Who will keep them safe?
For over a year, lost souls came to me, desperate to be heard. But their visits weren’t just about telling their stories, they were a distraction. While Candle Face’s shadows stood guard, some souls slipped away, taking refuge in my attic.
Now, thirty-one remain. Hidden, but not safe. The Master Shadow is searching for them, and time is running out.
This investigation is no longer about the past. It’s about protecting those who escaped, and finding the people who will shield them from Candle Face and her Master Shadow.
Who will keep them safe?
Candle Face Chronicles has always evolved as new details surfaced. It began with two parts, Genesis and The Lost Souls. Genesis has since become Isabel: The Forgotten Daughter of La Llorona, and the Lost Souls no longer visit. That change marks the next phase of the story: The Fugitives.
At first, I believed the lost souls were coming for help. I see it differently now. They were buying time, drawing the Master Shadow’s attention while others slipped away. Those escapees are the Fugitives. They’re in hiding and still being hunted.
That realization came the night I packed away my crystal ball and saw something through the glass that changed everything. Shadowy figures, more than thirty of them, were hiding in my attic. When I went upstairs, they were waiting for me.
They weren't lost souls seeking testimony. They were Fugitives.
They didn't speak in words. They imprinted their story into my mind, emotional and visual, direct and complete. They had used the upstairs portal to escape, and their combined energy flooded the attic. The lights flickered from overload. It was spiritual pressure, concentrated in one place. That surge drew the Master Shadow’s attention. He sensed them, and he came.
I hid them in bottles to shield their energy. It worked for a while. It wouldn't hold against him.
The bottles were temporary. Glass breaks. Corks fail. I couldn't risk their energy leaking out.
So I moved them. Each Fugitive was transferred into parchment using the method I learned from Mr. Smoe, a form of spiritual preservation that binds a soul through ink and intention. The parchment holds their soul. The ink holds their voice. They remain sealed for now, waiting for the act they believe will set them free.
Before sealing each one, I interviewed them. I asked every Fugitive the same set of questions about who they were, how they died, and what they believe might release them.
Each one ends with a final line. It reflects what the Fugitive believes will open the way out. That is where freedom begins. A Guardian can follow that belief, or keep the Fugitive protected until more clarity comes.
Some are harder to interpret. Some names are missing. Some places may have changed. In those cases, we may still need help from the paranormal community to recognize what a spirit is really asking for. The Fugitives are telling us how they can be freed. Sometimes we need help understanding what they mean.
Protection starts with hiding, but it cannot end there.
If you’ve been asked to keep one, it means I trust you. The Fugitives also need your voice. They escaped Candle Face’s lair for a reason. They chose exposure. They chose to be seen and talked about.
Each Fugitive ends with a final line, an act the spirit believes might help them pass. Some Guardians may feel called to perform it. Others may choose to wait and keep the Fugitive protected until the wider community finds a clearer solution. Either choice can be responsible. The scroll holds the soul until freedom comes.
What matters is that their story stays active. Talk about them. Share what you notice. Bring them into your home, your office, your podcast, your readings, your research, your book clubs. Their presence is part of the protection.
Keep them safe. Keep them heard.
That’s a fair question. Talking about the Fugitives does bring attention, and silence brings its own risk.
The Master Shadow doesn't track names. He tracks energy. When a Fugitive is kept quiet for too long, the energy settles. Settled energy is easier to detect. When the story is shared in many places, through many voices, the signal stays in motion. Motion is harder to follow.
Keep them safe. Keep them active. Don't keep them quiet.
Some people have asked the hardest question. What if this is exactly what Candle Face wanted from the beginning? What if scattering the Fugitives spreads her reach instead of limiting it?
I don’t accept that conclusion. If the right people protect them, we can keep her from pulling them back.
Still, even some in the paranormal community, investigators, psychics, mediums, and a few who have helped me before, have started to voice a different fear. They suspect the Fugitives may not be escapees at all. They suspect a disguise.
What if they're her Shadows? What if they used me to carry them outward? What if I have been doing her work all along, first by telling her story, and now by moving her presence across the country, one Fugitive at a time?
I don’t want to believe that. I want to believe I’m helping them. But I do know this. Candle Face doesn't require devotion. She grows when people keep her name in circulation.
And we may not have much time.
He’s already been here—twice. Searching. Watching.
Does Candle Face know the Fugitives are missing? Or is the Master Shadow acting on his own? If my suspicion is right, these souls were his responsibility. And this failure isn’t mine. It’s his.
![Silhouetted figure walking through a smoky, desolate landscape beneath bold text reading “This is a fight for freedom”—a symbolic image of a Fugitive soul escaping Candle Face’s lair, risking everything for a second chance at the [after]life.](http://www.branchingplotbooks.com/cdn/shop/files/This_Is_a_Fight_for_Freedom.jpg?v=1743626076&width=1200)
This investigation has become a fight for freedom.
It ends when the Fugitives are free.
Will you help?
For more details about Candle Face (Isabel), The Lost Souls, and The Fugitives, visit my journal. There, you'll find entries that explore their past, document findings, and invite you to take part in the investigations.
