Mirror in the Forest: Book One (19 page)

There were plenty of available women in this town that were more on his level, and age.

He decided to head to the bar tonight after his shift was done, and Paul came in. The bar was always open late on the weekends.

He needed a diversion from Jessica Winters.

He wasn’t off duty the next day, but decided to down a few to numb his thoughts of the young blonde for a little while.  

Beer distraction sounded like just what a doctor would order.

Jessica could only let out a shocked breath when she heard the news on Monday that indeed Mandy Cooper had been paralyzed. The principal announced it would take years of rehabilitation, but the doctors were not optimistic from the word going around school before it was officially announced that morning.

The students were called to the gym one class at a time for the announcement, and they were asked to keep Mandy in their thoughts and prayers in this time for healing.

Mandy had surgery, it had been somewhat successful, but she had a long rough road ahead of her.

As they left the gym Jessica could only think of the night Mandy’s “accident” happened, and her conversation with The Spirit of The Mirror afterwards.

Trying not to shiver, Jessica glanced up at the activity board outside of the gym, and noticed the list was up for basketball tryouts.

“What?” Tessa asked as Jessica stopped in front of the board.

Jessica turned and smiled at her best friend.

“I was thinking of going for basketball. What do you think?”

Tessa looked at her in stunned disbelief. Her mouth kept opening and closing while she tried to find her words.

“Do you even know anything about basketball?” She finally asked, skeptical.

“Yeah! You run down the court and try to put the ball into the hoop,” Jessica answered with a shrug.

Tessa still stared at her as if she'd grown two heads.

“There’s more to it than that, but whatever you say,” she answered.

“What? My mom helped win the state championship, remember? She can teach me.”

Tessa shook her brown head, and said, “I’m just shocked you want to try it, you always hated sports, except hiking.”

“Well, didn’t you and Alex tell me to lighten up?” Jessica shot back, wanting Tessa to eat her words.

Tessa put a finger to her chin and said, “Yeah, but I didn’t think this much.”

“Then you only have yourselves to blame,” Jessica answered with a smirk.

Tessa frowned in retrospect, and Jessica knew she had no argument.  

“Are you sure you want to do that? The rest of Mandy’s friends are on the team,” Tessa pointed out after a moment.

“There’s a great reason,” Jessica answered, with a slight grin.

Tessa nodded, but Jessica could see the doubt still plastered over her features.

“What? If I don’t make the team, then no harm done, right?”

“I guess so,” Tessa said quietly.

“Tessa, I think it would be a great send off for me,” Jessica said seriously. "Besides, it'll finally get my folks off my back too."

Tessa turned and smiled slightly at Jessica, knowing she was defeated. “You’re right, and we did tell you to lighten up.”

Suddenly, Tessa punched Jessica in the arm and started laughing.

Jessica’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “Owww! What was that for?”

“You haven’t told me about your date yet, you jerk,” Tessa said, still laughing. However, that’s how close Jessica and Tessa had always been, and Jessica smiled back.

Jessica had to think of a good answer. How did she want to put this?

She had been after Danny Davenport for years, and now she realized she didn’t really care for him at all. She was starting to develop bigger and better plans that went beyond a mere high school crush.

Jessica shrugged. “We went to that new Italian place, went to see a movie, and then went to Lookout Ridge to make out for a while.”

Tessa raised her dark eyebrows, and then took Jessica aside. They had some time before they had to go back to class.

“That was it?” Tessa asked, baffled by Jessica’s reaction.

“That was it,” Jessica responded, already bored about Danny.

Tessa scoffed a little, and said, “Jessica, you have been after him for years. Now, he is practically falling all over you, and you seem like you’re not enjoying it.”

Jessica shook her head. “Let’s keep this between us. I like him. He is very sweet, and kept apologizing for the party, but it’s just not enough for me anymore.”

Tessa flinched. Jessica knew she could not believe what she was hearing.

“Is it the Sheriff?” Tessa knew her all too well.

Jessica looked around and could see the hallways beginning to empty. She didn’t really know how to explain it.

“No. Well…..I wouldn’t mind going out with him, but I want to move on to bigger things than just dating a guy now,” Jessica said with a shrug.

“So, are you going to dump him?” Tessa asked.

“Not right now, but I don’t know how much longer,” Jessica answered starting to walk towards her class.

“Jessica….if you don’t like him…it’s….it’s not fair to string him along like that,” Tessa argued as they walked.

Jessica shrugged again. “I will decide soon on what I’m going to do.”

Jessica then waved goodbye to a very perplexed Tessa, and entered her next class.

Jessica did have a nice date with Danny; there was no denying that. He insisted on paying for both the dinner and the movie, though Jessica offered a few times.

Then when they went to the lookout, they found out from some other classmates that went to the homecoming dance that it was boring, so they left.

