Electric Blue (31 page)

"It must be horrible being all alone."

"Oh, I am not alone," she said. "I can feel the house all around me; she is always with me." She smiled. "And I have my companion."

"Your companion?" Monica asked.

"Yes, would you like to meet him?" Lilly smiled and called out. "Edgar!" she yelled, "we have visitors!"

"What's that?" A man’s voice came from the locked bedroom.

"Visitors! We have visitors!" Lilly said. "Come out and meet them!"

"Alright," said the voice. It sounded gruff. "I'm coming." Monica and Moe heard footsteps, a pattering of clicking noises and the lock clicking. The door opened and out bounded a large, shaggy sheep dog. He had grey and white fur and it fell in front of his eyes. His large paws padded on the floor and his claws made clicking noises on the wooden planks of the living room floor. It came to stand beside Lilly and looked at Moe and Monica. It huffed and blew the fur from out of its eyes and regarded them with warm brown eyes. "Pleased to meet you," the dog said. "It's not often we get ghosts in this part of the house. What brings you here?"

Monica and Moe stared at him open-mouthed. "You can talk," Monica said.

"Of course I can talk," the dog said. "My name’s Edgar. I'm a sheepdog."

"And you can talk," Moe said.

"Seem to be having trouble with that huh?" he laughed a soft bark. "No problem. I'm one of the few Fey animals that can talk. There are many animals who are Fey, part of the Fey world. Cats are, birds are. But not all of us can talk. I can."

"So you're a talking dog?" Monica said.

"Isn't that just what I said?" Edgar laughed. "It'll take you a bit to get used to me, but don't worry, I don't bite and don't bark much either." He laughed again.

"I raised him from a puppy," Lilly said. "I found him outside this house one day and he's been with me ever since." She smiled.

There was a sound in the air then. It sounded as if the air was whistling. Then came a loud bang and the earth shook around them. They fell off their chairs, Edgar staying upright, the rest of them landing on the floor. The ground stopped moving, only to start again a second later. Something was attacking the House. The House shook again as something slammed against its walls; they heard glass shatter somewhere above them.

"Do you have friends in the House now?" Edgar asked. Gone were the laughing brown eyes; they were now grim. Lilly's eyes had also hardened. She was no longer smiling.

"Yes," Monica said. "They are upstairs in the attic."

"Then I suggest we go to them now," Edgar said. "We may not have much time."

* * * * *

Those in the attic heard the sound before the bang hit too. It sounded as if the air was whistling. Then came a loud bang and the earth shook around them. They fell to the floor, House falling on top of Roz who was still tied to the chair.

"What's going on?" Lucia asked from the floor. She had fallen on top of Naomi.

"I am being attacked," House said. "I can feel them. I must return to my walls. Get Roz to her bed."

"Wait!" Naomi said. "What is happening?"

"They are trying to break in. They want Poppy. I will not be far," House said, "You can contact me through Roz, but I must return to my walls, I must protect us. I will come back when this is all over"

No one had to ask who ‘they’ was. They knew that Mistress, or someone working for her, was trying to gain entrance. Cecelia looked at
Orlando
and they ran downstairs to see what they could see. Lucia helped Chip get Roz untied so that they could get her back into the attic bedroom and David and Naomi watched as House began to fade slowly. When she was almost gone to mist, Monica and Moe showed up at the attic doorway. Following behind them, the floor still rocking and shaking, were a woman and a large sheepdog. "Trust these people," House said. "They are part of me, and I am part of them. They have my trust."

She smiled at all of them, her hair lifting in the wind that blew around her and soon she was nothing but a shiny dot of magic dust in front of them. They all listened to the house begin to fight back. They waited, Cecelia and Orlando downstairs, not knowing what else to do. Naomi began to shake. "I don't know what we're going to do. . . ." she said.

David could do nothing but pull her close. Monica and Moe stood there, not sure what to do and Lilly looked at her feet. Edgar growled. "Are we all going to just stand here like bumps on logs?"

Naomi blinked her eyes. "You can talk!"

Monica shook her head. "We'll explain later."

They heard a loud scream from down below.

"STAY AWAY!" They heard
Orlando
yell. "GET AWAY FROM HERE!"

"What's happening?" Naomi asked.

"Want to go find out?" David asked.

"Go," Chip said from the bedroom. "I'm okay here.

* * * * *

In the graveyard, Mistress ran her fingers over Karma's grave. She had sent LaWanda and the other two, Marc and Lucas, to keep the rest of them busy. As Sisters of the Coven, Cecelia and Naomi would feel Karma's reawakening. She could not allow that to happen. She had told them to create a good diversion. Mistress hoped that LaWanda would follow instructions this time. She ran her fingers in the grooves of Karma's name, feeling the small grit of stone that fell away as her nails scratched the surface. Where her nail scratched, it glowed red. She watched the words glow with growing anticipation. ‘Rest in Peace’, indeed. She laughed wildly. She knocked on the tombstone now, as if it were a door. "Come on granddaughter," she said. "We have some business to attend to." Mistress smiled to herself when the dirt of Karma's grave began to stir. "That's it," she said. "That's it, come on now, night grows short. We don't have much time."

* * * * *

They all arrived downstairs to see
Orlando
standing at the front door. It was open and he was screaming at the top of his lungs. "STAY AWAY FROM HERE!" the wind was furious around them as House tried to keep the evil from them. "GET AWAY FROM US! You have no business here!"

