Phantoms of the Otherworld (In Spiritu Et Veritate)

by Reed, Zoe

  Reaching her father’s office, Abby knocked and waited until she heard ‘come in’ to enter. He motioned for her to sit down in the chair across the desk from his own and, though he was on the phone, smiled hello as she took a seat. A second later he rolled his eyes, and without saying a word put the phone back down on the receiver.

  “You didn’t have to hang up,” she told him.

  He shook his head like it was no big deal. “I was on hold. What do you got?”

  She pulled the receipts and an extra piece of paper out of her pocket. “Two things. I went to see Harold and I got a hold of some of the receipts from sales he made to a vampire.” Her father held out his hand, and when she gave him the receipts he put them next to him without even looking at them. “And second,” she began to unfold the piece of paper on which she’d drawn a picture. “He’s pretty out of his mind, and he tried to hand me something that he didn’t really have, but when he did his mind flashed an image of this.”

  With the brief flash she’d gotten out of Harold’s muddled mind and her terrible art skills, Abby had drawn the best picture she could. It was a half-inch thick silver bar, only about three inches long and two inches wide with rounded off corners. Inlayed at the center of one side of the bar was a colorful mixture of rock, like multiple stones had been heated so hot they melted and swirled together. Around the edges of the stone and engraved into the metal were symbols Abby didn’t recognize as any modern language.

  She could hear her father’s thoughts racing at the sight of the picture, and from them she already knew what it was, but at her mother’s warning that he wasn’t in the best mood she let him speak, since he hated her reading his mind.

  “This is exactly what he gave you?” her father asked, resting his chin in his hand thoughtfully. “Same colors and everything?”

  “Yeah,” Abby nodded. “What is it? Is it rare?”

  “Not entirely rare,” he answered. “I’ve seen them a few times before.”

  Abby was waiting for him to answer the other part of her question, but either he didn’t care to explain or he knew she’d already heard and he wasn’t in a talkative mood. The elements of the bar had grounding properties for things like astral projection or dimensional travel. Whenever someone took part in spiritual wandering they kept the bar near their physical body. It was supposed to make it easier to find your way back. But why did Harold show her this?

  “What do you think it means?” she asked impatiently, tired of watching him stare at the piece of paper.

  He shrugged, looking at the picture for another minute before setting it aside. “Vampires don’t have souls, they aren’t capable of spiritual travel. You’re sure he gave you this in the same context?”

  “Yes,” Abby groaned. Why’d he send her on jobs if he didn’t trust her insight? Before he could say anything else, her eyes widened. Vampires weren’t the only ones involved, and the others had souls. “You think it’s for the werewolves?”

  He nodded side to side in unsure agreement. “That’s a possibility. It’s not safe to assume anything right now, but I’ll get a hold of one and keep it handy.” Abby stood at that, about to leave seeing as she didn’t have anything else to say, when her father spoke again. “I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time with the wolves.”

  She turned, squinting at him in shock. “How did–” But she stopped. He had ways of getting information, ways of spying on her. “Just one,” she told him shortly, irritation growing by the second.

  Her father leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach. “Don’t get attached,” he said flatly.

  “I’m supposed to protect them,” Abby glared, doing everything in her power not to raise her voice.

  “Not by making friends.” He leaned forward again, and when he said ‘friends’ his thoughts said something more. He knew about her interest in Kyla. She didn’t know how he knew, but the fact that he did irked her.

  Abby set her hands on her father’s desk, leaning forward angrily. “This way is more efficient. I can protect them better if I know more about them.”

  “You are not acting in the Council’s best interest,” he said, a familiar, furious red tinting his face.

  “The Council’s interest is keeping the supernatural world in order,” Abby growled, her voice steadily rising. “The wolves are our greatest allies in this. I’m doing what needs to be done.”

  Her father rose, pointing an irate finger at her as he yelled, “I told you not to involve them! You’re disobeying a direct order!”

