“Peyton!” Hearing Ryan’s voice, my eyes snapped open as I sat up straight and inhaled a huge breath of air. I immediately examined my surroundings and felt confused. Last I remembered, the younger version of Peter was trying to kill me. Now I found myself sitting on the floor in front of a couch? I glanced up and realized I was surrounded by Ryan, Lovie and Peter. All of them had expressions of grave concern on their faces.
I nearly jumped out of my shoes when I spotted the creature standing beside Lovie. But after another second or so, I recognized it as Samuel, Lovie’s familiar. Similar to a witch’s familiar, Samuel was a spirit who guided Lovie in her interactions with the spirit world. He looked almost like a tarsier with enormous, circular eyes, but he was much larger, standing a good two feet tall and with orange fur. Samuel’s arms and legs were almost humanlike, but much longer. I considered Samuel Lovie’s pet, of sorts.
I could only see Samuel when my sixth sense was unblocked, thereby leaving me open to receive and interact with the spirit world.
So that means, what you just walked in on between Guarda and Peter really happened! I said to myself. Part of me still thought maybe I’d just imagined the whole thing. In all my interactions with the spirit world, I’d never experienced a situation through someone else’s eyes, such as Adele’s. Usually, I was just myself and they were themselves when they told me what I needed to know. End of story. Well, now it seemed like I’d just opened up a whole new book …
“What?” I asked as I shook my head. I immediately brought my hands to my throat as I remembered what I was experiencing before I woke up.
Mon chaton! Drake yelled inside my head and I dropped my hands back onto the floor beside me to help maintain my equilibrium. I felt strangely dizzy. But dizzy or not, I couldn’t help the relief that washed over me in knowing that Drake was back in his rightful place, inside my head.
I do not understand what just happened! Everything went black and I could not reach you, nor could I see or hear anything!
I know, Drake, I responded in thought, but he interrupted me.
Are you well? Are you injured?
I think I’m fine, Drake, I responded, pausing for a second or so to get my thoughts in order. The truth was that I was still pretty shocked and confused. From what I can gather now, I think I must have entered the visionary state and for some reason, you weren’t along for the ride.
Ah, je comprends. I understand, he answered before pausing for the space of a few seconds. Are you certain you are well, mon amour?
I don’t know, I replied truthfully, shaking my head.
“What did you see, Peyton?” Ryan asked, diverting my attention from my conversation with Drake.
As soon as I recounted everything I remembered, especially the part about Peter attacking me, my heartbeat started racing again. I immediately shook my head while bringing my attention back to the present, and Ryan’s face. I was in no frame of mind to relive the harrowing ordeal I’d just been through. “I can’t talk about it right now,” I managed to reply as I swallowed hard, my throat burning in response. I brought my hands back up to my neck as I faced Ryan again. “What happened while I was under?”
His eyes reached for the ceiling and he sighed, seemingly at a loss for words. “I don’t know. You started actin’ like you were chokin’ or something and then you stopped breathin’ altogether.”
“I was choking,” I confirmed as I took in a deep breath and turned to face Peter. Even though I knew the current situation was real and whatever I just experienced was merely a former vision of a time now long past, I couldn’t shake the shock of his attack. As I looked into Peter’s grey eyes, I could only see the younger version of him, the one under Guarda’s influence, the one that was trying to kill me.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” I blurted out as I started to stand up, but Ryan put his heavy hand on my shoulder and kept me in place.
“Pey, you need to sit ah spell,” he retorted as he shook his head. Then he faced Lovie. “I’m wonderin’ if maybe we should call an ambulance?”
“An ambulance?” I repeated while shaking my head and frowning up at him. Now I was worried for a whole other reason. There was no way I could allow anyone to call an ambulance. That was just ridiculous. “I’m fine!”
“Well, you weren’t fine a few seconds ago,” Ryan argued with that stern expression of his which meant I shouldn’t try to argue with him. “You weren’t even breathin’.”
