Destiny's Gate Read online

  In Praise of “Destiny’s Gate”

  by Lee Bice-Matheson &

  J.R. Matheson

  Destiny’s Gate is a worthy addition to the “Paige Maddison Series.” It moves from “Perhaps, I was living between parallel realities” to “This was my destiny — to protect my family and our heritage, with a little help from my friends.” In between are numerous twists and turns which involve character, knowledge, and understanding. In fact, it is a coming-of-age novel, about a young woman’s maturity, with many a transformation along the way! A detail: The introduction of Grey Owl as a person and as a power is unique in my reading experience. There are many worlds here. Indeed, here is a novel that is written with power and excitement and ... let me add ... a sense of vision.

  —John Robert Colombo, Author & Anthologist of over 200 books.

  I just finished Destiny’s Gate and really enjoyed it. The second book in the series feels less like a sequel and more like the second installment of a trilogy; the part which is more spiritual and soul-searching. There are many surprises, shocks and scares around every corner as young Paige comes to realize just how important she is in the on-going battle between good and evil. The story keeps the reader gripped throughout and the ending leaves no doubt Ms. Maddison’s adventures are far from over.

  —Philip Henry, Irish Author, Writer Director / Film-maker

  F = false

  E = evidence

  A = that appears

  R = real

  I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?

  -John Lennon

  Say a silent thank you for the preservation of wilderness areas, for the lives of the creatures who live there, and for the people with the foresight to realize this heritage, no matter how.

  -Grey Owl

  The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

  -Franklin D. Roosevelt

  DEDICATION

  Sometimes, experiences along the river of life shape who we are today. I am dedicating the second book in the Paige Maddison series to a dear friend of ours, and a patient of my husband’s, Wayne Waters, and his lovely wife, Marion, and to the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community located south of Sarnia, Ontario, on the shores of the St. Clair River.

  Wayne came in two to three times per week for chiropractic adjustments. Along the way, he realized I was ill, although I believed I had concealed my asthma quite well. His wife, Marion, kindly asked the Band to create and bless a medicine bundle for me. Thank you for awakening my soul’s journey, helping to heal me, and sharing your beliefs.

  Several years after Wayne’s death, I found out from my sister that our family ancestry (per an inquiry from Statistics Canada) has First Nations heritage. Enjoy Paige’s journey and may it help you, the reader, to pursue the truth.

  ALSO AVAILABLE:

  WAKE ME UP INSIDE, BOOK ONE,

  PAIGE MADDISON SERIES Literacy Award from the Readers’ Advisory Panel of Orillia Public Library.

  CONTRIBUTOR OF:

  THE BIG BOOK OF CANADIAN HAUNTINGS,

  JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO,

  Dundurn Press, c2009, entitled Two Experiences.

  DESTINY’S GATE

  PAIGE MADDISON SERIES

  Book Two

  LEE BICE-MATHESON & J.R. MATHESON

  CHAPTER ONE

  The Brush-Off

  Awakening on my side and rubbing the back of my throbbing head, I realized I must have hit the unforgiving ground with a vengeance. Momentarily, I forgot where I was until dampness began to seep into my bones. What now! Sacrilege! was my last sentiment before dropping to my knees and collapsing onto the damp, cold, cement floor. The photo lab in the basement was my hideaway, my go-to place for tranquility and privacy. However, this day in August, well...things were different. Groaning, as I rolled onto my side, any chance of a peaceful mood was destroyed. The crumpled family photo lay beside me. I grabbed it while rolling onto my back. My eyes widened as there was Dexter with his blond hair and goatee, his green eyes blackened and face contorted. Reality began to slip away once again.

  * * *

  ... what if everything around you, isn’t quite as it seems?

  What if all the world you think you know, is an elaborate dream?

  I know, sweet Paige, that it sounds cheesy to quote a Nine Inch Nails song, but the words reflect how I feel about you, about our twisted time spent together this summer. I mean, it was unbelievable, don’t you agree?

