Talisman (69 page)

An e
lderly man instructed him to, “Stay on the road outside and it’ll be up ahead on the right”.

This stranger was no ordinary man.  I c
ould sense something from him.  Something odd and very foreboding.  He was obviously here to see Lazarus.

This can’t be good
…

I placed my items back on the counter and proceeded to sneak out of the store. 
If I can sense him, what’s to keep him from doing the same to me?
  It wasn’t that hard for Gallia last night.  I remained crouched as I weaved my body through the crowd.  One of the miners almost stepped on my foot, forcing me to shift towards the eerie man.  I accidently brushed the creepy stranger’s backside, causing the unsettling feeling to intensify.  I ducked behind the crowd of men and glanced back to see if the stranger had any sort of reaction.

The man sensed something.  He scanned around the room vigilantly, like an eagle-eyed hunter at the
close of deer season.

Crap!
He seemed to be trying to lock-on to the source of his strange feeling. 
Definitely not good
…  My eyes panned over to the store’s exit.  I had a clear shot to the door, but I had to be quick —
like supernaturally quick
.  I took a deep breath, readied my keys, and flew out the glass-paned door.  I was pulling out of the parking lot within a second.  As I squealed off, I spotted the stranger, who was now outside and standing in front of the store.  I couldn’t be for sure, but he appeared to be eyeballing my Charger.  My heart pummeled my insides like a drum, keeping tempo with my quick and heavy breaths.

That was close!

I raced the entire way to the school’s upper parking lot.  I was bursting to tell Tanner what had just happened.  Morning detention wouldn’t start for fifteen more minutes, so I didn’t have to rush inside.  I pulled the amethyst out of my pocket and grasped it tightly.  I’d only been
instructed
on how to communicate with other Talismans, so the process was unfamiliar to me.

Hell
…
I have to give it a shot
.

With my eyes closed, I directed my thoughts to Tanner.  The vision I conjured was a detailed image of the eerie stranger, making sure he could see and feel
him, just as I had.  I focused on his dark appearance, the reddish-orange milky stone he wore, the warm sensation he radiated, and the alarming feeling that besieged me when I’d accidentally touched him.  I closed with a timid, “Over and out.”  I really didn’t know how else to end the transmission.  I wasn’t working with a CB radio.  It was telepathy.  I couldn’t necessarily holler, “10-4, Good buddy”.

I marched into the office and signed in for morning detention.  M
rs. Tuttle apparently felt sorry for me in light of Daddy’s passing.  Instead of forcing me to drudge over a huge stack of “busy work”, which had been graciously provided by all of my teachers, she said I could help her shred paper and file a bunch of folders.  It wasn’t so bad.  At least it kept me busy.  But I was in no way distracted from my unnerving thoughts about the mysterious stranger.

As soon as I
’d wrapped up my detention-duties (or “free slave labor” as I called it), I headed off to Mrs. Thompson’s classroom.  With any luck, Katie would already be in there and I could beg for her forgiveness.  I hadn’t returned a single one of her calls over the past few days.  I wasn’t avoiding her, just the topic of Daddy’s passing.  After all, she was just worried about me.  Katie was being a true friend. 
I
, on the other hand, had been too focused on distracting myself that I’d completely shut her out.

Not here yet
, I noted with disappointment as I poked to my desk.  There were already several students seated around me.  Normally the room would be very boisterous, filled with the chattering voices of my peers.  However, I found today’s ambiance strange.  I’d heard voices when I arrived, but they quickly dwindled down to whispers.  As I looked around, a sense of paranoia set in.  Several clusters of students had formed, and they all seemed to be chatting while they tried to stare inconspicuously at me.

What the heck is
THIS about?
  It suddenly dawned on me “why”.  Apparently, the rumor-mill hadn’t stopped churning in my absence. 
Crap!  Well, I asked for “normal”
. 
What’s more normal than your classmates gossipin’ about you behind your back?

My head started to pound from the sound of their faint giggles echoing around me.  My ears couldn’t make out what they were saying, but that didn’t mean my mind couldn’t.

Riley Myers whispered to several girls,

I still can’t believe she’s making

a play for both of them.

Especially when Mike is her

own sister’s boyfriend!

What a slut!

I guess she’s not so

“innocent” after all.

I turned away and clinched my fists.  I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing how pissed I was.

Then
Hannah Franklin was next.

Wonder which one of them was with

her at the Heritage Inn last night?

