Free Caged in Darkness by J. D. Stroube Page A

down in a mass of waves. I cursed my
slowness, and strode to the bed.
    Smiling, Kali sat up and kneeled at the edge
of the mattress. “Mmmm… I missed you.” She said, and grabbed me by
the waist band, and pulled me on top of her.
     
    Savannah
     
    I fidgeted in the rocking chair, waiting for
Maye to return from the passageway. I shouldn’t have let her go in
there alone, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back. The idea of it
sent chills across my spine.
    “Darling, there isn’t anyone in there.”
    Maye stared at me in pity. I knew the look,
because she wore it whenever she referenced my past.
    “I know what I saw. It was this thing, it
had wings, and…”
    “Oh sweetie, I know you think you saw
something. It’s not that I don’t believe you, I just think that it
was a hallucination.” She moved to brush my hair with her fingers.
“The stress of being in this place has probably gotten to you and I
doubt you slept well last night. It is completely normal to think
you saw something that wasn’t really there, under these
circumstances.”
    I thought about Maye’s logic and it made
sense. If there had been something in the passageway, Maye would
have seen it too. I did have heightened emotions and we did just
talk about me facing my demons… Could I really have imagined it
all? I felt foolish and I knew my face showed this.
    “Do you want me to get the items from the
room? I could call Ash and have the boys come get them.”
    “Yeah… I think Ash should do it. I don’t
want to go back there and I don’t want you to hurt your back.” I
paused. “I’m sorry if I scared you. This place gives me the creeps.
I’ll be happy once it’s sold and I never have to come here
again.”
    Maye giggled; a bizarre sound coming from a
robust middle aged woman. “I say that we take the rest of the
afternoon and make a girl day of it.” She winked.
    “Oh, no. Not more shopping, please say you
don’t want to shop. Please, please, please…”
    “I was thinking more along the lines of a
spa day. What do you think? We could go see a movie after…” Her
voice trailed off. I realized she was offering the girl day because
it was something she needed, not because she felt sorry for
me.
    “If I must.” I gave her an exaggerated sigh.
“To be pampered for an entire afternoon, I shall positively die of
it.” Holding my hand to my forehead, I pretended to faint. I opened
one eye to see Maye beaming in happiness. I would endure anything
for her.

 
    6: Magnetized
     
    Sixth Entry: Facing my Demons
     
    Visiting my parents’ estate was an
experience I was glad to be done with. The more I thought about the
man with wings in the passageway, the more I realized I was stupid
to think it was real. Of course, my mind could make up something
horrific when under that much strain.
    Ash picked up the things from the passageway
and everything else that I couldn’t carry. He put most of it in the
attic and I planned to get a better look at the collection of items
soon.
    I’m beginning to worry about Ash. He was
cold towards me this afternoon and he has never been that way. Did
I do something wrong?
     
    Savannah
     
    Izzy and Willow came by my house to get
ready before the bonfire. That’s usually how it worked out. Willows
house was cramped with too many family members. Izzy lived in an
apartment that was considered a two bedroom, but really her room
was closer to a walk in closet.
    The bonfire was little more than an
annoyance on my attention radar, but was obviously socially
significant to Izzy. It wasn’t that she necessarily wanted to
“socialize” at the bonfire, but she wanted to broadcast to the
general population that her antisocial behavior was a personal
choice, not a sentence to social leprosy.
    I had misgivings about being around those
who were not part of the coven, while this close to my ascension. I
knew that the closer I was, the more dangerous I became. My gift
would gradually become uncontrollable, as I