A Girl Between (5 page)

I wish we had more time to adjust, but my aunt wanted us to
start school right away.  I was in panic mode because of my uncontrolled auric
sight.  I’d be dealing with crowds of strange teenagers everywhere I went.  Am
I going to see colors spinning around everyone’s heads?  That would be a major
distraction.  Would I be able to shut it off? 

On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind using my auric sight, if
I had control over it.  Think of what an advantage that would be for a new
student in a big high school.  You want to make friends, but it’s tough to
expose yourself in the high school arena.  One misstep and you become a loser,
or even worse, a target.  In order to get by, you either became invisible, or
you joined some faction with strict social expectations.  I’d rather make
friends with the real ones right away.  The reading of auras helps you to see
kids as they truly are, not their show-off version.

As I started drifting off in bed that night, I found myself going
over the last few days.  It was scary but also pretty interesting.  I was
anxious about tomorrow because I didn’t want to be the new kid in school.  

Suddenly, I found myself walking through the halls of the
new school.  Where is my English class?  This hall seems like it goes on
forever.  Students were passing me but were not looking at me. 

What’s going on up there?  I can see a pack of students in
the middle of the hallway obviously intent on something.  I think it’s a fight.
 Is that two girls?  I’ve never seen two girls fight.  One is really aggressive,
pulling hair and trying to get in the other one’s face.  I can’t see the other
one because she’s smaller and she’s protecting her face with her arms and hands.
 Some students are egging them on saying stuff like, “Get her, Tonya, she’s
always asking for it.”  The aggressive Tonya girl shoved at the slight girl, who
then tripped over someone’s foot and fell back hard.  Her head quickly snapped back
and slammed into a metal tool box that was left near some exposed pipes. 
Everyone stopped and stared, as if they couldn’t quite believe what had
happened.  The victim appeared unconscious; then she started having a seizure.  Students
were taking off left and right.  I could hear a teacher yelling something as he
came from a nearby room.

Abruptly, I woke up.  It was still the middle of the night.  What
was that about?  That was a nightmare, but I felt like I was right there.  Why
did I have that creepy dream about the new school?  It shook me up.
 
I
had a hard time getting back to sleep after that.

Before I knew it, the alarm was going off and I was dragging
myself out of bed.  I put on my lucky outfit and met my cousins at breakfast.  My
oldest cousin, Annie, was more duded up than Eve or me.  She’s tallish, pretty,
with long blond hair and on the shy side.  My cousin, Eve, reminded me more of Aunt
Amy.  She likes trendy clothes, but was more of a casual dresser.  She could be
whiny at times, but still sweet.  She’s also the jock of the family.  As for
myself, my cousins always say that I’m still a “work in progress”, whatever that
means.  I’m pretty sure that it’s not a compliment.

Auntie was there to give us a little pep talk, and to shove
some food at us.  I almost felt worse for her then for us.  She was wringing
her hands like crazy.

"We gotta go, Mom.  Don't worry.  We'll be fine today,”
Eve said while gulping down orange juice.

We took the bus to school and went to the office together.  I
noticed kids checking us out, but not too blatantly.  I could also see flashes
of color around students, but since everyone was moving, the colors were
fleeting.  My aunt had Grandma bring in our old school records and sign us up last
week so our schedules were all set.  We were supposed to meet with student
guides in the office.  A stocky girl with short strawberry blond hair and bright
pink fingernails was the first one to rush in.  As she glanced at us she commented,
“Hope I’m not late. I’m the student guide for, uh,” she pulled a piece of paper
out of her pocket and glanced at it, “Eve.”

Eve took a tentative step toward her and affirmed, “Hi, I’m
Eve.”

“Hi, I’m Miranda, but everyone calls me Rainy.  Did I hear
that you guys live in the old Drake house?” she asked.

Annie asserted, “Yeah, we moved in with our grandma, Edwina
Drake yesterday.”

“Yesterday!  You haven’t been here long.  So I guess you
don’t know a soul here.  Hey, I’ll introduce you guys around,” she announced
with an excited grin.

At that point, two other girls came in to escort me and
Annie to our first class.  The day went by in a blur.  As far as the auras, I
saw flashes of color around many students, but I found that if I didn’t look at
anyone for too long the colors would fade away.  It was different with
teachers.  I had to address them before every class to tell them I was new,
etc.  When they focused on me, I would get a very clear picture of their
auras.  Four of the teachers had clear bright auras of different colors.  Two
teachers had darker, murky auras.  Somehow I knew that wasn’t good.  This auric
sight may actually help me out after all.

