Soul Fire

by Nancy Allan

  Laine listened, her expression grim. “I don’t believe this,” she whispered. “It doesn’t make any sense. A girl like Ashla, being . . . being . . .”

  “Bullied,” Delta supplied.

  Laine stared at him. “Bullied?”

  I interrupted. “Did Ashla ever tell you what happened to her the day she overdosed?”

  Laine’s eyes registered a new level of pain. “No.”

  I glanced at Delta hoping he would take over. Thankfully, he did. “A big guy, Rand Riley, took her down. Kicked her. Punched her in the stomach. Happened in class before the math teacher got there.”

  Laine collapsed into a chair. “Why didn’t she tell us? We never hold back in our family. We talk about everything. I don’t understand.” Her voice quivered. She looked up at Delta. “Was that why she took Ecstasy?”

  Delta met her gaze and held it. “She was in bad shape that day. I heard what happened to her from a friend of mine who saw it. Knew she’d bail, so I went out looking for her. Found her in the park. Looked like she’d been there for hours.”

  “Why didn’t she come home?” Laine looked at Delta accusingly. “And why didn’t you bring her home, like you should have?”

  “If she’d wanted to go home, she would have.”

  Laine appeared shell shocked. “I just can’t believe things could have gotten this bad without Ashla coming to us about it.” She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “I’m going to take this up with the principal. This stops now. How in the heck can the school let this happen?”

  I had wondered the same thing over the last couple of years. “I just hope Drake takes you seriously.”

  Laine's confusion was obvious. “I’m sure he will." She pushed out of the chair and faced me. "How did all this get started?”

  Delta replied, “Ashla has always been part of an elite group of kids the rest of us call the ‘Untouchables’. They’re the pampered kids. They exist in a silver-lined bubble.” He turned to me. “Ashla, you, Brenna, Tara, all of you.” He ran his hand around the back of his neck. “After the ski accident, news got out that the ski resort had officially found Ashla in the wrong for being on that closed run. The media made a huge noise about it and made it sound like Ashla had committed some reprehensible crime.”

  Laine nodded, her face suddenly crimson. “We saw that.”

  Delta continued, “Justin Ledger has super star status at our school, in fact, in the whole Seattle area. The media got everybody mad. That happens easily when it comes to hockey in this town, and especially if it involves Justin. Almost instantly, everyone vented all over Ashla. She became the target of their anger and their outrage, real or not. Ashla’s friends cut and ran, or to be more accurate, they cut her out, so she lost protection from her peers and became extremely vulnerable. In other words, she became open season for just about everyone, but especially for the Tarantulas. Ashla's sudden vulnerability presented a rare opportunity to lay into, pardon me for saying this, one of the snobs—”

  “Ashla’s no snob!” Laine and I reacted almost in unison.

  “No, she’s not, but a lot of them are. They have things other kids never dare to dream of. Believe me, for that reason alone, there’s a ton of pent up anger toward the popular kids who appear to have everything.”

  Laine was chewing on this. “Back up for a sec. Who and what are the Tarantulas?”

  “Mount Olympic’s very own wannabe gang of trouble makers.”

  “Are they from poor homes?”

  “Not all of them. ”

  “Is this a class issue? I mean Bryan and I work hard and we live comfortably, but we’re not wealthy.”

  “It’s not about that, it’s the fact that Ashla is one of the popular kids. That single fact, by itself, generates jealousy.”

  “Laine tried to process this. “So, how does one run down a ski slope result what's been happening to Ashla? And how can these kids breed this kind of hatred for a girl like Ashla?”

  Delta shook his head. “Mako, our rock thrower, does that stuff all the time, just for kicks. His hatred is internal. It lives inside of him. He’s virtually a monster. You’ve got to understand. His need to brutalize others comes from within him. It’s a powerful force. He’s always on the hunt for vulnerable targets. Unfortunately, Ashla put herself in his crosshairs by taking out our school hero.”

  I was shocked. “So, she’s screwed.”

  “Pretty much. Mako has a scary need for violence. Having him after you is serious business.”

  Listening to Delta, I was astounded by his understanding of a fellow gang member. “Jeez, you sound like some kind of shrink.” I told him unceremoniously. “And just think, you’re one of those guys.”

  He cast me a sideways glance. “Know thy enemy.” He looked from me to Laine. “I hope you’re both getting this. There are more than a few members of the Tarantulas that fear Mako. He’s volatile and downright dangerous. You don’t turn your back on him, and you don’t get on the wrong side of him.”

  A warning went off inside me. “But didn’t you just do that by helping Ashla when he threw the rock at her?

  Delta turned back to the window and said nothing more.

  Laine folded her arms across her chest as if to shield herself from the raw truth. “This is surreal. All of it.”

  My voice sounded strange, “It seems to be our new reality.”

