nancy werlock's diary s01 - episodes 10 by julie ann dawson Page A

bathroom, she manifests into an almost solid form to speak to me. “Will the fae live?” she asks in a disembodied voice. Ghost-Speech always unnerves me. Usually, ghosts and spirits speak telepathically. To mundanes, such telepathic speech may sound normal; as if you were talking to any other person. But it is actually an auditory illusion created by the mind as a way of rationalizing what is happening.
    But spirits can vocalize when the manifest. It takes a lot of effort and strength to do so, which is why they prefer telepathy. When they vocalize, the sound surrounds you. You can actually feel it like a sudden cold breeze flowing over you from all directions. I hate it.
    “As far as I have been told, he should recover.”
    “Oh. Well, that is something. At least.” She begins to nervously pace. “Any idea what did it? Could it just have been the cat?”
    “We’re 80% sure the cat was possessed at the time.”
    “But not completely?”
    “Vivika, I’m not completely sure of anything these days.”
    “I see.” She stops in front of the window and looks out over the back yard. The light from the morning sun breaks up her form in some places. She’s having difficultly holding the form together. “Did you see his floor? And the window sill? He’s…my son has warded me out of his room completely. I can’t even manifest to talk to him. He…he blames me for what happened. I’m sure of it.”
    “You have to let him work through this on his own,” I say. “I’m sure he has enough blame to spread around to all of us. But he’s also putting a lot of the blame on himself. He needs you to give him some space so he can work through what he is feeling.”
    “I just want to protect him.”
    “I know. That’s what moms do. But there is a fine line between protection and suffocation. And I suspect the last thing Houston needs right now is his dead mother manifesting in his bedroom for a midnight chat.”
    Vivika laughs weakly. “I know you’re right, Nancy. I do. I just feel guilty for putting him through this.”
    “It isn’t like you did this on purpose.”
    “Kind of you to say.” She pauses as if lost in her thoughts. “I didn’t want a son. When I found out I was pregnant with a boy, I was…angry. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? I didn’t want a boy. I wanted a daughter to pass my talents on to. His good-for-nothing father was thrilled, which was all the more reason I didn’t want a boy. I almost aborted him.”
    “What changed your mind?”
    “Pettiness. I used it as a threat against his father to keep him in line. After a while it just…I don’t know. Feel into the trap that a child would make things better between us? But I didn’t actually want Houston until the day he was born and I held him for the first time.” She makes a cradling gesture with her arms. “He was such a perfect little baby. Such a…I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this.”
    “Probably something to do with that degree I have in family counseling,” I joke. “People love free therapy.”
    Vivika chuckles and turns around. “I am a terrible mother, and a worse human being.” It isn’t a lament or even a confession. She says it as a statement of fact. “For all of my power and plotting and careful planning, I’ve hurt the one person in the world I wanted to protect. And my selfishness has put him on a course that…whatever happens, Nancy. Promise me you will take care of him.”
    “We’ll get through this, Vivika.”
    “Promise me.”
    “I promise.”
    She vanishes back across the Veil.
    I get to the shop to find Houston and Eric hanging charms disguised as Halloween decorations around the windows and door of the shop. Before I can even say anything, Houston says, “I figure after the whole thing with Anastasia and that wisp, it might be a good idea to keep them out of the shop.”
    “You know that will repel her anima as well, right?”
    “Price we need to pay to keep safe.”
    I leave them to