do.”
She looked so small and scared as she said, “With your gifts... You’ve always been able to do stuff that I could never do, but I have always been so glad it wasn’t me. I was so glad I wouldn’t have to deal with the Other Side my whole life. I have a job, a husband. I can’t go living in the Other Side. I can’t bring Austin over there...”
I skootched over and gave her a great big hug and didn’t let go, “No one says that you do. Mom lived her whole life on Earth. Dad was the only reason...” I corrected myself, “His crazy brother was the only reason we had to live on the Other Side. And last I checked, Austin didn’t have a crazy brother hunting him down.”
Mindy looked at me square in the eye, “But we have a crazy uncle.”
I suddenly felt very, very cold.
“You think you’re responsible for all this,” I stated, suddenly seeing the great big elephant she had hauled into the room.
“It makes sense, doesn’t it? I start seeing dead people and you show up saying our long lost uncle has come out of the woodwork.”
“No, Mindy, it doesn’t. It isn’t you.”
“Why not?”
“Because our uncle is a deranged psychopath who is running some sort of grift on the magical community and is now involved in something that is breaking down the barriers of our two worlds. It isn’t you.”
“How can you be so sure that my gift waking up isn’t what started all this?”
I held her hand tightly, “I promise that you are not the start of all this. And I also promise that I will keep you and Austin safe. I didn’t spend my whole life kicking asses to let yours get into trouble. As soon as this settles down, I’ll take you over to Mom, or I’ll bring her over, and once she finishes driving you crazy with all the pride she is about to bust out all over you, you can figure out what you’re supposed to do.”
“Maybe I’m going crazy.”
“Maybe Dad has something important to tell you.”
“Um... he’s dead.”
“I tell you what, next time you see him, you ask him what he wants. See what he has to say.”
“I’m not going to start talking to empty rooms.”
I gathered her up in my arms like we were eight years old again and some dumb boy had made her cry on the playground, “No one will think that you’re stupid. You don’t know if it’s real or not until you try. So, try. For me?”
She nodded and then hugged me tightly, “Be safe, sis.”
“You, too. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight. Don’t let the boogeyman bite.”
“Mindy, there is no boogeyman,” I said as I snuggled in to bed, “I hauled Carl in years ago.”
Chapter 16
The brownie had found us, evidently. When I woke in the morning, all of my scattered clothes had been freshly laundered and folded tidily. I grabbed my robe and stumbled down to the kitchen. My sister was huddled in the breakfast nook with a baseball bat in her hand.
“Good morning!” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
“WHAT THE FUCK???”
My sister didn’t swear.
“What’s got you so upset?”
“I came downstairs and breakfast was made and things were put away and the dishes were clean. WHAT. THE. FUCK.”
“Sorry, I forgot to tell you. We battled it out with a fat elf yesterday and won ourselves a brownie. Not the chocolaty cake kind.”
“There is a brownie. Here. In my Earthly home?”
“Yep.”
“Oh.” She started to unfold, “Well, that was very kind of him... to help...”
I gave her a wink, “Thought you might enjoy.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, you jerk?” she said, throwing a carefully folded napkin at my head and taking a plate over to the island to snag a bear claw from the pile of pastries.
“It completely slipped my mind. He’s helping me find Ulrich.”
“Do you remember when we were kids? We would have done anything for a brownie.”
“Don’t say I never got you nothing.”
“I think Christmas is covered,” she said, biting
She looked so small and scared as she said, “With your gifts... You’ve always been able to do stuff that I could never do, but I have always been so glad it wasn’t me. I was so glad I wouldn’t have to deal with the Other Side my whole life. I have a job, a husband. I can’t go living in the Other Side. I can’t bring Austin over there...”
I skootched over and gave her a great big hug and didn’t let go, “No one says that you do. Mom lived her whole life on Earth. Dad was the only reason...” I corrected myself, “His crazy brother was the only reason we had to live on the Other Side. And last I checked, Austin didn’t have a crazy brother hunting him down.”
Mindy looked at me square in the eye, “But we have a crazy uncle.”
I suddenly felt very, very cold.
“You think you’re responsible for all this,” I stated, suddenly seeing the great big elephant she had hauled into the room.
“It makes sense, doesn’t it? I start seeing dead people and you show up saying our long lost uncle has come out of the woodwork.”
“No, Mindy, it doesn’t. It isn’t you.”
“Why not?”
“Because our uncle is a deranged psychopath who is running some sort of grift on the magical community and is now involved in something that is breaking down the barriers of our two worlds. It isn’t you.”
“How can you be so sure that my gift waking up isn’t what started all this?”
I held her hand tightly, “I promise that you are not the start of all this. And I also promise that I will keep you and Austin safe. I didn’t spend my whole life kicking asses to let yours get into trouble. As soon as this settles down, I’ll take you over to Mom, or I’ll bring her over, and once she finishes driving you crazy with all the pride she is about to bust out all over you, you can figure out what you’re supposed to do.”
“Maybe I’m going crazy.”
“Maybe Dad has something important to tell you.”
“Um... he’s dead.”
“I tell you what, next time you see him, you ask him what he wants. See what he has to say.”
“I’m not going to start talking to empty rooms.”
I gathered her up in my arms like we were eight years old again and some dumb boy had made her cry on the playground, “No one will think that you’re stupid. You don’t know if it’s real or not until you try. So, try. For me?”
She nodded and then hugged me tightly, “Be safe, sis.”
“You, too. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight. Don’t let the boogeyman bite.”
“Mindy, there is no boogeyman,” I said as I snuggled in to bed, “I hauled Carl in years ago.”
Chapter 16
The brownie had found us, evidently. When I woke in the morning, all of my scattered clothes had been freshly laundered and folded tidily. I grabbed my robe and stumbled down to the kitchen. My sister was huddled in the breakfast nook with a baseball bat in her hand.
“Good morning!” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
“WHAT THE FUCK???”
My sister didn’t swear.
“What’s got you so upset?”
“I came downstairs and breakfast was made and things were put away and the dishes were clean. WHAT. THE. FUCK.”
“Sorry, I forgot to tell you. We battled it out with a fat elf yesterday and won ourselves a brownie. Not the chocolaty cake kind.”
“There is a brownie. Here. In my Earthly home?”
“Yep.”
“Oh.” She started to unfold, “Well, that was very kind of him... to help...”
I gave her a wink, “Thought you might enjoy.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, you jerk?” she said, throwing a carefully folded napkin at my head and taking a plate over to the island to snag a bear claw from the pile of pastries.
“It completely slipped my mind. He’s helping me find Ulrich.”
“Do you remember when we were kids? We would have done anything for a brownie.”
“Don’t say I never got you nothing.”
“I think Christmas is covered,” she said, biting
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