I heard her car was parked there…

for
SEVERAL HOURS!

That’s just PERFECT!
 
How could they even insinuate something like THAT!
 
Ugh!
  I felt more comfortable last night in the pews of a snake-handling church than I did here.

At least the snakes there were
“obvious” and not disguised as “friends”!

I sat there and listened to every nasty, fabricat
ed rumor.  I was so mad I could have hurled more than just dirty looks at them, but I tried my best to remain as calm as possible.

Katie will
be here soon…Class will start in a few minutes and they’ll have to shut up!  I can get a good forty-five minutes of peace then
.  Overwrought with embarrassment, my mind began to roam. 
Until I hit the hallway, and then my next class, and then the next, and the next, and eventually the cafeteria!
I could feel myself beginning to slump in my seat. 
Shit…This is going to be a very long, “normal” day
.  I was already upset, and I knew without a doubt, that “today” would surely test my emotions.  I’d left my sunglasses at home.  I didn’t think I would need them, but I couldn’t wear them in class anyway.  I would be forced stay on my guard and lock away all of my feelings for the day.

Hopefully they won’t
accidentally “see them” in my eyes…

Katie
finally
entered the classroom when the bell rang.  Her reaction to my presence was not what I’d expected — it was far,
far
worse.  My BFF hurried to her seat directly in front of me without even a “screw you”.  Katie then shoved her backpack underneath her desk with a dramatic
“thump”
and scooted it up a few inches, well away from mine.  I started to tap her shoulder when she unexpectedly let out an overly-exaggerated grunt.  Stunned, I retracted my hand.  Mrs. Thompson soon instructed us to open our textbooks to page 238.

Katie’s actions made it m
ore than obvious as to how she
felt
and what she was
thinking
.  No telepathy was required —
nor desired.
  I didn’t want to hear
or
feel them.  I was too ashamed and knew I deserved every last one of them.  If we weren’t so “emotionally connected”, I could probably brainwash her into giving me a full reprieve.  But truthfully, I wouldn’t compel her forgiveness even if I could disconnect myself from her. 
Not Katie
.  I loved her too much to do something so sneaky to my best, bosom friend.

Oh well
, I reflected quietly with a solemn sigh.
At least I get my
“
forty-five minutes
”.

Chapter  20  —  Cold Shoulder

The next three periods were pretty much a repeat of
the first. Literature, Government, and Geology should have been renamed “
Gossip
”, “
Stares
”, and “
Giggles
”.  Fourth period was by far, the absolute worst.  Katie was
still
ignoring me.  I’d actually forgotten how long that girl could hold a grudge.  I had to sit beside Mike, which brought forth one of the foulest looks from Kara Leighton that I’d ever seen.  But, my most abysmal moment had to have been when I entered the classroom and saw Ty sitting at his desk. He shied his head down and said absolutely
nothing
.  I couldn’t even concentrate on Ms. Fitzpatrick’s lecture.  Over and over, I thought,
Please don’t let him have heard where my car was parked last night! 
This was one of those times when I wished Welch wasn’t such a daggone small town!  No matter what you did or how careful you were, “news” traveled fast — “
bad
news” ALWAYS beat you home.

With all the rumors running rampant, surely my need to question Mike after class about his memories
regarding last Saturday night would only add fuel to the fire.  But I’d put it off long enough.  It had to be done.  I had to see if he remembered anything at all.  Though I still found it extremely difficult, I tried not to blame him for being “possessed”.  It wasn’t
directly
his fault that he’d prevented me from getting Daddy help.  The Onyx was simply using his body to kill me.  I knew my misguided thoughts were fueling my anger towards the cocky jock, so I would have to keep my cool.  After all, Lazarus was the one who killed him.  Plus, I didn’t want a huge argument to ensue and drum up rumors of a “lovers quarrel”. 
That
was the last thing I needed!

As soon as the bell rang, students were up and out of their seats, hurrying to the door. 
Mike attempted a quick getaway, but I managed to catch his attention with a firm nod directed towards a door in the back of the classroom, which led into one of the science labs. 
Nice and private
.  I went on ahead and waited patiently for him to follow.  Once everyone was out of Ms. Fitz’s class, Mike slipped into the lab and laid his backpack on one of the black tabletops.

“Look, if this is about all the rumors g
oing around about you and me, just so you know, I didn’t have
anything
to do with them,” Mike insisted.

