Katie's POV
Just after 2 pm Eric buzzed the cell phone. "Call now or at 6 pm," the message said. So I called right away. We exchanged pleasantries and I thanked him for his last package, and I filled him in on the training the boys were getting. Then I told him I thought we were being watched.
"I'm not surprised," he said. "It was only a matter of time."
"What do you think it means?" I asked him.
"It most likely means they are getting close to being able to take the boys."
"Tell me this. Are they actually there, or just like their aura or something?"
"It's just their essence," he said.
"So they can't open doors and stuff like that?"
"At some point they can, but it takes practice. It's kind of like the way ghosts are. They need to learn to use their essence to move things or interact with the environment. How do you even know they are there?"
"Because Garth is visiting, and he hears a humming in his ears."
"Yes, that would make sense. Projecting an essence is nothing more than a frequency of wave."
"Eric, does this put you in danger? I mean if they are watching us, then they must know we have gotten help from somewhere."
"I'm aware of that, which is why I have been so careful about how I passed you the information. But I think I'm safe for the time being. Even if they figure out it's me, they still don't know how to find me."
"Good. I was worried about that," I said.
"Don't worry about me, I can disappear in a heartbeat if I must. I'd just rather not. I kind of like my life here," he assured me. "But it may be a good thing they know the boys are aware of the situation."
"How so?" I asked.
"Well, they wouldn't be too upset about the boys getting prepared would they?" Said Eric. "They might even hold off until they think the boys are ready. All you need to do is be careful not to let on about the spell to destroy it rather than release it."
"Yes, we are taking steps to keep that quiet," I assured him.
"Good, sounds like you have things under control. Ring me when you need to."
I worked on translating for a few more hours and then I went back to make dinner for the gang. What a funny thought that was, using the word gang for the first time in forever.
Dean's POV
Maria had worked us hard all morning, and I was feeling proud of our progress. We were actually getting it. But something else was eating at me, and I needed to put it to rest. It was breaking into my concentration. So when Maria dismissed us for showers, I asked her if I could have a minute.
I took off my mask and leaned against the door frame, with my arms folded. I wasn't sure how to approach this, but I had come to respect Maria, and I really needed to understand something.
"What's on your mind Dean?" she asked.
I cleared my throat. "You probably know that the girls have told us about their past," I said.
"Yes, I'm aware," she said.
"Including what happened to them at the hands of their uncle." I said.
"Yes."
Again I had to clear my throat. This was harder than I had thought it would be. "In these last two days, I've come to realize that you and I are kindred spirits when it comes to family," I said.
"I believe that's true, yes," she responded. "So again, what's on your mind Dean?"
I pushed down the discomfort I was feeling and came right to the point. "What I want to know is," I asked, looking right at her, "why is Uncle Freddie still walking around breathing?"
She pursed her lips and looked away from me for a moment, nodding to herself. "Are you expecting some sort of explanation, some kind of justification?"
"I'm just expecting the truth," I said. "Now that I've met you, I need to know how you could have let that man live," I said. I was calm. I wasn't accusatory. But I had to know the answer to this. "Because if I ever find a way to your world, he won't be."
I watched her thinking for what seemed like a long time. I also watched her come to some decision. "Dean, this stays between you and me," she said.
"Of course."
"Then here's your truth, Dean," she said. Looking straight into my eyes. "He isn't."
'But the girls said…"
"Dean!" she said, "He isn't!" Her eyes never wavered from mine. "Do we understand each other?"
I nodded. "Yes, I think so," I answered.
"Good," she said. "Now put your mask back on and hit the showers." She turned away from me and left the room.
Katie's POV
Over dinner we were all a bit wary, and careful what we said. "I've made these charts for you," I said. "There are eight different colors of hearts you'll need to find, though I don't think that's all. One of the really big problems is that everything is different there and I don't always know what the word for something should be. Fortunately, the materials included a translation of the equivalent words for our colors, so I'm pretty sure colors are accurate. Because of that, I've relied heavily on color descriptions for just about everything."
"So this is just a start?" Sam asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," I answered. "But try to memorize all this tonight and destroy the papers."
Maggie asked how the boys were doing. Mom said, "They are doing splendid. I'm actually very impressed," she said smiling. "I wish I had police officers like them on the force."
"Well, we did tell you they were extraordinary," I said, winking at Sam and smiling.
"Yes, they are," she agreed. "But stop telling them that or they will get too arrogant. That can lead to hubris and get them killed."
"Right here," said Dean. "We're right here in the room."
"Mhmm, I know," said Mom. "I said that for your benefit. It's something you should never forget. The minute you think your invincible, the minute you think you are better than your foe, that's the minute you get dead." She put down her fork and looked straight at each of them in turn. "No matter how good you are, your foe is always better, and you are never ready enough. Remember that."
Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, letting that sink in.
"Garth," said Dean, turning to look at him. "How's your tuning fork been today?"
"Quiet, so far."
Dean nodded. "Good!" he said.
After dinner the boys took their papers to the study, and Garth went with them with his radar on. Maggie went as well. After they left I asked Mom how they were really doing.
"I wasn't lying," she said. "If anything I was understating it. I've never in my life seen anyone, male or female, with the kind of skills they have."
"A lifetime of fighting the things they've had to fight, and constantly beating the odds, well yeah, I guess that would make anyone special."
"That's true," she said. "But what worries me is that they are going into something totally unknown, a whole new world, and probably a hostile one."
I saw the look on her face. "Mom, are you okay?"
"Not really," she said. "For the first time in my life, I'm not sure I'm good enough to do something. And I feel that their life is my hands. I'm not sure I'm up to the task. It's frightening."
"Mom," I said. "Something I've learned from the boys. You do the very best you can, because your very best is all you ever can do. And you see how they do that. And I know you always do that. I believe in them. And I believe in you. When they come home, and they will, it will be because of you."
Mom put her hand on my cheek. "I love you, Katie, you know that? And I am so proud of both of you. I always knew you were special. I always knew that somehow the hard life you've had was preparing you for something special. Now I know what that is." She kissed my cheek, said goodnight and went to her room.
I went to join the boys in the study to see how they were doing. I sat next to Sam and he had a sentence written on a paper in front of him. It read…
'Young People Rarely Go Over Board With Black'
"What is this?" I asked.
Sam smiled at me and said, "It's a mnemonic," he said. "A memory tool to help us remember the order of the hearts we have to place around the altar."
"How clever," I said. "Then you'll need to make another one for the…"
"Yes, but we can't yet until we get more from you."
"I'll get you that tomorrow," I promised. "Let's go cuddle."
Everyone liked that idea, so they burned their papers, and we all called it a day.
THANK YOU for reading. As usual, I would love to hear your comments.