Meadowview Acres (11 page)

Instead, he had caught the sheriff’s eye and somehow he had known. He had pushed to the back of his brain the thought that something had gone terribly wrong for his father not to be sitting in the stands with his mom and Shasta. When he saw Sheriff Buchanon’s face, he knew. He didn’t remember walking with the sheriff to get into the cruiser. He didn’t remember sitting in the car with his mom and Shasta in the back. His first memory of that time was of Sheriff Buchanon hugging him and telling him to be proud of his father because his father had been damn proud of Darren.

They had gotten home soon after, and Shasta stayed with them. Then people started to come, even though it was late. It was okay, though. It wasn’t like he and his mom were going to sleep any time soon. They were reeling. First a few neighbors came, then family started to arrive. Most of his mom’s side of the family lived in Shale, the next town over. There were very few left on his dad’s side, though. They would be coming the next day.

The house was a flurry of activity – people bringing food, making calls and arrangements. Darren had staked out a corner of the living room, and Shasta hadn’t left his side. She sat with him that night and throughout most of the last two days, only going home to change clothes or sleep a little bit. Otherwise, she was beside him just holding his hand. She spoke to people when he couldn’t, and she brought him food and drinks. Mostly, she was there. No conversation had been needed. They were just Darren and Shasta again without skipping a beat.

More people had come throughout the past two days. Most of them wanted to give Darren a hug, but halfway through the first day he was done with hugging. He just stopped standing up when someone came over. That took care of that. A few people were crying but most were talking about what a surprise it was, and saying things like, “How could this have happened?” Some people were telling stories about a younger Claymont or something funny that he had done in the past at one the neighborhood parties. Darren knew that his dad was a great dad, but he was only now learning how much Claymont had been loved by everyone else.

Darren was thankful for all of the visitors. Not for himself, Shasta was all he needed. His mother had been so strong, and he was glad that she had so much love and support. He was worried what would happen when things started to die down, and not as many people were coming around anymore.

The first day Eli and Hunter and their moms had come over. That was kind of weird since they were the ones who had discovered Claymont in the Caterpillar. Darren was afraid that it would upset Agnes to see them, but quite the opposite happened. She saw them come in and immediately went to them and hugged each boy tightly.

“I want to tell you boys, Thank you. Thank you for finding my husband and calling for help. I know it was hard on you and I’m sorry for that. But I’m so grateful Hunter. Eli. So grateful.”

Darren could tell that they were uneasy and didn’t know how to respond, so he was glad when Lara Andrews moved forward to hug Agnes. Gina, Hunter’s mom, followed suit and soon the three women were talking, so the guys slipped away over to where Darren and Shasta sat.

“Hey, Darren,” Hunter began. “We just wanted to come over and say sorry about your dad. He was a really fun guy, and he was real nice, too.”

“Yeah,” Eli agreed. “He always came to our shows. Remember? He even paid for a ticket that one time. We didn’t even sell tickets.” Feeling sadder with the memory, Eli looked at the ground. “Anyway, we’re sorry, Man.”

Shasta was about to reply for Darren, when he stood up and awkwardly gave Eli a half hug. “Thanks, Man,” he said.

He moved to Hunter and repeated the same half hug and thanks and sat back down. Shasta was a little taken aback but recovered enough to ask, “How’re you guys doing? That couldn’t have been an easy day for you. I heard that you three were pretty sick. Feeling better?”

Hunter replied, “Yeah. Actually, that was pretty strange. Eli here had a big headache, Buggie was almost fainting, and I couldn’t stop puking. My mom says it was stress, but Eli and I felt that way before we even got to the clearing. Listen, I was thinking about that. I think there might be something in the woods. Some kind of chemical they used to kill off some of the vegetation or make the animals go away. It has to be something.”

That’s when the rest of the Jackson family had arrived, and Darren had to go speak with his relatives. Shasta went with him leaving Eli and Hunter alone. They left a few minutes later and Darren hadn’t spoken to either of them again. He saw them at the funeral service that day, but he didn’t feel much like conversation.

