CHAPTER 12: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Yvonne waved to both Tom and Suzanne before she disappeared into the rainbow with the bearded man in white. And when the last of the light from the rainbow disappeared, Tom closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Suzanne placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”, she asked.

He nodded, “That was beautiful.”

He turned to Suzanne and pulled her into a warm embrace. He rested his chin on top of her curly dark hair as she nuzzled her face in his chest. “Will it be the same for everyone in the end?”

Suzanne nodded, “Usually, yes.”

Tom twirled a lock of her hair with his finger, “Usually?”

Suzanne looked up, tiptoed, and kissed his cheek. “Some don’t get to go over the rainbow bridge. Some get sucked into the abyss.” She shuddered, suddenly feeling a sense of Deja Vu. Lightning flashed across the evening sky.

It had taken them nearly one whole day in sending Yvonne off. The uncanny weather had somehow affected Suzanne’s abilities and the process of conjuring up the ancient spell had exhausted her.

Tom looked at her with a worried look on his face, “My turn to ask, are you alright?”

Suzanne wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. She needed to lie down but no way was she going to let him see her like that. She could rest later.

She gave him a reassuring smile, “Yeah, couldn’t be better. Why don’t you head to the shower while I make us some dinner?”

It was Tom’s turn to smile. He gave a sly grin and patted her butt. “Are you hinting at something?”

Suzanne laughed and flicked his nose. “No, I’m being serious. Now shoo! Go!”

Tom pecked her on the forehead and walked back to the bedroom. Suzanne decided to give building security a call. Something about the figure in black irked her. She headed straight to her office desk and reached for her phone and started to dial the security number.

Outside, the storm continued to rage on, making it almost impossible for Suzanne to hear Tom turn on the shower. The lights in her office room flickered slightly Suzanne could feel goosebumps all over. She took it as an ominous sign. The security team responded the hadn’t caught anything on the camera.

She but her bottom lip. Perhaps she was thinking too much.

She thanked the security team and hung up, looked over her shoulder to see the lights from the bathroom still on. Tom was probably in the middle of his shower. She decided not to bother him.

Suzanne headed to the shelf quickly and opened up her toolbox. She took out a rectangular yellow paper and started to weave a protection barrier for her apartment. Suzanne would not be taken by surprise. Grandma had always told her to be ready, especially if she sensed something amiss.

“Suzanne, we are children of the light. Our role on earth is to help spirits cross into the next world. But there are forces of evil, spirits of the dark that seek to use our powers for their gain. And should you ever come to face one of these forces, remember, do not give in. Because once you do, there will be no turning back.”, grandma had warned countless times before she went cuckoo. After she had lost her marbles, she would only talk about her lost daughter, Olivia, and nothing more.

With the golden thread of protection spell in place, Suzanne could finally breathe a sigh of relief, she slumped onto her black swivel chair. Weaving of this spell and sending Yvonne Long off to the rainbow bridge had taken a toll here, physically. She was mentally drained too. The spells did that to her. She would normally rest a day or two before accepting another client. But with all the energy she had used up earlier, Suzanne figured she could hibernate for one whole week.

But now was not the time to rest. She quickly headed to the kitchen and made a simple meal. There was some leftover Bolognese sauce in her freezer. She defrosted it and made a fresh batch of penne to go with the sauce. Once done she quickly set it on the table and sat down her armchair. Her chair had never felt more comfortable. Suzanne looked out her window into the howling sky. She had never seen such a storm before.

*Something is definitely not right*, she thought.

With great effort, she went to her trusty toolbox again and picked up an extendable metal wand, a miniature glass ball, and stuffed a few pieces of yellow talisman into the pocket of her robe.

“Tom, dinner’s on the table,” she called out. Tom’s shower was still going strong.

A wave of dizziness hit her, Suzanne quickly sat back down on her armchair. She needed to rest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

***

Tom stepped out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but his jeans. Suzanne’s bath rowel was draped over his broad shoulders as water dripped from his hair. He rubbed his hair with the towel and walked over to where a sleeping Suzanne laid.

He bent down on one knee and looked at her. She was beautiful, her eyes fluttered as she slept on and her mouth slightly agape. Tom gently brushed away the curls that had fallen over her face and removed her glasses before placing them on the floor next to the armchair. He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes, confused as to what was happening.

“Rest, Suzanne,” he said and he picked her up in his arms.

Oof. She was heavier than he had thought. In her semi-conscious state, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her to her bed, all the while clutching a metal wand in her hand, refusing to let it go.

He quietly settled her on her bed as she drifted back off to sleep, murmuring something about some black figure. He settled next to her, stroking her hair and feeling his manhood harden.

Tom shook his head and quickly sat up, he stood up abruptly and made a beeline for the kitchen.

*Dinner. Dinner will do me good*, he thought.

Tom had his dinner by the window, oblivious to the change that was coming. Outside the rain continued to pour.