Chapter 16

 

I didn’t understand at first why I’d seen Irma’s twin nephews before my son, but their connection to this house and Ham’s undeniable attraction to Brynn—who was the closest thing to a friend Freddy had in this house—helped make it clearer. Hopefully, Ham was going to be a part of my son’s life.

The lighthearted exchange between he and Brynn wasn’t enough to lessen the separation anxiety I had for Freddy. Perhaps Rory was right and that I shouldn’t have used the painting. He’d warned me that we knew nothing about it. Now that I was trapped in the painting, it seemed like I was even more powerless to interfere in Jeremy’s plans than I was before.

Damon was my only hope, and thinking of him got me thinking about Mom. When I’d last left them, they were together at the monastery, plotting out how they were going to confront Jeremy.

 

* * * *

 

An early riser, Mom glanced outside the window of the musty, sparsely furnished room that Father McCabe had given her for her stay. She noticed how beautiful and mysterious the grounds were in the morning. Mist cloaked everything from the English boxwood gardens to the hedges that formed the perimeter of the elaborate grounds.

Amazed that those few that remained at the monastery were able to keep up such lavish grounds, she determined that all they probably ever had was time, something she and the town of Sleepy Meadows were running out of quickly.

She had been patient in waiting for Damon who was preparing to meet Jeremy and was, in fact, anxious for it to happen, which scared me. Having witnessed the battle between her coven and Jeremy in the cemetery and seeing how they barely escaped with their lives concerned me. I questioned whether Mom was ready to confront him again, or if she was doing it out of necessity.

In spite of the danger before them, she resolved to help Damon any way she could. She had to be patient, though, for she knew that Damon was taking every precaution he could to ensure that he could leave the spirit realm without jeopardizing everyone’s lives. Still, without anything to occupy her – no book, no magazine, no television – she couldn’t even pretend to keep herself busy while she waited for Damon to prepare himself for the confrontation.

She paced back and forth in the room for what seemed like an eternity before she finally heard a knock on the door. She quickly went to open it and found the stoic nun with the gray eyes standing there glaring at her.

“Damon’s ready to see you.”

“Thank you, Beatrice.”

“That’s Sister Beatrice if you please.”

“Of course. My apologies.”

Mom smiled, but she got no smile back from Beatrice. Instead, Beatrice turned on her heel, clearly expecting Mom to follow. They passed through another long, dark hallway that led to a dimly lit room with a small window. This room too was sparsely furnished. The light was so poor in the room, in fact, that Mom’s eyes had to adjust before she detected Damon sitting at a primitive table in the middle of the chamber.

He appeared pensive at first. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as she came closer to him. He stood up, almost unsure of his footing, and brushed his hands off on his pant legs before giving her a quick, but a soft kiss on the cheek.

“I know that you wake early. I wouldn’t imagine that’s something that’s changed in all these years. I know there’s not a whole lot to do here, so I’d imagine that you haven’t had anything to do but pace back and forth, so I appreciate your patience in waiting for me to be ready. I need time to meditate and strengthen my mind and body before I confront him. If I do it before I’m ready, I’ll surely fail.”

“When will you be ready?”

“It’ll have to be soon. I can’t remain here too long. Rory can’t sustain the force field himself forever.”

Mom appeared sullen. “I hate to see you go back there.”

“I thought you understood that I have responsibilities in the spirit realm. Rory’s strong and he’s doing the best he can, but he doesn’t have the same level of ability that I’ve got. I’ve been studying the shamanic rituals and have been harvesting my willpower for a lot longer to keep the force field strong. I told him I had faith in him, and I do, but I could see the last time we were together what a toll this has all taken on him.”

Mom sat down. “I realize that he needs you, but he’s got to learn to stand on his own sometime. You’re not going to be around forever.”

“Are you trying to call me old?”

She shook her head. “You know what I mean. You don’t seem to be in the best health.”

He chuckled. “So now I’m old and feeble?”

Mom wasn’t amused. “Damon, don’t make light of this.”

He sat down across from her and took her hand in his. “I understand your concern, but I’m alright. I may be older and not as physically strong as I once was, but my spirit’s strong. How is it that you look the same? It’s as if no time has passed at all.”

