Talisman (49 page)

“
No, no
,” I insisted.  “
Trust me
.  He was a
completely different person
when he took me home.”  Well, I wasn’t lying.

“
Good
,” Ty replied, seeming relieved.  Just then, Katie ran over crying and threw her arms around me.

“Oh, Shi!
  I’m
so
sorry about your daddy!”  She sounded completely winded.  “I tried to call you all day yesterday.  Why wouldn’t you call me back?  I was so worried about you!” Katie rambled.  She was so wrought with emotion that she had worked herself into a tizzy.  “I even drove out to your house last night, but Charlotte wouldn’t let me in.  THAT
WITCH!
  Are you okay?  Hey, who broke the front window?”

I took her hands and gave them a tig
ht squeeze.  “Katie, I didn’t feel like talking about Daddy…
to anyone
.”  I looked at both of them apologetically.  “I just needed some space, that’s all.  Charlotte didn’t tell me that you had stopped by.” 
Like that was a big surprise.  Katie should’ve figured that
.

Katie wiped her tears with her hands and nodded understandingly.  Ty noticed she didn’t have any tissues and left in search of some.
  Katie took a deep breath and quickly switched gears.

“
So
, that’s your
‘boyfriend’
now?” my BFF questioned.  “Apparently, there’s
a lot
we need to catch up on, or so goes the
rumors
.”

Her
playful insinuation made me blush.  “What
rumor?
” I asked cluelessly.

“No, no.
I said
rumors
,” Katie corrected.  “Which one?  The one about your intense dance with Ty?  The one about Mike and Ty fighting over you in the parking lot?  Or, how about the one about where Ty officially broke up with Kara, right after you left the dance with Mike?”

OH
CRAP!
  I started to stumble backward against the heavy red velvet drapes that sectioned off the viewing room.  Katie steadied me on my feet.

“
Nuh-uh!
  Don’t go all
‘911’
until I get the
‘411’
,” she demanded.

As I thought about “me” being the “talk of the school”,
the muscles in my face started to lock into a cringe.

“How much is true?” Katie probed.  “
Some
of it?”

I shied away from her gaze, knowing what little make-up I’d put on this morning was about to crack off.

A devilish smile crept over her face. “
Not ALL of it?
” Katie whispered, filled to the brim with delight.

I sent a subtle confirming nod in her directio
n.  “But I didn’t know about Ty breaking up with Kara.” 
That sounded pretty good rolling off my tongue
.

Katie giggled.  “I guess I missed out on one heck of an evening!”

I shook my head.  “Honestly, you have
NO IDEA
.”

In the midst of her amusement, I noticed some strange
faces coming through the double-doors. When they cleared the entry, a shocking presence emerged.

LAZARUS
XCAVARE?  What in the heck is “HE” doing HERE?
  I watched him make his way over to Charlotte and Chloe, who were seated in the front pew.  Charlotte practically sprang out of her seat when he extended his hand.  She shook off his cordial handshake and worked her “injured” right hand to her advantage.  She held out her left one, angled down towards his face.  He grinned as he caught her
subtle
hint.  Lazarus gallantly lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a light kiss.  He was really laying it on thick, and it was obvious by the way Charlotte was eating it up that he had her completely snowed.  The scene was picturesque — the recently widowed, philandering spouse being comforted by the very wealthy and equally peculiar, soon-to-be new owner of the local mine, who by the way, was some sort of supernatural Talisman.  After all, if she couldn’t get Chloe married into the Riverside family, she would have to have a back-up plan.

The
display was making me sick, but my own curiosity wouldn’t allow me to turn away.  I noticed Charlotte’s smile hardening when Lazarus appeared to have asked her something.  She searched around the room and pointed her finger,
directly at me
.  Lazarus locked his eyes on me and after giving Chloe a hug, he began to weave through the crowd, headed
my way. 
Needless to say, I panicked
.

OH SHIT!

Ty had just returned with Katie’s tissues.  While he tended to her, I moved my body behind them, securely out of Lazarus’ line of sight.

What am I going to do?  Tanner said for “me” not to go near “him”.  He never told me what to do if “I” wasn’t the one doing the “approaching”!

I crouched lower to the floor.  I was attempting to sneak away when something grabbed a hold of my arm and jerked me into the next room, behind the heavy red velvet drapes.  Startled, I turned around to see none other than Tanner Grey’s partner-in-crime, Beatrix Sutherland.

“That was a
close one
,” Beatrix Sutherland sighed.  “I’m sorry if I startled you, dear.  We can’t have Lazarus coming in contact with you before all of your
abilities
emerge.”

I
stood there rightfully stunned and slightly amused by her newfound candor.

“Ms. Sutherland,
WHY
didn’t you ever say…
ANYTHING?
” I questioned.  She flashed a grin as she swiftly pulled me through the empty room and out a door that led into the hallway.

“Let’s find a good plac
e to hide you, dear…just until Lazarus leaves. 
Oh
, and you can finally drop the formalities of etiquette and call me Beatrix, or simply Bea, dear.  Especially with what all you’ve been through lately.”  Quickly, she dragged me further down the hall and ushered me into the ladies powder room.

