Locket full of Secrets (4 page)

“Call me if you need anything at all,” mom whispered as she tucked me into bed like she used to do when I was younger.

“Night, sweetheart,” dad added before giving me a kiss on the forehead.

As they turned out the light and left my room I found myself suddenly more awake. The dark reminded me of the bathroom just before I saw the body, and that thought got my heart racing once again.

Walking to the window I opened it to allow for some of the spring air to fill my room. It was cold out, but it felt good after being inside for so long. Hearing a metal scraping sound behind me I turned to face my vanity. Moving closer, it became clear what was making the noise. The necklace Olena had given me was swinging where it hung, tapping into the mirror.

It had been a full year since I last saw Olena. My birthday had come and gone, followed by summer and even Christmas. I knew it was time I accepted the fact that I would probably never see her again.

Pulling the wrapped gift box from the top drawer of my dresser I could feel tears pricking my eyes. Despite my promise to open it when I saw her again, I had waited enough.

Ripping the paper off, I tossed it onto the ground, revealing a flat square box. As I took off the lid, a handwritten card from Olena greeted me instantly.

“In case I do not see you again, I wanted you to have this. You are my true best friend, and you will be missed.
Do svidanija, Olena.”

Wiping my face with the back of my hand I pulled the card aside to reveal a necklace I knew well. Nestled in the small box was the silver pendant Olena always wore. It was a gift from her aunt and uncle; a locket that never opened. That did not matter though, as the design on its front more than made up for it.

I ran my thumb over the intricate tree design with light pink amethyst stones making up its delicate leaves. Since we shared the same birthday, February 23rd, it was not just my birthstone but Olena’s as well. With shaking hands I undid the clasp and put it around my neck, then looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Staring at the necklace resting atop my sweater I suddenly felt certain I would see Olena again soon. This necklace was too important for her to give me and then disappear from my life forever. Picking up the wrapper and reading the Russian birthday greeting once again, I felt a smile pull at my lips. This present gave me hope.
This small amount of silver and stone was a sign from Olena she would always be my friend, no matter what. It was a sign of hope she would come back one day, and proof that our friendship meant something to her.

              Pulling the necklace from its perch I held it in my hand, my thumb rubbing over the tree design the same way I had done so many times before. Tears sprang up in my eyes as I turned and threw the necklace at the wall. As it tumbled to the ground I heard it making contact with the floor grate, before falling into the heating duct. It would likely be stuck there, out of reach, until I unscrewed the grate to find it. My tears blurred my vision as I stumbled back to bed, unable to stop their flow. Crawling under my covers I hugged my new teddy bear tight as my body was wracked with sobs. Pressing my face into my pillow to mask the sounds, I cried until my body was too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

              “Time to get up Claire,” a voice rang out next to me. “You’re going to be late for class again if you don’t get up!”

              Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I sat up in time to watch as Norra left our dorm room, turning the overhead light on before she slipped out. Blinking at the sudden light, I rolled out of my bed and stumbled towards my closet. With less than half an hour until class started, I knew I needed to hurry or I would never make it.

              Rummaging through my closet quickly, I got dressed while hopping to the bathroom to brush my teeth and fix my hair. It was early, but I wanted to put at least a little effort in since I would see Stephen in my math class later. Once I looked like I hadn’t just woken up, I picked up my backpack and headed outside. Ready or not, it was time for class.

              Walking out into the fall weather helped to wake me completely. It was sunny and cold out, with bright colors covering every tree on campus. It was my favorite season, and instantly made me want to get in my car and drive to White House Fruit Farms. Sadly, that only served as a reminder how far I was from home.

              Although I had only been at school for a little over a month it was still hard each day being away from my parents. After everything that had happened with Olena, I spent more time at home than ever. The friendships I had at school before the incident quickly crumbled when rumors about what happened at Perkins swept through the school. Refusing to relive the moment any more than I had to, I shut out everyone. Then, after graduation I spend my summer rethinking my college plans. No longer wanting to attend Ohio State where I might run into someone I knew, I decided to go to the one place no one from Ohio would think to go: Michigan.

              Northwest Michigan College was one of two schools in Michigan I had applied for, but won out since it was farthest from Youngstown. Over 7 hours from home, I was certain I would not run into anyone from high school on campus. And, a month later, it was proving to be quite true. I still had not seen anyone I knew from home, and no one at school seemed to know about the news story that surrounded me my senior year.

              After an uneventful biology class I headed to math, grabbing a coffee on the way. Staying focused sitting next to Steven was hard enough. Add in a late night of studying, and I was sure to get even further behind in the class.

              “Good morning sunshine!” Steven announced as I slid into the seat next to him. As usual his comment made me absentmindedly run my fingers through my hair. I doubted he would have given me the nickname before I added the highlights to my dishwater blond locks.

              “Hey Steven,” I smiled, unloading my notebook and sipping on my coffee.

              “So are you ready for tomorrow?” he asked, brushing his dazzling blond hair out of his face. Between his hair, his tan skin, and his chocolate brown eyes, every time I talked to him I had to remind myself to breathe. Steven Jackson had all the good looks of the popular guys back home, only he actually talked to me like my opinion mattered.

              “Tomorrow?” I asked, looking away to keep the distractions at a minimum.

              “Yeah, the test?” Steven tried again, pointing to where Professor Keating had written the announcement on the chalkboard.

              “Oh no,” I groaned, leaning forward to rest my forehead on the desktop in front of me. “I totally forgot.”

              “Sounds like someone might need an extra week to study.” Steven laughed, nudging his shoulder into mine.

              “More like an extra month,” I sighed, slowly sitting up before slumping in my seat.

              “What about a study buddy instead?” he asked, resting his arm on the back of my chair.

              A grin quickly spread across my face. But, before I could answer, class began. It gave me plenty of time to think through the best way to say yes. Steven and I had hung out a few times in the minutes between classes. He was the first guy to really show interest in me in years, but I was still nervous that I was reading too much into it all. While other girls in my high school went on dates and flirted with guys, I sat at home reading books. Thanks to my lack of a social life, I felt years behind everyone else. Now, with Steven sitting so close to me each day I found myself desperate to catch up fast.

              “So, what do you say?” Steven asked as we packed up our bags when class finally ended. “Do you want to get together tonight and study?”

              “Sounds like a plan,” I responded, trying to sound casual. “Where should we meet?”

              “Well, my roommate usually goes to bed around 9, so unless we plan to be done by then, we could meet at your place,” Steven suggested. I turned and put my notebook back into my backpack to hide the blush on my face.

              “Yeah, that could work.” I shrugged, finally turning to face him as we walked out of our lecture hall. It was a miracle I did not trip and fall on my face thanks to the sudden nervousness in my stomach.

              As we decided on the best time to meet, I couldn’t help but feel like things were finally going my way. Not only was I spending time with Steven, I did a decent job of not acting like a total loser. I had a feeling if he knew that the last guy I kissed was as part of a dare at Tiffany Gooding’s 7th grade birthday party, he wouldn’t stop laughing for a month.

Pushing the awkward middle school memory from my mind, I could not help but smile as I walked across campus to my next class. Between Steven, the fall air, and the caffeine I felt running through my body, I felt more awake and alive than I had in a while. Choosing a school in Michigan was proving to be a better and better plan all the time.