The Man Who Wasn’t There – Part 55

It’s finally over and they managed to vanquish Opal. Luminous lingered for a little while, but Brian is back. Tired and hungry, they order pizza and head to Brian’s home to relax. His grandmother is there watching Elise.

“It went well?” Brian’s grandmother asked repeatedly.

“Yes, Mom, it went very well. We’re just so tired. We’re going to eat our pizza and go to sleep,” Maribelle told her, giving her mother a hug.

Annabelle Girard held her daughter close. “I’ve never been so scared. I was afraid we’d lose you all.” She went around the room, hugging and kissing each of them. She would have made a second round, but the pizza arrived.

The boys laughed when they saw that there was a whole pizza for each of them. The others shared. Not to be daunted by the challenge, Sweet and Brian ate every slice of their large pizzas.

Beyond tired, everyone went right to bed. Brian didn’t even remember falling asleep. He was marginally aware of his grandmother checking on him while he slept, but the rest of the night, he was oblivious to everything. He was so tired, he didn’t even care if he dreamed.

The next morning, he woke to the smell of good food cooking. The scent of his grandmother’s signature cinnamon bread swirled invitingly around him. He dressed and trotted downstairs. His friends and their parents arrived, each bringing a special breakfast treat to share.

They gathered around the table and were about to give blessing when there was another knock at the door. Brian, who was closest, hopped up. Chase walked in with his Aunt Cynthia and his mother. They all greeted Dora, hugging her gently. Brian gave her his chair and Annabelle got her a small plate of food. Chase served himself and his aunt before sitting on the floor next to Brian. They shared the coffee table in the living room.

“Your mom looks good,” Brian said.

“Yeah. We’re gonna be okay. We’re going to move in with my grandparents for awhile. Mom’s determined not to go back to our house. Honest to God, I can’t even think about it either. I’ll still be at school, so it’s not like I’m leaving.”

“Good. Cause I’d miss seeing your goofy grin every day.”

Chase laughed, throwing his napkin at Brian.

When breakfast was over, the children went outside to play with the dogs, who had popped over for a visit, leaving the adults and teens together.

“Now,” Annabelle said. “I want the full details. I know all hell broke loose, I could feel it. I may not be in fighting form anymore, but some things you never lose.”

“You’re the chosen one from your generation?” Brian was surprised to find that out. “I had no idea.”

“Yes. I’m surprised you never picked up on it. It’s not like I ever tried to keep it a secret.” She smiled, running her fingers through his hair. “But your grandpa and I never had to face what you have.” She hugged her grandson, kissing his forehead. “Oh, you’ve had us so scared!”

Once she’d calmed down, they talked about what they’d felt or observed. They were most interested in what happened to Jordan, Brian and Meru.

“It was like she stepped into me,” Jordan explained. “It was cold and dark, the place I went when she took over my body. She didn’t shut me completely off. I think she wanted me to see what she was doing to Brian. She had some sick reason to punish him and torture me.”

“So Opal was a witch? I wonder how that happened,” Marissa said.

“I have a theory on that,” Annabelle said. “There are often, even among the chosen, those who are hungry for power. They’re ambitious and will stop at nothing to get more. Mr. D. exploits that. He’s a master at temptation, seducing someone with their own desires. My guess is that Opal was one of those.”

“What a shame,” Jordan said. “There were vestiges of her there. I caught glimpses of her memories of her life with Luminous. They were good together.”

“But they were never in love,” Brian said. “Unlike you and I, they didn’t bond. Luminous was in love with another woman, but he couldn’t have her. She was married to his best friend. She died in the fighting. Opal killed her. That’s what he meant by losing the love of his life.”

“Man, that sucks!” Chase said. “He sure had a shit ton of kids for a man who didn’t love his wife.”

“Interesting thing about that,” Brian added. “This was a slave territory. Luminous was a preacher, but he was also the son of a wealthy man.”

“So, some of those children were born on the wrong side of the sheets,” his grandmother said. “Men!” She rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

“Enough about Opal and Luminous,” Jordan said. “I want to hear about Meru!”

Dr. Meru smirked, sitting up straight. Hands on his knees, his dark eyes glittering excitedly, he explained.

“My family line is full of spiritualists and shaman,” he explained. “We have the Druid blood line because of the people who settled from the British Isles, but there was magic in our blood before that. Virtuous Meru, as he was known in this country, was my many greats-grandfather. He was a descendant of prophets, priests and kings. I’m not sure why he was here, though I know he was a freeborn man. How he came to be in this area in 1713, I don’t know. I hope to find more about it later. In any case, he arrived near the height of the fighting. Skills he never knew he had, kicked in when Opal and Luminous fought. He didn’t interfere, by then it was too late. He knew Opal had to die in order for the others to survive. He proceeded as I did, drawing a magical symbol on the ground and cast a spell. You have seen first hand what happened afterward.

© 2017 Dellani Oakes 

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