Love at Second Sight (7 page)

‘Yeah right.
So
not interested.’

‘I’m interested in doing the article though,’ I said. ‘It will be great for my CV when I apply for journalism courses.’

‘It might be fun too,’ said Effy ‘We could take opposing sides – I’ll be for it, you can be against.’

‘No problem there then,’ I agreed.

‘And I see Ben’s to take photos,’ said Effy.

‘Yeah, maybe he could take some of the invisible guides and dead spirits.’

‘Haha,’ said Effy. ‘And for your information, there are some photos where a spirit has been captured.’

‘Yes, they’re called set-ups, spoofs, fakes, Effy.’

Effy stuck her tongue out at me. ‘Us humans don’t know everything, you know.’

Tash finished her call. Her face was flushed with excitement. ‘Dave and his uncle are still on the case. He says that now we have a date of birth, they should be able to find a date and
place of death too. That should tell us if Henrietta moved from Liverpool and once we know that, they can maybe work out where she lived for most of her life. Dave said that then they can look at
the census records and if she was in the same house as Howard on one of the nights of the census then we’ll have his surname. Yay.’

‘But, Tash,’ I said, ‘even though this is all fascinating, it doesn’t really tell us anything. I could pick a name randomly from the ethers or a name off a gravestone, an
old-fashioned-sounding name like . . . Alice Marshfield or Violet Porter or something, and I bet you if you looked long enough, you’d find someone with that name in the records. The fact that
Dave’s uncle found a Henrietta Gleeson, so what?’

‘Who’s Alice Marshfield? Is she another of your past lives?’ asked Tash.

Effy playfully thumped her but ignored her question. ‘It might all lead to Howard,’ she said to me.

‘Yes but even if we found someone called Howard and he lived in the same place as Henrietta, again, so what? They might have been neighbours of Betty’s gran and she remembered their
names.’

Effy folded her arms. ‘I’m not giving up,’ she said.

‘Me neither,’ said Tash. And we should call you “Jo Yes But” from now on because that’s what you keep saying: yes but, yes but.’

Yes but – I mean, look, I don’t want to be a killjoy but I don’t want you or Dave wasting your time. We’ve got a lot of studying to do this year, let’s focus on
that because at least that will help up in
this
life.’

‘Now you are being a killjoy,’ said Tash. ‘This is way more fun than homework.’

‘Not to me,’ I said. ‘It’s not going to wash as an excuse if we get low grades, like, sorry, Miss, I was researching a person I was in a past life.’

‘OK, then look at it this way,’ said Tash. ‘You do the research for the magazine, and write a good article because that
will
help towards your CV, and Effy, me and the
boys will do the Henrietta stuff. Deal?’

I couldn’t argue with that. ‘Deal.’ Usually the students asked to write articles for
Chillaxin
were in the Upper Sixth whilst team members in the Lower Sixth, like Effy
and me, did the groundwork like research and finding sources. But Finn had said I could write it up. It really was too good an opportunity to turn down.

‘OK, there are two to see this morning and two this afternoon,’ I said as I glanced down the printed sheet of names from Finn. ‘Want to split up or go
together?’

Finn hadn’t wasted any time and had already emailed a list of assorted clairvoyants that he managed to get to see Effy and me at short notice. He’d also picked them because they
didn’t charge a fixed fee but took donations instead. He said he would reimburse us from the
Chillaxin
kitty when we’d finished.

Now it was Saturday and Effy and I had just met in west Hampstead for a quick cappuccino before we headed out to the sessions we were booked in with. It was a sunny day and Effy had a short blue
dress on and her turquoise sneakers and I was wearing a black lace vintage top that I’d got from Notting Hill market with my black jeans.

‘Let’s go together,’ said Effy as she spooned froth from her coffee into her mouth. ‘We might remember different things.’

I laughed. Effy’s nobody’s fool. She knew we’d take a different angle on it all. I didn’t mind that. I knew it was good journalism to represent different viewpoints.

