by S. E. Akers
“Ooooh no,” Naomi protested as she snatched the box with the spit-free spud in it out of my hands.
“Give it back,” I asked nicely.
“No, no, now. They must have wound your crank just right,” Naomi teased as she picked up the container that held the tainted one, and began to playfully weigh both of them in her hands. “No judgment, darlin’. I’m just glad to see that you’ve finally joined the ranks.”
“Funny. Now give —”
Naomi swiftly placed the two boxes behind her back. “Pick one,” she grinned. “We’ll leave it up to fate. You do believe in that, don’t ya?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Boy do I ever,” I mumbled. “But I also believe in karma. You know, ‘what goes around, comes around’?”
“Never met her,” she replied with a grin. Naomi straightened her stance and started tapping her foot. “I’m a waitin’, worry-wart.”
I pointed to her left hand. “That one,” I sighed, feeling my shame lifting. I’d already looked into her mind, so I knew which one to pick.
“Sure, darlin’.” Naomi threw the one I’d pointed to in the trash and shoved the other one in the bag.
“That’s not what I—”
“Now it’s on me,” the sassy waitress said with a smirk and rolled down its edge. She handed me the bag. “Knock that bossy little cricket off your shoulder, darlin’. You’re conscience is free and clear.”
I snatched the bag out of her hand. “Just put those on my tab,” I grumbled as I trotted back up front.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Naomi cooed like she’d just witnessed a praise-worthy miracle.
I placed the bag on the counter. “Here you go, Ms. Marion,” I announced. “Here are your two healthy salads. I threw in a couple plain baked spuds, on the house…if that’s all right with you?”
“As long as they’re plain,” Ms. Marion stressed. “I think Samuel needs to drop a few pounds. Every little bit helps.”
I had to muzzle my gasp. Needs to diet — My Ass! Samuel isn’t one pound over 180! I simply nodded and threw her a grin, now fully on-board with Naomi’s stunt. “Oh, and uh, just so you know, Samuel has a thing about people touching his food. He’s a bit OCD about it, though he’d never admit it. Let him know that I made his salads…and you might want to let him fix his own plate.” That ought to give him a fair shot at scoring his cheese sticks. I should have compelled her, but I figured I would leave well enough alone. I was already treading in karma’s gray area.
“I didn’t realize that. Thank you, Shiloh,” Ms. Marion beamed. You would’ve thought that I’d given her a secret code to an uncrackable safe.
“Anytime,” I said with an over-the-top smile. My mind sparked with flashes of regret as I watched her saunter across the lot, but certainly not over the loogie. I wanted Samuel to be happy. I wanted him to find someone. I truly did. Daddy was gone, and I would be off to college soon. I couldn’t stand the thought of him turning into a recluse. He needed some companionship. However, I was having some serious doubts about whether or not this woman fit the bill.
Why am I worrying? Samuel’s probably just being nice…or tolerating her. After all, he’s still recuperating… He’ll run her off as soon as he’s able to get around on his own… I hope!
“Stewing, Shi?” Katie blurted.
“A little,” I confessed as I made my way to the back.
“At least he’s got some company. He has to be lonely,” Katie charged. “Maybe he got tired of waiting around for some attention from you. Ever think about that?”
“All the time,” I mumbled, my words directed towards the real party-in-question.
“Just checking,” Katie added artfully.
I threw open my locker and grabbed my purse. I didn’t know which was worse — quiet, brooding best friend or this corrosive, crack-a-minute companion? I charged out the side door and stomped across the parking lot towards my car.
“Are you going to gripe the rest of the evening?” I asked. There was a pretty long lull, but I sensed every ounce of her frustration-fueled indecision.
“No,” Katie finally grumbled. “I think I’m going to turn in.”
“You’re not going to stay awake and ring in the—”
Katie let out a snarky laugh. “How am I going to do that? Make ‘ding-dong’ sounds for you when the clock strikes twelve? Seriously?”
My brain froze in a stupor. How the heck can I respond to that? “If that’s what you—”
“It is,” Katie snapped.
I arrived to my Charger to find something etched in the frost on my driver-side window.