  He wasn’t taking this as seriously as he needed to be. The only thing he cared about was that in all their activity the vampires had been making a stir with missing persons in the media. He didn’t seem to care if the werewolves were in danger. In fact, it appeared that because the werewolves were the targets he was intent on keeping the Council’s involvement to a minimum. That made Abby furious.

  “Your orders are shit!” she shouted. “We need to collaborate everything with them before this turns ugly. They’ve already made contact with a vampire on the inside.” At that her father scowled, and she knew she’d hit a chord. “Don’t you get it? By shutting them out you’re the one who’s in the dark, and if all this falls apart because we didn’t do everything we could, then I’m blaming you.”

  Abby was so angry that she turned to leave, and when she reached the door her father yelled after her. “If you leave this building, I will pull you off the job!” Without turning she flipped an offensive finger and then slammed the door behind her.

  When she got out she could see her mother raising both eyebrows at her in shock. “I underestimated both of you today,” she said, clearly trying not to chuckle.

  Abby was still too livid to find it amusing, so as she stomped toward the exit of the building she waved. “Bye.”

  I lifted my arm and pointed across the room to where I could feel Kyla was standing. Even with my eyes closed, and her practically fifteen feet away, I could tell where she was. Every training session since the first time we tested the blood connection Wes had us working on it, and we’d been making significant progress. It was slow going at first, but after we’d gotten a good idea of what it felt like, we got better at it more rapidly.

  “Okay, Kyla, your turn,” Wes instructed from his sitting position in the corner of the room.

  Covering her ears so she couldn’t hear where I’d go, Kyla took position in the center of the glass room and closed her eyes while I moved around noiselessly, until I’d picked a spot behind her on the edge of the room.

  “Go ahead,” Wes said loudly, so Kyla would know she could take her hands off her ears and start.

  I stood as imperceptible as I could, every muscle stiff and practically holding my breath so I wouldn’t make a single sound. Kyla waited just as silently, concentrating as she tried to feel where I was without using any of her other senses. After about a minute she turned and pointed a finger. When she opened her eyes a smile spread across her lips, happy to see me in front of her.

  “I’m so proud,” Wes said, faking joyful tears as he put an arm around my shoulders and led me back to the center of the room where Kyla was. He sat us both down facing each other, and then took a seat beside us. “I want to try something kind of new,” he told us, and then moved our hands so that Kyla’s were resting on top of mine. A week ago just this contact made me cringe, but I was getting over the shock of it the more we did these exercises. “Camille, I want you to tell Kyla about your day yesterday.”

  “Okay,” I started unsurely. “I went to school.”

  “Oh, come on,” he stopped me. “I want Kyla to be able to feel how you felt doing all these things. Be specific. Relive it.”

  I nodded, concentrating my attention on my memories and trying to bring back the feelings. I already knew I’d be able to feel Kyla’s emotions, I’d done it before, but would she be able to feel mine? “I woke up around seven yesterday, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t want to sleep in until at
least ten. I could barely get out of bed. I grabbed my shower stuff and some clothes and went to the bathroom to get ready for school. The water was cold since everyone else showers in the morning. It woke me up, but I got pretty annoyed.” I paused to glance up at Kyla, who nodded excitedly that she could feel my aggravation.

  “I was moving kind of slow, so by the time I was done getting ready I had to rush to get a bagel from the cafeteria, and I ate it on my way to class.” As I spoke I brought back the sensations of stress I’d had at having to rush. “I made it to class right on time, and pretty much every one was the same. I was bored and zoned out a lot.” I knew even before I started talking about it that the feeling I’d be giving off wouldn’t be boredom, but rather anguish. What I really meant to say was that I didn’t zone out because I was bored, but because whenever I got a moment to think my mind went straight to Kyla, and the pain wasn’t getting much easier.

  For the sake of the exercise I forced myself to continue, despite letting Kyla in on those private emotions. “After school I was really tired, so I went back to my dorm and took a nap. I woke up around six because my stomach was growling, and then I went to the cafeteria to get some dinner. After I ate I went back to my dorm and started my homework.” I’d always been one who preferred to keep to myself, but I could only imagine how Kyla felt about me being so alone, all day. And to think that’s how it was every day unless Lacey was around.

