Loved Ones Lost (Edgewater Curse Book 1) Read online

  “Are you feeling up to us still taking you out for your birthday today?” Bri asks.

  “Yeah. I feel fine, actually. I can’t believe my neck healed so fast,” he replies.

  Just then Matthew comes to the doorway, “Hey, I’m sorry, bro, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to join you in celebrating today.”

  “Matthew, you look awful,” Bri says. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “No. I think I might be coming down with something.” Matthew gives a fake cough and sniffle. “I’m going to head back to bed and probably stay there all day. I want to keep myself confined, so I don’t get any of you sick.”

  “Good thinking,” Travis says. “I know I don’t want to get sick, especially after what I went through last night.”

  “Yeah, I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Matthew says to Travis and smiles. “Have fun today with the rest of the family.” With that, he turns and heads back up to his apartment waiting for everyone to leave the house so he can install the hidden compartment in Bri’s hobby room for the arsenal they are planning to stock up on.

  “So I thought we could all meet for lunch in the kitchen, say around noon? Then after we’re done eating, we can head out for your celebration,” Bri says to Travis.

  “Sure. You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going, huh?”

  “Nope. I told you, it’s a surprise.” Bri smiles.

  Travis shakes his head. “Okay Mom. In the meantime, I’ll be out in the garage.”

  “Okay. See you later.” Bri turns and heads back to her room to work on more research for the family tree.

  Lunchtime soon comes and goes, and they all pile into Bri’s CRV. When they pull into the parking lot at the local race track, Bri can see the confused look on Travis’s face. “I thought it would be nice for us all to share the experience of watching something you love, so to celebrate your birthday, I bought us all tickets. I hope you like your surprise.”

  “Um, yeah, I do. It’s just…well, it’s really a surprise. Thank you Mom,” Travis replies.

  “You’re welcome. Why don’t we go find some seats? I think it’s going to start soon.”

  Bri, Travis and the girls find a spot to sit in the stands after stopping at the concession stand to get some snacks and drinks. Since Travis goes there often to “watch” the races, he is able to get them seats right up in the front by the protective fence barrier.

  “I believe it is spectator races tonight,” Bri says, “and something called demolition races?”

  Oh great, just one more thing for you to worry about, Travis thinks to himself. “Yes, spectator races are when everyday people who are not professional racers bring in their own vehicles to race against each other on the track,” Travis explains.

  “And what’re demolition races?” Rose asks.

  You just had to ask, didn’t you? Travis sighs and then answers Rose’s question. “Demolition races are when the racing spectators deliberately try to crash/demolish each other’s cars. Kind of like extreme bumper cars, just without the bumpers.”

  “Oh! That must be so dangerous,” Bri says.

  Travis smiles and replies, “It can be if they’re not careful and don’t know what they’re doing, but as long as they’re buckled in safely, wear protective gear including a helmet, and are very aware of their surroundings, the driver should be okay.”

  Bri just nods and smiles warily.

  “Oh look! They’re starting.” Rose claps.

  Five regular spectator races go by and then there is a short intermission before the demolition races are to begin. Each of them takes the opportunity for bathroom breaks and to get drink refills. They find their seats with five minutes to spare.

  “This is really fun to watch,” Crystal says.

  Rose and Bri agree.

  “Hey Travis!” A young man who looks to be a little older than Travis approaches them. He has bleach blond hair and blue eyes. He’s medium built and wearing a tight t-shirt, which clearly shows that he is muscular and works out, and blue jeans.

  “Devan, hi man. What’s up?” Travis replies.

  Devan nods. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.”

  “Yeah, me either. My family brought me here to celebrate my birthday,” he explains and then continues with introductions, “this is my mom, Bri, and my twin sisters, Rose and Crystal.”

  Devan nods again to each of them. “Nice to meet you,” he says with a smile and then turns his attention back to Travis. “Hey man. I’m glad you’re here. Eric drank too much again at intermission and can’t race; we need you to take his place. You can drive his truck. We don’t have anyone else that can do it and his truck is already listed as one of the vehicles in the demolition races.”

