Elias - 4. Part 4

The next morning, I rolled out of bed, sending the pillow that was pulled over my head flying off the other side. Looking around, blinking the heaviness from my eyes. Not seeing Elias, I looked down at the ring on my nightstand. I wasn’t a morning person, I didn’t rise out of bed easily but I couldn’t help thinking I felt something just before my eyes shot open. Like someone had touched the cover draped on my shoulder. I expected to see Mom hovering over me, but the room was empty. Shaking my head, I yawned and turned to look at the bed behind me and thought about crawling back into it for a few more minutes. Waking up like this was quickly becoming a habit I could do without.

Deciding against going back to bed I walked into my bathroom and brushed my teeth, before I pissed, then took a quick shower. I had a promise to keep and now that it was a Monday, I would be able to get started with that. The Museum would be open, at least for a little while. Maybe longer if a school was scheduled to take a tour there. Wrapping my towel around me I walked back into my bedroom and searched for him again. Still not seeing him I looked back down at the ring wanting to reach out and touch it. Something about his sudden disappearance after I left my bed for the bathroom last night had me feeling uneasy. He had asked me if I was okay, worried that he had done something to make me angry.

Ignoring the ring I walked around my bed to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of boxer briefs and a pair of socks. I tossed them on my bed and walked to my closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Throwing them on the bed too I walked back around and dropped my towel and grabbed my underwear. Bending down, I stepped into them and pulled them up over me and pulled my shirt over my head. As I grabbed my pants I looked at the ring and as I bent and pulled them on over one leg I knew, without a doubt, why I had to bolt into the bathroom. Why I closed the door, hoping he remembered me telling him to stay out of that room. I had to admit that I felt something for him, giving him his name back. It brought him more to life, he was no longer a spirit that hovered around me, half scaring me, half making me question my sanity.

His voice had become something I wanted to hear. I couldn’t replicate it in my own mind, I couldn’t find the right words, or the right memory. I hadn’t known him long enough for that familiarity to be burned into my mind. Elias had been worried about forgetting his name again, or the promise that I told him I would keep. Now I was worried, when he wasn’t here, that he might not come back. That the ring would lose its hold on him and he would be free. I didn’t understand ghosts, but it wasn’t difficult to see that he had a purpose. That the purpose had something to do with the ring he made.

The promise to help him, felt dangerous to me now and that worried me too. Before knowing his name or feeling whatever I was feeling, I was more than ready to be rid of him. Yesterday I would have left him at that stone. Yesterday I was afraid of hearing his voice and having to accept that he existed at all.

After zipping and buttoning my pants I grabbed my phone and saw an unread text from Kaelie. Opening it I sighed. Kaelie was one minded and was already awake and wondering where I was and to meet her at the museum. Looking at the time stamp, I saw that I was probably going on forty minutes past a thorough chewing out whenever I did meet up with her. So instead of responding that I was on my way, I slid the phone into my pocket. Then I made a plan to get her a hot chocolate and hoped my butt chin and brown eyes still held their powers over her.

“Elias?” I said as I finally reached for the ring. When my finger slid over the edge of it I felt him coming back and I smiled as I slid the ring off my nightstand and into the palm of my hand.

“Hi,” he answered and I looked over to see him hovering just inside my room from the hallway.

“Hi,” I greeted offering him a small smile. “Are you ready to go?”

“I will go wherever you take me,” he said, his eyes falling on the ring in my hand. Watching him looking at the ring, he didn’t have the hyper focused almost possessive look about him when he saw it. He wanted to protect this ring once and hated that I had found it. He told me that he felt warmth when I touched it. Last night he smiled when I held it. Today he looked worried and when he looked up at me, I didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Do you remember your name?” I asked, still holding the ring just out in front of me. “You told me to remind you, in case you forgot.”

“Elias C. Blakely,” he answered, smiling briefly.

“We’ll find out more about you today, I’m sure of it,” I said, swallowing as I slid the ring into my other front pocket.

“Thank you,” he offered as he moved out of my way as I started walking, but I couldn’t help thinking that he was being odd. The mention of his history yesterday had him darting around making him difficult to follow. Today he just felt like he was along for the ride, like I was the only one wanting to find out what happened to him.

“You’re welcome,” I said, glancing over at him as I passed him. “Were you tired last night, you left me alone suddenly.”

“Yes, I was tired,” he answered, glancing at me as he moved along beside me. I felt the cold of him on my arm as we went down the hallway. He still minded the walls and moved around the objects in my room despite being able to walk through them if he wanted. I didn’t ask him why, I didn’t want to, the more he acted human the more I felt comfortable around him.

“You could have told me, I wouldn’t have kept you up,” I said as we made it to the bottom of the stairs and I started up them.