  We each sank into our own thoughts as we contemplated the perilous certainty of Ashla’s situation. Then, Laine walked over to Delta. “Thanks for looking after Ashla. The paramedics said you did all the right things.”

  Delta shrugged and again I wondered why he had jumped in to help Ashla and at great risk to himself. The gang would likely turn on him now. Yet, Delta was obviously more worried about Ashla. If nothing else, the fact that he was here in this waiting room, said it all.

  I tuned back into what Laine was saying. “The paramedics said that they know you. They told me that you have most of the same medical emergency training that they have. Is that because of your mom?”

  Delta glanced back at me. I’d obviously just heard something he didn’t want soiling his tough image. “Don’t worry,” I reassured him, “I’m not going to rat you out.”

  “Make that a promise,” he growled and turned back to Laine. “I know most of the paramedics. They’ve been to our house a lot over the past three years.”

  Jeez, I thought, and wondered why that would be. Someone in his family must be sick.

  Laine’s eyes went to the clock that hung on the wall above us. “They won’t allow Ashla any visitors outside of immediate family, so why don’t I run you two home?”

  I shook my head. “I’ll catch the bus, Laine. You stay with Ashla.”

  “Likewise,” Delta added.

  When we were outside, I said to him: “There seems to be more to Delta that any of us know.”

  He gave me a cool look. “Let’s keep it that way.”

  “Why? Because you’re a Tarantula?”

  “Partly, but the truth is, there’s no alternative for a guy like me.”

  “How so?”

  He stopped and considered me before answering. “Because, if you’re one of them, they leave you alone.”

  I stared at him, dumbfounded.

  He clarified: “With everything that’s going on in my life, they would have crucified me long ago. Being one of them is the only way to prevent that.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The next day, Tara, Brenna, and I were crossing the school grounds after class when someone yelled, “Fight!” Like a gun had gone off, everyone started running every direction, some toward the fence, some the opposite way, and some off the school grounds. We were hurrying away with the latter group when I heard a guy yell, “It’s Delta and Mako!”

  I stopped. Delta? A sick feeling swept through me. Were the Tarantulas getting even with Delta? Or, was he getting even with Mako?

  Looking around frantically, I tried to see where the fight was. A
crowd was forming down by the back fence, just off the grounds, so I ran that way, Tara and Brenna beside me. We zigzagged and pushed through the on-lookers until we reached the inner edge of the semi-circle. What I saw stunned me. Delta and Mako were circling each other. Evenly matched in size, both were a slim six feet, but Delta must have studied martial arts. Every time Mako went at him, Delta’s foot or hand shot out and Mako went down hard. The crowd was unusually quiet. Some yelled out Delta’s name and encouragement, but most watched in silence. I couldn’t recall hearing of two members of the Tarantulas fighting each other.

  Mako was getting creamed, but that didn’t stop him from swearing at Delta and calling out, “Traitor!” Mako threw a punch at Delta, but Delta ducked, his hand shot out karate style and Mako doubled over, falling backward onto the grass. Soon, he wouldn’t get up. He was losing steam, but that didn’t stop him from declaring: “You’re a dead man, Delta. Hear me? A dead man!”

  Delta didn’t respond, just kept his eyes on Mako. Then, Mako went after him one last time. Delta whirled around, his leg shot out, and Mako flew backwards, sliding across the damp grass. He was out of breath and his eyes were on Delta, but he didn’t move. Delta stood over him, “Listen up, Man. Ashla is off limits. Take her on again and you’ll be one sorry SOB.”

  Mako glared up at him, eyes brimming with venom, but he kept quiet.

  Reaching down, Delta grabbed him by the shirt. “She’s off limits. Get it?” Delta straightened up and scuffed the ground next to Mako’s cheek. “Only a coward goes after a girl, you loser.”

  Mako spat on Delta’s boot, but said nothing more. Delta scanned around the crowd. “That goes for anyone else who wants to take on Ashla. She does a lot for this school. Most of you know that. There’s no way she deserves what many of you are dishing out.” He grabbed his pack off the ground and slung it angrily over his shoulder. As he passed me, he took my arm and turned me around, pushing me back through the crowd. Tara and Brenna followed. “Get out of here,” he whispered. “Meet me at the library in half an hour.” Then, he disappeared into the masses.

  “Hurry up, Celeste,” Tara said. “Do what he says.” A group of students was boarding the city bus. We joined them, arriving at the library a short while later. Tara, Brenna, and I stood outside waiting for Delta. Brenna shivered. “Pinch me. Tell me all this isn’t happening.”

  “Yeah. I feel like I’ve gone down a rabbit hole,” Tara whispered. “Or maybe a rat hole.”

  I nodded in agreement, still reeling from the fight.

  When Delta joined us, he appeared rattled. “Let’s go inside and find a corner where we can talk.” We hiked up to the second floor and we followed him to a quiet alcove away from everyone. He obviously spent time there.

