by Sabina Khan
“Thanks, Mom, you’re the best. I have to work on my essay now, and I have tons of math homework too,” I said as I jumped out of my chair, gave both my parents a hug and bounded up the stairs before my mom remembered the sweets.
The next day was pretty uneventful. Shiv and I talked about our parents meeting and rolled our eyes as we commiserated on how embarrassing they could be. Ben came and started talking to me at length about an English essay he was having a hard time with. I found this very suspicious since he wasn’t taking English this semester. He ignored the pointed looks I was giving him to hint that I would like to be alone with Shiv. Finally he left, giving me a chance to get some more information out of Shiv.
“So, Shiv, how long did you live in California?” I asked, hoping it would lead to some subtle follow-up questions. Unfortunately, subtlety was not my strong suit.
“We just stayed there for six months,” he said. “My dad was supposed to be in charge of a project there, but it didn’t work out the way he’d hoped.” Just then the bell rang for the next period. We both had chemistry, so we walked down the hall together to our class.
“What about you? What made your family move here from Kolkata?” So much for my follow-up questions. I gave him the same rehearsed answer I’d been giving whenever someone asked me that.
“My dad got a teaching position here and my mom wanted to go back to school. Plus my dad grew up here, and after spending so many years in India, they thought it was time for a change.” For some reason I felt guilty about lying to him. But then what would I have said? That I started to have these insanely graphic nightmares and was beginning to lose it, so my parents got scared and relocated us? I could just picture seeing the back of his head as he ran away if he ever found out. Luckily, we had reached the class and chemistry kept us busy for the next hour.
That Saturday, Shiv and his parents came to our house for dinner. My mom had been like a whirlwind all day, cooking up a storm. My dad and I spent the day driving back and forth from the store because she kept forgetting one thing or the other. After the third trip he planted himself on the kitchen stool and said he would help her with whatever she needed to get things ready for that evening, but he refused to go to the store one more time.
My mom was making all my favorite dishes. There was succulent shrimp swimming in fragrant coconut milk, grilled spicy eggplant, basmati rice studded with peas and carrots and a cooling yoghurt and cucumber salad. Then of course there was the sweet yellow rice that my mom only made on special occasions. I loved the pretty edible silver paper she used as a garnish. And it was accompanied by the traditional Indian rice pudding I could never keep my hands off.
They arrived around seven. Shiv grinned at me conspiratorially behind our parents’ backs. I was glad they had come. Even though I had only met Shiv a few days ago, it felt like we’d known one another much longer. I was very comfortable around him, which was good because I was pretty sure that I was developing a major crush. I looked around for him at school whenever we didn’t have classes together. Usually I talked to Ben about my crushes, but the last few days, whenever I met up with Ben in our usual place, Shiv would join us and I got the distinct feeling that Ben did not like him. Plus I’d been busy with my extra after school work, so I hadn’t had any time to spend alone with Ben. Either way, I figured he would just get over it. I had misgivings about many of the girls that Ben had dated in the past, and I always managed to keep my most negative thoughts to myself. Things had a way of working themselves out where Ben was concerned.
I looked at Shiv now, sitting in our living room with his parents. He looked a lot like his dad, Dev. The same dark skin, curly hair and intense brown eyes. His mother, Nina, was a total contrast. She was petite, with delicate features and black hair that hung down her back in a long braid. It was a nice evening. Our parents got along really well and Shiv and I talked about our years in Kolkata. It turned out we had acquaintances in common, but Shiv had been there more recently, so he updated me on some of them. Nina asked to use the washroom, and after I showed her where it was, I went upstairs to grab some old pictures of my school friends in Kolkata. As I was coming back down the stairs I could hear voices floating up. I didn’t pay much attention until I heard my name. I stopped on the third step and listened, not sure what I was eavesdropping on.
“She has to find out sometime,” Nina was saying. Then I heard Dev’s reply and it chilled me to the bone.
“She might not make it, Nina. You know what happened to the other girls.”
