Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen Page B

Watcher?” Or about my mental stability, I wanted to add, because clearly, Bliss thought I was a freak show.
    â€œYou said you wanted advice. But you didn’t say what kind of advice, which makes me think you don’t even know.”
    I shrugged. She had me. I didn’t know what I wanted, except maybe some clarity and a few reassuring words. The waitress came by our table, refilled our drinks and left the bill on the table. I reached for it before Bliss could.
    â€œIt’s okay to be confused by all of this,” Bliss said after the waitress left. “You have a lot going on right now, and none of it falls under the category of minor personal issues.”
    I chuckled. “Yeah. Leave it to me to have only big, dramatic problems. I leave the small stuff to normal people.”
    â€œBut what you’re feeling right now is normal,” she said.
    â€œMaybe your problems are unusual, but your reaction isn’t. In fact, I’m impressed that you haven’t curled up in a ball ofdepression or stayed home in the dark or something. You’re pressing forward in your own way, and that takes guts.”
    The thought was oddly reassuring. I wasn’t crazy—but the rest of my little world was. Somehow, I could deal with that. I took a bite of my cannoli, trying to savor the sweetness, but it tasted flat.
    â€œHere’s what worries me about all this,” Bliss continued. She pushed her cup aside. “One, I don’t like that you’re dabbling with the other side. You may think you’ve contacted a friendly presence, but it could be a trap.”
    I had considered that, but the voice on the EVPs held none of the menace I had heard in the Watcher’s voice, which had been an awful combination of male and female. It was definitely otherworldly, whereas the voice I had captured was simply female and slightly familiar. It wasn’t the same at all.
    â€œTwo, this Watcher thing is obviously working hard to regain power. If it wasn’t, Michael wouldn’t be a Protector, right? I mean, he can only come into his powers if there is someone who needs protecting.”
    â€œYes,” I admitted. Michael was a regular superhero, custom-built for me. If the Watcher was gone or fading or not a threat, Michael would remain a normal guy.
    â€œSo I think you need to work with him to try to figure out the name of this Watcher. It seems to me that’s the key to at least some of its strength.”
    So many cultures throughout the world thought one’s true power rested in a person’s name. By simply knowing that basic information, you had something to hold over them. I remembered living in an apartment complex when I was ten. The pool was constantly being shut down because someone was throwing cans of soda and garbage into it. One night, I looked out my window and saw the culprit, a boy named Tyler who lived upstairs. Before he could dump a leftover casseroleinto the water, I yelled at him from the half-open window. “Tyler, we know it’s you! Knock it off!” The pool remained unpolluted from then on.
    â€œMakes sense,” I said. “I can spend time helping Michael with his research.”
    â€œYou’re not going to like number three,” Bliss warned.
    â€œLet me have it.” So far, her advice had been solid. I was ready to listen to whatever she had to say.
    â€œIt sounds like Noah is having problems. From what you’ve mentioned, I would say that he might even be in trouble. As in, Watcher-related trouble.”
    My fingers immediately went to my bracelet. The dark, smooth stones always seemed to relax me, even if only a little bit.
    â€œBut it’s Noah,” I said softly. “He’s not evil.”
    â€œOf course he’s not evil.” Bliss grabbed my hand, forcing me to let go of the bracelet. “Have you ever outright asked him what he felt that night? Have you asked him if he feels different now?