Meridian Read online

  I swallowed. I couldn't imagine seeing the stories in the scraps of fabric Auntie had found and pieced together with the hands of a surgeon. I decided to ask the question that had been plaguing me. "Auntie, what about souls who don't want to go?"

  "They either are borne through by those meeting them on the other side, or they stay here with whomever they're afraid to leave behind."'

  "And if one of us isn't there—then what?"

  "Reincarnation. Another cycle. It's not as simple as all that, but that's the gist of it. Death isn't the end people fear it is. Everything rises, child."

  Tens came back, carrying towels. "I think you two are all wrinkly."

  "That's age, dear one." Auntie cackled. "Not water."

  "Hey!" I cried in protest.

  "We should go before the sun sets and the roads freeze up again."

  "Rises," I said automatically.

  "Exactly." Auntie kissed my cheek and let Tens help her from the pool.

  I gazed up into the sky, trying to see what she saw, trying to find the peace she exuded with each breath. I sighed.

  "You coming, slowpoke?"

  "That's Madame slow poke to you!" I sloshed from the pool and ran to the car, hoping the heater would drive the chatter from my teeth as the water cooled to the temperature of the air around us.

  By the time we made the Turn up the hill, the sun was on its downward slope. "What's so bright? Did we leave that many lights on?" I asked.

  "Oh no." Auntie's words hung in the air as we got closer.

  Chapter 25

  If you live long enough, you learn time is an illusion created by men who fear death. The clocks and watches worshipped by those who deny the inevitable. There is power in acknowledging we are not the ones in control.

  —Melynda Laine

  A giant wooden arrow reeking of gasoline burned on the front lawn. Red and black spray paint covered the porch with words and phrases in a language I didn't recognize. The front picture window was smashed.

  "Those assholes!" Tens slammed the steering wheel with his fists.

  "We're not hurt, we'll be okay," Auntie assured him.

  I wasn't sure I believed her. "Where's Custos?"

  "I left her inside." Tens and I raced up the steps. As Tens juggled the keys I felt watched. I glanced around and saw black shapes move farther into the cover of the trees.

  I grabbed Tens. "Did you see that?"

  He followed my finger. "What?"

  "I thought I saw something—I guess not." Maybe I'd seen deer.

  Custos greeted us from the top of the stairs.

  "Good girl. Good girl." I buried my face in her fur.

  Auntie followed us in. smiling with relief. "She's okay?"

  Tens went out to extinguish the arrow. I began cleaning up the glass and stoking the fire in the hearth.

  "Auntie, what's with the gibberish sprayed on the porch? Do you recognize it?"

  She nodded. "The Nocti. They speak a language older than Latin, older than Christ's Aramaic, older than that of the druids or Sumerians."

  "Oh."

  "I know only a little of their language, but the words I recognized translate as 'watching and waiting.'"

  I shivered. What would we do if they came? "Do they attack? Do I need a weapon?"

  "Love is your greatest weapon. Trust your heart. Meridian. Listen to yourself. They're insidious; they prey on uncertainty and insecurity. There is little we can do to defeat them outright without the help of a Sangre, I wish I knew how to solicit their help."

  "Yeah, where do we get one of those?"

  Auntie wrung her hands. I'd never seen her so upset and unsure. "You can't make a phone call for one. I don't know. I don't know." She fought back tears.

  I hugged her. "It'll be okay." I wasn't sure how to help her, but she needed to calm down.

  Auntie continued, "I've never seen a Nocti. I hope I never will. To need a Sangre's interference means the world is out of balance. They are the beings we whisper about."

  "We'll handle it. I promise." I kissed her forehead. "Custos, stay here." I commanded the wolf as she leaned against Auntie's legs and put her head in Auntie's lap.

  Tens came back in. "Meridian. I need help holding the plywood over the window. It's the best we can do until after the holiday."

  I left Auntie staring into the fire. "Today was too much for her," I whispered to Tens.

  "Maybe."

  "Are they going to come back?"

  "It's escalating."