I must have shifted my weight from one foot to the other because the stair I was on squeaked and Nina’s head shot out from around the corner.
“Oh, there you are, dear,” she said, showing no signs that anything strange was going on. “We were wondering where you’d gone off to.”
“Umm...I was just getting this to show Shiv,” I said, holding out the album and trying hard not to let any panic show on my face.
“Oh, let me see,” Nina said, taking the album out of my hand. “Are these photos from your school in Kolkata?” She turned to Dev, who was watching me with a strange expression. “Dev, look...maybe Shiv will know some of the kids in here. Such a small world.” I didn’t know how much longer I could stay calm. I just wanted them to leave so I could tell my parents what I’d overheard. I went to the kitchen, where my mom was getting the dessert tray ready.
“Mom...I need to —” I began, but my mom cut me off.
“Oh good, Callie, you’re here,” she said without looking up from the dish of rice pudding she was garnishing with raisins and pistachios. “Come help me with the chai.”
When I didn’t respond, she looked up. Whatever I was feeling must have been on my face, because the next minute she was by my side.
“Callie, honey, what’s wrong? You look so pale? Are you feeling alright?”
She looked so worried that I decided not to say anything for the moment. I didn’t want her to start asking too many questions. I didn’t want her to find out about my nightmares either. When I first started having them in Kolkata, my parents had been very stressed about me. I didn’t want them to go through all that again. I hoped that maybe all this was happening because it was a stressful time waiting to hear back about scholarships and university admissions. I was sure the nightmares would go away once I knew what I would be doing after high school. So I lied now and put on a brave face. I would talk to Shiv later and see if I could find out what his parents were talking about.
“I’m fine, Mom,” I said, smiling and giving her a hug. “I just have a headache, that’s all.” I started putting the teacups my mom had inherited from my grandmother on the silver tray that was part of the set. As a little girl I used to love having pretend tea parties with my cousins, and my grandmother would always let me use her fancy tea set. When my mom protested that I might break something, my grandmother would always tell her that the teacups weren’t as important as seeing her granddaughter enjoy herself. I loved my sweet grandmother and I made sure to be extra careful with the cups. I never did break a single one, and when we left Kolkata, she insisted we take it with us. My mom didn’t use it very often, but when she did it always brought back sweet memories of my grandmother, in her white sari and the little gray bun at the nape of her neck. She would tell me stories of gods and goddesses, and when I first started having nightmares, she told me that maybe I was a little goddess myself and that the dreams were just memories of my past lives.
When we walked back into the living room, my dad was telling them the story about how he’d met my mom, as a graduate research assistant in Kolkata. Nothing looked amiss. Shiv’s parents seemed to be having a great time. Shiv looked up as I walked in with the tray and got up to help me. I started to think that maybe I had imagined the whole thing. I was sleep-deprived, after all.
The rest of the evening went by fast, and then it was time for Shiv and his family to leave. I helped my parents clean up and then we all went to bed exhausted.
; The next few days passed with the usual monotony of school, homework and chores. Finals were fast approaching and the teachers were piling on the work. I had to stay after school from the beginning of the week. The first day Mr. Burke sat there, and I felt as if he was watching me the whole time. It creeped me out a little, but there was really nothing I could do. Then it was Wednesday and my parents had an appointment to talk to Mr. Burke. I was beginning to regret that decision and hoped it wouldn’t make things even weirder for me. My parents had asked me to meet them by Mr. Burke’s office, so I waited for them after school. When they arrived we all went into his office. I could see that they were as impressed by the décor as I had been. After the usual pleasantries were over, my mom got right to the point.
“Mr. Burke, Callie tells us she is not doing too well in your class.”
“That’s right. Mrs. Hansen, her grade has dropped a lot. I have offered to let her do some work for extra credit.”
My dad spoke up this time. “Mr. Burke, we’re just a bit surprised because she was sitting at 95 percent just a couple of weeks ago. How could her grade have dropped so much in such a short time?”
