章 6: NEW CLIENT

Sitting at the office, munching on Skittles, a sudden realization hits me.

"Sam."

"Uh huh?" she responds, still focused on her laptop.

"We've got a problem," I say, feeling unsure.

"Wait. I've got news. We've got a client. A real one this time, not like those trolls. She's coming in 10 minutes," Sam announces.

"Wow! That's amazing!" I exclaimed, rushing over to see the laptop screen.

"She says she's cursed and needs our help to lift it," Sam explains.

"That's amazing!" I shout, excitedly pacing around the office.

"That's not amazing. Curses are serious. Don't say that to the client," Sam scolds.

"It's amazing to me but... I won't say it to her," I stutter.

"Okay, I've done my part. I'll leave the rest to you," Sam says, closing her laptop.

"Now, about the problem I mentioned earlier," I continue.

"What's wrong?" Sam asks, concerned.

"I don't know how to use my gift," I admit.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to activate my powers. Sometimes I have strange dreams or visions when I least expect them. Other times, I feel negative energy when I touch something," I explain.

"So you don't know how to lift a curse?" Says Sam

"I have no clue. And I don't even know what kind of curse we're dealing with. The only time I dealt with a curse was in fourth grade, and I'm not even sure if my advice helped," I confess.

"Great. Just great. Now what are we going to do? The client is on her way," Sam frets.

"I don't know. I didn't think this through," I admit.

"Whatever you think of doing, don't even think about giving up." Says Sam.

"I wouldn't dream of it," I reply.

As the clock ticks closer to the client's arrival, Sam and I frantically brainstorm ideas in the office.

"We could research different types of curses online," Sam suggests, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

I nod, feeling a surge of determination. "Good idea. Maybe we'll find something that matches what the client described."

Just then, there's a knock on the door, and we exchange nervous glances before Sam goes to answer it.

"Hello, I'm Ava, and this is Sam. Welcome to Paranormal Investigations," I greet the client, trying to sound confident.

The lady who looks worried walks in and Sam asks her to sit down.

"Hello, I'm Martha. My granddaughter Miley told me about your agency," she says with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you, Martha. What can you tell us about this curse?" Sam asks.

Martha begins to share, "I've been losing jobs quickly. I get fired for no clear reason, my bosses get annoyed at me, and on the road, people almost hit me with their cars and then blame me. A friend suggested a church that might help. They only meet at night."

"That sounds a bit odd, why only at night?" Sam questions.

"I was so desperate for help, I didn't ask questions. But after I joined them and they took some of my blood, everything just got worse," Martha explains, trying to hold back her tears.

She talks about weird things happening, bad luck that won't stop, and feeling scared all the time.

"Okay, Martha, is there anything else you'd like to share with us?" Sam asks.

"No, yes. At night, I feel like someone is watching me. I can't see anyone, but when I'm alone, I feel a presence behind me," Martha says, her voice shaky.

"I feel like I'm being followed too. Sometimes I try to talk to them, but they just stare back. Maybe they're angry," I suddenly say.

"Ava, let's keep the focus on Martha," Sam reminds me gently.

"Right, sorry Martha. I see a large shadow behind you. I can't make out who it is, it looks like a demon or something but whatever you gave your blood to, it looks like it followed you home, it likes you" I tell her.

When I turn to Sam for agreement, she's gone. Martha starts hyperventilating and falling onto the floor.

"Martha! Martha, are you okay?" I ask, tapping her shoulder, but she just passes out.

Great, if something happens to her, they'll blame me. I tried to call Sam's phone, but she left it behind. Where did she go, and how did I not notice her leaving?

Running to the back door, I see Sam hurrying to her car. "Sam!" I shout, chasing after her.

She stops and turns, panting from the effort. "What happened back there?" I ask, catching my breath as I reach her.

"You just said there's a demon behind that woman. What was I supposed to do, stay there until the demon-possessed me?" Sam asks, clearly terrified.

"What? No, that can't happen unless you give the demon permission to possess you," I explain.

"What!" She exclaims.

"Demons don't just hop into someone's body, just because they feel like it. They are quite fascinating actually,

They manipulate their perceptions, making them see things that aren't real, convincing them they could be better, essentially messing with their heads until they get permission to take over.

