CHAPTER EIGHT

Callie forced a calm smile on her face when she saw Raul and Valentina in the doorway of her house. She turned to her brother and said, "Thanks, Dalton, I got it. I'm sure Nakia is missing you."

Dalton rolled his eyes but then added seriously, "I'll let everyone know you're occupied for a minute. We'll call when dinner is ready. I'm sure mom and dad won't mind if your friends stay to eat."

Callie nodded and waited until Dalton was out of the room to turn to the two surprise guests. "What the hell, guys!?"

"You weren't answering your phone all day," Valentina said quietly. "Can we come in?"

Callie urged them into the living room and shut the door. She gestured to the couch. "Have a seat." Once they did, she said, "Ludo got my phone this morning. It won't turn on."

"Who's Ludo?" Raul asked.

"My dog, actually he's really my mom's dog," Callie rambled a bit. A meow and small thump called their attention to the piano in the corner where they saw a sleek black cat with green eyes peering at them. "Hel, get down from there. You know better," Callie chastised her young cat.

"Your mom named her cat 'Hel'?" Raul asked dubiously.

"Actually, Hel is mine," she said. "Look, I guess you being here means you believe me and that's great and I still want to help, but now is a really bad time. My brothers are here with their partners, not to mention my parents."

Raul frowned. "I thought you said this happened to your brother. He'd know more than you what Teresa is going through then, right?"

Callie shook her head, resigned. "No, because he doesn't remember anything."

"How is that possible?" Raul asked. "He must have been eight or older when this happened to him."

Callie sighed and sat on the cushioned loveseat across from them on the couch. "Dalton got his ability from my dad. But it's dangerous for both of them. When my dad was a kid, he almost got taken by a different malevolent spirit. My grandmother found Elise through a medium named Carl and they helped my dad when he was a kid. The only way they could keep him out of danger for the long term was to make him forget that he even had this ability. Block it out of his head so he couldn't get caught out in that other world. After they were sure my dad and Dalton were back and safe, the same was done for both of them. They both understand that something happened to Dalton, but they don't remember anything about spirits or their ability. They can't do it anymore. Foster was shielded from it all, he doesn't remember much. And like I said before, I was a baby. Only my grandma and mom remember what really went on back then."

"But you said you could get in touch with the people who helped before," Valentina said.

Callie nodded. "My grandma will still have their information. She knows that my mom told me the truth. And we have a 'no questions asked' kind of relationship. As long as I tell her that dad and Dalton aren't in any trouble, she won't push for details." She sighed and wrung her hands together. "I know it sounds callous to say given everything you're going through with your own family, but I would really rather not involve mine. I almost lost half of my family before I could even remember them. I don't want to lose them. And I also don't want to bring up potentially traumatic stuff for my dad or Dalton either."

Raul was pensive. He could understand where she was coming from. She wanted to protect her family. He wanted to save his.

"We get it," Valentina said for the both of them.

Callie nodded gratefully. "Well, I will call my grandma and ask her for the info. Meanwhile, wanna stay for dinner? We've got plenty, my dad buys meat in bulk."

Raul hesitated. "Marco's home with Teresa…"

Callie nodded. "Well, it's up to you. Either way, I'll be in touch tomorrow."

"Callie?" a feminine voice that sound similar to Callie's called into the house. A moment later and an older version of her with darker hair and eyes was walking into the living room. "Dinner is ready…" She paused when she noticed Raul and Valentina on the couch. "Oh, Dalton said some of your friends stopped by. Hi, I'm Renai."

Valentina smiled wide and waved. "Hi, sorry to impose."

"They were calling, and my phone still won't work," Callie explained to her mom. "But they were just about to head out."

Renai turned to them. "Why don't you stay for dinner? It's barbeque."

"That's nice of you, Mrs. Lambert—" Raul started to say.

Renai chuckled and cut him off with, "Please, it's just Renai."

"Well, my brother and sister are at home, and I should be getting back to them," Raul said.

Renai nodded understandingly. Callie saw them out with the promise to talk to them the next day. When she closed the door, her mother was staring at her with an expectant raised eyebrow. "What was that all about?"

Callie grimaced. "I'm helping them with something. Don't worry about it, mom."

Renai sighed through her nose and agreed. "Fine. I trust you. Now – come eat."

"I'll be out there in a minute," Callie told her before jogging up to her room. Hel meowed and followed on her heels. She got onto her laptop and began drafting an email to her grandmother. Once it was done, she proofread it twice and made sure to be certain that she mentioned Dalton and her dad weren't in any danger. Then she sent it and rushed to the backyard for some ribs.