A Breath of Magic (21 page)

“See? You don’t require my help. Why can’t you trust in yourself? But yes, you have such great power that you can help people beyond measure, or you can deal them—and yourself—incredibly debilitating blows. Everything stems from you. Everything is connected. But as with Alice, there was only so much I could tell you. In your case, I needed you to grab onto your magic with both hands, to experience what you were capable of, so you’d be able to find your true destination. You’re far too stubborn to have just listened to me and nodded.”

I nearly stuck my tongue out at her, but didn’t. Because loath to admit it as I was, she was correct. Again. “Okay. And what about Gabriel? My heart and my body and my soul tell me he isn’t the man in that drawing. But is that just wishful thinking?” I bit my lip, waiting for her to respond.

“You already know the answer to that question! You have some serious self-trust issues, don’t you?” She shook her head as if greatly disappointed. “Besides, my dear—if a little deluded—great-great-great-granddaughter, who is the man who walked into your shop off the street? Was that Ben or was that Gabriel?”

Oh, God. Thank God. I mean, I was sure of how I felt, of what I believed, but Miranda’s declaration helped. I swallowed and tried to breathe, tried to work out if what I wanted to do would be possible, and if maybe, just maybe, I’d end up where I wanted. A new glimmer of excitement appeared. “I’m sure I don’t want this gift anymore, because if I keep it, I’m going to turn into a person I don’t want to be. But I need to help Mari and Ben first.”

“Then do what you must. Trust in yourself. Trust your instincts.” She winked, and the colors around her sparkled and jumped, bounced and shimmied. “But listen to this,
Chloe: if you ever call me like this again, then I will have a long talk with Elizabeth.”

I chuckled. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that, Grandmother.”

Her energy expanded across the room and cascaded around me. In that second, I felt the purity of Miranda’s love, of her belief in me. And I gotta say, it felt really, really good. I smiled through my tears. “I love you too.”

She nodded, raised her arms and, in a final blast of colors, disappeared.

Tuesday evening, right after locking the door at the Mystic Corner, I dialed my sister’s phone number and waited for her automated, robotic-sounding voice mail to pick up, hoping that maybe she’d actually answer. She didn’t.

“Sheridan, I’ve purchased a plane ticket to Seattle. I’m not telling you when I’ll be there, because I’m sure you’ll find a reason not to be home then, but I’ll see you soon and I hope you’ll let me in.” I heaved a breath. “I miss and I love you.”

My flight was on Friday, a mere three days away. We were going to settle the weirdness between us once and for all, and strangely that decision had come about because of Ben and Gabe. They would likely never cross the chasm between them. With what had occurred, I didn’t blame Ben for that at all, but my relationship with my sister was different. We
could
become close again. At least, I hoped we could.

There was something else in my mind too, something that I hadn’t yet decided but wouldn’t unless I was sitting across from Sheridan. So yes, this visit had to happen now.

I dragged my eyes to the clock, noting that Ben should be arriving soon. I’d called him the prior evening after talking with Miranda. Instead of going to his house as originally planned, I’d stayed at home. Mostly because I didn’t trust the strength of my emotions combined with the potency of my magic. I was afraid of myself.

My heart ached as I considered my plans for the evening, what had to happen after I brought Mari to us and, if things went well, she moved on to be with her mother. But I had to
trust myself and my instincts. That’s what I was doing. Either the result would be huge and glorious, or it would be nothing short of horrendous. I drew in a long, deliberately slow breath and then exhaled just as slowly.

I’d told Ben to come in the rear entrance, so I switched the lights off in the front part of the store and hurried into the back room. There, I continued my methodical breathing and retrieved the candles I’d brought from home. Silly, maybe, but even though I had candles of every size, shape and color here at the store, I wanted the ones I’d used with Miranda. I placed them on the table unlit and collapsed in my desk chair. Ben knocked on the door two minutes later.

“Punctual as always,” I said, gesturing him inside. He entered, and I faced him, soaking in his appearance. Just in case I never saw him again. Tonight he wore the same jeans he had during our first date, and he looked just as handsome, just as rugged and just as sexy. My eyes traveled up his body. His cobalt blue shirt fit him well, not too loose and not too tight. Somehow, his eyes looked even bluer than normal. Impossible.

“You look sad,” Ben said, advancing into the room. “Are you worried about me? About how I’ll react to…whatever is going to happen here tonight?”

I nodded. Not only because his assumption was correct, but also because it extended beyond connecting with Mari. “Just a little. But you’re here now, and I’m really glad to see you.”

“Are you—? You really think you know how to bring her to us? Is there a chance she’s already moved on, and that’s why you haven’t seen her?” Tendrils of doubt clung to his every word, probably because I hadn’t “seen” his daughter since my confession.

Well, I’d fix that tonight, if nothing else—assuming Miranda was right. “I’ve…ah…done a little research, so
I’m as close to positive as I can be until we try. And no, I don’t believe she’s moved on.”