Mr. Burke took off his glasses and leaned forward. “Mr. Hansen,” he said, his face a stony mask. “Have you asked your daughter why she might be doing so badly? I find her unfocused in class, and her last two essays have not been up to my standard.” He was pointing a finger at my dad, jabbing it in his direction, punctuating his sentences.
I had never seen Mr. Burke like this. There was something distinctly hostile and menacing about his expression and tone. I glanced at my parents and realized that they were staring at Mr. Burke’s hand, which was still in midair. I looked too and saw a tattoo on the inside of his right wrist. I couldn’t be sure but it looked like the head of a bull or something with horns. My parents were still staring, their faces ashen, as if they had seen a ghost. I expected them both to be quite upset with the things that Mr. Burke was saying about me. I definitely hadn’t expected this. I had never known my parents to be so intimidated. They got up hurriedly and ushered me out of the office, up the stairs and out into the parking lot. I tried to stop them but they were adamant, not saying a word until we got home. As soon as we got inside I turned on them.
“Mom, Dad, what was that? Why did we run out of there like that? Mr. Burke is going to think you guys are so weird.” I was really upset and I wanted an explanation.
“Callie, listen,” my dad said. “We don’t want you to stay after school anymore.”
“What do you mean? I have to stay. How am I supposed to finish all the extra-credit work he’s giving me?” My voice had risen a couple of octaves and I was beginning to really lose my cool.
“Callie, just listen to us,” my mom pleaded. “We don’t want you around that Mr. Burke any more than you have to be. So come home right after school.”
“You always have a problem with people, Mom. Why can’t you for once just let me deal with my own problems? God, you two really need to get a life.” With that I stormed off. I ran up the stairs to my room and slammed the door. I was furious. I didn’t know exactly why Mr. Burke suddenly had it in for me, but I was willing to deal with a little extra work if it meant I would keep my grade in the class. The deadline for sending in final grades was coming up really soon and I had no time to waste. I fumed for a while longer, but finally fell asleep.
Sleep didn’t bring any rest for me, though, since I was plagued by the same nightmare. The same demons and frightful creatures on a bloody battlefield. The next morning I woke up bleary-eyed and with a massive headache. I was glad that my parents left for work really early on Thursdays because I was in no mood to deal with them this morning. I got ready and walked to school, just as the five-minute warning bell rang. I had math first and then history. Mr. Burke wasn’t any grumpier than usual and I hoped he’d met his fair share of over-protective parents and wouldn’t hold yesterday’s events against me. But then in the middle of the period the pounding in my head got so bad that I was overcome by nausea. Mr. Burke was giving us time to work on our research essays, so I went up to him and asked if I could be excused.
“Again, Miss. Hansen? This seems to be turning into a habit.” By this point I was just trying not to throw up all over him, so I didn’t reply. He looked at me intently.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Miss Hansen? Something that might be bothering you?” There it was. That weird, menacing tone, as if he knew something and just wanted me to admit it. A fresh wave of nausea rose and the pounding in my head became unbearable. Mr. Burke pulled a cell phone out of his coat pocket and pressed the screen. I had no idea what he expected me to do, but I wasn’t going to wait around to find out. I mumbled an apology and ran out of the room, down the hall to the washrooms. I made it just in time. After the heaving stopped and there nothing left to throw up, I went to the sink and splashed cold water on my face. Then I put a wet paper towel on the back of my neck. The coolness felt so good that I sat down on the floor with my back against the wall to rest for a minute. I needed to get home and sleep it off.
I got up, went to the office and told them I was sick and was going home. I grabbed my books from my locker. At the exit, I pushed open the heavy double doors and went outside. The fresh air revived me a little as I went around the corner and headed toward the staff parking lot. It was sunny today for a change and I took off my jacket as I walked through the parking lot toward the little street that would take me to my house a couple of blocks away. I was deep in thought about my history class as I crossed the street and started walking down the hill that led to my house. I was just a couple of houses away when the screech of car tires ripped through the air. Startled, I turned my head just in time to see a dark blue SUV racing down the street. It was heading straight toward me.
