Page 51 of Malice

Mabel gasps. “Oh shoot, that’s not good. This poor woman's probably still waiting for him. We should call and explain what happened. Surely she won’t get mad when she finds out the truth!”

“I don’t think we can exactly tell her the truth,” I say to her. “But don’t worry, we’ll think of something.”

“Where is your office?” Xavier asked him.

“North Tryon Street.”

“You left your office and what happened?”

Ryan’s eyes narrow as he tries to remember. “I was walking to my car and there was a shadow?” There’s a question in his voice because he knows what he is saying doesn’t quite make sense. The funny thing about our brains is how we want to rationalize stuff. We want to have everything fit the reality that we know. It’s the reason why so many people are quick to write off a haunted house as the wind or the floor settling. Deep down we know it was something nefarious, but we don’t want to believe it. And watching Ryan struggle in real time reminds me how lucky I am to have grown up knowing the truth.

“What did the shadow do?” Xavier continues calmly.

“I think it grabbed me,” Ryan says. He closes his eyes and his panic and fear are palpable. He shakes his head at his own memory. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s okay,” Xavier goes on. “Tell me what you remember.”

“I started walking and then running. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t stop. The next thing I know I’m in the woods and then… then… I saw her.” He looks at me. “And then I was here.”

I let out a breath and sit back on the edge of the coffee table. “ I don’t know if he’s gonna remember much more than this.”

“If he saw it happen, then it’s in his head one way or another. He’s remembering enough to make me think it’s there,” Xavier says, tipping his head as he leans closer. All of a sudden he has both hands on Ryan’s head. Leo and Antonio gasp and I grab Leo’s arm, keeping him from reacting. Xavier closes his eyes and Ryan’s widen, staring blankly in front of him unblinking.

“What do you see?” Mabel asks, apparently familiar with what Xavier is doing.

“The woods,” Xavier says. “He’s walking along the creek looking for something.” A few seconds of silence tick by. “There’s a box buried under a specific tree. There’s a cross on it and a name.” Xavier presses his fingers tighter against Ryan‘s head and Ryan whimpers in protest.

“Abigail Williams,” Xavier says. “The box contained her ashes along with some bone fragments.”

He lets go of Ryan who pitches forward, gasping for breath. Xavier just dug all the memories out of his head as if it was nothing, but in doing so, Ryan was forced to remember everything that happened while he was possessed.

“That’s what was on the altar,” I say, looking at Leo, who nods. “We found the bits of bone. He was trying to resurrect Abigail Williams?”

On the verge of a panic attack, Ryan starts to get up. I cast the sleeping spell on him again and he slumps back on the couch. Mabel covers him with a blanket, and we all leave the living room, following Xavier into his office. He grabs a piece of paper in his laptop.

“Does that mean something to you?” Antonio asked him.

“No,” Xavier says. “Give me a few minutes and I will try to find out.”

“What about Ryan?” Leo asks.

“I can make him food,” Mabel offers. “I’m really good at cupcakes.”

“He’d love that,” I tell her. “And Leo is good at helping with cupcakes.”

My brother looks at me incredulously but smiles and we all go into the kitchen.

“Hey,” I say, catching Antonio’s arm. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Of course,” Antonio says, pausing for just a moment. What he said still burns in my mind, but I can’t deal with it right now. He doesn’t regret it, not really. But even if he does—I don’t. “You okay?”

“I have to ask you something,” I start, motioning for him to follow me into the family room in the back of the house.

“Okay?” Antonio eyes me curiously.

“There’s this, you know, little thing that’s kinda bothering me or just making me curious,” I ramble nervously, twisting my hair around my fingers. Antonio looks at me, nervous for what I’m going to say. “You haven’t been hearing the demon in your head, have you?”

“No. Have you?”