“I will tell you today, I apologize,” he answered and I stopped half up the first stair and looked at him. This time he hovered beside me and when he looked away from me I stepped back down onto the concrete floor.

“Elias,” I said and when he looked over at me I shook my head. I wanted to ask him if there was something wrong, but I also didn’t want to. I felt unsteady around him now and I knew the reason why I felt it. I didn’t know what ghosts were like, how they felt things. He was protective about his ring. He was scared when I told him I was putting him back under the stone. He was happy when he knew his name. Those were easy feelings, I saw those in him. The quiet numbness I thought I saw in him right now though, I didn’t know. I didn’t know if he was feeling anything or was just coming along calmly, because he knew I was keeping my promise. I didn’t know if he could fall in love, or hate. Those were the real emotions I was interested in and I knew I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to ask them.

“What?” He asked after I didn’t say anything.

“Nothing, forget it,” I answered looking up the stairs before I started back up them.

Being Monday, Dad would be at work. The new school year started last month for the county. Mom would be fluttering around the house looking for things to do, but since I was the only one left here, I didn’t mess up the place enough for her. She was used to cleaning up after four boys and I had never been messy. Not seeing her in the kitchen I glanced over into the living room. The light was off and when I looked at the table I saw a note.

Picking it up I quickly read it then felt cold air on my neck and looked over to see him reading it over my shoulder. When he finished he looked over at me and moved away. Frowning I put the paper back down on the table and shuddered as goosebumps ran down my body. Mom was going out with her sister, my aunt Lillian and that usually meant they were going store hopping and would be gone all day. It was fall, so I could imagine the house being decorated with new seasonal junk and the smell of pumpkin spice when I got back home. Wrinkling my nose I turned and watched him following me through the living room, his quiet starting to bother me more and more as time passed.

“Who is Lillian?” He asked as I unlocked the front door then turned the handle. When it glided open, letting in the sun I smiled.

“My aunt,” I answered, rolling my eyes. “When Mom and her get together, they spend a small fortune on junk.”

“Why an entire fortune?” He asked as I held the door open for him. I was about to swear at myself, but he surprised me by offering me a small smile as he went through the open door and hovered on the front porch.

“I don’t understand women at all, Elias,” I answered smiling when he smiled and nodded.

“You seem to understand Kaelie,” he said as he followed me as I stepped down the stairs on the front porch and onto the sidewalk.

“Mostly because Kaelie says what’s on her mind,” I said, shaking my head. “Even when I don’t want her to.”

“Why would you not want her to?” He asked as we got to the driver’s side door and I hated that we had to take the car. We lived too far away from the museum to walk and I didn’t want to lose contact with him now that I had him talking. Some of the weird fluttery feelings I had in my gut had eased a little and I thought if I kept him talking, we would start feeling normal again.

“Because most of the time, I’ve done something to make an ass of myself and she makes it worse,” I answered and smiled when he laughed.

Watching him, I shook my head and opened the driver’s side door. Hearing it open he stopped laughing and I frowned as I climbed inside the car. Closing the door behind me, I watched his form fade away, leaving me in silence again. Starting the car I quickly fastened my seatbelt then looked around before I backed out of my driveway and onto the road.

Driving in silence, I kept glancing down at my speedometer. Realizing I was speeding, I would let off the gas, only to hate the silence and press my foot back down on the pedal again. Wanting to get to the museum, I scratched the plan to bribe Kaelie with hot chocolate and take my cussing when it came.

As I sped all the way through town, I glanced at every spot I knew the town’s police liked to sit. Not wanting a ticket, I slowed down just long enough to see if they were there. If I didn’t see them I gunned it again and when I was back on the road that led to the ghost town, I saw the museum. Parked out front was the pink jeep, along with two other cars. Leaning against the jeep was Kaelie holding a drink carrier with two drinks and a small paper sack.

“You’re going to get it, she looks angry,” Elias said and I jumped, jerking the wheel before I slammed on the brakes.

“Where are you?” I asked as my eyes darted around in my car.

“I’m here,” He answered, but still not seeing him I shook my head and looked around for any oncoming traffic before I righted the car and started driving again.

“I thought you couldn’t come with me?” I asked, shaking my head. “If I’d known you were here I would have talked to you.”

“It is too tiring, I wouldn’t be able to stay long,” he answered as I slowed and pulled into the museum parking lot.

“What made you try this time?” I asked as I put the car in park and turned the key.

“Curiosity,” he answered and now that we were sitting still I saw him hovering between the passenger seat and the back seat.

“A warning would’ve been nice,” I said, shaking my head as I turned forward just as Kaelie pushed herself off her Jeep and started towards us.

“I apologize,” he said as I sighed and opened my door.

“Where have you been?” Kaelie asked as I opened my door wider. I heard laughter behind me as I slid out of my seat. “And what was that driving, you scared me half to death.”

