Ebony
It was Charlie’s christening day. March’s many weathers had decided to give us a bright sunny day with no rain, although I did wonder if Shelley had pulled in a favour from Mother Nature, who apparently was the best friend of Angel Sophia. It had meant that I’d been able to dress in a mint green shift dress with a fitted jacket over the top. A small hat with lace on it completed my look. My hair was in a smart chignon. I’d become obsessed with Meghan Markle since her engagement to Prince Harry had been announced, and I was stalking her looks online. I couldn’t help but compare me and Henry with them. Unfortunately me and Henry were no dream couple, more like a nightmare.
I arrived at the Church early and as people arrived; I greeted familiar faces including the other godmother, Kim; and Darius, who had been chosen as Godfather.
“There are some beautiful outfits here today, Ebs. About what percentage of them are you responsible for?”
I smiled. “About 90% and I made sure no one bought the same thing.”
“Business is booming then?” Darius asked.
“So much. In the last couple of days I’ve not had time to stand still with people coming in last minute for christening outfits. The web page orders have increased too.”
“And not a drop of vodka in sight?” Kim queried.
“Not one. All I get now is a kind of buzzing in my head, like a warning. It gives me time to sit down somewhere so people aren’t getting to see my eyes roll either which is a bonus.”
“So in some ways that evil warlock did you a favour because he changed your visions a bit. They came back not the same.”
“Absolutely.” It wasn’t the truth, but I had no other way to explain the situation without giving Charlie away or sounding like I really was cuckoo.
I looked around at the milling guests and there he was talking to Rav—Henry. He spotted me looking at him so I turned my head away from him quickly.
But he just couldn’t leave it there. The next minute he was standing at the side of me.
“Can I have a word?”
“You can have two, and together they make a sentence that before I was too much of a lady to utter; however, for you I think I’ll make an exception.”
“Please, Ebony. I’m sorry. Let me apologize.”
Shelley and Theo chose that moment to walk up to us. Shelley spoke. “The ceremony is about to start. The Vicar wants to chat to us about our roles in Charlene’s life. Henry, would you hold Charlie while we talk to him?”
“But what if one of these weirdos tries something? I’m human. I don’t have any superpowers to protect her.”
“Mary’s going to keep an eye on you. Her and Alistair are around. They just can’t be seen. She’ll let me know if anything strange occurs, plus there’s so much protective magic here. It’s only for a moment. You’ll be fine. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t ask.”
“Okay then.” He took Charlie from Shelley and I had to swallow past the lump in my throat at seeing this hunky man standing holding a cute baby.
Ovaries pipe down.
We walked inside and met Alexander the vicar. As he spoke he was eloquent and you could see the kindness radiating from him. The choir were getting together in the background and I knew which man was his new boyfriend because the guy couldn’t take his eyes off him. He talked to us briefly about what the role of godparent was about. He said he preferred to do it that way and to keep the ceremony itself brief and to the point because he knew people got bored in church fast.
We walked back out of the church to let people know it was almost time for the ceremony to start. But before we could utter a word, we all stood like someone had yelled ‘freeze’ in a game of musical statues as Henry came around the corner of the church with a tall brunette. She was dressed in a white silk dress with a lacy overcoat which I knew I had in my collection at the boutique.
“Where the hell is my daughter?” Shelley screamed. “How dare he abandon her for some tart, and I can’t even kill him because there are other humans here.”
Mary appeared at the side of us.
“Oh, Shelley. I really didn’t see this coming. Look at her.”
“I am looking at her. Oh for heaven’s sake. How young is she? She only looks like a teenager. What’s he playing at? I warned him what I’d do if he hurt my friend.”
She did?
As the woman got closer, I realised exactly who Henry was with.
Charlene.
In the vision she’d shown me she’d been in her early twenties, but right now baby Charlene was a teen.
“Where’s my baby?” Shelley screamed at him. I put a hand up to him and pulled Shelley and Theo to one side. I whispered to them. “Look closer at Henry’s companion. Look at the curve of her rosebud lips and the blue of her eyes. The dark brown of her hair like her dad’s. It is your daughter. It’s Charlene.”
Shelley caught hold of her daughter’s arm and peered closely at her.
“How the hell?”
“Hey, Mum, Dad. Surprise!” Charlie grinned.
