Hello out there! Today’s entry is a wee (okay, probably a bit more than wee) bit on the long side, coming in at a little over 2700 words. Sorry, but it includes yesterday’s missed bit. Also, it doesn’t end at a scene break. Again, apologies.
If you’re still with me, thank you! đ I promise to reciprocate starting on Thursday…that a maniacal happy dance.
Still very much, probably even moreso, a draft. đ
Current Word Count: 44,054
Thanksgiving Day was overcast. The sun hung low and peeked through a circle of gray clouds. Phoebe placed all of the pies she had baked the day before in a woven pie carriers and then was about to take them to her car when Kaden appeared.
âHere, let me help,â he said and took the two carriers from her.
He looked good today, Phoebe thought. But then who was she kidding? He looked good every day. Although there was something to be said for a man wearing a nice shirt and tie as he was wearing this afternoon. She didnât see that much around Pleasant Point Cove. Beach towns just werenât the kinds of places for suits and ties unless it was for a wedding or a funeral.
âYou look pretty,â he said taking note of her green linen blend drop waist dress and black buckled motorcycle boots. âPretty and tough all together.â
She grinned. âA girlâs gotta have her boots.â
He placed the carriers into the trunk of her car and closed the lid. Before she knew it, he had her in his arms and was kissing her. The man could kiss. These werenât sloppy kisses like Davidâs had been. These were practiced kisses that made her want more. She melded against him with a sigh.
âDid my boots instigate that?â she asked.
âMaybe. Iâll never tell. Knowing you, youâd got and take them off.â
âNot me. Sometimeâs a girlâs just gotta get kissed.â
âGlad to hear it and I also hope that Iâm the one doing it.â
She started walking back toward the house to collect her jacket and purse and said: âMe tooâ so quietly he couldnât hear.
When they got into her car, Kaden hooked up his phone to her car stereo and grinned. âHow about a little Riot of Purple Profanity?â
She rolled her eyes as she buckled her seat belt. âI did that last night.â
âYou did? Why didnât you say anything this morning? Because you hate our music?â
She drove down the driveway and turned onto the slip road that would take her to the highway. She shook her head. âNo. I didnât hate it. Well, not all of it.â
He laughed almost incredulously. âBut you hated a lot of it?â
âYou all are a bit loud,â she said. âBut there were a few I really liked. I especially liked the one about fortune that was kind of like walk a mile in their shoes.â
His hand beat on the dashboard. âThat was a cover. I didnât write that.â
She grimaced and looked in her rearview. âMaybe thatâs why it sounded familiar.â
âSo you liked none of my songs?â
âThere was one about a bayou and catfish and making music in New Orleans. I liked that one,â she said. âBut the middle was all loud guitar.â
âPhoebs, youâre killing me here.â
âI donât want to lie and say I like all of your music.â
âWhy not?â he asked. âOther women do.â
She looked at him, frowning. âBecause then you might insist I listen to a lot of it.â
The ringtone “Witchy Woman” played on Phoebeâs phone. She handed it to Kaden. âAnswer that and see what Philo wants. She probably needs us to pick up something.â
Phoebe could clearly hear Philoâs voice. âIf youâre answering her phone, I guess that means youâre on the road?â
âYeah,â Kaden said.
âI donât want you all to panic, but I saw something.â
âSaw what?â Phoebe said loudly so that Philo could hear. Immediately she started checking her mirrors. Had Serena started her mischief again?
âI donât know. It was something while you were driving. Maybe you should turn around and go back home.â
âWeâre closer to you now than to home,â Phoebe said.
Philoâs groaned. âCrap. Okay. Well, keep your eyes open, drive a little faster, but be careful.â
âBe there in a sec,â Phoebe said.
From the corner of her eye, Phoebe noticed Kaden keep looking in the passenger side mirror. Finally he said, âYou might want to go a little faster.â
In the rearview mirror she saw a wall of black. She couldnât even begin to guess what it was, except that it seemed to be swallowing up ground at a very quick pace. She pushed her food hard on the gas and the car lurched forward. Ravens began flying past the car. Some birds hit at the windows. Phoebeâs heart accelerated. It was more than birds, but she couldnât see what it was.
âWhat is it?â she asked her voice sharp and panicked.
âBirds. But thereâs something else. Some kind of thick dark creatures running very fast on the ground. Keep your eyes on the road, chere,â he said.
She depressed the pedal even harder, focusing on the twists in the road that took them through the wooded area between town and Philoâs house. She had never driven this as fast as she currently was.