  Sitting here in my dorm room, listening to the rush of people up and down the halls, and cars honking outside, this past summer’s events are fading away like a nightmare should. There are no signs of ghosts here, no loud bangs, no lights flickering on and off. Even the thought of meeting you, the perfect girlfriend in the middle of nowhere — Camlachie, seems surreal. I’m sorry, Paige. I’m sure I’ve hurt you now and can feel it deep within my heart. The events at O’Brien Manor must dissipate from the recesses of my mind, and sadly, you along with them. In order to save my sanity, I have to let you go. I wish you all the best. Love, Brad

  The handwritten letter on notebook paper slipped from my hands and fell gracefully to the ceramic tiled floor. It made a slight swooshing as it landed, and then lay still as life. My heart skipped a beat and began to palpitate frantically, feeling like it was going to burst out of my chest and look around for who hurt me so abysmally. Stinging tears rolled down my face as I ran to the kitchen sink to volunteer the eggs and bacon I had enjoyed only moments before receiving this heart-wrenching news.

  While discussing the day ahead’s activities over brunch, Hanna had turned and teased, “Oh, Paige....there’s a letter here from our dear Bradley. Wonder what he wants to say this time?”

  In response to Hanna’s teasing, I stood, thanked her and excused myself. I was hurt by my grandparents’ caregiver and I ran like the wind to the privacy of the guest house to read Brad’s letter. Hours passed by until I consciously heard my radio echoing down the corridor from my bedroom. It seemed to turn up its volume spontaneously and I heard the refrain of the song Bulletproof over and over:

  I’m not turned off to love until it’s cheap...

  This time baby I’ll be bulletproof.

  As if time stood still, my mind absorbed the words, mulling over their significance. I realized the band, La Roux, was absolutely right; I won’t let anyone sweep me off my feet like that again. I rose and pounded the dining room table with a closed fist and smiled bravely. That was the moment, my light bulb, my epiphany occurred — no one would ever get to me again like Bradley Adam Parkman had! How dare he act as if nothing had happened in the summer!

  I ran down the empty hallway and crumpled into a ball on the red velvet loveseat outside my parents’ bedroom. Casting a glance at the empty room, I could not help but think about how much I missed them. Dad had received a call from a former classmate, living in Italy, shortly after we settled into the guest house. He begged him to take over his chiropractic clinic while he took leave to help his mother who had taken ill. Apparently, dad was legendary in the Toronto area. Of course mom wanted to accompany him and jumped at the chance to document life in Italy; she would further her freelance journalistic career. I understood the importance of their mission but at the same time, considering all that had happened since the move to O’Brien Manor, I was leery of remaining behind on this haunted estate. Although there were no signs of supernatural activity, I could not shake the feeling that something was about to happen.

  And with that thought, a cool breeze
washed over my face and a very sickening, familiar feeling, I first had back in Scarborough, returned. Please, do not let this begin again, screamed out in my mind!

  Dring, dring, dring, dring. The landline snapped me back to reality as I ran to the sitting room and grabbed it. “Hell-o?” I asked.

  “Paige, are you all right? You don’t sound yourself, dear. Your voice is...cracking,” grandma said.

  “I’m okay. What’s up?” I retorted while probing my swollen face from my dreadful tears.

  “Well, you don’t sound okay,” she said with a familiar tone of worry. “Why don’t you come up to the manor and I’ll make you a cup of green tea? Maybe I’ll put a bit of honey in it, like I used to do for your mother. She said it always made her feel better.”

  It seemed like such a coincidence that grandma had called at that exact moment. I wondered if perhaps there was something more to my grandparents than I knew about. I think that was why I had decided to remain on the estate; I wanted to learn more about them and their past.

  “Okay, I’ll be right up.” I slammed the phone down onto its receiver, sending shockwaves up my arm. The antique black and brass phone was a reminder to me — I had stepped back in time to live at O’Brien Manor.

