Conjuring Sight (Becky Jo Chronicles Book 1) (4 page)

I force myself to see the good in the situation. “Then we will be perfect company for each other. I have the HSAP to study for.”

She gives me a relieved smile in the moonlight. “And don’t you forget Miss South Carolina.”

I force a laugh. “I helped with the shopping. There are a few edible things in the kitchen.”

She returns the laugh before saying sarcastically, “I’m sure Sunny was thrilled.”

“I had no choice. That granola should be banned under the Geneva Convention.”

We laugh together.

Marina gives me a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here! Now, we both better get to sleep. Tomorrow will be another big day.”

The moment she leaves the room, it suddenly feels colder. I wrap myself in the thick comforter and close my eyes. I am dozing off when the sound of someone in heavy work boots walking across the wood floor causes me to open my eyes.

“Who are you?” a deep voice whispers in the void.

“No one,” I whisper in a shaky voice before dashing across the room and turning on the light. I am alone in the room. I take several deep breaths to calm myself. I don’t know what just happened, but I’m not going to take any risks. In Virginia City, I decide it’s best to sleep with the lights on.

“Clara!” I wave, hurrying down the road. Once again, I woke up to
Dixie
. I would be a lot grumpier about it, but Clara is waiting. It has given me something to look forward to. Like the day before, she is wearing her work uniform.

“Becky Jo!” she exclaims with excitement. Lifting her long skirts, she runs to me.

I stop, grabbing my aching side. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” I heave on ragged breath.

She beams. “I don’t mind waiting. Where are we walking today?”

“You know the area a lot better than I do. Lead the way.” I gesture forward.

Her smile widens. “I will be an excellent guide!” She directs me down the road and into the brush. I hurry to keep up with her graceful form.

I struggle to keep pace with Clara, but the view is spectacular. I miss the green of the east coast, but the desert has become slightly more appealing. Watching the sun come up over the horizon is picturesque.  I lose track of time until Clara abruptly stops.

I take several deep breaths. “Where are we?” I ask, looking around at a small grove of pine trees.

“My band lived here for hundreds of years,” she answers softly, affectionately rubbing her hand across a large rock.

“It’s lovely,” I reply, taking it all in. “Your band must have been moved to the Reservation at Pyramid Lake.”

She sighs sadly. “We lost our way of life and had to change in order to survive.”

I sympathetically pat her hand, finding it ice cold. “You’re freezing,” I say. “Why don’t you take my jacket? I’m sweating to death.”

She instantly pulls her hand away, forcing a smile. “I’m fine. Let’s finish our walk.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” I say, looking at my watch. “I’ve got some studying to do, and you can’t be late for work.” 

*     *     *

I stare at the stack of HSAP practice books. My head hurts from all the thinking. I’ve worked the whole day, with the exception of a short lunch break, and I don’t feel any smarter than I did before I started.  I lean on St Thomas Aquinas’s words,
Instruct my speech and touch my lips with graciousness; make me keen to understand, quick to learn, and able to remember…
Arrgg! This test is going to kill me! I reread the same page I’ve read fifty times, but I still can’t focus. I’m going to need all the divine intervention I can get. I’m grateful when a knock on the door interrupts my pathetic study session.

“Are you ready for dinner?” Marina asks as she peeks in.

“Yes,” I say a little too enthusiastically as I shut the book.

She lifts a delicious-smelling bag. “Sunny just left. I thought you needed some brain food, so I got some Chinese take-out.”

“Bless you.” I hug her, remembering Sunny’s vegetarian chili I had for lunch.

She laughs briefly before turning very serious. “Becky Jo, Sunny told me you insisted on helping with her duties. You need to let Sunny do her job, and you need to do yours. You need to be studying.”

“I don’t mind helping,” I object. It’s the only way I feel like I’m contributing at all to the household.

“I mind. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

The Chinese is fantastic. After I wolf it down, I lean back in my chair.

“Read your fortune,” Marina says, passing me a fortune cookie.

“You first,” I reply.

She smiles, opening her cookie. She reads, “You will find love in an unexpected place.”

I teasingly catcall and whistle.

She rolls her eyes, putting the cookie down before passing the second cookie to me. “It’s not going to happen.  There are only two kinds of men; those who want a mother-figure to take care of them, and those who are intimidated by strong women.  I don’t want either. It’s your turn to read your fortune.”

