Pablo was directing which way to turn as Richard Anderson swiftly tucked the boat to the port. He turned to the father-like figure for him, grinning. It was another fishing day and he loved it. It was what he had always thought it would be like, seeing those little visions from a year ago. The smile fell off his face as he remembered last year.
Horrible things had happened the year before, and those long months before that as well. Michael Deveraux had given chase to Nicole Anderson, Richard's daughter. Nicole had run far and thought she was free. His ex-coven had been there to protect her and in the happening, his brother died. He was only fourteen then, but now, he was sixteen with a life some-what normal.
Memories flashed before his eyes. He stumbled backward, surprised at the sudden flashbacks.
He was near fainting when he recoiled, calling out Phillipe's name.
The talk had with Armand who was now going through priesthood and being an exorcist.
Phillipe's head getting scythed.
Holly, seeming like an angel, disappearing and reappearing, confused.
The battle won.
Richard held the staggering Pablo steady. "What happened?" Concern filled his voice and face.
Pablo, a mind reader, didn't need to read his mind to figure that out. He stood upright, struggling to pull on a smile. "The boat rocked. I was startled."
The frown on Richard's face said he didn't believe him. Before he could press Pablo into telling him about what had happened, the young boy whipped his head around, toward the forest. There was a sharp cry for help. He faced his father. "Do you hear that?" Pablo asked nervously. "Dad?" He added on. Richard insisted on Pablo calling him dad, and so he had.
Richard shook his head, looping the boat onto the port with a rope, tying it tight. "What's wrong?" He asked in a firm tone. That tone meant that he wanted to know what was happening to Pablo and now, or else.
Pablo smiled thinly at this. "I don't know how it happened. I thought of my visions with you that happened last year and then I remembered more of how it all happened when my ex-coven came." A frown came to his face. All the members of his ex-coven were dead beside Armand and himself. "We were protecting Nicole, then I had flashbacks of last year." He cringed at the memory. Richard squeezed his shoulder and his son smiled in gratitude at him before cringing again. The cry this time was a scream. He covered his ears. "Do you really not hear that?" Pablo asked nervously.
"You want to go see what it is, don't you?" Richard asked in a quiet tone. He checked the rope on the boat, looked around for any boat stealer and steered Pablo out onto the port. "I'm coming with you then." Even though they were supposed to be all safe, he illegally had a gun strapped onto his belt, hidden under the loose shirts he wore tucked into his pants that were covered with the brown leather jacket he bought. It was purely precautionary; Richard had told him that.
The young boy smiled appreciatively, leading the way into the forest. He felt a flickering life force and another shriek for help. He moved much more quickly through the woods, not caring if he lost Richard this time. He had to help the person in need. As he neared, he heard thoughts in a female's voice.
Help me. I killed them. I killed them, I killed them, I killed them!
The last words screamed in her mind that made Pablo tumble on his backside. Startled, he rose up again and walked right into a clearing. Pablo glanced behind him to see if Richard was following; he was quick, in step behind him, never losing a single step to a branch or rock. He turned to look at the clearing and saw a small cottage buried under rubble with flames peeking out over it. His eyes turned to the ground to look for the flickering life force and there he saw her.
She knelt near the rubble and flames, arms outstretched to touch the hot rocks.
I should die too. Her thought floated inside his; a smile dimpled on her cheeks and full lips. Her wild, coal-black hair flew around her, untamed and curly. It nearly touched the flames with each flick of the wind.
"She's in trouble." Pablo whispered to Richard clumsily. "She's... she's not stable! Like Holly, she's too powerful." He glanced at the girl desperately. "Richard, I can't go over there, I can't."
"I know, son." Richard murmured, tousling his dark hair. "I'll get her. She can fight me and I'll still bring her back."
