Omniscient Leaps (23 page)

“Caleb,” he said, sticking his hand out to greet me. “I guess you’ve been bad. I’m your new shepherd.”

“What?” I croaked. The bile rose in my throat and I had to steady myself on the pew.

“Geesh, don’t get too excited or anything. The girls are usually ecstatic when I tell them that.” His eyes were dancing wildly and I couldn’t believe someone in his position would be taunting me the way he was.

“Girls?” I whispered. “Other girls have been removed from Luke’s care?”

He suddenly noticed the color draining from my face and he instantly switched gears. He seemed to almost feel sorry for me. “What, do you have some kind of attachment to Luke? Do you have a crush on the poor guy? Let me tell you something, the other girls have given up on him. I just don’t think he’s interested in girls.” He paused and instantly donned another wide grin. “I don’t think he’s interested in me either.”

“I— I don’t.” The words wouldn’t come out. The lump growing in my throat was keeping me from speaking coherently.

“Caleb, what are you doing?” Luke’s voice boomed through the church and I shot to attention.

“Just having fun with one of your other leapers. It isn’t often that we meet up with each other, you know,” he turned to give me a wink. “This one is fresh. I can smell it.”

Luke moved swiftly through the church to where we were standing and although he kept control of his face I could see the resentment brewing in his eyes. “Don’t bother Kara again.” He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me in to his side. “If she’s here when you are, then I think it best if you go.”

“What if I get here first?” he teased.

“I still want
you
to go,” Luke said sharply.

“I can’t believe it,” Caleb chuckled silently to himself. “You’ve gone and done it. You’ve fallen for one of your leapers. It’s like some kind of miracle. Someone’s reached into Luke’s untouchable heart and made it beat.” He turned to wink at me. “Good job there, Kara. Sorry about the little scare. I just can’t help myself when I spot a newbie. I’ll be seeing you, Luke.” He raised his hand in a salute and disappeared in a flash. He seemed to have complete control over his ability and I was amazed.

Luke wiped the damp tears from my cheek and kissed my forehead. “Sorry about that. He loves to mess with my leapers. At least I can feel secure assuming that he’ll never become a shepherd.”

“Agreed,” I sniffed. “And I don’t even know him. Gosh I can’t believe I fell for his mendacity. I actually thought you were gone. I haven’t seen you all week and I—”

Luke stopped me and tilted my chin up. “I would never just desert you like that. It doesn’t work that way.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards his office. “So what have I missed this week? Have you leaped already? I assumed you’d have a longer break.”

“No,” I replied with a weak smile. “I was just thinking of you during my study hall and the next thing I knew I was here.”

“You think about me at school?” he grinned.

“Luke,” I narrowed my eyes on his as we took a seat on his couch, “I think about you all the time. And lately, when I’m not thinking about you, someone brings up your name.” His eyes widened with interest. “Everyone knows who you are now. There was a news clip playing on the local station and there was this huge picture of the two of us in the newspaper. I have more pictures of you than I ever thought possible. A good thing considering I can’t draw like you.”

“I take it you are not enjoying all this attention?” Luke didn’t even try to hide his satisfaction.

“You’re like a celebrity that I just happen to know. It’s rather silly if you ask me,” I paused momentarily to scold him with my eyes, but it just fueled his laugher. “Everyone loves you, Luke, and they don’t even know you. Not that I blame them, but I just want to get through my day without twenty questions.”

“You like being invisible. I see that now,” he smiled.

“So what did Caleb mean when he said you’re never interested in your leapers? Do they hit on you regularly?”

Luke’s smile faded. “I just keep everything strictly professional from the start. I always do. With you,” he paused, “I lost control before I even got started if you want to know the truth. Like a spool of yarn unraveling down an endless hill.”

“That sounds…hopeless,” I sighed.

“It is if you are used to being in control of your emotions.” His hands moved to his hair as he continued on. “What I felt for you even that very first day was something I’d never felt before. I didn’t know what to think.”

