Chalking it up to bad timing or maybe a miscue in her magic or simply silly wishful thinking, Ellie waved goodbye, hopeful she would at the very least hear from him at a later date about the case. But that never happened.
Time dragged on, no news from Agent Evans, the Council, or the DIA came. With every passing day, Ellie was more convinced that the boot print found at her parents' crime scene had been left before the Chimera were given the heave-ho. She even entertained the idea that someone had planted it just to incriminate the Chimera and throw everyone off the trail of the real killer.
Then the dreams started…
The night of her last birthday after the huge party her sister and brother-law had thrown for her, Ellie had finally fallen asleep. After hours of tossing and turning, it felt like her eyes had just closed when the voice of her mother called her name. So clear, so real, so haunting, Gretchen's melodic voice summoned,"Ellie. Ellie Gwendolyn. Wake up. Wake up, honey. I need to talk to you. Please wake up."
Springing out of bed, eyes wide, heart pounding, and covered in sweat, Ellie ran from one corner of her cabin to the other, screaming for her mom with tears streaming down her face. Opening doors, throwing back curtains, walking out on the back porch, then scrambling down the stairs to the cellar, she looked everywhere, but no one was there.
Ellie was all alone. In the darkness. In the silence. All by herself.
Afraid to tell Celia for fear that what the doctors called a psychosis, but what her granny called the Family Curse, had befallen her, Ellie kept that night and all the others that followed a secret.
Days turned into weeks, and the dreams became more persistent, more real, more demanding. Gretchen was calling to her from the Heavens. Trying to tell her something. Leading her out into the desert with the promise of showing her something important.
Finally, after a month of sleepless nights and increasing paranoia, Ellie made the three-hour trip to El Paso and the Paranormal Institute of Psychological Study to visit her Auntie Gwendolyn. Standing outside the enormous double doors waiting to be buzzed in, the young woman nearly turned around and took off running at least ten times.
What would she find inside? Would her aunt even be able to speak? Would Gwen remember what had happened when the Curse took her mind? It was all a longshot, but one Ellie knew she had to endure.
Walking into the ward, it was a pleasant surprise to find all the patients calm, carrying on conversations and acting, well, normal. Her fears of finding something like she'd seen in the movieOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestwere well and truly put to rest.
Welcomed with a big hug and warm smile, it hadn't taken long for her Aunt Gwen to ask, "Why are you really here, Ellie, my girl? I'm glad to see you, but this isn't just a friendly catch-up, is it?" Taking a sip of tea from a mug Ellie remembered from her childhood, the one her mother used every morning to have her tea, the older Witch sighed, "I haven't seen you or your sister since the day you came to tell me that your ma and pa were dead. Figured I wouldn't see y'all again until I was looking down from Heaven."
Opening her mouth to make any and every excuse she could think of, her embarrassment at the truth making her cheeks hot and her palms sweat, Ellie was shocked when her aunt leaned forward, placed her hand on her knee, and whispered, "You're not losing your mind, Little One. Your momma really is trying to contact you."
“But…”
“But, nothing,” her auntie kept right on going. “The bond between mother and child is one that not even death itself can break, and for us MacLeish Witches, it is stronger than anything physical ever created. Hell, don’t tell those nurses over there, but I still hear from your granny on a regular basis.”
Shaking her head, sure she'd made a mistake, and Gwen was nuttier than a fruitcake, Ellie's hands were on the table and she was halfway to standing up when her aunt added, “You only hear her voice when you’re sleeping, right? She’s calling you out to the desert. Showing you the exact spot where that bastard left her and your daddy laying in the dirt, isn’t she?”
Butt back in her seat, scared to open her mouth, Ellie could only nod.
"That's not unusual. Not for any Witch and her daughter, but especially ones as strong as your mom and you. She wants you to find the person responsible. Wants justice for what was done to her and Matthew."
"So, why not go to Celia? She's already gotten all her powers. She made it through the Awakening with all her marbles and no sign of the crazies." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Oh shit, I'm so sorry, Aunt Gwen, that was…"
"That was honest, and I expect nothing less from you. Go on now, Child. Get it out in the open, so we can figure out what it all means."
Swallowing hard, Ellie blew out the breath she’d been holding. “I really am sorry.”
"I know you are. Now…" Making a shooing motion with her free hand, Gwen smiled and winked. "…keep talkin'. You've got all the answers, or at the very least, the clues to get us to the answers."
Nodding, Ellie planned to do that, but first, she had to say her piece. "Celia's stronger than I am. She knows what to do and how to do it. She's made all the decisions since mom and dad… mom and dad…well, mom and dad…” Gulping at the air, she forced out the word. “Died.”
"Yes, you're right. Celia took over, just like a big sister should. Your momma would've done the same for me. And, you are right, your sister is formidable - a good Witch, with good control of her magic. I always knew she would be. But you…" Gwen pointed at Ellie's chest. "You've got the heart and soul of a true MacLeish Witch – one of the old ones, like your great-great-great grandma and grandpa who came over from the Isle of Skye."
Smiling, the expression softening her expression and her tone, Gwen went on, “You even got Granny Elsie’s eyes. Mark my words, no sooner will the clock chime midnight on your twenty-ninth year than you’ll be so much more than any of us ever knew was possible. You’ll be one of the great Witches of all time.”
Once again, shaking her head, sure her auntie was off her meds, or worse yet, they weren't working at all, Ellie flopped back in her chair and scoffed, "I appreciate your confidence, but…"
"But nothing, Little One." Gwen once again used the nickname Ellie worked so hard to leave in the past. The name her mom and dad called her for all of her life. "Your momma knew. So, did your daddy. Hell, Granny and Papa said it the moment they laid eyes on you. We all knew. You, Ellie Gwendolyn, hold the Heart of MacLeish, and I don’t mean just a damned fine necklace.”
Touching the ruby pendant laying warm against her chest, Ellie stared into her aunt's watery blue eyes. The older woman didn't look crazy. As a matter of fact, she seemed perfectly normal, as sane as the next person. It appeared that the madness or psychosis or whatever it was that had driven Gwen to attempt to take her own life was gone.
But was it? Was she cured? Had the doctors – both magical and human – found a way to counteract whatever had gone wrong? Fix what magic had broken? Or was she just spouting the same rhetoric all magical families told their young? Was she just trying to build Ellie up? Prepare the younger Witch for her Awakening while praying that her niece could handle the magic, she herself hadn’t been able to control?
Looking over her aunt's shoulder, watching the nurses, the powerful Mages entrusted with caring for those with magical maladies, Ellie's eyes slowly traveled back to Gwen's. Not at all surprised to find the older woman grinning a knowing smile, Ellie asked, "What exactly happened to you, Auntie?" Hurrying on when the older woman's brows furrowed and the telltale sparks of silver began to swirl in her eyes, she explained, "I mean, I've heard the stories. Mom told us that your magic came on too strong and too fast, and you weren't able to control it. She said that you were so scared of being eaten alive that you tried to hurt yourself, but what really happened? To you?"
"That's not what's important. It's a story for another time. One I will for sure tell you when the time is right," Gwen answered cryptically. "There's something you need to know today. To believe with all your heart and never doubt. And it's my job to show you."