Deadly Chaos (21 page)

“You’ve done fine so far. Tonight shouldn’t be any different.”

“This whole thing seems surreal. It's only been a few days and I’ve gone from having two feet on the ground to seeing ghosts, sharing my thoughts and energy with others, being followed by spirits and having a cursed necklace that may have killed my mother. It’s a lot.”

“Some people have been through worse.”

“I’m not some people.”

“No, you're not.”Dakota turned and left, leaving her alone in the kitchen.

“I’m ready for you.”

Chaos turned. Sheila stood in the doorway. It was clear she’d heard the interaction. “It’s fine. What was that all about?”

“Dakota has been through hell and back,” she said taking a seat across from Chaos. She had a royal purple cloth bag in her hand, which she put on the table. “He doesn't trust easily and I think he’s had some sort of vision or premonition about you that is putting him on guard. He’d never admit it, of course, but that’s what I think.”

Chaos nodded. “He had a dream that I would watch him die.”

“He told you?”

“Sort of. I stumbled on some drawings. He had to tell me.”

“No he didn’t. He must trust you more than I thought. Good. You ready to do this again? I have the necklace; Linda told me to tell you not to touch it. This must be some curse because she’s wrapped it in a cloth and put it in a bag. She doesn’t want anyone touching it. Let’s connect our energy first and then I’ll investigate the necklace. You okay?”

Chaos nodded, not sure why she wouldn't be okay. The last time Sheila did a reading, she’d told her that her dad had had an affair with a woman she didn't know. One that was a friend of her mother’s. One that might have cursed her. And she’d gotten all of that information from holding her hands two inches above Chaos's hands as if the proximity somehow connected them and showed her information that Chaos didn't even know. Why wouldn't she be okay? “I'm fine,” she said, taking a deep breath. “It’s just a little unnerving.”

“I know. The first time can be really weird. You should have seen the first reading I ever did. It was hysterical. Not for the poor girl who learned her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend. Wowza. I quickly learned that there are some things you just don’t tell people.”

Sheila put her hands over Chaos’s on the table. Chaos watched Sheila and waited.

“Okay, we’re good. You ready? I have your necklace. Dakota!”

He appeared in the doorway.

“Linda said to ask you to take the necklace out of the bag. She said, ‘Don’t touch it. Use the cloth.’”

Nodding, Dakota picked up the bag, reached in, and pulled out the necklace. It was wrapped in a white cloth. He set it on the table and unwrapped the cloth to expose the metal. “I’ll be in the living room if you need help.”

Chaos stifled a sigh. Every time she saw him, something inside her reacted. She swooned like a teenager over a movie star. It felt both ridiculous and utterly decadent at the same time. It had to stop. He was a man she couldn’t have. Chaos reached for the necklace.

“No way, Sunshine. You can't touch it until Linda’s removed the curse. From the stories you tell and what I’ve seen, a house is likely to drop on us if you so much as touch this thing. Let’s see if we can get to the bottom of things. You sit. Same as before but without your hands. I’m just going to try to read this thing.”

Chaos watched as Sheila held her hands over the necklace.

Sheila once again rubbed her hands together and then held them back over the necklace. She frowned. “Hmmm.”

“What?” Chaos braced herself for more bad news. Like maybe she was adopted. Her real mom and dad were Santa Claus and they were just too busy to care for an infant.

“I’m not getting anything.”

“You’re not getting any visions?”Chaos felt both relieved and disappointed.

“I’m not even getting any signal. It’s like there's no energy to this necklace whatsoever.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well everything has energy and it retains the memories of its energy. That’s how people can read them. You know when people go missing and the police go to a psychic with something that belonged to the person?”

“I thought that only happened on TV.”

“It does. But they don't often find the person because the object cannot see the future. It only contains the energy of its past. But if the police have a psychic touch a murder weapon, for example, they might be able to see who was holding it.”

“What does this have to do with my mom's necklace?”

“Your necklace has no memory. It’s like someone wiped its memory.”

“Who would do that? Better yet, who could do that?”

