Page 64 of Eldritch

Sybil smirked. “Oh, I’ve always seen things. At least, I used to. I decided not to for a while in high school, but that didn’t last long.”

“True story,” Letisha said.

Maria’s unsettled expression turned frightened. “Are you saying you are psychic or something?”

Letisha said, “Or something.”

Sybil threw her friend an exasperated look, then turned her attention to Maria. “Let’s deal with what you have going on right now...what are you thinking?”

Maria’s gaze bounced between Sybil and Letisha. She stopped fiddling with the cross.

“I’m a lapsed Catholic, but the upbringing lingers, even if you choose not to believe in it. Ghosts and stuff get to me. I don’t want to deal with it. But I also don’t want to mask things by drinking.”

Just the way she doesn’t want to deal with living people.

“Well, I don’t think there’s any other alcohol in the house. You don’t have any liquor” Sybil shrugged. “So you should be safe from that temptation. Everything is fine.”

“If you aren’t drinking on the job, then no problem,” Letisha said.

Maria huffed out a breath. “But if there are ghosts here, what do we do?”

Sybil pondered. She exchanged a quick glance with Letisha, who shrugged.

Sybil gave a long sigh. “Maybe nothing we can do.”

“Why not?” Maria said. “A priest maybe?”

Sybil shook her head. “I’m not sure Clarice even believes there are ghosts here. Besides that, it often won’t work if everyone in the house doesn’t believe the same thing.”

Maria’s eyes widened a bit. “Then we have to live with what’s in here?”

Letisha cleared her throat. “Is there any chance you could move on the ghosts, Sybil?”

That question completely caught Sybil off guard, and she swung her attention to her old friend. She thought for a second about how to put things into words. “In fiction, the medium can always move on the ghost. Always protect people from what’s out there. That’s not always true. Not even almost. Ghosts...souls who are visiting or hanging around are here when they wish. That may be all that’s here in this house. Not everything that goes bump in the night is evil.”

Oh, Sybil, Sybil, Sybil. You understand there’s something evil here, don’t you?

“I called my grandparents last night and told them what is happening.” Maria’s expression held apprehension, as if she expected consequences. “When I told them about this house, though, they wanted me to quit my job and come home.”

“What?” Letisha’s voice snapped a little.

Maria returned to rubbing her the cross between her fingers.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going back to New York.” Maria’s gaze was unfocused, as recalling her past. Her gaze snapped back up to Sybil. “How do you know we can’t banish the ghosts?”

Sybil didn’t want to say it, but now the proverbial cat was out of the bag. The chips were down. Whatever cliche would fit. Stepping her toes into that water again could mean a shitstorm. It had the last time.

“Oh believe me, honey,” Letisha said to the younger woman. “She knows.”

“How?” Maria asked again.

Sybil glanced at Letisha and saw her friend’s attention glued to her. Letisha looked as curious as Maria, even though she knew the answer.

“Because I’m a medium.” There. She’d said it. “Among other things.”

Oh, Sybil. She’ll realize you are a nut bag if you explain about the things. Won’t she?

Silence covered the room. So quiet it almost hurt Sybil’s ears as much as if someone had shouted it. She flicked a gaze at Letisha again and saw the woman’s dismay. Not because Sybil had confirmed it, but because it needed to be said.

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