Before I knew it, we were approaching last period. I was
making my way down a long hall to English class.  I noticed a crowd of students
gathered at the end of the hall.  There was commotion of some kind.  Are those
two girls fighting?  This is eerie.  It was starting to look all too familiar
to me.  I could hear a girl screaming at someone.  I could see the other girl
backing off, holding her hands over her face.  I knew what was going to happen.
 What do I do?  I could hear someone say, "Get her, Tonya, she's always
asking for it."  I ran into the crowd, when I saw Tonya lift her arm as
she advanced on the girl.  I stepped up and pushed Tonya back with all of my
strength.

I shouted to Tonya, "You're really going to hurt her. 
You've got to stop it."

Tonya looked at me like I was crazy.  "Who are YOU, and
what do you think you're doing?  Butt out, you bitch!"  She started to
come at me, when we could hear a male teacher shout from down the hall.  Everyone
immediately took off. 

I ducked behind some students and managed to escape into my
English class two doors down.  I saw several students staring at me while I
waited to talk to the teacher.  I can just imagine what they were thinking. 
Why did that crazy girl butt in?  Who is she?  The teacher finally gave me a
textbook, and sat me down near the front.  I was so freaked out.  What a way to
start off the year in a new school, to get involved in a fight.  What else
could I do though?  I knew that girl was going to get seriously injured.  I had
to do something.  Unfortunately, I may have made a nasty enemy with that girl
Tonya.  I saw her aura.  It was a dark blood red.  It was angry, pulsing.  I felt
aggression, violence, evil vibrate around her.  

When the final bell rang, I got out of class as fast as I
could.  I didn't want to run into Tonya or any of her cronies.  I remember
hearing someone egging Tonya on, so she does have some friends around.  It
seemed like the other girl wasn't even interested in fighting.  I wonder who
she was.

I saw my cousins and Rainy in the front of the school by the
flagpole where we had arranged to meet at the end of the day.  Before I could
say a word, they all showered me with questions.  Annie started it up.  "What
were you thinking, Tessie?"

Eve glared at me adding, "What the heck happened?  Why
did you get involved in that situation?  I was sitting in Calculus last period
and all I heard about was
how the new girl got involved in a fight
with Tonya.  It sounds like Tonya’s bad news."

Rainy turned to me looking aghast and asked, "Was that
YOU who got involved?  I heard it was a new girl, but I didn’t believe it. 
Tonya is bad, bad, bad.  If you get in her sights, you better watch your
back."

I was getting more and more freaked out.  Way to go, Tess.  "So,
did I piss a lot of people off?  I sure didn’t mean to.  My goal was to stay
invisible here, at least for a while.”

"I don’t think too many people care, to be honest.  People
don't like Tonya.  She’s bullied more than a few kids in school and around town.
 In fact, I would say that most of the school is afraid of Tonya except for her
pals.  Tess, I believe you made a few friends today.  People probably think
you’re insanely brave.”  As Rainy said that, she was smiling at me.  I don’t
think I cared for the ‘insanely brave’ comment.  There was too much emphasis on
the insane part. 

Annie wasn't ready to let the matter drop. "What made
you jump into the fight the way you did?  I heard that you got right in the
middle and gave Tonya a punch in the gut.  Then, I heard you yelled something
at her.  What possessed you to do such a thing?"

I snapped at her, "That's an exaggeration.  I didn't
punch her in the gut.  I merely got in front of her to protect the other girl,
and then I shoved Tonya back to keep her from hitting on that girl.  I also let
Tonya know why I was doing it.”

Eve face morphed from anger to disbelief.  "Tess, why
were you doing it?"

I had to think about that question.  Should I tell them
about the dream I had?  I don't think so.  They'd believe that I was crazy
because it wouldn't make any sense to them.  In fact, right now, I believe that
I may in fact be crazy.  That's the second dream I've had in recent days that
has predicted a future event.  Why am I having these dreams?  They’re scary but
I can't avoid them.  They just happen.  I finally turned to Eve and replied,
"I had a concern that Tonya was going to hurt the other girl.  I couldn't
just let it happen.”  Eve didn’t look too convinced.

I turned to Rainy.  “By the way, who is that girl?"