  “That’s all,” I said, pulling my hands away from Kyla’s. I could feel the girl’s eyes watching me carefully, and I knew she’d at least slightly picked up on the things I didn’t want her to. “That’s what I did yesterday.”

  “Okay, now you do it,” Wes said to Kyla, moving our hands back together.

  “Well, let’s see,” she began, removing her eyes from my face and staring intently at our hands. “I took a shower at night so I got up at eight. I went to the bathroom real quick to brush my teeth, and then went back to my dorm to get dressed and do my makeup. When I was done I was running late too, so I grabbed a breakfast burrito from the cafeteria and ate it on my way. I had English first period, and the book we’re reading is pretty interesting so I wasn’t too bored. The rest of my classes were pretty boring though, until lunch.” I could tell that Kyla really did feel true boredom. It was a restless feeling, like she was always itching to be doing something.

  “At lunch I met a friend in the courtyard. It was pretty fun, we just talked about random stuff.” At the feeling of joy I felt from Kyla I figured the friend had to be Abby, and I hated it, especially since I could feel it. The last thing I wanted to feel when I thought about Abby was joy. “I had a tuna sandwich for lunch… I really think the cafeteria needs a health inspection. My last two classes after that were as boring as all the other ones. Once school was done I was going back to my room when I saw my friend, so we hung out a little bit.” That same feeling of elation returned, and it was almost too much. While I spent my time alone and practically dead inside, Kyla was with someone that made her happy, and that someone wasn’t me.

  “After a while my friend had to meet with people at The Orchid, so I went with them. We listened to music and played pool for a little while, then we started danci–”

  I dropped Kyla’s hands and stood up. The very last thing on earth I wanted to feel was how happy she was while dancing with Abby. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

  Before Kyla or Wes could say anything I paced back into the house. As I finally stopped in the kitchen and sat on a stool at the bar, I wasn’t quite sure how to feel. Most of me was of course devastated, but the other part? Was I angry? Yes, that was definitely anger. I didn’t get time to process my thoughts or anger, because Kyla came in right after me. I expected she’d be coming in to make me feel better, or apologize like she always tried to, but when I looked up she appeared just as angry as I felt.

  “What the hell is your problem?” she spat at me from the entrance, and I just stared at her in silent shock. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to be here? Away from family, in a world I’m still trying to adjust to.” She paced hotly to the edge of the bar where I was sitting, her voice a near shout. “I’d like it if I could turn to you every once in a while since you’re the only thing I really know out here, but that’s not even true anymore. And because you can’t make up your mind, I can’t move on or be happy?” I tried to open my mouth, to say anything to make Kyla stop yelling at me, but I was at a loss for words. I’d seen her upset more than I could count the last few months, but this was unexpected. “You’re doing this to yourself, Camille.”

  That was the last thing Kyla yelled before she tried to check herself. She straightened up and took a few deliberate breaths, and then pulled two pieces of paper out of her pocket and threw them onto the bar top. Her voice was quieter now, like she was tired of yelling. “Here, I kept forgetting to give these to you. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” Then she held out her hand. “Give me the car keys, I’m going back to school. You can get a ride from Lacey.”

  As I pulled the keys out of my pocket I studied Kyla’s face. She was still very clearly mad, but there was an underlying tint of grief. Did she know how much she was hurting me, and it hurt her to see it? If so, I didn’t know what I could do about it. Maybe she was right, that I was doing this to myself by not really letting myself get over her, but I needed more time. I needed her to slow down with Abby, because seeing them together was killing me.

  The second I put the car keys in Kyla’s hand the girl turned and left the kitchen, leaving me alone in the stillness. Feeling that if I didn’t move the weight of the silence would crush me, I picked up the paper she’d put in front of me to see what it was. Two tickets for the talent show tonight. I knew Kyla was performing, but assuming Abby was going to be there I hadn’t been interested in trying to go.

