by S. E. Akers
No Onyx, I confirmed. Just my mother…and Daddy. I glanced back at the house as I bumped down our drive. I caught Chloe looking out her window. I chose not to wave, but instead, I implanted a heartfelt thought.
Don’t ever forget…
You can ALWAYS count on your sister…for anything.
And I meant it too… Now and always.
But I still planned on coming home armed with my own can of paint.
Day-Glo Pink, I mused with a sneaky grin as I pulled onto the road.
Chapter 32 — Some Girls Want to Have Too Much Fun
I should have known finding a place to park downtown would be more than a challenge on “Graduation Day”. I had to loop around our small-town streets eleven times before I finally found a spot. Correction — Stole a spot. I may have compelled the driver of the car in front of me to “move along”. But in my defense, the guy passed me back at the light… And he’d only circled town twice. I’m not proud, but I did it.
Our UPS store was basically a seedy hole in the wall, comprised of only a chipped brown Formica counter, one computer (with a yellow-tinged monitor the size of a microwave), and a grimy old door. No backroom… No warehouse… Nothing. My stuff didn’t have to arrive at Tanner’s house until Friday, however, I was slightly concerned about my things sitting out in the open — all conveniently packed and ready for some Klepto to snatch. Realistically, they were just full of clothes, books, knick-knacks, and a few personal necessities — nothing sentimental by far. All of it could be replaced. Anything I prized happened to fit into a box the size of a milk crate and it was making the trip with me (that, and everything hidden down in the confines of Beatrix’s mystical armoire). I was starting to get a little nervous about what was left to be packed. She had A LOT of stuff down there, and I just prayed all of it would fit into my car! I’d told Katie that if push came to shove, I’d disguise her as a deer and strap her to the roof. Good thing she didn’t have too much to pack. We had been sharing clothes for the past month, but I promised her that we would go shopping sometime over the next week, before I left her to spend the summer at Tanner’s.
Once I’d schlepped all the boxes to the counter, their labels had been printed off, and then slapped on their tops, I paid the $467.83 in shipping (that $500 came in handy) and made the clerk promise that all of my packages would get there by the end of next week. Even with my tracking numbers in hand, a part of me still wanted to run in there and spell the daggone things. Too bad paranoia is one thing you can’t graduate from.
Someone on the street called out my name as I opened the car door. “Ms. ‘Vallace?” the voice beckoned.
I looked up immediately, knowing that accent anywhere. “Ms. Imbsweiler? What are you doing here?”
“’Vat do you think? I have another delivery for you,” the perky little woman replied.
This was a surprise. “From Bea?” I questioned. She had dotted all of her other i’s and crossed her t’s. Why not this?
“No, no. ‘Zis one is from another client of mine,” Ms. Imbsweiler revealed as she handed me a beautifully padded red silk pouch. I started to open it when the goldsmith halted my hands. “I ‘vas given strict instructions with this. Ms. Kamandha wants you to open it only in front of Tanner Grey. This ‘vas a very important request.”
“Kamya?” I posed with a grin. Ms. Imbsweiler nodded. I think I may have just gotten my ruby. “Thank you for bringing it all this way.”
“My pleasure,” she replied with a bow-like nod and headed towards her SVU. “‘Zis is only a minor detour for me. I’m heading up north to finish my deliveries.” I watched her wave as she pulled away from the curve. I tried to untie the strings to take an early peek as soon as she was out of sight, but the daggone knot wouldn’t loosen up. Not one bit! I shoved the pouch into my pocket and slid inside my Charger. Well, whatever her reason is for the wait…knowing Kamya, I’m sure it’s good!
I arrived back at Bea’s house to find Katie sitting on the floor, slumped down beside the armoire. I’d left it open for her to get started on the packing, but the doors were closed shut and all the boxes and tape that I’d left for her were strung-out all over the floor.
“We have a problem,” Katie announced drolly.
“What?”
“I can’t get in,” my bosom friend proclaimed with a fixed stare as she popped away on a sheet of bubble wrap.
“You haven’t started?” I groaned.