"Her name is Mercy Reed,” stated Rainy.

I asked, “Rainy, why do you think Tonya would pick on her?"

Rainy paused before answering.  "Mercy is different.  She's
always been one to keep to herself, and from what I've seen, Mercy is not one
to kowtow to Tonya and her group.  I wouldn't be surprised if Mercy stood up to
Tonya in some situation, so Tonya had it out for her.  I've heard rumors to
that affect anyway.  Most kids here just don't want to stick their neck out
when it comes to Tonya.  She's the kind of person that can make your life
miserable.  Mercy seems like she's pretty independent.  She doesn't care what
others think."

"Has Mercy lived here for a long time?" I asked.

“Mercy’s only lived here for around six months.  She sat
next to me in sociology class last spring, so I got to know her a little.  I
liked her because she spoke her own mind in class.  She’s definitely not the
kiss-up to the teacher type.  I don’t think she’s ever globbed onto any crowd
of kids, so I don’t know what she’s into,” Rainy answered thoughtfully.

“Mercy sounds OK to me.  I’d like to meet her sometime,” I
responded while inwardly smiling.  I glimpsed at Eve out of the corner of my
eye.  She’s always trying to be my mother.

Eve turned to me and glared.  "Tessie, please be
careful who you make friends with.  Mercy sounds a little strange.  You're
making me nervous right now."

“OK, Evie dear, I’ll check with you before I make friends
with anyone.  Does that meet with your approval?” I looked at her amused.

“Humph,” responded Eve, aiming her best look of mother
disapproval at me.

I smiled sweetly at her.

Fortunately, our first day of school had been on a Friday.  That
gave us the whole weekend to recover from the trauma of that first day.  My
cousins decided to go to the high school football game on Saturday.  Rainy
invited all of us, but I think she really wanted to hang out with my cousins.  That's
OK; she's more their age.  I'm glad they're making friends so fast.  Rainy
seems pretty cool.  She has a striking clear orange/red aura.  I sense great
warmth, passion and enthusiasm from her.  She will be a nice new friend for us.

I’m not ready for the social scene at a football game right
now.  In fact, I need a mental break from anything that requires energy on my
part.  I reviewed what happened to me in the past six weeks: Frank’s death, the
move across country, the train accident, the auric sight, the dreaming about
future events and the fight at the new school.  What I’m wondering is, how am I
still sane?

I need some time to myself, so I figured that today would be
the perfect time to check out Woodley.  Grandma said I could use Grandpa’s Myron’s
old bike if I gave it a tune-up.  That’s fine.  I know all about tune-ups after
working on cars with Frank.  I pumped up the tires, oiled the chain, checked
the brakes and adjusted the seat.  Grandma suggested that I ride to the center
of town where there’s several pre-1700 homes and an historic church.  I knew it
sounded strange for a teenager to purposely go around looking at old houses,
but I’ve almost become obsessed with this place.  It’s related to the feeling
that I've been here before.  Why does this town feel so familiar to me?  I wish
I knew.

I donned my baseball cap and most comfortable T-shirt and
shorts and rode off.  On the way into town I got a close up look at some of the
old homes that grandma was talking about.  If you close one eye and block out some
of the stores on the east side of Main Street, you can almost imagine how this
town looked in those Puritan days with women wearing long dresses and people
walking or riding horses everywhere.

Near the church, there’s an old dark red house that I had noticed
when we first came into town.  It's the one that I feel like I've been in
before.  It's a small square-ish house that, I think, is called a ‘saltbox’. 
The windows had these tiny window panes so I knew it was rather dark inside.  I
could imagine how the rooms were laid out.  I pictured a large fireplace with a
big black pot hanging in it.  There were only a couple of simple chairs in
there to sit on.

As I was staring at the place and imagining what the inside
looked like, I suddenly noticed the movement of an old lady rocking in a chair outside
by a side door.  She was a tiny thing, wearing an apron over a long blue dress,
pushing the rocker with those old fashioned shoes that tie in the front with
chunky heels.  She had white hair pulled back, probably in an old lady bun, and
was looking directly at me.  She was probably wondering what I was doing,
staring at her house.  I finally decided to address her.  Maybe she knew
something about the background of this place.

"Hi,” I shouted. “Hope you don’t mind me checking out
your house.  It’s looks really old.”  