“Probably the same person that cursed it,” Linda said walking into the room. “I was afraid that would be the case.”

“I can try to get through the magic,” Sheila said.

“No, it's too dangerous. We don't know what kind of magic or what the repercussions would be. We’ll find a way.”

Chaos noticed that Linda’s eyebrows were drawn together and she had a determined look on her face, almost as if she’d found her purpose. “I’ll take care of this necklace for you, Chaos. I promise.” She turned and left the kitchen leaving Chaos to wonder how much she’d owe this woman when it was all said and done.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

What the Hell is Chi?

The goal of the meditation was to quiet her mind, balance her Chi. Chaos was still having a tough time wrapping her brain around that one - what the hell was chi, anyway? Once it was balanced, she was supposed to place a protective shield around her body to keep spirits from attacking her. It was difficult. She had an impatient mind and an antsy body. Used to moving a lot and not really focusing, it was a challenge to simply clear her thoughts for more than a minute or two. She could focus on her breath for about ten inhalations and then something would pop into her mind and she’d run off with it like a restless teenager. The night’s pending events didn’t help. She was anxious to get rid of Dead Bill and apprehensive about what the night would hold. Truth be told, Chaos was terrified. Of course, it didn’t help that Dakota was watching her. He had been for the past hour or so. She could feel his eyes on her.

She felt someone sit down beside her and opened her eyes. “Kat, hi.”

“How’s meditation going?”

“Painful. I’m not very good at sitting still.”

“Me neither. It works better for me if I have a guided meditation. I can give you a few CDs if you want.”

“You meditate?”

“Linda insists on it. Besides, I have to stay sane.”

“Sanity is overrated. How did you meet Linda?” Of all the team members, Kat was the most grounded. She didn’t have any special powers and Chaos had found herself wondering how Kat had gotten involved with the team.

“Funny story, actually. Sheila and I were unknowingly dating the same dog. We found out that he was two-timing us, set him up, and we’ve been inseparable since. One night, we’re out socializing and Sheila gets one of her visions. She dragged me to Linda’s house. One of Linda’s teammates was storming out and we went on our first ghost hunt that night. And yes, if you’re wondering if Dakota was there, he was. I think he’s been connected to Linda since the beginning of time. So,” she said slapping her knees. “You want those meditation CDs or what?”

“That’d be good, I guess. Though I’m not sure what good it’ll do for me once I leave.”

Kat stood and extended her hand to Chaos. “You might be surprised.”

“Surprised about what?” Sheila asked, joining them in the yard.

“About what life has in store for us. Is she ready?”

“Yep.”Sheila looked up to the sky. “Looks like we have a new moon, too. This is going to be one powerful evening.”

“Not if I can help it.”

“Tonto,” Kat said. “You’re not going to ruin our evening before it’s started, are you?”

“I’d like to talk to Chaos alone if you don’t mind.”

“Why would we mind?” Kat said. Snapping a photo of Dakota, she linked arms with Sheila and turned to go. “See you inside.”

“What’s up?” Chaos felt butterflies in her stomach. Dakota looked like he had something important to say to her. It couldn’t be good. Dakota didn’t say anything. He just sat in silence looking at the night sky. She didn’t interrupt the silence and instead waited for him to speak. It felt like a power move but she needed to have the upper hand. She needed it almost as much as she needed her next breath.

“I’d like to ask you to postpone contacting Bill.”

Panic rose inside her. She’d been waiting to get rid of Bill since the moment she first experienced him. Tonight was the night she was going to get her life back. “Why?”

“I have a bad feeling about this. I want to know why I’m having dreams about you and what they mean before we go any further. I need to have answers in order to protect everyone.”

“Why now? Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“I’ve been wracking my brain to find answers. And I just don’t have them. I’ve failed.”

He looked so dejected, Chaos felt a strong impulse to help him. “Tell me more about these dreams.” Chaos extended her hand to him. Dakota took it and sat down next to her on the cold ground. He shook his head. Chaos waited.

“In the dreams someone always dies. In the first dream it was me. I died and you watched. Lately, in my dreams, you are the one who dies.”

