Chapter 13
GRAM poured them both some homemade lemonade and set out some sugar cookies she’d baked just the day before. They were coated with pink and yellow sugar crystals, and they smelled of citrus.
“I’m shocked your brother left any,” Gram said. “He usually eats cookies as fast as I can bake them.”
Lucy knew the cookies were delicious—she just couldn’t bring herself to touch one. Her stomach was just so twisted in knots still. But she did take a few sips of the lemonade. As usual it was a perfect mixture of sweet and sour.
Finally she looked to her grandmother and said the first thing that came into her mind. “We’re cursed, right? The whole family has got some sort of curse on it… makes everything turn to crap, right?” Lucy stopped and then felt tears burning at her eyes, ready to well up and trickle down her cheeks. “Or is it just me?”
“Lucybean, sweetheart… there’s nothing wrong with you, and you are certainly not cursed,” she said the last word with prolonged scorn. Lucy looked up into her grandmother’s smiling eyes. “You’ve been blessed.”
“Blessed!” Lucy sat forward, tears streaming down her face, her voice harsh. “Having road-kill coming to life and wanting to play isn’t a friggin’ gift! It’s a freaking catastrophe!”
“What you did is called necromancy. And it is what you are… you’re a necromancer.”
“I’m not anything!” Lucy said incredulously, pushing back from the table and standing up. She folded her arms around herself as she turned away from her grandmother, her nails biting into her flesh. “I’m certainly not a… whatever you just said.”
“A necromancer.”
“I’m not… and stop saying that!” She turned, beseechingly saying, “I can’t be… it’s just so disgusting.”
Gram looked upon her granddaughter with love and empathy. “Necromancy is a powerful gift.” She stood and put her hands on Lucy’s shoulders. “It’s your gift.”
Gift? Suddenly she remembered something. Just a sliver of a dream, and then the image of Jeff Haas holding a dead puppy in his arms, saying it was her gift. Lucy looked up into her grandmother’s gaze and felt a shock as she backed away from her.
“I dreamed about this.”
Gram’s expression grew concerned. “You’ve dreamed about this?” She held out her hands, “This moment in the kitchen?”
“No,” Lucy shook her head and turned toward the window over the sink, staring out into the backyard. “Not this. Just…” She turned back to her grandmother. “I dreamed about the dog. The one on the side of the road, but it wasn’t there. It was back at my old school.” Lucy could feel the same terror she’d felt in her dream, circling around her, practically touching her flesh. “And my ex-boyfriend was giving the puppy to me for my birthday.” She looked right at her grandmother. “He said it was my gift.”
“A prophetic dream,” Gram said, “Impressive… anything else?”
“What do you mean?” Lucy said, incensed. “Isn’t that enough?” And then she looked at her grandmother with accusing eyes. “Did you know this was going to happen to me?”
“I always knew there was a chance. But your mother kept insisting that you had no talent.”
“That’s harsh.”
“Dark talent, Lucybean. Lila swore that you were like her. She never showed the slightest mystical or preternatural ability. I never felt it from her, and truthfully I didn’t feel anything coming off you… until today.”
“Lucky me.”
“Yes… lucky you!” Gram sounded angry. “If it wasn’t for your gift, that vampire last night would’ve had you for dinner… literally.”
Lucy couldn’t argue with that. Delia would’ve sucked her dry, or at the very least snapped her neck. Lucy shook her head—the thought was just so disturbing. Being dead, killed… it suddenly felt far too real a possibility for comfort.
“Okay. It saved my life... but why me?”
“The gift passes from generation to generation. My sister and I both had it. Unfortunately your mother didn’t. And I’m fairly positive your brother won’t get it.”
Random thought, “If that’s because he’s a guy, don’t be so sure. He’s…” Should I let his secret out? “He’s not your typical teenage boy.”
“Uh-huh…” Gram said. “You mean, since he’s homosexual, he might get it?”
Oh crap! “I didn’t say that he was…” Gram was giving her a hard look. “Okay… but I didn’t tell you, okay?”
“Deal. But no, that has nothing to do with it. I just don’t feel anything in him.”
“But you said you didn’t feel anything coming off me either.”
Gram frowned, and then clucked her tongue. “Good point. We’ll both have to keep an eye on him. No telling what kind of trouble a boy like him can get into with this power.” She smiled. “Though, I would love to see him being chased around by a zombie.”
“Gram!”
“Just a little one.” A mischievous smile manifested on Gram’s lips.
“You know he has a phobia of little people?” Lucy said.
“Seriously?” She chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Ever since he was five. Unlocked the parental controls on the cable and lost it when he flipped onto one of those leprechaun movies.”
“Leprechauns?” Gram said, her expression sobering. “You’re not joking, are you?”
“It was a thing.” Lucy waved it away with her hand. “Now he avoids the Wizard of Oz and The Lord of the Rings like the plague.”
A goofy grin spread across Gram’s face, turning into a smile, and then she just cracked up.
“You wouldn’t think it was so funny when he freaks out at the mall when he sees a little person. It’s embarrassing as hell.”
Gram whooped, holding her belly. “What about little kids? Does he freak out over them too?”
“No. Just little grownups.” Lucy’s face fell. “Now, about all this dead-shit stuff.”
“Language, Lucybean.”
“Sorry, but I don’t want dead things coming to life and attacking me.”
“They won’t attack you. They won’t do much of anything unless you tell them to… as long as you practice controlling your power.”
Lucy shot a finger up into her grandmother’s face. “There, I knew it! There’s always a nasty catch… just like in the movies.”
“Lucy, dear, don’t worry. We’ll take some time over the next few weeks and I’ll teach you to control you power.”
“Even better, why don’t you take them away? You’ve gotta know a way.”
“Lucy.” Gram sounded so serious. “No one and nothing can take this from you. It’s a gift and you need to embrace it.”
Lucy made a disgusted face. “Gross.”
“Gross or not, seems you’re going to need it.”
Lucy frowned.
“It’s already saved your life. It will again.”