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the”—Simon made quotation marks with his fingers in the air—“realm of normal understanding. Says it won’t be long before Dad has to choose sides.”
    “Really?” I deadpanned. “Evil forces , huh? Like not enough restaurants with an early bird special? Raising the price of Bengay?”
    “Who’s Ben Gay?” Zack asked.
    “It’s just Grandpa being Grandpa,” Simon explained.
    “You always say that,” Zack complained . “But maybe Gramps is right. Look at what happened to everyone in our family. Gramps says the curse explains everything from our mom to Bristol’s parents.”
    “What curse? What is he talking about?”
    “Shut it, Zack,” Simon commanded. Zack pouted but obeyed. “Bristol, ignore him. I do. You don’t need to be upset by this. It’s all nonsense.” Simon sent his brother an angry stare that Zack didn’t see as he was grabbing his grandfather’s cup of black, unsweetened coffee and taking a sip. I watched as Zack’s eyes registered the shock of the bitter flavor before he spat it back out into Grandpa’s cup. I imagined Grandpa drinking from it again and grinned. It was small of me, but hey, it felt good.
    Without another word, I climbed the steps to my room. Once there, I opened the window that looked out over the backyard. As I had suspected, I could hear my uncle and grandfather’s words from there.
    “I’m telling you, she’s different,” Grandpa said. “Maybe it’s because she’s the first girl in our family in over fifty years, but she’s different. I can feel it.”
    “I don’t want to hear it , Dad,” Uncle Mark responded. “And I don’t want Bristol to hear it either.”
    “You want me to let her be unprepared?” Grandpa asked. “I thought you cared about her. Besides, isn’t it your job to serve and protect?”
    “ Now you want me to be sheriff of this town? You’ve never had much use for my badge before.”
    “Ha!” Grandpa grumbled. “What’s the point of having one if you don’t use it to help your own? I still haven’t forgotten you locked up your cousin Stan. And for what?”
    “For drunk and disorderly,” Uncle Mark answered. “And for threatening Broderick and Lucas McKnight with a pool stick. And if I hadn’t gotten there when I did, it could have been worse. You were of no help, as I recall.”
    “You recall incorrectly,” Grandpa said. “I handed him the pool stick, didn’t I?”
    There was a moment of silence . I pictured Uncle Mark shaking his head.
    “Look, I’m just trying to figure that girl out,” Grandpa continued. “There is something about her. You know it, don’t you?” Another pause and then, “Don’t you, son?”
    “I’m not doing this , Dad,” Uncle Mark said. “It doesn’t matter. She’s my niece, your granddaughter. She watched her parents get killed for crying out loud. Can you forget about your little supernatural war for a bit and concentrate on helping her heal? Make her feel at home.”
    “This is her home,” Grandpa responded. “Her parents never should have taken her away. Blackburns belong here in Spirit.”
    “ Give her a break, will you? She just got here. There’s plenty of time for her to become familiar with your particular take on things, but give her a little room to breathe. Let the poor girl bury her mother and father in peace.”
    A door slammed. I had no idea what Grandpa was talking about. I looked over to Ricky, but as usual, he had nothing to say.
     
    * * * *
     
    I know in the future I’ll never be able to talk much about my parents’ funeral. Not that I expect the memory will be so painful I won’t be able to tell the tale. I’m just pretty sure I won’t remember it at all.
    What I do remember is waiting for my parents to appear to me. Once again, I was disappointed. I was overcome with a feeling of being abandoned. But through it all, Uncle Mark held me, making me realize I wasn’t alone. When it was over, I tried my best not to be overwhelmed by tears. I could feel