Chapter 94

I

“Okay, let me get this straight,” Todd Travis said; “The child you’re carrying obviously isn’t mine. Whose is it, then?”

Christine sighed, wondering if coming back to Todd was a good idea.  They’d done nothing but fight the entire month they’d been cohabitating. They fought over what was essentially stupid, petty stuff, but they were still married in the eyes of the law.

“Todd, does it matter?” Christine said; “It’s your name that’s going to be on the birth certificate.”

“It might.”

“Honestly, Todd, you’re being really stupid about all this,” Christine said. “I gave you an out a month ago, and you didn’t take advantage of it then. Are you having second thoughts now?”

“No, Bethie...”

“I’m not Bethie anymore, Todd, remember?”

“Christine,” he said, not liking the name he now had to address her by; “I’m not having second thoughts. We never really lived together before.”

Christine had to admit that it was true... they never lived together as man and wife. They only consummated the marriage before she left to join the Army.

“Then lets start there, Todd,” Christine said; “One day at a time, instead of making up for ten years of lost time.”

“I never stopped loving you,” Todd said; “I hoped against hope you’d come back to me one day. And you have. But you’re right, we are being stupid about all this. One day at a time. So, no more questions about the baby’s parentage unless you want to tell me all the details. The only thing I need to know is what happened to the father and why didn’t he stand up for his child?”

“He couldn’t, Todd. He’s dead,” Christine said sadly; “He never knew he’d left this incredible gift for me.”

“It’s Jacob, isn’t it?”

Christine nodded sadly; “Yes, Todd, it is.”

“I can live with that,” Todd said; “But no one else has to know that. Mixed race couples have light skinned babies all the time. It’s not going to be all that obvious.”

“I’m glad you realized that, Todd,” Christine said; “Now, if you can just remember to call me ‘Christine’ instead of ‘Bethanie’ or ‘Bethie’.”

“I will try. I really will,” Todd said; “But a lifetime of you being Bethanie or Bethie to me is going to make that hard. But I’ll make the effort for you and the baby.”

Christine patted Todd’s arm. He wasn’t her buddy from high school anymore. He was her husband, and they had to make this marriage work. It was not about just the two of them anymore. The following April, there would be a little one to care for.

For now, Thanksgiving was coming, and they had to get things ready to celebrate the holiday.

===

Jasmine Donovan pulled up to Miri’s dorm, where her niece and Kelly Hope were waiting with Miri’s bags. Kelly was going to stay on campus over the Thanksgiving holiday and volunteer at the local homeless shelter serving the traditional holiday meal.

“Kel, you know you’re welcome at the house anytime,” Miri said; “Won’t you reconsider?”

“Mir, we’ve been over this,” said Kelly; “After last Thanksgiving when I couldn’t go home because of a freak snowstorm, I decided that I was going to make volunteering at the shelter an annual personal tradition. I’ll go home for Christmas since we will have more time off.”

“If you change your mind, you know how to get to the Belvidere house, right?” asked Miri as Jasmine got out of the car and walked toward them.

“I do, Mir, and I’ll call first if I decide to go that route.”

“Okay,” Miri said, a little disappointed that she couldn’t change Kelly’s mind. Not that she’d been able to anyway, because Miri knew Kelly was stubborn. She admired the older girl’s commitment to her obligations. Miri suspected that was one of the things her grandparents stressed-- to help those who have nothing.

“Ready to go, Miri?” asked Jasmine.

“Yes, Aunt Jas, I’m ready,” Miri replied.

“Kelly,” Jasmine said, “I understand you’re volunteering at the homeless shelter for Thanksgiving?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kelly said.

“That’s an admirable trait,” Jasmine said; “But won’t your family miss you?”

“They will, Dr. Donovan, but they understand that this is important to me,” Kelly said; “I got great fulfillment from doing it last year. My grandmother and I used to do stuff like this when I was growing up. I’d like to think she’s proud of me for carrying on the tradition we started.”

“I’m sure she is,” Miri said, remembering the incident at Kelly’s grandfather’s house on the lake. When I did I learn to communicate with the dead, she thought, and why can’t I talk to Dad or Jack the same way?

“Well, go on, Mir,” Kelly said; “Have a great time with your family, and give my regards to your mom.”

Kelly and Miri embraced, then Miri and Jasmine left for the drive back to Belvidere.

“Drive safe,” she called out, and waved.

She then went back into the dorm and up to hers and Miri’s suite.

