Coexist: Keegan's Chronicles

Chapter 6

Richard came back through the door carrying several bags just in time to hear her mom’s declaration. By the look on his face, Keegan was pretty sure her father wished he’d stayed gone one more day. Her family was what could be called a handful. Soon they would be host to a house full of elves and all the mischief that came along with it.

Keegan’s mother busied herself in the kitchen making one of the few dishes everyone liked: meatball subs. Emerald liked making the dish because all she had to do was throw the meat in the crock pot add some sauce and heat up the bread. Keegan often wondered why her mother was a stay-at-home mom. She didn’t seem to enjoy any of the cooking, the cleaning, the volunteering, or the homework. She could have easily gotten a job if she wanted, but for whatever reason she chose not to.

It used to bother Keegan that her mother didn’t use her healing power for good like her grandmother. Mary worked as a nurse so she was around sick people all the time. In her position, she had to be careful not to draw attention to herself so she rarely gave a full healing. She told Keegan that just removing some discomfort from her patients was often enough. Her family thought the patients sensed there was something different about her. She also received more thank you cards than any other nurse. Even the doctors asked for her when severe cases arrived.

Years before, Keegan had followed her mother around one day to see what she did with herself. Keegan drifted back to the day and recalled the memory. Using her power, Keegan had followed her with her mind’s eye, which was prohibited by the family unless they felt someone was in danger. They were supposed to respect each other’s privacy. Keegan had always been too curious for her own good.

Keegan watched as her mother went to the gym, the bookstore, and then did some shopping. She gave up for a bit, and when she checked back in one last time what she saw made her proud to be her mother’s daughter. It was dark and dingy, wherever Emerald was. Keegan saw a woman with three kids gathered around her mother. The woman had been severely beaten, with blood coming out of her mouth and a hunched over, on-the-brink-of-death feel. The kids looked terrified.

Emerald closed her eyes and a look of peace came over her face. She held her hands over the woman’s body and right before Keegan’s eyes the woman was healed. It was amazing to watch. After some time, the children calmed down. Finally, the woman grabbed her mother’s hands and said thank you. Emerald told them to collect their things and say goodbye because they were not coming back to this life. She gave them money, a car, and the keys to a new place that was far away from their current surroundings.

Luckily, money was something Keegan’s family never had to worry about. Her Uncle John’s gift was analytical. He saw patterns in numbers which was basically like seeing the future in stocks and business ventures. Because of his gift, their family had always been well taken care of.

That night when her mother had walked through the door, she looked Keegan in the eye and said, “Now you know.”

Her mother was hard to read at times. Keegan thought her mother was annoyed that her privacy had been invaded. She also felt that her mom was glad she witnessed the healing.

Keegan had followed her mother to the kitchen where she was filling up a teapot which was something she always did whenever she walked through the door.

After a brief hesitation, Keegan asked, “Do you do that often?”

Her mom glanced over with a slight smile on her face. “Only when they are ready,” she said. “I used to work at a women’s shelter.”

This surprised Keegan. She had no idea.

“It was before you were born. I spent days and nights healing many poor women such as the one you witnessed today.”