I leaned forward and kissed him. “Well I for one am glad you finally stopped fighting it.”

“So how many weeks before graduation?” he said walking over to his desk.

“A handful I guess. Why?”

He held up his calendar, something I wasn’t even aware he had. “I want to make sure I make it.”

“Seriously?” I said, leaping to my feet.

“I can’t promise you anything, Kara, but I will definitely try my hardest,” he replied. “So about that date.”

“June 5
^th
. And just so you know, your popularity might die before then. People can be fickle, you know.”

“Kara, the only person I care to hold the attention of is you. Maybe we can be invisible together.”

I walked over to tousle his hair. “You couldn’t be invisible if you tried and I’m okay with that.”

We spent the rest of our afternoon together playing games and talking about childhood memories. Luke and I had both experienced the loss of a parent, or parents in his case, and we realized how important it was to keep their memories alive. After the number of years that had passed since Luke’s time with his parents, I was awed by the clarity of his recollections.

Although our time together wasn’t scheduled or even predictable most of the time, we tried to make the best of what we did have together. By the time June rolled around I was antsy to graduate and move on to the next phase of my life. I prayed long and hard that morning that Luke would be there to celebrate with me.

“Come on Kara, you don’t want to be late,” Mom called from the kitchen.

“They didn’t consider how a redhead would look in the graduation gown when they picked the school colors.” I moaned. “Or maybe it’s just me. I’ve never liked this color.”

My red gown was still in my hands because I planned to put it on at the last possible second. The matching cap was another story. I had finally pinned it in place and hoped it wouldn’t slip out of my hair before the time was right. I wouldn’t usually give it another thought, but I’d somehow managed to end up as salutatorian. That honor meant nothing to me except that I had to give a speech in front of the entire student body, something I’d dreaded since I had heard the news. If someone had notified me in advance that I was likely to graduate number two in my class I would have purposely messed up on a few of my final exams, anything to get out of making a speech.

“Is your friend Luke coming, honey?” Mom asked casually as we climbed into the car.

“He’s going to try, Mom, but I can’t promise that you’re going to meet him.” The sudden realization that I might not just humiliate myself in front of my entire class, but Luke as well, made my stomach churn. I prayed silently that God could get me through this day.

“Well, I will save a seat for him just in case,” she added.

I took a deep breath as I tried to steady my twitching hands. My speech was written on note cards and it was short. Hopefully my class would be thankful for the brevity. I knew I would be. I could only imagine how long the valedictorian’s speech would be considering she’d probably started writing it in kindergarten.

The beautiful summer day meant that graduation would be held outside in the school’s small sports stadium. I helped Mom to her seat and then made my way over to the large group of students gathered in front of the school. We were going to make a long procession over to the field. I groaned just thinking about all the eyes on us.

“Kara Benson, you need to set a good example. Get your gown on, girl,” Reyna teased as she moved forward to give me a hug. “We made it. Can you believe it’s all over?”

“Yes,” I said, unhappily pulling my gown into place. “I’m ready to move on and see what else life has to offer.”

“Well you can’t get much better than dating Luke if you ask me.” She kissed the air and I had to laugh. “Is he coming today? I’d give anything to see him again.”

My forehead immediate settled into an annoyed state. “Reyna, you could have anyone you want, you keep away from Luke.”

Her mouth dropped open. “I was just teasing you. He’s definitely one of the most enchanting and handsome men I have ever seen, but I wouldn’t dream of hitting on him. Besides, he’s smitten with you.” She stopped to look around. “The other girls don’t understand why, but I do. You’re special, Kara, and only those of us graced with the opportunity to really know you can see it.”

My face immediately softened. “I’m going to miss you, Rey.”

Jenna, Gage, Jer, Scott, and many of my other friends from Young Life came by to show their support. They had spent enough time with me to know how much I didn’t enjoy public speaking. They told me to find one of them and focus in and I’d be fine. I wasn’t convinced, but it was something I was willing to try. It was better than being thrown off by someone giving me the evil eye.

