Supernova (26 page)

“Hmm, I wonder what would happen if…” he started, but didn’t finish his train of thought.

“What?” He had piqued her interest.

“Nothing.” Dominic shook his head. “Looks like the sun has turned in for the night. Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s get you inside,” he said, lifting his arm from under her and forcing her to sit up so that he could stand.

He offered his hand to help Kerrigan stand, and she took it. She wanted to check on Millie and take a bath anyway. Plus she knew it wouldn’t be long before Dominic would need to get ready for work. She hated it when he left, but felt comforted by his bed. Since she had been sleeping in his room, the nightmares had stayed away.

Once inside, she gathered her things and went to the bathroom to run a hot bath to soak in. Millie lay curled into a ball on the white rug in front of the tub. His newly cleaned, cotton white fur made it nearly impossible to tell where he ended and the rug began, but his little black nose was a pretty good indicator.

Kerrigan sank into the claw foot tub, letting the steamy hot water envelop and relax her through to the bone. Within moments she heard the familiar sound of Dominic’s guitar drifting down from his room, and it comforted her further. She closed her eyes and listened to his playing as she cleared her mind. For once, she didn’t think about the nightmares or what they meant. She didn’t think about her grandmother’s death or the cryptic messages she had left behind for her. And, she didn’t think about the responsibility that had been thrust upon her like the weight of the world bearing down on her shoulders.

For once, she thought of nothing at all.

“Kerr Bear!” Gabe’s high-pitched voice screamed from the hallway, followed by three loud bangs against the bathroom door. “If you ain’t found the damn ‘O’ by now, bitch, you ain’t gonna’. Now get the hell out of there! I’ve got a date with Mr. Bubbles.”

Kerrigan’s eyes shot open, and she looked around, confused. She sat up, causing the tepid water in the bathtub to slosh over the side. A dollop or two landed on Millie’s still sleeping form below and roused him. Apparently, she had joined him in peaceful slumber. She lifted her hands to her face to examine them, her fingertips wrinkled and waterlogged.

“Kerr Bear!” Gabe shouted again.

“Keep your granny panties on! I’ll be out in a minute!”

Gabe gasped. “How dare you! You know it’s my time of the month.” She heard the unmistakable sound of his footfalls as he stomped off down the hall and slammed his bedroom door.

Kerrigan laughed at his tantrum and stepped from the tub, drying herself with the towel and wrapping another around her hair. When she finished her nightly routine, she left the bathroom, Millie hot on her trail, and went downstairs to grab a sandwich. She found Dominic kicked back on the couch in the living room asleep.

She knew he had to be tired. The man worked all night, seven days a week, and only got in about five hours of sleep every day before he was up and about, helping her around the house or trying to get her trained for God only knew what. She did her best not to disturb him and sat with Millie in the recliner to watch some television. She had planned to wake him up in time for work, but when the old grandfather clock in the dining room began to chime its descent to eleven o’clock, Dominic shot up from his position, looking at her all wild-eyed and in a panic.

“What time is it?” he asked. He squinted at his watch to answer his own question.

“Relax, Dom. It’s just going on eleven.”

Dominic’s rigid body sank back. He ran his hands through his hair in relief and back down along his face to brush across the scruff on his perfect jaw. “I guess I better go get ready for work then,” Dominic said with a stretch before he stood and went upstairs.

He was gone about a half hour later, and Kerrigan made her way up to his bedroom, as had become customary. She had to pick Millie up to carry him up the stairs since his little legs were too short to make the climb on his own. Once they both settled in, it didn’t take long for Kerrigan to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

It was sometime in the middle of the night that Dominic decided to go up and check on Kerrigan. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, Millie’s head popped up and looked right at him. The pup started making some sort of noise that was a mixture of a whine and a little growl. Apparently, while no one else could see Dominic, Millie could.

Kerrigan snuggled him closer to her, thinking that maybe he just wasn’t used to the new place, plus it was getting pretty cold in the room for some odd reason. Millie pulled out of her grasp and went to the edge of the bed. He started growling more menacingly, or about as menacingly as a three pound pup could, and gave several barks in warning.

“Shh, stop that, Millie!” Kerrigan scolded him, propping herself up on one elbow to look at him.

His eyes were trained toward the top of the stairs where an invisible Dominic stood. He ignored her and continued to bark louder. His little body thrust back a little like the kickback on a large gun with each shrill release.

“What is it, baby? Is someone there, huh?” she cooed at him. She reached out to pull him back against her. Millie refused to look away from the spot at the top of the stairs, and he growled again.

It was apparent that little Millie wasn’t about to give up his position of guard dog. He obviously hadn’t recognized Dominic or his scent, so it appeared to be most prudent for Dominic to abandon his bedroom and keep an eye on Kerrigan from afar. He made a mental note to be sure to spend more time with Millie, so that in the future he wouldn’t have to worry about being ratted out by a dog.