“You know why,” I answered, shaking my head. “Someone decided to pop up out of nowhere.”

“Oh,” she said as I closed the door behind me and felt cold air slide up my arm and looked over to see him standing beside me.

“I brought breakfast,” she said as she shoved it into my chest. I grunted as I unrolled the bag and looked inside to see two glazed doughnuts.

“Thanks,” I said as I reached inside and pulled one out.

“The hot chocolate is probably just warm chocolate by now,” she added as I traded the sack with the other doughnut for the paper cup.

“Sorry,” I offered as she opened the bag and pulled out the second doughnut. I watched her take a bite, holding it in her mouth as she balled up the paper sack. There was a trash can outside the entrance and she walked over and tossed the sack into it.

“Marilou has already been out here twice to check on me,” she said as she chewed. By the time she got back to me I had already finished off the doughnut and was sipping on the lukewarm hot chocolate. I wasn’t going to complain about it, knowing I was late and already in hot water with her.

“Sorry again,” I said and she rolled her eyes.

“How is Elias?” She asked, her voice falling to a whisper. I hated that he was standing beside us, I wanted to tell her the truth. That I felt like something was wrong, that I didn’t know what it was. With him here, listening, I didn't want to talk about him. He smiled at me and seemed to be waiting for my answer.

“He’s okay, I guess,” I answered and when she cocked an eyebrow I shrugged and decided to just down the rest of my drink.

“What do you mean you guess?” She asked as she took a sip of her own hot chocolate then grimaced and shot me a glare. “This would have been so delicious twenty minutes ago.”

“Again, sorry,” I added then smiled and when she rolled her eyes and grabbed my empty cup out of her hand I watched her walk over and toss it all into the trash.

“Do you think she heard your apology this time?” Elias asked as Kaelie made her way towards the front door and I pressed the door lock button on my car.

“She heard me every time I said it,” I answered, smiling at him. “She just chose to ignore me.”

“Oh,” he said and I watched his eyes widen before he smiled.

“Well come on,” Kaelie ordered as she grabbed the door handle. I watched her pull the door open before I sighed and picked up my pace.

“Oh he made it, finally,” an older woman said as soon as we entered the air conditioned building. Looking around I saw her standing behind a small welcome desk that stood waist high.

“Yes I told Marilou all about you,” Kaelie hissed as she offered the older woman a smile.

Both of them were looking at me with big assed smiles on their faces and when I shrugged and started walking further into the building, they both laughed. The cold room bothered me until I felt even colder air graze my forearm and smiled.

“Kaelie told me you were interested in the archives of former townsfolk,” Marilou said and I turned to see her walking around her desk. She was dressed in a sweater, a light gray with linked triangle design down both shoulders all the way to the waist. She had on thick framed glasses and her hair was tightly curled on her head. “Are you looking for someone in particular?”

“Yes,” I answered, turning completely around to face her. The building was a mix of large shelves that held a lot of books, like a library. Then there were items along the walls all encased in glass. It smelled like a mixture of windex, dust, and old books.

“We do have a digital archive,” she said, waving her hand towards a small row of computers. “But to get a real feel of the history here the paper archives are the way to go.”

“Whatever works best,” I said as she walked past me just as Kaelie came to a stop at my other side, barely missing Elias who saw her coming and moved out of her way.

“I want to know about the witch,” Kaelie said as she started walking again as Marilou disappeared down the third row of books. I fell into step beside her looking around. I hadn’t been in here since grade school, I remembered there being carpet, but it had been replaced. I wanted to look around too, to see what was inside the encased glass displays. I wanted to see if anything stood out to Elias who hovered beside me as we went.

“Really!” Marilou said just as we caught up to her. She turned to look at us and for the briefest of moments I thought that she may have walked out to the stone and saw it moved.

“Yeah,” Kaelie said as she glanced up at me and I knew she was thinking the same thing.

“Strange you ask about her,” she said and I was already preparing my apology. I would volunteer my time to keep my ass out of a trespassing charge or paying for damages, even if it was just damaged grass that would grow back. “We were going to announce something huge involving the witch at the end of the month, to debut mid-October.”

“What is it?” Kaelie asked and Marilou smiled and suddenly turned and darted out of sight around another bookshelf. Kaelie took off first and I quickly caught up to them as Marilou led us towards the far end of the museum. There was a large cardboard box, it had been opened as the lips of them were pulled up. When she stopped at the box she turned to face us.

“You’ll have to wait to get her story,” Marilou said as she reached inside the tall, flat box and pulled out a sign. On it were large block letters and when she righted the sign I was able to read, ‘The Mystery of the Witch,’ in large purple letters. Then underneath, read, ‘Finally unburied, is the truth.” In larger print was the date and the time of the debut, but it was October 18th, mid-October, at the height of the halloween craze that always took place here.