“No, because I REPEAT, I can’t get through your witchy, temperamental door! I tried to climb inside and the damn thing literally spit me out and slammed its doors.” Katie pointed to the opposite wall. There was a huge hole in the sheetrock. “That was from my head.”
“Oooh,” I replied with a wince.
Katie rubbed the back of her head and nodded. “You need to tell a person these things.”
Sadly, it wouldn’t let her in, even with me right there. That was disappointing.
Katie rose from the floor and patted my back. “I’d better let you get started.”
“Where’s Tanner?” I asked. Maybe he can cross its threshold and lend me a helping hand?
“I don’t know. Maybe checking on your car?”
“Is he coming back?” I asked.
Katie’s feet squeaked to a stop on the hardwood floor. “Again,” she restated, “I. Do. Not. Know.” She glanced back and grinned. “By the way… Nice tribute.”
I hurled a roll of tape at her, smacking her butt as she headed out the door. “Yeah. I thought it was ‘sweet’!”
I tried calling Tanner, but I didn’t get a response. That left me to box up all Bea’s magical whatnots — all on my own. Terrific… More packing.
For the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening, I wrapped oodles of delicate bottles, padded countless strange-looking doodads, and loaded a slew of dusty old books into boxes cautiously. It was pushing ten-thirty and I still had a few things left to pack. It wasn’t the quantity of items that made it take so long, but rather its sentimental nature coupled with the sheer fact that I didn’t know how dangerous any of this stuff was. As tired as what I was from being up half the night working on that speech, I really didn’t want to find out what “packs a nasty punch” truly meant.
I ran my hands along the tops of all the bookcases, just to play it safe. I’m sure glad I did, because low and behold, I found a decorative golden key lying on top of the last one I checked. There was a note attached to it too. It read,
Shiloh, my dear,
Use this key to lock the
front door when you leave.
Love, Beatrix
I tapped the key in my hands. She sure was a planner all right.
“Hey, you have a visitor,” Katie called down mysteriously. “I’d get it, but us prisoners can’t open our cell doors.”
I laid the key on a shelf and headed up to see who could be calling at this late hour. Ugh! I hope it’s not Helaine. Katie followed me down the hall, practically on my heels. “Shouldn’t you be hiding?” I posed.
“Of course,” Katie teased with a playful wave and then flitted around the corner. She poked her head back around quickly. “By the way…It’s Ty. I peeked.”
As soon as she was good and gone, I whisked open the door. He was already halfway to his car. “Ty,” I yelled as I hurried outside to catch him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear the bell.”
Ty turned around slowly and let out a sigh. “Will you tell me now?”
I nodded somberly and led him over to the front stoop.
All in all, Ty took Bea’s passing fairly well. I didn’t tell him any specifics, only that she died the way she wanted and the way fate had intended, protecting me. He had a few more questions, ones that were a long time coming, so I cleared the air about how he really ended up getting poisoned that day and why he couldn’t remember me. I left the “kiss part” well enough alone, but I think he got the gist. He took that nugget fine too. I guessed after seeing Lorelei in all her glory, nothing could shock
him now.
“Wait here,” I requested. I ran into the house and returned not a few seconds later, beaming a gratified smile and carting something hidden behind my back. “Here,” I said as I handed him the fancy gold-leafed frame that held the picture Bea had taken with Ty. “I think she wanted you to have this.”
Ty grinned as he ran his fingers over the picture, stroking the spot where her face lay directly behind the glass. “So, she really could see,” he mumbled. “The entire time.”
“Yeah. She hoodwinked us all,” I teased.
“Will you be around the Drive-In this summer?” Ty asked.
“No. I’m taking the summer off.”
“Oh,” Ty mumbled. “By the way, I finally decided on a college.”
“So? Princeton or Stanford?”
“Neither,” Ty replied. “I chose Harvard.”
“Really?”
“Really. It’s not far from Yardley, so I was thinking…maybe sometime I can come by and see…Katie,” Ty mumbled and sprang to his feet. He pointed to the moving curtains. “That was KATIE! I know it was!” he exclaimed. “Shi, I just saw her… I swear! She was looking out the window!”
