A Strange There After (27 page)

“So what if I did? Nothing else has worked.
The waiting is killing me. When...”

Boone cut me off. “Give Meena a chance to
come up with something before you throw in the towel.”

“This isn’t about giving up,” I bit out.
“Neither of you can understand what it’s like to watch your life
pass you by. To stand on the sidelines and be hopeless! Catherine
is stealing everything from me, and I’m done with it. Yes, I could
have been patient, but what would I have missed out on then?
College graduation? Marriage?”

“Now you’re being overdramatic,” Boone
argued.

I advanced on him and through gritted teeth
said, “You have no idea what I’m feeling. I’m not dead! But it’s
like I’m slowly drowning. Every day that passes, I lose a little
more of myself. I am forgetting things, what it felt like to be
alive and happy. I don’t care if I’m taking the easy way out. All I
care about is living!”

“You were able to get your body at the
party,” Abby began. “With a little practice, maybe it could
stick.”

“I shouldn’t have to practice at regaining
something that is mine! And say it works. I manage to kick
Catherine out of my body. Do I wait around until she regains her
strength? Until she makes another deal with Kalfu? Will I never
sleep for fear of waking up a ghost again?” I shook off the
disturbing thought. “This way is what is best. It might not be the
most morally acceptable, but I’m okay with that. Catherine will be
gone...”

Again, Boone interrupted me. “What do you
mean gone?”

“I mean she won’t bother me, or any of you,
again.” I shrugged a shoulder.

“Are you really that stupid? You let Kalfu
in. Do you not understand the repercussions of your actions?
Dealing with him comes with a price. Are you prepared to pay
it?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, I lashed
out. Rage coiled around my body, a powerful snake hungry for
action, and I hit him square in the chest. Not with my fist, but
with the energy balled inside me. He flew backwards and landed on
the bed. If not for the soft mattress, I might have really hurt
him. Remorse flared inside me, dousing the anger with a cold
rain.

Shocked and disgusted with myself, I cast a
quick glance at Abby who stared at Boone in horror.

“If you’re not with me, fine. But with or
without your help, I’m doing this. I have to.”

Without another word to either of them I
fled, ignoring Abby’s soft sniffles. I’d worry about busted
friendships later. Right now I had a crazy ghost to confront.

Chapter
Thirty

After fleeing the attic, I made my way
downstairs and left the house. I needed air. And help. In no way
was I even remotely prepared for confronting Cora. The chick
studied voodoo growing up, for goodness sake. Who knew what kind of
tricks she still had up her sleeves.

I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Meena,” I whispered.

Of course. She’d have information, maybe even
a way to protect me from Cora and possibly Kalfu. Sure, I’d let him
in, listened, allowed him to sweet talk me into signing a contract,
but I wasn’t a hundred percent positive I could trust him. Exhibit
number one—Catherine. She accepted his deal and look what she
turned into. Exhibit number two—he was a disgraced loa. I had no
clue what his agenda was. My desperation just overpowered any
misgivings I had about his motivations. Until he gave me a reason
to be suspicious, I considered him an ally. A potentially hazardous
ally, but those were the details I chose to ignore.

Squinting up at the sun dipping low on the
horizon, I hoped Meena was still at her shop. What day was it? What
time? Everything got away from me so easily, like hours and days.
My life, I grumbled inwardly, and stalked forward. With my
destination firmly in mind, I set off toward historical downtown
Savannah. The farther I traveled from home, the more the crazy
events of the last few hours faded. Away from Jason and Catherine,
I relaxed, unwinding from the coil I always seemed to be in, ready
to spring open at any moment. I missed having a few moments of
solitude, a second to gather my senses.

Passing into the touristy areas, I cast a
longing glance at a family of four laughing and sharing ice cream
cones. After being a spirit for two months, at least I assumed it'd
been that long, I was having a hard time remembering what normal
felt like. Human. The kind of person who enjoyed a leisurely snack
with my friends.

I brushed aside the frivolous notion. There’d
be plenty of time for that later. Kalfu would keep his word. He
might be powerful and a huge mystery, but I trusted him to not go
back on our deal. As long as I kept my end, I reminded myself. That
was the tricky part.

