Sword Play (3 page)

My suitcase bulged, a red shirt hanging out like a distress signal. Tucking the shirt back in, I shoved down hard on the lid, then grabbed the metal zipper tag. Ziiip! A sound so final my heart nearly broke.

Soon my mother would arrive to take me away.

My gaze drifted to my window, a view I loved dearly, and I thought how very far away the treetops seemed. I hadn’t even left, yet I was already homesick. It felt like I was being split apart; my body moving to San Jose while my heart stayed in Sheridan Valley.

The floor shook when I heaved my bulky suitcase off my bed. A card that had been propped on my dresser fluttered to the carpet. Picking it up, I smiled sadly at Penny-Love’s computer graphics of a redheaded cheerleader waving poms and doing the split in midair with a caption that read, “Gimme a G—O—O—D—B—Y—E!”

“Nothing good about goodbye,” I grumbled.

Never overlook a silver lining,
a woman’s voice snapped in my head.

“Opal?” I shut my eyes to connect more clearly with my spirit guide, and had a vague sense of her upswept hair, ageless tawny skin, and critical dark eyes.

Your behavior brings me considerable disappointment. Are you finished wallowing in your pity party?

“I’d rather wallow at Nona’s All Hallows party. I’ll miss out on all the fun tonight. I have a right to be unhappy.”

Frankly my girl, you’ve extended your self-indulgence quota by a marathon mile. Abandon negative energy and focus on the positive.

“My life is very un-positive,” I retorted, colors crystallizing into shapes until I could clearly see Opal, looking regal in a flowing, jeweled, ivory caftan.

Your melancholy view is quite unbecoming and unnecessary. What may seem like a dark night is not without a guiding light.

“
How can you say that? Everything is messed up. I’m being forced to leave my sick grandmother, the most perfect boyfriend I’ll ever have, and great friends. They’re all annoyingly understanding, except for Thorn. She’s taking it personally and won’t even talk to me.”

Emotions are deliciously complicated, aren’t they? Rather than focus on the negative, I suggest you evaluate the positive aspects of your life.

“There aren’t any.”

On the contrary, you possess abundant blessings that blindly go unnoticed. I challenge you to find three things good about this pending move.

“Three? You might as well ask for a million.”

Sa
…
bine!
Her voice crackled with disapproval and warning.

“Oh, all right, I’ll try.” I sank on my bed and thought hard. “I suppose it’s good that I’ll be able to see more of my sisters. Amy keeps emailing me about all the things she wants to do together. Even Ashley sounded excited in her last phone call. I’m glad I’ll be able to celebrate Halloween with them. It was always our favorite holiday and we have special traditions, like making caramel popcorn and watching old black-and-white horror films. The twins are growing up so fast and I think we need each other.”

Excellent observation, and more true than you realize. They are not the only ones who will benefit by your move. And what else?

“The weather is more comfortable in San Jose.”

I’m sure you can do better than that. Have you no feelings for your parents?

“I suppose it’ll be nice to see more of Dad. But Amy tells me he’s working so much, he’s hardly ever home.”

What about your mother?

“Oh, her. She’s ruining my life.”

Your life is far from ruined. On the contrary, you are a sun in your universe, and radiate a strong influence to those around you. So listen with your heart. To move forward, you must circle back and heal old wounds.

“Huh?” I groaned. “English please.”

Moments that seem lost to the past are actually turns of destiny waiting to be revealed. There is a wrong you have the opportunity to set right and much will be discovered along this journey.

I shook my head, sinking deeper in confusion. “Does this have something to do with my vision of figures in white with knife-fingers?”

Glimpses of the future are protective armor preparing you for a battle.

“But I don’t want to battle anyone. Can’t you just tell me what’s going on so I can deal with it now?”

Answers can be found in your dreams.

“Dreams?” I repeated, completely frustrated. “I hate my dreams! Even since the accident, I’ve slept badly and can’t even remember my dreams.”

The result of an unwillingness to face the messenger.

“What messenger?”

The spirit who visits in the night. Be assured, you have nothing to fear from him, as he only seeks your help.

“
A visitor in the night? Seeking help?”

In a shock of memory, it all rushed back. The dream that wasn’t a dream at all, but a visitation from a spirit in a #17 football jersey. Kip Hurst! “Help her,” that’s what he asked. But I couldn’t remember anything else.

Why had Kip come to me anyway? I should be the last person he’d contact. I hadn’t been able to help him and he’d died. How could he expect me to help someone else? Especially when he didn’t tell me who needed help.

Was this unknown girl a stranger?

Or someone I already knew?

My mother was late.

I kept checking through the living room window, pacing a path on the carpet, and growing more anxious as seconds passed. I even walked outside and peered down our long driveway, but no sign of any cars.

As I started back into the house, I heard someone call out, “Sabine! Wait!”

Turning on the porch steps, I saw Dominic rushing toward me. His sandy brown hair flew back from his tanned face and I found myself thinking how good he looked in his faded jeans. My traitorous heart sped up.

“Hey,” I said, a bit shyly.

“Good. You’re still here.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, facing me with a closed expression. A guy of few words, it was impossible to know what he was thinking, although I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Mom is late, and that’s not like her so I should probably call her cell and find out when she’ll be here or if something is wrong.” I had this dumb habit of rambling when I got nervous. And with Dominic, I was always nervous.

“Stuck in traffic,” he guessed.