“But I won’t be able to see or hear her?”

I swallowed, trying to dispel the lump in my throat. “If you haven’t seen or heard her on your own, then I don’t believe you’ll be able to tonight. But think of something I can ask her that I wouldn’t know. You need to be one hundred percent sure that I’m being honest with you.”

This was a must.

He closed his eyes and his shoulders tensed. Without thought, I approached him and lightly touched his cheek and then his hair. “I’d say that we don’t have to do this if you’re having second thoughts, but we need to. For Mari.” For him too, but I knew his concern for his daughter would outweigh his fears and skepticism.

He opened his eyes. “I’m trusting you, Red. I don’t know what else to say.”

I heard his sentiment loud and clear: I’m trusting you, so don’t let me down. “You can have faith in this. I promise.” I rubbed my thumb along his jaw. “Do you want to talk about what I think will happen first, or do you just want to get on with it?”

He grabbed my hand in his, shaking his head. “I don’t want to have any expectations or assumptions. So yeah, I guess we—you—should do whatever it is you need to. And tell me what I should be doing.”

I squeezed his hand and then leaned in and gave him a gentle, lingering kiss. He returned it, his fingers weaving into my hair, drawing me closer. The emotions between us were soft, tender and far more about offering each other comfort than anything else.

When the kiss ended, I forced my legs to take me to the table, where I lit the candles. More nervous than I expected, I skimmed my hands along my pants. “I’m ready. You can
stand or sit down, whichever you prefer, and I need you to think about Marissa—her face, her voice, the sound of her laugh. Your memories of her. If you do that, I’ll be able to do my part.”

He gave a quick nod. “I’ll stand.”

Then I would too. “There might be wind. Or…um…colors. Or something else. Just so you’re not surprised.” He nodded again, and I moved into position next to him, clasping his hand. “I don’t know if this is necessary, but it can’t hurt.”

Faint humor touched his face. “It might even help.”

I grinned. “Yes.”

With nothing else to say, I closed my eyes and brought every memory I had of Mari to the surface. Again, like with Miranda, once I had the girl’s image I grasped on tight and delved deep inside of myself. The power there had almost become second nature. One long breath in, another out, and I envisioned my energy as a vine, climbing higher and higher, reaching from me, beyond me, toward Mari.

Electricity—hot, fast and sharp—sizzled in the air, blazed along my skin and funneled through my hand into Ben’s. I heard him gasp, so I gripped his hand tighter but kept my eyes closed. My power swelled, and the vine I’d envisioned climbed even higher, searching for a lost, scared teenage girl who needed her father.

“Mari, honey,” I whispered, not wanting to yell as I had with Miranda. “Your dad is here with me. It’s time for you to come talk with him, so that together we can help ease your pain. So you can help ease his. Oh, sweetie, he misses you so, and if you can give him the gift of one more conversation, both of you will be able to move on.”

I opened my eyes and turned my head, locking my gaze with Ben’s. His jaw was clenched tight, but he nodded, as if giving me permission to carry on. I continued to stare at him while my power vibrated within.

“I plead with you to heed this call, Mari! Come to us now!”

A gust of wind, not much more than a forceful breeze, touched my face. Ben swallowed and blinked several times. Next, a strong white light washed into the room, the brightest portion of the glow directly in front of where Ben and I stood. I centered my energy, my power, on that light and repeated my call to Mari.

I blinked, and in the space of that blink, there she was. She stepped out of the middle of the light and stopped before me, before her father. Her eyes went to him first, and I saw her heartache when it became obvious that he couldn’t see her.

She turned to me. “I’ve tried to stay away because, now that I remember, I don’t want to hurt him anymore,” she whispered. “But you called me, and here I am, and look at him. Look how sad he is. What good is this if my father can’t see me? Can’t hear me?” Her voice caught and her sky blue eyes welled with tears. “I don’t understand how this will help him or me, Chloe.”

The distress in her eyes, in her very energy, swirled around us. “Oh, honey.
I
can see you, and
I
can tell him whatever you want.”

As I spoke, Ben flinched. “Sh-she’s here?” His words held a mix of doubt and hope. “Are you seriously saying that Rissa’s here right now? And that you can see her?”

“Yes, Ben, your daughter is with us.” God, I
so
needed him to believe this. “What do you want me to ask her? The question that will prove to you that your daughter is standing with us?”

“If…if she’s here, ask her about the April Fool’s joke I told you about. Ask her the name of the boy she said she was going to run away with.”

Mari’s lips quirked, and the sadness in her eyes lightened. “Marvin Maypole! I made the name up.” She splayed her
fingers over her mouth and giggled, remembering the prank she’d played on her father. “T-tell him, Chloe!”

“Marvin Maypole,” I said. “She says she made the name up, and she’s giggling.” I watched Ben carefully, worried that as much as he wanted this opportunity, the truth of it might be too much for him to handle.