She pulled her hand away. “Please don’t say things like that. Saying goodbye again will be hard enough as it is.”

“We already said goodbye long ago, and you know that.”

“I thought I did until I saw you again.”

She stood up and turned away from him. He stood up too and touched her arm from behind.

“Don’t rehash the past, Caroline. You were clear on what I needed to do. It was and still is my responsibility to keep the people in this town safe.”

She faced him. “Why did it have to be put on your shoulders? Why must you take the responsibility for everything and everyone?”

“You know why. I’m the only one who could.”

“What I know is that you deserved to have a normal life too, Damon. Don’t you regret not having a life in the slightest? We all only have a certain number of days to live, and I can’t help but feel like you’re throwing your life away.”

He shook his head. “I know you don’t mean that. Deep down you understand why I did what I did. You understand my purpose, my mission. I’d give up my life for it.”

“You already have. You could’ve had a life with our daughter and me. You could’ve gotten to know your son and have been part of his life.”

“I did it to save their lives—”

“Now they’ve both lost their lives.” She felt her anger growing and couldn’t repress the pain she’d buried for years. “It was all for nothing. It’s like the Wickcliffs are winning, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

Damon made a fist. “They’ll never win as long as I’m still breathing!”

Mom jerked back, shocked by his reaction, staring at him in silence until he composed himself. The pangs of losing him years ago came back again, as she finally came to the realization after all this time that she’d never be as important to him as his mission. Neither would I, and neither would Kasey.

He took a deep breath. “I’ve hurt you, and for that, I’ll always be sorry. But, you have to realize that this is bigger than the both of us. If the Wickcliffs can roam free, it’ll mean the end for all of us. I know that’s not what you want. You know firsthand what it’s like to put your life on the line to fight the Wickcliffs for the greater good.”

“I do know,” she replied, her voice starting to soften, “but, it doesn’t make it any easier. When I see you, I remember the love we shared. I think about how that love created Shelly.” She paused as tears appeared and trickled down her face. “Now our daughter’s gone. I loved her because she was my daughter, but also because she was the only part of you that I had left. Now she’s gone, Jeffrey’s gone, and Gracey. I feel like I have nothing left.”

Damon wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “This has proven to be more than you can handle. Maybe I should go to the Wickcliffs alone.”

Mom broke away from him and wiped the tears from her face.

“You’re not doing anything without me. I may be in pain, that’s true, but that pain will only make me stronger. I won’t lose anyone else I love, and that includes you.”

She stared into his eyes. Knowing that he was in the monastery all those years before had comforted her somehow, and knowing that he was leaving the safety of its confines scared her. He tried to embrace her, but she pulled away again.

“I put everything and everyone I care about aside to come here and be near you. To help somehow.”

“Your presence has helped me. More than you know.”

“Ethan’s probably wondering where I am. I haven’t even gone to see my mother, and as far as I’m aware, Freddy’s still at the mansion.”

“Go to them if you need to. I’m not ready to leave just yet.”

“Is that true, or are you just trying to get rid of me?”

“I need awhile longer. I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“Alright, I’ll go. But we have a deal, right? If you go, I go?”

Damon acknowledged what she said with a nod, looking away. “Yes, you have my word.”

She went to the door and stepped into the hall. After closing it, she’d only walked a few paces when she heard him cry out. She halted and heard him weeping. She wanted to rush back inside and comfort him for she’d never known him to cry, not even when they’d said what she thought was their final goodbye years ago.

It took me aback a bit as well. Granted I didn’t know Damon that well, but he struck me as someone who didn’t easily give into emotions. Damon had given up in his life to keep the town safe, and that had devastated him, although no one had known it. Everyone, especially Rory, only saw his confident side. Perhaps that was the difference between his spirit that we saw and his mortal life that was conflicted by emotions. What Mom had said to him about giving up his life had hit home, and there was an unspoken pain that he didn’t know how to express.

Damon was only human after all despite his many gifts. In contrast, Jeremy was far from human, and he had few weaknesses, except for his love for Lucy and perhaps Rachel.

I wondered if Jeremy would be able to identify what he presumed was Damon’s weakness and exploit it.