“Well, I’m obviously breathing now,” I replied, taking a huge breath in before expelling it just to prove my point. “Whatever I was going through is over now and I’m good. There’s absolutely no reason for anyone to call an ambulance. You’ll simply be taking the paramedics away from someone who truly needs them,” I finished before taking another showy breath. “See? I’m fine. In fact, I’ve never felt better!” Yes, that was definitely a stretch, but in truth, I wanted to get as far away from Peter’s house as possible.
“Peyton,” Lovie started, no doubt seeing Ryan’s point.
“No, I’m not going to listen to another second of this ambulance nonsense!” I railed. “I’m completely and totally fine!” I eyed the front door longingly. “The only thing I need right now is to get out of this house and breathe some fresh air!” I turned my gaze from Lovie’s sweet face to Ryan’s. “And I mean that as in now. Pronto! I can’t stay here another second!”
Ryan frowned at me, but nodded as he helped me to my feet. My heart continued to thud in my chest. My breathing was more like short, ragged gasps as soon as I recalled the expression in Guarda’s eyes … and, at that same moment, I heard the words Guarda uttered just before I lost consciousness.
We will meet again …
Was it possible that Guarda knew who I was? Or was she merely addressing Adele? Was she telling Adele they would meet again once Guarda, too, arrived at the valley of death? I couldn’t explain why, but I believed Guarda was addressing me, Peyton.
But, that’s impossible! I told myself. You were merely experiencing a time long past! There’s no way Guarda could have recognized you! She had never even met you at that point! You weren’t even a twinkle in your grandparents’ eyes!
Ma minette, you must calm down, Drake reprimanded me. You must not allow this hysteria to overcome you. It is best to proceed with a level head. We will thoroughly weigh the facts once you feel competent enough to do so. And might I remind you that I, too, feel your agitation and find it very unsettling!
Sorry, Drake, I said with a sigh as I nodded, seeing his point.
“What did you see?” Peter asked from where he stood behind me. But I wasn’t in any shape to discuss what I’d seen. All I knew was I wanted to get as far away from his house and him as I could. “What did she see?” he asked Lovie in a softer voice, when it became pretty obvious that I refused to talk about it.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lovie shrugging as she offered Peter a little frown as if to say she didn’t have an answer for him. Then she walked up next to me and took my arm, helping Ryan lead me from the house. I had no idea where Christopher was, but I also didn’t care. All I knew was I needed to catch my breath and gather my thoughts in the peace and tranquility of my own home.
***
“Peter killed his wife,” I announced flatly. Ryan, Lovie and I were back at my house and sitting in the kitchen. The sun had abandoned the sky over an hour ago and now the moonlight shone through the windows, bathing us all in a milky white hue. Christopher, as it turned out, had to leave Peter’s house while I was still in my visionary state. Lovie said he was called away on an “emergency exorcism.”
“Peter … wait, what?” Ryan asked, his eyes going wide while his eyebrows furrowed.
“Peter?” Lovie asked at the same time.
The old man killed his wife? Drake observed from inside my head. I was a bit surprised that Drake hadn’t figured out as much already. I assumed he could just access my memory bank, seeing how he shared the domicile of my mind, but apparently, such was not the case.
I simply nodded while taking another sip of the sweet tea Ryan was kind enough to make for me. I stirred the ice cubes around the glass while the two, er, three of them, tried to digest my most recent announcement.
“You must be confused, Pey.” Ryan was the first to speak. He placed a concerned hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off.
Looking up at him, I couldn’t hide my irritation. “I’m not confused.”
“But how is what you’re saying even possible?” Ryan continued, shaking his head just as fiercely as I had. He looked, for all intents and purposes, baffled. “Why would Peter ask you to solve the mystery of Adele’s death if he were the one who did it?”
“He doesn’t know he did,” I answered brusquely. I returned my eyes to my sweet tea and the mound of sugar at the bottom of the glass, which still hadn’t dissolved.
“Pey, I know you just went through a harrowing ordeal,” Ryan started as he eyed me with pity, irritating me all the more, “but you still haven’t told us exactly what you did go through. I’m betting it wasn’t good.”
