Troublemaker (2 page)

A
lexandria smiled as she stretched her long, shapely legs across PJ's buttery-soft leather sofa. “Now that I've finished cooking, it's time to relax,” she said aloud. She ran her fingers through the mass of thick curls atop her head and let out a deep breath of relief, glad she was finally able to relax after her long day. She'd been busy from the moment she'd stepped out the door this morning with a coffee mug in one hand and a toasted bagel in the other. Her life had been more hectic in the last year than she could ever remember. So much was changing so fast, but with that change she felt the hope and excitement of new possibilities that lay ahead.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she thought about the fact that this Friday would be her last day of work at a job she'd dreaded since the day she'd started. She was an attorney, on the fast track, employed with the prestigious downtown Atlanta law firm of Johnson, Taylor, and Associates. Alexandria had worked there since she'd interned with them while still in law school. Now, six years later, she was ready to step out of what she'd been academically trained to do, and take hold of the direction in which her heart had always led her, which was to pursue her passion as a writer and spoken-word artist.

Alexandria thought about her promising future as she lay on her back and flipped through one of her many bridal magazines. Even though her wedding day was just one month away, and all the major details had been planned to a tee, she still couldn't resist looking at pictures of happy couples, replete with bountiful flowers and their wedding parties in tow, all overflowing with nuptial bliss.

Alexandria smiled every time she thought about how happy she was and how much her life had significantly changed since this time last year. It seemed as though it were just yesterday that she'd broken up with her old boyfriend, Peter, and in less than twenty-four hours, fate, along with her grandma Allene's sage advice, had led her down a completely different path to peace, understanding, and true love. Now she was engaged to PJ, her childhood best friend who'd walked into her life and changed her world.

She could still remember her grandma Allene's words.
Speak what's in your heart. Say what it is that you desire, and watch it walk into your life.

Alexandria had heeded those words and still lived by them today. She knew that speaking what she wanted, and then trusting and believing with indomitable faith that her desires would be met in abundance, was the reason PJ was in her life. As she looked at the beautiful gowns of silk and tulle, she raised her hand in the air, as if in praise, and gave thanks for her blessings. “Amen,” she said quietly.

She was thankful for this joyous time in her life, and she planned to savor every moment because she was all too aware of the trouble that was lying in wait on the other side. Gritty realities and unpleasant truths were about to surface, not just in her life, but in the lives of family and friends whom she loved. She knew the road ahead was paved with detours, rough patches, and a few hazard signs. But she also knew she'd get through them thanks to her faith, her grandma Allene, and the amazing gift of prophecy she now embraced.

“Thank you, Grandma Allene,” Alexandria whispered. “I love you for showing me the way.”

As soon as her words floated into the air, Alexandria knew that her grandma Allene's spirit had entered the room. Whenever she felt a warm breeze, a gentle, unexplainable tug at her arm, or smelled the unmistakably sweet scent of magnolias—which had just wafted by her nose—she knew it was her great-great-grandmother communicating with her.

Alexandria inhaled the fragrant, uniquely Southern scent that always made her feel safe and at ease. That sense of comfort and security was very different from the turmoil and strife she'd experienced in the past whenever she thought about her gift.

Communicating with spirits and having premonitions were abilities that had burdened Alexandria since she was five years old. She'd always felt different and out of place, constantly trying to navigate where she stood in a world filled with uncertainty. Her lack of grounding and understanding of her gift had made her afraid of the supernatural powers she possessed. But all that had changed last summer when Allene had contacted her for the first time.

Initially, Alexandria had been leery, and she hadn't want any part of the mysteriously frightening world that had been haunting her since she was five years old. Many times she could remember waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and covered with fear, terrified of the voices that belonged to spirits from another world that she couldn't see or touch.

She also recognized that the ability to know what was going to happen in a given situation before it took place wasn't always a good thing, and it had quickly become a heavy weight on her shoulders. She'd worried about things that kids her age didn't have to deal with. She'd witnessed accidents, death, and destruction, and it had made her fearful of doing something as normal as dreaming at night because of what she might see. She'd often stood helpless with her knowledge, not knowing what to do or in whom to confide, so she'd learned how to ignore her gift and block out visions whenever they threatened her peace of mind.

But once her grandma Allene had come into her life and shown her the beauty of her gift, along with the strength and infinite possibilities it held, a new world had opened up to her for the first time.

She'd been hoping that her grandma Allene would soon make contact with her again. She missed hearing the old woman's comforting voice and the soothing, down-home Southern accent it carried. Allene hadn't communicated with her in nearly three months, which had initially alarmed Alexandria. But then she remembered Allene's promise—that she'd always be there to guide and protect her. Alexandria knew she'd have to wait patiently and trust in Allene's words, which were solid and rooted in love.

The one thing that Alexandria longed for more than anything was to talk with Allene face-to-face, instead of speaking in whispered tones through visions that always seemed to end much too quickly. During one of their talks, Alexandria had asked Allene to appear to her in the flesh.

“Grandma Allene, I want to see you. Can you come visit me?” she'd asked.

“I'd really love to, baby girl,” Allene whispered to her from a faraway place. “But that's a very difficult thing to do. I only know of one other spirit who's been able to travel from our world to yours, and that's my great-grandma, Susan Jessup. She came to me once, while I was living,” Allene said with a smile in her voice that was mixed with sadness. “But after that one time I never saw her again until I passed on and joined her in the spirit world. Travelin' between worlds can be dangerous. Life and death is on two different sides, and once you cross over that's where you stay.”

Allene explained that travel between the spirit world and the world of the living was no easy feat. Only a select handful of highly skilled individuals, all of whom had possessed the gift when they'd been alive, were able to exist between realms.