 

* * * *

 

As I thought about Jeremy, it made me think about Ethan, and how devastated he’d been at Jeremy’s revelation that he’s our uncle. As I thought about Ethan, my focus shifted, and I found him standing outside our mother’s doorstep.

During our childhood, he and I had endured many lectures about how important it was always to tell the truth. Mom and Gram had instilled that value in us. Knowing that they were keeping the biggest secret of them all hurt us both. We’d both learned that our mother was a hypocrite, and it wasn’t a good feeling. Because of her lies, Ethan was hesitant to enter the house, not knowing what to say if he saw her.

He entered the kitchen. “Mom? Are you here?”

There was no response.

“Terrific. Where the hell is she?”

He hadn’t known that Mom had been gone for a few days, just as he’d been. It had been days since the last Midnight’s Edge, when Jeremy had possessed Kasey, and he’d kept his distance from her needing some time alone.

He thought that maybe she was at the hospital visiting Gram. Even if Mom wasn’t there, he thought maybe he could get answers from Gram. He walked back to his car and hopped in. As he drove to the hospital, he started thinking about what Jeremy had said to him and what it meant if it were true. If he had Wickcliff blood through his veins, what did that mean? Would he end up like the rest of them, cruel and relentless? Would he ever get Kasey back and would they ever be together again? I’d thought the same things. Rory had been there to reassure me that everything would be okay, but poor Ethan had no one to give him any reassurance.

He made it to the hospital and entered the lobby. He approached the front desk and asked for Gram’s room number. When he got to her room, he found it empty. His heart started racing at the possibility that perhaps another tragedy had befallen our family.

Instead of giving into the panic that was rising in his chest, he found a nurse he’d never met.

“Excuse me. Where’s Edith Ford?”

“Who?”

He pointed. “The woman who was in that room.”

“There were two women in that room. Are you family?”

“Yes. I’m Edith’s grandson, Ethan.”

She glanced at some papers. “All I know is that one of them was discharged, and the other moved to a room down the hall. Third door on the left.”

He went to the room and was surprised to see Irma there. He hadn’t seen her in quite some time. He’d spent a lot of time at the mansion during my marriage to Rory, but after Rory’s death, he’d stopped coming. It wasn’t long after that that Ethan left Sleepy Meadows.

Ethan found Irma sleeping peacefully, and thought the old crone hadn’t changed much. It seemed to him that she’d always been gray and wrinkled. She looked more like a corpse lying there, and he studied her chest carefully to make sure that she was still breathing. He turned to leave, but he heard her speak up.

“Who’s there?”

He turned to face her. “It’s Ethan Hawkins, Mrs. Wickcliff.”

“Shelly’s brother?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ve always been a light sleeper. I don’t like to sleep much these days. At my age, I’m always afraid that I’ll drift off and never wake up again. Oh, it’s terrible to get old.”

“I’m looking for my grandmother. Have you seen her?”

“I believe my nurse said that Edie went home. Didn’t anyone tell you? Figures, I go through the trouble to move my room to get away from her, and then she leaves. She just stayed in that room to spite me.”

Ethan sighed. “Nobody tells me anything. It seems to be a pattern with my family.”

She narrowed her penetrating eyes. “Why are you here?”

He wanted to know whether what Jeremy had told him was true or not. He resisted the urge to ask Irma, thinking that a senile old lady such as herself would have no idea, and if she did would she tell him the truth? She was a Wickcliff after all.

“I’d better go.” He turned towards the door.

“Wait.” She gave him a sneaky look, almost as if she knew why he was there. “As much as I hate to admit it, we’re family, and if you can’t confide in your family, who can you confide in?”

His body went numb and his knees weak. Jeremy had told the truth and Irma knew all about it.

He turned back to her and cocked his head. “What did you say?”

She put her hand to her cheek. “Oh, dear. You didn’t know? Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised. Your mother and grandmother have always been cowardly, never taking responsibility for their actions, always keeping secrets that will hurt the ones they love.”

“Explain to me how we’re related.”

He already knew, but he needed someone other than Jeremy to confirm it.

“Well, of course, you and I aren’t really, not by blood anyway. Marriage relates us. My late husband, Harold, was your grandfather. I assumed that was why you were here and the reason for the troubled expression on your face. It was bound to come out.”