Of course Mandy Cooper had still been crowned homecoming queen along with the quarterback for the football team, Scott Gilmore, who happened to be Mandy’s ex-boyfriend or something. Apparently, he had cried on stage when he accepted her crown for her. Jessica knew Mandy wasn’t as well liked as she thought she was, and people started to leave after that, even though she hadn’t been there. It had been hearsay.

Throughout the course of dinner, movie, and Lookout Ridge, Jessica felt absolutely no connection to Danny. He had been the perfect gentleman and said he wanted to make up for that night at the party, but Jessica found herself wishing to be elsewhere. A certain Sheriff came to mind, though she tried to remind herself that she didn’t need a boyfriend to feel whole.

Jessica, still lost in thought, sat down in class.

She looked over her test score for English and sighed. It was a perfect A+, but she was absolutely uninterested right now.

She wondered why she was so restless, and wondered what she could do to fix it.

Now that Mandy Cooper was out of the way, nothing seemed challenging anymore.

Now that she had Danny Davenport with her, it was still not a challenge.

She scolded herself, because she knew she was becoming greedy. Those gifts had been perfect so far; however, she was craving more. She couldn’t help it.

Her conscience kept telling her to walk away from The Spirit of the Mirror, and live her quiet life, but now that she had a taste of what kind of power she had; it changed everything.

She almost cringed when Danny gave her a kiss goodbye when school was over.

She told him she would be busy doing something for her mom that night, and she would talk to him the next day.

Mary came and picked her up waving to Danny as Jessica got into the car.

Jessica knew something was wrong with her mom as they drove away from school.

“What’s the matter?” Jessica asked, concerned.

Mary growled a little in frustration, and hit the steering wheel lightly with her fist.

“I tore that house apart this morning, and could not find Grandma’s necklace,” she answered, almost in tears.

Jessica froze, trying to hide her guilt, and plastered a sympathetic look on her face instead.

“I’m sorry Mom. How about another set of eyes? I will try to look again, and when Dad gets back he can help too,” Jessica said, soothingly. Jessica had absolutely no intention of looking around. She already knew where the necklace was located.

Mary wiped her eyes and said, “Thank you, sweetheart. I would really appreciate it.”

“Of course, Mom,” Jessica said, turning to her mother in comfort, even though she knew it was phony.  

“I wonder if I wore it to work, and a patient pulled it off by mistake or it broke off somehow,” Mary said lost in thought.

“Maybe you should ask around tonight,” Jessica said with a slight smile.

“I will do that. Anyway, how was school today?” Mary asked, blinking back more tears.

Jessica was relieved she changed the subject.

“Got an A on mid-terms for English, and the rest should be a breeze,” Jessica said, trying to cheer her up.

“Great!” Mary said, lightening up a little.

“Thank you. Mom, I have a question,” Jessica said after a moment.

“Shoot.”

“Was basketball hard to play?”

Mary turned and looked at Jessica sharply, and Jessica almost cried out as Mary almost went off the road.

“Jeez Mom, sorry I asked,” Jessica said, while Mary straightened the car. Mary had many trophies from when she was a forward in basketball back when she attended high school. The Mountain Lions had won a championship during Mary’s junior year.

Mary sat there for a moment, and tried to gather her thoughts. Jessica thought she had a weird look in her eye, but couldn’t tell what the emotion was.

“I’m sorry, but you detest sports,” Mary said surprised.

Jessica knew she had to play this right, so she wouldn’t give anything away to her mother.

“I know I said that in the past, but you told me you wanted me to have a good year, and Danny has gotten me interested. No harm in trying right?”

Mary’s lips curved down while she thought it over.

“I don’t see why not. If you don’t make it, then you don’t make it. I am just shocked at this turn of attitude,” she said, looking over at Jessica with a slight frown.

Jessica felt the tug of a smile at her lips. It wasn’t genuine, however, she was trying hard to make it look like it was.

“Well, do I have your support?” Jessica asked, trying to turn the tables on her mother.

“Sure you do! I will go over strategies with you, and we can watch some pro-games on TV,” Mary replied, but Jessica could still see the doubts in her eyes.

Jessica leaned back into the seat, feeling content how she was able to explain away everything with her mother.

She only had to do one thing, and that was to get that dagger somehow or another.

She knew Sara Miller would start opening at later hours, because of Christmas coming up, and Jessica had to make sure that no one saw her in case she had to end up stealing it, most of all Sara Miller.

She took a deep breath. She was still having doubts about the gift request from The Spirit, but if she wanted her next wish granted, it had to be done.

Mary still had a strange look on her face the rest of the drive home, but didn’t say anything, which Jessica was grateful for.

“Everyone is asking me questions about these changes, and I’m afraid I’m going to run out of excuses soon,” Jessica said to The Spirit after her mother left for work for the night.