Two Halves Series (64 page)

He shook his head. “No, but they know to meet us in the hereafter at sundown.”

“Is everyone coming?” I asked.

“Your family will stay here.” Mrs. G paced across the marble floor, as comfortable as if she’d been in her home. The hem of her dancing skirt flowed around her feet.

“You’ll come with us to the brink of the hereafter,” Xela interjected, “and if all goes according to plan, you will have your body back tonight.”

But I wasn’t sure I wanted my body. William was gone. Wouldn’t it be better to let me remain a ghost so I could spend my life with William in the hereafter? Where was his soul?

The promise I’d made to my husband to remain strong pounded in my head. And this was a promise I wanted to keep. He’d asked me to protect my family and continue on, no matter what. Certain I could do a better job in the flesh, I knew my destiny remained on Earth, not in the hereafter. Even when I gave up my body without the guarantee of ever having it back, I knew I belonged here. It wasn’t my time—nor William’s. Yet he was gone. I wished I had a chance to say goodbye. I just wanted to feel his embrace one more time.

Atram settled Willow on a chair and brought her water as she repeated, “I would have felt it.”

I couldn’t imagine William dead either. To me, it seemed more like he’d gone on a vacation. Perhaps it felt that way because I was a ghost, but my gut told me otherwise.

My children’s bodies begun shaking in spasms, like they were having a seizure, and I darted to their side. Crystal’s chest expanded with an inhalation that reanimated her body; Ayer followed. They sat up, though their eyes were still closed. Crystal’s arms twitched, then extended. Her hair grew until it was long enough to touch her bottom, rich auburn with blonde highlights. Her lips and her chest filled out as she shifted into her teens. She rolled her shoulder blades backward, releasing the tension in her neck.

The cracking of bones drew our eyes to Ayer, who tilted his head to the right, adjusting his spine, then to the left. The sound resonated like thunder in the silent room. Ayer’s legs lengthened and the curves of his face sharpened. The skin on his biceps stretched until I thought it would rip.

The twins shook like they were shedding the years of life they missed. They opened their eyes, drawing their gazes from one family member to another. We stared back.

Crystal and Ayer’s expressions shifted from blank to comfortable, and it seemed they were remembering their home. They examined the room and the family in sight as if they’d just come home after a stay at a boarding school. Their eyes assessed the height of the vaulted ceiling and the length of each wall. Crystal peeked out the window and squinted when the sun struck her eyes.

“Sorry, it takes a few minutes of getting used to.” Ayer made small circles with his feet as they stretched out of his kid-size sneakers. The shirt he wore lay in ripped pieces on the floor. His slacks rose to his calves at the bottom, while the top band hung just below his hip bones. Ayer flexed one arm, then the other. He lowered his head and examined his muscles, watching his pecks dance in alternate pumps. “Cool.”

Crystal rolled her eyes and stretched her arms. “Ahh. That’s better.” Her usually oversized t-shirt would split at the seams, any minute now. The stitches under her arms were already strained like over-wound guitar strings.

“It gets easier, the more you shift,” Xander said matter-of-factly as he stepped forward and handed Ayer a bag.

My son pulled out new clothes from the bag Xander’d brought.

“They’re like you? Shifters? How did you know?” I pointed to the sack.

“Ma did a reading,” Mira explained as Xela handed a tote to Crystal.

“Not exactly shifters,” Eric added. “They’re crafters.”

The twins were busy examining their new clothes. I smiled, recognizing their excitement over gifts. Though in their teens, they were still children; they always would be, to me.

Crystal held a black tank top against her bosom. “Nice. I like it.” She looked at the identical top Xela wore. It was too tight for my liking and made my fist-sized breasts look like they were going to pop out.

Xela’s apologetic eyes flew to me, as if she knew my reaction. “We didn’t have much time.”

The twins spun like Superman, so fast that their tanned skin blurred with the clothing, and when they stopped, they were in the new clothes.

My gaze flew to Eric. “Crafters?”

Eric pointed to Ayer. “Warlock, and a witch.” He wrapped his arm around Crystal. “Along with shifters, demonic powers, and human DNA. Hence the need for constant sleep. Their energy has been drained until now. These—” he pointed to their left wrists “—connect them to the keepers’ energy. They will no longer be drained.”