“So it is true.”

He stood silently. It was finally sinking in once he heard Irma say it. Irma turned her head, staring off into the distance.

“I’ll never forgive Edie for what she did. We were friends once, and she betrayed me. It was one of the worst betrayals I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“Believe it. It wasn’t all her fault, of course. Harold never could keep it in his pants. I knew that, so we had an understanding. I told Edie, after I found out about their affair, that if she could even find his thing she could keep it. But, in true Harold fashion, after the first time, Edie said she was no longer interested. Boy, did I understand that feeling. I loved him, of course, but he left a lot to be desired in the bedroom.”

These words grazed his ears. “This can’t be happening. I can’t be a Wickcliff.”

She bent forward, a devious gleam in her eye. “But, you are. It isn’t such a bad thing, is it? Our family’s respected and envied by everyone in this town.”

His eyes broadened, and his face tightened. “Envied? No, people are terrified is more like it. Your family—I will not say ‘our’ family—are considered to be monsters with no conscience. Greedy, unfeeling, soulless bastards. It’s like they aren’t even human.”

Her head went back. “What a terrible way to speak about your family. Although that pretty much explains your aunt Rachel to a T.”

She cackled, amusing herself.

“Stop.” He didn’t see the joke and put his head in his hands. “I can’t deal with this right now. I just can’t.”

She sneered. “Oh, Jeremy, stop sniveling and be a man. For God’s sake, grow a pair.”

“Don’t ever call me that name!” He met her eyes straight on. “I’m nothing like Jeremy, nothing!”

He saw the fear in her eyes and stepped back. He had the urge to do her harm just because she’d called him Jeremy. The rage he felt was almost irrepressible. He stumbled backward toward the door.

“God, what’s happening to me?”

Her eyes glazed over. “Jeremy, you look like you could use a stiff drink, and while you’re at it, bring me one too.”

She began to cackle again and pointed at him.

“Crazy bitch,” he said, stumbling out of the room.

Out in the hallway, he leaned back against the wall for support and rubbed his stomach. It sickened him to think that he had Wickcliff blood in his veins, and it devastated him that our family would keep such a secret. His breathing became erratic, as he began to hyperventilate. He hadn’t felt this way since he found me holding the gun that killed Rory.

Dr. Marsh happened to be coming up the hall and saw him. “Ethan, you alright?”

He tried to regain his composure. “No. I’m not alright. I don’t think I’ll ever be again.”

Dr. Marsh studied his face. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Help?” He laughed, finding the question ridiculous. “That’s a good one. Can you bring my father back? How about Kasey? Maybe you can explain to me why my mother has turned into a lying hypocrite?”

The doctor’s expression hardened. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Never mind,” he said, curtly. “I need to get out of here.”

“Before you go, I have some news that may make you feel a little better. Your friend Reed is showing signs that he’ll wake up from his coma.”

Ethan felt as if a heavy weight was lifted off of him. “I don’t understand. I thought you said there was no hope?”

“I can’t explain it. His recovery goes against anything I’ve ever learned about medical science. Some people might call it a miracle.”

His eyes brightened. “A miracle?”

After the doctor had walked away, Ethan began to see a glimmer of hope. Reed’s body had been taken over by Jeremy, just as Kasey’s had, and now Reed was recovering. Maybe Reed’s spirit had returned to its rightful place. He hoped against hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for him and Kasey after all.

 

* * * *

 

I, of course, knew better. I couldn’t explain Reed’s miraculous recovery either, but I knew that it wasn’t because his spirit had returned to his body. The ancestors firmly held Reed's soul, but I was glad that Ethan hadn’t known that. I wanted him to believe in Reed’s recovery because it gave him hope for Kasey’s, and we all needed a little hope right now. Meanwhile, Mom had picked up Gram to take her home. They were quiet on the drive home. When they got out of the car, Mom helped Gram walk to the house. Her ankle was badly broken and would take weeks, if not months, to heal.

“You don’t know what kind of hell I’ve been going through,” Gram said. “The nurses put me in the same room with Irma, the same crazy old bitch who pushed me down the stairs!”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I should’ve been there for you.”

