THE SHADOWED ONYX: A DIAMOND ESTATES NOVEL (24 page)

“I’m packing.”

Was she serious? Where was she going? Come to think of it, why was she in Joy’s room packing? Joy glanced down to find the green Samsonite suitcase spread open on the floor with her belongings already filling most of the space.

Mom was serious. But she wasn’t going anywhere. Joy was.

Mom looked at anything and everything in the room … except Joy.

“What’s going on?” Joy sat upright.

Mom neatly folded a sweatshirt and tucked it inside the suitcase. She reached back into the depths of the sock drawer and scooped out an armful then dropped them into the zippered pouch on the side.

“Are you kicking me out or something?” Joy threw her legs over the side of her bed and stood up, instantly shivering in her tank top and shorts. She reached for the sweatshirt Mom had just put in.

Mom beat her to it and pressed her hand over the UN logo. “Let’s leave this one packed. Just grab something else.” Why wouldn’t she make eye contact?

Joy pulled a sweater off a hanger and yanked it over her head. “Mom. This is scaring me. Would you just tell me what’s going on? You’re kicking me out, aren’t you?” Where would Joy go? She had no real friends. Maybe Grandpa’s?

“Okay. Here’s the thing.” Mom blinked. “I wanted to talk to you about this when your dad was here, but he had to run out to pick up a few things for you, and if I wait, we’ll run out of time.” She sat on the bed and pulled Joy down beside her. “I took what you said last night to heart, and we’re getting you the help you need.”

Silas appeared at Joy’s side. Calm, but watchful. Alert.

Oh boy. This was going to be interesting.

“I talked with Mark Stapleton, and he’s on a plane right now.” Mom fiddled with a rip in Joy’s quilt. “He’s coming here so he can bring you to Diamond Estates.”

“What about school? You do know that yesterday was the end of Christmas break, right? I have to leave in … oh …”—Joy looked at her bedside clock—“less than an hour.”

“They have school at Diamond Estates. You’ll only miss today.”

Joy shook her head like marbles were rolling around in there. Maybe she’d misheard something. “I’m confused. How did this happen so fast? And how long will I be going?” Joy jumped from the bed. “Why didn’t I have a chance to talk to you about this? I mean, I thought you were getting information. I didn’t know you’d be packing me and sending me off today.” The tears spilled down Joy’s cheeks.

Today? She had no more time to make sense of it all? What if she’d changed her mind? What if she wanted to back out?

Mom nodded. “I had a lot of those same questions, too. But I have to agree with Mark. We’re dealing with some serious stuff, and it’s not time to play games. I also agree with Mark coming to get you because we’re not about to risk sending you off on the plane alone.”

“Well, why couldn’t you just take me there?” She couldn’t travel that distance beside some stranger, a super-Christian nonetheless, trying to make conversations about the weather. Come on.

“Honestly, sweetheart, your dad and I are simply not equipped to handle this with you, and we don’t want to mess it up. Mark says …”

Something told Joy she was going to get really sick and tired of those two words before this whole thing was over.

“… you’re under an intense spiritual battle. I just think it would be doing you a disservice if I were the only one there fighting with you. I’ll be on the sidelines praying for you every moment of every day, but you need real help. Help I can’t give you.” She twisted her hands together, but not before Joy saw them tremble.

Mom was scared. It all made sense. But could Joy really blame her? After all, Joy was terrified herself, and she was the one who’d caused the whole mess.

She let her body fall back onto her bed. Couldn’t really argue with Mom’s logic, if only it could be some other way.

“So how long do I have?” She had things to do and friends to say good-bye to. Well actually, maybe not. Maybe some things were better left alone. She could call Grandpa and Stella at least.

“Mark will be here in about two hours. You have time for a shower.” Mom turned back to the packing then looked up. “Oh, almost forgot. Grandpa’s coming in to see you. He’ll be here in about an hour.”

Joy nodded. “Stella, too?”

“No. We thought that’s probably not a great idea.” Mom offered a soft smile. “I mean, your dad and I feel that Stella might not be the best influence on you right now.”