  "What exactly do they want, though? They want Auntie to move out too?"

  "It's not just the Brotherhood."

  "When did the attacks start?"

  "Soon after I got here. The church was up and running, but it was normal. Then there was a shake-up, a scandal, and Perimo seized control. At first it was little things. A new name. A new board. Quiet gossip that no one could ever attribute but that people believed. Then unemployment skyrocketed with the closings. Perimo attracted more people with work and food. I don't know. If I could just put my finger on it."

  "When did the dead animals and slashed tires and stuff start?"

  "In October, rumors began about Auntie and she started getting fewer invitations to visit people. The phone stopped ringing—with friendly calls, anyway."

  "So October?"

  "The phone calls. Someone let the air out of the tires when she went to the grocery store. The grocer stopped carrying the brands she bought regularly. Our power was cut off."

  "I could be wrong, but what if the Nocti and the church are working together?"

  "But why?" Tens sat down and slapped the table.

  "What's changed?" I asked.

  "That's it—it's you. Auntie said she could sense Nocti, right?"

  "Which means Nocti can sense us." I exhaled. "And she's one hundred six."

  "They knew someone from the family would come to help her pass. They knew a young Fenestra would show up. It wouldn't be hard to find out where you were, watch you, wait."

  "Try to kill me in Portland before I even got here?"

  "Exactly." Tens nodded.

  "Why drive Auntie out?"

  "When the church couldn't bring her in—"

  "They cut her off from support, from friends."

  "I bet they don't even know what the bigger plan is."

  "Do you think Perimo knows?" I asked.

  "He has to. He's not Christian in his teachings—he preaches bloodletting and anger—"

  "And the babies? The deaths? The traps—Celia?" I could see the pieces falling together.

  "All souls for the Nocti. But in exchange for what?"

  I tapped my fingers. "They have to be getting something out of it." My head hurt from thinking so hard. "But I don't know what."

  Tens stood. "See what you can find in the journal, okay? I wish she'd let me read it years ago."

  "Auntie wouldn't let you read it?"

  "Eyes of the Fenestra only." He finished pounding the last nails into the wood. "We'll hang layers of quilts inside to keep out the cold. It'll have to work."

  We shut up the front of the house, leaving the graffiti to be dealt with tomorrow. We found Auntie in the kitchen. "It's time. I packed the last of it."' She nodded at Tens.

  I'd never seen such a bleak expression on his face. "Are you sure?"

  She appeared defeated.

  His expression turned grave as he pulled on his heaviest hiking boots and coat.

  "Where are you going?"' I asked.

  "Out." The venom in his tone made me blink.

  My expression must have shown the hurt I felt because he softened and said. "Sorry. I need to go check on a few things. I'll be back for dinner. You'll be fine. See if you can't find out anything about what we talked about." He brushed past me on his way to the porch, pausing long enough to plant a quick kiss in my hair.

  "I'm in the mood for chocolate cake. Let me teach you the family recipes, okay?" Auntie tugged my hand and I lagged behind.

  Tens sw
ung a huge pack onto his back and opened the back door. He whistled and Custos appeared, slipping out the door next to him. "I'll be back." He winked at me, but I didn't get any comfort from the gesture.

  "Why does he have to go?" I asked Auntie.

  "Can you reach the top shelf, please, dear? That's where I keep the special cocoa powder. Doesn't chocolate cake sound good to you? Let's make macaroni and cheese, too. From scratch. My grandmother always had the best recipes for comfort food. Write the steps down, you should know how to make these dishes."

  She turned the radio to a station that played big band music and old scratchy recordings of singers from the thirties and forties. "Listen. Ella Fitzgerald. She'll make you feel better."

  I dutifully wrote down the instructions for the mac and cheese. My stomach rumbled as the aromas of butter and cheddar filled the kitchen. I was hungry, but terribly worried at the same time. We pulled the casserole out of the oven and put the cake in. Darkness fully settled and I jumped with every noise, moving often to the window to scan for Tens and Custos.

  "Are my parents safe?" I asked.