“Never mind.” Gram reached the steps to the back porch. “I’m just glad to be home. They probably would’ve let Irma go too, but no one in the hospital thinks she has anyone to care for her at home. She’s probably better off in the hospital psych ward. At least she’d feel right at home.”

Mom helped Gram up the steps to the back porch and then into the kitchen.

“You need to sit, Mom. Let me help you into the living room.”

“I can manage.”

“You’re still healing. Let me help you.”

Mom helped her walk through the kitchen to the living room. She sat Gram down on the couch and helped put her leg up on the coffee table. She felt terrible for not being there for Gram when she got hurt.

“How are you feeling now?”

She pointed to the cast on her leg and on her wrist cast. “Look at me. How do you think I feel?”

Mom decided to get to the point. “Why did you feel like you had to go to the Wickcliffs alone?”

“Because my stubborn daughter and grandson endangered their lives. What did you expect I would do?”

“We can take care of ourselves.”

Gram scoffed. “I know better than that. Your witchcraft malarkey is no match for the Wickcliffs. Look what happened to me.”

Mom placed her hands on her hips. “You could’ve been killed, Mom. I don’t want you going back there again. I’ll handle the Wickcliffs myself.”

“Why should I listen to you?” Gram turned her head. “You don’t listen to me for Christ’s sake. I’m your mother. You’re not mine.”

“Do you have to be so stubborn? You’re not as young as you used to be.”

“You’re calling me stubborn? That’s rich. I think you need to take a nice long look in the mirror.”

“Let’s just drop this. You know my opinion on the matter.”

“How can we drop it? Shelly’s dead and Ethan’s nowhere to be found.”

Gram paused and caught her breath. She looked down, sighed deeply, and rubbed her temple with her hand. She groaned when she tried to adjust her position.

“Are you in pain, Mom? Can I get you some aspirin?”

Gram waved her hand swiftly and then brought her eyes up to meet Mom’s. She was trying to control her temper, but she was losing the battle.

“Where were you, Carol, the last few days? And, I want the truth.”

Mom remained quiet for several seconds. She walked to the other side of the room, turning her back on Gram. She adjusted a cushion on a chair and tried to ignore what she’d asked. She contemplated lying to her but knew it was futile. Gram could always spot a lie.

“I don’t think you need concern yourself with it.”

“You’re my daughter and despite our quarrels, I love you. It is my concern. You’re hiding something.”

Mom turned around. “Stop it! I refuse to discuss this any further.”

“You practically abandoned me at that hospital, and now you're lying to me. Was I that bad of a mother that you feel the need to treat me so badly?”

Mom sighed heavily. “I was asked to keep a secret. A very important secret. It has to do with saving the lives of everyone in this town. That’s all I can say.”

Gram shook her head in disbelief. “Tell me what it is.”

“Didn’t you just hear what I said? I can’t tell you.”

“No, you mean you won’t. I’m not going to let this go, and you know it, so spill.”

“I went to see Damon Shields at the monastery.”

Gram’s eyes grew wide. “What? How? Why?”

“Damon’s been there in seclusion all these years. He was chosen to be the gatekeeper of the Wickcliffs’s cemetery and mausoleum in the spirit realm.”

Gram’s jaw dropped. “A gatekeeper? For what? I don’t believe in this spirit realm stuff. I only believe in heaven and hell. I pray that’s not where you’re going after dabbling in what you do.”

“There’s a lot more to the afterlife than what you understand, although you never cared to understand it. There are different places for the spirits to go, and he can transcend between our earth, and almost like a spirit earth. That’s the only way I know how to explain it to you.”

“He’s a warlock, a product of the devil himself. If he can do that, he’s got to be. Not only do you need to stay away from him, but you also need to pray to God to have mercy on your soul. I pray that he had mercy on Shelly’s, having been a product of a witch and a warlock.”

Mom’s eyes filled with tears of rage, and I didn’t blame her. Gram’s comment stung me, as if she were making light of my death.

“I can’t believe you’d say something so cruel to me.”

Gram’s voice softened. “That came out wrong. I didn’t mean it that way. I only want you to realize—”

Mom put her hand up. “It’s you that needs to realize something. While you sit back and judge people with your outdated, illogical thinking that makes a mockery of the church you hold so dear, Damon’s been working for the good, instead of condemning those who disagree with his opinions as you do.”

