Madame answered for Ken. ‘It’s a ritual where people try to contact friends and family who have passed on.’ She frowned.‘What were you doing there, Ken?’
‘I just thought it would be interesting,’ he said. ‘To meet people who do what I do.’
Now Madame looked seriously concerned. ‘Did you participate in the seance, Ken? Did you let people know about your gift?’
‘No, no, nothing like that,’ he assured her. ‘I was just listening. Anyway, there was this kid—’
He was interrupted before he could get any further. ‘Are you nuts?’ Jenna asked. ‘Those things are scams.’
‘You don’t know if that’s true,’ he declared. ‘Hey, if I can talk to the dead, there must be other people who can do it.’
But Madame was shaking her head. ‘That’s not necessarily true, Ken. Your gift may be unique.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Ken argued. ‘This medium, Cassandra, she wants to help people. She doesn’t even charge money for coming to the seance.’
Madame didn’t look convinced. ‘I’m sorry, Ken, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to attend meetings like that. You’ll be urged to join in. You may feel compelled to share your gift.’
Ken scowled. ‘I can control myself, Madame.’
‘That’s not true,’ Jenna interjected. ‘You’re always saying how you can’t control your gift.’
Ken glared at her. ‘I meant, I know how to keep my mouth shut.’
‘I’m sure you do,’ Madame said smoothly. ‘But Ken, you’ll encounter temptations. Perhaps a participant in the seance will be desperate to contact a deceased loved one and you’ll actually receive a message from that person who’s passed on. You’ll want to relay the message.’
She had a point, and Ken found it extremely annoying. It was as if she didn’t trust him to behave properly. And his classmates weren’t sympathetic either.
‘Do you understand what we’re saying, Ken?’ Madame asked.
He shrugged. ‘Whatever.’
But that evening he told his parents he was going to the library. Instead he went back to Cassandra’s apartment.
He got there early, but he wasn’t the first to arrive. Dahlia was already there, having an intense conversation with Cassandra.
‘I knew Cleopatra very well, you see. I was one of her handmaidens. And I told her over and over again, “Cleo, Mark Antony is worth a dozen Caesars.” But would she ever listen to me? That woman had a mind of her own. She could be so stubborn.’
He really didn’t want to get caught up in this conversation, and he was relieved when Stevie arrived next.
‘Hey, how ’s it going?’ he asked the younger boy.
Stevie didn’t look any more cheerful than he’d looked at the last seance.
‘OK, I guess,’ he said.‘Mom took Dad’s old clothes to a second-hand shop and sold them. We didn’t get much though.’ He smiled sadly. ‘It’s not like he wore designer clothes.’
Ken nodded sympathetically, and Stevie continued.
‘I’ve been trying to get a job delivering newspapers, but you have to be twelve and I’m only eleven.’ He looked at Ken hopefully. ‘Do you know anyone who would hire me? I’m very mature for my age. I could run errands, mow lawns, carry groceries …’
‘I’ll ask my mother,’ Ken promised him. ‘Listen, I get a pretty decent allowance. I could give you a few bucks …’
Stevie shook his head violently. ‘I won’t take charity,’ he stated firmly. Ken could see that he was trying to look older than his eleven years. It made Ken hurt inside. He wished the medium would pay more attention to the boy and less to the lady with the past lives. Dahlia just wanted to say hi to old friends but Stevie was in serious need of help.
Another woman walked in, and it took Ken a minute to realize she was Margaret. She looked completely different tonight. Her hair was shorter, she wore jeans, and she was — well, kind of pretty! He was amazed. Had that brief message from her mother completely changed her life?
Cassandra seemed very surprised to see her too. She ushered them all to the table, but she kept looking at Margaret with a puzzled expression.
They joined hands and the medium began. ‘Oh spirits, hear our fervent plea. We are in great need of your presence. Please speak with us tonight.’
The group was silent, and Ken concentrated very hard. Maybe something would happen for Stevie tonight.
‘A spirit is approaching,’ the medium said. ‘I am getting a message.’
Ken held his breath. Oh please, he thought, let it be Stevie’s father.
After a moment she added, ‘It’s a man,’ and his heart leapt. Come on, Mr Fisher, Stevie needs you.
Then Cassandra said,‘He’s carrying red roses,’ and Dahlia let out a squeal.
‘It’s Vladimir!’ she cried out. ‘He always brought me red roses.’
Ken opened his eyes. ‘Who’s Vladimir?’
‘My lover, in Russia,’ Dahlia said. ‘Before the Revolution. Does he have a message for me?’
‘Yes,’ Cassandra said. ‘He wants you to know he waits for you in eternity.’
‘Oh, how lovely,’ Dahlia said happily. ‘I have such wonderful memories of my time with Vladimir. I’m so happy to know he still thinks of me.’
Ken couldn’t help rolling his eyes, and then he realized Margaret was looking straight at him. And she was smiling! He was so surprised, he couldn’t even smile back at her. He closed his eyes.
The medium had more words from Vladimir for Dahlia — mushy stuff that almost made Ken blush. Finally Vladimir made an exit, and Cassandra was available to hear from another spirit.
‘Margaret, your mother is here.’
‘Oh, yeah?’
‘She wants to know if you’ve been taking your vitamins.’
‘Uh, sure.’
‘She wants you to know she’s watching you, Margaret.’
‘OK.’
‘And thinking about you.’
‘Great,’ Margaret said.‘Tell her I’m thinking about her too.’
Ken opened his eyes again. There was no sign of a tear on Margaret’s face. He noticed that, above the veils, the medium’s eyes were open too. Ken didn’t blame her. This was a completely different Margaret from the one they’d seen the previous Friday.
‘Well,’ Cassandra said finally, ‘your mother is very pleased to see you’re feeling better. She wants to say goodbye now.’
‘Bye, Mom,’ Margaret said.
The medium noticed that Ken’s eyes were open, and she frowned. Obediently, he closed them.
‘Someone else is coming,’ Cassandra said. ‘I think it may be Cleopatra, Dahlia.’
Ken uttered a silent groan. Where was Stevie’s father? Didn’t the man realize how desperately Stevie needed to talk to him?
He made a decision. As soon as the seance was over he was going to have a private conversation with the medium. Despite Madame’s warning, he was going to tell her about his gift.
Because together, if they joined forces, they just might be able to help Stevie.
Hey, man, what’s up?
Jack, not now! I’m in the middle of a seance. I ’m trying to concentrate!
But did you talk to Lucy? Did you tell her not to go out with Simon?
Yeah, I told her.
Thanks, pal. Look, could you do something else for me? You’ve still got my iPod, right? I left it at your place a couple of days before I died, remember?
I think so. Why?
Could you give it to Lucy for me? And tell her it’s from me?
OK, OK. Jack, listen, I gotta go. I really want to concentrate on this seance.
Sure, man. See ya.
Ken opened his eyes for a minute, and realized that Cassandra’s eyes were open too. And she was looking straight at him. Maybe she’d sensed he hadn’t been paying attention. Obediently, he closed his eyes and thought about Stevie’s father.