“I
couldn’t care less about that,” I snapped.  “I want to know what you remember about last Saturday night?  Particularly, when you took me by the mine to meet Daddy.”

Mike started fiddling nervously with the straps on his backpack.  “
I don’t know
…I don’t remember much about that night,” he confessed.

I watched him
step closer.  It put me on edge, seeing how the last time we were all alone like this, his hands ended up around my neck, trying to choke the life out of me.  Naturally, I heightened my guard.  I still wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure the so-called “Onyx” couldn’t pop back into him at anytime.

Mike appeared apprehensive, but I didn’t know
“about what”.  His brain wasn’t really “saying” anything.  It felt like a big, knotty ball of confusion and crap.  I needed to probe him some more.

“You don’t remember
anything?
” I quizzed.  He shook his head.  Now I was annoyed.  “How did you get home that night?” I demanded.

“I
don’t
remember!” Mike yelled and slammed his hands down on the table.  He could tell by the look on my face that I wasn’t in the mood for any attitude.  Mike composed himself quickly.  “Sorry, Shiloh.  I’m just really
frustrated
.  Hell, you’d think I’d gotten drunk or something by the way I woke up the next morning.  My head was throbbing like I was hung over, and my whole damn body ached.  But what was
really weird
was that my hands were red and throbbing, like they’d been burnt or something.”  Mike noticed the “not-so-surprised” look on my face and grabbed my shoulders.  “Do
you
know what happened to them?” he asked anxiously.

You wouldn’t believe me if I told you
, I thought as I jerked away.

“Wha
t’s the
last thing
you remember?” I asked.

Mike
took a deep breath.  “I remember driving you to the mine…and it was snowing pretty hard, but everything else is a blur.”

I was getting nowhere.  “So, you don’t remember anything else about that night?”

“I remember someone put a damn snake in my car, and Ty and I got into a fight,” he added.

“Is that
it?
”

“No,”
Mike insisted as he leaned in closer and then hesitated.  “I remember I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world to have you on my arm.”

M
y bottom lip fell to the floor.
How freaking long does it take for the effects of a damn ruby to wear off?  Please tell me he didn’t just say that!

The next thing I knew,
Mike’s eyes were closing, and he was leaning in to kiss me, totally misinterpreting my open mouth as a daggone invitation.

Crap!

Suddenly a loud,
“UGH!”
blared behind us.  His attempt to steal a kiss was interrupted before I could even push him away.  I turned to spot Kara Leighton standing in the doorway. 
She
was the one who’d let out the bitchy grunt.  Promptly, the fuming redhead spun around on her heels and stormed off in a cloud of pure hell-fire and hate.

I stomped my foot on the floor and scowled.  “That’s
freakin’
PERFECT!
” I snapped as I snatched my backpack to make a quick exit.  No telling
who
she would blab to first about the “compromising position” that she’d just found us in.

I have to stop her!
 
Maybe I can compel her like I did the waitress?
  Mike grabbed my arm as I was trying to leave.  I took a calming breath to restrain some of my rage and whacked him smack on his head. 
“SNAP OUT OF IT!”
I scolded with a grunt and then bolted out of the science lab.

Please don’t let her tell
ANYONE, especially Ty — Crap!  CRAP! 
CRAP!

Kara wasn’t in the hallway, so I raced for the stairwell and scanned every classroom as I flew down the hall. 
WHERE IS SHE?
  I hurried downstairs to the floor where the senior lockers were located.  I searched through the sea of students, but she was still nowhere to be found.  It instantly dawned on me —
The Cafeteria!
  I slung my things in my locker and hauled ass across campus.

Unfortunately, I was too late. 
The little red-headed witch had half the cheerleading squad huddled up in the middle of the cafeteria.  All of them shot me vile glares as I approached and then quickly dispersed around the lunchroom like busy bees, buzzing from table to table to spread the latest fiery hot gossip at the request of their queen.

I stood there helplessl
y paralyzed.  All I could do was watch while they spewed their wicked distortions around the room.  What starts off as something innocent like an interrupted, “attempted kiss” takes no time to turn into getting caught “mid-screw” — especially with those gossip trolls!  One by one, everyone’s eyes fell on me from all directions, and the looks they threw cut like a jagged knife.  Sadly, even skin with the invincibility of diamonds could neither block their sting, nor the painful sentiments behind them.  I watched Kara sashay proudly over to the table where Ty was sitting with some of his teammates.  He appeared to be scanning the room for someone and didn’t see her approaching until she had plopped down beside him. Kara flashed me a devious grin.  Oh, she wanted me to be well aware of
whom
the next recipient of “the news” would be.  I couldn’t bear to watch, so I turned away, shamefaced.

