Talisman (40 page)

I had to get a closer look at
whatever was there.  I couldn’t walk, so I was forced to crawl along the rugged bottom of the cavern.  Every inch I traveled was more painstaking than the last, but for some reason, I didn’t care.  I was in a trance and clearly under the mysterious light’s spell.  It felt like I was being “pulled” toward the light, like it was calling to me, tempting me to come.  Whatever it was, it blazed like the sun the closer I crept.

I struggled through the
crippling pain, wailing the entire way, until I’d finally reached the bottom of the rock formation where the light was emanating.  I looked up.  There above me, embedded in what looked to be dark raw coal, lay a long, glowing rod of some sort.  My eyes widened in their trance.  The energy and fervor of the anomaly had overpowered all of my senses…and I was willingly its prisoner.

Suddenly, I remembered the hallucination I’d had earlier when I was dancing with Ty.  This was the same object from my vision.  I remembered all the same desires I
felt when I’d seen it before.  I had to get closer to it —
I needed to touch it
.  I would have to pull myself up to it, but that meant getting to more of a standing position.  The pain from that endeavor was sure to kill me, but at that moment,
I didn’t care
.

I braced my hands against one of the rocks and
then pushed my frame up with the last few ounces of strength I had left.  I swung my hips upwards and staggered as my feet shuffled to grip the side of the rock formation.  My body trembled, and I gasped breathlessly from the sheer agony of the painful maneuver.  All of my vigor had faded from my muscles, but my mind forced me to carry on.

Determined
, I threw myself at the object that had revealed itself.  Before my eyes lay a magnificent, six-sided faceted crystal.  It was a little longer than my arm, and its radiance was almost blinding.  I gazed deeply into the bewitching crystal.  It appeared to have some kind of fiery light moving within it, like a free-flowing energy of sorts.

I rested my left hand firmly u
nderneath the base of the rocks and swung my broken right limb over to grasp it.  As I clutched the awesome crystal, it began to sporadically shoot out rays of intense light in all directions.  I was so fixated on its beauty that I didn’t want to let go.  A spark shot through my right arm and blazed a trail throughout my entire body.  Its dynamic energy began to flow through me with breakneck speed.  It felt like I was being struck by a billion bolts of lightning, but its force was more thrilling than fierce.  Then all of a sudden, I felt every broken and cut body part, starting to reel with an agonizing
pain
, one that couldn’t be fathomed no matter how hard you imagined.  I couldn’t take its toll any longer, so I tried to release my hand — but the crystal wouldn’t allow me to loosen my grasp.  Somehow I was now adhered to it.  I jerked my hand violently, trying even harder to pull it free.

When the light finally climaxed, an overwhelming burst of
torturous pain consumed my body. 
I screamed!
  It was as if an explosion had set my insides on fire, like my blood was burning with hot, molten lava that coursed through every one of its veins.

The blazing light from the crystal rod disappeared in an instant.  Ther
e wasn’t any light, of any kind that remained in the cavern.  I was now standing in pitch-black darkness.  My grip loosened from the crystal and straightaway, I began to slip into an unconscious state.  I wobbled and then collapsed onto the rocks below.  When my head hit the ground, a random memory of my father drifted through my mind, and a sense of blissful peace fell over me.  My misty eyes fluttered to a close, catching only a glimpse of a shimmery purple light.  I was certain when they finally opened back up, I’d be greeted by Daddy, who would be waiting for me — standing beside “my maker”.

Chapter  12  —  Adamas

“B
EEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…”
  In my groggy state, I rolled over to grab my nagging alarm clock and then purposely tossed it off my nightstand.  After stretching for a moment, I yanked my soft flannel covers up to my neck and curled into a ball. Before I knew it, the reality of what day it was made me snap to attention.  It was Sunday —
my birthday
.

My eyes popped open as I pushed my body up in the bed and propped myself against th
e headboard.  My actions must have been too swift, because my head started to pound.  I placed both of my hands on my forehead and pressed firmly, in an attempt to force the relentless throbbing to stop.

Why does my head feel like this?
  In fact, I was aching clear down to my toes.  Confused, I threw back the covers and eyed the rest of my body.  I looked ok, but I thought,
Why do I feel like I’ve been hit by a daggone truck?

I shook my head and glanced down beside my bed.  My alarm c
lock was lying sideways on the floor.

It’s 6:05 AM…
Where’s Daddy?  He’s usually in here before the alarm goes off.  Maybe he’s running late?  I’ll give him a few more minutes
.  The way my muscles felt, I wasn’t in any hurry to run downstairs to go look for him.  I could wait patiently on my traditional “birthday cake-in-bed”.

As I lay
there massaging my temples, I couldn’t shake the notion that last night seemed to be a complete blur.  I looked around my room and spotted the Lavish garment bag hanging on my closet door.  I also spied something black, peeking out of my hamper.  I focused intensely.