A moment later, Kerrigan heard a door shut down stairs and sighed in relief. “It’s just Gabe, you big goof,” she said, ruffling the long hair on top of the pup’s head. “Now lie back down and go to sleep.”

Millie walked around in a circle before choosing a spot and settling back down. His little body was warm as he cuddled into Kerrigan’s side, but made sure to keep his eyes toward the door.

“My little body guard,” she said in a voice that poked fun at his toughness. “You keep all the big, bad ghosts away while I sleep, m’kay?”

The next morning, Dominic went into his room after his shower to find Kerrigan still fast asleep and Millie, still snuggled into her side. Millie’s head popped up when Dominic entered the room, and his tail started wagging in greeting, brushing across Kerrigan’s face, tickling her awake. She blew air out of her mouth and brushed the fur away with the side of her hand as she peered up at Dominic through sleepy eyes.

He crawled into bed with her. Millie climbed on top of Kerrigan to jump over to Dominic, greeting him with warm, wet kisses.

“Hey, little man. Did you keep Mommy company last night?” Dominic asked. The puppy pawed at his face and barked playfully.

Kerrigan’s sleep-laden voice answered for the pup. “Yeah, except he went a little berserk in the middle of the night, barking and growling at thin air.”

“I’m sure it’s just because it’s a strange place for him,” Dominic offered, trying to dismiss the dog’s odd behavior.

Dominic pulled Kerrigan against his chest, forcing Millie to retreat to her front again. Kerrigan was already awake, but she didn’t want to leave him either. Being so close to him always made her feel protected and safe. Plus, mornings were the only time that they could be that close physically without it seeming awkward or weird between them.

The photo frame on the nightstand caught her attention again, and she reached over to pick it up.

“You were such a cute little boy,” she said quietly as her fingers drifted over the younger image of him.

“Still got a thing for Nicky, do you?” Dominic laughed. “I think he’s a little too young for you, cradle robber.”

“Ew, stop being gross,” Kerrigan laughed, elbowing him in the chest. “Is this your mom and your little brother? Colton, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

“You guys looked so happy.”

“That was before Mom started drinking.”

“What’s her name?”

“Sarah. Sarah Ann Grayson.” His voice was laced with sadness. Kerrigan felt her heart break a little more for him.

They lay there in silence for a little while longer while Kerrigan stared intently at the picture. Her fingers kept tracing over his face in the photo, and she seemed to be lost in her own world. Dominic was starting to feel left out, even though the little boy in the picture that she was so enthralled with was actually him.

“What is it about that picture that has you so fascinated?”

Kerrigan shrugged and then sat the photo back on the nightstand. “That little boy had such a profound effect on me from the very first day I met him. Even though I really thought he was a figment of my imagination at the time, there was something about him. I don’t know if I can explain it. There were times when I found myself wondering what he would’ve been doing or where he would’ve been if he were real. And, I missed him. Even as an adult…I just
missed
him. It was like I’d found a missing part of myself, and then he was gone…
you
were gone.”

“But, I’m here now,” he said with a gentle smile. He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I’m just all grown up.”

“I know.” She sighed and leaned into his touch. “Is it possible to miss someone when they’re in the same room with you, or even when they’re lying in the same bed?”

“It has to be. Otherwise, there’s something seriously wrong with me,” he answered, pulling her against his chest.

Kerrigan nuzzled as close as she could and listened to the thumping of his heart. She wished that she could somehow find a way to crawl inside him, because if she could, she would stay there for the rest of her life and be perfectly content. There was no need to ask for clarification on what he said, because she knew exactly what he meant. They always seemed to be on the same wavelength, feeling the same things. It was like they were two halves of one person. And when they were together, everything just clicked into place.

Most women need validation to know how a man feels about them. Not Kerrigan. She could feel it in his touch, hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes. This thing they had just was. Neither of them could fight it, even if they wanted to. It simply wouldn’t do them any good. They were destined to walk together in life, no matter how much time had separated them after that first meeting on that old tire swing in the front yard. Kerrigan understood that now. He would always come back to her. He would always be there.

A hundred lifetimes may find them apart, but somehow, they would always find their way back to each other.

“Mornin’, bitches.” Gabe sashayed into the kitchen where Dominic and Kerrigan were already seated and enjoying their breakfast of eggs and toast.

He was wearing a pink tank top with a pair of silk, pink pajama shorts, a matching robe that came to the top of his thighs, and fuzzy, pink bunny slippers. A matching pink hair wrap was tied securely on the top of his head. He had done his hair the night before and didn’t want sleep to be a hindrance to his “beautimus locks,” as he liked to say. Millie had taken to scurrying into Gabe’s room every morning to wake him with a few kisses to the face. He was tucked securely into Gabe’s side while he used his other hand to grab a coffee cup from the cabinet.

