As Michelle closed her eyes she she could feel her fingers tingling. A sensation like when a part of the body has been numb from being in one position for too long, and then blood flow wakes it up.
“Omar told me the diamond is dangerous for anyone else.” Michelle said. As they sat there, she told Vincent about the dream she’d had of Abigail’s life in Salem Massachusetts; that she believed the spirit inside the diamond was like a ghost soul from long ago, somehow caught inside the gem.
“There are all kinds of stories of haunted objects.”
“But do you think it’s dangerous? Should I dispose of it somehow?”
Vincent laughed, “Reminds me of one of the stupidest movie scenes. From James Cameron’s Titanic, when that old woman dropped the priceless blue diamond into the ocean.”
Michelle smiled. “I thought it was stupid, too.”
“And no, I don’t think you should get rid of it. But guard it carefully and don’t let anyone else touch it. You might find it valuable in the future, as long as Omar’s on the loose, especially.”
“I’m kind of relieved, Vincent. I like having it, even if it is dangerous.”
“That cute little cat in your purse, looking at me with owl eyes, is dangerous. Omar is extremely dangerous. And you, Michelle, are equally dangerous.”
Michelle shook her head in denial.
“Omar is just more experienced,” Vincent said. “You have witchy powers that could be very frightening, Michelle. The thing that separates the two of you is that you have empathy and compassion; personality assets Omar doesn’t possess. He will kill without compunction, without mercy, thought, or care.”
“I wanted to kill him tonight,” Michelle confessed. “When he threw you all on the floor and squeezed.”
The professor shook his head. “No. You wanted to stop him; you’re not a killer. And the diamond helped you do precisely that. Magical spells are all about intent.”
Michelle smiled and winked at Vincent, nodding down at Heather and Mike, a couple of steps below them. They both became quiet, listening to Heather and Mike talking in whispers.
Mike was saying, “I feel like Alice.”
“Alice?” Heather said. “Oh yeah, down the rabbit hole.”
“I slid down into a whole new world, with a strange bend in scientific principles I had no idea about.”
“Kind of messes up all your logical beliefs, I’d imagine,” Heather said, smiling. “Like stairwell banisters melting, diamonds shooting out bright light, eyes that dramatically change color, small tornadoes with no wind, and spells that zap the energy right out of you?”
“Yeah, kind of like that,” Mike said. “It defies logic and our precious scientific beliefs. Einstein’s laws, the laws of gravity—I’m not throwing them out, but I have to admit there are forces that seem to influence those laws. Forces I don’t understand.”
Heather laughed. “Don’t tell anyone, though, they’ll think you’re crazy.”
“I’m taking a new look at all the old myths and legends when I get home. I thought they were all fiction stories. Now I have to consider witches, demons, and psychic phenomena as something worthy of study. I never would’ve thunk it. But there is a Paralogical Association that studies psychic manifestations. And it’s associated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.”
“Just talk to Vincent,” Heather said. “He’s like Mulder.”
“The X-Files Mulder?”
“Yeah. But he’s the real deal. I don’t think he does aliens, but when it comes to the psychic investigative stuff, there’s no one better.”
Rod stood up and went over to them. “We better get moving. I think it’d be safer for us to take the stairs all the way down. Getting on the elevator will dump us into the main hospital lobby, and we can’t be roaming the corridors. We’re too noticeable now, since it’s late and we’re all wet.”
“I’m good to go,” Vincent said.
“You sure?” Michelle said, tentatively taking her hand off Vincent’s injury.
Vincent nodded. “We need to get the hell out of here.”
Michelle and Rod led the way and the others followed them down, floor after floor. They’d taken so many turns, running through the hospital hallways, none of them had any sense of direction left. The hospital was so big they didn’t know which side of the building they’d be on when they exited.
As they descended, Michelle thought of all the grueling physical work she’d done to become strong after she’d been raped in Las Vegas. She’d spent years practicing karate so she would never be physically vulnerable again. Now she could break boards with her hands, or her feet. She knew she was strong enough to kill almost any attacker. That thought had been a lifeline when she’d been so afraid of being badly hurt again by some sadistic, brainless maniac. And now the professor told her she had magic. She was actually dangerous. She almost laughed, it was such a funny thought. It was quite empowering.
Rod’s phone was pinging so he answered it as they rushed down the stairs.
Sammy: “Rod, something’s going on. There’s a fire engine and about five police cars pulled up at the entrance to the hospital.” There was a pause. “Now they’re getting out of their cars and running inside. This have anything to do with trying to get your girlfriend out of there?”
Rod said, “Possibly. We’re taking the stairs and will probably end up somewhere at the side or back of the place. I’ll call you when we figure out where we are. We have Michelle. But we need to avoid the police. There was some damage to the hospital and we might be suspects.”
“Wonderful,” Sammy muttered as he gunned the engine and hung up.
When they got to the bottom of the stairwell there
