As she lay in bed, Evelyn came as close to lucid dreaming as she ever had in her life. Phantom Trevor who she had twirled with for hours transformed into flesh and blood. Evelyn rubbed her cheeks against his vanilla-scented beard, caressed his eyebrows, stared deep into his eyes. She hoarded the memories, recalled their dinner at the Italian spot, and finally settled on their slow, serene goddess dance. Her feet on his as they lost themselves to the closeness of their bodies. Trevor’s arousal constantly grazed her stomach, and yet they were content to dance.
Evelyn was so happy that, for a moment, she didn’t see the bits of darkness that gathered in the corners of the hazy scene, a shadow that wrapped itself around Trevor’s legs and behind and arms. The shadow’smovements, a flirtation, a fresh dance, as if it wanted to join in on the fun. It seeped into his ears and went down his throat. Trevor opened his arms, welcoming it all. Fiery red eyes hovered in the background.
Evelyn stepped back, unsure of what was happening. She found it curious how calm Greek God Trevor was as the thing ate away at him, as it dissolved his flesh. Understood that nothing close to this had happened in real life. The shadow started to creep toward her, her reaction one of morbid fascination.
It lunged, latched onto her torso, and began to feast.
Evelyn shrieked like a maniac and jumped up in her bed. She held her stomach, her body drenched in sweat. Her throat was dry. She went to the refrigerator, took out her water pitcher, and downed two large glasses. She sat back down on the couch, unable to recollect what she’d just dreamed.
She was still seated when the sun rose, anxious, jittery, not wanting to go back to sleep. Evelyn continued to daydream about Trevor, even as spots in her memory surfaced, as she found it hard to recall certain things. She saw their Harlem Renaissance dinner as clear as day as shadow encroached on her remembrance, as it slithered and lurked amid the roast and wine and old-time suit Trevor wore. Evelyn was suddenly sure that the darkness was about to come for her as well. The inevitable.
Shadow started to invade her every thought until the act of recalling her name or where she was from felt like something beyond her. All of her precious things, dissolving away. Something eating at her soul. A waterfall of remembrances vanishing.
She continued to sit on the couch and peed herself right there, unable to remember she should get up and use the bathroom.
Evelyn… her name was Evelyn. Right. Of course.
From somewhere within, she intuited what was happening. That hereyes were now glowing red. She received final confirmation when she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.
She paced her studio and tried to remain calm. She wasn’t ready to call… Who would she call? 911? No, she wasn’t ready to be taken away. (Though maybe she’d get to be with… with who?) She would figure a way out of this. She would hold on to herself. Her dancing blue silhouette that she had come to cherish above all else, she wouldn’t givethatup without a fight. She tried to remember who’d helped her discover this part of herself, to be able to see herself in this way. The person she’d been avoiding out of fear and confusion.
Evelyn inhaled, exhaled, went back to her reflection. She was still drenched in perspiration, but when she looked in the bathroom mirror, she was fine. Her eyes were fine.
She remembered who was responsible for her divine dancing blue.
Evelyn quickly showered, put on random clothes, and rushed out the door. She would get to Linda. Yes, Linda Villanueva. Who lived not even ten minutes away if she walked fast. Or ran.
She left her building and took off down the block. Wouldn’t stop whispering to herself.
“My name is Evelyn. Evelyn Kendricks.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
LINDA
When Linda walked into her town house and checked herself out in her foyer’s large oval mirror, she allowed herself a momentary pity party and wailed inside. Just for a second. She didn’t consider herself a vain person, but the black-and-blue, swollen face that stared back at her wasn’t someone she remotely recognized.
No time to worry about that.Linda made a beeline for her office, went to her desk, grabbed the spare pistol that she kept in the bottom drawer. Grabbed the spare phone that she kept in the top drawer. It still had some charge left in it—54 percent—despite being off for weeks. Would have to do.
She’d managed to get Elton on Maxine’s phone, convince him that the amulets had to be destroyed and avoided at all costs. He said he’d had a conversation with Rayo, was inclined to believe her, that he and his associates were getting in contact with the press right away. Linda thanked Elegua for small favors. What was top of mind—how to figure out where and how the dorlis might strike again, if it was still around. Which felt beyond her, like something she didn’t have the focus or wherewithal to begin to break down in terms of solutions. Something had been tuggingat her mind the entire ride to the agency, an odd sensation she couldn’t put her finger on.
“Linda, you said… you said you were able to blow apart the dorlis with your mind?” Maxine gave Linda the same hard look she’d been leveling at her for much of the drive over. “I thought you… You’ve told me repeatedly that you can only use your empathy when you’re in ritual with someone. That a special set of circumstances needs to be in place. I know you get vibes from people, sure, but what you spoke of… It sounds like… more.”
Fonsi stationed himself by the couch and raised his hand almost as if he were in a classroom, hesitant to speak. “I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but Linda, your empathy… I think you can do far more than help people experience their soul selves.”
Linda looked at both of them. Saw the hesitancy and searching in Fonsi’s face, the confusion and betrayal in Maxine’s. Wasn’t the right time to have this conversation—not now.
And yet, did she have a choice?
“I… I made a promise to someone a long time ago. Someone I hurt—bad. There was an accident connected to how I used my empathy. I pledged that I would never use my powers in certain ways again. Me being in ritual, it just happened. I… I didn’t want to turn away people who I could help. But I swore I’d never do anything else.”
“Wait, whatelsecan you do?” Maxine said. “I’m not understanding any of this.”
Linda turned to Fonsi and looked at him imploringly as if he could help her out. His face was consumed by pity. He knew… he knew that she was much more than she seemed.
“So, uh, I… I can do a number of things with my gift,” Linda said, ashamed. She sat down as the ache in her body returned and spoke with her palms open on her lap. A tell she hoped Maxine understood. Complete surrender. No bullshit. “I can enter the thoughts of others, share mythoughts with others, see through their eyes, exchange memories… those sorts of things. But I haven’t done so in years. Well… before reaching out to Rayo.”
“Are you mad? Linda!!!” Maxine glared at her boss with fury. “Is this why… sometimes, that weird sense of connection we have. Finishing each other’s sentences. Being so aligned with work. Is it because you’ve… you’ve been entering my mind all this time?”