Theo stood stock still and then he passed clean out, hitting the floor.
“Auntie Kim, Uncle Darius, can you get everyone into the church? Explain to the vicar that there’s a slight delay and Henry, can you help me carry my dad to a bench?”
Within a few minutes we were alone outside, just me, Henry, Charlie, Shelley, and Theo.
Theo sat with his head in his hands as he came around. Shelley turned to her daughter. “So please explain this to me because I’ve seen a lot over the past year but I’m sure I just had a baby a few weeks ago and now I appear to have a teenage daughter.”
Theo groaned.
“Well basically, Mum, I had an older brain even though I was in a baby body so the last few weeks have been kinda rough. You know the whole ‘not in control of my bowels stuff’? I can’t rule Withernsea in a baby body and I’m supernatural including being part vampire. By the time I’m a year old I’ll be in a twenty-year-old’s body. This right now is another interim stage. I need a little while to gather some more energy.”
“But I’m here in the meantime. Why have you had to grow so fast? I was enjoying cuddling my little baby. Now you’re taller than I am!”
“The war is coming, Mum. Soon you will hear the first rumble of it. Plus I really don’t get why you were expecting me to grow and act like a human baby when there’s only a bit of human from Grandad Dylan in the mix. Not only do I have my genetic traits, I can take on any of the supernatural traits of those I rule over. I’m just so lit!”
Shelley huffed out, making her top lip vibrate. “I guess my pregnancy was accelerated so I shouldn’t be all that surprised that your aging is. You’re not going to get old and die quickly are you?” The panic in Shelley’s expression was evident.
“No, Mum. I’m just going to settle around my early twenties for a while. So how about right now, let’s just spend some time with me as a teenager? It’s going to be for a year or so. Henry, you’re going to need to decorate my room again because the whole teddy bears thing really isn’t doing it for me. That reminds me, I need to buy some Sean Mendes posters.”
“His music videos made you really settled.”
“I was just staring at the man candy, Mum. Although yeah his tunes rock too.”
Theo looked at Charlie and then back at Shelley. “So let me get this straight. My daughter is now a pretty teenager who has way more powers than I do and she likes boys?”
“You got it, Pops.”
Theo stood up to his full height and walked right up to his daughter. “I’m still going to ground you if you step out of line, and no boyfriends anywhere near unless I’ve vetted them through my entire database first.” He paused. “Did I just say boyfriends when an hour ago I just changed my daughter’s nappy?”
He looked very queasy again, but he got hold of his daughter and embraced her in a massive hug. “I love you, Charlene Landry.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
“Is everything okay?”
Kai the merman walked out of church dressed once again in his sparkly, scale-patterned tight trousers. He took one look at Charlie and blanched and then blushed.
“Is this you, Charlene?”
How did he know?
“You got it, Kai. But you’re still a little old for me yet so hang in there okay, baby? I’ll call you. Be about a year? Feel free to go get some more experience in the meantime.”
“CHARLENE KIMBERLY LANDRY.”
Theo exploded, his fangs bared he stood hissing in Kai’s direction before composing himself. “Kai, get back into church and away from my daughter or my fangs are going to act like a fishing line on you. You. Get. ME?”
Kai dropped to a bow. “No trouble intended, Mr Landry, I just came outside because people are becoming agitated wondering what is happening.”
“What is happening is I’m getting christened. Let’s go.” Charlie said.
On our way into church she grabbed hold of my arm. “Auntie Ebs. Couple of things. One, I had to whizz over to the shop and find myself an outfit so my dad owes you for this dress. Two, it’s okay, I did compulsion on Henry so he doesn’t remember that in front of his eyes I shimmered and then he had a naked 16-year-old in his arms. He wouldn’t have got over that. Would have taken a LOT of therapy, so I blanked him.”
“I’m not interested in the subject of Henry Marston. Your outfit is a present. You can come to my shop any time. I guess you’re going to need a whole new wardrobe.”
“Yeeaasss. I was hoping you were going to say that. It’s fabulous having an auntie who owns a boutique.”
“You know I am not your auntie, right?”
She looked over her shoulder to where Debbie and Mark Linley were sitting with Polly. “Those two. They want to be part of the family but it’s too much for them. They want me to call them my grandparents but I won’t. Some people aren’t deserving of it. YOU are deserving of the name auntie whether you are related to me by blood or not, and of course my auntie Kim’s going to just try to lead me all kinds of astray so you need to balance that out.”