“Ah, hell no!” Dominic spat in protest. “What the hell did you do to him?”

“What?” Gabe asked, following Dominic’s line of sight to Millie. “Oh! Doesn’t he look fantasmic?”

“No, Gabe. Uh-uh.” Dominic shook his head vehemently. “Giving him a girlie name was one thing, but pink bows tied around his ears and matching nail polish on all twenty of his toes is taking it way too far. You’re
emasculating
the poor thing for Christ’s sake! What’s next? A frilly, pink tutu?”

“Ooh, a tutu! I like where your mind is going, Dominatrix.” Gabe waved his finger at him. “Too cute. Too friggin’ cute.”

Kerrigan laughed at the scene. The little vein in the center of Dominic’s forehead began to bulge from his frustration.

“Listen,” Dominic said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to try to reign in his temper. “There’s this unwritten dude law that says I have to stop this madness. No more pink bows, pink nail polish, pink anything. Got it?”

Gabe rolled his eyes in dramatic fashion. “Fine,” he said, handing Millie over to Dominic. “Go teach him how to scratch his balls, or whatever it is that you Neanderthals do. But don’t come crying to me when he sits on your head and farts.”

Once Millie was safely in his arms, Dominic removed the bows, but there wasn’t anything he could do about the nail polish. The entire time, he kept mumbling words of encouragement to the pup, telling him to stay strong and not to worry, he had his back.

Over the past few days, they had developed a pretty strong bond. Millie had even stopped barking at him at night when he was in ghost form. Instead, he was running to the end of the bed, wagging his tale and whining in that way that said he wanted to be picked up.

Kerrigan had become suspicious, thinking that maybe Dominic was coming home in the middle of the night, but whenever she called out for him, she was met with silence. She was really kind of creeped out about it because she kept remembering what Dominic had told her about being a beacon to ghosts because of her energy. The last time she had a less than pleasant encounter with a ghost, he nearly sucked her dry.

“Good morning, neighbors!” Olivia came bouncing into the room, her mood a contradiction to the way she dressed in all Goth wear.

“Somebody drop an anvil on the she-devil’s tail and keep her from bouncing all over the place,” Sydney mumbled. “She’s driving me crazy. Where’s the damn coffee?”

Gabe was already pulling a mug out of the cabinet for her.

Kerrigan laughed when Olivia swatted Sydney on the butt and bounced over to sit at the table. “So, um, do you guys have any plans tonight?”

“Not that I know of,” Sydney answered. “Why? Got something in mind?”

“Yeah, I think I’d like to try to do that séance thing tonight.”

“What? Why?” Dominic asked, taken aback. He had been very careful not to frighten her or give her cause to want to go through with the stupid séance. He was baffled as to why she had a sudden interest in it.

“I don’t know. I just think it would be fun. Besides, Millie’s been acting a little weird at night when you’re gone, and I hear that animals are really super sensitive to the whole supernatural ghost thing. I just want to see if there’s anything creeping around the house at night. I can’t be too careful now that I know what a malevolent spirit can do to me.”

“You’ve got a point there,” Sydney said. She poured herself a cup of coffee and joined her at the table.

Olivia’s face lit up in excitement. “I bet with your gift, it would totally work, too.”

“That’s what I’m counting on,” Kerrigan said.

“Oh! Can I do the crystal ball thingy?” Gabe asked, joining in on the excitement. “I’ve got this really great gypsy scarf and gold hoop earrings that I’ve been dying to…”

“You can’t be serious,” Dominic interrupted with a scoff.

“Actually, we are,” Kerrigan said, her voice conveying her annoyance with him. “You’re the one who’s always so protective of me. Do you want what happened at the lighthouse to happen again?”

“No, of course not, but…”

“Good, then it’s settled,” she said, dismissing any further argument. “You won’t be here anyway, so it’s not like you need to be concerned with it.”

“Whatever,” he said. He stood, kicking his chair back and left the room.

“What’s his problem?” Sydney asked.

“I’m not sure,” Kerrigan mumbled as she stared after him.

Olivia stole a bite of Kerrigan’s toast. “So, are we doing this thing, or what?”

“Definitely.”

Later that evening, Olivia was busy setting the dining room up for their séance. Dominic had retreated to his room right after dinner, but at around 11:30, right on schedule, he walked out the front door, looking more like a rock god than someone on their way to work.

He hadn’t spoken a word to her all day. In fact, he had pretty much stayed holed up in his room with his stereo and guitar. Normally, Kerrigan loved to hear him play, but knowing he was mad and avoiding her because of something so ridiculous, it just got on her nerves. He needed to stop pouting so much and get over himself.

“Ready?” Olivia asked, shaking Kerrigan from her thoughts.