We lined up as the music began to filter through the air. I took a few deep breaths and began to clear my mind. My notes were becoming my support system. I clutched them tightly as we began to make the long trek over to the seated area located parallel to the bleachers. The podium was set up facing the bleachers head on so I wouldn’t have to face any of my classmates directly, just their families.

The administration and several seasoned teachers gave speeches. My classmates had behaved themselves so far and I wondered when their patience would wane and their desire to rebel would spring forth. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if it happened during my speech. At least people would be too distracted to even listen to me. I scanned the crowd one last time for Luke. If he was here, I didn’t know where he was hiding. It was time for me to take center stage.

The crowd was silent as I made my way to the podium. My heart was beating so sporadically I thought it might burst forth from my chest. My mouth had dried up completely by the time I reached the microphone and I wasn’t sure how I’d even get the words out.

“Good morning,” I croaked. I heard a few snickers and I wished I could just flash out.

If someone else could flash in and do my speech for me that would be even better. Of course that wasn’t going to happen. I smoothed my notes out in front of me with my sweaty palms and when I glanced up again I saw him. Luke was standing in the front of the bleachers off to the side. His beautiful calming smile was all I needed. If I focused on him I knew I could make it through this.

“I’m going to make this short today,” I began. “It’s already getting warm and I know people have a lot of celebrating to do with their families. That’s why we are here today, right? We are celebrating a rite of passage, one that was earned with four years of hard work. For some of us the hard work entailed making high academic grades or at least grades good enough to keep us from having to repeat a course. Then there are others of us whose exertions were achieved if we made it through the day without being harassed by someone. Whatever hardships you endured over the past four years, today you can finally say they were worth it.”

I paused to take a breath and swallow. My nerves had finally settled and I was happy to observe my peers nodding along with me.

“So with that said,” I continued. “I just want to give one piece of advice as you head out into the big scary world our parents refer to as ‘the real world.’ Whether you are starting a life fresh out of high school or heading off to college, you need to know that each and every one of you can make a difference. It might sound small, but it’s something that has come to mean a lot to me over the past few months.” I glanced over to Gage and he gave me a reassuring smile.

“The smallest gesture can make the difference in the life of someone else. Just being nice to someone having a bad day could set in motion events that could change that person’s life for the better. Whether you help one person or thousands along the road of life, know that you can make a difference. Remember who you are and where you come from and you will accomplish great things. Thanks for this opportunity to speak, And once again, I offer my congratulations to all of you.”

As I stepped off the podium I wasn’t prepared for the loud round of applause that I received. I hadn’t said anything life changing or inspirational in my opinion; I just wanted to share what I had learned in the last few months of my life since I opened my eyes to God and all the possibilities having Him in my life offered.

I scanned the crowd briefly and noticed something peculiar… Caleb. He didn’t make his appearance long, but I knew he had definitely been there for my speech. He clapped his hands, winked and disappeared without anyone else noticing his presence. I shuttered as I took my seat. I really wanted to know what his intentions were, but today wasn’t the day to investigate. I took a deep breath and made my way across the aisle.

The crowd didn’t settle down once I took my seat and our number one ranked classmate took her spot on the stand. Beach balls were flying and a constant stream of comments and laughter made it difficult for anyone to hear her long-winded speech. When it was finally over everyone cheered, not because they loved what she had to say but because it was time to get the closure we had all come for.

Once all the diplomas were handed out and our principal had made his closing comments, the students rushed out into the field and tossed their caps. I watched the entire event from a distance because I wanted to witness the spectacle rather than be a part of it.

“You didn’t tell me you were making a speech,” Luke whispered as he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek.

I quickly turned to face him. “I haven’t seen you in a few days and I just found out. Believe me… I wasn’t happy about it.”

“Well I enjoyed watching you.” His eyes twinkled in the sunlight and I leaned forward to kiss him. “You’re going to do great things with your life, you know that?”