9
Nine? Weird, I thought as I yanked the door open. I untied my apron and threw it in the passenger-seat.
“What do you want to listen to?” I asked as I cranked the engine.
“You don’t want to talk to me in here EITHER?” Katie accused.
“Jeez! That’s not what I meant. I just thought I would give you some input on the song.”
“That’s mighty considerate of you. Thanks…Mom.” Before I could form my words, Katie quickly said, “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“Thank you,” I replied, relieved.
“You’re more like a warden,” Katie assessed curtly. “Passing out my privileges.”
I took a calming breath, now truly understanding the need for parents to count to freakin’ ten.
“Katie, I know this has been hard on you—” She interrupted my attempt at an apology with a shrill grunt. “Tanner is leaving tomorrow,” I sighed. “I promise, everything will go back to the way it was.”
“Great,” Katie laughed. “Then I’ll only have to compete for your attention with school-time, work-time, and of course, Talisman training-time with just Bea. Tanner leaving will make all the difference in the world. A total game-changer!”
At that moment, I realized nothing I could say would even make a dent in her mood. I looked down at the amethyst that was lying on the outside of my uniform, eyeing it like a fire extinguisher. Almost like she was reading my mind, Katie ordered, “And don’t even think about touching that damn stone! I want to feel this way.” I lowered my hand. “I just have nine more days of this crap anyway,” she barked.
While the number “nine” settled in my head eerily, something resting on my dash caught my gaze. An alarming jolt shot slick down to my tailbone. It was a smooth, black onyx, and that wasn’t all. A pink ribbon with delicate looped edges was tied around it. It was one of the same ribbons from the wreath Katie’s mom had placed around her head.
I cringed as I clutched my steering wheel. He’s been in my car! I snatched it off the dash with my apron and tucked it in the passenger-seat. Considering Katie’s current demeanor, I felt it best not to say squat. Why stir a simmering pot?
“What’s wrong?” Katie charged curiously, sensing my added distress.
“Nothing,” I grumbled as I reached into my purse to retrieve my angelite watch. I slapped it on my wrist. The thought of him being in here made my skin crawl. Maybe if I had been wearing it this evening, it would have warned me? At the very least I could have actually gotten to see its face glow. But then again, this pricey little alarm would have kept me from raking in over three hundred bucks in tips. I threw my car in drive and screeched onto the highway. Then my bank account balance would have been in danger.
Within a few minutes, I was pulling into Bea’s drive. “Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind?” I asked Katie. She didn’t say a word. “Katie? Katie?”
“I’m sure,” she snapped. “And by the way, I’m giving you the silent treatment for a change. See how you like it.”
“You’re not very good at it,” I teased, hoping to trigger a laugh.
“It starts NOW!” Katie swiftly shot back.
“Right now?” I prodded. Sticking true to her word, my hostile bosom friend kept mum. “Fine,” I grumbled as I unfastened the clasp. I dropped her into my leather bag and gave the zipper an angry yan
k. “Happy New Year,” I yelled at my purse. I slammed my head against the back of my seat. We’d had a few spats in the past — even the best of friends do — but they were nothing like this. I shook my head as I jerked open the door. Nine days…What a total freakin’ time bomb!
“Bea,” I hollered out as soon as I entered her house. “Bea?” My nerves were desperate to find someone who could tolerate the sound of my voice.
“Back here, dear,” Beatrix yelled from her bedroom.
I stopped in her doorway, clueless to find it empty. “Bea?” I called out again.
“I’m in here,” she answered.
I stepped into her bedroom and gave the empty room a speedy scan. “Where?”
Like a shot from a cannon, the doors on her armoire flew open and out she popped. I about jumped out of my skin. “Right here, dear,” Beatrix grinned. “I was just rummaging through a few things.”
I peeked into the clothes-cluttered armoire and raised my brow. “In there?” I asked, wondering how in the heck she had even fit inside.
“Yes.” Beatrix closed the doors and waved her hand over one of the golden topazes embedded on the handles. “I had to dig out my lucky chalice.” She waved a pink-tinted crystal goblet in the air. “If we’re drinking Emerald Eyes, then this is the fitting vessel to use. The rose crystal will enhance the emerald’s effects. It helps you to see a little further down the road. I saw almost two years of premonitions the last time I used it. Maybe we’ll have the same fortune tonight?”
