Chapter Seven

Light appeared behind me. Its radiance filled the space and cast forward its shadow. I turned, holding my hand up as protection, then dropped it when I realized no protection was needed. The light was from the other side, full of love and peace, and from the doorway created, a creature stepped through.

It had no face, no shape save the general form of a human outline, but I’d seen it before. The shape in my bathroom. Though its skin held the smooth sheen of a polished pearl, there was no sense of delicacy. It exuded strength. Instinct and memory of my mother’s warning made me stand and step out of its way.

The boy raised his hand toward it. “Who are you?”

“My name is Serena. It’s time to go, Matty.

My brain told me she wasn’t speaking English but Ancient Greek. I didn’t know how I knew that, let alone how I—or Matty—was able to understand her.

“Mommy’s mad again. She’ll be really mad if I go—” Even as he spoke, he rose and came to the creature.

It reached out to him, its form outlined in golden light, its skin catching and reflecting a rotating spectrum of color. “Come. Let us leave this place.”

“I’m tired,” he said.

“You won’t be anymore.”

He took her hand and the energy that infused Serena turned his cheeks golden and outlined him in the same yellow aura as the creature.

Serena bent to him, wrapping Matty in a hug. The light grew and intensified until I had to hold my hand to my eyes or risk blinding myself, and still it grew. I felt the heat, the cool, I felt the call of the other side and found myself stepping into it.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Guys love strong, silent girls,” said Serge. “But the mime act is annoying. It’s your turn to choose what we’re watching on TV and playing mute isn’t going to work. So, is it a lawyer solving a murder or a doctor solving a murder? In the meantime, check this out—” He gestured to the TV. “The guy’s sending an SOS with a mirror and moonlight. I love ‘80s television. It’s like a drug trip without the drugs.”

I blinked and, dropping my hand, found myself standing in the threshold of my bathroom door. Serge lay on my bed, the animals curled at his feet. He held the TV remote in his hand and was gesturing with it. “Well?”

“What just happened?”

“Are you kidding?”

“No.”

He must have caught the tone in my voice because he shut off the TV. “Mags, you okay?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Have I been here the whole time?”

“What?”

“Did I leave the room at all?”

“No.” He dragged the word out into four syllables worth of concern. Serge set down the remote and moved his hand over my cell. A flash of white light appeared in the space between the phone and his palm. He stood and came my way. “We were talking about which show to watch. I wanted a cop show but you said you wanted something lighter. I asked you to choose. You came out of the bathroom and said, ‘what I really want is,’ then you stopped talking and stared at me for a few seconds.”

“That’s it? I zoned out for a few seconds?”

“Yeah, Mags—” He took my hand and led me back to the bed. “What happened?”

Craig appeared in front of the window. “You texted?”

“That was me,” said Serge. “Something’s happened to Maggie.”

“What?” The question had edge. He sped toward us. “What happened?”

I sat on the bed and they crouched in front of me, scanning my face as I told my story. When I finished, they sat back and looked at each other.

“Well?”

“It sounds like you’re describing a serengti,” said Craig. “One of the mermaids. They all call themselves Serena. It’s odd this one didn’t have a face—they’re among the most beautiful of the supernatural creatures.” He frowned. “More than odd. It’s weird she’s faceless.”

Serge’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Mermaids? Aren’t they water-dwellers?”

“Yes,” said Craig. “But supernatural creatures can exist in many forms, in many dimensions. The mermaids are protectors of children and animals, especially when the child or animal’s life will end violently. It sounds like Serena came to Matty and took him. His body remained behind, its systems in play for the mother’s final act, but his soul was gone, free from the trauma of his death.”

“That’s a little bit of good news,” I said. “Serge, hand me my cell.”

He did.

“The mom’s name was Jennifer.” I punched in the search terms: Jennifer, Matty, domestic violence. “Got it.” I clicked on the first link and scanned. “Looks like Mom was convicted of his murder, life sentence. It happened in Vancouver…fifteen years ago.”

“You went back in time?” asked Serge. “How is that possible?”

“Because you’re a supernatural creature,” said Craig. “You can exist in many times and space.”

“To recap, I wasn’t smart enough to give Nell a proper message from the future, but I was powerful enough to dive fifteen years into the past.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” said Craig. “Your powers are growing, which makes them unpredictable.”

“But why would I have gone there?” I asked. “Is it a warning or just my powers acting up?”

“I don’t know,” said Craig. “You and the serengti are similar, you’re both protectors. But for a serengti, their charge is the most important thing and they will protect them at any cost.”

“That sounds like Maggie,” said Serge.

“Any cost,” Craig repeated. “Their morality isn’t like ours, which means they have no problem crossing lines we wouldn’t. Because of that, they straddle both light and dark.”

“If they’re all named Serena, does that mean they’re female?” I asked. “I was thinking of Nell’s warning—”

“He comes in the light,” said Serge.

I nodded.

“A serengti begins life as a human of any gender, but once they transition, they’re female.”

“Besides, the mermaid isn’t the one to fear,” said Serge. “You wouldn’t hurt a kid or an animal, and that’s the only way one of them would go after you.”

We talked for a little longer but got nowhere.

“I bet we could find out stuff if we went to the other side,” said Serge.

“It’s not a bad thought,” said Craig. “Mags, I’ve been thinking about you and your mom. Do you know anything about her?”

I shook my head. “Dad never talks about her.”

“You’re saying he’s been dead quiet about her?” Serge grinned.

“That was so bad I felt it in my teeth,” I said. “But yeah, quiet as the grave. Why are you asking?”

“Since Serge and I are going to the other side, I thought we might see if we could find some information on her,” said Craig.

“I thought you weren’t allowed to see anything concerning me,” I said.

“I’m not, but I don’t like what’s happening. Something terrible’s going to go down and my instinct says your mom’s part of it.”

“I wish I could help,” I said. “But I don’t know her name, I don’t even know what she looks like.”

Craig gave me a quick kiss. “It was worth a try.”

“Let’s go,” said Serge. “I bet we can find something.”

The guys left. Sleep wouldn’t come and I was alone in the dark, wondering about the connections that bind us, even when we can’t see them.