AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Will’s words hit like a fist. Tears pricked at Evie’s eyes.
Will raked his fingers through his hair, his nervous habit, and took in a settling breath. “I’m… I’m sorry, Evie. I shouldn’t have shouted. I know what it is to lose someone. But when they’re gone, they’re gone,” he said quietly. “We learn to live without them. To let go. To move forward.”
Evie swallowed. Her throat ached. “Sure. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. I guess that’s why we’re chasing ghosts.”
Will rose and came to stand awkwardly beside Evie’s chair, his hands in his pockets. He reached out and patted Evie’s shoulder as if he’d read it in a manual on how to be a human. No wonder he’d needed Rotke.
“I’m sorry, Evie. Truly, I am.”
Evie shirked away. This whole conversation had been a mistake.
“Why? It’s not like you killed anybody,” Evie said, and closed the door behind her harder than was necessary.
On Friday evening, after the week of experiments had left the Diviners tired and grumpy, Sister Walker brought out a plate of cookies. “Not to worry, I didn’t bake these. My neighbor did. So they are perfectly edible,” she said with a wink to Memphis and Isaiah.
“What did you do with Diviners before, when you worked with the Department of Paranormal?” Sam asked between slurps of steaming tea.
“Oh. We talked to people like you. We wrote down your stories. Asked questions.” Will dunked a cookie half into his cup while Evie watched in fascinated revulsion.
She wrinkled her nose. “Honestly, Unc,” she said, accidentally using the affectionate nickname she’d given him age
s ago. He smiled at her, and she was immediately angry at herself for the slip. After the argument they’d had earlier in the week about James, she’d determined to be aloof with Will. As usual, she was an utter failure at holding a grudge.
“I suppose you got to know those Diviners pretty well, then,” Ling said.
Will brushed his hands of crumbs and took out his silver case, wedging a Lucky Strike between his lips. “We got to know what they could do.”
Ling frowned. “That’s not the same thing at all.”
“Did you test them like you’re testing us?” Isaiah asked.
“Yes, we did. Some people had a small amount of ability and some had quite a bit more,” Sister Walker said.
“What about me? How much do I have?”
“A great deal. And there’s more in there we haven’t even explored yet,” Sister Walker said, and Isaiah broke into a huge grin. “That goes for all of you.”
“You, uh, ever experiment on those Diviners?” Sam asked cagily. “You know, did you look under the hood, see what made ’em tick? Did you take blood samples or anything like that?”
He avoided eye contact with Evie, but he could sense her leaning forward.
Sister Walker put down her cup. “From time to time.”
“Why’d you do that?” Isaiah asked. He shuddered. “I don’t like needles.”
Will exhaled. The smoke floated in front of his face like a veil. “We wanted to know if there was an hereditary difference in Diviners that caused their powers. Was this evidence of an evolutionary leap? What if Diviners, with their connection to the supernatural, were the key to unlocking untapped human potential?”
“So, these Diviners you tested,” Sam asked. “Can we talk to any of ’em? I mean, if we’re all needed to fight off this spooky showdown…”
“Spooky showdown?” Evie repeated, eyebrow raised.
“Just seems odd we’re not reaching out to them is all.”
“We can’t,” Sister Walker said. “Our files were destroyed when the department was shut down. We have no way of reaching them. I’m afraid it’s down to the six of you.”
“Any runner in Harlem would tell you those aren’t great odds,” Memphis said.
“Why did they shut you down?” Ling asked. “If you were doing important work.”