“Um, ‘we’ won’t. I’m staying on the wagon. I don’t think I can handle any more crazy visions…or bad news. I opened the apron to show my tormentor’s twisted calling-card. “I found this lying on my dash tonight.”
Beatrix belted out a long whistle. “You’re getting quite the collection of these things.” She pointed to some black smudges on the apron. “He’s sending you a message all right.” Beatrix eyed the ribbon. “And he even wrapped it. How thoughtful. Bring it into the bathroom, dear.” I did as she requested. First, she plugged the drain in her pedestal sink and filled it full of water. Next, Beatrix opened the window and lit a candle. She used the fabric from the apron to untie the ribbon and dropped the smooth black stone straight into the water. “Cover your nose and mouth,” Beatrix ordered as she fished out the onyx with a pair of tweezers and held it over the flame. It began to vibrate and then a puff of smoke shot out of its core. Beatrix shooed the eerie fumes out the window with a gust of air. “You can breathe now. It’s safe.”
The stench left lingering in the air smelled like moldy cinnamon bread — kind of rancid, with a touch of spicy sweetness. “What was that?” I asked, fanning my hand.
“Delusion spell, I’m afraid. Here, I’ll show you.” Beatrix directed my eyes to the cloudy water and swirled it with a light stream of air. Suddenly, a vision appeared within the ripples. It was Katie, confined in an earth-filled grave and pleading for help. Sensing my pain, Beatrix tugged on the chain. The image disappeared right along with the water as it drained. “It was coated with a light dusting of powder, dear. Onyx powder is used when you want to deceive someone. It’s extremely powerful. It works on all of your senses, even your emotions. If you were to have rubbed your eyes or put your hands up to your mouth, this is the haunting vision you would have seen. The diamond may shield your conscious mind from its effects, but that doesn’t mean it can’t find other ways to play a few tricks on you.”
“It’s only going to get worse, isn’t it?”
“What? The helplessness you feel? Blaming yourself? Your desire to find her at any cost?” Beatrix assessed.
I nodded.
Beatrix cupped my face tenderly with her hands. “Yes, dear. It will. That’s what happens when your identity is compromised. That’s why it’s best to keep those you love out of the loop. Not only for their safety, but yours as well.” Beatrix placed her arm around me and led me out of her bedroom. “Come along, now. There’s a new year beckoning. One that’s full of hope.”
“Where’s Tanner?” I asked as we walked down the hall.
“In your bathroom, showering. He’s been out looking for Katie…trying to pick up any traces of energy from the amethyst inside her.”
“Did he have any luck?”
“Do you think you would have found an onyx in your car if he had?” Beatrix posed.
I plopped down on the sofa. “Not really,” I mumbled, still dwelling about the vision of Katie as I stared at the flashing, red “Breaking News” screenshot that lit up the TV.
“Let me change the channel to something more festive. Maybe that will help take your mind off things?” Beatrix insisted as she reached for the remote.
My eyes ignited like a match. “Wait! Don’t turn it,” I ordered as I leaned closer to the TV, now listening intently to the news bulletin.
The news reporter continued, “Officials are also looking for Neil Webber. He is due to start a new position at one of Union Carbide’s plants located in Charleston in February. Relatives of the Atlanta natives haven’t heard from either of the men for several days. Local residents have joined state officials in what is still being considered a search and rescue mission. The police are asking for everyone’s help in locating the two men. If you have any leads, call the Pendleton County Sheriff’s department at 800-555-4388. This is Samantha James reporting in Franklin, West Virginia for WVVN.”
“I know those men,” I announced. “They were at the Drive-In several weeks ago, on the night we met at the graveyard. I got a horrible feeling before they left.”
“Did you see something, like a vision?” Beatrix asked.
“No. I just got a bad feeling. Nothing specific.”