Now he and Shasta occupied the same corner of the living room as people trickled in to visit once again. The funeral had been short, the gravesite service even shorter and Darren was glad of that. Going on day three of the nightmare was just about all he could take. Shasta, sensing his mood, took his hand and led him out of the room into the back yard. Even though it was fall, the leaves were still green. She sat him down on the back steps and plopped down beside him. She had been at his side almost constantly for the last three days after not being alone with him for almost two whole years. Finally, it was time to talk.

It was simple and to the point. It was also everything Darren had been wishing for.

“I love you, Darren. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I’m sorry to drop this on you now, but I think you need to know where I stand. I want to be here for you. I’m glad you’ve let me so far, but if you think things are just going to go back to the way they were before you kissed me, I can’t. I really want to be your friend, and I’ll really try if that’s what you want, but I need you to know how I really feel.”

Darren stared at her deep brown eyes and confusion turned into realization. “You love me? You’ve felt like this all along? Shas, why didn’t you tell me? I thought you were mad about the kiss. I thought you wanted distance.”

“What? No! What are you even talking about? You looked so angry and then you just left the party. I thought you were mad at me! Then you wouldn’t talk to me and...”

“No,” he interrupted. “not wouldn’t, couldn’t. I couldn’t stand being around you because I wanted things to be different with us, and I thought you were the one that didn’t feel the same. I’m so sorry, Shas. I handled this all wrong.”

Shasta couldn’t believe what was happening. “No, Darren, don’t be sorry. It sounds like we were both wrong. We were both idiots. We’ve wasted so much time without each other. I’m sorry, too.” She threw her arms around him and tears sprang into her eyes. “I’m so sorry for everything you’re going through right now, and I promise I’ll be here for you. I’m not going anywhere ever again. I love you, Darren.”

Darren closed his eyes. He smelled her citrusy-clean smell and felt her soft auburn hair against his skin. “I love you too, Shasta. I always have.”

They stayed that way for a little longer, savoring the comfort each of them felt in each other’s arms. The sun was dipping in the sky, and the light was fading. They could hear people’s voices from inside the house. The sound brought them back from the moment.

“My dad would be happy about this, you know?” Darren said. “He really loved you.”

Shasta’s eyes filled with tears again, and she said, “I loved him, too. I still can’t believe he’s gone. It happened so fast.”

She put her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand. After a few moments she said, “Do you think there’s anything to what Hunter was saying? About a chemical in the woods or something put there purposefully that would make people sick?”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot he said that. I can’t imagine anyone doing that knowing that people are in those woods a lot. I mean, not only the construction crew, but kids from this neighborhood are in there all the time,” he replied.

“But not usually as deep as the site. When they play in the woods, they usually stay right around the paths. We hardly ever went past that when we played out there, remember?”

“That’s true, but what about the people working in there – those surveyors and the people from Gary Sam Construction and Oakwood Homes? Did any of them get sick? I don’t think there’s anything to it, Shasta.”

“You’re probably right,” she agreed. “Hunter, Eli and Buggie were just stressed. You know, I haven’t seen Bug in a few days. I really should go check in and say hi. Do you feel like coming with me?

“I better stick around with Mom. I don’t really want to leave her right now. Will you come back when you’re done?” It was like she was his own, personal sun. When she was near, he felt better. When she was gone, the stinging loss and sadness surrounded him like a cloud.

“Of course I will,” she said. “I won’t be long.” She leaned up to reach his face and kissed him softly. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

They got up together and went back into the house. People were starting to leave. Soon it would just be him and his mom. The future Darren had dreamed of had been ripped from his grasp. What were they going to do now? Would they leave Meadowview Acres? Darren put an arm protectively around Shasta and walked her to the door. “Come back soon,” he said.

She smiled that sweet, gentle smile and left him.

CHAPTER 15

Heather

T
wo days after Mr. Jackson’s funeral, Hunter and Eli decided to retrieve the box from the shed and open it. The suspense had been killing Hunter, but Eli had almost forgotten about it. That is, until Hunter said, “Dude! We have to open the treasure chest! We’re probably sitting on a gold mine and we don’t even know it!”