  Travis’ eyes go wide as he shakes his head from side to side. “I don’t know why you’re asking me; you know I don’t drive.” He emphasizes that last part with thinned lips, looking straight at Devan, out of the line of sight from Bri, and motioning his eyes toward her.

  Bri gets a small smirk at the corner of her mouth and thinks to herself, This is it; you are sooo busted.

  Travis looks to his mom with an apologetic smile.

  Bri narrows her eyes at him. “Do you have something you need to tell me?”

  Travis winces and twists his face in an oh crap look. “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?” Bri prompts.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been lying to you,” he finally says. “I’ve been racing, but only for about a week. I’m good at it, and I even have sponsors looking at me already. If I could get one of the big ones to sign me, I could actually make it to NASCAR, and you know that has always been my life’s goal.”

  Devan speaks up. “It’s true, ma’am. Your son has won over twenty races just in this last week, not losing a single race he’s driven in. He really is good.”

  Bri contemplates for a moment on how she wants to react to this news. “Don’t you need to have parental consent or something?”

  Shit, Travis thinks to himself. “Um, yeah, if a racer is under the age of eighteen.”

  “Okay, but you both just said you’ve been racing for a week now. You just turned eighteen today, Travis, so how have you been racing without me signing a consent form?”

  Travis winces again. “I used a fake ID.”

  “Oh bro, you are so screwed,” Crystal says to her brother.

  “Crystal!” Bri scolds. “Language!”

  “Screwed is better than what I’ve been saying in my head for the last five minutes,” Travis admits and laughs.

  Bri scowls with a disapproving look and then shakes her head. “Well, you’ve been racing for a week already, and you are now a legal adult, so who am I to stop you now?” Bri says. “But you need to hand the fake ID over to me now.”

  It takes Travis a moment to comprehend what his mother just said. “What? Wait. Did you just agree to let me race?” he asks as he’s pulling his wallet out of his back pocket to retrieve the fake ID.

  “Well, you are an adult now, so I can’t stop you. But it doesn’t mean I like it,” she says.

  Travis smiles the biggest smile she has ever seen on his face. “Here,” he says as he hands her the ID. “Giving this up to race is definitely worth it.” He leans forward and kisses his mom on the cheek.

  “Dude, we got to go now. The demo races are about to start,” Devan interjects.

  Travis looks to his mom. “Thank you, Mom. This has been the best birthday ever! I’ll meet you back here when it’s done. I love you, Mom.”

  Bri smiles. “I love you too, Travis. Please be careful and have fun.”

  Travis smiles and then turns to run to the pits, where the cars are beginning to head for the starting line.

  Bri takes a deep breath and Crystal and Rose each put an arm around her to try and ease her worry.

  “I really wish Matthew was here right now,” Bri says with a sigh.

  Crystal knows exactly what her mother’s meaning is behin
d those words, but Rose is too busy watching Travis to notice what Bri even said. Crystal smiles at her mother and gives her arm a squeeze.

  Just then the countdown begins, and the horn sounds to start the race. Bri takes a deep breath and could swear she doesn’t breathe again until it is over.

  Travis wins the race. Every other vehicle on the track is completely demolished and immobile. The truck Travis was driving only had scratches from where he had rammed the other vehicles, but other than that there is no real damage. He drives the truck to the winner’s circle, hops out and runs up to the podium to receive a medal as his reward.

  The MC comes over the microphone to announce him as the winner. “And our winner is...Travis Aldridge! Completing his twenty-fourth race and win in a row!”

  Everyone in the stands jumps to their feet cheering, whistling, and calling out his name in a chant. “Travis, Travis, Travis…”

  Bri is awestruck, looking around at the crowd and then back to her son. Pride bursts in her chest. She notices several men are heading in Travis’s direction, each wearing jackets adorned with their sponsor’s logo on the back.