Everyone focused on the marks shimmering on the twins’ wrists. On the top, a blue sphere glowed with cold ice; on the underside of the wrist, a red sphere spat flares of fire; jagged lightning bolts connected both. The glow faded as the spheres cooled and became tattoos.

“What kind of mark is this?” Willow asked.

“The crafter’s mark.” Mrs. G stepped forward. She touched the children’s right hands. “Neither one is stronger, neither one weaker. Both depend on each other, able to understand all—warlocks, witches, demons, vampires, and humans.” Her eyes rolled back in their sockets again. “They are the only two to ever be crafted; they will bring peace and balance. As one breathes, so does the other. As one crafts, so does the other. As one dies, so does the other. They are two equals.”

“Dies?” I repeated in a whisper.

Mrs. G turned to me. “Everyone dies, Sarah. You have—twice—already. It’s a natural progression in life . . . For most.”

“For most?” I asked.

She smirked. “You think the supernatural hasn’t helped me sustain my beauty for one hundred and forty-eight years?”

I’d never paid attention to Mrs. G’s age, but she was right. She hadn’t changed a bit since the day I’d met her. But—

“What kind of life is it, to be the only ones of their kind?”

“They’re not. They’re crafters, but they identify with all three species. Whether they choose a future with a human, a vampire, or other warlocks, it doesn’t make a difference. Not to them.”

“Mama, don’t worry. You were different too.” Crystal came to my side.

I smiled at her. “Yes, I was, wasn’t I?”

“Amazing.” My father touched Ayer’s arm. “Like a rock.”

“More like a diamond.” Ayer flexed his arm. This time, I was certain he shared some of Xander’s characteristics.

“Hardest rock on Earth.” Atram touched the other side.

“Stop showing off. We’ve got a few hours to prepare. Where is Father?” Crystal asked, searching the room with her gaze.

I drew a deep breath to brace myself for what I had to do. “Sit down, sweetheart. I need to tell you something.” I motioned my daughter over to the staircase down to the basement. We sat on the top step together.

Ayer’s attention shifted from his biceps to us, and he joined us.

“There was an accident. We went to the underworld, like you said. I got my ghost back, but before then William—your father—fell into a crevice and—”

The wind blew a heavy gust outside, seeming to disagree.

Crystal placed her hand on my shoulder as if I were flesh. Her touch soothed my soul. “Things happen for a reason.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “He’s not gone, Mama. He needed to fool the seekers.”

“What?” I blurted.

“You haven’t seen him in the underworld?” Willow asked.

“No.” Ayer shook his head.

“Good. That’s a good sign. I would have felt it,” she repeated, letting the corners of her mouth curve upward.

It would be easier for me to gauge William’s whereabouts if I had a beating heart. My ghost confused me. “If he’s not gone, then where is he?” I asked.

Ayer took Crystal’s hand. The children’s marks began to glow, rippling their colors before twirling around their wrists as the two spheres switched their location; now the red sphere was on top and the blue one, underneath.

A new vortex opened in front of them, and William stepped out, without a single burn on him.

I gasped, then shrieked, “You’re alive!” and ran to embrace my husband but fell through him.

“And I see you got your ghostly form back,” he said as he watched me turn back to him.

“I saw you fall.” I didn’t mean for my voice to accuse my husband.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. My faked death was necessary. One day I’ll explain. Just be glad I’m here.” He kissed my forehead, and I imagined the warmth of his lips. I saw him exchange a meaningful look with the twins, like they’d planned for his fall to happen.

“Now that we’re all here, we have a few minutes to finalize the binding.” Eric nodded to the children, and I felt left out. It was as if they spoke to one another to each other on a different wavelength from what I could hear.

“Already? What if Aseret hurts you? What if Miranda tricks you?” I heard the quaver in my voice and wished I had my body to feel the chills up my spine; trembling would at least relieve some tension.

“No worries, Mama. We’ll be fine. We can handle Miranda. With Mrs. G and Xela at our side, Miranda is the least of our worries.” Crystal touched my shoulder again. Her invisible warmth soothed my tension.

“If you say so. When do we go? I need to help you.”