She nodded and followed Sydney and Gabe into the dining room. The lights were off, but there were four candles set in the shape of a cross, each of a different color. In the center of the table was a taller white pillar candle.

“What’s with the mood lighting, Livi?” Gabe asked. He sighed with a roll of his eyes and put his hands on his hips. “How many times do I have to tell you that I
can’t
be your lover, sweetie? I’m sorry, but I just don’t swing that way. So if you think we’re about to have a massive orgy, using me as the centerpiece, you can hang that shit up, boo,” Gabe joked. “I mean I know that I’m fine with a capital F…I…N…E, but you can’t have me, and I really wish you’d stop trying. It’s embarrassing, how desperate you are for my body.”

Olivia gave him a mock laugh and flipped him the middle finger while Kerrigan and Sydney bust out in laughter.

“Okay, okay. Let’s get serious,” Olivia said. “The candles represent the elements. Green represents Earth, the yellow one is for Air, red is Fire and the blue represents Water. The white one in the middle is for Spirit. They’ll help keep us grounded and in tune with Mother Earth.”

“So what do we do?” Kerrigan asked.

“Well, you need to sit at the head of the table. The rest of us will join hands with you, and we’ll start.”

They all took their seats and joined hands as instructed. Gabe was on Kerrigan’s left and Olivia on her right.

“Now, I need each of you to clear your mind of any and every other thought,” Olivia continued. “Kerrigan, you’ll need to call out to the spirit and command it to manifest. You’re the owner of the house, so it has to do what you tell it to. Use strong, assertive commands. You’re not inviting it to tea.”

Kerrigan nodded and then closed her eyes. After a few moments of concentration, which was hard because she was still irked by Dominic, she felt herself relax. However, thoughts of him still encompassed her mind. He was always the focal point of her concentrations when she was using her gift. There was no exception.

“I’m calling out to the spirit that inhabits my home,” she started in a clear voice, loud enough to be heard throughout the majority of the house. “I demand you appear before me now.”

Kerrigan waited, but was rewarded with nothing but silence.

“Oh, sorry,” Olivia said, breaking the silence. “You need to say it a few times.”

Kerrigan cleared her throat and shifted in her chair before closing her eyes again. “This house belongs to me. I command the spirit that inhabits it to appear before me now.”

Meanwhile, Dominic’s ghostly figure was sitting on the futon in his room. His leg bounced up and down as he bent over at the waist and rested his elbows on his knees with his hands in his hair. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even entertain the thought that Olivia’s little game would work, but with Kerrigan’s power it was conceivable that it could.

He stood up and paced back and forth across the open space of his room, thinking, or at least trying to think. He wanted to go downstairs and take a peek at what was going on, but he just couldn’t make himself do it. Just in case.

Without warning, an unseen force yanked him from his room and pulled him through the house. He was moving through objects at such a hurried pace that he had to shut his eyes to avoid all the little minute details that passed before them and keep his mind balanced. Chaotic dread gripped him when he felt himself stop abruptly. He opened his eyes to see the girls sitting around the dining room table. Dominic looked at his surroundings in a panic until he realized he was in a dark corner, and his presence had not yet been noticed by the other occupants of the room. A quick once over of himself eased his mind once he realized he was still invisible to the naked eye.

“This house belongs to me. I command the spirit that inhabits it to appear before me now.” Twice more Kerrigan repeated the same words, each time getting louder and louder. A whooshing sound caused her to open her eyes, and she saw the flame on the white candle shoot high into the air. She kept her eyes on the flame, concentrating on the way it danced, entranced by its hypnotic glow.

It was then that Dominic saw the familiar glowing blue of Kerrigan’s eyes. It was a stark indicator that the Light was flowing through her, and her gift was in full force. Before he could even register just how much trouble he was in as a result of that, the tingling sensation began to creep across his body. He held his hands up, finding that they were solid, and the sensation was spreading up his arms and legs as well. He would be whole within moments, and they would see him. They would know what he was.

He started breathing heavily, his heart rate accelerated. Light-headedness overtook him, and he thought for sure he was about to hyperventilate. He remained still, trying to get his breathing and his heart rate under control, hoping against all hope that whatever was happening would stop.

She can’t find out like this. Not like this.

Dominic’s solid form stepped further into the shadows, but there was nowhere to hide. They were right there, just a few short feet from him. Maybe he could slip out the door without being seen, but Kerrigan’s eyes were open and facing the direction of the doorway. Not to mention, some weird gravitational force was keeping him pinned to his spot. He shifted from foot to foot in desperation.

Kerrigan saw movement in her peripheral vision and dropped Gabe and Olivia’s hands to turn in that direction to see what it was. The moment her concentration was broken, Dominic disappeared. She was looking directly at him, so he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable screeches that would soon follow.