“Really?” Kaelie asked, “You’re going to make us wait?”

“Sorry dear, this is a business,” she said as she let the sign slide back into the cardboard box.

“I’ll be out of the state by then,” Kaelie countered, her voice falling to a whine. “We won’t tell anybody, we can even pay you.”

“No, sorry,” Marilou said, her smile faltering slightly. “I can’t risk it, people will come from all over to hear her story.”

“Can you show us to the archives, then?” I asked as Kaelie’s foot nudged against mine.

“Can you at least tell us where the name Maggie came from?” Kaelie asked just as Marilou started walking towards us. When she stopped and perked back up I thought Kaelie had just outed us again.

“Maggie,” Marilou repeated as she reached up and readjusted her glasses.

“Margret,” beside me I saw Elias dart forward with a gasp as he said the name. When I turned my head he turned back to me, his eyes wide. I watched him fading out of form and rapidly back, so I knew his mind was racing as he tried to remember.

“Margret,” I said, looking between him and Marilou. “That’s the name of the witch.”

“I can’t confirm that,” she answered, offering me a small smile.

“It is,” I said, nodding my head. “You don’t have to confirm it, the name of the woman buried under the stone is named Margret, Maggie was a name given to her by someone.”

“This is excruciating,” she said, throwing her hands into the air.

“What’s going on?” Kaelie whispered and I felt her sharp elbow dig into my side.

“Please Marilou,” I said as I slid my arm back and gently pushed Kaelie’s elbow out of my ribcage. “I will do anything for you to tell us her story today.”

“I wish I could,” she said as she shook her head. “I will take you to the archives now.”

“Maggie,” Elias repeated as he hovered in front of me. “Margret, Maggie, Margret, Margret Apple, Apple, Margret Appleby.”

“Margret Appleby,” I said and I saw Kaelie look up at me just as Marilou’s mouth fell open.

“How on earth?” She asked as she stepped closer to us.

“That’s her name,” I answered as I felt cold air hit my arm as Elias bolted to my side, but his form was more solid again.

“We found those records, the only known records in existence, in an unmarked box under the floor,” Marilou muttered as she studied me. “We made those exterminators sign Non Disclosure agreements.”

“Make us sign one,” Kaelie offered, rising up to her tiptoes slightly. “We’ll do anything, if that’s what it takes.”

“How do you know the name in the first place?” Marliou asked, still looking at me.

“My Dad’s family were a founding family,” I answered shrugging.

“You’re a Carlson,” she said, waving her hand. “Your family were farmers way out in the countryside, this information wouldn’t have found your family’s ears.”

“Her name did,” I countered feeling a twinge of anger at the slight diss against my family name. I hoped it didn’t read on my face though.

“So this Margret, the witch, was she a prominent person back then?” Kaelie asked and I glanced over at her.

“Not exactly,” Marilou answered and I sighed, moving my hand out until I felt the chill of Elias. I wanted to look at him, but I knew it would look weird with Marilou standing so close and looking me over.

“Can’t you help me?” I asked moving my hand further away from my side before I let it fall back against me. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important, please.”

“I can’t, I can’t remember her,” he said as he darted to where I could see him. He was standing close to Marilou.

“I want to know why Elias C. Blakely was at Margret Appleby’s grave the night he died,” I said knowing I was swinging blind for the most part and hoped I had made just enough of a connection to keep Marilou on edge. When her mouth fell open slightly I held up my hand. “You can use us as experimental guests for your presentation, anything.”

“You already seem well informed on the subject of the witch,” Marilou said and I saw the excitement she had earlier fading with her smile. I didn’t know what she was thinking now and I hated that I was ruining her morning, especially when she was all smiles and buzzing earlier.

“That’s honestly everything we know,” I said and I felt another elbow dig into my side. I knew I was giving up the leverage I had, I doubted it would have gotten me anywhere though. I was just worrying the woman for nothing and she was protecting her business investments. I couldn’t blame her, we were just two kids, she didn’t know that I had a promise to keep and there was a ghost longing to remember his living past hovering beside me.

“I’m still not understanding how you know what you know,” she said, but she waved her hand with a sigh. “Just tell me I don’t have to fire Gina and Lidia.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t know who they are, I didn’t hear it from them.”

“Where?” She asked as she glanced between me and Kaelie. “Are either of your family members exterminators?”

“No,” Kaelie answered, then looked up at me. “None of my family are, but he has like a hundred people in his family.”

“I don’t think so,” I said, glancing at Kaelie before turning back to Marilou. “Look I just know the two people are connected, I don’t know the story. I haven’t found any secret information, your investment is safe. I’m not interested in the witch, I want to know about Elias C. Blakely.”

“I want to know about the witch,” Kaelie said and I shot her another glare.

“I can’t give you that either,” Marilou said and this time she looked disappointed. “To tell his story, I would have to tell you her story, but you already know that.”

