Paranormal Anthology With a TWIST (4 page)

I wasn’t even home five minutes and my phone buzzed, notifying me
I had one new text message. It was from Jonah. My heart began to putter again
and I scolded myself for reacting like a teenage girl at the mere thought of
him texting me.

Well, I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. He was clearly worth every
extra heartbeat.

Gathering my bearings and pressing the message button, I read his
text.

I’m so glad I was lucky enough to meet you
today, Ella. I can’t wait to spend time with you tonight. I’ll pick you up at
6.

I couldn’t contain my smile as I texted back, thanking him and
telling him I would be ready. He said he had dinner plans with his father
already, so I would need to fend for myself before he came by.

I was thankful actually. Being near him had my stomach so tied in
knots, eating may have been a challenge. So, eating alone gave me the freedom
to eat light and without the constant cluster of butterflies in my tummy.

Just thinking about him seemed to muffle all the chattering
thoughts of nearby neighbors. I guess if my mind is preoccupied, it has less
room to absorb all the other chatter going on around me. And I definitely
didn’t have a problem staying preoccupied with thoughts of Jonah. That’s for
sure.

I suddenly started singing an old Nat King Cole song:
You’re the Cream in my Coffee
. My corny
thoughts made me chuckle out loud as I turned on the water and got undressed,
humming to the classic lyrics swimming in my head.

You’re the sail of
my love boat… ha!

After a long, refreshing shower and a quick bite to eat, I was
ready to go. Since I still had about a half hour to spare, I decided to curl up
on the couch and read from my eReader. My mind couldn’t seem to focus on the
words and I had to keep going back to reread. After the third time through the
same paragraph, I decided I was just too anxious to pay attention to the book
and shut the eReader off.

About quarter to six, and just as I thought I would jump out of my
skin in anticipation, the doorbell rang. I was very excited that he was early.
I sprang up from the couch and had to stop myself from sprinting to the door.

Control yourself,
Ella. Jesus.

I took a couple more deep breaths, waited a few moments, and then
opened the door.

Chapter Four

My heart dropped as I realized it wasn’t Jonah, but a middle-aged
man with a well-groomed goatee wearing an ominous black trench coat. He was
very tall and somewhat gangly looking, but his face was handsome and looked
slightly familiar.

“Good evening, Ella. My name is Divinus Chantrey. I’m Jonah’s
father,” he introduced as he politely extended his hand out to me.

Puzzled, I scrunched my forehead and offered my hand in return,
allowing him to brush a light kiss along my knuckles, a gesture that had me
feeling a bit uneasy about his motives for being here.

“I know you must be wondering why I am here. I would like to speak
with you briefly if you have a moment?”

Uhh… mind reader?
Probably, considering clairvoyance was hereditary.

“Oh, ahh… yeah, sure,” I blubbered, obviously suffering from a
brain to mouth malfunction. I squeezed through the door and stepped out onto my
porch, figuring it would calm my nerves to spend some time in the fresh evening
air. When I was finally able to put two coherent words together, I said, “I’m
sorry. I was just a little surprised to see you instead of Jonah. Is he ok?”

“Not to worry, my dear. He is fine. He is not happy with my
insisting on meeting you, but I just could not help myself. I had to meet the
daughter of Delphina Hugh,” he said, shocking me still as stone, as he
nonchalantly sat down on the wicker sofa.

“How did you… You knew my mother?” I stuttered.

I couldn’t move. The mention of my mother’s name from his lips
left me dumbstruck.
Is it hot out here?
I thought as I fanned myself lightly, hopefully unnoticeably.

 
“Ahh, yes. I knew
your mother many years ago. When Jonah told me he met another soul seer and,
after plenty of coaxing and even some bribery, he told me your name, I just
knew you had to be Delphina’s daughter.”

He sat and stared at me for a moment too long for comfort. I began
to fidget wildly under his intense stare. It’s as if he was studying me.
Branding me to his memory. Just as I was starting to get a little nervous, he
said, “Orella Hugh. You are so grown up. So beautiful. Just like your mother.”

Ok, that’s it. I needed some answers.
This had better be good!

“I’m sorry. Can you tell me how you knew my mother?” I asked,
getting a little more uneasy about his presence and actually, a little ticked
off someone would put me through the memories of her death yet again.

I loved the memories I had of my mom’s life. But, ultimately, I
would have to explain her death to this man. And, just the thought of talking
about the worst day of my life with a stranger made bile rise in my throat.

“Del and I went to college together. She always seemed to keep me
out of trouble—that is for sure. I am a bit surprised she kept her maiden
name and even more surprised she passed it along to you,” he said as he laughed
thoughtfully. I knew why… My mom loved the meaning of our last name. And ever
since she told me I was a soul seer, I understood why it was so important to
her.

Hugh—I knew it was a distant German word meaning
heart, mind, spirit
. My thoughts went to
Jonah’s explanation of my first name. Orella Hugh… Oracle Spirit. Damn, my mom
was such an amazing person. Even my name rocked because of her.

Bringing myself back to the present, I stood and stared at this
man who was still uncomfortably studying me.

I could tell he was purposefully blocking his thoughts, although I
didn’t quite know how he was doing it or why. I’ve never known anyone to block
his or her thoughts from me and the idea was unnerving. “Even though I cannot
read your mind, Ella, I know you can read mine. And I know you are probably
wondering why I am blocking you.”

