A Girl Between (16 page)

I was finally able to visit Ian the following day, although
I was told that I couldn’t stay too long due to the seriousness of his
concussion.  His mom was very explicit about that.  Annie left me off at Ian’s
on the way to her job at
The Chic Shack.
  She got a job there last week
and loves it.  How shocking is that for my make-up, hair obsessed sister?  I
managed to slip off the neck brace before I left.  There was no way I was
wearing that thing over there.  My aunt said she’d pick me up after she was
done in the greenhouse.  She’ll yell about the lack of a brace but it’ll be too
late by then.

“Where’s your neck brace, cuz?” Annie asked.

“Annie, you’re freaking me out. You’re starting to sound
like Eve,” I responded.  I said that because I don’t need THREE mothers.  Two
are enough.

“What?  I am NOT like Eve!” Annie glared at me.  “By the
way, how’re you getting home?”

“Aunt Amy said she’d pick me up when she’s done in the
greenhouse,” I replied.

“She’s gonna yell about the brace, Tess.” Annie gloated.

“After I visit Ian, I don’t care what she says.  I just
don’t want to wear it over there.  It looks lame and I don’t want people going
on about how I must feel, blah, blah, blah..,” I responded, glaring at Annie.

“Whatever,” she grumbled.

As I got out of the car, I suddenly became aware of the
weather.  I planned on starting to walk home if I had to leave before my aunt
got here.  That may not be feasible because it looked like a storm was brewing.

I rang the front door bell and a guy answered.  He looked
sort of like an Ian clone, only older.  He waved me in and held up his index
finger indicating a minute.  He had a cell phone clamped to his ear so I waited
quietly.  He was on the phone for a while so I took advantage of his
distraction to get some kind of an assessment of him.  His aura practically
shouted at me which was a little surprising because it was so different from Ian’s. 
He obviously wanted to be seen in a loud (obnoxious) and clear way.  I was
beginning to understand that HOW a person’s aura appears may reflect some
aspect of their personality.  Some auras flow in gradually, some pop out, and
others try to keep it under wraps.  The hidden auras have to be deliberately
searched out.  Ian’s aura was always tough to see because he’s one to hold it
close to his chest.  James is definitely a more proud, showoff, in -your-face
type.  His aura was wavering between bright red and dark red with dark orange
streaks.  I read passionate, driven, quick tempered, impulsive, self-centered
and competitive.

He stepped up close, a bit too close, stuck his hand out and
loudly announced, “Hi, I’m James, the older brother.  You must be here to see
Ian.”  I went to shake his hand and looked him in the eye.  He was openly
appraising me with a little smirk on his face.  I think my assessment of him
was correct.  I would also add that his arrogance took away from his physical
attractiveness.

“Yes, I’m Tess.  You’re correct.  I’m here to see Ian,” I
responded coolly, making a point to show nothing.

“Were you at the fair with Ian?  YOU sure got the better end
of the deal,” he exclaimed, continuing to scrutinize me.

I regarded him deliberately, smiled and shrugged my
shoulders.  I wasn’t going to dignify that with an answer.

“I have to say, my little brother has good taste and he
likes ‘em young.  I heard you’re still in high school,” James remarked, the
smirk closer to a sneer.

I kept my eyes blank, but I rearranged my features so it
looked like I just caught a whiff of garbage and then I asked in a level tone,
“Can you please point me to Ian’s room?”

He didn’t answer me for a second.  I knew he was trying to
figure out if there was some way he could bully me some more.  Bullies like to
cause a reaction and he hadn’t gotten one yet.  He finally gave up, pointed up
the stairs and said dismissively, “It’s the first door on the right.”

I calmly walked by him and went up the stairs.  I suppressed
a desire to laugh in his face on the way up.  I knew it would be foolish in the
long run.  He’ll be less likely to bother me next time if I don’t rile him
now.  It’s too bad Ian has such a jerk for a brother.

The door was ajar but I knocked first.

“Who’s there?” Ian asked in a tired voice.

“Ian, it’s me, Tess,” I responded.

“Oh, Tess, please come in.”  Ian sounded happy to see me.