Things didn’t go back to normal for a while after they returned to school after the incident at the lake house. Miri seemed preoccupied, and Kelly still felt guilty. If Kelly had sat down and really thought about it, she would have discovered that she was scared she had the same demons as Kathryn, and that Miri somehow suspected it. Kelly didn’t know about Miri’s experience talking to Kelly’s grandmother, or that she could see Chastity’s presence.

Kelly started doing things to keep her mind off the memory of watching her grandfather shoot at her mother. Volunteering was one of those things. Both she and Miri volunteered at the homeless shelter, and Miri also volunteered with the local animal rescue group.

The one thing that Kelly Hope didn’t know is that Miri was weirded out by her new found ability to talk to the deceased. The girls still got along and were still the best of friends. But the “incident” still weighed heavily on the minds of both girls, each in a different way. While Kelly felt guilty that Miri had to experience the showdown between Kathryn and her former alter; Miri was dealing with something that she was sure no one would understand.

No one, that is, except her mother.

===

II

Julia was in her home office, working on stuff for her real job with Homeland Security. She had just had all the family’s computers virus checked and old files removed. There was one file on her own computer that had a lock on it. Julia didn’t recall ever seeing this particular file before. It was listed under locked files under the name “Julia”. It required a password to unlock it, and Julia had no idea what the password was.

“This must have been one of Ryan’s old files and he just never erased it,” Julia mused aloud. “I wonder why I’m just now seeing it.”

Julia couldn’t worry about an old file at that particular time. She had her entire family coming for Thanksgiving, and she had a lot to do to prepare.

There were going to be four turkeys, tons of stuffing, rolls, pies and other desserts; various vegetable dishes and cranberries with candied orange peels. Fortunately, Julia’s kitchen could handle four turkeys at once because of the huge double ovens Ryan had the foresight to have installed when the house was built. It was a dream kitchen, even though Julia was never one to spend hours in the kitchen. That was Ryan’s thing because he loved to cook, bake, and make huge dinners. Unfortunately, he didn’t live long enough to enjoy his huge kitchen.

Julia heard commotion downstairs and knew that Miri must be home. She got up, locked the computer and headed down to the pandemonium that greeted Miri when she and Jasmine walked in the door.

As she got to the bottom of the stairs, she heard Zach say, “What, no Kelly?”

“Kelly has plans for Thanksgiving,” Miri said; “She might still come if she gets a chance.”

“Oh,” Zach said; “I get it. She has a boyfriend.”

“She does have a boyfriend, Zach,” Miri said; “but it’s not the reason she staying in Evanston, though.”

“Zachary, that’s really none of your business now, is it?” asked Julia.

“No, ma’am,” the boy said.

After everyone had their chance to greet Miri, she stayed behind in the kitchen while her mother set about baking pies. She didn’t say a word, which concerned Julia more than a little bit.

“Mirielle, something’s bothering you,” Julia said; “What is it?”

Miri sighed; “Is it that obvious?”

“Not to the casual observer,” Julia said; “but I’m your mom. I can tell when something’s wrong.”

“Mom, something is bothering me, but I don’t want to talk about it here,” Miri said; “This is kind of personal.”

“Ahh,” Julia said; “Maybe after all this chaos is over, we can have a nice talk about it.”

“Okay,” Miri said, her voice flat. She wondered if her own mother thought she was crazy.

“You and Kelly still getting along?” asked Julia.

“Of course, Mom,” Miri said; “It’s just that we both seem to be preoccupied with things since we came back from New York.”

“You told me you had fun in New York, though, Miri,” Julia said; “Did something else happen that’s caused all this preoccupation?”

“That’s what I want to talk to you in private about, Mom,” Miri said.

“Say no more,” said Julia. “Let’s get Thanksgiving out of the way, then we’ll have a nice, long mother-daughter chat, okay? Just like we used to before you went and grew up on me.”

“Mom...” Miri said, shaking her head.

===

“What are they saying?” Rachel asked her brother.

“How am I supposed to know, Rach,” Zach said; “I don’t read lips, you know.”

“I wish Jasmine had brought Aaliyah along when she went to pick up Miri,” Rachel said; “Now we have to wait til tomorrow.”

“You and Liyah don’t need to be joined at the hip all the time,” Zach said; “Everyone will be here tomorrow, so don’t worry your little red head over it.”

“Jack used to say that,” Rachel said sadly; “I miss him.”

“I know, Rachel,” Zach said; “I do, too. He was the closest we had to a father since Dad died. I hope Mom doesn’t meet someone else for a long time.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Rachel.