“No, it wasn’t good!” I scoffed at him before catching my breath. “I can see where you’re going with this, and I’m telling you very seriously: I’m not imagining any of it and I’m not confused.” I withdrew my attention from Ryan’s disbelieving face and looked at Lovie. “Peter doesn’t remember any of the particulars because he was under Guarda’s spell.”
“Guarda?” they both said in unison.
Guarda? Drake echoed. The voodoo witch we had the misfortune of dealing with when you had to return to my time in order to defeat the Axeman?
“Yes, Guarda,” I answered all three of them before taking a deep breath. I fought to forget the memory of seeing her lying underneath Peter and staring at me.
“What does Guarda have to do with Peter, babydoll?” Lovie asked. She reached forward and took my hand in hers, squeezing it as if to tell me she believed me.
“I don’t know exactly,” I started as a shudder traveled down my spine once I started to relive the particulars. “All I can say is that when I entered the dream state, I believe I actually inhabited Adele’s body.” I cleared my throat as I remembered the white dress with huge petticoats, something I didn’t own and which looked like it belonged in the 1950s. “I saw and experienced everything I did through her eyes,” I continued. “At least, that’s what I’m fairly convinced of.”
“Go on,” Lovie encouraged me with one of her compassionate smiles. “Tell us what you saw. Take your time, honey.”
“Peter and Guarda were in the bedroom having sex,” I started.
“Disgusting,” Ryan responded with a frown as he shook his head. The look of revulsion was all over his face. “How could anyone willingly engage in … anything with that old goat?”
“Well, she wasn’t an old goat sixty years ago,” I retorted, shaking my head because I was irritated he’d interrupted me, and also because he wasn’t following along.
“No, she wasn’t,” Lovie agreed. “And from what I’ve heard, Guarda was quite beautiful in her day.”
“Yes, she was,” I answered, the memory of her perfect skin and features returning to me. “But getting back to the point, Guarda was somehow controlling Peter.” I paused and remembered how Peter appeared to be on autopilot. “Once I walked into the room, she saw me. She looked right at me.”
“Is that why you thought you were in Adele’s body?” Ryan asked.
I nodded as I turned to face him. “Part of the reason. I was also wearing something that would have been fashionable in the 1950s.” I took another stabilizing breath and continued. “Guarda ordered Peter to attack me. I could tell by the vacant expression on his face that he didn’t realize what he was doing. She was mind-steering him somehow.” My heart started racing so I took a few deep breaths to calm down again.
“When you say he attacked you …” Ryan started.
“He jumped on me and pushed me onto the floor. Then he wrapped his hands around my throat and started to choke me and … and then I woke up, or came to, or whatever you want to call it.” At that moment, I made a decision. I chose not to mention that Guarda might have recognized me, or might have seen the real me right through Adele. I still wasn’t convinced it was possible, so I decided Guarda’s words should stay with me until their meaning was clearer.
Ryan started to shake his head and his jaw tightened. “That explains why you were sputtering and couldn’t breathe,” he said with a sigh as he looked away, appearing lost in his thoughts. When he faced me again, I could tell by his expression that he wasn’t happy. “I don’t want you involvin’ yourself in any more of this voodoo stuff. I didn’t trust Guarda before, an’ now I trust her even less. An’ who knows what could have happened to you if you hadn’t woken up?”
I took a deep breath but didn’t respond because I didn’t know the answer either.
“I can’t even begin to understand this voodoo ghostly stuff, an’ I’m man enough to admit that it scares me,” Ryan continued. He fell quiet for a few seconds as his eyes searched mine. “I don’t want you puttin’ yourself in any situations where you can get hurt, Pey.” He continued looking at me, his large amber eyes filled with compassion and pain. “I’m sorry I got you involved in all of this.”
“It’s okay, Ryan,” I said in a soft voice. “You didn’t know what would happen.”
“So the big question now becomes,” Lovie interrupted, reminding me that she was still there, “what do we tell Peter?”
And on that subject, I had no answer.