Eight AM can’t get here freakin’ soon enough! I grabbed his arms and focused in on his mind. “Ty…Forget you saw Katie.” I spotted my guilty bosom friend peeking out again and mouthing an apologetic “SORRY” to me. She ran off at the first point of my finger. “Go home now, Ty. And remember, YOU DID NOT SEE KATIE.”
Not yet, I grinned mischievously.
Ty nodded and walked straight over to his car. I laid the picture in his passenger-seat and watched him drive off down the road, shaking my head. Katie and I are going to have a serious talk!
Tanner stepped out from behind a shadowy oak. “Why am I always bringing up the rear?” he posed.
“Because you’re always late?” I countered.
“The right timing is everything,” Tanner grinned.
I sighed. “He saw Katie in the window.” I threw my hand up defensively. “It was an accident. I took care of it and sent him home.”
Tanner rolled his eyes. “I have a feeling you’re going to have your hands full with her.”
“She just needs to get out of here. I can’t blame her. Between the diamond and this house, she’s been stuck in seclusion for seven months. I’d have a wicked case of cabin-fever too. This vacation is exactly what she needs.” Both of us.
“I just hope it doesn’t turn out like your last one,” Tanner warned with a wary arch of his brow.
“Hopefully there aren’t a lot of voodoo shops north of the Mason-Dixon line,” I declared with a sigh.
“You’d be surprised,” Tanner hummed. He handed me a leather duffel bag. “Would you mind? It’s just some clothes I kept here. And I like to travel light.”
I shook my head with a smile. Exactly what I need… More stuff to cram in the car. It took a couple of gruff shoves to make it fit, and I had to really slam the trunk.
“Maybe Katie wrecking the ’Vette was a good thing. You would’ve never fit all that ‘witch crap’ in it anyway.”
“How long will it be before it’s fixed?” I posed.
Tanner laughed. “Who says you’re getting it when it does get out of the shop?”
My face fell flat.
“If you think having to earn another amethyst is hard, you have no idea the wait you’re in for when it comes to a ’63 split-window Stingray,” Tanner vowed.
I tapped my hand on the trunk. “Yeah, and maybe your bag will make it there…and then again, maybe it won’t?” I countered, half-teasing.
“That’s why I spelled it. See if this redneck rust-wagon starts without it,” Tanner challenged.
I let out a sharp grunt. That’s okay. After I unload my things, I’ll spell the daggone trunk shut, I thought as I stretched my grin, extra-wide.
“Oh, and there’s something in there for Katie too,” Tanner added. “To help her adjust to her new life.”
Even I wondered what it was exactly, but after her revealing little “peep show”, I decided to wait until we were way down the road tomorrow before I would tell her. Fitting punishment.
“Be careful…and watch out for everything,” Tanner advised. “I’ve got a lot planned for you this summer. But I need you to arrive there in one-piece next Friday. Remember, the full moon officially rises at dawn the next day.”
“Believe me, I haven’t forgotten.” Sadly, I would never be able to look at one of those the same, not with Lorelei lurking somewhere out there.
I pulled the red silk pouch out of my pocket. “Kamya sent this…with instructions,” I added with a grin. “She said for me to only open it with you present.”
“Oh she did?” Tanner posed, looking a tad uneasy about the gift.
Tanner held the pouch while I loosened its strings. One shake, and out fell a dazzling gold cuff with a round, red ruby about the size of a quarter. A faint star lay embedded deep inside the layers of the polished cabochon. There was a note too. I read aloud,
To level your playing field…
Kamya
Sort of vague, but it sounds helpful, I thought with a shrug.
“How thoughtful,” Tanner remarked in a blatantly wry tone. He took the cuff out of my hand and placed it back in the pouch. “You can put this on after I leave.”
I studied his expression. Something in my gut was telling me that he wasn’t entirely pleased to see this gift or the note. Definitely a qualm.
“So what does it do?” I inquired.
“That depends on which of her powers she charged it with. Of course, you’ll find out soon enough the next time you’re threatened. The ruby is an extremely defensive stone.”
