by S. E. Akers
Soon the euphoric tingle had vanished, just as I heard Ryan Seacrest yelling, “Happy New Year!” I opened my eyes insightfully, almost like I was doing it for the very first time.
“That was spectacular,” I whispered, still lingering with blissful thoughts and not wanting to take my hands off his warm chest.
“Truly,” Tanner affirmed in low rustle.
His candor forced my body into a quiver. The longer I remained silent and immobile, the more awkward the whole situation became. My heart was racing faster than any bolt I could summon from the sky, and the heat swelling inside me scorched even hotter. A flare of inhibition sparked like a warning signal. Mentor or not, something else had my insecurities churning. Tanner’s stone could emit all of these same soul-stirring feelings. So was this something I had conjured accidentally, in the moment, or was I genuinely feeling these intense, uncharted emotions and feeding off a response from him? I couldn’t look up. I trembled even more at the thought of looking into his eyes. They would tell me everything. Would they even have a shred of want in them? My anticipation had me frozen. I didn’t want to risk the sweet torture being ripped away just yet. I unconsciously ran my finger over the larimar lying on his chest. Slowly, the dreamy blue-green hues melded as the stone began to glow like it had on Christmas Eve.
Tanner gently cupped his fingers under my chin. An electric jolt coursed feverishly down my neck as they lingered there for a moment, not even forcing a move. I closed my eyes and reopened them purposely. Gradually I lifted my gaze. Just as our eyes connected, just before I could clearly see his intent, a loud “CRASH” echoed from the kitchen. Though our eyes remained locked on each other, the distraction had torpedoed even the hope of discovering anything.
I pulled back first, awkwardly. “Bea?” I hollered out. “Is everything okay?” When she didn’t answer, Tanner and I exchanged a few curious looks. Both of us jumped up and headed into the kitchen. We found Beatrix down on her hands and knees, picking up pieces of rose crystal off the floor.
“I’m fine. I’m fine,” Beatrix insisted in a huff.
“What happened?” Tanner questioned.
“What does it look like? I broke my lucky chalice. That’s all,” Beatrix stressed. Tanner grabbed the bottle of Emerald Eyes. He turned it upside down and gave it a few shakes. “And I accidently knocked over the bottle. I’m sorry, Tanner. The rest of it went down the drain,” she sighed.
“I see that,” Tanner remarked while he watched Beatrix’s every move. The Amethyst Talisman turned to me. “Shiloh, why don’t you go ahead and turn in. You’ve had a long day. I’m sure you’re tired.”
His request threw me for a loop, leaving me to believe that any feelings out there on the sofa had come solely from me.
“She doesn’t have to turn in yet,” Beatrix insisted.
Before Tanner could rebut, I shrugged off my confusion and replied, “That’s okay. He’s right. Good-night, Bea.” I gave her a hug and glided past Tanner. “It’s past the little girl’s bedtime,” I shot back as I marched off to my room.
I tried my best to fall sleep, but that was hard with my mind replaying the scene on the sofa while my head shouted out, “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” Beatrix and Tanner didn’t head right off bed. I heard them arguing for a while, until Beatrix’s door finally slammed around one-thirty. I stayed up until three. I was dying for a glass of milk, but that would mean passing through the living room on the way. I was already dreading the inevitable awkwardness of speaking to him, all because of a situation that I had undoubtedly misconstrued.
Why risk the chance of waking him when the fun will begin in a few hours anyway?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dressed and ready at ten till six, I closed my bedroom door quietly. I still had ten more minutes free from any embarrassment or uncomfortable pauses of silence, and I wanted to enjoy every second. I heard voices coming from the kitchen as I headed down the hall. They were already up too. Crap!
Their words became clearer as I stepped into the foyer. They were arguing about something. That was a given by Tanner’s pitch and Beatrix’s sharp shushes.
“I won’t, Tanner,” Beatrix said frankly. “End of discussion.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?” Tanner raged.
“I’m not,” Beatrix insisted.
“I’ll find a way… There has to be something,” Tanner affirmed.