That’s right…
Daddy surprised me with that dress, and I went to the dance.
  I still found it odd that my memory needed to be “jogged”.

My mind raced, trying
to recall the details of last night.  I remembered Katie coming over and helping me get ready, and that I’d left for the dance with Mike.  I tried to think what happened next, but my mind was
blank
.  Inadvertently, I reached for my necklace out of habit so I could concentrate.

It’s not here
, I realized as my hands patted my neck and chest.  I looked around in the bed for it. Shortly, the memory of my confrontation with Charlotte surfaced.  A wave of anger flew over me, just as if it was happening for the first time.

That witch had all
of my college applications hidden in her closet!
  I recalled the exact words she had spoken when I’d confronted her, as well as her cruel sentiments. 
I’ll never understand what I could’ve ever done to deserve her cruelty.  We’ll have words later.  She’s not getting off the hook that easy!

I was mindful of the fact that I’d ripped off
my locket in an emotional rage, but I also recalled how physically painful it was.  I rubbed my neck as I thought about the intense, fiery pain.  That too, was odd.

Maybe the
cologne had some sort of reaction with the gold chain or something?
  All I remembered was that once I’d yanked off the necklace, I felt
instant
relief.

As I placed
my alarm clock back on the nightstand, my eyes spotted the black-beaded clutch lying beside the lamp.  I vaguely remembered Katie handing it to me before I’d left for the dance.  I reached for it and found my dead cell phone tucked inside.  I suddenly remembered that I’d hidden its charger in my bedside drawer earlier in the week.  Chloe had misplaced hers, and I didn’t want her stealing mine, so I’d shoved it to the back of my drawer.  I grabbed the charger and reached around to plug it into an outlet behind the table.

As I fastened the cord to the dead phone, I spotted the golden topaz ring in a small jar of water, sitting on the edge of the table.  Instantly, I remembered the
gift Ms. Sutherland had given me.

Funny, I don’t recall taking it off last night
, I thought, looking down at my hand. I remembered ditching my class ring, at Katie’s insistence.  I checked the beside table to find that it wasn’t there.

I could’ve sworn I
laid it down there after I took it off.  Maybe it fell off when I knocked my alarm clock on the floor?

Carefully, I scanned the hardwood floor around the perimeter of my bed and even leaned over to look under
neath it (on both sides).  It was nowhere to be found.

W
eird.  I’ll hunt for it later…It’s here somewhere
.  I removed the little golden topaz ring from the jar, gave it a quick flick, and slipped it back on the ring finger of my left hand
.  I can’t wait to show this to Daddy
.

My patience had run out, so I got up (Mother Nature was
calling anyway).  I figured I would just run to the bathroom and climb back into bed to wait for my “surprise” cake.  As I headed for the hall, I glanced down at the wadded-up dress sticking out of the hamper.

I can’t believe I just threw it in there like that and didn’t take the time, nor care to hang it up
.

A strange feeling came over me that seemed relevant to the dress in some way, but in the midst of “nature-calling”, I shook it off
and stepped into the hall.  To my complete shock, Chloe was coming out of her bedroom,
already
showered and dressed.

She’s never ready this early on
a Sunday, or even a school day for that matter.  What gives?

My sister
had an unusual air about her that seemed very solemn.  Even her eyes looked red and extremely puffy.  I racked my brain to figure out if something had happened between her and Mike last night, but nothing came to mind.  I started to question her.

“What’s wrong with—
”

“You need to get dressed and come down to the living room,” Chloe
ordered gruffly.  She never broke her stride or even glanced back as she marched towards the stairs.

“What’s your problem?” I called back, irritated by her attit
ude as I entered the bathroom.

She didn’t respond, which
was unusual.  Chloe was always one to snap back over
anything
.

After conducting my “business”, I grabbed my brush and stroked my hair several times. 
As soon as my ponytail was securely fastened in place, I figured,
Maybe I’d better go downstairs to see what’s going on?  Daddy may have something else planned for my birthday
.

While I gazed
at my reflection, that same strange feeling resurfaced about my dress.  Suddenly a vision of
me
, running through the woods in a panic emerged.  There was snow all over the ground, and I could see sharp branches scraping my skin.  The sound of fabric ripping echoed in my head. It rattled my entire body, like nails to a chalkboard.  Unnerved by what my mind had conjured, I bolted out of the bathroom.

I threw open my bedroom door and
snatched the dress out of the hamper.  My eyes flared as I held it up.  My new, beautiful black dress was nothing more than a tattered rag and stained with crusty matte splotches.  I was dumbstruck.  The stains wouldn’t rub out.  I pulled the shredded dress up to my nose.  They smelled like
blood
.  Then a vision surfaced of what appeared to be me, lying on the ground and covered in cuts, bleeding profusely all over my new dress. I dropped it back into the hamper.