The girl stared at her hands, head tilted. Just a few more inches and she would feel the flames, feel what her parents had felt when she was angry and burst the whole cottage into fire, rocks from the mountains clambering on top of it. Someone took her joy away from her. Startled, she screamed and thrashed in the thick, firm arms that held her. She scratched the arm and neck with her grimy fingers, but the hold was firm, never loosening. "I'll do to you what I did to my parents!" She screamed in warning.
He didn't seem to care about what she said. He nodded to a boy in khaki jeans and a light blue t-shirt. The boy looked at him in relief and followed them out of the forest.
Only when they were on the boat and safely gone from the forest and port did the old guy let her go. Tears streamed down her dirty face, her eyes, a white and cyan opal color, gleamed brightly with the tears. "I want to die." She said, quieter. She crawled to the edge of the boat, holding her knees. "I want to die." She said a bit louder.
Pablo glanced at Richard and then faced the girl. He dashed to her side and had an arm around her awkwardly, blushing. Never had he touched a girl pretty as her. Neither has he ever touched a girl like this. He scolded himself. As if his father knew what he thought, he chuckled and patted the love seat he had built on the boat. "Here, sit here. It's more comfortable than on the deck." He advised.
The boy struggled to get the girl standing up. When he did, he practically pulled her toward the love seat, setting her down on it and sitting beside her. "What's your name?" He asked softly.
"Aydenette," she whispered. "Aydenette... Aydenette Jenn."
"I-den-ette," He repeated slowly. "I am Pablo Anderson." Richard smiled at the use of his surname. "And that is my father, Richard Anderson." Pablo declared, feeling the glee surge through him. To have someone be called father and know that he was his father always made him happy. "What did you do?"
Flashes of Aydenette yelling at an old couple, her parents, flared in his mind vividly. She yelled and pointed at the stove in warning. It flared up in flames, encasing the house in flames. She tumbled out of the door, frightened now. The couple was nearly out of the door, but Aydenette, still angry, pulled at the mountains with all that she had, making rocks tumble through the forest and onto the small cabin. Realizing what she had done, she fell to the ground in shock. Before she knew, arms were around her and pulling her from her parents.
Pablo pulled back, startled. She was no witch or warlock, but magic was strong in her. He glanced at Richard, eyes crazy.
"I killed my parents." She said softly. "I killed them because I have stupid powers. Power they wanted to use and make a living off." For an example, Aydenette flung out her right hand and brought it high above her head, water from the lake trailing after her arm, mimicking it. The water rose five feet in the air. She threw her hand to the side and the water copied her, flying to the side of the lake. "And so I killed them. I killed them because I was angry and I didn't want to do this. No, no, no. But here I am, telling strangers." More tears flew from her eyes and curled with her hands, being flung into the lake.
Before she could cry hysterically, Richard appeared on deck. Pablo was surprised. He hadn't paid attention when his father had left the two alone. "What's her name?"
"Aydenette Jenn," Pablo said softly. Through his mind, he told Richard about what had processed through her mind and what she had said and demonstrated.
I saw. Richard replied grimly through their minds.
Pablo nodded, then faced Aydenette who had fallen asleep, head lolling onto his shoulder. He tensed, unsure of what to do. Richard laughed at this, walking toward them. "We'll be on land in thirty minutes. Why don't we let her sleep and take a few stops to fish?" He asked, taking the girl's head on his large hands. Pablo moved away from the girl, stifling a yawn himself. He watched Richard gently put the girl on the love seat so she could sleep better. Pablo grabbed a fishing pole and Richard's, handing it to him when he had settled the girl into a comfortable sleeping position.
"Should we tell your sisters?" Richard asked quietly, reeling his pole in.
Pablo shook his head. "We should go to Eli. He still knows best. Maybe Armand also. Maybe demons are cast inside her."
"You would know," Richard reminded gently.
He cringed; another memory that he didn't want to remember. His father patted his back sympathetically, knowing what he was thinking about: Holly being possessed by many demons. Pablo had been able to read her mind and that had scarred his life.