  As I set the tickets back on the countertop Lacey walked in, looking at me worriedly. “What was that all about?”

  “Kyla’s perfectly happy seeing somebody else,” I told her, and at recollection of Kyla yelling at me, at the fact that she wasn’t helping me get over her, the anger flared back up, and I shouted out the kitchen after her even though she was long gone, “And she just loves to rub in it my face!”

  “Whoa,” Lacey said, shocked by my volume. In an attempt to calm me down she moved behind me and began to massage my shoulders. “I know it’s tough, but it’s going to be okay.”

  I laid my head on the cold granite countertop, trying to let her rub the tension out of me. “Why are girls so confusing?”

  Out of the corner of my eye I could see Lacey shrug. “I don’t know. That’s what I love about guys, they’re easy to figure out,” she chuckled, her lightheartedness an obvious attempt to try and cheer me up, but it wasn’t enough. Seeing that it wasn’t working, she stopped giving me a massage and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I was turned around so I couldn’t hug the girl back, but just the gesture was comforting. “I love you.”

  I couldn’t help but give a small smile. “Love you too.”

  “And I’m sorry this is so hard on you,” she continued. “It’s probably not what you want to hear because I know you’ll always be in love with her, but maybe it would be easier if you just tried to accept it and have some kind of relationship, even if it’s just friends. You know, since she’s kind of part of the family now.”

  “You’re right,” I nodded knowingly. Of course Lacey was right. How long had it been since Kyla had broken up with me? A few months. By now I should have at least come to terms with it. So why was it so hard? What godforsaken thing kept me holding on?

  Lacey released me from the hug and grabbed the tickets off the counter. “Are you going to go to this? It would be a good chance to show Kyla if you’re serious about trying to be friends.”

  “Depends,” I told her, really not wanting to go alone. “Will you come with me? There’re two tickets.”

  With a small, apologetic smile, she shook her head. “I can’
t. I have a huge midterm project due Monday, and I haven’t even started.”

  “I hate procrastinators,” I scowled, and then asked dejectedly, “Can we go back to the school now? I just want to lay down.”

  Lacey sighed sadly, feeling for me, and nodded. It was a quiet ride back to the dorms. I knew she was right about what I had to do, but that didn’t mean I had to like it or ever would like it. When we got back I went straight to my room, plopped onto the bed, and in an attempt to tune out the rest of the world I put in my headphones and fell right asleep. I awoke around seven and sat up thoughtfully. My eyes wandered to the tickets I’d placed on my desk. The show was supposed to start at seven, but if I left now I might be able to make it in time to see Kyla perform. I sat there for another second as I fully woke up from my nap, then without another thought I grabbed the tickets and dashed out the door.

  I was about to get on the elevator when I stopped. Shit. I’d given Kyla the car keys and now I didn’t have a way to get there. Thankfully Lacey was on the same floor as me. I sprinted down the hall and past my own room to get to hers, and knocked with urgency.

  She opened the door looking annoyed at how many times I’d pounded on it. “Jesus, what?”

  “I need your car keys,” I told her hurriedly, and then tried to get her moving. “Come on, the show already started.”

  Without leaving the doorway she reached over and grabbed the keys off her desk, and then handed them to me. The second I had them in my hands I took off back toward the elevator, hearing her call ‘bye’ after me. When the elevator got me to the first floor I raced out to the red sports coupe, firing up the engine with a smile.

  “Let’s see how fast you can really go.” I threw the car in reverse and pulled out of the school at speeds that were probably dangerous for a parking lot, but now that I’d made up my mind to go I’d feel guilty if I missed Kyla’s song.

  When I arrived at The Orchid fifteen minutes later there was nobody waiting outside to get in, so I gave the man inside the front door my ticket and rushed to where I could see the stage. There was a band on that sounded like they’d just started, so I pushed my way through the crowd to the side of the stage. At the entrance to backstage I tried to sneak past the guy guarding it, but he stopped me.