A Ruby by any Other Name - 1. Chapter 1

“Just get her ass in here.”

I could hear Johnston screaming from across the street. I sipped my cold coffee and tried to put some distance between me and the crime scene. I knew it wouldn’t last, but a girl could hope couldn’t she.

An ambulance worker left the house just as the Medical Examiner pulled up. I wanted to look anywhere else but I couldn’t help but watch the front door.

I spotted Detective Teresa Collins as she left the house. It was sort of hard to miss her. At six foot two, she towered over everyone. If her height alone didn’t gain her attention the flaming red hair that hung in a braid down her back was impossible to miss. She was the type of eye candy I loved. Problem was she was married, and trust me I knew it really well, because it was to my brother.

“Wendy, come on. They are waiting on you.” Teresa nearly lifted me off the sidewalk when she grabbed my arm. At a stunning five foot four inches I felt like a rag doll as she ducked back under the police tape and hauled me toward the front door.

“You know, just once I wish you guys would forget about me and just work a case like the rest of the world.”

Teresa paused and looked at me.

“You know damn well once magic and ESP were proven to be real, the rest of the world wanted help and began to look for people like you.”

“I still wish Robert had gotten these damn powers instead of me.”

“Robert’s powers are different than yours. What can I say? Women and men approach things differently. Besides I have enough problems with your brother, at least we don’t have to butt heads at work too.”

I shot her a look and scowled. “No, you get to bully his little sister instead.”

Teresa laughed. “Yeah, right. Like anyone can make you do something you really don’t want to.”

“Would you two stop coffee clutching and get your asses in here!”

Chief Detective Christopher Johnston was a world class male chauvinist pig. I should know, I have had to deal with the son of a bitch often enough. He felt women belonged barefoot, pregnant, and as far away from his world as he could get them unless he needed them for something. One of these days he was going to push me too far the wrong way and I wasn’t going to be responsible for what happened.

Teresa sighed and walked into the room ahead of me. I counted to three and followed her in. Johnston stood with his arms crossed looking like I had made him do something distasteful. I smiled widely and flipped him off.

“Watch it, Wendy.”

“Screw you. You keep dragging me into ….”

I never got to finish my comment because my eyes fell on the dead woman lying on the floor. No denying this woman had been captivating alive, because even dead you couldn’t look away from her. Her jet black hair was spread out behind her like a black carpet, pale white skin, and no makeup. She was wearing a red corset with black laces and a red peasant skirt. In her hand was a large blood red ruby, but at first glance I almost mistook it for an apple.

“I see you spotted the corpse. Her name is Ruby Appleton. She is the daughter of Joann River and Lou Appleton.”

I heard Teresa’s sudden intake of breath and realized the name of one of them should have meant something. Problem was I never read the paper and tried to avoid the news like it was the plague. It was bad enough having to view the cases I did and see what people could do to one another. Worse was having to go in to fix it and seeing not just the aftermath but the actual act of destruction itself and then have to attempt to change it. It left me with a sour taste in my mouth about the world in general. So when I spent my life flickering between the past and the future, the last thing I wanted was to see more bad news because I never knew if that might end up being my next case.

“Why on earth did you bring her here if …” Teresa’s pale cheeks flushed as she shot him a dark look.

“Detective if you value your job you will shut your mouth and go wait outside.”

I watched the color rise in Teresa’s cheeks to an even brighter red. Something was seriously wrong here. Teresa was many things, but she was always a good cop. I didn’t like how this was playing out.

“Listen up. Bad enough you had a cop wake me up out of bed and drag me here before I even got to have breakfast. Then you pawn off that rotten coffee to me while you stand there drinking Starbucks. I didn’t even get to shower and no one likes it when they are that rushed. If you even try to send my sister-in-law out of here, I walk. That is part of my contract, remember. I work the cases I want!”

“No you listen to me, missy!” Johnston reached out to grab my arm and I saw red.

It wasn’t even a real thought. He touched my arm and my power exploded out of me. Two things happened at once. Johnston was tossed across the room and the ruby shot from Ruby’s hand to my own. Then all hell broke loose.

I wish I could say when my powers decide they don’t need me I just fall asleep while they right the wrongs, but that is never what happens. Sometimes being a witch is a real bitch.

Everyone and everything in the room froze. Those trapped inside with me, like Teresa and Johnston, would see first-hand just what my magic could do. The ruby pulsed and a faded black light, remnants of the magic used, showed how it was connected like a faded spider’s web to Ruby as she still lay cold and dead on the floor. Then my magic reached out and time began to flow backwards. Not like you see in movies or cartoons where everyone and everything move backwards. No, it was more like someone hit a reset button on a game and suddenly you were back at the beginning.

