CHAPTER TWELVE

Callie and Marco followed Raul into the living room where Shin was explaining what or who he'd seen on the view master to Valentina, Nate, and Nozomi. Marco asked, "Did you see the spirit that has Teresa?"

"No, based on photos I've seen, this was not a malevolent spirit and it's someone we… know of," Shin explained awkwardly.

"Who?" Callie asked expectantly.

"Me, dear," a serene and familiar voice sounded suddenly at her ear.

Callie let out a startled scream and whipped around to see a peacefully smiling older woman standing at her side that she could have sworn wasn't there a literal second ago. She had grey hair to her shoulders and was swathed in neutral colors and a warm sweater. She recognized her from photos – for the most part – as well. It didn't stop her from holding her hand to her chest and exclaiming, "Jesus Christ, you scared the crap out of me!"

"What the hell is going on?" Raul demanded.

Callie narrowed her eyes and peered closer at the patiently grinning woman. "Elise?"

"The woman you said died two decades ago?" Valentina asked wryly.

Nate peered at Callie with contemplative concern and surprise. "You can see her? Is she next to you?"

"You can't see her?" Marco asked. "I thought you were the psychic?"

"Medium, and it works differently for everyone," he said.

"Tell them I made a more concerted effort to reach out to you, dear," Elise instructed her calmly.

Callie stuttered as she tried to repeat that to the others. "S-She's saying she tried harder to reach me."

Elise took the time to take her in. She smiled widely and hugged her shoulders with her hands. "Oh, my dear girl, you grew up beautifully. I've tried to keep up with your family over the years, but my work keeps me on my toes. Even on this side of life and death. But I've caught up enough to know you really do have your mom's musical talent and have grown into such a graceful and compassionate young woman."

Callie was still stuck in awe and wariness at the turn the last minute had taken. "…thanks…"

"What's she saying?" Nathan asked.

Elise gave Callie and little wink. "I'm going to hop off to Teresa's room and see what I find." She walked away normally, like a living person. If Callie hadn't already known she was dead, she wouldn't have realized it looking at her, that she was looking at a ghost.

"She's going to Teresa's room to see what she finds there," Callie muttered dreamily. She had to shake herself and speak evenly to Shin. "Was it Elise that you saw in the view master?"

He nodded. "Yes. So far, I haven't seen the threats."

"That's where I come in then," Nathan said. "Why don't we join Elise in Teresa's room? That'll be the best place to try and make contact ourselves."

The group crowded into the small girl's room where Shin and Raul had dragged the coffee table and dropped some throw pillows on the floor in the corner of the room.

"Can you see her in here?" Valentina asked, once again plastered at Callie's side.

Callie looked around and shook her head. "It's not exactly like Sixth Sense Two."

"So, we're gonna have to do the sit in a circle and hold hands thing," Nate said, already sitting on a pillow against the wall so he could see the whole room. He put his laptop on the coffee table and started fitting himself with a high-tech looking headset. "I tend to mumble when I get in the zone, so I rigged my computer to record and type everything I say to refer to later." He then gestured to a sketchpad he had in his lap. "Then I poorly draw whatever I see." His face turned serious. "Now – I gotta warn you and be completely honest in saying that this might not work, and no two attempts are the same. I'm not here to give you false hope. I'm just here to try to help. That's all I can do. Let's start."

All but Nozomi sat down. The older woman hovered at the light switch. Shin and Marco flanked Nate's sides while Callie sat between Raul and Valentina on the other side. They all joined hands and Nate gave a chin nod to Nozomi. She dimmed the lights in the room and Nate started the ritual.

"Teresa, we are calling out to you. Let us know if you are there," he said with a normal volume. "Let us know that you can hear us…"

Silence pervaded.

He tried again. "Let us know that you are safe…"

They heard nothing.

"Tell us where you are…" After he said that, his eyelids suddenly fluttered closed and he started to hiss into his headset.

Shin leaned over and read what the computer was writing down. "It's too dark to see. It's really cold too…"

Valentina gasped and Callie had to hold her hand tightly, so she didn't let go.

Shin read Nate's side of the hushed conversation as well. "Your family is here looking for you, Teresa. But we need to know where you are…" He paused and took a breath. "I think it's the beach. It feels like sand and the ocean sounds close. Where are my brothers?"

Callie saw Raul open his mouth to answer and squeezed his hand. It called his attention and she silently mouthed, 'No,' to him. Reluctantly, he remained silent.

"They're right here with me, Teresa. Can you come back to us? Can you follow my voice?" Shin read. "Follow my voice."

A long silence crawled by.

"Why aren't you answering me?"

Callie felt Raul intertwine his fingers with hers and clench tight. She'd complain about losing feeling in her hand but that felt quaint in comparison to everything else.

"She's here… if they hear me, they'll get me…"

Valentina whimpered in her seat at those words.

"Who will hurt you?... Who will hurt you?"

"The sad woman and the scary man…"

A camera flash went off so suddenly. Callie shuddered in her seat. She knew exactly who the scary man was.

"Can you find your way back to us?"

"It's dark – there's no way out of here. Junior! Marco! Tina!"

"Follow my voice Teresa!" Nate said out loud. Then he went back to mumbling into his headset. The cameras around the room were seemingly randomly flashing around them.

Shin's face turned confused beside him. "I think this is Spanish." He used his hands – joined with Nate's and Valentina's – to twist the laptop so the Sanchezes could see the screen.

Valentina's shaking voice read and translated the words. "You can't have her, she's mine. She's my family now. She's safe with us. Safe from you. Safe from him. She's happy here with her brothers and sisters. She's mine now. You can't take her away. I won't let you. I won't let you…"

Callie held in her gasp when Elise materialized at her side.

"A woman in white," Elise said hastily. "Do you know the legend?"

Callie nodded rapidly, a jerking motion of her chin against her chest and back up again.

"Then when the times comes, you'll know what you have to do."

Callie didn't have time to ask her what she meant or to go into more detail. Valentina's voice was getting higher and louder.

"I'll kill you first. She's mine. I'll keep her safe! I'll keep all of them safe. You can't have them!"

A high-pitched shriek filled the air that didn't originate from Valentina or any other woman in the room. It made Nathan yelp and yank off his headset, panting loudly. Then suddenly, the table lifted into the air and plastered itself against the ceiling, crushing the laptop with it. Wires and Nathan's headset dangled beneath it.

"Everyone, out of the way!" Shin shouted, standing to his feet, and pushing the group towards the door. Raul shoved his way to Teresa's bedside as the table started to fall back to the ground – in pieces. The others took their own cover until it was over. And then it was punishingly silent.