by S. E. Akers
Chapter 19 — Mistaken Identity
Streams of harsh, morning sunlight beamed into the suite. I curled up and threw the covers over my head — my aching head. Highlights of my adventure to Catemaco worked their way into my mind, in-between the throbs. I tightened my ball, now practically full-on fetal. In spite of every harrowing incident, I felt a little easier, with the exception of one troubling thing — where the fire had come from and what the heck had happened to my lightning? I knew the curse was gone, but I felt different. Not necessarily “bad” different, but certainly not “good” different — just different. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something was hanging over me. Paranoia? Possibly. Then again, it could’ve been all of my lies trying to swallow me up whole. The more I focused on that oddity, the more I noticed something else wasn’t a hundred-percent — my memories of what happened after I’d gotten back to the hotel. Everything was one big, bust of a blur. I’d only felt this way once before. My eyes popped open in one thoughtful blink.
I drank Emerald Eyes last night!
A round of blaring beeps from the alarm clock sent me wrestling out from under the pile of covers. Every ounce of blood rushed to my head. 6:00 AM. Kara let out a flawless snort & roll combination in the opposite direction. If I’d had a scorecard, I would have thrown up a perfect “10”. She’d heard it too, but wasn’t about to get up.
Fine by me, I thought as I shuffled across the floor. I’ll get the bathroom first.
Katie was still fastened around my neck. That was unusual. I always took her off at bedtime. Weird. A cool breeze forced a curious peek under my robe. Apparently I’d fallen asleep with it on and nothing else. I opened the bathroom door to find my clothes damp and slung all over the room. I didn’t even remember taking them off and certainly not like that. My skirt was hanging on the daggone showerhead. Even weirder.
No sooner than I’d started brushing my teeth, I heard someone pounding on the door of the suite. I flew out of the bathroom and grabbed my purse, just to be on the safe-side. I shook my head. The little princess still hadn’t budged.
“Hola, Señorita. I have a message for you,” a cheerful man dressed in a lint-less white suit announced as he took one sweeping step into the room. He handed me an ivory envelope with my name and suite number written in bold letters.
Ms. Shiloh Wallace
83
“Thank you,” I mumbled hastily, my mouth now stinging with minty-foam and starting to gag. His delayed departure forced my hand into my purse. A hundred pesos sent him on his way without a fuss.
I hurried back to the bathroom to spit. I opened the letter while I made my second pass. My eyes relaxed as I focused on the familiar strokes of the sender’s pen. It was from Tanner.
I trust you’re more coherent this morning.
Try to work in that talk with your friend today…
You can do that before or after you tell me why
you downed an ENTIRE BOTTLE of Emerald Eyes.
(I personally can’t wait to hear that one)
Inadvertently, I raked my brush back and forth gruffly. Yeah… I bet you can’t. I continued reading.
I expect you’re more than a little
hung-over this morning.
It’s a side effect of the alcohol.
That, I’m afraid I couldn’t correct,
though I hope I alleviated
all of your other ailments last night.
I spit so hard, I almost knocked out a tooth.
“Katie?” I called out. She didn’t answer and this couldn’t wait. “Katie? KATIE!”
“WHAT?” she snapped with a bitchy bite.
“Wake up!” I ordered.
“Nooo,” Katie moaned. “Fifteen more…hours.” Apparently my bosom friend was down in the trenches with me.
Just like a bandage. “I kissed Tanner,” I blurted.
“I’m AWAKE!” Katie announced. “Seriously?”
I grazed my lips with the tips of my fingers as I lowered myself down onto the vanity stool. “Yeah.” They felt tingly, but then again, I had just brushed my teeth.
“When?”
“Last night,” I replied. “When I came back to the room.”
“How did it happen?” Katie asked.
“That’s the thing… Do you remember when I drank the Emerald Eyes?” I began.
“Umm…Yeah,” Katie mumbled. “I think so.”
“Well, it seems I got drunk. We got drunk.”
“You and Tanner?”