‘It would be amazing if any of them come out with the same story’ Effy continued. ‘You know, say that you were Henrietta once.’

‘Yes, that
would
be amazing,’ I said. ‘But it’s not going to happen. So. Who’s first?’

Effy glanced at our sheet of appointments. ‘Annie Simmons. According to her ad in the back of the local paper, the spirits speak to her.’

What if she evokes someone we don’t want and it follows us home?’ I asked. ‘Like a bad spirit, wuhoohoo.’

‘That won’t happen,’ said Effy, but she said it rather quickly.

I picked up the list and glanced over it again. Number one: Annie Simmons in West Hampstead. Number two: Heather Mason in KilbUm. Number Three: a group who meet in a church with guest
clairvoyants and the last was late afternoon in Muswell Hill. ‘Doesn’t sound like an awe-inspiring bunch,’ I said. ‘I hope we get something we can write about.’

‘That’s because you’re not open-minded,’ said Effy.

Being accused of not having an open mind by Effy or anyone really bugs me. Effy particularly because she’s my mate and supposed to get me, but sometimes she just doesn’t.
‘There’s a difference between being open-minded and gullible.’

Effy bristled. She doesn’t like it when I insinuate that she’s naive. I suppose that makes her feel like I don’t get
her.
‘I am not gullible. I can spot a fake as
well as the next person,’ she objected. ‘Come on, let’s not argue. Let’s go and get started. Is Ben coming to any of them to take photos?’

I shook my head. Finn had sent me Ben’s email address so we could discuss the article, and I’d sent him our list of appointments, but he’d emailed back saying he preferred to
work alone and would go round later to take his pictures.
Miserable git,
I thought, although part of me was glad he wasn’t coming along. I didn’t know what was going to happen or
what was going to be said and I didn’t want any witnesses apart from Effy.

‘What does your mum think of you doing this research?’ asked Effy.

I shrugged. ‘Haven’t told her. You know what she’s like. She’d be here doing it with us. I just said I was working on a magazine article. What about you? You told
yours?’

Effy shook her head. ‘Same as you. Just said I’m doing stuff for the school magazine. You know
my
mum. She’d put such a dampener on it – bit like you.’

‘Sorry, Ef. No more fighting today’

‘Agreed,’ said Effy, then grinned. ‘As long as you admit that I am right, always was right and always will be.’

‘Yes, Your Majestic Queen of bossiness. I hear and obey.’

Effy laughed. ‘I supposed it would be boring if we agreed on everything,’ she said as my phone bleeped that I had a text. It was from Owen again.
Have a spooktacular time,
he’d written.

You’ve been filling Owen in on what we’re up to though I see,’ I said.

Effy shrugged. ‘He always asks after you when he calls home,’ she said.

As we left the café and headed off on our way to our first appointment, I remembered Finn’s last words to me at the Lock: ‘Let me know if any of them mention me.’ Now
that would be worth going along for, as well as a published article going on my CV. Even though I’d told myself that Finn had a girlfriend and was out of my league, I couldn’t get his
annoying face out of my mind or the fact that he’d told me that he hadn’t met the right girl yet.
Things change,
I thought,
maybe things won’t work out with his
girlfriend. Maybe that’s why he was flirting with me. Maybe already things aren’t working out with her. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Yeah right. Maybe I was the one that was gullible.

‘How can I help?’ asked Annie.

Effy and I glanced at each other.

‘This is Jo,’ Effy blurted before I could say anything. ‘We, that is she, wanted to know about her past lives.’

Annie beckoned me forward to sit closer to her. She took my hands and closed her eyes for what felt like an eternity. In the meantime, the dog wrapped its front paws around my leg and began to
hump my calf. I couldn’t push him off because Annie had my hands so I tried a gentle kick but he wouldn’t go. I looked over at Effy. ‘Help,’ I mouthed.