Shelley and Theo had a quick word with the vicar which included compulsion so that he was led to believe the christening was to baptise a teenager after all. I had to admit it was a handy skill. If I wasn’t a supe, I’d ask them to wipe out the fact I missed Henry.
“Not a chance, Auntie Ebs. You’re meant to be.”
“You’re reading my mind? That’s still a thing?”
“You betcha. We need our mind link to stay intact for the future.”
“Is what’s coming bad, Charlie?”
“I don’t know. All I know is there will be a war and I have a huge responsibility. I have to read all the prophecy stuff and figure it out.”
“You’ll need to talk to Frankie.”
“Okay, well plenty of time for that. Let’s get this boring thing done now so we can go party.”
* * *
The ceremony passed without a hitch and a lot of the supernatural community went home afterwards. However Jax had set up a small buffet back at the coffee shop for those who wanted to go back.
“Oh my God, Jax. I have wanted one of these doughnuts for ages. They are to die for.”
Jax looked at Charlie strangely. “Er, great.” She looked over at Theo and Shelley, then back at me. “Where’s the baby?”
“Jax, what colour do you think my eyes are?” Charlie asked her and I watched as she compulsed Jax into believing she’d always been around. We needed to let Jax in on the secrets of Withernsea. This wasn’t fair playing with our friend’s mind like that. Compulsion or not, she was going to work out that some things just didn’t add up.
Darius’ sister Alyssa ran over to Charlie, and Jax moved away back to making sure everyone had food and drink.
“Hey, Charlie. I’m Darius’ sister Alyssa. We’re almost the same age. Wanna hang?”
“God, yeah, totally. I totes agree we should be besties like you said when you visited. You can tell me where we can go that’s not dullsville. Do you like Sean Mendes?”
“He is hawt. Oh and we can totally put our powers together and play pranks on people.” Alyssa winked.
“Well, duh?”
Darius turned to Theo. “I think we need an alcoholic beverage, my friend.”
My head buzzed with the inkling of a coming vision, and so I excused myself and walked just outside the doorway. I let it take over me and then I sniggered. Oh hell yes!
My vision returned, and I found Henry standing in front of me.
My smile fell off my face. “Not you again.”
“Ebony. I was a shit to you. I know this. Please forgive me for what I said. It’s true when I first met you, I did think you were cuckoo. I’m a human, Ebs, and your eyes, they really do look all kinds of weird when they roll and I can only see the whites. But now I’ve realised that everyone in Withernsea is bloody cuckoo. Including me. I’m cuckoo for you, Ebs. I just can’t cope without you in my life. I know it’s early days, but I love you, Ebony. Please don’t let this end.”
I shook my head as if dislodging a water blockage from my ear like you get from the shower sometimes. “Pardon?”
He grabbed my hands in his. “I love you. We’ve been dating for only a few weeks but I know what my heart feels, Ebs. I need you in my arms, and in my bed every night.” He dropped to one knee.
“I’m aware this is crazy and we can have a long engagement but I don’t want anyone else, and no way are you dating anyone else because I’d die. Ebony Yolanda Walker, will you marry me?”
Stunned didn’t come close. I heard Charlie’s voice in my head. Look inside your heart, Ebs. What’s there? That’s your answer.
So I did and there I saw love.
“Yes.” I told him, nodding my head and giggling. “Yes. I love you too and I will marry you, but not right now. We need to get to know each other better.”
“Oh, I intend to get to know every inch of you, Ebony.”
And then my vision went dark again.
It’s against the rules to show you your own future, Auntie Ebs, but hey I’m gonna rule the place so they can kiss my arse. Just a sneak peek. mind you...
I saw myself at the entrance of the church and as I spun around there he was, hurtling through the door. “Ebony. I’m sorry I’m late.”
The vision changed, and we were at the front of the church and Alexander pronounced us man and wife.
The vision ended, and my sigh returned.
Not a word to anyone else, Auntie Ebs. And I’m totally Chief Bridesmaid or else.
You got it, Charlie. Thank you.
After making sure I was okay, Henry picked me up, spun me around and then let me slide back down him until my feet touched the floor. His lips met mine and fireworks sizzled throughout my body.
And my future was sealed.