Unknown Abilities

Introduction

Hello, my name is James, and this is my story. I was just an ordinary American boy; eighteen years old, brown hair, brown eyes, about six feet tall and living in central Colorado. I was raised as a Christian. My family went to church every Sunday; mother would wear her favorite dress and father would wear a suit completed with his silk tie. I was always told that supernatural things didn’t exist. My mother always told me that witchcraft was an abomination to the Lord. To be honest, I believed these things until I was about twelve years old. However, as I started to reach my teenage years I started to turn rebellious and wanted to learn on my own. I stopped going to church despite my mother’s anger with my decisions. I never really believed in the supernatural; ghosts, magic, séances, none of it. According to my mother these things didn’t exist, so what was the point in putting time into something that was impossible?

It was October 13th, my sixteenth birthday was just a few months prior in July, when my mother passed away from a fatal heart attack. From this day forward my life would never be the same, it would be altered in such a way that it still frightens me to think of the transition. This was when my transformation to what I am today started. This was the first day that I had thought about the supernatural in quite a long time, a few years to be a little more precise, and this is where my story begins.



Good Morning

I awoke in my bed to a cold November morning. My alarm clocked read 8:03am. I could hear the wind howling and the rain slapping onto my window pane. As I was still trying to wake up my cell phone rang abruptly with the name Allen displayed on the external screen. I flipped the phone open and with a frog in my throat I said “Uhh yea? What’s up?’

“I’m sorry did I wake you? I know it’s kind of early.” Allen said apologetically.

“No big deal, I was already waking up. Did you need something?” I asked.

“Yea actually, I know it’s early and all, but would you want to come over? I found this book last night” Allen said excitedly.

I’ve been friends with Allen since the third grade and he has always been into weird things like ghosts, the dead, and magic. I never really condemned him for it considering one, that I was always sort of a little bit curious myself and two, who am I to judge my best friend?

“Yea I’ll be over shortly; I just want to grab some breakfast and maybe a quick shower if it’s not that big of a rush.” I said with a short laugh.

“Yea I suppose that’s fine as long as you promise you’re coming over. See you soon you little bastard.” He said hanging up the phone not waiting for a goodbye.

I was slightly concerned to what the hell Allen could possibly be talking about, but at the same time I wasn’t too concerned considering that Allen wasn’t always the brightest crayon in the box. I chuckled to myself as I sat up and stretched. I cocked my head to one side trying to crack it and then to the other side and finally stepped out of bed. It was colder than I had assumed; I started shivering instantly from leaving the warmth of my bed. I grabbed my black robe that I had gotten for Christmas from my grandmother and headed towards the kitchen.

“Hey Dad, good morning.” I said with a yawn.

“Hey there champ, how did you sleep?” My father asked chirpy.

My father always seems to be in the greatest moods in the morning time and even though I envy this perk, it just annoys the living crap out of me sometimes.

“Alright, not too many turns or quirks. I said with a small chuckle. “The wind actually woke me up a little bit and then Allen got me out of bed.” I laughed heartedly at this because my dad knows how Allen is.

“Was that who was calling so early? I should’ve figured it was him. I swear that boy won’t be satisfied until he wakes every person in the world before the crack of dawn.” My father said with a loud laugh.

“Yea I know what you mean. He asked me if I can come over after I eat my breakfast. Would that be alright with you?” I asked kind of hoping he would say no.

“I guess that would be okay. Are you sure you don’t want to catch anymore sleep before you go over?”

“No, I’m already awake; besides, Allen would probably have a cow.” I said as I grabbed a mug from the cupboard.

“Yea, you’re probably right about that. Alright well I have to get going to work champ, I’ll see you later on tonight.”

“Alrighty then, I’ll see ya later dad.” I said.

My dad got up from his chair at the table and put on his coat and came over to me stirring my coffee and gave me a light kiss on the forehead. He opened up the door and shouted “later pal!” I’ve noticed that my father has been more affectionate with me ever since my mother’s death. I think it made him appreciate life and the one’s that he loves. I was alright with it though, despite it being a little dorky. I sat down on the couch and watched the morning news, drank my coffee and lit up a cigarette. My father doesn’t really like the fact that I smoke but he says that it’s my decision considering I am eighteen years old. About three cigarettes later I’d figure it’d be time that I started to head over to Allen’s. I went to go get dressed; I brushed my teeth, grabbed my coat and headed for the door.