“When is she arriving?”
“Not until the fall. She’ll take over when your classes start.” Tanner cocked his head. “I’m afraid, it’s just you and me this summer.”
I froze for a second while his last declaration lingered in my head.
Tanner took a calculated step closer. “Disappointed?”
I looked into his swirling amethyst eyes. “Not in the least.”
“Good,” he whispered in a rustle. “I’ll see you next Friday. That’s when the real fun begins.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled as I glanced at those perfect mauve lips of his. My heart bottomed straight into my stomach as he inched closer, while an arousing ache swelled uncontrollably. There wasn’t a shadow of doubt in my mind — my insides were about to self-combust if he hovered there any longer.
“Good-bye,” Tanner murmured as he leaned in slowly. My eyes had almost fallen to a close when I realized his body was gone. All that lingered before me was his misty vapor form. The purple haze churned around my body like a caressing whirlwind, leaving my lips moist and the most blissful feeling ravaging every cell in my body. Before I knew it, he was rocketing down the road like a shimmery streak of light in the rain and then disappeared into the darkness of night.
I turned on my heel and marched into the house, ticked but euphoric nonetheless. Tanner Grey… You are a full-on tease!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
With all our things loaded in my Charger, Katie and I headed out the door for the very last time. As Bea’s note had instructed, I slipped the ornate golden key into the lock and gave it a hard left turn. The key started to shimmer immediately and then a couple of sparks shot out of it. I stepped back to watch several streams of glowing light seeping out of the tiny brass hole. With a fluid and steady pace, the magical streaks worked their way around the edge of the red front door. Soon, their reach had stretched even farther and now outlined the entire house in a glistening golden light. I looked around to make sure the street was empty. A glowing house would be hard to explain to the neighbors, let alone the fire department. Suddenly the house started to fade, disappearing slowly before our eyes. Katie and I headed to the car, each of us giving the now empty lot a wonderstruck double and third-take.
“I sure hope you didn’t leave anything in the
re,” Katie chortled.
My eyes flared, fueled by a burst of panic that sent my hand frantically digging inside my purse. My muscles eased when I felt the edge of Lazarus’ leather journal. I knew that I’d combed every room thoroughly this morning, but I had to check. And there it was, along with its ornate medallion-like bookmark — safe, sound, and still out of anyone else’s prying eyes, including Tanner’s. Granted, I still didn’t know what anything in it meant, but I thought I would take a stab at finding out myself. Somehow…
I smiled as I zipped my bag. Number One on “Shiloh’s Summer Reading List”.
A couple of Bea’s neighbors were coming down the street, out for their early morning walk. I waited curiously for them to pass by the now empty, grass-covered lot.
“I wish someone would buy that,” one of the ladies remarked to the other one. “Maybe they could build a house on it?”
“It’s been the same ’ole patch of grass and dirt since I was a little girl,” the other lady commented. “If someone were going to build a house on it, they’d have done it by now. Besides, I’d miss seeing all the birds.”
I stuck my head out the window. Sure enough, it was swarming with various feathery fowls, all belting out their own special song. My mouth stretched slowly into a smile. I couldn’t think of a more beautiful or fitting final send-off for Bea.
I gave the engine a crank. I guess you can brainwash an entire town.
The drive to Beckley was surprisingly melancholy. I’d wondered about this day for the longest time, but now that it was finally here, I felt like someone was pushing me out the door. I figured a lot of my sadness stemmed from leaving Samuel (and guilt over not saying squat to Charlie and Naomi), but I still felt like something else was at play. I wouldn’t see any of this for a while. No kudzu smothering every roadside tree and power pole standing still… None of the colorful homes scattered randomly throughout the mountains… Not even their lawns littered with all sorts of interesting yard-art that doubled as local redneck landmarks and always guided me along my drive… Or any of the speeding coal trucks trying to run me off the road so they could meet their quota… And of course, the stranger-less faces around every turn. I drove slower than usual, just so I could mentally etch its backwoods, casual charm into my mind.