  "Safe enough." Auntie pursed her lips.

  "From me?" I couldn't help asking.

  She glanced up, shocked. "Heavens no. child. From the Aternocti, from the fearful. Why do you think we send Fenestras away from their immediate family? It's not to be mean."

  "Will I ever see them again?"

  "In time, you can go to them." Auntie grasped my hand and held it with a strength that surprised me. "We have to protect the ones we love. Anyone who is with us is vulnerable, is in danger. In the olden days we had warrior Protectors. There aren't many anymore. You have Tens. He may turn out to be one of the warriors, but only time will tell. There isn't a quick test to see what his destiny is."

  "So, I can't have a family?"

  "No, you must have a family, but every day of their lives they'll be at risk. It's the way, Meridian."

  "Then why can't I have my parents right now?"

  "If you don't make your change, make your choice, then you'll snatch anyone around you and force them through too. You know how to open the window, but not how to close it. If you're not careful, you'll get tangled in living energy."

  "I'll kill anyone around me?"

  "Not directly, dear." Auntie dished up pasta like she'd just told me it would rain tomorrow. "You'll be fine. I know these things. Now, have some of the world's best mac and cheese."

  I wasn't sure I believed her, but she wanted so badly for me to not worry, to not pace and panic, that I fried. And when I put the first bite in my mouth I was lost in a world of cream and custard and cheese. "Oh my God, that's good," I hummed.

  "I know." Auntie giggled like a child.

  We finished eating. The cake cooled, and we iced it. Tens still hadn't returned. Finally, I broke down and had a piece of cake with a tall glass of cold milk.

  "Did my mum know how to cook or what? These recipes are from before I was six. Can you imagine? She wrote these down in pencil on the backs of catalog pages. My daddy saved them, made every cook we ever had make them every month or so.

  Grandmother made sure I memorized them."

  "It's all so good," I said. I tried to peek at the window without drawing her notice.

  "He'll be back shortly. I promise." Auntie patted my hand. "Come keep me company while I finish this quilt."

  "Whose quilt is it?" I asked, sitting down in a chair across from her perch by the fire in the library. We couldn't keep the heat going in the living room because of the broken window. Auntie lovingly unfolded a lap-sized quilt as if unwrapping the richest of presents.

  She smiled, a small sad tilt of her lips. "Mine."

  My stomach dropped. "But you said ... These are all ... You said—"

  "I said that I made quilts of each life that passed through me."

  "Right?" Tears burned at the back of my throat. I wanted to plug my ears and hum at the top of my lungs.

  "This one reflects everything I've learned, ingested. It's an indelible reflection of each face and story that touched my soul."

  "I love you. Why do I ..." I whispered past the waterworks lump in my throat. Why do I have to be the one?

  "I know, child. Only a Fenestra can transition another. If we die without help, the Fenestra energy changes form. We lose our numbers. It's why we're so few in this millennium. It's why the Aternocti try to murder us or change us into one of them. It's almost time for you to take your place. It's nearly time for me to rise again. I want to see Charles in my next life."

  I began pacing the floor. "But I don't know everything yet. I can't possibly—"

  "You can and you will." The steel in her voice demanded that I simmer down. "You must go find more of us before they steal the last of us. We're dying out, Meridian, and more souls will be trapped between, more life energy sucked into the dark forever by the Aternocti"

  "How am I supposed to ..." I choked, barely able to catch my breath. Me. Out there. Hunted and hunting.

  "If the Aternocti succeed in weeding out Fenestras, then they will have direct access to millions of innocent souls. Think of the energy. The destruction this could wreak. You must find us first. Help us. Teach us. Keep the lore, the history. Use your instincts and the help the Creators will send to guide you."

  "But where are they? These other Fenestras? Why don't they come here? To you?"

  "Not everyone is as blessed as you are to have a family together, faithful to traditions and the old ways. People in this century prefer things they can see and touch. They don't believe; they lose the stories, the magic. They don't know what they are."