Visiting Allen

I stepped outside and it was depressing; dark clouds, a howling wind and it was raining. It was about 40 degrees but the wind chill bit your skin with razor blade teeth. I got into my car and turned the key. My father had bought me a new car about a year ago, but the purr of the engine still gives me chills to this day. I pulled the gear shift into reverse and the ‘R’ on the dashboard lit up a fluorescent orange. I pulled out slowly and pulled the car into drive and the ‘D’ lit up a lime green. It always amuses me how the different gears glow different colors. I drove slowly to Allen’s house because despite the fact that it wasn’t snowing, it was definitely cold enough for icy conditions. My phone started ringing and again the screen displayed ‘Allen.’

“Yes?!” I asked annoyed with Allen’s impatient ways.

“Sorry, chill out, I was just wondering if you were on your way. I wanted to tell you to take it slow in case it’s icy out.” Allen said.

“Yes, I’m on my way, let me pay attention to the road and I’ll see you in like ten minutes.”

I didn’t wait for Allen to say anything because the roads were actually pretty bad. Allen only lives about ten minutes away from me but it took me 23 minutes to be exact. When I pulled into the driveway I could see Allen looking out the window for me like a little puppy. I found it creepy but at the same time kind of nice that he was worried about me.

“Were the roads really that nasty?” Allen asked curiously.

“Well, it was no carnival ride. I kind of wished it was because then I would’ve at least known my life wasn’t at risk.” I said trying to make a lame joke.

“I am so excited to show you what I got the other day; at the same time, I’m slightly reluctant to show you in case you get offended by it.” Allen said rather cautiously.

“Just show me you little freak, you got me all the way over here and you sounded so exuberant about it. How bad could it be?” I said slightly demanding hoping I didn’t sound rude.

“C’mon, it’s in my room upstairs.” Allen said beckoning me to come with him.

I was slightly worried to what Allen had to show me. I knew he was into other things than I. Nonetheless, he sounded really excited to show me and what not so I just went with it. Even if something does offend me, I’ll usually just play it off and be pissed off later when I’m alone.

“Well here it is!” Allen said excited.

It was a rather large leather book. It was brown and by the looks of it, it was about 1,500 pages. The pages in the book looked old and worn out, sort of like if someone had dumped it in a lake or something for fifty years. I stepped in a little bit closer to get a better look and the title of the book was written in big Celtic writing “Communicating with the Deceased.” I demanded to know what this was about.

“Allen, what the hell is this all about?” I said with a stern voice.

“I wanted to know if you wanted to contact your mother.”

Communicating with the Deceased

I stared at Allen for a minute with grand confusion and slight angst. I figured from the look on his face that he was serious about what he asked me. I sat there in awe and thought to myself for which seemed like five minutes, actually turned out to be about thirty-five minutes. At first, the idea seemed absurd, but the more I thought about it the more right the idea seemed. I thought it would be a good idea to start speaking before Allen thought I fell into a coma.

“Allen, I appreciate the idea and for you bringing it up to me, but I don’t know if that’s smart to do.” I said trying to sound appreciative.

“Well, Allen continued, I lied earlier when I said that I just found this book. It was actually given to me by uhh, your mother.” Allen said warily.

I could feel my blood rushing up into my head and my ears turning beat red with anger. I felt sad and angry and just all together miserable.

“Allen! What the fuck are you talking about?! My mother has been dead for months! How could she possibly have given you this book?” I screamed demanding.

“James, please calm down. I’ll explain. You see, your mother and I we’re very close as you are well aware of. She knew that she was going to die long before you did. She told me that she has had this book ever since she was a little girl given to her by her great-grandmother. It is a book that can allow you to contact the dead and even possibly bring them back to life. However, she did say very strongly, ‘be careful when exercising the readings in this book; if they aren’t properly done, the consequences could be dire.’ She wanted me to tell you that she always kept magic and the supernatural away from you because she never thought it was safe, so she turned to the Lord for guidance. However, believe it or not, James, you have special gifts; your mother told me herself and she gave me this letter to give you when I thought it was time you knew. She said you wouldn’t believe me and by the expression on your face I can tell that you do not.”

