Thirty-Two

Bobby

"Bobby." My mum's voice was right next to me as she shook my shoulder. "It's almost time."

"What?" My eyes shot open, and I sat up. She stood there with her arms crossed, staring at Cole who was still asleep.

"I don't suppose you somehow cleansed him before you brought him home?" she asked.

"No, I didn't—wait, what do you mean?" I was still blurry eyed when I remembered she'd told me to not let him enter without cleansing. My eyes shot open, and I jumped out of bed. "Sorry Mum I—"

"Go take a shower and wake up. I'm going to cleanse the house and Cole," she said, and gave me a good push when I walked past her.

I did as she said without even thinking. I turned on the shower and after stripping off my briefs, I stepped in before it was even warm. The cold water woke me up faster than a shot of caffeine would have, and within a few minutes I walked back into the bedroom.

Cole was still asleep curled on his side, but Mum was walking around the room fanning sage smoke all over the place including Cole. I walked to my dresser and after getting some clean clothes, I slipped them on as she made her way into the rest of the house.

"Sorry, Ma, we were both so tired all we could think of was sleeping."

"It's okay, it doesn't seem to have done any harm. I don't sense he brought anything in with him. We got lucky," Mum said as she continued to spread the scented smoke around the house. When she finished, she walked over to me with a jar of coarse salt and instructed me to spread a thick line of it in front of both doors to the house.

"What about the windows?" I asked.

"Only the doors," she said. "Go wake up Cole when you're done."

I did as she asked and spread a thick layer of salt in front of both doors and walked back to the bedroom. Cole was sitting on the edge of the bed and looked relieved when he saw me. "Hey, sorry to leave you, Mum put me to work."

He stepped over to me and once again pulled me close. "It's okay. I want to do whatever she thinks will help."

"I need the two of you out here," she called from the living room. I took his hand and led him out to where she stood. "Cole, I'm Bobby's mum, you can call me Sara. I'm going to need to cleanse you again and make sure nothing can reach you while you're here."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I feel like I should tell you what happened last night." While she once again wafted smoke around him, he told her what he'd told me earlier about removing the symbols from his house.

"And you didn't feel like someone else was in your head?" she asked but seemed skeptical.

"Not this time. It was just me, but I could focus on the voices and hear what they were saying. It was so different, as though it was a natural thing and I knew what to do," Cole said as she finished.

"Can you hear our thoughts?" Mum asked him.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Bobby's worried the salt won't stop something if it wants to come in." His brows drew together as he concentrated harder. "I can't hear your thoughts. It's like I know they're there, but I can't reach them." He opened his eyes and looked at the two of us. "Was I right?" he asked me.

"Yes, and I'm really glad that's all I was thinking." Cole smiled at me, and I knew he wasn't listening to my thoughts anymore.

"If you'd have been able to read mine, I'd have worried. You see, while I don't have magic, I do have an ability, but it's defensive. I can block out anyone or anything that would try to not only enter my mind, but any type of spell or power that would try to control me against my will." She glanced at me then and shrugged her shoulder. "You didn't need to know."

I could only stare at her wide-eyed. There was no point in arguing about it, she was right. It didn't concern me. "Okay then. Are we ready for your friend?" I asked.

"We still have a few minutes, but we might as well set up the laptop and gather anything we might need. I'm talking about a few candles, the sage, and even the salt." Cole helped with the table and chairs while I turned on the laptop and made sure it was connected and ready to go. Mum set the candles and other supplies nearby before drawing a circle of salt around where we'd be sitting. "Just in case," she said.

The three of us sat at the table and after logging in I clicked on the link Saorise had emailed me. It only took a moment for the site to connect and her screen to come to life. On the small screen was a woman I'd seen before. She was my mother's age with long curly red hair and skin so pale it must have never been touched by the sun. She had a smattering of freckles across her nose and a warm smile.

"Well, what do you say we get on wit it?" she said in the heavy Irish accent that reminded me of my home.

"Hello, Saorise, we're all ready here," Mom said.

"Good to know, Sara, now let's begin. I imagine you must be Cole?" she asked and looked right at him.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"There be no need for formality here, Saorise will do." She smiled then and her warmth bled through the screen. This was the woman I recognized as my mother's friend. "Cole, I'm going to ask you a few questions then I want you to take hold of Sara's and Bobby's hands. They're going to be my connection tonight. Would that be okay with you?"

"Yes."

"Do you come to me willingly?" she asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Do you come to me with an open mind and a willingness to be rid of any evil that may be lurking nearby you?"

"Yes."

"Very well then, take their hands." The three of us linked our hands on top of the table and immediately Saorise's head dropped backward.

"You have been chosen," she said.

"For what?" I asked before anyone else could.

"The Tuatha Dé Danann has chosen you to be the one who will be enlightened."

"That can't be right," Mum said, and tugged on my hand. "Saorise, that isn't right."

Saorise's eyes opened then but gone was the deep brown and instead her eyes were now a pale white. "It is as it shall be. Haniel has chosen him."

"What does she mean?" I asked while Cole still sat with his eyes shut.

"The Tuatha Dé Danann are what the ancient celts called angels. But it can't be real."

"It can and it is," Cole said at the same time Saorise did. "I was chosen, and it is as it shall be."

"Cole?" I said and leaned closer to him.

"He will be enlightened," Saorise said just as Cole started to glow with the same blue as the lightning.