Haunted Devotion

2.

Getting back from what I had to take care of, the loneliness kicked in more than it should have.

Maybe it was because of the full moon but I was drawn to doing something I never imagined myself doing.

I gathered candles to the middle of the ballroom floor, lighting every single one of them, then opening this relic that my aunt would tell me stories about.

On one page, the words come to me
were written in golden ink, making it stand out more once the moonlight hit it.

All I had to do was say these words and whatever I wanted would come to me.

Having doubts that it would work, I still try it anyway.

You would think in my line of work and what I do I would be smarter when it comes to these certain things and that it would trip my warning signals within me, but it didn't.

After saying it three times as required, I shut it, then felt a wind take out all the candle light, leaving me in complete darkness.

That just told me it was time for bed and I needed to close the windows as the temperature began to drop.

"What a joke," I scoffed at myself then went into my room, took a shower, then laid in bed wanting nothing but sleep.

In the middle of the night I felt a hand caress my face.

Opening my eyes, I see a figure then once I open them wider, it was gone.

Checking the time on my nightstand, it read 4:30 a.m with the light flickering on in the bathroom.

Still groggy, I just went back to sleep so I can be ready to re-meet with the Elrod's as I had to reschedule since something else came up.

The phone in my room rings, knowing it's Yerlin, I groaned but still got up to answer.

"Yes you devil, what do you want?" I say crossing my arms.

"Downtown Westport, spotted some weird activity, need you to check it out."

Checking the time it now says 7:00 a.m as if time has spun out and raced forward.

"Say Yerlin, what time is it for you?" I say now looking at my wrist watch.

Yerlin takes a minute but says, "7:30 a.m, why?"

I squinted my eyes at the clock then my watch and shook my head completely confused.

"Nothing, what are the coordinates?"

Yerlin pages it to my pager and I read it while rubbing my eyes as they get blurry for a minute.

"Got it," Hanging up the phone I went to the bathroom to take a shower and could have sworn I saw a silhouette standing in the middle of the room as I did.

Splashing water on my face from the faucet, I laugh at myself for being so jumpy.

"Get it together Devlin," I say annoyed at my nerves getting the best of me, then turning to start the shower.

Once I stripped away my clothes, I entered letting the warm water hit my face.

I then moved to let the water fall down my back only to feel a hand glide down it as well.

Goosebumps form all over my body as I knew I really wasn't alone.

"Who are you," I say, sensing it getting closer, almost latching on to the back of my neck.

With a faint but clear whisper it says, "Yours," having me spin around fast not seeing anything or anyone there.

My heart races, not sure of what was real and what was messing with my head.

I hurriedly got out wrapping a towel around me racing to get dressed and off to the car waiting outside.

Gerald looks to be concerned as I'm looking around like a paranoid patient that just escaped the psych ward.

"Miss? You alright?" He asks.

Still looking around, I nodded slowly.

"Y-Yeah just drive me here," I show Gerald the coordinates and take hold of the coffee he bought for me.

"Right away Miss," Starting the car he takes me to the location.

I sip on the coffee slowly only getting more chills as I remembered the voice from within the shower this morning.

Once Gerald stopped in front of an old museum, I knew this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.

"Yerlin has a way with picking such cases," I say, taking hold of what I need and going inside.

Being stopped at the door, the owner has security guards pat me down then let's me in explaining the situation.

"Five weeks and it's the same weird occurrences. Lights flickering, cold spots, silhouettes in the hallways, even a woman crying out."

Taking note mentally, I look around then have them show me the footage they said they had caught this crying woman that weeps with so much pain.

"Here," One of the security guards pulls it up and I sit watching.

Zooming in I already know what it might be, just by the woman's wails.

"Who'd you piss off in the last five weeks?" I say now zooming out.

The owner scoffs while combing his gray hair back with his nubby fingers.

"I tend to piss off a lot of people, why?"

Patting my pockets for a cigarette, I find one then ask for a light as I point to the frozen footage on the monitor, "That's the curse of Madame Morisa. Only used when done wrong or you just want whoever pissed you off to lose business."

Thinking of who it might be, the owner growls in frustration.

"That damn gypsy!" He shook his head angrily, letting me know what happened with one of his customers.

Nodding, I pulled out the relic to call her back to where she came from and had the whole building smoked out with a special brew my grandmother passed down to my aunts, mom then me.

"Yerlin, Miss," Gerald says, having me go into the car answering the phone.

"Tell me something good," I mockingly say while lighting another cigarette.

Yerlin voices his concerns about meeting with the Elrod's as they were once my parent's frenemies back when they were in their twenties.

"Look, they want a business meeting about who knows what, but Gina Elrod made it seem urgent so I have to at least make an appearance."

With an exaggerated sigh, Yerlin okay's it even though I was going with or without his consent.

Sometimes I think he forgets who the boss is when it's just him in HQ.