Medium

“Mom, I’d like you to meet Lily. My…girl…friend?”

Why did he say it like that? Didn’t he know if she was his girlfriend or not? Wood stove tended to, she closed the door and stood, knees popping, and with a small, amused smile, Tess turned to face her guests.

Dillon, her youngest, lumbered in the doorway. He practically had to duck to enter the rooms of this dollhouse-like Victorian. His hands, usually so busy, were shoved into the pockets of his denim jacket. The corners of his eyes crinkled when he gazed down at the girl standing next to him.

She’s dressed for the funeral, but she’s shown up far too late. Tess mentally shook herself for being catty. As if she wasn’t used to the alternative look, three out of four of her own kids had gone through the phase. She was just happy to see Dillon smiling again.

Lily’s wide, milk-blue eyes washed over Tess, as if she was just another figurine or vase of dying flowers, and with clasped hands, the girl glided slowly around the room.

“Lily,” Tess repeated, and forced herself to sound cheery. “What a pretty name. Hello, and welcome.”

“It’s short for Lilibet, actually,” Lily replied in a voice that was surprisingly deep. Her fingers plucked at something of interest on the mantle, only to almost immediately be wiped on her thigh, as if to rid her skin of clinging dirt.

Tess tried not to bristle at that. She’d just dusted.

Pausing before a framed photograph, Lily stared at the print a moment before saying, “I come from old money, too. My parents’ place isn’t quite so loud, though. Yours is downright vociferous.”

“I beg your pardon?” Frowning in confusion, Tess looked to Dillon, who nodded sagely.

“Lily’s a medium, Mom,” Dillon said. His dark eyes were glued to Lily as the girl continued to circle the room. The lace hem of her dress brushed the hardwood floor. “She can communicate with ghosts.”

Tess felt her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. “Ghosts.” She hoped her disbelief wasn’t apparent in her tone.

“I hear them in the ether,” Lily responded sharply, and finally, finally, she turned to look Tess in the eye. “They are whispering your name, Mrs. Wilcox.”