David and Naomi froze on the stairs as something grabbed
Orlando
and threw him through the air. Cecelia still stood to the right of the open door, chanting under her breath. Lucia, Monica and Moe watched as everything played out around them. No one dared move. Lucia, making a decision, broke away from them and joined Cecelia at the door, grabbing her hand and chanting beside her. She broke the spell, because David ran to Orlando who was lying unconscious. Naomi ran to Cecelia and added her powers to her grandmother’s and Lucia's. Edgar and Lilly remained on the steps, watching the scene below them. Monica looked at Moe.
             
"Let's see if we can help house."

"Right behind you," he said. They faded into the walls of the house behind them, going to see if they could find the House Spirit and lend her a hand. They left behind wispy air and David watched them leave. Everyone was humming and chanting, aiding the house in its battle. David tried to rouse
Orlando
.

"Who was it?" he asked. His voice was catching in his throat. "Who did you see?"

The question was answered for him, however, when LaWanda walked through the front door.

Chapter Forty Two

House Protected

"Hello David Honey," LaWanda said. "Did you miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" David said.

"What does it look like? Having a little fun."

"What are you doing here, LaWanda?"

"I told you," she said, pouting slightly. "Having a little fun. Don't you like to party?"

"No, not your kind of party."

"Well, I'm afraid that you don't have much of a choice. See, we're gate crashers." LaWanda wanted to get out of here soon. She hoped that she was buying Mistress enough time.

* * * * *

Mistress smiled. "That's it," she said. "That's it granddaughter, come on, we don't have much time."

From out of the earth, a hand shot up, white and pale, dirt under the nails. There was a sound like a moan coming from the earth, from deep within the dirt that shook at her knees. Mistress clasped the hand, her long red nails glowing in the moonlight. "That's it," she coaxed. "That's it. A little further now."

With a shove that was like the earth giving birth, spilling its bounty, Karma pulled herself from the earth and lay gasping on the ground in front of her grandmother. Her hair was a dirty brown and her skin was a clammy grey colour.

"What. . .have you done to me?" She rasped. She could barely move.

"I have need of you," Mistress said.

"I will not do what you need," Karma rasped. She coughed and blood and a clear liquid spat on the ground.

"Oh, I think you will," Mistress said. "When you see what is in store for you if you don't." The Mistress smiled a cruel smile, an evil one. Everything was going according to plan. The night grew short and dawn was close. Mistress gathered Karma to her arms and carried her out of the cemetery, leaving her grave dug up. Empty save for Karma's coffin.

* * * * *

"What do you want of us?" Cecelia asked. She had stopped humming when she realized that they were not in danger. If they had wanted to hurt them, they would have done so before now.

"Just having a little fun," LaWanda said.

"Why are you doing this?" Naomi spat. "Who are you working for?"

LaWanda laughed. "Why am I doing this?" She laughed again, like a bark. "Better ask David why I'm doing this, why I could possibly want to hurt any of you. He knows all the answers. Him and his little slut of a girlfriend." She spat on the floor.

"Who are you working for?" Naomi asked again.

"Someone who wants to see all of you dead," she said. "She was one of us once. . .one of the innocents." She looked up as if she heard someone calling her name. The ground beneath them stopped shaking and LaWanda's head snapped back to attention. She looked at all of them and smiled a mean smile. "We'll see you all again real soon." She laughed again and they all watched as LaWanda, Marc and Lucas faded away like ghosts in the coming daylight. It stretched golden on top of the buildings. When the first rays of sun hit, they were gone.

David looked around at everyone, at the fallen house, the destroyed furniture and front door. He clutched
Orlando
to him. The woman and her dog still stood on the stairs. David held
Orlando
, shaking. Edgar and Lilly looked to the floor, unable to meet anyone's gaze. Monica and Moe flew down through the ceiling, awestruck at the scene around them. Lucia, Naomi and Cecelia unclasped their hands. Cecelia stood and looked at everyone, meeting each one of them in the eye. The house was silent around them. "I think," she said, "that I could use a strong drink. Some explanations are in order."

Chapter Forty Three

Father Daughter

Inside the hut, there was darkness. They could see nothing but shadows, but on the floor near them, Poppy saw a medium sized owl. It had grey markings around the eyes, a black beak and white and silver feathered wings. It hooted at them softly and regarded them with soft grey eyes. The owl hooted again and Poppy and Alicia felt the air around them begin to pick up speed. The candle flame flickered out and they were left in darkness for only a moment. The flame relit itself and the hut had light once more. Alicia gasped. Where the owl had been moments before, they watched open-mouthed as it changed and morphed into the shape of a man. When his transformation was complete, he regarded them with soft grey eyes. He had brown hair that fell in curls and a soft face. His eyes were kind and his skin was tanned a soft brown from the sun. He stood and smiled at them. He turned to Poppy.

"Hello daughter," he said.

Poppy was dumbfounded. She could only stare at him.

"I suppose you are wondering what is going on?" the man said. Poppy nodded. "Well, it's quite simple. I am your father," he said.

"What is your name?" Poppy asked.

"They call me many things. But as a child, I was named Grant. I have not gone by that name for a long time, but I suppose you can call me Dad."

"First things first," Alicia said. "We need proof that you’re Poppy's father. Her mother said that she didn't know who he was, that she had slept with too many men. How do we know that you're the real deal?"

He smiled. "You need more proof than my being able to change my shape?" he laughed. "No matter." He took out a worn leather wallet from the inside pocket of his long white robe and removed a picture. He handed it to Poppy. It was an old black and white photograph. It was worn and bent at the corners and the black and white and grey tones had white lines running through them, where the picture's glaze had cracked. But Poppy could still see the picture clearly.