It just so happened that
my eyes fell upon Katie, who looked like she had just heard the “latest scoop”.  To my surprise, she appeared concerned.  She looked over to see Kara whispering in Ty’s ear.  Katie’s eyes searched desperately around the room until she spotted me standing in the middle of the cafeteria.  I wasn’t sure, but it seemed that even though she was rightfully put out with my recent behavior, her eyes began to soften.  I hoped what I saw was genuine, and that it wasn’t just wishful thinking on my part.  In the midst of my “social demise”, I truly needed what mattered most —
my best, bosom friend
.

The sound of irritating crackles beg
an to blare from the intercom, and then Mrs. Tuttle’s voice announced,

Shiloh Wallace…

Pl
ease report to the main office…

You have a visitor
…

Shiloh Wallace to the main office.

If there was anyone whose eyes weren’t on me already, they sure were then.  Awkwardly, I hurried to the sid
e exit and bolted across campus. 
Well, at least I have a reason to get out of there. Any longer and they’d have sewn a red “S” to my chest, and rest assured, that monogram wouldn’t stand for the first letter in my name!

As I approached the building that housed the main o
ffice, my curiosity kicked in and my mind began to whirl with speculation.
Maybe it’s Tanner?
  I wasn’t sure if he’d received my message.  It wasn’t like he had “returned my call.” 
It has to be him
.

When I grabbed the door handles of the main building, the cold
metal hitting my hands forced an alternative thought to pop into my head. 
What if it isn’t Tanner?  What if it’s LAZARUS?
I released the handles like I would a scalding hot pot on a stove and stared at the door in silence.  I stopped breathing. 
He did stop by the house looking for me last night…I’m sure he called Charlotte this morning…She probably told him that I ripped up the check…OH NO! IT CAN’T BE HIM!

Once inside, my pace slowed to a calculated creep.  Every step that carried me closer to the office made my heart pound harder and faster.  I lingered just outside the door, hoping to make out any voices coming from inside.  All I heard was Mrs. Tuttle
fussing at some students.  While I stood there plastered up against the cold cinder-block wall, my eyes were drawn over to the school’s massive glass trophy case standing directly across from the entrance.  I could make out a few images in the room from the reflection in the glass.  I waited with bated breath for my “visitor” to emerge, though I couldn’t see anyone of interest.

Without warning, Principal
Harless shot into view and was heading out the door.  No sooner than he’d spotted me in the hallway, he quickly made my undisclosed location known.

“Ah, there you are, Shiloh. 
You have a visitor inside.  Mustn’t keep him waiting,” Mr. Harless blared as he patted my arm and then marched off down the hall.

So much for the element of surprise
, I affirmed to myself as I stood there flinching.  Surely whomever “he” turned out to be, was now well aware of the fact that I was right outside the door.  I took a deep breath and reluctantly stepped into the office.

“
Finally
,” a familiar voice called out.  “I was about to head off to work.”

Every tense muscle in my body immediately relaxed. 
Samuel
.  I could have melted right there on the floor.  I walked over and hugged him like I hadn’t seen him in years.  It was nice to see at least one face actually smiling at me and not looking back with any sort of judgment.

“Samuel,
um
…What are you doing
here?
” I asked in a somewhat shaky voice.

“I came by to check on you.”  Samuel noticed I appeared rattled and continued, “
…and I think I was a right on the money, too.  What’s going on, Shiloh?  Is it too soon for you to be back?”

I pulled Samuel off to the side.  “It wouldn’t be so bad if I weren’t the talk of the school,” I whispered.  “It’s been kind of rough today, what with all of the whispers and stares from everyone.”

Samuel looked confused.  “What are they whisperin’ about?”

I really didn’t want to repeat any of the “distortions” to him
verbatim. 
Too embarrassing.

“Let’s just say the whole school has gotten the
wrong impression
about things that happened at the dance between me and Mike…
and Ty
.  That’s all I’m going to say.”

Samuel patted
my back. “Oh, Shiloh…There are worse things in the world than high school rumors.  Don’t give ’em a second thought, honey.  Don’t let ’em bother you.”