  “Paige, Paige?” Hanna asked while she snapped her fingers in front of my nose, bringing me back to reality. “Where were you just now? Did you hear me? I said there’s a letter here from our dear Bradley. Wonder what he wants to say this time?” Hanna laughed and pushed the letter into my left hand and continued to dry the breakfast dishes.

  It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach as I opened the envelope and laid eyes upon the exact same chorus from the Nine Inch Nails song. Scanning the rest of the devastating letter, I swallowed harshly. I’d had my first premonition. An overwhelming sense of dread filled my senses and I realized the summer’s fun had begun again.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Peggy’s Psychic Class 101

  Panicked, I sprinted from the manor towards the guest house. What is going on? My mind raced. I ran until I felt out of breath. Leaning against the trunk of a towering tree, I heard a whisper, seemingly carried through the leaves, commanding: Go back. Not wanting to remain alone and feeling vulnerable in the forest, I returned to the manor, stopping to rest outside the kitchen screen door. I hoped Hanna and grandma were preoccupied with something and not watching for me. To my surprise, while regaining my composure, I realized grandpa was standing still, observing me. It startled me so much I let out a gasp. He remained motionless, as if in a trance. I carefully opened the rickety screen door to make sure it would not squeak, and approached grandpa. He looked right through me, planted there with his large, tall frame, thick white hair and beard, huge chestnut brown eyes and rusty complexion; a rush of goosebumps exploded over my body. Hanna broke the tense silence as she guardedly entered the room.

  “Ted, what are you doing standing here without welcoming our favourite guest?” Hanna asked, hands on hips. Her grey hair was pulled back, accentuating her pale, tired face. She stood behind grandpa frowning and looked from grandpa to me and back again. Hanna forced a laugh and asked, “Are you two communicating telepathically?”

  In a lowered tone, grandpa responded, “Glad you’ve come back for tea.” He stared coldly into my eyes then turned away and brushed past Hanna, as he took long strides towards the living room. I could not remember grandpa ever walking that well nor talking in that tone of voice.

  Hanna and I stood in silence until I attempted to make an excuse for grandpa’s behaviour. “Oh, Hanna, I think I shocked him when I came running to the back door. You know how the blue rinse club gets when us young-uns move too quickly for them.” I laughed and slapped my knee theatrically. I could not shake my growing sense of unease.

  “Well, it is close to your grandfather’s nap time so he probably needs it. He’s been busy puttering in the garden and perhaps the heat got to him. It’s rather hot, don’t you agree? In fact, I don’t remember this kind of heat in the past thirty years.” Hanna paused. “By the way, I don’t appreciate the reference to the blue rinse club, Paige. I know what that means.”

  Distracted, I nodded and ducked past her to follow grandpa to his favourite hang out in the manor — his new La-Z-Boy chair in the drawing room. A million thoughts raced through my mind and returned to events earlier that morning — it had to have been a premonition, after all, or was it déjà vu? The letter had read exactly as I had envisioned it.

  Grandma startled me as she entered the room and handed me a cup of tea in a fancy china cup with beautiful hand-painted pink roses. Oddly enough, she ignored grandpa.

  “Thanks, grandma. Just what I needed,” I said and smiled at her.

  “Happy to hear it, dear. That was your mother’s favourite tea cup.” She looked at me sternly and asked, “What happened to you today? Anything you care to tell me?”

  “It’s nothing, but would it be okay if I stayed here at the manor instead of the solitary confinement at the guest house?” I asked, with a hint of desperation. “It’s so big and I feel lonely there. Would it be any trouble?”

  My grandparents shot a surprised look at each other. “We’d love it, Paige! We were just discussing it last night, weren’t we, Ted? Dexter’s been fixing up the guest bedroom...well you know, the one that leads to the rose garden — at the opposite end of the manor from ours?”

  “That would be fantastic! I wondered what Dexter’s been up to. I haven’t seen him in awhile.” I slurped my tea almost burning my throat on the way down. Yeow!