She continued to stare at me.  She finally replied in an
elderly quavering voice, "Hello Elsa".

Before I answered, I smiled reassuringly at her, "My name
isn't Elsa.  You must have me mixed up with someone else."

I hopped off my bike and strolled toward her.  As I got
closer, I got a better look at her face.  I had initially presumed her to be a
flakey old woman, especially after she called me Elsa.  I realized, however,
when I studied her eyes, that she had a look about her.  She wasn’t
foggy-brained at all.  Her eyes were as clear and sharp as a bright sunny day.  Her
aura started to emerge as a beautiful clear golden cloud.  I had never seen
anything like it.  I associated it with goodness and joy.  Then, some other
feeling drifted over me, a sense of peace and love, an out of this world,
heavenly sensation.  I wanted to soak it up, but it was fleeting.  Did I imagine
that?

I took my hat off when I got to her and said, “My name is
Tess.”

"Well, you were Elsa at that time.  Would you like to
see how the house has fared?" She asked me as she stood and picked up
whatever she was knitting.

How the house has fared?  What was she talking about?  "Yes,
I’d love to see the inside your house.  And what is your name, ma’am?" I
inquired.

“You don’t know my name, dear?  I’m Miss Huggins, Cassie
Huggins.  You can call me Miss Cassie,” she answered.  Then, she slowly turned
around and walked directly to a side door.  The doorway was certainly very
short.  If I was over 5'10" I would've had to duck.  Were people that
short in the old days? 

While entering the doorway, I turned and I asked her, “How
long have you lived here, Miss Cassie?”

"I have lived here a very long time; for my entire life
in fact.  I was even born in this house.  Would you like to come in and join me
for a cup of tea?"  She invited as she pulled off her straw hat.

"Yes ma’am.  That would be nice." I responded as
my eyes took everything in.  The inside was quite dark and spare of furniture.  We
went into the back, where I knew the kitchen was located.  It was much like I
had anticipated except some of the interior had changed.  I had a dim memory of
seeing a table against the wall with a bench on two sides and no tablecloth.  This
kitchen had a table with chairs around it and a table cloth on it.  It was
pretty old furniture, but definitely not as crude as those benches were.  Miss
Cassie also had bunches of herbs hanging in two corners of the kitchen.  I
remember seeing the bunches of herbs.

She made the tea and sliced some apple bread that she had
made, and we carried it to the front parlor.  Both of us sat on opposite ends
of a stiff, ornate couch.  While we were sitting in the parlor a strange
thought flashed into my head.  I remember seeing a plain old coffin in here on
a table right in the middle of the room.  I wonder where that thought came from.

I had the impression she was thinking something about me
because suddenly she focused her intense green eyes in my direction and stated,
"Tess, you must be aware that you have some special abilities.”

"What are you talking about?  What do you mean by
special abilities?"  I felt shivery.  She sounded like Dr. Lee.

"I don't have to explain it to you.  You know.  I'm
sure things have happened to you recently.  Sometimes you can ‘see’ things
before they happen.  Isn't that true dear?"  She patted me lightly on the
hand while she spoke.

"I wouldn't say that I see things before they happen.  That
would be impossible anyway."  I couldn’t look in her sharp eyes as I lied.

“You don't see things during waking dreams or, perhaps in
your night dreams?" she reiterated in a calm voice.

"Well, maybe.  I think it’s just coincidental, though.  People
have dreams all the time.  I don't think they mean anything."  I was
starting to sweat.  She knew I was lying to her.

Miss Cassie’s little wrinkled hand gently lifted up my chin
to look at me.  Her eyes were smiling.  "Seers can also see things when
they are completely awake.  Sometimes, they see events just before they happen.
 It is nothing to be fearful about.  Sometimes it is helpful.”  Her eyes
widened in surprise as she peered at me.  “And you, my goodness, something has
happened to you.  You have acquired additional sight.  You can read the auras. 
That is so unusual.  What happened to you, Tess?"

I studied the knots in the oak floor and nervously swung a
leg back and forth as I responded, “I was involved in a train accident and a
piece of metal went into my head.  I started seeing the colors after that
happened.  The doctors attribute my auric sight to that injury.”  I paused and looked
at her, “I’ve been seeing auras ever since then.  I haven’t mentioned this
ability to anyone else.  It’s too weird.”

“Tess, I would never tell anybody.  It is our secret.”  As
she responded I could see visages of the golden aura still around her.  

