“He was here one night.”
“He do a cleansing here or what?”
“No, he just picked up Orion. Why?”
Orion returned, and handed Kora her glasses. “Thank you.” She slipped them on, then looked up at Orion. “Was Chapel involved with this property somehow?”
“Nah.” Orion shrugged. “Not really. He was here one night, felt the Spites. Told Kurt he had a problem, but then he just left. Why?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Just a sense.”
Orion sat down beside Kora, wrapping an arm around her. “How did things go with the cleansing?”
Her eyes shifted to me. “I blocked all your holes. You shouldn’t have any more Spite problems.”
“You sure?” I asked, and she nodded. “You just did that all on your own? No…potions or spells or whatever?”
Kora shook with laughter. “Potions.” She looked at Orion. “He’s adorable.”
“Isn’t he just?”
“Well, I don’t know!” I said. “It seems like a lot for just your…energy to handle.”
“I know, right?” she said. “I should have gotten a magic cloak or talking dragon or something to go with this ability. But no dice. It’s just me, barking in my underwear.”
“Does it hurt?” I asked. “You looked like you were in pain upstairs. When you started making that noise.”
“It’s not pain, exactly. More like discomfort. When I connect with spirits, my stomach does this contracting, spasm thing like I’m gonna puke. Then I like…direct that energy vomit. Your Spites were easy, didn’t even put up a fight. But there was something else here. Did you know that?”
I glanced at Orion. “The shadow thing?”
“Maybe,” he said. “Kurt had a shadow figure in his room.”
Nodding, Kora said, “Pretty sure that’s what rushed me in here just now.”
“Was it a ghost?” I asked.
“A ghost, yeah.” Kora nodded. “An angry one. Not ancient, but not newly dead either. I was almost done in here when it just came at me, this wall of energy slamming into me.”
“Did it talk to you?” Orion asked.
“It did, but it was too much information all at once, like it had been waiting for someone to listen and was frustrated. But so fucking angry. I was caught off guard so I just grabbed it and flung it out back, off the property.”
“You…grabbed it,” I said. “And flung it.”
“Yeah. It’s a thing. You look like you don’t believe me, with your eyebrows all up on the ceiling.”
Orion chuckled. “He always looks like that when talking about paranormal stuff. Gets those cute wide bug-eyes.”
“I don’t have bug-eyes.”
“You do. It’s your pretend-not-to-be-scared face, even though your eyes get big as saucers.”
“I’m not scared, I’m curious. It should be understandable that I’m curious about what just happened here, this is where I live, in case you forgot.”
“If you’re scared, I can stay over with you again.” He twitched his eyebrows.
“Orion, stop flirting,” Kora said.
“I don’t wanna.”
“The guy’s asking legit questions, and he has every right to be scared. Quit humping his leg and let us talk.” She looked at me. “The ghost I flung out of here….it might still be somewhere in the woods back there. It startled me so I responded more crudely than I should have. But I blocked it from re-entering the property. Hopefully it will move on.”
I shuddered, thinking of that gust of wind that knocked my patio chairs over. Was that it? The moment Kora forced the entity out? “So who was the ghost?” I asked. “You have any idea?”
“You want to know if it was connected to you,” she said.
“I guess.”
“That I don’t know. I couldn’t even get if it was male or female, and I didn’t take the time to question it. It could just be attached to the property for reasons having nothing to do with you. Did you…lose someone recently? Is that why you’re asking?”
I shifted on my feet, uncomfortable. Orion kept quiet, but when I glanced at him, he offered an encouraging look, a soft smile. I wasn’t used to allowing my vulnerabilities to show, especially in front of strangers. But Orion being there made me more comfortable, so I told Kora, “My mother. I lost my mother.”
“When?”
“A year ago.”
Kora shook her head. “No. Thing that rushed me had been dead longer than that. I’d say at least five years, but probably more.”
“You’re sure?” I asked.
“Positive. Can’t pinpoint exact time period, but definitely much longer than a year. Look, it could be someone’s mean uncle who died on the property or just some rando drifted over from the cemetery. I wouldn’t worry about it being personal, Kurt. In my experience, it usually isn’t.”
“That’s good,” I said.
“Sorry about your mom,” Kora said.
“Thanks.”
“Orion said you did some renovation work here recently?” I nodded. “That could have stirred up dormant spirits, depending how long it’s been since anything was changed drastically on the property.”
“Could the angry ghost have come in with the Spites?” Orion asked. “Tagged along for the ride or something?”
“Probably,” Kora said. “Not sure if the Spites gave it entry, or if it bust in here first, and opened things up to the Spites. I did get the sense they all arrived at the same time, so it’s likely one or the other. You shouldn’t have any more problems here, Kurt. Which I suspect is your main concern.”
“Thank you,” I said. “That was my main concern. I appreciate this, and sorry you got…rushed.”
“It happens,” she said. “One thing…do you know someone called Mia?”
My entire body stiffened. “Mia is my daughter. Why?”
“That thing that rushed me, it said that name. It was one of the few things I was able to hear through all the noise and chaotic energy.”
“It say anything else you could discern?” Orion asked, grasping my shoulder like he sensed my unease. He sensed correctly. I did not like this mention of my daughter’s name. Not one bit.
“A couple things, but like I said, it was a jumble.”
“I don’t like this,” I said. “Why would it say Mia’s name?”
Kora took her glasses off, wiping her sweaty brow with her arm. “She been to this house?”
“Yes. Several times.”
“Then it could have just picked the name up then. Lost souls fixate on weird shit and it doesn’t always make sense. I didn’t get a read on its intentions, just the angry emotions. But I definitely heard the name Mia, then it said ‘That bitch’ a couple times.”
I began pacing.
“It could mean nothing, Kurt,” Orion said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry? My daughter’s name and ‘that bitch’ coming from some shadowy thing I can’t punch?”