Beatrix raised her finger to her lips and tapped it a few times. “There was a full moon that night. I’m not surprised your senses were heightened. The stronger any supernatural’s powers grow, the more their intuition intensifies. A full moon naturally enhances our perception. Yours will become even stronger because of your moonstone,” Beatrix assured as she pointed to my ring. “That’s one of the hallmarks of its abilities. Sharp wit and keen senses.”
“I just told them to stay safe,” I revealed. “I should have said more.”
Beatrix patted my hand. “Even with supernaturals, my dear, hindsight is 20/20,” Beatrix remarked, trying to console me.
“What are you two talking about?” Tanner posed as he entered the living room.
“Intuition,” Beatrix answered, her stare still on me. “Perk up,” she whispered mentally as she rose to her feet.
Easier said than done. My eyes stayed glued to the TV, wishing for a do-over and hoping the two men were found alive, soon. She clicked the remote until it landed on a channel televising Times Square. The ball was set to drop in minutes.
“I’m heading into the kitchen to pour myself a drink,” Beatrix announced, waving her rose-crystal chalice. “Shiloh, are you sure I can’t change your mind about having one with me? I’ve always found it a treat to see what will come over the next year.”
Considering my Katie quandary was nowhere near resolved and the unnerving nature of the last time I downed an entire bottle of the premonition-producing Emerald-Eyes, I stood firm on my earlier decision. “No thank you. I’ll pass,” I replied.
“Suit yourself. Tanner, how about you?”
“Maybe a little later,” he replied.
“Yes,” Beatrix remarked with a laugh as she headed for the kitchen. “Maybe after you finish getting dressed?”
I finally acknowledged the Amethyst Talisman with a look. Beatrix was right. He was standing there shirtless in a pair of loose dark-gray sweats, still toweling himself off. If that didn’t stir my libido enough, catching a whiff of his cologne as he sat down beside me sure did. By the stifled smile on his face, the sultry Talisman could sense every aroused churn of them too.
“Umm… Have you ever been there?” I asked as I pointed to the TV, desperate to curb any embarrassing thoughts before they got away from me.
“I can see how that would make anyone uncomfortable,” I remarked as shifted my stare off his approaching pects and back to the TV.
“If you want, I’ll take you next year. It’s not far from Yardley.”
“Really?” I asked.
“If I have to,” Tanner replied in a razz-like whine. “I forget how little you’ve experienced. I guess it’s something everyone should do at least once. I’ll even arrange a private viewing, if you’d like.” Tanner leaned closer. “Those aren’t just any crystals on that ball.”
“What do you mean?”
Tanner grinned. “The Talisman who reigns over the clear quartz supplied some of her own stones. She wanted to give the world the gift of peace. You can actually feel it while the ball is dropping. Since a clear quartz crystal can control time and its colorless hue evokes clarity, for only one minute, there is peace on earth… Humanity comes to its senses across the entire globe.”
“Seriously?” I questioned. “There’s no fighting…at all?”
“Absolutely none,” Tanner vowed. “If you clear your head and focus, you can feel the energy from her spell.”
I raised one of my brows as I noticed the ball about to drop. “Let’s see,” I suggested skeptically. I struggled to pick up on any sort of magical vibe while I watched the flashing sphere making its descent. All I felt was my own frustration.
“I don’t feel a thing,” I stated, disappointed.
“You don’t know what you’re trying to feel. Close your eyes,” Tanner instructed.
The next thing I knew, he had taken a hold of my hands and was laying them tenderly on his chest. At that moment, the only thing I felt was a swarm of butterflies flittering in my stomach.
Tanner grabbed my hands as I pulled back. “Trust me,” he whispered. “Close your eyes and open your mind. You can pick up on its energy easier through me.”
Though I was rightfully restless about the “nature” of this process, I surrendered to his request. Instantly, I felt a subtle sensation that mimicked an indescribable innocence resonating from him. It escalated into a bliss that was stronger than I’d ever felt from him or any of his amethysts, and it ushered in a whole lot more than just peace. It surged with a limitless spirit of hope. I took a deep breath, trying to drink in every ounce of it. A person could get lost in a feeling like this, desperate to cling onto its high. If everyone felt like this all the time, most assuredly, there would be peace.