  “Come on, girls,” Bri says, “we’re going to go down to your brother instead of waiting for him to come to us.”

  Bri and the girls make their way to the entrance to the race track where a guard is standing. Bri approaches the guard and tells him she is Travis’s mother and the girls are his sisters. The guard looks to Travis, Travis nods, and the guard lets them through.

  When Bri gets to Travis, she can hear all five men trying to talk to him at once. Bri steps in front of Travis, quickly gaining the men’s attention.

  “Gentlemen,” Bri says. They immediately become quiet, so she continues, “Thank you for taking an interest in my son. If you are truly interested in doing business, please contact our lawyer; here is his card.” She had found them in Jared’s address book when she was looking for Jonathan McLeery’s phone number so she put a handful in her purse in case she would ever need them. Each of the men take one, then shake her and Travis’s hands before dispersing.

  Bri turns to Travis and gives him a big hug. “Oh Travis! You were wonderful! I’m so proud of you!” she says in his ear.

  “Yeah Travis, you did great!” says Rose.

  “Travis, you were amazing!” Crystal agrees.

  “Thanks, guys,” Travis says to his sisters and then turns to Bri. “You’re really proud of me, Mom?” he asks in surprise.

  “Yes, of course I am!” Bri begins to cry with joy.

  Travis embraces her with a hug once again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Magic Moments

  Sunday, September 9, 2018

  The next day Matthew finds Bri in her hobby room working on the family tree.

  “Good morning, Mom.”

  “Good morning, Matthew.”

  As he enters, he sees Bri sitting on a chaise lounge chair. There is a Tiffany lamp turned on, placed on a small table next to her. She has her laptop and appears to be in deep concentration. On the far wall, there are two floor to ceiling 72 x 72-inch side by side cherry wood bookshelves and artwork hanging on the walls. To the left, there is a crafting table and to the right are floor to ceiling windows with a door leading out to a balcony. “I thought I would show you the new hidden panels for the arsenal we are planning to acquire,” he says.

  “Oh good,” she says, smiling and putting her laptop aside. “Where’s your brother?” she asks.

  “Out in the garage, so now should be a good time to show you.” He walks over to the window and closes the curtains. “Just to be safe,” he says before walking back over to the bookshelves.

  “Okay,” Bri says and stands up to follow him.

  “It’s over here behind your shelving. I removed the shelving last night and built another wall going along this whole side of the room twelve inches from the existing wall. Then I replaced the shelving and your artwork, so it doesn’t look any different than before. If you push this hidden button that blends into the side of the bookshelf,” Matthew presses the hidden button along the right side of the shelving and continues, “a section of the new wall slides behind the shelving to reveal this new area.”

  The wall slides to the side and reveals an area where weapons can be hung. Just below, at waist level, are drawers for smaller items.

  “There’s another button on the left side of the bookshelf as well to open the other side. I wasn’t sure how much room we would need so I figured I should try to give us as much space as possible.”

  “Wow, Matthew, this is great. How in the world did you have time to do all of this last night?” Bri asks.

  “I had the supplies ordered and ready to be picked up, so just after you all left yesterday, I went and picked them up brought them back here and started building. Moving the shelving took the longest since I was doing it all myself, but I managed,” he explains.

  “Well, you did an amazing job. I couldn’t even tell the difference when I came in here,” she confesses.

  “Yeah, well, that’s good. That’s what I was aiming for. I didn’t want Travis to see anything out of the ordinary. Or anyone else, for that matter. I think it is best if we are the only ones who know where it is. We can tell the girls and Travis after their powers have been activated. That’s also why I shut the curtains before I showed you where it was; we don’t need other supernaturals finding out about it either.”

  “Good idea,” she agrees.

  Matthew presses the button again, and the wall closes, concealing the hidden area once more. Just then there is a knock at the door. Matthew goes to open the curtains back up, and Bri opens the door to see Crystal standing just on the other side.