Wow!  Ian looked pretty bad.  It was a shock.  He had two
black eyes, a misshapen nose and a bruised, swollen face.  “Oh, Ian, I’m so
sorry!”  I went over and lightly touched his cheek.

“Looks pretty bad, huh?” Ian remarked, looking chagrined.

I sat down on the edge of his bed and tried to get hold of
myself.  I could feel some of the emotion that I had been holding in start to
come to the surface.  I felt like crying.  I had thought about Ian after the
horrible events at the fair, but things were so immediately crazy that I put
him out of my mind once I heard that he wasn’t seriously injured.  I didn’t
realize it would be as bad as this.  He looked terrible!

He must have read my thoughts because he took my hand, “Oh,
don’t worry, Tess.  I certainly look worse than I feel.  I have to admit that I
was pretty shocked when I first saw myself in the mirror.”

“It looks bad, Ian.  I feel like I ignored you.  I would
have come yesterday but your mother said that only family could see you,” I
asserted.

Ian grimaced, “Yeah, I’m not supposed to move much and my
mom didn’t want any of my friends fooling around with me in this state.  That’s
not your fault.”

“I don’t blame your mom. I just wanted you to know that I
would have been here,” I said.

“So, Tess, what happened to you there?  I remember seeing
you falling down from the Ferris wheel.  I felt terrible at the time because I
didn’t know how to help you.”

“What happened to me?  I’m OK.  How about you first tell me
what happened to you?” I gently prodded.

Ian slightly shook his head but he did tell me. “Right after
you fell, the Ferris wheel jerked again.  By then, I couldn’t hold on any
longer.  When I dropped, I don’t think I was as lucky as you.  I fell on top of
the metal gate that was around the Ferris wheel and then my head swung down and
hit the ground pretty hard.  I was knocked unconscious for a while. In fact, I
don’t have a memory of anything after that until I woke up in the hospital.  I
ended up with a concussion, a cracked nose and a couple of black eyes.  I will
recover, so I’m more fortunate than others that were there.”  Ian grabbed my
hand.  “So, now I want to hear about you Tess.”

With a shiver I started, “I fell in a pile of hay or
something because my fall was somewhat cushioned.  I wouldn’t go so far to say
that I was knocked out, but I was definitely stunned after I fell.  After I got
up, I started walking around looking for people, but I think I started going
into shock.  Will found me and got me out of the park.  He ended up driving me
along with Rainy, Annie and Eve to the hospital where they took x-rays.  I’m OK
other than some scratches and bruises.  The doctor said that I was lucky.”

Ian studied me a bit and then said, “I thought I heard you
did something to your yourself  Aren’t you supposed to be wearing something to
protect your neck?”

“Oh, that!” I waved dismissively with my hand, “I don’t have
to wear it ALL the time.”

Ian managed to give me a half smile.  The other half of his
face was too stiff.  (He looked beautiful even with a swollen head and two
black eyes!)  “I’m not sure if I believe you, Tess, but I’m so glad you’re OK. 
When I woke up, all I could think about was you.  That’s why I had my mom
call.  By the way, how’s everyone else?”

“Eve got burned a little from splattering hot grease.  My
friend, Mercy, was on the Roller Coaster which ended up getting knocked off the
tracks.  Fortunately, they got down from there just in time.  Some others
weren’t so lucky,” I said softly.

Then, Ian looked a little guilty when he added, “So, Will
was your hero.  I have to say that I wish it was me, but I am grateful that he
was there when he was.  Going into shock on top of everything else must’ve been
scary.”

We sat there blissfully for a minute with Ian holding my
hand.  All of a sudden a question popped into my head.  “By the way, who found
you and took you to the hospital?”

Ian hesitated for a moment and then answered, “It was Tonya
and Red.”

“It was Tonya?” I practically shouted.  Ian looked at me
funny.  When I think about it, Ian doesn’t know anything about what’s going on
between me and Tonya, at least I don’t think he does.  He probably doesn’t know
that Tonya may very well be a primary cause of the disaster.  I just wonder
what this connection is between Tonya and Ian.  It’s definitely weird.  She
can’t seem to leave him alone.  Is it mutual?