Allen handed me an envelope that I assume to once have been white, but now was a light yellow color from hiding under his bed for so long. It was sealed with an official red seal that sort of looked like a fifteen pointed star or something. On the front it was addressed to me in a fancy writing which did indeed look like my mother’s handwriting. I broke the seal and opened the letter it was written in the same fancy writing as on the front and I proceeded to read it out loud.

“My dearest James,

Please don’t be mad at Allen, he’s a good kid and he is telling you the honest truth. I did tell him to tell you these things because I couldn’t bring myself to face you whilst I was alive. I did try to keep you away from magic and the supernatural because I was afraid of the evil that may become of it; but yes you do have abilities that can either help the world or destroy it. You are my very special boy and if you have any questions, please don’t be afraid to use the book that I had left with Allen. I love you more than anything my baby boy.

With love,

Mom”

I put the letter down with shaking hands considering I just read a letter from my mother from beyond the grave. I sat for a moment trying to soak everything in. I still couldn’t believe it; I have some sort of mystical powers or something and my mother never told me about it. I figured an apology was in order for Allen.

“Allen? I’m sorry about yelling at you. I just figured you were trying to be a jerk and just tried to get me to believe some crazy story.”

“No, James. I would never do that to you. You are my best friend that would just be wrong.” Allen said.

“I’m still in disbelief. I can’t believe this is happening right now. All these years she told me that all this crap wasn’t true and it really is. I just can’t believe it.” Said James.

I picked up the letter to read it one more time to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming.

“Allen? Said James with tears running down his cheek, I want to talk to her. I know she gave this book to you so I could still converse with her.”

“Alright James, the book is over on my bed.” Said Allen.

I walked over to the bed clearing the tears from my eyes and inhaled slowly and exhaled a little over exaggerated. I thought to myself this is it; finally my mother will tell me the absolute truth about our family. The curiosity engulfed me like the humidity on a hot summer’s day; these feelings were like anything I’ve ever felt. My head started getting light, and my eyes started to cross. All of a sudden, I blacked out from the excitement and fell to Allen’s bedroom floor with a hard thud.

All I heard was a faint scream “JAMES!”

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NEW CHAPTER! UPDATED: JULY 21 AT 1:28AM EST





Waking Up

I woke up in Allen’s bed with a great sum of confusion and an ice pack on my head. I rubbed my eyes and waited for them to focus; Allen was watching TV with the volume on low so he wouldn’t wake me.

“Allen? What’s going on?” I asked confused.

“James, thank goodness you woke up. How are you feeling? You passed out and you hit your head pretty hard on the floor.” Allen said.

“Now that you mention it, I do remember feeling rather dizzy. I think the thrill of being able to talk to my mother kind of rushed over me too fast and it was too much that I could handle.” I said trying to figure it out.”

“Well, if you’re feeling alright, we can always try another whack at the book.” Allen said hopefully.

“I think that should be alright; I’ll try and keep my emotions under better control this time.” I said.

I sat up out of Allen’s bed and looked around for the large book. Allen had moved the book over to his computer desk which he always kept in oh such tidiness. I picked up the book and was a lot heavier than I had assumed. I felt a warm rush of energy run up through my arms and down my spine and rushing out of my toes. It felt like when you get the shivers when you’re cold but it felt sort of eerie and it wasn’t exactly the most comforting feeling. I opened up the book’s cover and felt it cracking open; it really hasn’t been opened in years. On the first page of the book it had the title written in big letters, but towards the bottom it had something written in a foreign language I believed to be Italian. It read: “Avvertimento, usare questo libro senza la conoscenza su come fare così potrebbe risultare nell'apparations superfluo e le esperienze strane e forse la morte” I figured it was Italian because I did take Spanish in high school, but I couldn’t understand it fully. I asked Allen to translate it because I knew he was fluent in Italian.

“Allen, what does this say? I think it’s Italian.” I asked hopeful.

“Yea, it’s Italian alright. It says: ‘Warning, using this book without knowledge on how to do so could result in unwanted apparitions, strange experiences and perhaps death. ’” Allen said proudly.