We were like ghosts watching what happened. I knew I would have to witness this twice. Once to see what had happened and a second time to try to alter it. I hated the first times so much. I mean who wants to witness a murder, a slaughter, a magical death, or dozens of other things that most normal people would end up in therapy for. Lucky me, I stayed sane but it destroyed any attempt I had at a relationship, but that is something for another time. The ruby sat in the center of the desk. There was no one else there until Ruby came strolling in. She really was a sight to see in that outfit as she strode into the room.

“Fuck it! I’m so damn tired of hearing how I have to live my life.”

Ruby was practically screaming as she paced inside the room. Finally she stopped and leaned against the bookcase. It was then she noticed the ruby sitting on the desk.

“Oh? We have no money for me to get the clothes I want, or go to the school I want, but evidently we can afford to buy a damn stone the size of my friggin fist.”

Then she walked over to the desk, grabbed the ruby and the spell hidden in it was released. Within a moment I, well actually I guess you can say we, watched as the spell wrapped itself around Ruby. It was like watching a spider’s web wrap itself around her. I could literally see the spell spread from the ruby, up her arm, around her chest, and into her mouth. She went to gasp, probably to scream, and suddenly she fell to the floor and looked as she did when I first seen her dead body moments before. Having done what it was cast to do, the spell slowly recoiled and returned to the ruby.

The magic was beginning to take its toll on me. I was shaking and crying and the ruby was glowing, making my hand burn where it was held as the early version of it now lay nestled in Ruby’s dead hand.

Like an out of control tidal wave my magic swirled around the room and the reset button was hit once again. A moment later Ruby came strolling in, slamming the door behind her again.

“Fuck it! I’m so damn tired of hearing how … who the hell are you?”

We’d merged. My future self and this past version of Ruby now were in the same room at the same time. She looked at me, probably wondering where this girl with the pixie hair cut had appeared from. I mean my black cotton shirt, pants, and jacket most likely made her think of a goth girl, but the reality was my magic had a tendency to make anything that had once had a heartbeat want to come back to life if I transported back in time. Once your belt tries to squeeze the life out of you while your bag begins to walk over toward the grass to graze you learn quickly that you don’t want anything that was once alive to go back with you. It also meant I never ate a damn thing till after a case was over.

I watched as Ruby saw me and bit her bottom lip. She evidently decided to get the hell out of there and she darted around the desk. As she passed she spotted the ruby and reached out to grab it. If I didn’t move now, all of this energy would be wasted. I dove for it too and then things got complicated. First my hand, which was already holding one ruby felt the two merge once more into a single stone, as one reality began to fade away. Then Ruby’s fingers meshed with mine as we fought for control of the stone. Only there was a problem. The stone didn’t see us as two separate people so it launched itself at both of us. The difference was this time my magic was there and it surrounded the spell.

Whoever had cast it was no slouch. The damn thing used a few counter agents to attempt to slip past and complete its mission. Damn lucky for me, that once I learned what I was, I actually sought out someone to teach me the best ways to use it and how to protect myself. My damn shirt was now stuck to me as the sweat poured out of my body. Almost in slow motion I watched as Ruby’s eyes rolled up into her head as the backlash of the magic hit her. I watched as the darkness was torn apart by my rainbow magic. As the final piece was destroyed, the stone was filled with a new spell of acceptance for those around you, and my hand let go of the ruby as Ruby herself fell once more into position, only this time breathing, if a bit labored.

The magic swirled one last time and I collapsed to the floor totally exhausted.

I woke up a few minutes later to find that Johnston and Teresa were still locked in place while everyone from the outside world had been unable to enter. One thing about my power, when it decided to take me over, there was a major problem.

I looked around the room and knew it had been bad. Johnston was still spread eagle against the wall and looking extremely upset. Teresa looked pale, but her eyes were plastered to a spot a few feet above the body. It took me a minute to recognize the fading images of my own magic that still hung in the air.

“Shit!” I tried to sit and the room seemed to spin.

Teresa turned and then seemed to notice me.

“Wendy, do you even know what you did?”

My head felt like it had the high school marching band stomping through it. It was a side effect of being a touch witch. I didn’t only get to see the past or the future when I touched an object. That would have been a simple medium, which would have been fine with me. No, my damn power had the ability to bring scenes to life, occasionally I could even alter the action, but as they say, magic comes at a cost. Just ask my ex-girlfriend, or my ex-boyfriend. Both paid the price for being with me and my magic. My head throbbed, but I managed to sit upright.

“Hey, considering the fact that besides the two of you, um,” there was a bald guy in the ME outfit shaking and pale standing in the other doorway, “I was the only other one to see that, is that girl still dead or do you need the ambulance back?”