“I do know,” I said just as Kaelie gasped.

“Were they lovers?” Kaelie asked and I felt cold air hit my arm.

“No,” Marilou answered and her frown transformed into a knowing smirk. She had a glint in her eyes again. “They were not lovers.”

“You’re enjoying this too much Marilou, I thought we bonded earlier over this butthole’s lateness,” Kaelie whined as she stepped away from me. “Let’s go to the archives then, we’re wasting daylight.”

“Thanks for that,” I offered, turning to look at her. “I wasn’t even that late.”

“Uh, try thirty minutes,” she said, shaking her head.

“We didn’t decide on when to come here,” I argued as Marilou laughed and I turned as she started walking and we turned to follow her.

“I can’t tell you her story, but I can show you something else we just found,” Marilou announced as she picked up her pace and we had to rush to keep up with her as we walked past all the rows of books towards the opposite side of the museum.

Marilou kept walking after we cleared the bookshelves and got more into the display section of the building. I thought she would stop at one of the displays, but instead she led us to the exit that led to the paths. When she got to the door she opened it and held it open for us and I smiled after we walked through it and she let the door fall closed, Elias floating through it as he followed behind us.

“Where are we headed?” Kaelie asked as Marilou started down the path that led towards the Mayors estate and the rest of the town on the other side of it.

“The physical archives are in the Mayor’s estate,” Marilou answered, offering us a smile.
Seeing that she was back at full steam, I wondered how I could approach her again about the story. Now that Elias remembered the witch’s name, I wasn’t going to leave here without an answer. I just didn’t know how I was going to get it.

“I used to walk these paths when I was alive,” he said as he moved slightly ahead of me. “They were dirt, not this hard stuff.”

“Can you remember what it all looked like?” I asked, trying to keep my voice quiet. Marilou was muttering on about the secrets old buildings held and wasn’t paying us much attention. She was in full tour mode now and I doubted a natural disaster could shake her.

“I feel like I should, it is odd,” he answered and I nodded, not understanding what he felt. I was human and had all of my memories for better and worse. He had nothing but fragments and his shaky convictions when he did remember something. I was still certain that he found his name on the grave stone. Marilou confirmed the Witch’s name, even if she didn’t want to, I knew the connection between them was there. What eased my mind the most though was hearing they weren’t lovers and I knew the relief was from a question I had in the back of my mind. One that I had refused to let come to the forefront and outright ask. I was too scared of the answer. I didn’t want to be jealous of a memory of a person that couldn’t defend herself, she didn’t deserve what I would have felt towards her. The fact that I felt anything at all was bad enough.

“I’m sorry, we may not get the answers you need here,” I whispered just as we walked around to the front entrance of the Mayor’s house. It was a large two story white painted wood paneled building, with a roofed porch that was held up by eight large columns. The doors were large and stained wood that didn’t fit the age of the rest of the buildings, but it had been renovated a lot over the years.

“It was pure luck that former owners hadn’t found what we stumbled upon,” Marilou added as she fished out her keys and unlocked the doors. After putting the keys back into her pocket she pushed against the left door. When she pressed her shoulder into it I walked up and helped her and when it came away and opened with a bit of a groan Marilou looked at me with a smile. “Don’t you love that sound?”

“I don’t,” Kaelie said and when Marilou laughed and waved her hand as she disappeared inside the building I followed after her with Kaelie walking beside me.

“Nothing seems the same here,” Elias said as he moved ahead of us. I watched him as Marilou came to a stop to allow us to look around and take it all in. The double high ceilings and double row of tall windows let in a lot of light. “It is too bright.”

“It’s been renovated a lot,” I said and I watched him turn to look at me just as Marilou nodded in agreement.

“Unfortunately it has,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “All of the buildings have, but we have tried to replicate some things, we’ll slowly work our way backwards.”

“I slid down the railing,” he said and I watched him glide over to the curved staircase that went along the wall. They were on either side leading to the second landing. Across the room was what looked like another museum and along the walls were large portraits of various older men with their families. I guessed the former mayors. As time went on though the portraits got smaller and less extravagant. Along the other wall leading up the stairs on my left the portraits transitioned into photographs, not colored, and aged. Some of them were tattered and stained in bare frames.

“What else were you going to show us?” Kaelie asked as Elias made his way back to where we stood.

“Just over here, we placed him in the archives,” Marilou said with a beaming smile. Unlike the museum, the floors were wooden, but they had been stained and treated some. The lights were more natural and more dependent on the windows than the museum. Our footsteps echoed as we followed her across the expanse of the grand entrance and when we hit the carpet of the archives everything fell silent.