Suddenly, Mrs. Miller came bustling in to Ian’s room.  She
came up to me with a big smile and said, “Hello dear.  You must be Tess.  It’s
so sweet of you to visit Ian.” 

“Oh, no problem.  I feel so bad for him,” I responded
sympathetically.

Mrs. Miller glanced over at Ian before she said, “Ian, I
think it’s time for Tess to go.  The doctor said that you shouldn’t be
overtaxed.”

Ian answered, slightly irritated, “Mom, I’ve been laying
around in this bed forever.  I’m used to working all the time.  This is
terrible for me.  Tess is helping me to forget.”

Oh boy, time for me to leave.  I don’t want to get on the
bad side of Mrs. Miller.  “Ian, I have to get going anyway.”  I made a point to
check my watch and added, “My mom was going to pick me up shortly.  I’ll see
you after school tomorrow, if you like.  Would that be OK?”

“It would be wonderful if you could visit Ian tomorrow,
Tess.  It was so nice meeting you,” Mrs. Miller replied as she glanced between
us and discreetly left the room.

I’m thinking that Ian’s older brother, James, must take
after Ian’s father because Mrs. Miller seemed like a really nice lady.  I could
see the edges of her aura around her face, a beautiful orange yellow.  No
aggression or darkness there, just sweetness and light.

As I got up from the bed and walked toward the door, I
looked over at Ian with a reassuring smile.  “So, I’ll come by tomorrow.  You
have to get some rest today.”

“Come here, Tess,” Ian stated, his tone serious.

I walked back to him hesitantly.  What does he want with
me?  As soon as I got within reach, he quickly sat up, grabbed me by the back
of the neck and pulled my head down for a long, slow kiss.  Oh… my….God.  It
set my brain humming and a tingle down my spine.  He then released the pressure
from my neck and I started to stand up.  His hand slid down my neck to my
shoulder and upper arm and he held it there.  I had to stop moving when my face
was a few inches from his.

Ian looked directly into my eyes. “Tessie, I was so worried
at the fair.  I was afraid you would fall off that ride and die.”

I paused for a moment and answered softly, “I’m here and I’m
alright Ian.  Nothing bad happened to me.”

He took a deep breath.  “I know.  I’m so relieved.  You just
don’t know how much I’ve been thinking about you since that awful fair.  I
really like you, Tess.  You have a way about you.  You’re cute and sweet, but
you also have a stubborn streak.  You’re irresistible to me.

I went to say something but he put his index finger on my
lips. “You don’t have to respond to me.  I just wanted to let you know how I was
feeling and how relieved I am that you’re doing OK.”

I didn’t say anything.  I just leaned in and pressed my
soft, warm lips on his mouth, and then rested my forehead on his for a moment,
listening to him catch his breath.  Then, I quietly got up and left.

I floated down the stairs, hoping that I wouldn’t bump into
nasty James.  My head wasn’t in the right place to deal with him now.  Mrs.
Miller poked her head out from the kitchen and gave me a quick wave.  “Good bye,
Mrs. Miller.  See you tomorrow,” I imparted.

The minute I stepped outside Ian’s front door I felt
something strange.  The weather was threatening, but it was more than that.  I
KNEW there was a menacing presence in the area.  I immediately looked around
and noticed two people walking in this direction through the drizzle.  Oh,
great!  It was Tonya and Red, probably coming to visit Ian.  What was it with
Tonya and Ian?  He says he doesn’t like her but she’s always turning up around
him.  You certainly couldn’t miss the two of them from this distance because of
their flashy auras.  Both of them might as well have been shouting, “We’re
coming, so deal with it!”  Their combined auras were dark red and orange waves
of color with sharp streaks of black.  It made them look like they were
engulfed in bright angry flames.

As they got closer, I could tell by their unpleasant
expressions that they realized it was me.  Tonya muttered something to Red and
then turned to me and gave me a deadly look.  As she stared at me, I could feel
that weird prickly sensation in my forehead.  I’ve felt that around her before
when she sends me her nasty thoughts.

Tonya sent to me, “
So you survived the disaster at the
Tri-town fair
.”

I let her know my feelings but with a big smile, “
Yes, I
did
!”