“NO,” I sighed. “You and me, because I didn’t have an amethyst to counter-act the alcohol,” I clarified.
“Ooohh,” Katie said with an insightful roll. “Is that why I feel like ten-pounds of crap in a five-pound sack?”
“Bingo,” I replied. “But when he kissed me, he did it because of the alcohol…to neutralize its effects.” I cringed at how utilitarian it sounded.
“Wait. I’m confused,” Katie claimed. “He kissed you to sober you up? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Not exactly. He didn’t heal me while he was kissing me. He did it after…when he blew a puff of air into my mouth.”
“So?” Katie laughed. “What’s the problem? It sounds like a straight-up kiss to me.”
“The problem is that I don’t know why he truly did it? I don’t want to make the same mistake I did last time and read too much into this.”
“What ‘last time’?” Katie demanded.
Crap! She was good ’n awake now. I let out an idiot-sigh while I prepared my confession.
“New Year’s Eve,” I admitted. “It was midnight. We were on the sofa.” I struggled with what to say. It sounded utterly ridiculous now. “There was just this quiet moment where it was sort of tense. It was nothing… Really.”
“It doesn’t sound like ‘nothing’ to me. And you’re JUST NOW telling me?” Katie posed. I knew that tone — wounded, peppered with pissed.
“It wasn’t a big deal. I made more out of it than what it was.”
“You share some awkward moment with Tanner on New Year’s Eve, on the sofa at midnight, and you don’t think it’s a big enough deal to tell your best friend?” she charged. “YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE? Are you kiddin’ me? Especially after your first, ‘first kiss’ fiasco?”
“Ty’s didn’t count,” I interjected. “And neither did the other one!”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me something that monumental,” Katie grumbled. “I thought we told each other everything? We used to.”
“We still do.”
“Do we?” Katie questioned. “’Cause I don’t know what to think right now. If you can keep something as major as that from me, what else haven’t you told me?”
Double Crap! “Nothing,” I said hastily.
“Careful, Shi. You don’t have your amethyst,” Katie remarked.
Her suspicion could ice a cake. “Honestly, Katie. Nothing,” I insisted after a quick mental trip to my “happy-place”.
“Swear,” Katie ordered.
“You know I hate to swear,” I contested, pitifully.
“I know,” Katie agreed. “But then again, liars say that too.”
I shook my head. “I swear,” I said compliantly.
“Nuh-uh. Swear on something important. The most important thing to you.”
I took a deep and thoughtful pause. “I swear on your life. Are you satisfied?” She didn’t say a word, but her doubt vibrated was like a whispering breeze throughout my entire body.
I’ll be going to Hell, hands tied, for that one…
“Look, I felt like crap before and now I feel even worse,” Katie charged.
“It’s the hangover,” I contended. Hopefully.
“Maybe…” Katie grouched in a doubtful roll. Every second of silence that followed made me think of the crumbling tower on Padimae’s card.
“Katie?”
“I need to rest,” she stated tersely.
“Okay,” I mumbled.
“And Shi…”
>
“Yeah?”
“They count,” Katie charged. “Both of them!”
Ouch.
Katie didn’t go right off to sleep. Every ounce of her doubt churned like a cement mixer while I got ready — loud, raw, and gritty. She finally passed out by the time I headed down to eat breakfast. Boy was I wrong. Turns out she was way more pissed than hurt, and I couldn’t blame her, not one little bit.
I spotted my classmates in the restaurant. Anna and Ethan were dining with Ms. Fitz and Coach Hayes at one table, Ty and Mike were sitting at their own nearby, and Tammy and Heath were feeding each other slices of mango at a secluded spot behind a couple of ficus trees, well out of our chaperones’ view. I shook my head and grinned as I made my way over to the buffet.
Those two have to come up for air sometime.
Since there were two vacancies at Mike and Ty’s table, I winded through the meticulous maze of wrought iron dinettes over to theirs. Great. Doesn’t anybody use wood anymore? At least the tops were marble.
“Mind if I sit down?” I asked them.