“That must be it. I’m sure she’ll show up soon. Not that I’m in a hurry. Maybe she’ll cancel and I can postpone leaving for a day. Then I’ll be here to celebrate Halloween at Nona’s party.”

“Nona wanted to have it early for you.”

“I know, but I wouldn’t let her. A lot of her clients and friends already RVSPed. Everyone will have a wonderful party,” I added sadly.

“Not everyone.”

I wondered if he was talking about himself. He was gazing at me so strangely, I was afraid to say anything; there were words better left unsaid between us. So I babbled on, “I tried convincing Mom to delay my move home, but she insisted this morning was the only free time in her schedule to pick me up.”

“I could have taken you if I still had my truck.”

“Your poor truck. I’m so sorry.” I winced. Dominic wouldn’t have been driving that night if not for me. And now his truck was ruined.

“Not your fault. I shouldn’t have swerved.”

“And smacked into that cow? I don’t think so! Swerving probably saved us both—and the cow.”

He grinned ruefully. “Maybe.”

We just stood there, the way he was staring at me made me self-conscious. I hadn’t slept well and knew I looked a mess. I should have used some makeup or parted my hair to the side so it covered the nasty bruise on my cheek.

“I—I should go inside and call Mom … ”

I started to turn, but he reached out for my hand. When his fingers touched my skin, electricity surged through me. I felt weak and warm and scared all at once.

“Wait,” he spoke quietly. “I have to tell you something.”

“What?” Our eyes met and I could barely think. I wanted to ask him so many things. Like why he was looking at me that way and if those kisses we shared were accidental or meant anything.

He started to reply, but a bird shrieked overhead, making us both jump. Whatever spell we’d been under broke. He glanced skyward and I followed his gaze to where a shadowy falcon circled.

“Is that Dagger?” I stepped away from Dominic.

“Yep.” He nodded. “He’s hunting for his breakfast.”

“Mice and snakes.” I made a sour face. “Yuck.”

“Not to Dagger. He loves fresh meat.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“He tells me many things,” Dominic said mysteriously. He had this uncanny ability to understand animals; they trusted him and he trusted them. He didn’t seem to need people, yet I sensed he was interested in me. And I wondered what he’d been about to tell me earlier. That he didn’t want me to leave? Or did he even care? Not that I cared if he cared … or did I?

Why did he make me so crazy? Putting distance between us was a good idea. Something else to add to Opal’s “positive things about the move” list.

“I should go inside,” I told him.

“Not yet.” He withdrew an envelope from his pocket. His callused fingers brushed against my skin as he placed the bag in my hand. “For you.”

“Me?” My voice came out breathless. Had he written something personal? Like a love letter. “You didn’t have to … ”

“Open it.”

I slit open the tab with my thumbnail, my hand quivering a bit as I lifted out a small sheet of paper. I didn’t recognize the name or Nevada address written down, but I recognized the possibilities. “Is this what I think it is?” I exclaimed.

“Depends what you think.”

“The location of the fourth missing charm?”

The corners of his mouth tipped in a smile. “Not missing for long.”

“Ohmygod! This is like a miracle!”

“You like it?”

“More than like. This is so incredible! When Manny hears, he’s going to want to go right to Nevada.”

“I need to check out details first.”

“Sure. I can’t believe we’re so close to having all four charms! How did you find it? Tell me everything!”

“Not much to tell. I checked records of the jeweler who found the third charm and traced information back to one of your ancestors.”

My fingers shook as I held the paper. Not a love letter (which I really couldn’t handle anyway) but information that touched my heart. “How did you finally get this address?”

“From an old phone book. But the info could be outdated, so I have to make some more calls.”

“I wonder what the fourth charm will be.”

“We’ll know soon.”

I gazed at him, full of gratitude and so much more. Now we had charms of a cat, a house, and a fish. Once we found the fourth charm, we’d have all the puzzle pieces. But would these old clues be enough to reveal the secret location of the missing remedy book? Could a book still be intact after over a hundred years? It had to be. It was the only hope for Nona.

“You’re frowning,” Dominic said quietly.

“I’m just worried about Nona. And I have to leave so I won’t be here for her.”

“I will be.”

“But for how long? You’ll find a better job when you finish learning how to be a horse shoer.”

“A farrier,” he corrected.

“Whatever. You’re too smart to just do handyman work and you’ll move on.”

“Not until Nona is well. Promise.”

His tone was so sincere my heart ached. Staring into his blue eyes was like diving into an unfathomable ocean. I could hardly think and forgot how to breathe. Sinking deep, down, down …

Remember Josh, I told myself. Sweet honest Josh who would never, ever cheat on you. Your boyfriend.

Sanity returned, accompanied by shame and guilt.

There was a rumbling in the distance and I saw my mother’s car turning in at the gate. “I have to go,” I said quickly.

“Can I help you with your suitcase?” Dominic offered.

But I shook my head firmly. “I can manage.”

“If you ever need anything—anything at all—just ask.”

“I’ll remember that.” I slipped the address back in the envelope and slipped it in my pocket. “Let me know what else you learn. Nona is counting on us to figure this out.”

“We will.” He paused and added, “Partner.”

“Yeah … partners.”

We stepped apart as my mother’s car came to a stop in front of the house.

“And Sabine?” he called out softly.

“What?”

“I’ll miss you.” Then he turned and walked away.