“Because I don’t think I could stand to lose another father figure,” said Zach; “Losing Dad and Jack was bad enough.”

“We have Uncle Jere and Uncle Nik.”

“That’s not what I meant, Rachel,” said Zach; “It’s kind of hard for me to explain.”

“Oh,” Rachel said when what her brother said went right over her head. She then said, “I’m going to go upstairs and read my stuff for my literature section. Mom’s going to test me on it on Saturday.”

“Okay, sis, whatever,” Zach said as he watched Rachel go upstairs. He then sighed. He wished he could explain what he meant by his hope that his mother didn’t meet anyone else for a while. He wasn’t sure he could explain it to himself, much less to his little sister.

If I have to be man of the house, then I’ll do it gladly for Mom and my sisters, he thought as he made his way upstairs himself. He went to his room and closed the door. He laid down on his bed and was soon fast asleep.

===

III

Helene felt bad that the only thing that kept her family away from Thanksgiving with her Grandpa Eric and Krysta were her rehearsals for The Nutcracker. She was dancing the role of Clara again, and a new dancer was dancing the part of the Nutcracker/Prince. His name was Alexei, and Helene thought he was cute. But, so did most of the girls and women of the company. He was 17, from somewhere in Russia, and spoke excellent English with a slight Russian accent.

Helene had learned that he was being educated at the boys boarding school about 40 miles from town. He was always doing homework when he wasn’t dancing.

Her parents were putting away groceries for their Thanksgiving feast, and her sisters were doing their own thing in other parts of the house. Erin was in their mother’s art studio drawing, and Lili was playing with a friend in her bedroom.

“Helene, you have rehearsals today, right?” her father asked her.

“Yes, sir,” she said; “For four hours!”

“Do you want to eat now, or wait til you come home this evening?”

Truth was, Helene was starving. She could eat a whole cow if she wanted to, but all she asked her father for was a sandwich and some tomato soup.

“Is that going to fill you up, Helene?” asked her mother.

“It will give me the energy I need, then I’ll eat a proper dinner when I get home.”

“Then a nice turkey sandwich and a big bowl of tomato soup is coming up!” Christian said. “Save room for dinner, though. Mom’s making stew.”

“With the rolls and everything?” Helene asked.

“Yes,” Kathryn said; “with a salad, too.”

Helene loved it that her mother cooked more now that she was feeling better, and her stew was her favorite of her mother’s dishes.

As she ate her sandwich, she realized that Chastity hadn’t tried to make an appearance in several weeks. She still didn’t really know what happened to put her mother in the hospital back in October, but since she’d been home, Kathryn seemed like a changed person. And for that, Helene DeWitt was glad.

Too soon, it was time for Helene to head to rehearsal. Kathryn was going to drive her there and Christian would pick her up.

But, Helene was dedicated to her art, and that would catch the attention of someone she really didn’t know. Neither of them knew what fate had in store for them. It wouldn’t manifest itself for several more years. Then it would catch each of them totally off guard.

===

IV

They had settled in another part of the country, and Matt had to take another job with another digital newspaper. Jeremiah Donovan kept his word and wrote Matt a letter of introduction to his new employer. Other than the FBI and the Witness Protection folks, only Donovan knew of the whereabouts of Matt Wilkes and his family.

Skylar was now known as Dayna Marie Wilkes, and Justina was known as Skyla Justine Wilkes. She liked her new name, her new home, and made friends easily in her new school.

The family was preparing for Thanksgiving, and they had much to be thankful for. They were also a little saddened that they could no longer have any contact with their families, save for Dayna’s oldest brother, Larson, and his family, who were also in Witness Protection. They lived very far away and would not be able to join the Wilkeses for the holiday.

“Perhaps next year,” Matt said to Dayna, “your brother and his family will be able to join us. He was certainly thrilled to hear his baby sister was safe.”

“I’ve been ‘the baby’ my whole life,” Dayna said; “I’m 30 years old. When are they going to get that I grew up long ago?”

“Probably never,” Matt said; “Let them have their fun, Dayne.”

“You’re probably right on both counts,” Dayna said. “Is the bird almost done?”

Matt checked in the oven, and saw that the turkey appeared to be just about done. Dayna started setting the table and had Skyla help her out.

Wilkes smiled as he watched his wife and daughter set the table, listening in as Dayna explained why the silverwear always went in the same places.

