odd experience.”

  “What kind of odd experience?”

  Marcus sounded suddenly more engaged in the conversation.

  “Well, she had a sort of vision.”

  Lucy punched Morgan on the shoulder.

  “Ouch.”

  “Excuse me?” Marcus asked.

  Lucy waved impatiently at the phone and Morgan made a face at her.

  “Lucy saw something during her bath.”

  “Fascinating. What exactly did she see?”

  “A lady, dressed in white, with silver eyes.”

  Lucy was gesticulating wildly to get Morgan’s attention. When he looked at her she silently mouthed shadow-monster.

  “And she also saw a shadowy creature-like thing,” Morgan sounded embarrassed.

  Marcus was silent for a moment, and then he asked, “Is that all?”

  “Yeah, that’s it. The thing is, it really scared her, you know. It wasn’t a positive experience.”

  “I understand,” Marcus said sympathetically. “Morgan, I need you both to come over, right now if possible. Can you do that?”

  Lucy could feel fear starting to creep up her spine. Morgan had a worried look.

  “Uh, yeah. We can come right now,” Morgan said. “Have you heard of something like this happening before? Are we in danger? Because you said this was supposed to be a simple spell.”

  “Morgan, we’ll talk about it when you arrive. Now hang up the phone, get in your car, and drive over here.”

  Marcus wasn’t fooling around.

  “Oh—okay.”

  Morgan hung up and stared at Lucy.

  “How fast can you get us to Bel Air?” Lucy asked.

  “Let’s find out,” Morgan said, jumping up from the bed and sprinting for the stairs.

  Marcus’ mansion was massive even for Bel Air standards. It sat on three-and-a-half densely wooded acres and the only thing visible from the road was a sliver of one of the peaked roofs. Morgan pulled his car up to the large, wrought-iron gate. Marcus didn’t trust his security to an electronic system. A guard shack with an actual guard stood just inside.

  A small figure in a hooded sweatshirt shuffled to the door of the shack. Just like on their first visit to see Marcus, Lucy had no luck glimpsing a face in the shadow created by the hoodie. Lucy couldn’t even tell if it was a man or woman.

  Lucy voiced the same thought she’d had before. “Do you think one tiny guard could stop someone from getting in?”

  “There is no doubt in my mind that if anyone tried to get past this gate, it would end badly for them,” Morgan answered, waving at the guard.

  The guard didn’t wave back, didn’t move at all actually. The gate swung silently inward.

  “Nope, no doubt at all” Morgan added quietly.

  The driveway curved up and away from the road. The enormous stone house seemed to materialize from the trees. It was a nice effect that Lucy was sure Marcus had paid a fortune to have designed by a landscape architect. When they stepped out of the car Lucy paused. She strained to hear any city noises. It was completely silent. When she asked about it last time, Marcus had laughed and said it was a benefit of living in Bel Air. Still, Lucy wasn’t convinced there wasn’t anywhere in Los Angeles that was this quiet. The city was just too big.

  “Come on,” Morgan whispered.

  “Why are you whispering?” Lucy whispered back.

  “It’s the quiet, it’s freaky. I’m afraid if I make too much noise something bad will happen.”

  Lucy was about to reply, telling Morgan how silly he was, when the front door opened and two large dogs rushed out barking. It wasn’t the nice friendly Scooby Doo kind of barking. It was aggressive, almost rabid-sounding.

  Morgan yelped, pulled Lucy close to him, and fumbled with the passenger side door.

  “Zeus. Apollo. Heel,” a voice called out.

  The dogs immediately stopped barking and returned to the front door. Marcus was standing at the top of the steps, grinning at Lucy and Morgan.

  “Good afternoon,” Marcus called out. “Don’t worry about the dogs, they are very well-trained.”

  “When we were here last time, I don’t remember seeing any dogs,” Morgan said, not moving away from the car.

  Lucy also stayed put. Being able to jump in the car if necessary seemed like a great idea.

  “Oh, they were around. Maybe it was feeding time and they were otherwise occupied,” said Marcus. “Please, come inside.”

  “This is why we drove all the way over here,” said Lucy.

  Morgan nodded. Together they cautiously walked up the steps. The two dogs sat like sentinels on either side of Marcus.

  “They are Japanese Akitas,” Marcus said proudly. “Historically, Akitas were trained to hunt bears in Japan.”

  “That’s neat,” Lucy said, keeping her hands firmly in her pockets and away from the large, doggy mouths.

  Marcus laughed at their discomfort and instead of leaving the dogs outside or putting them in a separate room, he allowed the large animals to follow them into the study.

