Part 4: Omens

Zoe plonked down on her bed and started unpacking. Her voice was thick with sarcasm. “Boy, Norway certainly is full of surprises, isn’t it? I’m just so glad we came.”

“Why didn’t Uncle Ulmer tell us about mom? What else didn’t he tell us?”

“I don’t know. But maybe that explains where we got our telepathy from. I mean if mom had mental powers, too…”

Zane slammed his fist down on the night table. “Why didn’t he tell us? We had a right to know! Maybe we wouldn’t have felt like such freaks if we’d have known we got it from her!”

Zoe jumped up and started pacing. She stopped to look out the window. Dark grey clouds were rolling in from the sea. A flock of black birds alighted on the roof of an apartment across the street. Zoe shivered, remembering what Astarte once told her about black birds being bad omens. “I don’t want to rest right now. I’m too wired. Let’s go see if that lady will talk to us.”

“Yeah. We don’t have to see the lawyer until this afternoon. And there’s no way I could relax now.” Zane threw his suitcase on his bed. The two of them went downstairs. The old woman was on her break and waiting for them by the fireplace. She’d made tea for three.

“I had a feeling you would be back soon. Please call me Aunt Neita. All the young people here do. And believe me, when you’re my age, they’re all young people.”

“I’m Zoe Baxter and this is my brother Zane.”

Neita nodded at them and began pouring tea. “Forgive me if I said anything earlier to upset you. My husband, God rest his soul, always said I was too plain-speaking.”

Zoe sat down next to her, her eyes pleading. “But that’s exactly why we want to talk to you. You’re the first person who told us something straight out. Our father never talked about mom—wouldn’t even let us mention her. Uncle Ulmer…Well, he liked to talk about their childhood a lot, but he didn’t say much about her life after she married our father. He always changed the subject. We tried not to push because he would get so upset when we did.”

Zane sat down across from her. “If you know anything, please tell us. I feel like everyone in town is looking at us like they know something secret. We’ve always wondered…do you know…how did our mom die?”

“Oh, dear. No one even told you that? Are you sure you want to know?” They both nodded. Neita shook her head sadly. “You’re mother died giving the two of you life. I’m so sorry.”

“She…she died in childbirth?” Zane got and paced angrily to the window and back. “Is that why father hated our guts? Did he blame us for her death?”

“If so, you weren’t the only ones he blamed. He never forgave me, either. But then I never forgave myself for not doing more for her somehow.”

“You? What do you mean?”

“I was there the night you were born.” Neita stared off into the distance, to that place people look when they think of the past. “There was a terrible storm that night. Such a strange storm that whipped up out of nowhere. It battered the house like a wild thing trying to get in. Astrid wasn’t due yet, but her water broke during that awful night. The nearest hospital was over an hour away. The doctor was called, but he didn’t come and didn’t come. Poor Astrid couldn’t wait. My mother had been a midwife. I used to help her sometimes. But that had been so long ago. I did what I could, but there were complications. There was so much blood and the both of you were so weak. I had nothing to give Astrid for the pain. Then your little brother came…he was breach…and Astrid was so small…and I couldn’t turn him. He was blue…we couldn’t...” Neita stopped for a moment to collect herself. “By the time the doctor got there it was too late for Astrid. She was terrified for your safety. She begged Mark to take the two of you away as soon as you were well and to never bring you anywhere near Norway again. She made him promise with her dying breath to keep you safe. He was mad with grief but he swore. And I guess he kept his word.” Neita noticed the two of them staring at her with their mouths open, stunned. “What’s wrong? I’m sorry to tell you all this, but you wanted to know. Are you all right?”

They both finally found their voices, gasping in unison. “A brother? We had a brother? We were triplets?”

“Oh, heavens! You didn’t know about him, either? If I had known, I never would have…”

Zoe took her shaking hand. “It’s ok. We’re ok. This is all so…”

Zane finished her sentence. “Overwhelming. A brother! Why didn’t Uncle Ulmer tell us any of this! Not even a hint!”

Neita took a deep breath. “He probably felt he was protecting you. Ulmer had his own superstitions. Maybe he didn’t want to shadow your lives with bad omens.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ulmer and Astrid tried to get Mark to take her out of the country for the births. They were very insistent. But Mark thought they were being silly. Besides, Astrid couldn’t travel so late in her pregnancy. The night of the storm, Ulmer kept raving that ‘they were coming, they were coming’. He said the storm was trying to kill Astrid and her children. I knew Astrid had the sight. Maybe Ulmer had it, too. I should have listened more carefully, but I was more worried about whether the doctor would get there in time or not. I’ll never forget the way the wind battered that house more than any other in the city. The way the storm seemed to target us, trying to get in through the windows and doors.” Neita shook herself out of the past. She smiled slightly at the two of them. “Perhaps I am just a foolish old woman to think so. But many people here believe such things strongly.”

Zane shook his head. “We’ve seen a lot of strange things back home. We don’t take anything lightly anymore.” He noticed that Neita’s face was drawn and tired. “Maybe we should go. We’ve taken up too much of your time already.” He looked at his watch. “Besides, we have to get downtown to the lawyer’s office.” They thanked her for talking to them and put on their coats to leave. Cold never bothered either of them, but they always kept up appearances so the people around them wouldn’t get uncomfortable.

“You children bundle up nice and warm, yes? It looks like a bad storm brewing.” Neita stared out the window, lost in thought. Her voice was strained. “Strange, though. It’s usually so quiet this time of year. It’s nowhere near storm season yet.” She turned to them with an apologetic smile. “Oh, well. We can’t control the weather now can we? You run along and we’ll have tea again soon. And talk of happy things next time.”

The wind almost whipped the door out of Zane’s hand as they went outside. The sky had gotten so dark since the few hours they’d been in the hotel. He looked up to see a row of ravens sitting on a building ledge, watching them. He pulled his coat up closer around his neck in a protective gesture.