Well, even if he
claimed
he couldn’t read minds, he was doing a damn good job of reading mine.

“Yes, I am. I’ve never had anyone block their thoughts from me
before.”

“Ahh, but I am sure you have. You just did not know it. That is
actually the reason I wanted to come see you,” he said as a sudden look of
sorrow passed across his face. “You see, Jonah told me about the loss of your
mother. I was not aware. I know you do not wish to talk about it, and that is
fine. I only want to offer my condolences and possibly offer my help.”

“Your help?” I asked as I finally became comfortable enough to sit
in the wicker chair near where he sat. “How can you help?”

“Well, most telepaths wait until their offspring’s sixteenth
birthday to explain their gifts, mainly because the parent needs to be well
aware of exactly what types of gifts the child possesses. But, since your
mother suffered an unfortunate departure early in her life, and yours, I am
worried you may not have anyone to turn to with questions or just to talk about
your abilities,” he paused for a moment, scratching his well-trimmed goatee
before he continued. “Was your mother able to tell you about anything?”

“She was able to tell me, very briefly, who I was. Unfortunately,
she was very weak. Even her mind was fading. She explained to me her body was
no longer alive and that soon her mind would not be either. I was in shock. I
had never known my mom to project directly to me the way she did that day in
the hospital. I…” I trailed off, suddenly feeling the tears beginning to prick
my eyes and threaten to take over my emotions.

“I am sure you miss her terribly. She was a wonderful woman. I
have no doubt she was even more exquisite as a mother.”

I wanted to change the subject. Not because he was incorrect in
his assumptions but because, if I began to cry now, I would ruin my
Jonah-makeup. I may be a confident person, but I was still a girl. And the last
thing a girl wanted to do was ruin her makeup before a date with a god.

“Why are you blocking your thoughts from me?” I asked curiously,
successfully changing the subject and deciding to be straightforward with him,
worried that he was hiding something.

“I wanted to show you the possibilities of our kind, Ella. I am
not trying to hide from you, just trying to demonstrate some of the things I
could teach you, if you would like to learn,” he explained with kindness in his
eyes.

I nodded and looked down at my hands as I nervously wrung them in
my lap until my knuckles were white with tension. Then I decided to open up to
him just enough to satisfy him, but not give away too much information about
myself.

“I hear her talking to me. In my sleep, mostly. I hear her telling
me stories, reading to me, telling me how much she misses me. She even talks to
me about art, describing the artwork to me in an almost poetic fashion. I try
to talk back to her, but she doesn’t ever seem to respond, which makes me
realize it’s just a dream.”

“Ahh, but they are wonderful dreams, are they not? Just to be able
to hear her voice, remember how she spoke to you, how she sounded. It is
definitely better than nothing, yes?” Divinus asked with delight in his eyes.

“I never really thought of it that way, but I guess you’re right.”
Maybe this guy wasn’t all that creepy after all. He had a very valid point. I
should be thanking my lucky stars I am able to remember her voice, her smell,
her stories…

He looked at his watch and then patted me on my hands. “I must be
going now. Jonah warned me to be out of here before six. He has a real treat in
store for you tonight, Orella. You are going to have a very nice time, I am
sure.”

With that, he got up and headed toward the front steps. Just as I
said goodbye and was about to head back inside, he said, “If you ever need
anything, you know how to get in touch with me. I told Jonah to give you my
cell number and email. Please, do not hesitate to call upon me if you need any
advice, Ms. Orella Hugh.”

Just as I said thank you, he turned and glided down the short
steps to the sidewalk. His coat billowed behind him like a cape, making him
look like a comic-book villain. Maybe I should have given him more of a
superhero status instead. After all, he was kind enough to realize when a
young, confused girl needed help. Yet I couldn’t shake the thought he was
intentionally hiding something from me.

It didn’t take long for Jonah to show up at the door with an
apologetic look on his face. Even his remorseful stare made me smile.

Chapter Five

“I’m sorry, Ella. If I thought for even a moment he would take it
upon himself to come bother you, I would have never told him. I was just so
excited to meet you,” he said as he walked in my door.

“Don’t worry about it, Jonah. He was nice. His reason for coming
to meet me was very sweet. Although, he was purposefully blocking me, which
I’ve never known anyone to do. I couldn’t read him at all. The fact I felt he
was hiding something from me made me a little uneasy,” I admitted.

“Oh, he keeps that mental block up all the time because of me.
He’s gotten really good at it. My mom doesn’t have the ability to though, so I
still get a glimpse at some of his secrets,” Jonah said with a wink and a naughty
grin.

Oh, heart. Fly away. Surely it couldn’t stay contained a moment
longer with the amount of fluttering ravaging my chest.

The idea he blocked Jonah all the time as well made me feel a
little better and more at ease. At least it meant there was a possibility he
was telling the truth.

We stood in the foyer as we talked about his dad. Our conversation
was followed by an awkward moment of silence.

Jonah shifted his gaze over my shoulder to a sculpture that hung
on the wall. “Is that from one of Da Vinci’s sketches?”

I turned, knowing full well the piece he was referring to, but
feeling the need to look at it as I spoke. “Yeah. I saw the movie
Ever After
and loved the painting of
Danielle. I knew it was similar to something I’d seen in my high school art
history book, so knowing it was Da Vinci in the movie, I did a little research
and found Da Vinci’s sketch,
Leda
.
So, I decided to make a 3D rendering of it out of clay,” I explained with a
shrug.