Demons have their own twisted rules. They don't just possess anyone randomly." I explain, I don't know how I know that but I know it.

"And the one with that woman?" Sam probes further.

"It hasn't taken full control of her, but it's causing a lot of harm by making her believe she's unwanted and invisible. That's all in her mind. If it were true, we wouldn't be here trying to help her.

The demon is feeding on her fears. Maybe it craves attention; I'm not sure. But I do know how to get that little troublemaker away from her.

So let's go back inside," I persuade her, ready to face whatever awaits us.

"I'm not sure if I should be there when you confront it," Sam says, hesitating.

"Sam, I can't do this without you. You're my partner and my one and only partner. If you weren't already married to that mystery man from Vegas, I'd marry you myself," I tease.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Maybe you should help me track him down," she suggests with a sigh.

"Or we could do it the easy way and just go to the police station. I miss my future husband, Liam, too. We should stop by there tomorrow," I say with a grin.

"The detective doesn't even like you," Sam points out.

"That's true, but I don't care," I shrug.

Sam chuckles. "Okay, so what's your plan for Martha?"

"Oh shoot, I almost forgot about her. Let's go back inside, and yes, I've got a plan," I say as we turn back toward the office.

Inside, we find Martha slowly waking up.

"Oh, hey there," I say with a reassuring smile as Martha looks around, clearly confused. Sam leans against the door, watching cautiously while I approach Martha.

"You fainted, dear, but don't worry, I know how to remove your... curse," I say, carefully avoiding the word 'demon' to keep her calm.

"Okay, what should I do?" Martha asks, her voice filled with a mix of fear and hope.

"For now, I suggest you go back to your house and stay away from meeting anyone or going to your night church. Send your granddaughter and anyone else living with you away from the house.

Tomorrow morning, around 10 am, I'll come with my partner and perform a ritual to remove... the curse, and cleanse your house," I explain gently.

"Why don't you do it tonight?" Martha asks, her anxiety evident.

"You seem to like things done in the dark, don't you, Martha? The truth is, I need to communicate with my spiritual guardian, ask for their assistance, and prepare a ritual to help my partner withstand whatever awaits us tomorrow.

I also haven't drawn the circle to trap demons in years; I need to practice that too," I reply thoughtfully.

"Demon," Martha whispers, the word slipping out.

"Oh, shoot... Yes, Martha. I'm sorry to scare you, but you do have a demon following you. I need to be fully prepared to trap it and ensure it never bothers you again," I reassure her with as much confidence as I can muster, hoping to ease her worries.

"Okay, thank you so much," Martha says, clearly relieved to have a plan in place.

"Great, can we talk about payment plans before you go?" Sam interjects. I shoot her a shocked look, surprised that she's bringing up money at a moment like this.

"Okay, yes, I have 500 dollars with me. I will give you the rest after the ritual," Martha responds, pulling out her wallet. It's clear she's serious about dealing with this demon.

After Martha pays, Sam hands her a receipt. Martha thanks us again and leaves, looking a bit more hopeful than when she arrived. We watch her go, knowing the real work lies ahead.

"This is amazing," Sam says with a mixture of awe and relief as Martha leaves the room.

"Tell me about it. Let's just hope I can perform the ritual correctly," I respond, the weight of the responsibility pressing down on me.

"You will. You have to. My life depends on this," Sam says, her tone serious as she gives me a little shake for emphasis.

"Okay, okay, I'll do my best," I assure her, trying to sound more confident than I feel.

"Thank you. Now, about my ritual to make me strong, when are we doing that?" Sam asks, half-joking but also a bit anxious.

"There's no such thing as that, Sam. The best advice I can give you is to be brave and not let fear control you. Ignore any doubts, and just listen to me during the ritual. Don't listen to the worries in your head trying to stop you. Be strong," I tell her, trying to make her feel ready and a bit scared about what's coming tomorrow.

Sam swallows hard, nodding a lot as she looks around the room. The shadows seem to move a little.

"I will. I'll try to focus," she says quietly, her voice shaky, showing she's trying to be brave.

The air feels heavy, like something big is about to happen, well it's about to and I hope I'm ready too.

"Remember," I keep talking, firm but trying to boost her courage, "this is our chance to show how strong we are, we are going to do something no one dares to.

Fear is just something your mind makes up, and tomorrow, we are going to beat it."