Something darted in front of the car and instinctively Phoebe hit the break. She didnât hit anything, but the deceleration allowed the monsters, because what else could she call these creatures that looked like winged apes with very sharp teeth and claws, to come along the sides. Even though she was going about 70 mph they were keeping up with her and passing her, sometime darting over the hood. They rammed the car from her side with the power of a truck. She struggled to hold on to the wheel. Kadenâs hand closed on top of hers to help steady her grip. The car was rammed again from the side and Phoebe bit back a scream. She told herself to focus, focus on the road. They just had to get past the woods and the slight ravine. It was the ravine that she had once had a dream about driving into, hearing the shattering of metal and glass and then waking up. Since the dream each time she passed it, she remembered the terror.
Something flew onto the windshield and splayed there, like a bat with a four feet wingspan, blocking her view of the road. This time Phoebe did scream.
âHold on, chere,â Kaden said and then jerked the steering wheel to the right and then to the left very quickly, successfully dislodging the creature whose red eyes seemed to hunger after her.
The moment of blindness and the quick movement of the wheel had directed the car just a little close to the ravine edge for Phoebeâs comfort. She knew what was going to happen. It was as if she could see it in slow motion. The monster that had been battering them from the side was closing in again. She felt something welling inside of her, frustration, panic, power. Just as it was about to ram them she yelled a phrase in Celtic that she didnât know she knew. With the force of her power the monster disappeared and the darkness around them vanished. The birds were gone from the sky. They were once again alone on the road.
Phoebe was breathing hard and looking around them, searching for any trace of the creatures. Tears burned her eyes. Her mouth fell in disbelief. Could she have done that? Was the power in her to do that?
âPull to the side, chere. Collect yourself,â Kaden said gently, his hand massaging her neck while he also checked around them.
She shook her head. They were still too near the ravine and her nightmare had suddenly become very real. She wouldnât feel safe until they arrived at Philoâs house and she hoped that she felt safe then. She drove on and felt relief sweep over her when she saw the house and her family waiting on the front porch.
When she put the car in park, Phoebe sat there a moment, stunned. She looked at Kaden whose face was as pale as she suspected hers was.
âYou sure do come with a lot of baggage,â she said.
âHave to keep life interesting,â he said.
—
Everyone was there except for Serena, which didnât surprise Phoebe. She supposed she was going to make one of her theatrical entrances, but she was going to have to do a lot of explaining about what just happened. They could have died. The thought kept spinning around in Phoebeâs head. It felt like everything had escalated, that Serena was taken her prank too far now. Sure, there had been the original curse on Kaden, her possession, the demon fog, and the maggot risotto, but none of those things, while definitely frightening, had felt as threatening as the situation in the car today.
Jared and Kaden were drinking beers with Carolineâs husband, Frank, in the family room watching football while Phoebe sat on the patio near the blazing fire pit with Chloe, sipping chardonnay.
âSheâs taken it too far this time,â Phoebe said, wishing that her hand would stop trembling.
âI canât believe she would do harm. I mean, sure I get the curse . . .â
Phoebe darted a questioning look at Chloe. âYou get the curse? It seemed like an overreaction to me.â
âIt was, but it was classic Serena. Her philosophy is not to pout when she doesnât get something, but to get really, really proactive.â
âBut the possession thing was almost as freaky,â Phoebe said.
Chloe nodded and looked away which immediately alerted Phoebe, who leaned toward her sister. âYou know something about that possession thing that you arenât saying.â
The fire snapped and sent a spark into the air that Chloe watched until the ember died. She squirmed on the Adirondack chair and then crossed her arms.
âI kind of helped Serena with that,â Chloe admitted and then bit her lip as she met Phoebeâs gaze.
She should be surprised. She knew she should, but Phoebe wasnât. Serena had already hinted that she had manipulated Chloe who had never been very strong willed and who had always seemed to envy Serenaâs wild side, which was why she had trailed after her to California in the first place. Likewise, Serena enjoyed having an entourage. It gave credence to everything she did.
âYou hate me now,â Chloe said.
âNo, of course not. I think Serena probably controlled you without your knowing.â
Chloe swallowed the remainder of the wine in the glass and looked doubtful. âIt felt an awful lot like my decision, but I donât know. Thanks for giving me an out anyway. I probably donât deserve it.â
âMore wine?â Phoebe asked reaching for Chloeâs glass.
Chloe nodded. âThanks. And, thanks, Iâm serious. I donât know why Iâve been as mean to you as I have.â
Phoebe smiled. âI do.â
When Phoebe entered the house, she noticed that her grandfather had now joined the other men in front of the tv. She watched how well they all got on, but then again there was beer and football and they were menâall reason enough.
Kaden looked up, caught her gaze and smiled. He seemed about to get up, but she shook her head.
âI know that, Caroline,â Aurora said.
âSerenaâs completely out of control. Did you see Phoebeâs car? It looks like it was in a demolition derby,â Caroline said.