Gram put her hand to her chest. “I resent the fact that you accuse me of making a mockery of my church. I’d never do such a thing.”

“Oh no? Every time you judge, mock, or look down upon someone who doesn’t agree with you, that’s exactly what you do. You’re supposed to embrace people for who they are. Do you know who does that? The coven that you’re so vehemently against. You know who else does? Damon. He’s dedicated his entire life to guarding the Wickcliff cemetery in the spirit realm to ensure that the ancestors don’t get out. He’s saved all of our asses through his good works, including yours.”

Gram raised an eyebrow. “Are you finished?”

“Mother, I love you and I always will, but sometimes I don’t even know why I bother talking to you. You don’t see anything other than what you want to see.”

“What I see is that this wouldn’t be happening if Jeffrey were alive. He was a good man, a decent man who loved you. He wouldn’t have stood for this association with Damon.”

“You’re right about one thing. Jeffrey was a good man, and he knew about Damon and me. He forgave me.”

“He forgave you because he had a pure heart. Unlike Damon.”

“I love him, so you hate him, right?”

Gram’s eyes narrowed. “How can you love him? You haven’t even seen him for decades. Let’s see, how old was Shelly?”

“It doesn’t matter how long it’s been. I’ve never stopped loving Damon.”

“So your whole marriage was a lie?”

“Mother, Jeffrey never loved me like Damon loves me. And, I never loved him like I love Damon. It wasn’t a secret between us.”

“Jeffrey never deserted you. You can’t say that about your holier than thou Damon.”

Mom groaned in frustration. “Why must you be so obstinate?”

“I ask myself the same thing about you every day. All I know is that you were normal before you met that whack job. He got you started on all that witchcraft bull.”

Mom pointed her finger to her chest. “Do you think that I have no mind of my own? Damon didn’t get me into anything. He just helped me realize my gift.”

“You were just trying to hurt me.”

“No, Mother. The world doesn’t revolve around you. I only believe in Mother Earth, the creator of everything.”

“Don’t you ever let me hear you say that again,” Gram said, tears trickling down her face. “There’s no higher power than God. You’re lost, and I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to you.”

Gram put her head down and began to sob uncontrollably. Mom sat down in a chair and breathed slowly. It was the same argument that they’d had years ago. Gram would never understand Mom’s beliefs, nor her gifts, and Mom would never understand Gram’s point of view.

“Can’t you see?” Mom said softly. “I have special powers that can’t be explained by your religion. You never accepted Gunnar either. Look what happened to him.”

“Don’t speak of your brother again. Ever! I refuse to hear another word against God. You should be ashamed.”

“Then we’re at a crossroads. You’ll go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

The two women were silent for several moments until Gram raised her head back up.

“Where’s Freddy? Where’s my sunshine?”

“He’s at the Wickcliff mansion.”

“What?”

“Shelly—Rachel came to the house and took him.”

“How could you let that happen?”

“I didn’t let anything happen. I was knocked unconscious by something, by someone, and when I woke up, he was gone.”

Gram tried to get up. “We have to do something. That little boy can’t be up there where Jeremy is. Think about what he could do to him.”

“Damon and I will get him out. We could be putting Freddy in more danger by trying to take him out of that house by force than we would by leaving him there for the time being. Jeremy won’t hurt him. Freddy’s a Wickcliff.”

“So was Shelly. If you think he’s going to be safe up there, you’re a fool. Get him out of there before we lose someone else we love.”

“We’ll get him back, I promise.”

Gram continued to cry. “We have to stop treating one another this way. I don’t agree with what you do, but you’re still my daughter, and nothing will change that. I only want what’s best for you and this family.”

Mom nodded. “I know that. Why don’t I make us some tea? It’ll calm our nerves. Truce?”

“Truce. For the sake of our family.”

Mom went to the kitchen and ruffled through the cupboard for the tea bags. She hadn’t wanted to admit how much Gram’s words had hurt her, and she was still upset. She clutched the pentagram on a chain around her neck. She thought about Hilda, Lucy, and Gracey.

“Mother Earth, give me the strength to handle any situation and grant me the peace that comes through faith.”