I was about to jump out of the way when a dark shape came flying at me and knocked me to the ground. Stunned, I tried to get up but buckled as a sharp pain shot through my ankle. I looked to see if the car was still there but only caught a glimpse of it as it disappeared around the cul-de-sac. Then I noticed Shiv standing there.
“Shiv, how did you…? Did you see that?” I spluttered, pulling out my cell phone then realizing I hadn’t noticed the licence plate. “Shiv, did you see the licence plate?”
“No, I’m sorry, Callie, all I saw was that car coming toward you, and I had to save you.” Shiv’s voice was shaking a little, and he was looking up and down the street as if he thought the car might come back. “Let’s get you into the house. I have to make sure that you’re okay.” He tried to help me up and I winced when I put weight on my right ankle. I sucked in a breath and tried again. It still hurt a lot but I felt I would be able to walk the rest of the way home.
Shiv put an arm around me. “Try to use my arm for support, and don’t put too much pressure on that ankle,” he said as we slowly started making our way down the street. When we crossed my front yard to the steps, I noticed the front door was ajar. There was no car in the driveway. Confused, I forgot the pain in my ankle as I shrugged off Shiv’s arm and went up the stairs. I was almost at the door when Shiv grabbed my arm none too gently and pulled me back.
“What are you doing?” I said, pulling my arm from his grasp.
“I don’t think you should go in there,” Shiv whispered. “Why is the door open? I don’t think your parents are home.”
“Well. That’s what I am going to find out,” I said testily. An uneasy feeling was starting to bloom in my gut.
“Maybe I should go in first?” Shiv said, moving to stand in front of me.
Why, are you a ninja? I thought. Be nice, Callie...he’s just trying to help.
“Sure, okay, whatever. Just be careful.” I didn’t want anything to happen to him, because he was trying to help me out. I let him walk in ahead of me, waited a second until he turned the corner into the living room and then followed him in. Since he was checking out the downstairs, I decided to go upstairs. On the way I grabbed a go
lf club from my dad’s bag next to the hallway closet. Wielding it expertly like Kate Beckett from my favourite TV show, Castle, I walked stealthily up the stairs to my room, which was on the right at the end of the hallway. I poked my head in first, then went in and checked behind the door and inside my messy closet. As if anyone could find space to hide there. I was positive a burglar would rather get caught than try to untangle himself from the wormhole of clothes and shoes that was my closet.
Satisfied there was no one lurking in my room, I tiptoed gingerly across the landing to my parents’ bedroom at the other end of the hallway. The door was half open and I could hear a buzzing coming from inside. That was strange. I walked in expecting to see some bugs that had come in through the bathroom window that my mom always forgot to close before she left the house. What I saw instead made me freeze on the spot. Someone was standing at my mom’s armoire. The doors were open and this person was in the process of stealing something from it.
I reached my hand into my pocket for my cell phone, and at that exact moment the thief stepped away from the armoire and saw me. And I saw him. Only it wasn’t a man. Or a woman. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but my brain couldn’t process what I was seeing in front of me. It was a creature of some sort, with the torso and legs of a man. But it was the head that made a cold fear grip my insides like a vise. I realized where the buzzing was coming from. The creature’s head was sort of oblong and it was covered in what I could only describe as giant stingers like those on a wasp. They moved in a snake-like motion around its face, emitting a buzz. I wanted to scream, but my throat couldn’t make the sound. The creature seemed as stunned as I was, but it recovered a lot faster. It moved toward me with alarming speed and my only thought as it closed in on me was that Shiv was still downstairs and the creature would get him. Then something flew through the air from behind me and hit the creature right in the middle of its torso. The monster exploded, sending hundreds of stingers flying through the air and some into me. When the blinding pain hit I fell backwards. But instead of landing on the hard floor as I’d expected, I felt someone’s arms catching me from behind. I turned my gaze upward and saw Shiv’s face. His deep brown eyes were the last thing I saw before blackness overtook me.