She turned her lips up in an evil grin and sent back to me,
“
Well, this is just perfect
!”

I have to say that her last thought sent a shiver down my
spine.  To make matters worse, I heard Ian’s front door open.  I looked back
and saw James staring at me.  How shocking is that!  He’s with them.  This was
starting to freak me out.  It was becoming apparent that Tonya, Red and James
would like to inflict bodily harm upon me.  After all, Tonya failed to hurt me
at the fair.  And I am all alone here.  No one else was outside because the
storm was bearing down.  It was getting darker, the wind was building, swirling
in different directions, and the intensity of the rain was increasing to a
steady stream.  I wish Aunt Amy would get here!

Before I knew it, James was right behind me and Tonya and
Red were in front of me. Through the heavy rain, all I could really see was
Tonya’s leering face and fat, puffy Red with his pig nose.  Fight or flight. 
What should I do?  They’re almost upon me!!

A cool sense of detachment suddenly came over me.  Somehow,
I knew what do to.  I could feel heat emanate from the center of my body
outward to my limbs and my hair.  When the energy reached my toes, I could tell
that I was slightly off the ground.  I felt my hair sticking straight out like
I had stuck my finger in the plug.  Tonya tried to grab my wrist.  She screamed
and quickly pulled her hand back.  I smelled scorched skin.  Red was going to
grab my other arm but pulled back when he saw her reaction.  Meanwhile, I felt
someone grab my hair so I turned around and saw James whip his hand back and
yelp.  I saw sparks and a wisp of smoke rise from his hand. 

I rose up a little more and backed up onto the grass lawn. 
The three of them had converged and were now all within my range of vision.  I
felt like I was viewing everything through a thick lens.  I know that feeling
wasn’t merely from squinting through pouring rain.  It was from the agitated
state I was in.  I’ve been here before when I faced Tonya in school.  Tonya,
Red and James were all looking at me, trying to figure out how to destroy me. 
They had a slight problem though.  They couldn’t touch me.  It gave me a little
time.

Suddenly, Red pulled out a long thin jack knife and popped
it open.  “Maybe I can’t touch you, but this knife sure can,” he jeered.

As he said that, I initially felt a wave of fear, but then I
felt something else.  The heat inside me intensified.  It became pulsing,
alive.  I felt electric.  Without thinking, I started rapidly rubbing my hands
together.  I knew I was gathering more electricity inside and outside of me.  I
continued rubbing and rubbing, my movement causing sparks to fly, initiating a
mini show of fireworks as a ball of concentrated electricity was formed between
my palms.  It distracted Red for a minute.  He was rubbing the blade of the
knife while he was staring at the flashes.  Tonya was pushing him and yelling
something at him but I couldn’t hear what she was saying.  James was picking up
a big rock.  I had to do something soon, but it had to be the right moment.  It
was almost time.  I could feel it coming, the perfect atmospheric pressure. 
Red was losing interest in the fireworks.  He took a step back, gleam in his
eye, ready to throw.

THIS WAS IT!  I levered my hand back and whipped the ball of
electricity at the bad ones, the diaboles.  Right at the moment it reached
them, lightning from the sky flashed straight down and connected with my
electric ball smack in the center of the tormentors, lighting up the air around
them.  For a second, their hair was straight out, bodies rigid and eyes
bulging.  Then, they collapsed.

I was tossed back by the violence of the strike but was left
untouched.  The charge around my body must’ve shielded me.  I lay there for a
minute but then quickly got up in case I still had to defend myself.  I looked
over to see Tonya, Red, and James all flat out.  Ha ha, guess they were done
for.  I caught a whiff of stinky, burnt hair.

BEEP BEEP!!!  I looked over to see Aunt Amy’s car in the
driveway next door behind a tall hedge.  She probably couldn’t see Ian’s
address in the darkness.  I stood up, ran to her car and jumped inside.  As we
drove by Ian’s house, it was fortunate that Aunt Amy couldn’t see the bodies on
the ground.  It was too dark.

Driving past Ian’s house, I caught a glimpse of something
that made my heart skip a beat - Ian’s bruised face peering out of his bedroom
window, right at me.