She got up and tried to pull the dog off me. He finally got down and gave Effy the filthiest look before collapsing on her feet when she sat back down. I could see she was trying hard not to
laugh.

Finally Annie opened her eyes. ‘I see many lives,’ she said. ‘I see you as a Maasai warrior in deepest Africa. Then a nun in Russia. After that a lady in Japan. Then ancient
Egypt. You were a high priestess in the temple. Well respected.’ She smiled at me.

And her last life?’ Effy asked.

Annie paused for a moment, took my hands and closed her eyes again. ‘Oh. Now this one is interesting.’

Effy and I exchanged glances as Annie began to speak. ‘In your last life, you weren’t on this planet, dear. You were on a planet called Kinadas in a far-off galaxy.’

I glanced back at Effy. Even she had the decency to roll her eyes.

Annie opened her eyes. Anything else I can help you with?’ she asked. A cup of tea before you go? Faith could fix you one with a nice piece of Battenburg cake.’

‘No, thank you. We ... we have somewhere to go,’ I replied.

Annie smiled again. You both have lovely souls,’ she said. ‘Be happy.’

‘Thank you,’ Effy and I chorused then we headed for the door outside of which Faith was waiting.

‘Do you need to sit quietly for a while?’ she asked in a hushed voice.

We both shook our heads. ‘No, fine, thanks,’ I said.

Faith looked disappointed and led us back to the front door.

‘Weird,’ said Effy as we headed off down the street.

‘
Pee wee oink,
’ I said in a high-pitched voice.

Effy looked at me as if I was mad.

‘That was me being my alien past life self,’ I explained. ‘Do you not speak extraterrestrial? Now. Who’s next on the list?’

‘Heather Mason,’ she replied.

‘Lead the way,’ I said. I was beginning to enjoy myself. A few more like Annie and even Effy would have to come around to my way of thinking.

‘Heather Mason?’ asked Effy.

The woman shook her head. ‘I was. Now I’m Wind Dancer. My spirit guide gave me the name,’ she said without the glimmer of a smile then she led us into her’treatment
room’.

I felt slightly panicked by her. She was well intense. ‘But I didn’t come for a treatment,’ I said when I saw a couch in the centre of the white room. ‘Er, Effy, how
about you go this time?’

Wind Dancer indicated that Effy should lie on the couch so I sat on a chair in the corner whilst Effy nervously settled herself. ‘Er . . . what are you going to do?’ she asked.

Wind Dancer picked a peacock feather out of a vase of feathers by the couch. ‘Each session is different. We’ll see who wishes to come through. Now close your eyes.’

Effy did as she was told. Wind Dancer closed her eyes too and began to wave the feather up and down over Effy, about fifty centimetres away from her body. ‘I feel the spirit of
Icarus,’ she said. ‘Speak to us, O master, and heal thy servant.’

Effy opened one eye and when she saw what Wind Dancer was doing, she glanced over at me. I gave her the thumbs up and that set her off. Her shoulders started to shake with silent laughter which
set me off and soon both of us were writhing with pain as we tried not to make a noise.

Wind Dancer opened her eyes. ‘Be still,’ she barked.

‘Sorry,’ Effy spluttered.

Wind Dancer looked over at me so I quickly straightened my face and coughed. ‘Sorry, something stuck in my throat.’

Wind Dancer sighed heavily and her body seemed to deflate. ‘The energy is not right in the room. It happens sometimes.’

Effy was off the couch in a flash. ‘No worries, Wind Dancer. Thanks for your time.’

We left a ten pound donation and were out the door as fast as we could go although Wind Dancer came after us into the hall where she tried to sell us some of her organic bath products.
‘They contain essence of night ray which was captured when the moon was aligned with Venus on the summer solstice.’

‘No thanks, Wind Dancer,’ Effy said. ‘We’ve got no more money.’

Wind Dancer closed the door on us fast.

‘She was spooky,’ I said when we reached the corner of the street.