As I neared the City Market, I searched the
storefronts for Meena’s place. I doubted an actual voodoo shop
would be located inside the historic market, a four block open-air
marketplace full of restaurants, galleries and entertainment.

I was drawn to an eclectic storefront with a
window display of jewelry, dried herbs and a sign that read, Juju’s
Jewelry and Trinkets, Apothecary. Psychic Readings Inside.

This had to be the place.

Pushing through the glass door, I noticed the
lack of customers and the faint scent of lavender in the air. Tiny
bottles lined the shelves, each labeled with precise handwriting.
Other displays were stocked full of necklaces and bracelets,
unidentifiable objects in glass jars. Near the counter a thin wisp
of smoke rose from a stick of burning incense. A beaded curtain led
to a back room. The far wall held more shelves, literally sagging
under the weight of dusty old books.

I was investigating what appeared to be an
alligator foot in a clear jar when I heard the beads rustle.
Looking up, I saw Meena coming around the side of the counter. Her
gaze pierced me with its intensity. A bright purple and green scarf
was wrapped around her head, emphasizing her large, dark eyes and
sculpted cheek bones. The most random thought came to me—this woman
had to be fifty years old but hardly looked thirty. Had to be some
magic voodoo cream.

“What have you done, child?”

Immediately my false bravado over the
alliance with Kalfu dissipated, and a hot lump lodged itself in my
throat. Blinking back my tears, I shook my head from side-to-side.
I should have counted on her being able to sense it.

Meena sighed deeply and strode to the door.
She flipped the sign to ‘Closed’ and turned the deadbolt. After
drawing the blinds over the windows, her attention returned to
me.

“Tell me.”

I couldn’t. Not quite. So I said, “Your store
looks exactly how I imagined it to.”

She let the heavy stuff slide for a bit and
went along with me. “The tourists expect to see voodoo so I give it
to them. Most of it is silly. Mixtures of herbs and powders that
merely smell pretty. The powerful potions are kept in the back.”
Motioning to the curtain, she indicated I should follow.

On trembling legs, I passed through the beads
into a bright room that reminded me more of a pharmacy than a store
catering to the occult. White shelves were lined with more bottles
and jars. A counter was topped with various beakers and Bunsen
burners.

“Impressive.”

She studied me so intently I fidgeted. I
couldn’t avoid the conversation forever. “Go ahead. Say what you
want to.”

“You did a bad thing.”

Exasperated, I flung my arms out. “What else
was I supposed to do? Kalfu kept whispering in my ear, telling me
he could give me everything back, showing me what I stood to lose.
Then Jason took my virginity, and Catherine let him. Kalfu picked
the perfect time for his third and final offering. I was angry and
hurt. Vulnerable. But I stand by my decision. He’s
been...nice.”

Meena frowned and shook her head. “You young
people these days have no patience. All I asked for was a couple
more days.”

My stomach sunk to the floor. “Did you find
something?”

“No,” she snapped. “But now we will never
know. It’s too late for that.”

I swallowed thickly. “There’s nothing you can
do?”

She sank into a faded leather chair and
leaned her elbows on the round table in the middle of the room.
“You must tell me all of it, what this deal is.”

As I delved into the story, I stared at the
wall, unable to watch the woman’s reaction. “Kalfu asked me to rid
him of Cora. In return, he would put me back in my body. And I, um,
also made him promise to send Catherine away.”

When I favored her with a glance, I noticed
her coffee colored skin had paled and looked more gray than usual.
“And the contract?”

“It was a blank piece of paper, old, like a
scroll. He cut my hand, and when a drop of my blood fell onto it,
the words filled in, and my name appeared.”

“Blood magic,” she hissed. Meena’s gaze
focused on the scarred tabletop as she mumbled to herself for a few
minutes, too low for me to make out the words. Finally, she said,
“You do realize what will happen once Cora is gone? She is the one
limiting his powers. Once his full strength is returned, I fear he
will wreak havoc on our world.”