Duh. You think?
“Yeah …” Joy hoped Stella didn’t feel hurt. “I feel so bad that I’ve upset everyone’s life so intensely. I’d undo it if I could.”

“Don’t feel bad. Just get help. That’s the only way to undo it. Now go jump in the shower. I’ll finish packing so you have time with Grandpa, Dad, and me before you leave.”

Joy slumped off the bed and inched her way to the door. Her hand on the frame, she turned around. “How long will I be there?” Week or two … three, max?

“That will all depend.” Mom looked at her hands. “No less than six months. Probably a year.”

A year. The words fell like a lump in Joy’s gut, and tears filled her bottom lids. Mom and Dad were okay with Joy moving out for an entire year. When she came back, she’d be close to graduation. Then what? They were giving up the end of her childhood. And they were okay with that? What about next year’s volleyball season? Not that it mattered.

She could still say no, right? What if she backed out? She could tell Mom she got too nervous to be away from home. Raven said girls had to want the help at Diamond Estates to be accepted into the program. So she’d say she didn’t want to go. Send Mark home, unpack her suitcase …

But she wouldn’t do that. If she did that, there’d be no hope left for her. She’d be forever locked between two worlds. One of them growing scarier by the day. No, she’d go. Make it easier on everyone. She could always change her mind later. Couldn’t she?

Those famous words from
Casablanca
filtered into her mind.

“You’ll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.”

Fine. But regret what? Going or staying?

W
e’re going to need everything in your house that’s in any way associated with the occult—books, games, DVDs, a Ouija board—anything you have. I need you to go collect them so we can burn them.” Mark rubbed his palms together like he couldn’t wait to get them on Joy’s stuff.

“Burn them?” He couldn’t be serious. That stuff cost real money.

Silas growled.

“Yes. We need to take care of that before we go.” His eyes searched the family room. “I don’t want to leave those things here to cause any problems for your parents.” Mark strode to the bookshelves that lined the family room wall and ran his finger along the spines looking … for what? A witchcraft bible?

Mom nodded. “I think that’s a great idea.” Her eyes never left Mark as he searched her books.

Dad coughed. “Is this going to be like an exorcism?” His face paled.

Mark shook his head and turned back toward them, two dog-eared paperback novels in his hands. Joy strained to see the titles, but couldn’t make them out.

“No. An exorcism is what’s done when someone is possessed. I don’t believe Joy is possessed because she’s not manifesting a spirit through her body—that we’ve seen evidence of.

But she’s clearly being affected by the satanic world—oppressed. So, while we don’t need to exorcize spirits from her body, we do need to break any association between her and that realm.” Mark looked around the room, making eye contact with each person. “And, like I said, we want to be sure that when Joy and I leave this house today, there is nothing remaining here to affect you guys or for her to come back to later.”

Joy’s shoulders slumped. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that other people could suffer under the weight of her decisions. She sure didn’t want her parents to be haunted or whatever. What if they got assigned their own wolf … or lion, tiger, or bear? Oh my.

“I’ll be right back.” She went to her room and lay on the floor by her bed. There wasn’t much under there, most of her reading was done on the computer. She pulled out a few magazines from Kyle’s store, a box of incense, and a picture book of white wolves.

She hopped up and strode toward the door with her findings. Oh! She’d almost forgotten Raven’s Ouija board. Joy hurried back to her closet and pulled the old string hanging from the single light bulb then felt on the top shelf among her sweaters where she’d hidden the game. Ah. There it was. She pulled out the well-worn box held together by rubber bands.

Should she call Raven and get it back to her? Joy couldn’t very well burn someone else’s property, could she? And at least it would be out of the house. But she really didn’t want to have a confrontation with Raven. She just wanted to disappear.

Speaking of Raven … Joy looked at her hand, the onyx glinting on her finger. She should probably turn it over to Mark. But it was hers. It had been a gift. She’d keep it as a memento of all she’d been through. It didn’t mean anything unless she gave it meaning, right? Well, it was only a ring. That’s all the power she’d let it have. A piece of jewelry.

