I’d never in my life laid hands on a woman, but god, it was tempting to start now. I really wanted to slap sense into her.
Mack’s hands curled into fists, and I think he, too, already dreamed of punching her parents. “Let’s be frank. We’re here to do a home evaluation of your daughter’s environment and determine if it’s safe for her to live here. Your denial of her abilities is not winning you any points.”
“What do you mean, a home evaluation?!” Mrs. Fairchild demanded, voice going shrill. “Why would you take her?!”
“Because your neglect of her is abuse.”
The way their jaws dropped, like they were floored we’d accuse them of abuse, in turn surprised me. “Gwyn told me flat out that the only time she’s gotten proper medical attention after being hurt was because theschoolcalled her an ambulance. You’re not even addressing basic needs with your only child, and you’re surprised you’re being accused of neglect and abuse?”
Neither of them could meet my eyes and made uncomfortable throat-clearing noises.
“On top of that, I’m also told you’re considering sending her in for an exorcism?”
At that, Mrs. Fairchild’s head snapped back up and she growled, “What else am I supposed to do? She’s clearlypossessed or the devil’s in her ear! There’s no other explanation for this behavior of hers! We’re God-fearing people, we don’t welcome the occult in this house!”
I’d talked to brick walls before with better results. “And it didn’t occur to you maybe she really is psychic, that you should at least get her tested and rule the possibility out?”
“We don’t welcome the occult, I said! That includes any psychic behaviors!” She eyed Mack with disgust. “Charlatans, the lot of them.”
McNair was going to need to put me in cuffs in a minute, because if she made another dig at Mack, I was going to lose my temper.
“Well, your belief system is about to cost you your child,” Mack informed her flatly.
“You mean you’re going to take her away from us if we don’t agree she’s a Medium?”
“I mean, madame,” Mack said icily with murder in his eyes, “that if you refuse to support your daughter and give her the help she so desperately needs, then I cannot in good conscience leave her here.”
She stared back in growing fear, her eyes going to Gwyn, who refused to look at anyone. “But she’s not a Medium! She’s just hallucinating.”
And Mack’s patience hit zero. I admit, I wasn’t far behind him. “Gwyn, go pack. Two bags, whatever you can’t live without. Don’t worry so much about the clothes.”
She nodded and quickly left the couch, immediately darting to her room.
Mr. Fairchild went to stop her and I stood to block him immediately. “No.”
He got right in my face, so angry he was purple with it. “You cannot take my daughter like this!”
“Well, sir, which would you rather have? A daughter healthy and living, or one dead? Because at the rate things are going, I doubt she’ll survive to high school graduation.”
He stared at me, still breathing fire. “What the hell does that mean?”
“This town is overly haunted with very mean ghosts. She’s getting chased daily and you won’t even give her salt to defend herself. Did you really think she just tripped into aravine?”
His gaze fell from mine, his face tinged with guilt but also mulish.
“But you can’t just take her!” Mrs. Fairchild wailed, her eyes pleading with us.
Mack glowered. “Let’s be clear. I have emotional and physical scars because of people like you. People who denied me training and safety, like you’re doing to your daughter now. I will not allow Gwyn to live through hell.”
Something about his words stopped her. Mrs. Fairchild stared at Mack, really looked at him, confusion sweeping over her face. “What do you mean, denied you training?”
“My mother kept me with her, much like you’re insisting on, when she knew damn well something was up with me. In my case, my mother at least believed I was a Medium. But because I was stuck at home, with no idea how to defend myself, I was in a constant battle. Much like your daughter, I had no friends, I could barely catch four hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, I was constantly running from ghosts trying to hurt me—and there was no reason for it. Except my mother’s stubbornness. Madame, whether you believe in ghosts or not is moot. Your daughter is clearly struggling, and she clearly needs more help than you’re giving her.Why haven’t you gotten her help?”
She stared at him, affronted. “Well, I’m sorry if I didn’t get her to a priest before this! Or send her into a psych ward!”
What. The. Hell. That was her answer?
I rethought letting Gwyn have any contact with this woman. Either parent, really.