  Marcus sat down on a sofa, the dogs lying at his feet. “Please, sit down,” he indicated two chairs that faced the sofa. “Let’s discuss your experience. I understand, Lucy, that you had something interesting occur?”

  Lucy sat down, never taking her eyes off the dogs. “Interesting isn’t exactly how I’d describe it. More like terrifying.”

  “Oh dear,” Marcus clucked his tongue. “Terrifying? Really? Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

  Lucy started from the beginning, not leaving out a single detail, which wasn’t hard because having a spooky lady and shadow-monster show up in your bathroom tended to leave a vivid mental picture. Marcus listened intently, only interrupting to clarify points.

  Marcus asked, “When you say the shadow-monster looked as if it was going to attack the woman, what gave you that impression?”

  “Its ugly, sharp teeth and the fact that it was a monster,” Lucy replied flippantly.

  Marcus just smiled and gestured for her to continue.

  “So,” Morgan said, when Lucy had finished. “What do you think? Is this normal? Do people see things during ritual baths?”

  Marcus had his hands clasped; index fingers pressed against his lips, deep in thought. Lucy and Morgan sat quietly, the only sound in the room coming from an antique clock on a nearby table.

  After several minutes had passed, Lucy was ready to scream. Marcus was just sitting there staring off into space. He was supposed to be the expert. Shouldn’t experts understand all the possible issues that could arise? There was a possible Hell-portal in her bathroom, Lucy needed answers now, and she was about to open her mouth when Marcus finally spoke.

  “Magic is . . . an old practice,” Marcus was speaking slowly, choosing his words carefully. “There are many ways to achieve sought-after results. Ritual baths are very simple—I would even say beginner level—ceremonies that help individuals draw to themselves desired outcomes.” Marcus paused, staring intently at Lucy and Morgan. “However, the baths are still magical in nature. And by definition magic is the act of trying to access power. When trying to access that power, there comes the possibility of . . . leakage.”

  “Leakage?” Lucy said, confused. “What does that even mean?” Leakage was one of those icky words, like moist. Lucy was starting to get worked up again. “Are you saying that I leaked or—” Lucy’s eyes went wide in horror. “Did something leak into me?”

  Morgan reached out, placing a reassuring hand on Lucy’s thigh, but she was way past being reassured. She pushed his hand away and stood up.

  She needed air.

  Where was the door out of this room? She needed out.


  Now.

  Lucy was starting to hyperventilate. She knew it was happening but was powerless to stop it. She spun in panicked circles. She was going to die in this place.

  Suddenly the room rippled around her, the air seeming to warp and bend. Lucy giggled.

  “Oh wow, can someone stop the ride? I’d like to get off,” Lucy said between giggles that sounded more hysterical than cute.

  Morgan jumped up and grabbed hold of her arm. That was nice, good old dependable Morgan, always there to help her. His reassuring touch did nothing to stop the room from undulating around her like ocean waves. Marcus hadn’t moved from his seat, watching the scene through hooded eyes, an odd look on his face.

  “Oopsy,” Lucy said, as the room began to dissolve around her.

  Morgan was saying her name, almost shouting.

  Geez, overreact much. This caused another fit of giggles.

  As parts of the room faded, another was revealed underneath. How weird? Lucy was sure that two rooms on top of each other wasn’t a practical way to build things. She peered into the other room and saw somebody lying in a bed sleeping. No, not sleeping, because it wasn’t a bedroom, it was a hospital room—a very fancy hospital room. Lucy gasped, her stomach tightening, when she realized the person in the bed was herself.

  Lucy felt pressure on the back of her head that turned into a caress of soothing energy flowing through her entire body. The hospital room with the other Lucy disappeared, the surrounding room stopped rippling, Lucy’s eyes closed and everything was quiet.

  CHAPTER 4

  Lucy woke up slowly. She felt extremely rested; she wondered what time it was, her mom usually only let her sleep in an extra hour or so, but she felt like she had slept for ages.

  Lucy sat up in a panic. She wasn’t in her bedroom, but in an unfamiliar place that looked like one of those old-time-y libraries where women in big hats drank tea and talked about the upcoming ball.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  Lucy jumped. She turned toward the voice—it was Morgan.

  “Morgan? What’s going . . . how are you . . . where are we?”

  “We’re at Marcus’. You had a thing,” Morgan tried to explain, using a calm, soothing tone that annoyed Lucy.

  Marcus’ house? That didn’t seem right. There had been a hospital, and somebody had been injured. She had been injured, she was sure of it. She had been in a hospital—a special kind of hospital. Lucy checked herself and she seemed fine. There were no bandages and nothing hurt.