Who knew when my magic was set loose that the ME had been just inside the other doorway? Oh well, too late to worry about that now. I sat there feeling ice cold and totally drained. Whatever had happened while I was unconscious had shaken up the three of them. The last of my magic faded and I heard Johnston crash to the floor.

“Fucking little bitch.”

If I had the energy I would have smacked the shit out of him, but just keeping the coffee down and myself in a sitting position was taking everything I had. I watched the ME go over to Ruby and touch her wrist. A moment later he was feeling for her pulse in her neck.

“I, uh, gotta call that ambulance back. I’m not use to my bodies having a pulse.”

I watched as the bald guy made as wide a path as he could around me and then he nearly ran through the doorway.

Teresa finally had come back to herself. She was now kneeling beside me and rubbing my back.

“Damn it, Wendy. I wish you would let me know when you are going to do something like that.”

I looked up into her freckled face and let the truth slip out.

“Ter, I really don’t know what I did. The magic took over and simply used me as a conduit.” I rubbed my hands together. I hated it when I was used by the magic. I was never sure what happened, but I couldn’t hide that from her. “Just tell me that we were successful this time.”

Before Teresa could say a world Johnston stomped over and sat beside Ruby.

“I think she is going to make it.”

His hand touched Ruby’s pale one for a moment and then he turned back to me.

“You could have warned us what you were up to.” He narrowed his eyes. “We could have taken precautions. You aren’t the only one involved in these things!”

I wanted him to shut up, but didn’t have the strength to fight him right now. I looked down and noticed the ruby was still in my hands.

“It was magicked. As soon as she picked it up, it sapped her life force.”

Teresa’s whispered answer scared the hell out of me. I had remembered how it had flown to my hand. As I looked into the ruby I could a small black stain that was fading. The magic used on it was not the original intention for this stone and it couldn’t hold on, especially once my own had flooded the stone.

“She hadn’t been the target. The stone was meant for her father, but she was the first one to pick it up. The spell was let loose.” I forced out bits and pieces my magic had learned while it wrestled for control.

“When your magic forced the scene to happen again we seen a flash and she was caught in the middle of it but there seemed to be black light and then your multicolored spell working against it.”

I listened as Teresa tried to fill in the blanks for me. It was odd learning about things from a person and not from the magic or my own memory. The more she talked about my powers the more I thought of my brother. Robert always laughed when we talked about magic. While we both inherited powers from our mother they were totally different. My older brother talked to animals. He literally could make any animal do as he wished. Trust me; my mother nearly had a stroke when he tried to keep a raccoon as a pet. His power was always seen as a blue wave. Mine, he joked, was like me. Since I couldn’t decide which sex I wanted, he said my powers had never chosen a color either but flashed through all of them.

“Oooh.”

I heard a soft whisper from across the room.

“Get her out of here! Now!”

Teresa picked me up and literally carried me out the front door and over to where one of two ambulances had just arrived.

“Wendy, you friggin saved her life.” Teresa looked around before she leaned close and whispered to me, “her mother is Reverend River, the woman who has been preaching about the evil of witchcraft and how it all leads to a gay or bisexual downfall of the world.”

“Who?”

Teresa shook her head.

“You really need to come out of your little world now and then, Wendy. Her mother preaches that you are the ruin of the world. Hell you are two of her worst nightmares in one. Bisexual and a witch.”

“I promise not to sleep with her or her husband.” I watched Teresa’s pale face darken. “Further more I promise if either of them gets hurt, killed, or need my power for some other reason, I’m refusing the case.”

Teresa looked at me and shook her head. I watched the braid peak out from the back of her head as she slowly stood up again.

“You really are incorrigible. You know that.”

“Nah, I’m a bitch.” I smiled and rubbed the bump on the back of my head. “Fuck the hospital. Take me out for breakfast. I’m starving and that bastard still owes me a meal.”

I leaned back against the door of the ambulance as Teresa’s phone began to ring.

Teresa smiled and grabbed her phone.

“It’s Robert.”

I nodded. It seemed to be the other part of Robert’s powers. He always knew when I seemed to overdo it. Only when he seemed to take my hand did I reach a calm center again. Needless to say I knew what was coming.

“Yes dear. God you are worse than your mother.” Teresa rolled her eyes as I tried not to laugh. “Yes, of course she is hungry. She is your sister. What? Yes, we’ll meet you there.”

“Where are we going?”

“To the Village Diner, where else?”

I smiled. I knew breakfast would be a huge platter of food then. Robert would make sure both of his girls were taken care of. Being eighteen and under contract did have its advantages.