Eli was skeptical. “It’s probably nothing, Hunter. I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”

“Well you’re not me, and I know there’s something cool in there. Who knows how long it’s been buried? Plus, you can hear something sliding back and forth when you shake it.”

“What if it’s something that needed to stay buried? Did you think of that?” Eli was remembering the uneasy feeling he had when he thought of how sick they all were at the construction site. He didn’t believe, as Hunter did, that there was some kind of chemical placed around the site to kill off the vegetation. In Eli’s mind, their illnesses were somehow connected to that box. They would never know, he guessed, unless they opened it.

It was after school on Wednesday. His mom wouldn’t be home for another hour, and he could hear Heather in her room screeching at someone on her cell phone.
There’s nothing better to do.

“Okay. Why don’t you go get it out of your shed and bring it into my room? I’ll go get our wire cutters and the vice and tools. Let’s get this thing over with,” Eli resigned.

Hunter was off like a shot. He was so excited. Eli went to the garage and gathered the tools they would need and headed to his room. Halfway down the hallway, he heard Heather scream.

“No! I’m NOT going to forgive you, Jake! I don’t care if you think Trish is making it up! She’s NOT! You’re guilty! You were kissing her! Trish said Joe walked in on you kissing HER! How could you DO this to me? We’re in LOVE,” her ranting continued.

Eli shook his head and made his way into his bedroom. He closed the door behind him. Brody was not on his bed as usual. His mom was picking him up from the veterinarian on her way home. She was nervous about the amount of fur he’d lost and wanted to get him checked out. Eli had told her a condensed version of the happenings in the woods, and she had wanted to make sure the dog hadn’t gotten into anything poisonous.

Hunter, looking queasy, opened the bedroom door a few minutes later. “Man, I don’t know what it is, but I’m feeling sick again. I puked up the pizza bites I had after school. Just threw ‘em up out of nowhere.” He put the box on the bed and sat beside it.

Eli noticed the faint but concrete evidence of a headache coming on. Warning bells sounded in his mind. “What is it about this damn thing?” He asked Hunter. “Every time we’re around it, we start feeling this way. Maybe we should just take it back, Hunter. Let’s just take it back to the woods.”

Hunter was doubled over on the bed but managed to say, “Listen, Eli, if there is a connection to this thing and us feeling sick, and I mean “IF”, we have to find out for sure. What if it’s just a coincidence?” He burped a liquid sounding burp.

“Think about it, Hunter! You puking, my headache, Bug fainting and weak! Even Deputy Clay and his nose bleed! And what if something about this box hurt Mr. Jackson? Do you really still want to see inside?”

Hunter was curled up with his arms around his stomach on Eli’s bed. He hadn’t thought of it the way Eli had. He rose up on one elbow and thought a moment. Eli was rubbing his temples and sitting at his desk.

Finally, Hunter said, “Yes. I think we should open it. If what you’re saying is true, we need to know. But I honestly think that whatever is making us sick is on the outside of this thing. The sooner we open it, the sooner we can ditch the box. I’m sure whatever is inside doesn’t have anything to do with how we’re feeling. How could it? What could penetrate a steel box? We’ve got to look inside, Eli, we have to.” He got up slowly from the bed and retched into Eli’s trash can.

Eli grabbed the wire cutters and said, “Fine, let’s get this over with.” He got the blades of the cutters around one of the links of one of the chains and pressed with all of his strength. Nothing, it didn’t even make a dent.

Seeing the problem, Hunter got up from the bed to get the vice. He secured it onto the edge of Eli’s desk. Next, he brought the box over and positioned a link into the vice’s opening. Then he twirled the bar of the vice until it tightened upon the link. Once the link was secure, Eli reached for the small crow bar and threaded it through the link and pushed it forcibly sideways. The link bent at first then it popped open under the pressure. The boys looked at each other as if to say, “No turning back now.”

There were five other chains to get through before the padlock on the box itself would be freed. Eli did most of the work on the chains because Hunter was once again heaving into the trash can. When the fifth chain slipped off the box, Eli looked at Hunter. He was in a ball as he held the trash can in front of him in the corner of the room. Eli’s head was hurting but not unmanageably.