Joy pulled the onyx off her finger and slipped it into her front pocket. No, that wouldn’t do. She might lose it. How could she keep it with her but concealed? Ah! She scrambled over to her dresser and plowed through her unpacked socks until her fingers found what they searched for. She pulled out a long chain, slipped the ring onto it, and then clasped it around her neck. She dropped the ring down her shirt and felt it bump against her sternum. It would be safe there.

Better get back to the others. Joy hurried back to the family room where she set everything down on the floor in front of the fireplace. “This is all of it.”

Mark looked the pile over. “Are you sure? No other books, movies, magazines?” He searched her eyes while he rattled off the possibilities.

“Nope. Nothing.”

“What about jewelry? Any trinkets, necklaces, bracelets?”

Joy shook her head. “No. I’m not withholding anything on purpose, if that’s what you mean.” At least he hadn’t said rings.

“Okay, because this is very important.” Mark waited again.

What? Did he think she was lying? “I can’t think of anything else there would be. But I do have one question. What about something that’s borrowed? Don’t I need to give it back to the person I borrowed it from since it’s not my property?”

“No, in my opinion, this stuff is so dangerous that even if someone did own it, it’s okay and even good to destroy it. You’re doing them a favor.”

Seemed like convenient logic to Joy. But whatever helped him sleep at night was fine with her.

Mom peered down at the contraband. “Um. You have a Ouija board? I don’t understand how you could have something like that going on in our home.” She sighed and shook her head.

“Would you believe it’s not mine?” Not that it mattered whose it was.

“It’s in our house … might as well be yours.”

Mark cleared his throat and raised an open Bible in front of him. Where had that come from?

“I want to read to you from Acts nineteen. It says, ‘Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.’”

Whoa. It was like whoever wrote that could see them standing around the fireplace.

Mark glanced at Joy. “Any doubts now that God is against all of this?” He gestured to the floor.

Joy shook her head. Oh, she already knew God would be against it all—if He existed. But if He
were
real, then she and God were on a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately basis. And it didn’t look good for Him.

Mom rubbed her temples. Her eyes drooped like she might nod off to sleep right there in front of the altar of evil. Dad put his hand on her neck and squeezed. Joy stood alone. Except …

“Well, if this is it …?” Mark turned to the fire.

“Wait.” Had she said that out loud?

Mark spun around. “Yes? Did you think of something?”

Oh no. Joy’s heart thudded like a drum. Her parents were going to kill her. But worse, she was doomed with Silas’s face engraved on her body forever. She couldn’t get away even if she wanted to. “I did something I don’t think can be burned away. And I don’t know what to do about it.” Then again, maybe it was a good thing. Maybe she should keep it to herself.

“What do you mean?” Mom’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Well …” What could she say instead of what she’d intended? Nothing else seemed to fit that description. “I mean, I made promises. You know?”

Mark nodded. “Go on.”

“Just like a commitment, kind of.”

“You’re right. It’s definitely a commitment. That’s what we’re doing here. Severing those ties. Breaking that bond.” Mark watched Joy’s expression. “You okay with that?”

The doorbell rang. Saved by the bell?

Mom glanced at Dad. “That would be your father. Want to let him in?”

Joy, Mom, and Mark stood silently waiting. They heard the door open and a loud voice boom down the hallway.

“Dad. I’m so glad you could come.” Then a moment of silence.

Joy could picture the two men embracing. She imagined Grandpa’s eyes laced with sadness.

“Come on back. Everyone’s in the family room. It’s kind of somber—we’re sort of in the middle of something.”

As Dad and Grandpa arrived in the room, Mark clasped his hands together. “Well, let’s do this thing.”

Mark stood before the fireplace and lifted one of the Duraflame logs in the box beside it. He turned it over in his hands and tried to read the instructions. He was probably used to real wood for his fires. He flipped the flap up at the seam to see the instructions beneath.

Dad lifted his head out of his hands and gazed at Mark’s attempts. He stared for a moment then shook his head as if snapping out of a thought. He jumped to his feet and took three strides toward Mark. “Here. Allow me.”

Mark nodded and turned back to the group. “Okay, Joy, last chance. You’ve collected everything I suggested?”

Eyes on Dad, Joy watched as he lit the two arrows and waited for the log to catch, brightening the room almost instantly. Joy shook her head. “No, that’s it.”