Where Spirits Roam

Sixteen Years Ago A young woman lay on the dirty pavement behind a dumpster in an abandoned alleyway. Her swollen belly was contracting with each new wave of pain. Her water had broken as she made her way down the street and her skirts were soaked. This is not how she imagined she would have her first child. Alone, on the run, and in pain. Lifting her skirts away, she began to push when the next wave hit. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she placed her cloak in her mouth clenching her teeth to keep her screams at bay. A few more pushes and she felt some relief, looking down her eyes landed on her baby. *** “I'm so sorry my precious, beautiful baby girl” the young woman cried wrapping her newborn daughter tighter in the tattered pink shawl she had been wearing. The wind blew viciously biting at her face as she stowed them away beneath the cover of a massive oak tree. “I will come back, I promise you this. I cannot let them find you, my sweet Eviee. ” The woman knew the young babe couldn't understand yet she felt the need to explain herself anyway. She pulled her cloak over her head darting onto the porch of the old orphanage where she placed her daughter down. With one last kiss on her forehead, she dragged her eyes to the door. Knocking on the door loudly the young woman ran as fast as she could slipping into the cover of darkness. When the door creaked open an old nun came into view illuminated by the light of the porch. Not seeing anyone in front of her, she turned her head downward finding the young babe. The newborn was looking up at her, bright violet eyes shimmering in the dim light. She lifted her into her arms and stepped back inside, shutting the door, effectively cutting off the young woman's view. Knowing her child was now safe the woman fled, vowing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. She spotted a pay phone at the corner and using one of her abilities zapped the line connecting it to the operator. “Give me the orphanage, please,” she asked. The line rang for a long time before anyone answered. “Mayfield orphanage,” a gravelly older voice said. “Her name is Eviee,” the woman's voice cracked as the emotion clogged her throat. She hung afraid to give herself away by staying any longer. Tears stung her eyes threatening to spill over so she blinked them away, swallowing the growing lump in her throat. She had to keep moving. She didn't make it far before collapsing at a nearby bus stop. Pulling her cloak aside, she examined the blood-drenched skirt she wore. She needed a hospital. Labor had not been easy and she was losing a lot of blood. She knew she couldn't walk into any hospital, though, it would only alert her captors. She had barely managed to escape them in the first place. Only the knowledge of what her captors would do pushed her to get away. She could not and would not allow her baby to be born into the same twisted nightmare she had lived for the past twelve years. “You need to leave now girl” the spirit commanded. Her long Victorian-style skirt swayed in the wind as if she too were affected by the elements. She knew the spirit was right and pulled herself up off the bench. Walking with fast-paced steps the woman dragged her aching body down the sidewalk sticking to the shadows where possible. She walked for what had to have been hours crossing over the county line and into the next town. The winding road finally came out into a new town and she came across what looked to be a park bench. Stopping to catch her breath she took a seat when two men in solid black suits with their plain black newsboy caps descended upon her. ‘No.’ she thought standing, she tripped in her haste. The young lady righted herself hurriedly backing away. She was preparing to call on the spirits who had aided her escape, but she had not noticed the third man who had been making his way up behind her. Another step backward and she was in his grasp the cold metallic pinch of a needle stinging her neck. She struggled to fight her captor and fell to the ground as blackness overpowered her. “Put her in the car,” the leader of the group ordered as the driver pulled to the curb. The larger of the two men slung the girl over his shoulder and strode to the car where the other awaited with the door open. Not so carefully, he dropped her onto the back seat slamming the door shut behind her. The driver immediately pulled off. *** The young woman awoke with a start, pulling at her bindings. She was tied to the bed in the room she had grown to hate over the years. This place was her own personal hell. The camera in the corner had its ever-present red light blinking to show it was working. She tried to connect to her spirits, but came up with nothing. Whatever they had given her was still worming its way through her system. The sound of the unlocking of the bolt snapped her eyes to the door and in stepped the man who had taken everything from her. He wasn't very tall and his small beady eyes made his rather large nose look even larger. He wouldn't be deemed attractive by any means and her gut curled in disgust every time he touched her. She was glad he had not been the one to impregnate her, but even that thought made her heart clench. He had killed her lover when someone had spotted them and told him of the affair. If not for the fact he was likely to be her child's father and that her child was likely to have her gifts he would have forced an abortion on her. “Where is my child, Elena?” he asked, moving closer to her. He placed his cold, clammy hands on either side of her head as he leaned forward to hover over her face. She knew better than to tell him it wasn't his child, then she would be in more danger so she uttered the one word that mattered. “Safe.” “I will find her Elena,” he whispered into her ear, his voice filled with hatred. The words were both a threat and a promise. “They will never allow that and neither will I.” Her gifts had started to emerge again and the spirits who aided her were lingering in the room surrounding them and the bed. Her lover and father of her child placed his hand over hers and she could feel him squeeze it giving her the reassurance she needed. “You will only be as good as them.” He muttered, pulling away from her and meeting her violet eyes with his cloudy brown ones that didn't see so well. She didn't have time to ponder what he had meant when he pulled the pillow from under her head and placed it on top of her face. He didn't press down and she greedily gulped in the air preparing to hold her breath for as long as needed while drawing on her gifts to save her. However, she had thought wrong. He pulled an old revolver from his coat and put it to the pillow directly over her forehead. A cry left her lips when she felt the pressure and then he pulled the trigger. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing with the spirits who had kept her company staring at her unmoving body. The door swung open and two more men walked in. “Burn the body and find the child.” Her captor ordered exiting the room. Her lover embraced her in his arms, comforting her as she wailed. The broken sound filled the empty space and tears rolled down her cheeks. She had failed.