I break my cookie in half, removing the fortune. “You will soon embark on an unexpected journey,” I read.

“Ah, maybe we’ll have to make that one come true,” Marina says with a mischievous smile. “How about we go to New York after you pass the HSAP? We can see some Broadway shows and shop for an interview suit for the Miss South Carolina Pageant.”

I’ve never been to New York, even though it’s always been a dream of mine. “That would be great,” I answer truthfully. Some motivation might help me out of my slump.

“Then it’s a deal.” Marina starts cleaning up the dishes.

I grab the empty cartons. “What is the plan this weekend?”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry to leave, but I have to work. I’ll be spending the next two days in Las Vegas, negotiating a deal for Mr. Harrison. I would love it if you could come with me, but studying for the HSAP is more important.  Sunny is on her way to a spiritualist retreat, and I am leaving first thing in the morning. You will have a quiet weekend to study.”

*     *     *

I stand on the edge of a vast cliff. Behind me is an idyllic scene. Rolling green hills are dressed in scattered trees and colorful wildflowers. Deer peacefully graze. Birds blissfully sing. Bees buzz. Butterflies flutter in a sweet breeze. The sun smiles down on all from a clear, blue sky. The scenery in front of me is very different. Beyond the edge of the cliff there is nothing.  Just black, empty nothingness. It is as though the world has simply ended. I kick a small pebble off the cliff and watch it fall into the void until it disappears and joins the nothingness.

“Jump, Becky Jo,” a voice whispers.

I peer over the edge, careful not to lose my footing. I can’t see the bottom. I’m in mourning, but I’m definitely not suicidal. There’s no way I am going to jump. I turn around. There is a spot in the warm sunshine with my name on it. I find the perfect place atop a small hill. I can enjoy the sunshine and breeze at the same time.  I lie on the soft grass, wanting to rest.

“I wish I was in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten; Look away!  Look away! Look away, Dixie’s Land…”

I put my pillow over my head and scream. It’s Saturday for crying out loud! I’ve had a long and deeply disheartening week – I should be able to have wonderful dreams on Saturday! My patience for the local hell-raisers has nearly run out.

I’m groggy when I start out the door for my walk. I make myself to put one foot in front of the other. I need the exercise – even if it takes all my will power not to go back to bed. I lament it is the weekend, and Clara has the day off. It is so much harder to walk without company. I’m completely caught off guard when I climb over a small hill and find Clara waving excitedly.

“Becky Jo!” she runs to join me.

“Clara, I didn’t know you work on Saturdays?” I say.

“I have to work most days,” she replies.

“Well, that is both awful and wonderful news,” I say. “It’s awful that you have to work so much, but it is wonderful that I will have company on my walks.”

I get an extra-long walk to burn off the meal I ate the evening before. It seems as though Clara and I walk all over the state of Nevada, although it doesn’t feel that way.  Clara is great company. She is so very interesting and hangs on my every word.  She brings a surprising amount of sunshine to my life.  Marina’s house comes back into view far too soon.

“I hope I haven’t made you late for work,” I say, looking at my watch and finding it’s stopped working. I shake it uselessly. Stupid battery!

She watches my insanity. “No, I’m not late. I will see you, tomorrow morning.” She begins to walk away.

I stop shaking the watch. I don’t want her to go. A day spent by myself is a dismal prospect. “What time do you get off work? Marina’s out of town, and it would be great to have some company. We could watch a movie and order in a pizza,” I offer, holding my breath.

Clara gazes at Marina’s house. “I don’t know…”

“Come on, we’ll have a great time. I’ll even let you choose the movie,” I plead, hoping she doesn’t like westerns. I’ve seen more than enough sagebrush to last me a couple decades.

She takes another glance at Marina’s house before sighing. “I suppose one evening wouldn’t hurt.”

*     *     *

“What kind of pizza do you want?” I ask, looking over a menu.

“Order what you want. I ate at work,” Clara says, sitting next to me on the couch.

I sigh unhappily and put away the menu. “In that case, I’ll just have what Sunny left me for dinner.” I go to the fridge and pull out a bowl of bland vegetable soup. I put it in the microwave. “How was work?”