They both shook their heads. Just as I slid out my chair and sat my plate down on the table, Ty hopped up and left abruptly. I couldn’t quite tell if he looked more put-out or concerned.
“What was that about?” I asked Mike. I figured I’d go the traditional route.
“Nothing,” Mike said, his tone deliberate and swift.
Suspicious, I noted quietly as I whisked open the showy flower-shaped folded napkin and placed it in my lap. I waved to a waitress in need of a drink. Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
“How was the carnival?” I asked.
“Sweet. I’d give it five-stars,” Mike raved.
“I hate I missed it.” I really did. Watching a parade on a crowded street sounded like heaven compared to my adventure last night. “What was it like?”
“Full, of hot half-naked chicks,” Mike grinned.
“Aren’t you the entertainment critic,” I remarked as I dove into my eggs. I smiled as I swallowed my bite. I bet Kara loved that.
“I took plenty of pictures.” He reached for his phone. “Do you want to see them?”
“That’s okay,” I said with a wave.
Mike grinned and put his cell back in his pocket. “So…What did yooou do last night?” There was something strangely telling about the hum in his voice.
“I hung out in my room,” I answered with an arched brow.
Mike laughed. “Not all night.”
I leaned back in my chair. “No. Not all night,” I admitted.
Just as a weird mental image of me surfaced in Mike’s head, he revealed, “Kara showed me an interesting picture she took… One of you, in the fountain.”
I slumped down in my chair. The fountain. That’s how my clothes got wet. I remembered it, vaguely, but I couldn’t recall how I’d ended up in there.
“She said you were drunk.”
“Is that all?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“No. She said you jumped out and tried to attack her,” Mike revealed.
“I DID NOT… I don’t think,” I added hesitantly. That didn’t sound like me, but I guessed it was possible. We’d both been stuck in each other’s craw this whole trip.
“But you were drunk?” Mike proposed. My shameful silence said it all. He gave his hands a smack and rubbed them briskly. “Then I won the bet.”
My head fell into a curious tilt. “What bet?”
“Ty didn’t believe her, so we made a bet. I won.”
Great! Ty knows too. “What was the bet?”
“Loser has to lift Coach Hayes’ cell,” Mike revealed.
“For what?” I asked.
“Phase Three,” Mike grinned as he proudly wiggled his fingers.
“Three?” I questioned.
“Oh.” Mike pointed over to Coach Hayes. “See that smoothie he’s drinking,” he chuckled. “I laced it with a laxative. It takes awhile to kick in. We snuck into his room this morning and Saran wrapped his toilet. Should make for an interesting evening tonight. That was Phase Two.”
“Disturbing,” I scolded with a grin. I just hoped they hadn’t used too much. I’d hate to have to find a way to heal some asshole’s asshole. Suddenly breakfast didn’t sound so appealing.
A waitress approached our table carrying a tray of fancy, fruity beverages — but no coffee. “Here,” Mike said as he handed me a champagne flute filled with orange juice. I took a sip. It wasn’t all juice. “Nothing like a little hair-of-the-dog to cure a hangover.”
“Nooo thank you,” I sang as I placed the liquor-laced drink down firmly on the table.
“There was something else,” Mike added with a heedful pause. My eyes widened as I waited for his next reveal on pins and needles.
“What?” I finally snapped.
“She said she ran into that Tanner Grey last night…coming out of your room.”
Every muscle in my body cringed.
“And that you were passed out…in bed,” Mike added, trying to flatten out a wavering grin.
Did she get pictures of that, too? I snatched up the flute and took a big swig. My mother would have been so proud. I’m sure Tanner’s little remark yesterday helped stoke that fire. Ugh! Just crown me slut of the class trip!
“I figured it was completely innocent,” Mike said candidly, after he’d counted off every angry line on my face. “You know how she likes to embellish.”
“Does she ever,” I grumbled in agreement.
“Don’t sweat it. She’s just ticked about me kissing you the other night,” Mike laughed. “I honestly don’t know why I even did it.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled through an uneasy chew of my sweet roll.