  “Hi.” Crystal smiles at Bri and then sees Matthew. “I’m glad you’re both here. I wanted to ask for your help. I made some talismans for each of us for protection. I did some more research after the other night when Roman and Dimitri stopped by. I’ve also been researching and experimenting with some spells. There’s one spell I would like to use to boost the protection, especially when we don’t know what all supernaturals are out there that we may have to worry about. This spell is pretty strong, one of the strongest, and I may need you both here to help.”

  “How can we help?” Matthew asks.

  “I need to use our combined energy when I cast the spell. Combining our energy will help me since I am new to this; I don’t quite have the strength on my own to cast such a high-level spell.”

  “Are you sure about this, Crystal? It can’t backfire and hurt you, can it?” Bri asks.

  “It shouldn’t, but that’s the other reason I want you both here, just in case,” Crystal replies.

  “Well, at least you’re being smart and safe about it,” Matthew says, and Bri agrees.

  Crystal smiles and then proceeds to set up the materials needed for the spells. Once everything is set up and several white candles are lit, she explains how the spell will work. “Okay. I need you both to close your eyes, place your hands on my shoulders and focus your thoughts on protection for this family and home. I will then concentrate on combining our energy while saying an incantation and holding my hands over the talismans, projecting our energy into them.”

  “Okay. I’m a little worried, Crystal. I mean, this is your first spell, and you’re going for something high level. Is this possibly something your dad may be able to help us with? Would he also have energy you could pull from?” Bri asks.

  Crystal looks surprised. “I hadn’t thought of that, but yes. Dad would have the strongest energy since he is a ghost.”

  At that moment Jared appears in front of them.

  “Daddy!” Crystal runs to him just as Bri makes him corporeal with her power, so Crystal doesn’t run through him.

  Jared embraces his daughter with a big hug although to her it feels like the slightest touch. He smiles. “Hi sweetheart. I’m so glad to see you. I’m so proud of you with everything you’ve done. Even though I don’t condone you eavesdroppi
ng on people, I’m glad you were able to figure all of this out so you can see me now and help your mom and brother.”

  Crystal smiles. “I’m sorry about the eavesdropping, but I’m glad I did too. I love you, Daddy, and I’ve missed you so much!”

  “I’ve missed you too,” he replies. “Okay, let’s get this spell completed before your brother decides to come in from the garage.”

  “Good idea,” Bri concurs.

  Bri, Jared, and Matthew all place their hands on Crystal’s shoulders and close their eyes. Crystal closes her eyes and reaches her hands out, palms down, above the talismans laid out on the table in front of her and begins her incantation. After just a few moments there is a flash of blue light, and the spell is complete.

  “It worked!” Crystal exclaims.

  “How do you know it worked?” Matthew asks.

  “Because according to my research, the flash of blue light wouldn’t have happened if it didn’t work,” Crystal says with pride.

  “Good job, Crystal.” Bri hugs her.

  “I have talismans here for all of you. Each of them is in the form of a bracelet.” She hands one to Bri that has ornate jewels laid out like a charm bracelet.

  “This is beautiful, Crystal.” Bri holds out her wrist, and Jared helps put it on her.

  “This one is for you, Matthew.” Crystal hands him a black and silver chain-link bracelet.

  “Wow, sis, this is really nice, and I see there’s a cross engraved on the inside.”

  “Yes, I made sure there was a cross hidden somewhere on each of them…a little added protection.”

  “Good thinking, especially since we don’t know if we can trust Roman and Dimitri yet,” Matthew says.

  “This one is for Rose.” Crystal shows them a pretty silver bracelet that has purple gems and musical symbols dangling from it.

  “And for Travis, I made this one.” Crystal holds out her hand to show them. “He was a tough one because I didn’t think he would want to wear a bracelet, but then I had a thought, and now I have confidence that he won’t be able to resist wearing it.” Crystal smiles mischievously. The bracelet is leather, has NASCAR embossed in it and has a steering wheel as the clasp.