“Same old, same old,” she replies, glancing at one of Marina’s fashion magazines.  “Did you get much studying done?”

“I studied the whole day and don’t feel like I’ve learned anything. It’ll be a miracle if I pass the HSAP.” I sprinkle some seasonings into the bowl to improve Sunny’s soup and take a seat next to Clara.

“You’ll learn the material,” she says.

“I hope so, because Marina has got it into her head that I’m going to college.” I stuff a spoonful of the unsavory soup into my mouth. The sooner I get my meal over with, the better.

“I always wanted to go to college,” Clara says, staring at a wall.

I swallow my soup. “That’s a great idea! I’ll work really hard to pass my test, and we will go to college together. We can be roommates!”

She shakes her head. “I have other responsibilities now.”

“It’s never too late. Mama was a lot older than you when she went to school.”

Clara changes the subject, “What movie are we going to watch?”

“You choose.” I shiver as I grab a throw blanket and wrap it around my body. I pass one to her. “The furnace must not be working.  Let’s put a movie in, and then we can snuggle up in blankets.”

When we agree on a movie, I put it into Marina’s Blu-ray player and push play. Nothing happens. I push the button a second time. The lights flicker and go out, leaving us in darkness.

“I guess we can forget about the movie,” I say.  Rural Nevada is an inconvenient place to live.

Clara opens her mouth to speak, but before she can the phone begins to ring.

“I better get it.” I get to my feet, taking the blanket with me. “It’s probably Marina.”

I answer the phone. “Hello?”

The only answer is silence. I hang up. “Her cell phone probably cut out.”

The phone rings a second time, but before I can answer, Clara picks it up.

“Hello?” she says.

I hear someone speaking on the other end, but their voice is too quiet for me to decipher the words.

Clara frowns deeply before hanging up. “I have to go.” She folds her blanket.

“Was that one of your parents?” I ask, sorry to see her leave.

She doesn’t answer. “I’ll see you in the morning for our walk.” With that, she goes out the door.

I watch her walk down the street, worried my friend is in trouble with her parents.  At that precise moment, the lights turn back on and the furnace begins to hum. There’s no point in watching a movie by myself, so I decide just to study some more.

A couple hours later, I’m still staring at a page I feel I’ve been staring at for an eternity.  I shiver with mental exhaustion. It’s time to give up and go to bed. I push away from the desk and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. After the frightening experience the night before, I leave the light on before I literally fall into bed, saying a simple prayer for a good night’s sleep. I instantly fall asleep.

I don’t know how long I’ve slept when I wake up in a panic. The room is dark, and my heart feels as though it’s going to beat right out of my chest. I try to sit up, but it’s impossible. I can’t move my muscles. It’s like my body has frozen into place. The realization of this brings on a panic attack. I suck in deep breaths of air as I fight against the invisible restraints. Strangely, my room smells like tobacco.

It seems like hours later when I am finally able to move the pinkie on my left hand. The muscles in my left arm follow suit. I use my left arm to pick up my right, freeing it as well. I push myself into a sitting position, still unable to move my legs. I wipe sweat off my forehead before massaging my frozen legs. When they are freed from the paralysis, I jump out of the bed and sprint to the light switch. It is still in the on position. The light bulb has burned out.

Heavy boots walk across the floor towards me.

Repeating a familiar question, a voice demands, “Who are you?”

I don’t bother to answer at all this time. I dash out the door, flipping on the light in the hallway. I sigh in relief, but I’ve celebrated prematurely. The footsteps just keep on coming.

I run down the hall, flipping on lights as I go. The light bulbs explode overhead, showering glass down from above. I cover my head with my hands to protect myself.

I trip on something hard in the living room. My violin! I quickly pick it up. Obviously this entity isn’t afraid of the light. How will it react to music?

With shaking hands, I open my violin case and place my instrument under my chin. A loud, clear note pierces the gloom. The work boots cease their relentless forward march. I take this as my cue and begin playing Brahms.

Unwilling to deal with the spirit, I play until the sky outside begins to lighten all the while knowing whatever was in my bedroom is still in the house. In fact, I don’t stop playing until the entity leaves. Then I collapse on the couch in exhaustion. I thought living in a new house would protect me from the ghosts in Virginia City but, as usual, I was wrong.