“No. I have a long drive ahead of me and could use the company.”
“I can’t believe I’m telling you this!” I laugh, cradling the phone against my ear. “But yes, I love wearing costumes. I have like five different ones just for the Renaissance Fair, which I go to at least once every summer, by the way.”
“You’re such a nerd,” Ethan teases.
“I am, and I admit it proudly. But the Ren Fair is really fun, I promise!”
“There is no way you’d get me to go to one of those,” he says.
“Don’t knock ‘em till you try ‘em. You’re just lucky this year’s fair is already over or I’d force you to go with me.”
“Say that did happen…I’m not wearing a fucking costume.”
“You actually stand out when you’re in regular clothes,” I insist, still smiling. We’ve been talking for nearly an hour now. “I think you’d look good dressed as Robin Hood, tights and all.” I roll over and pull the blankets tighter around me and yawn.
“You sound tired,” Ethan says.
“I am,” I admit. “It’s been a long day and I need to get up early tomorrow. I should get some sleep. It was nice talking to you. I don’t know the last time I talked to anyone on the phone for longer than five minutes.”
“Same here. Sleep well, Anora.”
“Goodnight, Ethan.” The call ends and I force myself up to get ready for bed. I leave the bathroom light on and get back into bed only to get out and turn the hall light on. Normally, I like to sleep in the dark, but I don’t want to wake up and freak myself out by any sort of shadow. Without Hunter, I’m going to be second guessing any sort of noise I hear.
Certain I’m going to toss and turn all night with a racing heart, I’m surprised when I wake up after a restful night’s sleep. It’s almost nine when I get up, and I’m supposed to meet James in town at ten AM. Rushing to get ready in the morning is normal for me, and I’m semi put together and out the door running only a few minutes late.
Downtown Thorne Hill is much closer to the house than downtown Paradise Valley, and I’m already in love with the aesthetic of Thorne Hill. It’s about half the size of Paradise Valley, and looks like it could be the backdrop for a small-town romance chick-flick. I drive by a bookstore on my way to the bank. I’m definitely stopping there on my way back.
James is already at the bank and waiting outside when I arrive. He looks nervous again, and keeps glancing around as if he expects a ghost to pop up from around a corner and yell boo. I park the old Cadillac and get out. The second my feet touch the pavement, I’m hit with the weirdest sensation. It’s like I’m standing in the middle of a cloud during a lightning storm, yet no wind rages around me.
The energy buzzing around me is strong, stronger than anything I’ve felt before. But it’s not damning, not overwhelming or threatening like how it is when a spirit is near. There’s no danger to this energy surge at all, and I resist the weird urge to bend down and plant my hands on the street, absorbing more of this raw energy.
“Hi,” I say, shaking the feeling away. “Sorry I’m a little late.”
“It’s fine.” James forces a smile and wave for me to follow him in. “Let’s get started.”
I hook my purse over my shoulder and follow him inside the bank. It’s an older building that looks like it was updated and redecorated in the early 2000s and hasn’t been touched since. We go into an office that’s in the front of the building, and I try to pay attention to everything being said but my eyes keep going to the window, gazing out at the street.
The energy out there is strong and unlike anything I’ve felt before, yet it’s familiar. If I’ve been to Aunt Estelle’s before as a kid, then maybe I’ve been here too? I let my eyes fall shut in a long blink. Why can’t I remember? We lived in the Midwest area for ten years. How are big chunks of that just gone from my memory? As far as I know, I never suffered a head injury as a child, and I’m certain nothing overly traumatic happened that would cause me to block out large amounts of time from my mind.
Unable to focus, I sign a handful of papers, signing my soul over to the devil for all I know. The title company is upstairs in an office in the same building as the bank, and nearly an hour later, everything is officially in my name. It’s a lot to process and inheritance taxes confuse me, but James assures me things are settled.