“You know as well as I, there is nothing. Not this time,” Beatrix added gravely.
I didn’t have a clue as to what they were talking about, but it didn’t sound good. I edged into the living room and accidentally stepped on a weak board. A loud “creak” rang out.
“Shiloh,” Beatrix called out sweetly. Busted, I thought. “Come in and have some breakfast with us before Tanner leaves.”
The air in the kitchen felt hostile, like I’d just fell into a foxhole. Beatrix seemed guarded, while Tanner looked like a tense gunner who was on his last round of ammo.
“Grab a plate and join us,” Beatrix instructed with a hospitable smile.
Tanner slid his untouched mound of french toast towards the empty chair closest to me. “She can have mine. I’m not hungry,” he growled. Whatever they were arguing about had put him in a foul mood. Though I was dying to know what it was, I was relieved it stifled the looming thorniness from last night.
Tanner tapped his fingers on the table for a solid minute while Beatrix sat in her chair, fiddling with her rings. I could tell they were continuing their heated discussion telepathically. It was like watching an invisible tennis match, but it was obvious Beatrix was in the lead. Finally, Tanner let out an angry grunt and stood up. He practically slung his chair under the table.
“I think its time for me to go,” Tanner announced gruffly. He stood there for a moment, waiting for a reaction from Bea.
“If you must,” Beatrix remarked casually, only looking at the stream of syrup she was pouring on her french toast.
Tanner’s eyes narrowed. Straightaway, out came another growl-like grunt and then he stormed out of the room.
I shot up out of my chair and followed him, dying to know what their argument was about. He was out the front door so heated and quick that I was surprised he didn’t leave a trail of fiery footprints.
“Tanner, what are you two fighting about?”
He slung his leather duffel bag into the trunk of his Land Rover and slammed its hatch hard enough to shatter the glass. “We’re not,” Tanner insisted and then shot a glare past me.
I glanced back to see Beatrix strutting down the walk. I turned around and folded my arms. “I’m not stupid.”
“Then prove it,” Tanner ordered as he grabbed my shoulders. “Don’t venture out on your own.”
“I already promised I wouldn’t.”
“Leave finding Katie and the fire opal to us,” Tanner requested. “Don’t give it a second thought.”
“But—”
“I’m serious!” Tanner remarked and threw Beatrix a stern look. “And you need to stay close to Bea.” Beatrix sharpened her glare right back.
That was rightfully alarming. “Is there something wrong?” I asked. My question merely triggered a deadpan response from both of them. “What aren’t y’all telling me?” I demanded.
Tanner shot Beatrix a cold glare. “There’s nothing to tell,” he assured me dryly. “Good-bye, Shiloh.” With that said, Tanner climbed into his flashy black SUV and sped off down the road.
“What was that about?” I asked.
Beatrix sidled beside me. “My dear, if I’ve learned anything during my time on this earth, one thing remains a constant, unwavering fact. Little boys hate not being in control,” she affirmed with a smile, shaking her head.
Chapter 9 — Fool Me Once . . .
The next nine days flew by, and regretfully, Beatrix didn’t have anything promising to show for it. Neither did I, that is, until school ended for the day. I discovered a lock, of what I assumed was Katie’s hair, tied to the coat hook i
n my locker, swaying like a miniature noose. Talk about a crappy reminder. Even though Katie questioned my loud gasp when I’d found it, I didn’t tell her, especially since he’d taken off such a large hunk. A good five inches of it! Why piss her off even more?
As soon as Katie heard the hum of my car engine, hers fired up too.
“Are you headed to Bea’s, now?” Katie demanded.
“Yeah,” I confirmed, still praying for a miracle while I backed out of my space.
“Did you hear from her today?”
“No,” I replied.
“Not at all?” Katie huffed, disappointed.
“No,” I repeated. I could feel her frustration brewing like a storm. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean bad news,” I assured her, aiming for optimistic.
“Well it sure as shit doesn’t sound like good news,” Katie protested.
“We won’t know until we get there.”