How could this have happened?  Why was I running through the woods?  It couldn’t be my blood.  I don’t have a
scratch on me.  What the heck is going on?

I whipped off my pajamas (that I didn’t even remember putting on last night) and threw on a pair of jeans, along with a white
long-sleeve t-shirt.  As I fumbled with my socks and sneakers, I looked out my bedroom window. I was astounded to see a thick blanket of glistening white snow outside, but I was even more surprised when I noticed we had company —
a lot of it
.  Samuel’s Jeep was out there, as well as a couple of the City of Welch’s police cruisers, and what looked like Dr. Albert Whitley’s silver Mercedes-Benz.

Why in the world are
“they” here?
 
This early?
I wondered as I scrambled to get downstairs.

I landed in the foyer to see Officer Pete Ryan standing in the doorway
of the living room.

Of all people
, I thought.  I couldn’t stand him.  He was your typical A-hole cop who acted like he was God’s gift to women with his steroid-induced physique and cocky attitude. I’d thought so many times about spitting on his food when he came by the Drive-In.  Though my own conscience wouldn’t allow it, I was pretty sure Charlie’s had been a little more lax in the past, since Officer Ryan always demanded his meals be “free-of-charge”.

He heard my footsteps approaching and turned to give me what appeared to be a look of solace.  My instincts kicked in, and I immediately
prepared for something bad, but
how bad
— I had no idea.

Officer Ryan mumbled something to me as I walked
past him, but I was too focused on what was transpiring in the living room to comprehend what he was saying.  There sat Charlotte on the sofa, Chloe on one side and Dr. Whitley on the other.  Charlotte’s face was puffy too, and her red swollen eyes looked worse than Chloe’s.  Her head was resting on Dr. Whitley’s shoulder as he held her in his arms.  Chloe was gently stroking one of her hands.  Instantly, my heavy heart sank like an anchor.

Nothing good can come from this scene
, I thought in silence.  All I wanted to know was,
Where’s Daddy?

Samuel was talking to the Chief of Police, Marc Roberts,
when he finally noticed my entry.  He rushed over and hugged me in a way he’d never done before.

What horrible thing could’ve happened to warrant an embrace like this?
  I couldn’t take not knowing any longer.

“Samuel, where’s Daddy?” I asked cautiously.  Samuel never replied.  His only response was to squeeze me tighter, which only alarmed me further.  “
Sam
—
Samuel
…
Wh—Where’s
Daddy?
” I asked again through a cracking voice, determined to get an answer.

Charlotte let out a f
ew whimpers and then started to wail.  I pulled free from Samuel’s grip and stared into his deep brown eyes —
his undeniably sad eyes
.  He didn’t have to say a thing.  My body went numb as a horrible, dull ache surfaced in the pit of my stomach.  The next thing I knew, my floodgates had opened.  Chief Roberts walked over and patted me on the back.

“I’m very sorry, Shiloh.  I thought the world of
him,” Chief Roberts stated somberly.

Charlotte was still sitting on the sofa, being comforted by Chloe.  Neither of them looked my way.  I was devastated, but they weren’t interested in
my
feelings at the present time.  It just confirmed to me that with the loss of the only person in this family who loved me — I was now “officially” alone.

Samuel grabbed my hand and gave it a tight squeeze.  I watched
Dr. Whitley struggling to free himself from Charlotte’s clutches.

“Excuse me, Charlotte.  I need to check on Shiloh,”
Dr. Whitley remarked.

Charlotte wailed, “But what about
ME?
  I was his wife!”  She continued to sob some more.  “Now, I’m
no
—
nobody’s wife!
” Charlotte cried out and then dramatically hurled herself against the back of the sofa.

Chloe sprang into action and threw her arms around
our mother, pulling her into a close embrace.  “
I’m
here for you, Mommy!  Don’t worry about anything.”  Chloe threw an icy-cold stare my way and added, “
We’ll
get through this…
together
.”

I knew it. 
Definitely “on my own”
.

Chief Roberts
approached Dr. Whitley.  “Maybe you should give Charlotte a sedative, Doc?”

D
r. Whitley smiled assuredly.  “I
already
did,” he replied and gave his large black satchel a couple of taps.  “She should’ve already started feeling its effects.”  Dr. Whitley greeted me with a sympathetic smile and a few pats on my back.

“How are you holding up, Shiloh?”
the compassionate doctor asked.

His words fell upon dea
f ears.  I took a deep breath and asked, “How did he…
die?
”  Tears poured down my cheeks as soon as I spoke that haunting, three-letter word.  Samuel placed his arm around me.  Dr. Whitley cleared his throat and composed himself in a more professional manner.

“It appears Caiden m
ust’ve had a heart attack or possibly a stroke last night,” Dr. Whitley replied.  “There weren’t any signs of trauma on him, so the police have ruled out any foul play.  I’m sure he went quick and didn’t suffer.”