Troublemaker Read Free

patches, and a few hazard signs. But she also knew she’d get through them thanks to her faith, her grandma Allene, and the amazing gift of prophecy she now embraced.
    â€œThank you, Grandma Allene,” Alexandria whispered. “I love you for showing me the way.”
    As soon as her words floated into the air, Alexandria knew that her grandma Allene’s spirit had entered the room. Whenever she felt a warm breeze, a gentle, unexplainable tug at her arm, or smelled the unmistakably sweet scent of magnolias—which had just wafted by her nose—she knew it was her great-great-grandmother communicating with her.
    Alexandria inhaled the fragrant, uniquely Southern scent that always made her feel safe and at ease. That sense of comfort and security was very different from the turmoil and strife she’d experienced in the past whenever she thought about her gift.
    Communicating with spirits and having premonitions were abilities that had burdened Alexandria since she was five years old. She’d always felt different and out of place, constantly trying to navigate where she stood in a world filled with uncertainty. Her lack of grounding and understanding of her gift had made her afraid of the supernatural powers she possessed. But all that had changed last summer when Allene had contacted her for the first time.
    Initially, Alexandria had been leery, and she hadn’t want any part of the mysteriously frightening world that had been haunting her since she was five years old. Many times she could remember waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and covered with fear, terrified of the voices that belonged to spirits from another world that she couldn’t see or touch.
    She also recognized that the ability to know what was going to happen in a given situation before it took place wasn’t always a good thing, and it had quickly become a heavy weight on her shoulders. She’d worried about things that kids her age didn’t have to deal with. She’d witnessed accidents, death, and destruction, and it had made her fearful of doing something as normal as dreaming at night because of what she might see. She’d often stood helpless with her knowledge, not knowing what to do or in whom to confide, so she’d learned how to ignore her gift and block out visions whenever they threatened her peace of mind.
    But once her grandma Allene had come into her life and shown her the beauty of her gift, along with the strength and infinite possibilities it held, a new world had opened up to her for the first time.
    She’d been hoping that her grandma Allene would soon make contact with her again. She missed hearing the old woman’s comforting voice and the soothing, down-home Southern accent it carried. Allene hadn’t communicated with her in nearly three months, which had initially alarmed Alexandria. But then she remembered Allene’s promise—that she’d always be there to guide and protect her. Alexandria knew she’d have to wait patiently and trust in Allene’s words, which were solid and rooted in love.
    The one thing that Alexandria longed for more than anything was to talk with Allene face-to-face, instead of speaking in whispered tones through visions that always seemed to end much too quickly. During one of their talks, Alexandria had asked Allene to appear to her in the flesh.
    â€œGrandma Allene, I want to see you. Can you come visit me?” she’d asked.
    â€œI’d really love to, baby girl,” Allene whispered to her from a faraway place. “But that’s a very difficult thing to do. I only know of one other spirit who’s been able to travel from our world to yours, and that’s my great-grandma, Susan Jessup. She came to me once, while I was living,” Allene said with a smile in her voice that was mixed with sadness. “But after that one time I never saw her again until I passed on and joined her in the