Chaos gulped. “You’re afraid I’m going to die tonight?”

“I’m afraid of what I don’t know. The coyote is in the dreams. When you die, the coyote is still there. Give me more time. Postpone tonight.”

Chaos looked at her watch. It was two o’clock. Time to start getting ready for Bill. As terrified as she was, she had to move forward with the plans. She wasn’t ready to die. Chaos released Dakota’s hand and pushed to her feet. Dakota stood too. He towered over her. Chaos looked up to meet his eyes. The clouds had cleared away and the sky was full of stars. They framed his face. She wanted to give him what he asked but she couldn’t. If his dreams were true, then getting through tonight was more important than ever. She’d get rid of Bill and get out of here before anything could happen. Bill wasn’t a danger to them. He was a nuisance but he was dead. What could he do? “Nothing will happen tonight. Nothing bad, anyway. Then I’ll go forever and you won’t have to worry about your dreams.”

“What if something happens to you?”

She couldn’t afford to think about it. Bill had to go one way or another. “I trust you to keep me safe, Dakota.”

He placed both hands on her shoulders. “Just give me one more night.”

“I need to see this through. I need to get rid of Bill. And I know it’s a lot to ask because I’ve already asked so much of you but if it comes down to it and you have to choose between saving me and saving someone else, including yourself, save me last.” Dropping his hands from her shoulders, Dakota walked away from her without saying anything. Chaos felt like she’d just ended something that had never really begun. It saddened her but it was better this way. She went in search of Linda and the others. It was time to get ready for Dead Bill.

“Oh, good. You’re here,” Linda said. She stood in the center of the basement wearing a long white silk robe that hung to the floor. She looked like an angel. “Together, you and I are going to bind our energy to fill each member of our team with white light. Just like what you did with Dakota yesterday. Okay?”

Chaos nodded. She just wanted to get to the point where they were getting rid of Bill. With Linda holding her hand, Chaos didn’t have to work to visualize the sunshine pouring through her friends. Yes, she realized as she filled them with light, they were her friends. Probably the first real friends she’d ever had and nothing was going to hurt them tonight. Not because of her. She focused all of her energy and attention on filling them with love and light - protection, Linda had called it. Well, they’d be protected tonight. They glowed with golden magnificence. It brought tears to her eyes.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Chaos didn’t trust her voice. She simply nodded.

“Friends, I have no idea what to expect from tonight. Bill may not even show up. If we look at his actions the night he died then we know he is a coward. We may not be able to convince him to show up. If he does show up, he may need our energy to manifest. I am assuming that if you stay, you are willing to share your energy with this spirit. He cannot harm you. You are protected. Chaos?”

“Yes.”

“It is your energy he has been feeding off of this whole time. Are you willing to give him some more so that we may communicate with him tonight?”

Chaos didn’t want to give him anything. Not her time. Not her fear. And certainly not her energy.“What are you going to say? How will you get rid of him?”

“I can only appeal to him as another human being and ask him to go. It would help if we knew more about him, but we don’t. I’ve never done this before, cleansed a spirit from a person. Usually, spirits are attached to places or things. He’s attached to you. You must show him that you’re not afraid of him.”

“He won’t leave. He has conditions.”

“And you’re not willing to meet his conditions, correct?”

“No.”

“Then we’ll just have to talk him into it.”

Sheila sprinkled salt in a large circle on the floor and chanted. Dakota couldn't hear what she was chanting but the tone of it sounded familiar. A blessing. A protection. He watched Chaos. She seemed calm and in control over her fear. It filled his heart with promise but, watching her now, he was afraid for her. He was afraid for all of them. Her convictions would be tested tonight. If she didn't believe when the test came, she could be destroyed. They all could.

“You’re afraid for her? Linda asked.

“I’m afraid for all of us. My ancestors warned me about her in my dreams. “

“You should have told me.”

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “Probably.” It was a decision he might always question. Linda had enough on her plate. She didn’t need the added stress, yet Chaos’s life might be in jeopardy. Did you sacrifice one to save the rest? He just didn’t know anymore.

“What was the dream?”