Page 4 of Séance

He could almost pass for human…if he wasn’t transparent.

A beetle scrambles across his face, escaping into a hole in his jaw just before it seals shut. He chews slowly, the crunch of the beetle audible, and I cringe, barely resisting the urge to vomit. When he smiles, his yellow teeth almost appear furry with decay. I barely contain the urge to shudder, since it would only give him more pleasure.

The chill from the realm beyond swirls around him, and my breath fogs the air. Pretending he doesn’t bother me, I release a heavy sigh. “What do you want, Roger?”

Roger is one of my regulars. He doesn’t want to be banished or laid to rest because he loves tormenting the living too much. He used to visit me as a child, loving when I would scream in fear.

Over the years, I’ve learned fear is subjective.

A malicious gleam twinkles in his eyes.Do you really think you’re going to escape your fate? You’re going to die in this house, just like your mother. I’m going to enjoy spending an eternity haunting you.

His low voice is warped, dark, and echoey, like it emerged from a long tunnel.

Before I can reply, a blade of light splinters his form. A soulless, agonizing scream escapes him before he explodes intoa million pieces of dust that swirl through the air and scatter across the tile floor.

“How?” I ask in awe before I’m even aware I’m speaking.

Focus your energy, give it will and intent, and it can become a weapon.The musical voice comes from a woman who steps out of the swirling dust. Her wispy body would appear ghostly, if not for a slight golden shimmer. It’s almost like she’s glowing. She’s different from the ramshackle ghosts I normally see. She almost looks real, and that scares me more than the zombie freaks.

Over the years, I’ve learned the more real they look, the more danger they pose to humans.

Ghosts interacting with the living is never a good thing.

The spirit before me is beautiful, almost ethereal, as she stares down at me, but that’s not what catches my attention—it’s her resemblance to me that leaves me gaping. We could be twins. Although she’s older and more elegant, it’s like looking into a mirror. Her teal eyes churn like an ocean caught in a storm.You must go. Quickly. If you stay longer, little one, you will never leave this house alive.

“Who are you?” I whisper, my skin tingling at her nearness. Instead of the icy cold I associate with normal spirits, warmth like a cozy fire swirls around her ghostly presence. The danger lies in the way it lures you closer, because the closer you get, the more they can drain you of your life.

Instead of answering, she kisses my forehead, and a burst of heat crackles across my skin, giving energy rather than taking it. Pleasure warms my blood, and I fight the urge to lean into her. Energy from the undead is tainted. While you might feel invincible, interacting with spirits always has a cost. The longer you remain near them, the more you become infected.

It’s addicting, and like any drug, it will eat away your body and soul until you wither away to nothing.

I have a natural resistance, thanks to my ancestry, but that doesn’t mean I remain unaffected.

It’s how I think my mother died. She took too much energy from the undead, and it rotted her brain and drove her insane. She wasn’t afraid of ghosts, she consumed them like pills. She siphoned off so much energy from them that they eventually took up residence in her mind. They took control of her, much like a possession. In the end, I’m not sure if she was still inside her head with them or if her consciousness was already gone.

Fearing I would send them to the afterlife, the spirits convinced my mother to get rid of me before I could banish them, hence the many ways she tried to kill me over the years. It was almost a mutually beneficial exchange…if not for the fact that they were driving my mother insane in the process. She was so addicted to the spirits that she didn’t want her supply taken away from her.

Most spirits are unaware of the outside world. They just want to move on to their next life. A few linger because they have unfinished business or died a violent death and need justice. The longer spirits remain, the more they forget their past and turn malevolent. They want nothing more than to live again and will do anything to achieve their goal, no matter the cost.

The apparition in front of me is different from any other ghosts I’ve encountered, and the unknown usually means trouble. She tasted of power, almost like I conjured her, and that’s even more disturbing.

We are the same. I was once you a very long time ago. During pivotal moments in our life, we can be visited by our ancestors.Her smile dims, her form flickering as if she’s being pulled away.You are the last of us. You are at a crossroads. If you don’t heed my warning, our line will die with you.

I instantly wonder if that would be a good thing. As if she heard me, sadness crosses the woman’s face, and she shakes herhead.I don’t have long. I’m being pulled back to my body and my time. You need to know we serve a purpose in this world. We walk through the darkness to save those who are drowning in it. Without us, the darkness will slowly infect the world and snuff out the light. People need our help—help only we can provide as daughters of the light.

It’s only then that I realize she’s not a ghost. I reach out…only to have my hand pass right through her. My skin tingles at the contact, like I stuck my arm in pure power. “How?”

A form of astral projection.Her smile is crooked when she looks down at me.Sometimes, we need to go where we’re needed. There are many things you need to learn if you want to survive this world.

I gape at her, not sure that I want to believe her. Yes, it’s nice to know there is a reason for my abilities and my suffering, but the overwhelming task she put before me is impossible.

“How?” I peer up at her, more than a little defeated. “I’m not even able to help myself. How am I supposed to help others?”

I blow out a harsh breath, tucking away my emotions before they get the best of me. It’s a survival mechanism I learned early—never let people know what I’m thinking, or they will use it against me.

Her ghostly form flickers, the sadness in her eyes almost heartbreaking.You can’t do it alone. Nan will help guide you, but you’ll find others who will protect you. If you give up, your protectors will suffer. Save them, and save yourself.

Before the last word even leaves her mouth, she fades from existence.

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