“Have you heard from Tanner?”
“NO,” I shot back sharply.
“Oookay,” Katie replied.
To be quite honest, I hadn’t heard anything from Tanner since he’d left. Though I couldn’t be too mad about it. I was still uncomfortably clueless about what had happened on New Year’s Eve, so I hadn’t made an effort to call him either.
I was approaching a red light when Katie blurted, “Where’s Gallia?” I slammed on my brake. Bouncing up and down, I struggled for a logical lie. “She hasn’t been around for a month, not even when Tanner was here.”
“So?” I challenged. I sooo wasn’t ready to venture down that trail of deceit.
“I just think it’s…strange,” Katie contended.
“Maybe she’s been busy?” I posed. “We can’t really talk back and forth since I still have her diamond.”
“That’s strange too. Doesn’t she want it back?”
I had no response.
Katie continued, “And you haven’t mentioned her…willingly. Why is that?”
“Apparently I’ve been ‘TOO BUSY’ for a lot of people…from what I hear,” I countered.
“Touché,” Katie sang with an affectionate pitch of “bitch”.
I adjusted my attitude. “I don’t know. She’s probably been…underground.” That sounded even worse when I replayed it in my head.
“What the heck does THAT mean? The little nit-wit lives underground.”
“Maybe Bea knows?” I averted. “Why are you making this into a big deal?”
“There’s just something fishy about it,” Katie assessed with a simmer in her tone. “But you would tell me if anything was wrong, wouldn’t you?”
I pressed the amethyst against my chest so hard I thought it was going to pop out my back. “Of course I would,” I lied, playing offended. “Easy on the reading, Katie. We’re almost at Bea’s, okay?”
“All right,” Katie agreed. “Shi, I’m sorry for acting like a little bitch, but I’ve got a bad feeling…and honestly, I don’t know if it’s my nerves or if it’s coming from you.”
I pondered her words while I reduced my speed in a playground zone. I spotted two little girls frolicking and laughing on a merry-go-round, both without a care in the world. It reminded me of much happier times. I shifted my listless gaze back to the road. “Don’t worry… We’re almost there,” I repeated as I snapped out of my trance.
This was the first time I’d ever dreaded pulling into Bea’s drive. I slowly shifted my gear into park and cut the engine. I sat there noiselessly, trying to will myself to open the door.
“Are you getting out or what?” Katie asked.
“Yes,” I answered as I dragged myself lethargically out of the car. Please, please, please have some good news, I pleaded to the cosmos as I winded along her walk. Just as I landed on her front stoop, Beatrix whisked open the door. My mentor stood there shaking her head with a grim look on her face. My eyes fell to the ground.
Aw, shit… She even had the trinket box in her hand, ready and waiting. I moped inside and followed her into the living room.
I flashed Beatrix the lock of Katie’s hair. “This was in my locker,” I revealed telepathically. “I didn’t tell her about it.”
Beatrix let out a sigh and then opened the lid to the trinket box. “In she goes,” Beatrix commanded, out loud.
“What??? — NO!” Katie screamed.
Even I had to object.
Beatrix arched her brow. “I’m waiting.”
“Shiloh Wallace, if you stick me in there I swear I’ll sing every song you hate non-stop until I turn blue!”
I took a firm stride backward. “I can’t do it, Bea.”
“ASK HER, SHI!” Katie roared. “Ask her if she’s found MY BODY!”
“So?” I posed, for Katie’s benefit. I figured she needed to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Beatrix placed the trinket box on the coffee table. “There’s nothing to tell,” she announced with a casual wave of her hand. “Maybe we’ll have better luck next time.” My mouth fell open at her dismissive attitude. Then she simply sat down and poured herself a drink like it was teatime. “Blame it on fate. It simply is, what it is, my dear.”
I cringed hearing the one phrase that Katie hated, coming out of the mouth of the one person, besides the Onyx, that she despised at this very moment.
“She’s not even looking!” Katie bellowed.
“Of course she is,” I answered as I stared at Beatrix.