“And who’s going to help
you
?” Eric crossed his arms, nodding to the twins. I couldn’t hear what they said telepathically, but I recognized Eric’s expression as another exchange took place. His left cheek twitched the same way it did when he spoke to me, and no one else heard.

“I wish I could hug you.” I tried to embrace my children. Somehow, the hug felt more real than I thought it would. Before they disappeared into a yellowish mist, I blew them a kiss. They left behind their scent of lemon and honey.
At least I can still smell.

Soon you’ll be able feel, touch, and walk.
Eric wiggled his fingers the way he did when preparing to bend.

“Good. What do I do?” I asked.

“You stay with us, my friend.” Mira put her hand around my shoulder, except it fell through. She flushed. “Guess I’m too used to seeing you as a ghost.”

Xander stepped up on my other side.

Eric moved out in front. “Let’s get your body back.” He twirled his finger, and the vortex to the edge of the hereafter opened.

The orange glow of the sun faded, the room spun, and I found myself on the brink of the hereafter.

Chapter 14

What I’m about to show you, few have seen.
Eric pressed against my side until his body blended into my ghost.
This is the hereafter.

We stepped out of the vortex, and the spinning ceased. Closing my eyes, I waited until the swirling lights stopped. When I opened them, the circling of the vortex hadn’t finished, and my gaze focused on a new source of twirls. The air in front of me rippled like waves radiating from a gallon-sized drop of water that had plunged into a giant glass. No, a mirror—larger than three football fields and reflecting back the images of Eric, Mira, and Xander. My ghost appeared as an empty space between my evil-bender and the siblings.

We stood in a cave as imposing as Aseret’s grand hall. The dust disturbed by the vortex floated as motes in the moonlight shining through an oval hole in the apex of the ceiling; it reminded me of the vent hole at a volcano’s peak.

The dust settled and covered footsteps of a circular perimeter marked with a knee-high stone wall. Within, where we stood, there were no visible prints.

“You need to remain between us, otherwise your ghost will be sucked into the hereafter,” Eric warned.

“Great, and if that happens?” I asked. Eric and the siblings wordlessly looked at me; it was the only answer I needed. “Stay between you. Got it.”

To our right, Mrs. G, Xela, and William stepped out of another vortex. My husband carried a body—Miranda’s! He laid the limp corpse on the ground and shifted to his vampire form. Usually, he only shifted when he expected to use his strength. Fear ran through me as my ghost vibrated. William shouldn’t have come, and I wished he’d remained with our parents at the cabin. It would only take Aseret one strike to kill, and I’d only gotten my husband back, after thinking he was dead. I couldn’t lose him again.

William released a growl from the back of his throat as his incisors lengthened. He stood in front of the witches, knees bent, ready to spring.

What are you sensing that I cannot see?
I scanned the room.

Mrs. G and Xela joined hands. Their eyes blackened as the witches began chanting. I listened to the words but didn’t understand the ancient language. Only a few syllables resonated, reminding me of the spell I’d recited to free my mother’s wrists.

As soon as I thought about my mother, her ghost appeared in front of me along with Aunt Helen’s. “Mom, Aunt Helen. What are you doing here?”

Mom’s embrace soothed my trembling. Aunt Helen smoothed my hair behind my ear. “Our bodies have been found,” my mother said.

“They have?”

“Yes. Eric has gone through a great deal to ensure we can pass to the hereafter. We must join our hosts now, before Eric begins bending. I will not be able to see you after you have your body.”

I shook my head. “No. I just found you. Please don’t leave me. Don’t you want to see Crystal and Ayer grow up? And Dad needs you too. I saw your connection. You can still be with him as a ghost. Please, Mama.” I leaned my ghost’s frame against her, partly stepping out of my friend’s hold. Even if I didn’t have a physical heart, I knew it would quiver with sadness.

My mother held me, and Aunt Helen squeezed my hand saying, “It’s better this way, for you and for us. We’ll always watch over you. You must remember who you are for this to work.” She looked at Xela in my body who was lost in a trance. “Trust in the love of your family.”

“I do. I always will.” Everything I’d done was for my family and for the welfare of others. I’d sacrifice everything for them to be happy.

“They cannot flourish without you,” my mom added. “Love yourself as much as you love us, and everything will work out.”