  Grandpa said, “Poor Dexter. Our handyman has had some trials fixing up your new room. A pipe burst in the adjoining bathroom and water gushed out. Thanks to Dexter, he handled it and cleaned it all up. It was stressful wondering if he would finish repainting the bathroom in time for your first day at Camlachie High. Are you excited, Paige?”

  Grandpa’s reminder of a new school made me queasy. Butterflies raged in my stomach at the thought of meeting new friends and teachers. I let out a big sigh and said, “As long as the teachers are cool, I’m down with it.”

  “You look a bit peaky, Paige. Why don’t you lie down in my bedroom for a bit? Tomorrow’s a big day and you’ll need your rest,” suggested grandma.

  I forgot my grandparents had separate bedrooms. Does marriage always end up with separate beds?

  I smiled and kissed them each on the cheek and shuffled along the hallway until I found grandma’s cozy bedroom. I jumped onto her Queen Anne bed. Its regal quilt depicted the O’Brien family coat of arms: a red shield with three lions and an arm holding a sword coming down from the heavens. It had a strange motto on it — LamhLaidir an Uachdar which grandpa had recently translated to me –the strong hand from above or strong hand uppermost. Whatever it meant, I finally felt safe.

  * * *

  A beautiful, fluffy cloud encircled me. I had never felt so comfortable, floating on air, lost in serenity. Upon awakening, it was pitch-black in the room and I wondered if I had fallen asleep until nightfall. For a moment, I thought my eyes were closed until I voluntarily poked my opened right eye with my index finger. It stung like a bee and immediately started to tear. A whiff of fear enveloped me and I realized it was my own. I snapped my hands out towards the edges of the bed only to hit something hard on both sides. I recovered and groped what felt like walls surrounding me and could barely raise my hands before hitting a rough surface. My breathing grew shallow and I realized I was running out of air. I twisted and turned trying to escape whatever contraption I was in, with no success. I shifted my thoughts to my grandparents, my parents and to Hanna. What would happen to them if I was gone? I drew in a deep breath and exhaled out through my mouth. I scratched and punched for what seemed hours until I busted through the ceiling and sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust and there…I saw them against the backdrop of darkness. Ten pairs of yellow eyes surroun
ded me, staring back. I screamed.

  “Paige, Paige, dear. Wake up. Wake up!” grandma pleaded while shaking the whole left side of my body. “Oh, Hanna, what’s wrong with her?”

  I could hear them talking about me but could not open my eyes. If I thought the summer’s events were frightening enough — it was nothing like this. Am I trapped in another space and time? Why can’t I see? My eyes blinked open. Hanna and grandma spoke frantically to one another as I watched them pace the room, arms flailing about, while discussing a call to the doctor.

  “Grandma, Hanna, I’m all right,” I said in a dream-like state, trying to remain focused. “What’s the matter? I guess I had a bad dream, or something? I can’t remember.” Truthfully, I felt like crawling out of my skin.

  “Oh, dear, you had a nightmare,” Hanna said with a shaky voice while grandma looked on in shock. “Don’t you remember anything, Paige? You frightened us. You even awoke your grandfather in his room — you were screaming so loudly. What were you dreaming about?” Hanna stood vigilantly over me while grandma sat on the edge of the bed and squeezed my hand.

  “I…I don’t remember,” I responded, deflecting the question. “But I feel like I had a great sleep. What a cozy bed you have grandma. I love it!” I paused for a moment. “Please, calm down. I’m okay, really.”

  Hanna stormed out of the room while grandma moved towards me on the bed. She held my hand as she asked, “Has anything like this happened before, Paige?” Her bulging amber eyes against her curly red hair and slight build, symbolized a warning to me. I did not want to tell her about the foreshadowing dreams before moving here from Scarborough. Why would I want to frighten her when she seemed so fragile and had been through so much with grandpa’s illness?

  I was caught up in my own reassurances to grandma that I believed them for now. Nothing was wrong. Everything was as it should be. Grandma encouraged me to stay and rest as she moved to sit on her cherished antique rocking chair. Watching over me, she sat still as a cat about to catch prey.