“LIKE HELL SHE IS!” Katie raged. “THAT BLIND OLD BAT DOESN’T EVEN CARE!” The geyser of expletives that followed would’ve put the foulest-mouthed trucker to shame. Beatrix knew it too, just by my fidgety stance.
The Golden Topaz Talisman set her cup back down on its saucer purposely. “What did she say?” Beatrix demanded in a well-mannered, though clearly ruffled tone.
“Nothing,” I insisted.
“Tell her!” Katie raged.
“Shiloh, dear… Tell me,” Beatrix echoed.
“No!” I whispered to Katie and shook my head at Beatrix. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”
“Why should I expect YOU to tell her,” Katie yelled. “You’re too busy with your own agenda…and here lately, that’s been avoiding the problem BY LOCKING ME AWAY! We hardly spoke over Christmas Break, not with Tanner here, and this past week it’s been even worse… Not at school, not at work, not when you’re at Bea’s… IN THE BOX! IN THE BOX!” Katie mocked, imitating Bea’s proper accent to a T. “Dammit, Shi! I’m all-alone in here! There is NOTHING around me! No pretty colors! No shining lights! No one who wants to talk to me! I miss my mom and dad! I can’t even hear their voices anymore! UGH!!! Sometimes I wish you hadn’t been so STUPID when you put that spell on my necklace… That way I’d just be DEAD! Rotting in my own body that none of you could give a rat’s ass about! I’m just your ‘best friend’… SUPPOSEDLY!”
Now that hurt. “FINE!” I bellowed back. I took a composing breath and looked at Beatrix. “She said, ‘If the bi— she wasn’t preoccupied with all this Talisman sh— stuff and training me, then maybe the bi— she would get her head out of — the clouds and find her body.’”
Beatrix pursed her lips. Even censored, I think she got the point.
“The part about Gallia, too!” Katie demanded. “And this time, NO EDITING…WORD FOR WORD!”
I gulped and lowered my head. “And she says that Gallia is a…deceitful little bitch. She thinks she had something to do with it and that we’re both F-‘n idiots for believing the little tunnel-digging twit.” Knowing it wasn’t true and that I had to say it out loud with her remains buried in the backyard, made me want to go and dig my own hole to crawl into.
Beatrix could see the hurt in my eyes. She folded her arms and in a low, rolling growl announced, “Ungrateful little imp! Tanner and I have searched miles and miles of this countryside looking for that vessel she calls a body so we can reunite her selfish little soul with it! Maybe there’s a reason we haven’t been able to locate it? Has she ever thought of that? Some th
ings are even beyond a supernatural’s control! If she wasn’t so wrapped up in that vapid mass she calls an existence, maybe she could comprehend that!”
Katie let out a fierce, rolling growl. “You tell her that—”
“No!” I yelled at both of them. “ENOUGH! I’m not a supernatural referee,” I announced and then stormed into the kitchen.
Beatrix was right on my heels. “I can shut her up temporarily for you. All I need is a rattlesnake head, a little wax, and a lock of her hair…and would you look at that,” Beatrix cooed as she snatched Katie’s hair out of my hand and swung it around in a circle.
“What is she talking about?” Katie demanded.
I quickly grabbed it out of Bea’s hand. “Nothing,” I insisted and threw Bea a wary glare.
“There are other ways,” Beatrix stated as she tapped her finger on her lips. “Maybe we could try an exorcism?”
Katie’s gasp was so loud, I was surprised it didn’t rattle Bea’s china.
“Bitchhh,” Katie whispered.
“Well, she wouldn’t have to go back into the box that way,” Beatrix contended. “Her soul could just wander the earth. Maybe she would have better luck locating her corpse? Since it’s soooo easy.”
“She’s not going to do anything,” I insisted as I stared at Bea, skeptically. “Right?”
“All I’m saying is—”
“Right?” I reiterated.
“Ugh! No,” Beatrix let out a huff and added, “Not now, anyway,” and then disappeared down the hall.
“Shi, are you my best, bosom friend?” Katie asked.
“You know I am,” I answered.
