“It’s fine. We’ve got time to kill.”
We retreated back in, and I took the first seat available, dropping right into it. Abby came around to lean into my side, whispering, “You did great, friend. Breathe, okay, don’t pass out on me.”
I gave her a nod and tried on a smile. I was okay, really.
Gary sat on the couch nearby, eyes on me. “Did I just see a full-blown exorcism?”
“You did, yeah.” My first, no less. Whoa, like seriously, WHOA.
“So…he won’t be back?”
I could see why he was worried. “No, he can’t. An exorcism is the last resort for a reason—I literally scattered his soul to bits. He can’t revive or reincarnate, or anything like that. He’s permanently erased from the universe.”
Gary looked disturbed, but Isabella’s lip curled with disdain. “Nor should he, if he’s trying to hurt people for the fun of it. We need less people like that, alive or dead. Thank you, Gwyn. I realize that was more than you bargained for.”
Yeah. Understatement of the century, there. “You’re welcome.” Trying to shake it off, I offered William a hand. “Leave your hand in mine, they’ll be able to see and hear you.”
Sitting on the couch holding hands with a sixty-something year old ghost after performing my first exorcism wasnothowI thought I’d spend this morning, but I was so glad to be here. William had a lot to say to his son, his grandchildren, and it was nice watching the family have that final conversation. Kind of heartbreaking, in a way, as we all knew it would be the final conversation. But still, important, and hopefully a good memory they’d take with them in their lives.
Mack and Brandon arrived, Mack coming straight to me. I hopped up and hugged him, because hell yeah, please give me a hug. I needed a hug. Mack looked me over, but he seemed proud more than anything. “Ma petite chère, you did fine, I can tell. Your aura’s steady.”
Abby piped up with, “I saw the ghost totally evaporate, so I think she got him.”
“I’ll do a sweep outside to double check.” Mack regarded me for a long second. “All right?”
“He mostly scared the shit out of me,” I admitted. “He rushed me and was trying to hurt me. But I’m okay, I got the better of him.”
“I do understand. It’s jarring, to say the least.” He shook his head and then turned to the rest of the family. “Enchanté. Mackenzie Lafayette, FBI. I’m Gwyn’s mentor. Who might you all be?”
Skylar did introductions for people, and I could tell the adults were relieved to have a fully trained Medium in the house. I wasn’t the least bit insulted. I also felt a lot better with Mack in the house.
Brandon encouraged me to sit again, giving William the chance to wrap up while Mack gathered up all of the ghost kids, and checked the backyard. The kids had apparently been hiding nearby, under William’s guidance, which all things considered was likely prudent.
Which left me the question of where to pass them?
Mack returned to the living room with all of the kids in tow. Quite the age range. I would say the oldest girl was near my age, the youngest boy maybe six. So sad to die that young. They were excited now, chatty, talking over each other and watching me with open curiosity. The living room went from full to crowded real quick.
Mack gave me a proud smile. “Gwyn’s exorcism was perfectly done, so no worries there.”
Oh thank god. I didn’t want to repeat that experience.
Mack turned to Isabella and asked, “Do you have a hallway that leads to a doorway by any chance? Or some dimly lit place that we can borrow?”
She thought on that for a second before pointing upstairs. “The second story hallway leads to a bathroom at the end of the hall?”
“That sounds perfect.”
It really did. Could we use an open area? Sure, but with a doorway, it gave the ghost a visible target to center themselves on. It just worked better, in my experience. Mack always set up with a doorway if he could and I absolutely understood why.
We all trooped upstairs and I helped put candles down, making a runway. Brandon had brought the LED tealight kind, which I honestly preferred, as it created less mess.
Finally, all set up. I turned to the nearest child, who was maybe twelve? Hard to guess exact ages. He looked a century old, he had that style of clothing, including suspenders to keep the pants up. “Hi, would you like to go first?”
He eyed the setup a little nervously. “I guess? I don’t know what to do.”
“Just walk with me,” I said with a smile, holding out a hand. “I’ll boost you. That doorway, once we reach it, will connect to the next plane—once you’ve stepped through, you’ll be home. Anyone waiting on you?”
His eyes were on the doorway now, longing, hopeful. “My parents.”
