Page 3 of Poltergeists & Change of Life

Mom nodded thoughtfully. “There is enough for the next week. We've been working with Lilith to ensure everyone who needs the potion will always have it. It’s not easy, but she thinks she can brew it if necessary."

“I can take some when I go home if she can’t make it,” Stella offered and then squeezed my hand. "How are they handling the transition? They’ve relied on you a lot up to this point," she pointed out to Mom.

Mom sighed and placed a steaming bowl of soup in front of me. “It's been a mixed bag. Some are adjusting well, finding comfort in their routine and support. Others are struggling more with the changes and the loss of their former lives. It’s not an ideal time to be away from them.”

Tseki was standing by the window with his eyes scanning the darkening horizon, turned to add, “I’ll check on them tonight. They’ve gotten to know me, and I will be a familiar face for them.”

Selene dug into her bowl of stew. “Remind them that this won’t be forever. Aidon will be back and Phoebe will be healed soon.”

Just as we settled into dinner, Mythia burst into the kitchen. Her tiny wings were a blur of iridescent colors. Her panicked voice cut through the air. It was filled with urgency and fear. "Phoebe! Something’s happening in the woods!" she cried, fluttering around me in frantic circles. “I saw shadows moving and heard terrible noises. It’s not natural.”

My heart skipped a beat. The calm that had settled over our home shattered in an instant. I exchanged worried glances with Nana, Mom, Nina, Stella, Layla, and Selene. Something had gotten past our ward. It shouldn’t have been possible which meant whatever was out there was not to be taken lightly.

“We need to check it out,” I said. I was relieved my voice was steadier than I felt inside. I stood up and hid my trembling hands behind my back. I placed one on my belly and felt the reassuring movement of my unborn children. They seemed to sense the tension and responded with tiny flutters.

Nana scowled at me. “You need to stay here.”

I gaped at her and shook my head. “I’m fine. I have been sitting around for over two days now and I need to be there for this. Something got past our wards. You’re going to need me.” I didn’t let anyone argue further as I stood. “We will take the golf cart. Grab some potions. I’ve got my daggers,” I said snatching them from the table where I’d left them.

Mom moved swiftly, gathering supplies. A flashlight, some herbs, and a protective talisman while Nina selected our best offensive potions. Stella walked beside me and took the keys from me. "You will stick to my side and stay away from danger. Add your magic from there. You will not go charging in there or I will tie you to your bed right now.”

I gave her a solemn look. “I promise not to do anything stupid. My babies are the most important thing. But I have to be there for the rest of you, too.”

We squeezed onto the golf cart while Mythia fluttered ahead of us. She led the way to the disturbance. A chill wind whipped through the trees as Stella drove. It carried with it an ominous whisper. The woods were usually serene and welcoming. A shiver traveled down my spine when I took in the shrouded darkness and danger.

We moved cautiously, following Mythia’s guidance deeper into the woods. The moonlight filtered through the canopy above and cast eerie shadows on the forest floor. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, set my nerves on edge. Stella veered into the brush when a piercing shriek echoed through the night. Layla raced up to the cart and was growling low in her throat. Nina clutched my hand and whispered, “There’s something pissed out here.”

Ahead, the trees parted, revealing a clearing bathed in an unnatural glow. Shadows danced and flickered, taking on grotesque shapes that seemed to writhe and twist with malevolent intent. We got out of the golf cart and headed to thespot. My magic burned beneath the surface of my skin eager to combat the dark energy that was now thick and oppressive.

Nana stepped forward with her witch fire burning in her palms. “Stay at the back, Phoebe,” she instructed. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

The sense of foreboding intensified as we cautiously approached the clearing. Mythia hovered nervously overhead, her wings fluttering erratically. “Be careful,” she whispered. Her voice was barely audible over the cacophony surrounding us.

I took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage I had. With my family beside me, we walked into the clearing and my heart stopped. “No fucking way,” I muttered unable to believe what I was seeing.

CHAPTER 2

Istared at the clearing ahead with my jaw hanging open like a broken garage door. "No fucking way," I muttered. The curse slipped out before I could stop it. In my world of witches, shifters, and general magical fuckery, I thought I'd seen it all. But this? This took the cake, frosted it with ‘what the hell’, and topped it with a giant cherry of ‘oh shit’.

The shadows in the clearing writhed like living creatures. They took on shapes that would make a Lovecraft fan wet themselves. That wasn't even the worst part. Standing at the edge of this twisted scene was a spectral image I recognized all too well. Hattie Silva.

Hattie began as a patient and friend of mine and became so much more. After she'd given me her Pleiades magic that saved me from dying after a Tainted witch attacked me, she became my mentor. Along with the magic, I inherited her estate and her familiar, Tarja. Tarja taught me about Hattie as the Pleiades which showed me what it meant to be the Pleiades and the most powerful Light witch in my region. But the Hattie in front of me? She looked about as friendly as a rabid wolverine with a toothache.

Her once warm face was twisted into a sneer that would've made the Grinch proud. Her eyes burned with a cold, malicious light that sent shivers down my spine. And let me tell you, when you're pregnant with triplets, shivers are not a fun experience. It sets off a rave in your uterus.

"What in the ever-loving hell?" Stella whispered beside me. Her hand tightened on her dagger. I could practically hear her knuckles screaming in protest. "Isn't she supposed to be, you know, pushing up daisies? Taking a dirt nap? Joining the choir invisible?"

"Clearly, that's not happening," I muttered back as my heart did the cha-cha in my chest. We'd buried Hattie on the property and warded her grave tighter than a nun's... well, you get the idea. It should've been Fort Knox for the dead. "Unless the afterlife has a return policy we didn't know about."

Nana stepped forward with her dark red witch fire burning in her palm like the world's angriest birthday candle. "I wasn't with you two when you cleared the last poltergeist, but I’d swear Hattie's gone full Casper the Unfriendly Ghost," she said in a low voice. "She's nothing like Evanora’s peaceful presence."

I turned to Nana, disbelief warring with my growing dread. "How the hell did Hattie come back as a—" I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing.

"Violent spirit," Nana finished for me while keeping her eyes locked on Hattie’s ghost. "And by the looks of it, Lyra had something to do with this. I'd recognize her brand of fuckery anywhere. It's got her magical stink all over it."

The weight of Nana's words sank into me like a stone. There was no denying it. Lyra, my personal pain in the ass and the most evil witch ever born, had found a way to bypass my wards. Had she tunneled under them? Was that even possible? My stomach twisted at the thought. Not just because I was carrying the world's most active triplets. With babies on the way, the ideaof not being safe anywhere terrified me more than the thought of changing three diapers simultaneously.

"This is bad, Mom," Nina whispered. Our lives had truly taken a left turn. My seventeen-year-old gripped her dagger like it was the last slice of pizza at a frat party. "If Lyra's figured out how to manipulate the dead and get around our wards..."

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