She led us over to a corner of the room filled with large wooden tables that looked old, but I wouldn’t know if they were real period pieces or replicas. I didn’t care about that, as my eyes darted around the room, they landed on a large portrait in a gilded frame. The brown wavy hair and pale blue eyes, the freckles across his nose, it all was familiar and shouldn’t have been.

“Me,” Elias said as he darted forward just as Marilou waved her arms like she was showing off the space.

“Elias C. Blakely,” Marilou said as I swallowed, trying to loosen the knot in my throat.

“My god, he’s a babe,” Kaelie gasped as I stepped past her. Looking at the painting beside it, I saw a slightly smaller one. In this one he was older and standing beside a fireplace. He had the hint of a beard and an ugly tophat that covered his hair. His jawline was more defined and his eyes looked right at me. It was just as gaudy framed as the first portrait.

“He was very attractive, yes,” Marilou said as she also took in the portraits. “There is a whole series of them, him as a baby, then as a toddler, they’re still being cleaned.”

“Why would he have so many here?” I asked, turning to look at her as Elias darted between his younger self and his portrait that was painted closer to his death. “Was his father ever a mayor?”

“Yes and no,” she answered, smiling at me. I saw her wink as my heart felt like it was starting to race. Swallowing again I glanced at Kaelie and I saw that she was looking at me and I hated the expression on her face, I knew the look. Her mind was turning and I didn’t want it to be. I had obviously given something away, in my voice, or the way she caught me looking, something had tipped her off and now she was working through it.

“He had two fathers?” Kaelie asked after she turned away from me.

“Yes,” Marilou answered as Elias darted towards me.

“How?” Elias asked at the same time Kaelie did and I smiled at his confusion.

“I wish I could tell you, but I can’t,” she said and I shook my head wanting fresh air and an escape from this room. Having three Elias’s looking at me, none of them flesh and blood was too much. He would never be flesh and blood again and now that I saw him, his sun kissed skin, his haughty smile that I never saw flash across his face. I knew it was an artistic choice the artist made. A choice I wouldn’t have made, it didn’t fit him.

“The witch is his mother,” I said, turning to look at Marilou. “The witch is his mother and his father was a mayor, but a mayor’s wife never would have been persecuted as a witch. That’s the story you’re trying to hide.”

“Oh my god,” Kaelie hissed and I glanced at her. “This is better than Gossip Girls.”

“Mother,” Elias repeated as he hovered closer to me. I wanted to step away from him, or around him to see Marilou, as he had forgotten all about her and stood in my way. Looking through him to her, made her blurry and unfocused like looking at her through water. “Margret Appleby, mother. No.”

“No?” I asked and I saw Marilou nod her head.

“She was his mother, yes,” Marilou said and Elias slowly turned and hovered off to the side.

“No,” Elias countered, shaking his head as he started fading and coming back into focus.

“She wasn’t the woman who raised him though, who was?” I asked, looking back towards the portraits. There were no family portraits of him made.

“The Blakely’s raised him,” she answered, “William and Celia Blakely.”

“Celia, momma,” Elias whispered as he darted in front of me. “Bill, pappa, he called her cricket, not Celia.”

“Cricket,” I said, smiling at the pet name.

“Where?” Marilou asked as her eyes darted around the room.

“Cricket was Celia’s nickname,” I answered as Kaelie came back to the center of the room to stand beside me.

“How do you know that?” Marilou asked her eyes alight with excitement. “You’re a little historian.”

“Very recently,” I answered, shaking my head when I heard Kaelie snort beside me.

“That’s true, but the only record of her being called Cricket was in a love letter to her written by William,” Marilou said smiling. “Found in their archives, I’m surprised you don’t already know that, as interested in the Blakely’s as you are, especially the young Elias Blakely.”

“I just started my research on him,” I said as I turned away from her and back to the portraits wondering who he looked like, his mother who was completely unknown, or his father who was also likely a portrait on these walls. I hoped he looked like her, knowing what I knew to be true.

“So which mayor, then?” Kaelie asked and I glanced over to see her surveying the room for a portrait like I was.

“You will just do the math, I might as well tell you, you’ve whittled me down,” Marilou said as she started walking towards the archives, which was a series of thick leather bound books that looked like photo albums. They were in a heavy looking wooden shelving system. There were three of them and each cubby was full and in alphabetical order. Under the letter C at the top I scanned until I saw Carlson. “When you first asked about Elias Blakely, I thought you were looking for an entirely different story.”

“Why?” I asked, turning away from my family’s old records dating back centuries.

“It was a family member of yours that murdered young Blakely,” she answered and I took a step backwards to balance myself as Elias rushed forward and I felt the chill of him wash over me. “Well the primary suspect on his unsolved murder anyway.”

“I need to sit down,” I said as I shook my head.

