Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

her brush and splashed a thin line across that promise of vengeance as an exclamation point. A jagged piece of glass ripped a cut through the skin on the outside of her hand, not for the first time, dripping her blood into the painting. Her sweat and tears often ended up inside these paintings, mixing deep into the sections of glass so that when she painted over the shards, pieces of herself were just as deeply embedded.
    Judith cursed her “gift” for the thousandth time. She could bind any element to her, she shared emotion, and she could amplify and use that emotion for destructive purposes. Here, in this room, it was safe enough to allow herself the luxury of tears, of anger, of hatred, of the very real need for revenge, but she could never risk taking those things outside these four walls.
    The breeze blew insistently, carrying with it a melodic note. Soft, incessant—one that penetrated the layers of her concentration.
    “Judith.”
    Her name sounded like the whisper of wind shifting the scent of darkness.
    “The telephone is ringing. Where are you? You home?”
    Judith blinked several times, looked down at the great fat drops of blood dripping onto the floor now. It took a moment to focus, to remember where she was and what she was doing. She’d lost herself completely this time, pouring her hatred and guilt onto the canvas. She recognized the voice of Airiana Rydell, one of her beloved sisters. It wasn’t that hard to imagine her padding barefoot through the house, bare feet sinking into the thick, creamy carpet, platinum hair swinging as she searched for Judith.
    A hint of urgency crept into the melodic voice. “Judith? Are you all right? Answer me.”
    Judith made her way to the edge of the French doors and inhaled sharply to try to clear her head. She was consumed by her painting, still in a deep fog, struggling to get out and make sense of where she was and what she needed to do. It took a few moments to push back the dark, swirling waters of rage and sorrow threatening to eat her from the inside out and find the way back to sanity.
    “Be out in a minute, Airiana.” She struggled to keep her voice even as she wrapped a clean cloth around her hand to soak up the drops of blood. “Take a message for me, will you?”
    Very carefully she cleaned her brushes, taking her time, knowing Airiana would cover for her on the phone. Airiana would know she was fighting her way back. She came into this room only when the darkness threatened to completely consume her and she had to find a way to dissipate some of it. She feared if she didn’t, sooner or later, her emotions would escape and she would harm someone accidentally.
    “Breathe in. Breathe out. Find beauty in the world around you.” She allowed the familiar mantra to take her back to the world she lived in.
    She had sisters. Five of them. Each one of them had shared an equally traumatic experience. They had met in Monterey, California, a beautiful coastal town where an amazing woman had brought together a group of victims of violence—of murder—for counseling. Each of the women felt responsible and each was at the very end of their ability to cope with shame and guilt. Until Monterey. Until they met one another and formed their lasting sisterhood.
    They trusted few people. Believed in even fewer. But together they were strong. Together they could live their lives in peace. Find happiness again. Maybe not in the way others would have thought was right, but it was their way and Judith embraced her life in the small village of Sea Haven where she worked.
    They called each other family and that’s what they were—sisters. Many people in the world had family of the heart, kin by choice rather than by blood, and hers had come along in her darkest hour and saved her life. Five years ago they’d made the decision to buy a farm together just outside of the village of Sea Haven, on the Northern California coast. The community was small and close, the villagers interdependent on one another for success, which made them all very friendly and tolerant of one another.
    “You okay, Judith?” Airiana called again, this time insistent.
    It was a common question they all asked one another.
    “Be right out,” she said again, dodging the question. It was never good to outright lie. Bad karma, and in any case, Airiana was fairly good at seeing through lies.
    Airiana was the most difficult of all her sisters to mislead. Like Judith, she could read auras, the