Phoebe walked into the kitchen and Philo, Caroline and Aurora looked at her expectantly. Her niece, Giselle, sat at the table engrossed in her cell, oblivious to everything going on.
âSerenaâs running late,â Philo said. âShe wants us to hold dinner for her.â
âOf course, she is,â Caroline said. âSheâs planning her next wave of attack. I think we should just step right up and bind her powers.â
âWe need Beatrice for that,â Aurora said.
âWhy? I know full well that we can do it. There are four of us here.â
âFive,â Giselle said, dispelling the notion that she wasnât paying attention.
Caroline nodded at her daughter. âEven better.â
Aurora sighed dramatically. âWell, let me think about it. You know that Beatrice will be upset.â
âWouldnât she be more upset if Serena actually hurt Phoebe?â Philo asked.
âI said I would think about it,â Aurora said.
Phoebe poured wine for her and Chloe. âDid you say anything to Serena about the incident?â
âNo. We acted like nothing happened. We decided that we wanted to talk to her in person,â Caroline said.
âI think Serenaâs possessed,â Giselle said. âThereâs a site that talks about how a person acts completely different.â
âI wouldnât say Serenaâs completely different,â Philo said.
âSite? Whatâs a site? Does she have the sight too? How come no one told me?â Aurora asked sipping on her trademark gin and tonic.
âNot that kind of site. Web site,â Philo said.
âYou canât trust anything on the web,â Caroline said.
âBut this site had other things on it that we true. Like how you all are,â Giselle said, snatching a piece of raw cauliflower from the vegetable tray. âSome things are true on the web, Mom.â
Phoebe was willing to keep an open mind. âSo what else did it say?â
âMom and Aunt Philo . . .â
âCousin, dear, cousin,â Philo said, throwing an arm around Giselleâs shoulders and squeezing before returning to the spicy corn chowder that was simmering on the stove.
âCousin Philo, sorry. Iâm not there yet. You all were talking about the spell that you told Chloe to do on Phoebe when Phoebeâs eyes went all crazy.â
âBut Serena doesnât have crazy eyes,â Philo said. âI take that back. Sheâs always had crazy eyes.â
Giselle read from her phone: âIf the possession is over twenty-four hours, the eyes revert to their normal, pre-possession appearance. The only telltale sign that a person has been possessed is that their behavior has been greatly modified.â
Phoebe shrugged. âI havenât been around Serena enough lately to know if her behavior has been modified. But, hold on anyway. Chloe just told me that she and Serena were both responsible for what happened to me.â
âWhat?â Caroline asked. âChloe helped Serena? I canât believe that.â
âI did,â Chloe said from the door way. She accepted the wine glass that Phoebe held out to her.
âSo who exactly would have possessed Serena?â Phoebe asked.
âWhy would you do that?â Caroline asked Chloe.
âI donât think she had a choice,â Phoebe said. âSerena as much as admitted to me yesterday that sheâs been manipulating Chloe. Chloeâs just collateral damage.â
âYippee. I always wanted to be collateral damage,â Chloe said dryly.
They were quiet for a moment, the only sound was the noise from the tv and the long handled spoon scraping the pan as Philo stirred.
âYou said Serena claimed to talk to some spirit,â Philo said.
âYes, but can that possibly be true?â Phoebe asked.
âItâs been done before,â Aurora said. âBeatrice used to love her Ouija board. I didnât like having it in the house and made her get rid of it, but she kept it in the Old Watkins barn and had her little Ouija parties there. She thought I didnât know.â
âSo youâre saying that Aunt Beatrice used to contact spirits?â Phoebe asked.
Caroline sipped her wine. âYes. I was there once. The first time it happened. There was no explaining it. Alexandra was there too,â Caroline said, referencing Phoebeâs mother. âI always thought that something that happened on one of those Ouija parties was why Alexandra left you girls.â
âThis is getting a little spooky,â Chloe said.
âOh, yeah,â Giselle said. âTime for doritos before dad eats them all.â
Giselle left, but Chloe was too curious about the conversation to follow even though her brown eyes widened in her pale face.
âI donât know. I donât know whether it sounds too far out there or itâs too simple,â Phoebe said.
âIf Serena learned the things her mother did and then came up against the wrong kind of spirit, one that was craving to return this world, I think it could happen,â Caroline said. âMind you, since I was younger than Bea and Alex, Iâm sure I found it a lot more terrifying, but frankly what I remember still terrifies me. There is no way you could get me around one of those boards again with Bea or with anyone who has the knowledge of dark arts.â
end of Day 28
So glad the end is near! The anticipation is killing me! But wait, I’ll miss these guys, argh!
Ha….At this point it’s destined to be a series. Kidding!
Tease! That would be such fun đ
I forgot to add… me too…on the glad the end is near.
The pressure is terrible isn’t it? I crumbled long ago and resigned myself to failure.