I sort have wished that Allen did not know Italian now, just because that warning slightly scared the hell out of me. However, I don’t believe that my mother would have given me this book if she thought it would kill me.

“Alright, are you ready to do this, James?” Allen asked.

There was a long pause; I wanted to make sure that I was ready to contact my mother. I silently nodded yes and gestured him to open the book.



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NEW CHAPTER! UPDATED JULY 21 AT 2:12AM EST.



Meeting E(liz)abeth

Allen turned past the warning of the book printed on the first page and on the next page there were several instructions, including the paraphernalia that we will need. I asked Allen to read aloud so that we can both try to understand. Allen read; “disturbing the deceased can be dangerous please proceed with caution. To perform a séance you will need at least three people; people who are willing to do the séance and not skeptical people. You will need to hold the séance in either a neutral place or a place with obvious purpose. Lastly, you will need candles lit and soft music for background music if desired. You will need to--”

I interrupted Allen with a thought that popped in my head.

“Allen? Did you say that we’ll need at least three people to perform a séance?” I asked interjecting him.

“Yeah I did. I’m wondering if possibly my one friend Elizabeth, well we call her Liz, would help us out. She loves all the supernatural stuff just like I do. We usually watch scary movie marathons in October when they have them on.” Allen said.

“Okay, that sounds good. I haven’t met her yet have I?” I asked curiously.

“Umm, I don’t think that you have. Don’t worry, you’ll love her and she’ll love you!” Allen said knowingly.

“Could we call her right now? Or is it too late?” I asked hopeful.

“Do you know what time it is?”

“It is… 10:39” I said.

“Nah, she’ll be up; can you hand me my cell phone please?”

Allen went into his phone’s contact list and selected Liz and hit send. It was only a few moments before I heard Allen say ‘hey you, what are you up to?’ It was a few minute conversation ended with me hearing Allen say ‘Yeah, we can do that I think, we’ll meet you over there. See ya soon.’

“So what did she say?” I asked anxiously.

“She said that we can meet up. She also said that she thinks it would be better if we held this thing at your house considering that is where your mother was most attached to.” Allen told me.

“That does actually sound like a good idea, I don’t think my father will be home tonight so that should work out perfectly.”

We left Allen’s house at approximately eleven o’clock, and jumped in my car and drove back to my house where Liz said that she would meet us. The weather wasn’t too bad outside but I still took it relatively slow. It was a silent car ride but a calm one nevertheless; we arrived at my house around 11:30 and Liz was already in the driveway which was refreshing. I turned off the car and stepped out with a welcoming greeting for Liz.

“Hey Liz! I’m James, Allen’s best friend.” I said loud and exciting.

“Hey dude, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m glad to finally be meeting you.” Liz said with a smile on her face.

“Hey Liz.” Allen said behind us.

“Oh hey sweetie. I haven’t seen ya in a few weeks, how have you been?” Liz said back.

“Not too bad, but can we all get acquainted inside? It’s like thirty degrees out here!” Allen said chattering.

We all walked to my backdoor and I fiddled with the keys for a moment trying to find the right one. I wiggled the key into the door and turned it to the left and opened the door. My father hadn’t been home all day so the heat has been turned off and it wasn’t much warmer inside. I practically ran over to the thermostat and cranked it up to 72. I laughed out loud thinking to myself. My dad is so strange; who sets their heat to 50 in the winter time? I walked over to where Liz and Allen were standing and took their coats from them and turned the living room lights on.

“So are we all ready to do this, guys?” Liz asked with much excitement.

“Yeah, I just need to grab a few candles; the book said that we’ll need some.” I said.

“Yes you do, they help bring the spirits in; spirits are attracted to light. I’ve held a few séances before and the ones without candles just fail miserably.” Liz said.

I left them in the living to go and search for candles. Knowing that Liz has had experience with séances in the past made me feel a little less uneasy about the whole thing. At least we weren’t going in completely blind sighted, because I know for a fact that Allen had never done anything like this. Even though I know that he does however want to very badly. I found a few white votive candles in my father’s room on my mother’s old vanity. I thought perhaps these would be better assuming that they were in fact my mother’s candles. I walked back into the living room and the two of them were already sitting down on the rug preparing to contact my mother.

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New chapter coming very soon....