“I’m sorry,” Marilou said as she quickly pulled out a chair. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, taking the chair she offered and half collapsed into it. I felt air hitting my face and looked up to see her waving her hand in front of me. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath, I didn’t know my family history, I never took the time to look at it. Dad wasn’t a historian either, his mind was more on plant cells and elements. It was too far removed from our family tree for us to dwell on it, we were too far down the road for that sort of thing to haunt us.

“Do you need some water?” Kaelie asked as I released the deep breath I held.

“I’m okay,” I said just as a soft, feathery cold touch ran up my arm. Opening my eyes I looked over to see Elias hovering beside me, his lips thin and his eyes wide. Eyes I knew now were a pale blue. Then I looked down at my arm and saw his fingertips gliding across my skin and I looked back up. It was more than air, it felt like something was gently gliding through the hairs on my arm. I even saw the movement of them as they parted for his fingers. Swallowing, I looked back up at him to see his smile slowly returning.

“Marilou, I think we can handle it from here, you’ve been a world of help,” Kaelie said and I looked over to see Marilou hovering just past Elias. She looked apologetic and a little amused by the whole thing, but hearing Kaelie she seemed to snap out of it with a smile.

“You two have helped me too,” she said, her excitement returning. “This is going to be the event of the decade, I’ll leave you two to look through the archives, if you need me there’s a buzzer that rings the front building.”

“Thank you,” I offered as I turned away from her and back towards the archives. “Tell me, before you go, which mayor, please.”

“James Clay Henry,” Marilou answered and I nodded my head and stood from the chair wanting to read more about him first. “He fell in love with Margret, his wife was a cold woman that grew distant and despised him.” She had moved towards the front entrance, but had turned back to face us. “There are dozens of love letters written between Margret and James, that is the only connection and record we have that Elias was a son of Henry. The Blakely’s knew, but they were likely the only ones and from our findings, they never told anyone.”

“Do you know why he was murdered?” I asked, refusing to meet Elias’ gaze even after he moved to stand between me and Marilou again.

“That family member of yours was a known drunk, and liquor runner,” Marilou answered, looking apologetic as she reached up and adjusted her glasses. “It could have just been a drunken rage.”

“Well shit,” I said, shaking my head.

“It was also rumored that Emilia Henry, the daughter of James Henry and Elias were courting,” Marilou said as she glanced towards the portrait of the older Elias hanging beside the younger. “That Abigail Henry, the wife of Mayor Henry, pressured them to combine the Blakely and Henry households. John and William never agreed, but even that was a bit of a scandal, being two prominent families that they were. In a way both scandals died with him and saved the Henry name.”

“Emilia,” Elias said, turning to me shaking his head, his eyes wide. “No, I, no, not Emilia.”

“Thank you for telling me,” I said as I ignored Elias. I wanted Marilou out of earshot. “You don’t need to worry about me, I won’t spoil the surprise.”

“Thank you,” she said and I watched her smile and turn away and leave us.

We listened as her footfalls echoed across the hardwood floor. We heard the groan of the heavy door when she pulled it open and the gentle glide as she pulled it behind her. The door boomed as it closed and when I looked over at Kaelie she was already looking at me.

“Elias, did you know about Margret being your mother?” I asked, turning to search the room for him.

“He almost married his sister,” Kaelie whispered and I shook my head.

“He said no, not Emilia,” I said and when she looked relieved I smiled.

“I, I don’t know,” he said as he came back to where I stood. The archives no longer held any of the information that I wanted, other than looking up my relative and cursing his name. “Memories are coming back to me, I, I’m trying to.”

“You were at her grave for a reason that night,” I said looking over at him.

“Don’t be sad, it was a long time ago,” he said looking at me, his eyebrows raised and I watched him reach for me. Like before I felt him and when I looked up he smiled at me.

“How? I asked, glancing back down at my arm.

“I don’t know,” he answered as his fingers tickled over my skin. His touch was still cold and raised goosebumps along my arm as he went. “It’s nice.”

“Why do you keep looking down at your arm?” Kaelie asked as she came around to stand next to me. “I wish I could see him, now that I know he’s a total hottie.”

“I can feel him, I couldn’t before, just cold air,” I said as Elias let his hand fall away from me. For a moment his touch lingered, tingling. Swallowing, I reached up and ran my hand through my hair.

“Someone carved Maggie into the stone, someone knew,” Kaelie said and I watched her walk over the portrait of Elias and look up at it.

“Me,” he said, nodding. “I did know that Celia wasn’t my mother.”

“You just said you didn’t know why you were at the stone,” I said, turning back to him.

“I am remembering,” he said, offering me a brief smile as his form faded in and out rapidly and his eyes weren’t as focused on me. “I have to think about it until it feels like it belongs to me, when it does I know. Maggie was my mother, I carved her name into the stone. I wanted people to know, I wanted them to see the lies.”

“What about the ring?” I asked, wanting to reach out to see if I could touch him, but I didn’t want to do it in front of Kaelie.