  Heavy boots stamped on the porch. Tens shouted. "Just me," before he opened the door and marched in without his pack. "I'm sorry, it took longer than I thought." He didn't bother to remove his boots, tracking bits of snow and mud along the hallway.

  Auntie shooed me back to the kitchen. "Go feed him some of that cake. I'll be right here by the fire."

  The scent of pipe smoke and roses filled the hallway. "Tens, do you smoke?"

  "Never. Why?"

  "Does Auntie?"

  "Not in front of me."

  "Do you smell that?"

  "Nope."

  "Someone's here. I'd swear someone smokes a pipe here all the time." A clatter above our heads had us glancing up at the ceiling.

  "Stay down here." Ten said.

  "No. I'm coming with you."

  Even his sternest expression wouldn't have allowed me to let him go up there alone. We got to the top of the stairs and everything seemed normal. The door to the room where I'd found the scissors was wide open.

  I pointed, inching toward the doorway. Tens marched into the room. At first we didn't see anything. Then Custos whined and dropped a pipe at my feet.

  Chapter 26

  That's it." Excitement flooded through me.

  "What?"

  "Charles. He's here. He stayed. He's waiting for Auntie."

  "What are you talking about? He's gone."

  "No, I don't think he is. I think he's been trying to tell me he's still here. But why didn't he use Auntie? That doesn't make any sense."

  Pounding on the front door had us scrambling out of the room and clambering down the stairs.

  Tens swore. "It's Perimo! What's he doing here?"

  "You'll protect me?" I asked, and opened the door when he nodded.

  "Good evening. I heard there was a bit of trouble up here. I thought I'd offer my services. How is the elder Meridian handling things?"

  Tens stood stiffly behind me. My instincts were screaming, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. "She's fine," I answered.

  "Are you sure? I heard she was feeling poorly. Perhaps I could pray with her? There's time yet to save her soul." Perimo stepped forward as if to enter the house.

  I stood my ground and didn't let him enter. "Time before what?"

  "She's not young. Miss Sozu. Time is running out for her."

  I heard Auntie call out to us.
Tens hesitated until I nudged him to go check on her. "What do you mean, time is running out?"

  "It's almost a new year, isn't it? The dawn of a new day. I came to minister to her. As I minister to all my brethren."

  I knew when Tens turned the corner behind me because the Reverend's eyes darkened immediately. He drew himself up to tower over me. Fear struck me dumb.

  Perimo's voice grew low and scratchy. "The time is coming. The end is near. You don't want to be rude to me."

  "I don't?" I asked

  "Little children, it is the last time: And as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.'"

  I slammed the door in his face. "Don't come back!" Once I heard him finally walk down the porch steps, all I could do was rest my forehead against the door and wonder if he had the power to make me regret what I'd just done.

  * * *

  I found Tens in Auntie's bedroom having a murmured conversation with her, the gist of which seemed to be about Auntie leaving us unprepared to defend ourselves. Tens couldn't convince her she wasn't, so I interrupted. "Can I do anything for you?"

  Tens wouldn't meet my eyes.

  Auntie shook her head slightly and seemed to settle back into a half-sleep.

  Ask her. Ask her. Ask her, "Auntie." I dragged a chair close and leaned toward her. "I need to ask you something."

  She didn't open her eyes. "What is it?"

  "I think Charles is a ghost. I think he's here."

  "My Charles is gone, little one." She sighed.

  "Let just say I'm right. Why hasn't he gone through you?"

  "He couldn't ... in book ... energy changes ... invitation ..." With each word her voice became quieter, the effort greater.

  "Auntie?" I asked.

  Tens sidled closer. "She's sleeping, Meridian. I don't think she can answer you."

  "What if I'm right?"

  "Is there anything in the journal?" Tens asked.

  "Let's hope so." I raced out of the room to grab the book. I'd only read about a thumb's width of pages. A lot of the handwriting was microscopic quill-and-ink script. It was like deciphering code.

  I lugged the tome into the study and turned on a lamp, flipping through pages until my eyes crossed. Hours passed. Custos wandered in and sat at my feet.