to become ill, now it seemed I had it backwards. I sat motionless for a moment and stared.
“This is your problem, Olivia,” she said. “I’ve been watching you for several weeks and you haven’t lifted a finger to help yourself. Get up off the floor. Stand up.”
The woman offered me her hand. I grabbed it and felt the warm flesh of a human being against my palm.
“How is this possible?” I murmured as I rose. “Are you really here? I’m not hallucinating?”
“I’m real,” she said. “As real as Stoner Halbert, only I have come to help you.”
“How do you know about him?” I asked. “How do you know about me?”
“Your grandmother sent me,” she said. “Bella chose me to watch over you when you were born. When you ran into trouble with Stoner, I expected you to summon me, but you do not practice the old ways of your family. I’ve been forced to appear in your dreams to get your attention.”
“Summon you. I have no idea how to do that,” I said, my tongue slightly swollen in my mouth. “I had no idea my grandmother could do that sort of thing. I was drunk and angry last night. I didn’t know my outburst would result … well, that it would bring you here.”
The woman laughed. “There is a lot about this world you don’t know, Olivia, and that has put you in harm’s way.”
I walked slowly to a barstool and sat down. It was too much. Not for the first time that week, my head was pounding and I was exhausted. Now there was a strange woman in my house claiming to be my guardian angel. I couldn’t imagine what would happen next. I decided to make an espresso, and find out.
“Do you drink coffee?” I asked and then paused and extended my hand in a way that said I’d like to call you by a name.
“It’s Elsa,” she said. “And tea, please.”
“Elsa,” I repeated back. “I have Earl Grey and green tea.”
“Earl Grey,” she said, and I began to fix our drinks.
I set two warm mugs on the counter. Elsa took the bar stool across from mine and began to sip her tea. She seemed to savor it more than the normal person would.
“Don’t they have tea where you’re from?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve been called to your world. I remember now how nice it is to visit.”
“What do you mean, my world? Are you dead?”
“No, not dead. Unable to move on,” she said without a trace of sarcasm. “As you may have guessed, I’m not from this time. But I do live in your century regularly now.”
Perhaps it was the combination of fear and a raging hangover, but I was unable to keep up the light banter and decided to put my questions to her. “Why are you here? What have you been trying to tell me?”
Elsa put down her cup and saucer and turned to face me. “I came because your grandmother feared what would happen if you continued to block your gift. Before her death, she summoned me and told me she had seen a vision in which you were in danger. She asked me to visit you periodically and ensure you remain unharmed. For many months I watched and saw nothing out of the ordinary.”
“And now?”
“Now? You’re in danger. It may have seemed wise at the time to not use your powers, Olivia, but turning off your instincts has made you vulnerable. You’re not even trying to sense when you’re in danger. It’s why Stoner Halbert’s demon picked you.”
This remark caused me to drop my coffee mug on the marble counter where it promptly broke into several pieces.
“I’m sorry, did you say demon?”
Elsa sighed. “I can see we will have to start at the beginning. Your friend Mr. Halbert has been dabbling in black magic. After his wife ruined him, he sought revenge and became interested in the occult. He has managed to conjure up a minor demon that promises him great wealth. The demon has given him an advantage, a sort of influence…and he is using it against you and others.”
“Why me?”
Elsa seemed to pause for a moment. “What’s the expression? You are a sitting duck. The Others can see that you have intentionally blocked off your senses. It makes you an easy target for their mischief. Halbert’s demon has gone in search of the most vulnerable. An empath who refuses to listen her instincts? That is an easy mark.”
“Why should I