“It was her birthday present,” he said, his eyes going wide. “I was going to leave it on the stone, I wanted her to have something that she could love, because she never had anything.”

“And you ran into my drunk off his ass relative,” I hissed then shook my head feeling myself grow tense. Knowing he never got to give her the ring, even as a gift at her gravesite made me hate the guy even more.

“Don’t do that,” he said, shaking his head. “I am not angry, don’t be angry over me.”

“I can’t fucking help it,” I said as I looked away from him. “You died, not because you got sick. It was a stupid drunk, it should have been him.”

“He wasn't drunk,” Elias said as he reached his hand out to me. “He was sent to that stone, he knew I was going.”

“Did they kill your mother too?” I asked and when he nodded his head I moved my arm away from him.

“James Clay Henry didn’t kill us,” He said looking towards the portraits. “It was Abigail Henry. She sent him to kill me, he told me before I hit my head on the stone. I know how I died now.”

“How do you feel?” I asked as Kaelie closed the distance between us, I could see that she had questions and for once she was willing to wait to have them answered.

“Stronger,” he said, smiling at me. “I feel peace, like I’m no longer searching for something, not remembering why or how I lost it.”

“Were you ever in love with anyone?” I asked as I watched him lowering himself onto the ground. That’s when I noticed that the blurriness of his legs had become solid. It was the first time he looked as if he were standing firmly on two feet.

“No, I can’t remember ever being in love,” he answered, shaking his head and that’s when I noticed that his wavy hair had settled on his head and framed his face.

“What’s happening to you?” I asked as I stepped towards him he looked down at himself and then back up to me.

“I don’t know,” he answered and I looked over at Kaelie.

“Asher, tell me something,” Kaelie said and I looked back over at Elias and saw a faint glow radiating from his chest. He was looking down at his arms towards his fingertips and when he looked back at me his mouth fell open.

“I feel warmth,” he said and I watched him search my hands for the ring, but when he didn’t see it his smile faltered and his eyebrows creased.

“No,” I said, stepping forward, reaching out my hand. “I think you’re leaving.”

“I don’t want to leave you,” he said as he stepped towards me. “I have felt drawn to you, I don’t want to go, not now, not when you can finally feel me too.”

Reaching into my pocket I pulled the ring out and let the chain fall from it. I saw him watch the chain hit the floor as I moved the ring into the palm of my hand. My heart racing, I closed my fingers over the ring.

“Can you still feel me?” I asked, but the confusion on his face told me that the ring no longer had the power it did so I opened my palm and let the ring fall from my hand.

“Come to me,” He said and I took a half step forward as he held out his arms and waited. The glowing had grown from his chest down his arms, and had brightened to his entire body. He was becoming difficult to look at, but I didn’t want to look away.

“I’m afraid to,” I said, but I walked forward anyway and I gasped when I crashed into someone solid and strong. I felt him take a step back to steady himself, because I hadn’t realized that I was a head taller than him until now. I felt his hands slide around my waist and the brush of his hair on my cheek.

“I was falling in love with you, I was falling in love with you,” he said as the brightness of him got too bright and I had to close my eyes. “I was falling in love with you. I am in love with you.”

I smiled because I knew why Elias repeated things, it was so that he remembered when he was worried he would forget. Feeling a tear escape my closed eyes I sucked in a breath and smelled an oncoming rain and dust, a hint of sweat.

“Fight to stay,” I said as I felt his hand ball my shirt up.

I heard a sudden rush of air, like the gust of a storm before the clouds opened and dropped its rain. Then I felt a sudden wave of warmth like the sun hitting my skin after stepping off the front porch as a force hit me strong in the chest and I had to step backwards to steady myself. I opened my eyes when the light that blinded my eyes went away and I suddenly felt weightless and stumbled forward barely catching myself as my knees hit the carpet.

“Asher,” Kaelie said, her voice rushed as she put her hand on my shoulder.

“Elias?” I asked as I looked around the room. The lights were out, the only light coming in now were from the large windows in the room.

“I saw him, Asher,” she said as her grip tightened on my shoulder. “I saw him just before he left.”

“No,” I said as I pushed myself off the floor and scrambled to my feet. Looking around I found the ring where I left it. Picking it up I held it in my hand and closed my fingers over it until it hurt and looked around the room.

“He’s gone,” she said as I closed my eyes and waited for the rush of cold air to hit my face.

“Why did he leave?” I asked as I released the tension of my hand, but held onto the ring.

“I don’t know,” she answered as she placed her hand on my closed fist and I opened my eyes to see her looking up at me. I saw her worry so I smiled and let my hand drop to my side as I slid the ring back into my pocket just as a quick buzzing sound came over the intercom, then died as the lights slowly came back on one by one.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said as I stepped around her. “There’s nothing here anymore.”