Talk about doom and gloom. “Maybe it won’t be
as bad as all that.”

“There will be no one to keep him in
check!”

I shuddered at the ferocity in her voice. “So
there’s nothing we can do?”

“Not yet. I need time. Time you must swear to
give me. Instant gratification brings you nothing but trouble.” She
rubbed her eyes. “We must concentrate on keeping you safe.”

“I’m okay with that idea.”

Meena rose and began pulling bottles and
vials from her shelf, adding a pinch of one ingredient and a
spoonful of another into a clear glass container. Curiosity begged
me to ask her what she was doing, but the quick, studied movements
told me she wouldn’t appreciate it.

Sharp, earthy smells drifted into my nose. As
a ghost, my sense of scent was watered down like everything else. I
could only imagine how pungent it would be to a human. I convinced
myself it was a good sign.

“Priestesses like me believe spirits continue
to exist on a physical plane. You know this is true. You’ve
experienced it. This,” she held up the container, snapped a plastic
lid on the top, and gave it a shake to mix the powders, “will give
you strength for what you need to do.”

Her meaning sunk in, drawing my gaze from the
jar in her hand. “Getting rid of Cora?”

“There is no way around it. How does the
saying go? You’ve made your bed. Now you must lie in it.”

“And how in the heck am I going to do it?
It’s not like I can ask her nicely to follow the light.”

She cocked her head and studied me. “You’ve
done it before? Aided a soul into a better place?”

“A few months ago, over the summer, we were
at Colonial Park cemetery looking for Catherine’s grave. I came
across this scared little girl who was so lonely and missed her
mama. I talked with her and,” I shrugged, “I don’t know, just kind
of told her to picture this happy place with her family. To let go
of whatever kept her here. Then she disappeared. Huge difference,
though. I doubt Cora will be willing to sit down and chat with me.
”

Meena stared at me with newfound respect.
“Not many have the ability to do that at such a young age.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve seen a lot in my young
age.”

She nodded thoughtfully before pushing to her
feet and positioning herself right in front of me. I shifted under
the weight of her stare, the heaviness of expectation flowing from
her dark brown eyes.

As she spoke, she slowly unscrewed the lid on
the concoction she held and poured it into her hand. “Some will
call this powder a hallucinogen, but in many ways it opens our
senses to things that are normally veiled from us. To a ghost, it
gives a boost to whatever your strength is. Kalfu wants you, so you
have something special.”

“I think I know.” Memories assaulted me, and
my voice shook as I explained. “I chased Cora off once. She was
hurting a friend of mine, and this anger and darkness built inside
of me until it exploded out and hit her with physical force. Kalfu
talked to me right after, in my head. He said I was more
interesting than he originally thought. Then last night when I
found out about Jason and Catherine, I got mad again and somehow
choked Jason with a shadow that shot from my hands. It’s not
normal, is it?”

“No, not at all.” She cupped her hand around
the powder. “Although, it will aid you in weakening Cora. It sounds
distasteful, but try to get information from her first. Anything we
can use against Kalfu. Then attack. When she weakens, you may not
have to force her to leave, she might go willingly. This power of
yours, while dangerous, it seems to stem from your protective
nature. ”

Shock held my tongue as I digested what Meena
said. She made it sound deceptively simple. I didn’t trust I held
the kind of power necessary to send Cora on her way. It seemed like
make-believe, a fairy tale.

“It’s time.”

I refocused my attention on the priestess as
she lifted her hand so it was even with my face. “Breathe it all
in.”

“Wait! I can’t breathe. I’m a spirit.”

She smiled at me. “This is a very special
mixture. Even a ghost will be able to ingest it. Trust me, Quinn. I
am on your side.”

“Okay. Do it.”

With a deep breath she blew, sending the
powder directly into my face. I sucked in air, fully expecting
nothing to happen. Imagine my surprise when the substance tickled
my nose, assaulting me with the strong scent of flowers and other
things I couldn’t place. My head spun, and my skin flushed, tingles
skittered down my limbs. Power infused me from head to toe, and I
managed to gasp one word.

“Wow.”