The Guidance - By Marley Gibson Page 0,49

and tear. Boots clotted with the red Georgia clay. And then his face appears in more detail. Irate, gloomy, eyes pinned on Courtney as she sways and chants and opens herself up.

I know this man. He's the one from my vision during Evelyn Crawford's reading. The same man who was speaking to Evelyn's ancestor Ada Parry. The same one whose ominous laugh knocked me off my game when I was searching out Delaney Lockhart at the carriage house next door. He lurks on this property. He's connected here.

The soldier locks his hateful eyes on me and then snickers underneath his bushy mustache. The sound of his laughter echoes through my head again, causing needle pricks of pain to shoot up and down my spine. I'm helpless to move or speak or warn. All I can do is stand stock-still and watch as he glances down at Courtney in full faux-séance mode, nearly licking his chops.

Unbeknownst to her, he turns his back and then appears to sit on her lap; slowly, he disappears completely into her body.

She sits up with a jerking jolt. The soldier laughs. Only this time, the sound originates from Courtney's mouth.

With that, I scream like a banshee.

Chapter Thirteen

This time, I know Courtney's not acting.

And everyone knows that I'm not playing around.

She begins to thrash about on the floor, like someone's spilled hot coffee all over her. Both Mina and Sean try to let go of her hands, but Courtney's clinging on for dear life.

"Someone get my mom!" Stephanie screams out.

The music has stopped and people are swarming the room. Taylor pushes her way to where I'm standing with my hand over my mouth. Jason holds me tightly, waiting to see what he should do next.

"Call Loreen," I say to Taylor. Then I add, "And Father Massimo! We can't handle this alone. Wake them up if you have to!"

"I'm on it," Taylor says, whipping her cell phone out from her cleavage.

I don't even want to know.

I lift my skirt and literally crawl back into the circle. I kneel in front of Courtney with Celia at my side.

"What happened to her?" Celia asks.

"Something went into her."

"You saw it?"

"I saw him. We've got to talk her through this until help gets here."

"What if she's faking?"

"She's not this time, Cel."

I certainly don't know what to do for her. I'm not exactly qualified to do an exorcism or whatever is needed. God, what have I gotten into with all of this? How did it get this out of hand? I just wanted to use my psychic gift to help troubled and trapped spirits move on and to bring peace to the living. I never intended to have to intervene in a possession. Especially for the one person in this world who's making my life hell.

Courtney's eyes flutter open. "I'm famished. I haven't eaten in weeks on my way here."

"What?" Celia asks with her eyebrow lifted.

"Someone get her some food," I yell over my shoulder. I want to reach out and shake Courtney back to reality, but my intuition tells me not to do anything. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you," she says. Her voice is deep and distant. Certainly not her typical high-pitched cheerleading tone. "Where is the rest of the unit? Why aren't they here?"

A guy laughs from behind me. "Dude, she's gone totally spaz."

"This is awesome!" another exclaims.

"We're here," I assure Courtney. "We're trying to help."

With the strength of almost three men, she shoves me in the chest hard, knocking me backward with a hard thwwwaaack! Ouch! That hurt!

"Who said I needed your help? You're the one who tried to stop me. When I was down by the river that time and when I was looking for supplies next door. You meddled."

My psychic headache taps at my cranium and it's then I realize that the Union soldier is speaking through her and it's not Courtney at all. Where has she gone? What has he done to her? I see her, scared and shaking somewhere in the corner of her own mind. I've got to get him out of her. Now!

Looking around, I see everyone is still holding hands, dazed by the happenings around them.

"Let go!" I beg. Words collide in my throat and I find it hard to put a complete sentence together fast enough. "Your hands. Drop them."

Everyone remarkably does as I say, and the energy in the room shifts abruptly.

The soldier screeches, "Damn you!"

Some guy from the basketball team passes Stephanie a fork and a plate of