He gulped. A series of emotions—shock, hope, happiness and another round of shock—flashed in his eyes, over his features, and he reached his other hand out blindly, as if he could grasp his daughter. “Yes,” he said in a raspy, thick voice. “Marvin Maypole. That’s right. I can’t believe…Rissa? You can hear me, right? Even though I can’t hear you?”

“She can hear you, Ben.” I watched him struggle, trying to find the words he wanted to say to his daughter, and when I looked at Mari, I saw the same struggle. At least she could see and hear him, but Ben? Talking into the air, believing with your heart and soul that someone you loved was listening, had to be incredibly difficult.

“I…Now that this is happening, I don’t know what to say. This is—” He swallowed again and shook his head. “How can you see her and I can’t? This isn’t fair!” He searched the area in front of him, and another round of tremors licked through him.

Mari started crying again, and I knew in that instant that this wasn’t going to work. All of the hope that I could fix this bled away. Why couldn’t I do something—anything—so father and daughter could really connect? What in the hell was my role here? It had to be more than as an interpreter. Otherwise, how was I supposed to heal anything, let alone their hearts and souls?

“Take a deep breath, Ben. I’ll help you through this.” Confidence I didn’t feel edged into my promise, and I winced, unsure if I’d be able to follow through. I glanced at Mari. Her tears fell harder, almost desperately, and my heart reacted. And then, so did my power.

It expanded in a dizzying rush. The energy inside me flowed in a burning frenzy through my veins, the power so strong, so forceful, that heat flushed through me, rocking my equilibrium, making my head swim. Ben gasped again, and that’s when I saw that my magic was glowing and glittering beneath my skin. Just like with him at the amusement park, and then again with Mari, right here, right where we now stood. Oh my God! This…this sparkling, glistening display had only happened those two times. Never with anyone else. I latched on to that, knowing it meant something vital. But what?

“S-something’s happening,” I whispered. “Give me a second. Let me think.”

Almost immediately, I had the answer. But was it possible? Could I really use my gift, this portion of my magic that sped through my blood with such intensity, to bridge the physical world Ben stood in and the spiritual world where Mari existed? As soon as that thought hit, my power rippled in a new, even more potent push, the heat and the trembles and the energy making my body quake.

“C-Chloe?” Ben’s voice broke in, awe filled. “You…you look like you’re lit from the inside. You’re…What’s happening now? Is my daughter still here?” he demanded. “Is this like that movie
Ghost
? Are you like Whoopi’s character? Is Marissa going to…is she inside—”

“No, but…maybe?” Going on a hunch, trusting nothing more than my instincts, I squeezed Ben’s hand hard and then lunged forward and grabbed Mari’s with my free hand. I was only half-surprised to find that I could touch her, that I could feel her. But somehow, she was as solid for me as Ben.

The energy whipped from me into both Mari and Ben, and they too began to glow. This display—the tiny embers of light that washed over them in a sparkling, dazzling array—made me believe, made me sure that I’d tapped in to a portion of my power I hadn’t even known about or understood
until that very second. I clutched both of their hands tighter and focused all of my magic on them.

The lights grew brighter, and the air sizzled and zapped, buzzing in my ears, tingling along my skin. “Can you see your daughter now, Ben? She’s right here.” Another blast of energy weakened my limbs, and I almost toppled over. “Oh, please tell me you can see her.”

He shook his head in confusion, but then his eyes rounded and tears poured out. A heart-wrenching sob erupted from his throat. “Rissa? I…I…You’re…Oh, God, you’re so beautiful. I have missed you so much, baby.”

“Daddy?” A look of pure happiness filtered into Mari’s face. Stepping closer to her father, she raised her other hand and brushed it along his arm. “Can you feel me? Can I touch you like Chloe’s touching me?”

“Yes. Yes, I can feel you. I can’t believe you’re here, that I’m with you.” He yanked his arm, as if he were going to drop my hand so he could pull his daughter into a hug, but I tightened my grip.

“Don’t, Ben,” I warned. “If you let go of me, you won’t be able to see her.” Somehow, my magic had become a conduit, a bridge, for father and daughter. I didn’t understand how, but I knew it to be true. “If we break this connection, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it back. And I—I know this is private and personal, but I have to be here. I’m sorry.”

He squeezed harder and nodded but didn’t remove his gaze from Marissa. “C-Chloe says that you’re stuck here, sweetheart. Is that true?”

Mari lowered her chin slowly in a nod. “I hear Mom calling for me. And I know you’re angry with her, and I was too, but Daddy, I want to go to her. I want to be where she is, but I can’t leave. Every time I try to follow her voice, nothing happens.” Another tear fell. “You’re so sad, and you’re…I don’t want you to be mad at me if I go to Mom. I—I feel bad
for wanting to be with her, because it means I have to leave you, but…”