Although Allene was an apparition, and in her world she could float across a room, walk through walls, and defy space, she was limited in her abilities once she left the spirit realm and came to the time and place where Alexandria existed. She'd been ninety-eight years old when she'd passed away, and upon her return to the living world, her nearly century-old bones would revert back to their fragile state, the same as when she'd taken her last breath. Gravity and the earth's other elements could work against her.

“I did come to see you one time,” Allene had told her. “It was last year, shortly after I first made contact with you. I came to your mother's house and sat right in between you and her at the table in her big fancy kitchen.”

“You did?” Alexandria said in shock.

“Yes, but I was only able to stay a short while. I wasn't fully prepared for how much it would take outta me. But it was worth it 'cause I got to see two generations of my family. Bein' in the presence of you and your mama was a joy.”

“But if you're a spirit why do you get tired?” Alexandria asked. “I thought you were impervious to physical ailments.”

Allene shrugged and then nodded. “I used to think the same thing about spirits until I became one. God sets up everything 'xactly the way it's 'sposed to be. Can you imagine how much devilment spirits could cause if all of us could freely walk among the living, and do whatever we wanted without fear of harm, hurt, or danger to our bodies?”

“You've got a good point,” Alexandria said in amazement.

“I'm one of few who can do it, and even though I only visited for a short spell I overjoyed to see you and your mama.”

“I can't believe you were sitting next to me. . . . I wonder why I didn't feel your presence.”

“ 'Cause I didn't want you to. I was there to observe.”

“I didn't know you could cloak yourself like that.”

“I could then, but I doubt I'd be able to do that now. Your abilities have gotten much stronger. I don't think I could hide from you if I tried.”

“Grandma, I really wish it wasn't so hard for you to come visit me. I want to see you. I miss you.”

“Aww, I want to visit with you, too. But it's difficult, baby girl, and I see why my great-grandmamma only came to visit me every once in a blue moon, and when she did, it was only in my dreams. Even though I'm in spirit form, I still have to use human energy to travel from my world to yours.”

“I've been able to glimpse into your world through my visions, and sometimes I can see you just as plainly as if you were sitting next to me,” Alexandria said with excitement. “Maybe if I concentrate hard enough I can come to where you are.”

“No, baby girl,” Allene said with caution. “You can look back into the past, and you can see things that's gonna happen in the future. But the only way you can step into my world is if you pass on.”

Alexandria nodded as she listened to her grandmother's voice. Knowing what she was going to say next.

“Just like you and I both know,” Allene said gently, “that won't happen for another seventy years. But don't worry. I'm gonna always be with you—even when you can't see or hear me, I'll be near. I'm gonna protect and guide you.”

As Alexandria looked around the room and thought about the conversation she'd had with her grandma Allene, she came up with an idea. She set her magazine to the side, lay perfectly still on the sofa, closed her eyes, and concentrated. She took deep, calming breaths to ground herself in preparation for what she was about to do.

Slowly, an image formed before Alexandria's eyes that made her smile. She could see Allene sitting in an old rocking chair on the front porch of a large, beautiful home set against the backdrop of luscious flowers, shrubs, and tall trees. Rain was coming down by the bucketful, and she could see that Allene was enjoying the downpour as she looked up into the stormy sky.

Suddenly, Alexandria gasped when she realized that something very strange was happening. Usually, when she communicated with Allene, it was through whispered words held together by a time and place she couldn't touch—the spirit world. But now, it was different. Alexandria opened her eyes quickly and gasped again. “You're here,” she said aloud. “Grandma Allene, you're here in my world.”

 

“Yes, baby girl. I'm here,” Allene whispered in a voice that sounded as strong and as clear as if she were sitting next to Alexandria on her sofa.

“But how? I thought making a trip here was too difficult.”

“That's true, it's a challenge. But Susan helped me to focus, and with time, patience, and practice, I'm here. I had to come.”

Alexandria swallowed hard, fighting to hold on to the vision of Allene that she could see when she closed her eyes. But it was no use because, slowly, everything started to fade to black. She could no longer see Allene, but she could hear her with perfect clarity. “How are you Grandma?”

“I'm just fine, and I feel real good.”

“Oh, thank goodness. I want to see you. I miss you so much.”

Allene sighed. “I know, and I miss you, too, baby girl. I can't come to you, but you can come to me.”

“Where are you?”

“I'm where you and the rest of our family needs to be. I'm where it all began.”

Alexandria took a minute to think, and then it came to her. “I know exactly where you are!” she said with excitement.

“Yes, and I want you to come here and bring the rest of our family with you, too.”

“Why do you want me to bring our family?” Reservation was lodged in her throat as she waited for what she sensed was going to be an answer that would bring about more questions.

“Because . . . it's time to bury the past and start new beginnings.”

“That sounds promising and complicated at the same time.”

“I reckon it can be. But like I always say, you just gotta hold on and trust that everything's gonna work out like it's 'sposed to.”

“So this means I'm going to finally get to see you?”

“Yes, baby girl.”

Just as Alexandria was going to ask another question, Allene's voice drifted away as quickly as it had come. She was gone.

Alexandria wasn't ready to let any part of Allene go, so she fought to hang on to the magnolia scent that was starting to fade. Even though she was disappointed that her conversation with Allene had been so brief, she felt good knowing that her grandma was in her world, and that they'd finally be able to share the same time and space.

“I'm looking forward to seeing you very soon, Grandma Allene.” Alexandria smiled, feeling that besides her upcoming wedding, seeing Allene was going to be the highlight of her year. But as she blinked and opened her eyes, her joy quickly turned to worry. She sat up straight and brought her hand to her mouth as she thought about what Allene had said.
“I had to come.”