“I really don’t see you like that…not to be mean or anything,” Mike swiftly clarified.
I smiled. “I don’t see you like that either,” I replied. Mike grinned and raised his glass. I followed suit and we clanged them straightaway.
“Good,” we concurred in unison and took a drink. Thankfully my lips hadn’t gotten me into too much of a mess, at least not this time. My stomach fluttered. Though I can’t say the same about last night. Thinking about Tanner reminded me of my mentor’s request. I took a quick dip in Mike’s mental pool. To my dismay, his brainwaves were still rattling off a whole lot of rage.
“Mike, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Eating?” he replied and glanced at his plate.
“No. I’m talking about Malachi.”
“What about him?” Mike asked as he muddled his fork through his breakfast.
“What are you trying to accomplish?”
“I’m getting to know another titan of industry,” he declared, striving to sound more “Mr. H. M. Riverdise” than just plain ’ole “Mike”.
Is he kidding? I rolled my eyes. “Inheriting one coal mine doesn’t quite put you in the club.” Mike’s thoughts began stirring with a few choice words. I wasn’t sure if they were directed at Lazarus or the snarky little crack I’d just spanked his ego with.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “What I meant was…you need to let this stuff with Lazarus go.”
“Who are you to tell me what I need?” Mike griped.
“Do you think your father would want you to be consumed with this?” I leaned across the table and whispered, “We’re sitting here in Mexico, on a daggone class trip that you helped orchestrate, simply because you couldn’t get any real answers about your father’s death.”
“Hey, I was only holding them to their word,” Mike claimed. The rich, cocky jock may be many things, but a good actor, he certainly was not.
“Well, I’ve smelled less bull in a cow pasture,” I countered swiftly.
“It’s easy for you to sit there and lecture me about closure. Your father died of natural causes. Mine was murdered, Shi. Big difference. And I don’t believe for one second that it had anything to do with some asshole trying to rob our guesthouse.”
“Yeah well, that asshole’s brothe
r has been throwing you some pretty evil looks. You need to stay away from him too,” I warned.
“I’m not scared of him,” Mike snapped.
I pulled back in my seat and clenched my fists under the table. Stubborn, I affirmed silently. I listened in on his mind throughout the rest of our meal. He wasn’t giving up. He couldn’t. Tanner wanted me to sway him…and truthfully, I knew I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right. Being in the dark was pure torture. I knew that firsthand. Mike needed some closure. I couldn’t be the one to stand in his way. Between all the lies I’d told Katie and having to fess up to Tanner about the curse, my guilt bucket was running over. I stared at him incisively as he tossed down his napkin and rose from his chair.
Mike thinks that Malachi will lead him straight to Lazarus…but he can’t. I had the ability to end all of his suffering right now, but I couldn’t. Strangely, it didn’t have anything to do with keeping my identity a secret. It was the cold hard fact that Harper Riverside’s death was ultimately because of me. That would be a pretty bitter pill for Mike to swallow, and I wasn’t about to be the one to tell him to “open wide”. After all, it hadn’t been that long ago when my own anger was more than a little misguided about “possessed Mike” keeping me from getting help for my dying father.
Keeping to our schedule, we rendezvoused in front of the hotel entrance at eight-thirty sharp. A mid-size touring coach was waiting for us, engine humming and ready to go. Everyone was present and accounted for, except for one person — my buddy. I spotted Kara coming through the window. As soon as I saw her jacket tied around her waist, I slumped down in my seat. I’d kind of forgotten about that. She stomped up the steps like a team of horses and sought me out with an unbridled fury blazing in her eyes. Ms. Fitz halted her halfway down the aisle.
“Kara, untie that jacket and put it on,” Ms. Fitz requested. “Let’s try to look respectful.”
Kara looked dead at me as she loosened the knot in the sleeves. I turned my head towards the window.
“WHAT did you do to your jacket?” Ms. Fitz demanded in a loud gasp.
“Nothing,” Kara grunted.