Ah, freedom, Wilkes thought; Not how we planned it, but everything will be fine.

And he knew that only one man knew their secret. Jeremiah Donovan would take it to his grave.

===

The families started arriving Thanksgiving morning, so Julia had her work cut out for her. Miri and Jaime helped out as much as they could, which their mother greatly appreciated.

There was much talking and reminiscing; laughing and joking; and a sense of family. Julia and her brothers (and Natasha, who was unable to come out to Chicago with her family) may not have been related by blood, but a family they were nonetheless.

Kimber and Jamey had taken their nearly two month old son to Austin to meet his auntie and uncles. When she called Julia later in the day, she reported that Niki loved her nephew “to bits”, and that Drake, Sam and John were arguing whether the boy would learn American football or Aussie Rules football.

After everyone had either gone home or bunked with other family members, Julia went up to her office to see if she could hack the file she had seen a couple of days before. Miri interrupted her with a need to talk.

“Sit, then Mirielle,” Julia said; “tell me what’s renting space in your head.”

“The trip to New York, Mom,” Miri began; “Kelly’s family is very nice and very kind, but it was an incident that occurred with Kelly’s biological mom that kind of bothers me still. I’ve tried to shake it, but I can’t seem to.”

“What happened?” Julia asked; “Kelly’s mom is okay, right?”

“She is now, but that hasn’t always been the case,” Miri said, and told her mother the story of her experience.

Julia listened, and was having trouble wrapping her head around the fact that the woman who once headed the American Republic Movement; who wanted to eliminate “The Triad”, was an alternate personality to Kelly’s mother.

“But that’s not what bothers me the most, Mom,” Miri said; “Before Eric Hope shot at Kathryn, I clearly saw two people that no one else saw. One was Chastity. She looked like a black ghost with an evil smile, but was all to real to me.

“The other, as incredible as it sounds, was Kelly’s grandmother, Helene, who died about three years ago. She spoke to me, saying that she knew I could not only see her, but hear her as well. My question is, when did I learn this and why can’t I talk to Dad or Jack the same way?”

“That may be a form of Sixth Sense that came out in you under those extraordinary conditions,” Julia said; “Danica has something similar, but she can see people and tell whether they are friend or foe. None of them are dead, though. You’re the only one who can talk to the dead, and see spectors of alternate personalities. I don’t think you can will it to happen. You’d have to be under incredible stress; and I don’t mean the kind you have at Finals. Maybe that’s why you can’t will yourself to talk to Dad or Jack. It probably doesn’t work that way.”

“It still bothers me, though,” said Miri; “And, I’m sure that Kelly still blames herself for what happened, though I’ve assured her that she had done nothing to cause it.”

Julia nodded; “Kelly may have to work that out on her own. If it were me, I’d tell her that if she needed to talk, that you’d be available to listen.”

“She knows that,” Miri said.

“You’re a good friend, then,” Julia said, patting her daughter’s hand; “But, I already knew that.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Miri said; “I know that I can come to you with anything.”

“That’s what I’m here for, Mirielle,” Julia said with a smile.

===

She saw a car accident; a multi-car pile up on the interstate leading out of Evanston. It had started with a semi truck coming to a sudden stop, and the cars behind it running into each other. The driver of the second car to hit it would die.

Then, there was a news report. The anchor was somber as he reported that a 17 year old sophomore at Northwestern was one of those killed, and the first to be identified: “...Seventeen-year-old Kelly Clare Hope, from Misty Lake, New York, was one of seven people killed during the multi-car accident that occurred the day after Thanksgiving. She was a sophomore at Northwestern University...”

Rachel sat straight up in bed in a cold sweat. I have to tell Miri, she thought as she got out of bed, put her robe on and left her bedroom, making sure that she didn’t wake Aaliyah or Arielle, who were bunking in her room with her.

She walked into Miri’s room and went straight to her oldest sister’s bed, shaking her awake.

“Miri, Miri,” Rachel said urgently; “Kelly’s going to try and come out here tomorrow and she’s going get killed in a car accident. You have to tell her not to come!”

“Rachel, what the hell are you talking about?” Miri said sleepily.

“I saw it in a dream, Miri,” Rachel said; “You have to tell Kelly not to come tomorrow, or she’s going to die!”

Miri sat up in bed and told Rachel, “Tell me everything you saw in your dream.”

Rachel proceeded to do just that.

It was a new form of her Sixth Sense, but she and her sister didn’t know it yet. It would serve Rachel well as she got older.

===