The walls of the room were painted a pale blue, with one wall covered in bamboo. A large teardrop mirror hung on the wall from a braided rope.
I was taking in the room’s beauty when a white shape appeared in the teardrop mirror. I turned toward it, but it was gone. It must have been a reflection. A moment later, there was another flicker of white, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone again.
As I walked over to look closely at the brass water feature, I again caught a flicker of white in the mirror, so I walked over to stand in front of it. Oh, my gosh! I was looking into my Seattle home. My Nana and Granana’s home!
I wondered if Caldwell Crest understood my anxiety and felt that a glimpse of my family home would bring me some sense of calm, which would allow me to make a reasonable plan.
I was looking in the mirror at their living room when suddenly, there it was again—the white blur!
I realized that the white blur was the top of Gran’s white-haired head! She was in the living room. There it was again! Up and down. Yes, it was my great-grandmother! She was doing her step aerobics!
I got closer to the mirror. I waved my arms and called out to her. But of course, her back was to me, so she couldn’t see me. True to the history of the mirrors, she couldn’t hear me either.
Rooted to the spot, I watched helplessly as she continued bouncing up and down on her step, with no idea that I was watching her. Then, she reached her hands up into the air, her fingers wiggling. She was doing her ‘stretching’ as she called it.
Workout complete, she picked up her folding step and her towel and walked out of the room. I sagged in disappointment. I missed her and my nana so much. This had been a very long and intense day, at the end of a very long and intense month. It was especially difficult to handle all of this without their calming presence.
I hoped that the vision in the mirror was a good sign. If the house felt I could view them, perhaps the next step was actual communication. Then, I hoped, would come a day when I could bring them here for a visit. I held onto that warm feeling and sank down on one of the yoga mats to see if I could clear my head and make a plan.
9
I was so grateful to the house for my new yoga room. After an hour in that remarkably peaceful place, I was more clear-headed. Followed up by a shower and a change of clothes, I felt renewed and ready for my first official girls’ night with my sisters.
I’d really gotten to know my brother Axel over the past month, but I’d had little time to get to know Cobalt, Indigo, and Sapphire. Cobalt was still attending the university, so I knew that would happen in bits and pieces. Tonight’s visit with my sisters would be our first real quality time together.
Spending tonight with them would also allow me to distance myself from the horror of the ferry captain’s murder and the mystery of the secrets she had left unsaid. As hard as it is for me to keep secrets, I had absolutely zero intention of telling my sisters anything, since that warning of danger to my family would keep me quiet. I would set aside my worry and fears to focus on getting to know my sisters.
As I made my way down to the front door, I heard voices coming from the living room, so I peeked in. I was shocked to see a girls’ night of a different kind.
My sneaky cat and her beautiful Persian partner-in-crime were batting at a feathered cat toy being held aloft by none other than Poppy of the Camping Extravaganza. My grandmother was sitting at a table playing chess with Cleobella. Several bottles of wine and platters of appetizers were spread on the two coffee tables. Rod Stewart’s distinctive raspy voice filled the room. Grandmother having fun? What a bewildering notion! Who knew it was possible?
The sisters were dressed for the event in colorful footed pajamas. (I had no idea that they made those in adult sizes.) Poppy was in head-to-toe pink, covered with red and white hearts. Cleobella wore bright white, splattered with rainbow-colored polka dots. Their hair was twisted and braided into tall, whimsical Whoville updos. Of course, they were both in full stage makeup, spider-like eyelashes, with bold, shiny lips included.
What was uniquely delightful was seeing my rigid, formal grandmother in glamourous, dark blue, silk pajamas, edged in crisp white piping. On her feet were a pair of feathered, high-heeled slippers, and I could have sworn I saw a tattooed rose on her ankle. That woman was almost more mysterious than this house.
I don’t know how long I’d been standing in the doorway staring, but I suddenly realized that all five heads were turned in my direction. I said hello and they all waved. Well, the people waved. The cats just stared at me.
“I’m off to Sapphire’s house. Have a great evening,” I said.
“Buh bye, toots!” Latifa said.
Axel had given me keys to one of the family cars, with the code and instructions for garage number six. (There were eight stalls now since the house added a place for every car brought into the family. I was told this was a three-car garage many years ago.) When I opened the garage door, I was delighted to see a smart, red Fiat Spider convertible. It wasn’t a long drive to Sapphire’s house, but it would be a fun one!
The drive was exhilarating. And