“Miss Cassie, how do you know all this about me?”

She leaned toward me and answered in a gentle tone, “I have
the Sight, too, my dear.  I always know when I’m around others of similar
abilities.”

I was starting to freak out.  This was getting to be too
much for me, so I changed the subject.  "So, Miss Cassie, uh…. how old is
your house?"

She lifted up her teacup to take a sip before she answered,
"The older part of the house was built in 1659.  A couple of rooms were
added on later.  Do you know anything about the history of this town?  Did you
know that one of the condemned witches lived in this house?"

Hearing that was shocking. "For real?  A condemned
witch lived here in this house?  What happened to her?"

"Unfortunately, she was hung.  That's what happened to
most of the condemned witches.  She was the first one to be hung as a witch
around here."

Hearing that was kind of unsettling, but I still wanted to
know more.  "Who was she?"

"Her name was Alice Casey.  She was one of the village
healers,” answered Miss Cassie.

“What was wrong with those people?  Why would they want to
hang a person who heals others?” I asked indignantly.

Miss Cassie sighed before she replied, “She was known as a
pious woman but she was also an independent thinker.  In those days, that was
very dangerous.  Most people back then were superstitious because they didn’t
have control over many aspects of their lives.  When things went wrong, they
often had to blame someone.  Alice was very vocal about the witch hunts that
were going on.  She didn't believe that the accused were 'in league with the
devil'.  People who took a stand against the witch hunts were often accused
themselves.”

"Could you tell me more about what happened to Alice
and some of the others who were accused?"  I have to admit, this was
fascinating to me.  I didn’t know much about the witch hunts in New England.

She smiled and settled in before responding, "A number
of people who were initially accused were considered to be outcasts of the
village.  Maybe they lived on the outskirts of town and didn't socialize with
the villagers, so they aroused some suspicion.  Some of those people practiced the
old way of curing sickness, by use of herbs and the laying of the hands.  That
was frowned upon even though it was often more successful than what doctors
could do in those days.  Alice was not an outcast, though.  She had been very
active in village affairs and was known for her charity.”

I smiled at Miss Cassie. "Witchcraft, how nuts were
people back then?  Like there were witches flying around on broomsticks!”

Miss Cassie tilted her head and studied me before answering,
“Actually, they weren't so crazy.  A number of those women actually were
witches.  In fact, I believe that Alice Casey was a witch."

"What?  How could you say that?  That’s crazy.  You
mean like witches with special powers?  I’d never heard of such a thing.”  I
was shaking my head.

Miss Cassie raised her eyebrow.  "Yes, witches with
power.  However, most witches utilized their powers for the good.  If anything,
it was some of the accusers who used their power for evil."

I sat back and thought for a minute.  Who was this woman?  Was
she mad or did she know what she was talking about?  She does seem a little different,
but is she crazy?  First, she called me Elsa.  Then, she claimed that I have
‘special abilities’ and that I can see future events.  Although, she was
correct when she said that I can read auras.  I didn’t know what to think.

I glanced at my watch.  "Miss Cassie, I better go.  Thanks
so much for the tea and showing me your house.  Your stories were intriguing to
say the least."

"It was very nice to see you, dear.  I knew you would
come by here sooner or later.  If you ever have any questions or would like to
talk to me about anything, please, just come over."  Miss Cassie and I got
up and walked to the front door.

As I was walking down the front steps, I turned around to
wave to her.  Miss Cassie was standing there staring at me as if her mind was
elsewhere.  She abruptly snapped out of her reverie and called out, "Elsa,
please be careful.  There are some people who wish you did not come back here.”
 There was frown on her face.  I didn't know how to respond to that so I just kept
on going.  I knew she was staring me the entire time I walked to the sidewalk,
climbed onto the bike and rode down the street.  

As I was riding home, my mind went over my visit with Miss
Cassie.  What was going on?  That old lady knew things about me.  How could
that be?  I didn't know her from a hole in the wall.  I was afraid of what else
she'd come out with so I had to get out of there.

Perhaps I'll go and see her again when I’m up for it.  It’s
weird that I felt like I'd been in her house before.  There’s no explanation
for that and there's also no explanation for my premonitions.  I wish they
would stop.  I don’t want to know what’s going to happen.  Things will happen
when things will happen.  That's the way life is supposed to be.  We don't have
control over things.  Do we?