“You sure can find y
our way around without a hitch,” I remarked, “for a
blind
lady.”

Beatrix locked the door and turned towards me.  I st
ared at her brown-hued eyes, which drifted aimlessly as they always did.  I focused in on her forehead — the very spot where that “third-eye” had appeared in my vision.  I started to laugh as I looked around at my surroundings.  Just like in my vision, I was in of all places, a daggone
bathroom
.

“Open it,” I demanded.

Beatrix was hesitant, but she knew exactly what I was referring to.  I decided to take a more polite approach.

“I
need
to see it…
Please?
”

Low and behold, sh
e stepped back and a beautiful, though extremely startling, golden-colored eye materialized in the middle of her forehead.  It sparkled with the same intensity as Tanner Grey’s amethyst-hued eyes.  I waved my hand in front of the strange wonder.  It was dilating and contracting in response to every move I made.

“By the way,
I’ve been meaning to tell you…
Nice try
,” she laughed.

My eyes narrowed
on the spot.

Beatrix continued,
“You came up with some pretty good ones the other day.  You really kept me on my toes.”  She tapped her finger on her chin and then pointed it at me.  “I always knew you were smart and high-spirited, but I had no idea how
creative
and
resourceful
you were. 
Kudos
,” she praised.

“
So you
knew
what I was up to?”

Beatrix’s
chuckles grew even louder.  She quickly covered her mouth to muffle the noise.  “
Yes
.  I haven’t laughed like that in years!  I almost spit out my cider when you flashed that light in my eyes,
clever girl
…That was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time…
Well
, until the
‘present’
Mr. Estell left in the trees for you.”

My suspicions were confirmed. 
“So he
did
put that thing there, and probably the one in Mike’s car, too?”

Beatrix nodded. 
“Good thing I have a
serpentine
ring.  Not many Talismans do.  It’s almost as rare as my
tiger’s-eye
.”  She quickly pulled a marbled brown and gold stone out from under her blouse that resembled the one Tanner Grey had shown me during lunch the other day.

“I
saw the marks around its neck…The ones that match the design of your ring.  What did it
do
to the snake?” I asked.

Beatri
x raised her finger and displayed the odd-looking stone band.  “It turns a serpent’s own venom against it.  They die
instantly. 
Their muscles don’t even twitch.  If you ever get the chance to obtain one, I highly recommend you do.  Then you won’t have to wear your stilettos around all the time,” she added with a wink of her golden eye.

A hush fell over the room not a second later, and her eyes hardened with sadness.

“Shiloh, I’m very sorry about Caiden.  I loved him
so much
.  He was like a part of my family.  I’ll miss him something awful.”  Beatrix leaned in to hug me.  As her grasp tightened, she let out a gasp.  “
Oh, Shiloh
…I can feel the wand’s power,” she marveled and then released me.  “Have you discovered anything
new
about yourself?”

“
Well…
I can run pretty fast, and I heard Charlotte and Chloe’s thoughts this morning.  Oh, and I um…tossed a few of Welch’s finest officers around like rag dolls yesterday.  But the most surprising thing was that I didn’t rip off my hand when it rolled under the table saw this morning.  Just those
little things
…
Nothing much
,” I replied sarcastically.  “You know,” I laughed gruffly, “It’s kind of been like getting your period for the first time, except no one gave me the ‘birds & bees talk’.  I don’t have a clue
what to expect
.”

Beatrix
smiled and placed her hand on my shoulder, not taking any offense to my griping.  “It has to happen
naturally
, dear,” she giggled. “
Like your period
.”

Cute.
  “Are there any other
little surprises
that I should be aware of?” I asked.

Beatrix
tapped her finger on her chin and grinned.  “
Yes, dear
…but you won’t hear about them from me.”

It seemed she
was just as evasive as Tanner Grey.  However, I thought of one question she might be willing to answer, or at least acknowledge.

“Beatrix…
why would my father have called out the name, ‘Adamas’?”  The color began to drain slightly from her rosy cheeks, and her golden eye fell to a close.

“Seeing how
I know that your father whispered his name, and Tanner has already informed you of the wand’s original owner, it would be insulting to deny that Caiden knew about our kind. 
He did
.  Caiden helped us protect the location of the cave for many years.  Shiloh, all I
will
, or rather all I
can say
is that he loved you and wanted to keep you safe for as long as possible. Caiden knew this day would eventually come.”

I thought,
He knew about the cave and about Talismans?  That I was a Talisman?

“Was
he
a Talisman?” I asked.

Beatrix’s hands caressed my face.  “No, Shiloh.  Caiden was
not
a Talisman, or any other supernatural. 
Now
, that’s all I’ll say on
that
subject.  I’ll certainly get an earful from Tanner over this, but I understand your curiosity.  However,
no more questions
.”  Her tone was stern, yet empathetic, so I couldn’t resist asking one more.

“Do you know
who
killed him?”

“
No, Shiloh
. 
No more
,” Beatrix scolded and turned her head away hastily.

I
got the distinct impression that she
knew
the identity of my father’s murderer. 
Why won’t she tell me?

By
the hands on my watch, it was almost noon.  Anxiously, the thought of missing my father’s service raced through my head.