  “Who started the fight?” I asked.

  “Me.”

  We gaped at him.

  “Mako set a trap. He had a dozen guys waiting for me down the road. I had to make the first move.” He reached behind him and pulled a book from the shelf. We took the hint and did the same. He continued, “I broke an unwritten rule. The Tarantulas stand united. We support each other, wrong or right, without question. But I didn’t do that yesterday. I went against a fellow soldier.”

  “Mako,” I supplied. I knew they called themselves soldiers, but it sounded strange to hear it, especially when that was the last thing any of them reminded me of. “Why did you help Ashla, knowing they would go after you?”

  He shrugged. “I saw Ashla go down. It was a knee jerk reaction.”

  It was more than that, I knew.

  Brenna said shakily, “Wow, I hope some day a guy will do that for me. Pretty impressive. I guess you must really like her.”

  We stared at Brenna. She’d nailed it. Delta looked uncomfortable but said nothing.

  I took us back to the fight. “Mako said you’re a dead man. I don’t imagine he was kidding.”

  Brenna blanched and fell back in the chair. Delta shrugged.

  “Today didn’t go as he had planned, but I got the message. Those dozen guys will be waiting for me again, only next time they’ll do what they need to do.”

  “Ho-ly,” Brenna blurted out. She seemed disoriented.

  “So, what are you going to do?” I asked him, worried.

  “I’ve got friends in the Tarantulas too. I’ll talk to them tonight. We’ll figure it out.”

  I felt like I’d dropped down the rabbit hole along with Tara. “Why did you rush us off the grounds?”

  Delta looked from one of us to the other. “You’ve got to stay out of their sights now. Be invisible. They’re going to turn on you next if you don’t. There are a dozen guys in the gang who are extremely violent. Trust me, you don’t want to be on their radar.”

  “You are,” I said, becoming nauseous.

  “Just worry about yourselves, and stay away from me.”

  “What about Ashla?” I asked.

  “She needs to avoid Mako and the Tarantulas. She should never go back to Mount Olympic. Ever”

  I felt something cold and strange inside me. It was a sensation I’d only felt once before. Fear. Raw and terrifying.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  That evening, I stood shakily beside Ashla’s hospital bed. The fight still swirled around in my head and Delta’s words of warning burned in my ears. Fear balled in my stomach and I felt nauseous. I had to park in a poorly lit parking lot and run through the rain to the hospital entrance, imagining a dark figure jumping out behind every car. I was truly spooked.

  The small hospital room was dim and Ashla was propped up on pillows, her forehead bandaged. She looked ghastly. “I’ll be out in a day or two,” she informed me.

  I nodded. I couldn’t tell her about the fight or what Delta had said to us. She needed to know all of that, but not right now. I tried to act as if everything was okay. “Kind of thought your parents might be here,” I said, trying to sound normal.

  “Mom was earlier. Dad will come by later. Anything new at school?” she asked listlessly.

  I’ve always been truthful with my best friend, but tonight I had to avoid that. “It was weird. Really off. Quiet in your absence. Lots of whispering though.” I had to change the subject. “And by the way, I need to cancel tomorrow’s hydrotherapy session with Justin. I’ll explain that you’re ill,” I proposed.

  “No, Celeste, you do it for me. It’s no biggie.”

  “Oh, no. Not me. You can’t be serious, Ashla. I get within ten feet of Justin Ledger and my heart hits overdrive, my throat closes over, and my legs give out. He’d have to give me therapy.”

  Ashla considered this problem. “Pretend he’s the older patient.”

  “Come on, that won’t work. Justin’s so hot I’ll get third degree burns just touching him. I’ll phone and cancel.”

  “No! We went to so much work to do this hydrotherapy program. If we cancel, they could replace us. Cover for me just this one time, Celeste, please. I’ll be able to do Saturday’s session. My headache is almost gone.”

  So, that’s how I ended up standing on the pool deck waiting for none other than the great J. Ledger. He was late and all kinds of thoughts blazed through my mind. Most of all, I fantasized about him not showing up. As I glanced at the clock, the locker room door opened, and he rolled his wheelchair onto the pool deck. He looked at me, at the pool, and back at me.

  “Where’s Janine?” he asked.

  “She’s sick. I’m filling in.” And my heart hit two hundred beats a minute. My legs turned to water.

  He nodded and knowing the drill, wheeled past me, slid onto the lift chair, and lowered himself into the pool. I jumped in, wondering how I would ever get through the hour. “I’m Celeste,” I told him, taking his hand to guide him to the bars. And that was it. The minute I touched him, my brain left my body, and I can barely remember a thing either of us said or did after that. At some point, I recall that he asked, “Hey, are you okay? Maybe you're getting what Janine’s got.”

  I blurted something incohe
rent and we carried on. In the final minutes I started to panic as I remembered how Ashla had towel dried his back. We were supposed to do that for the patients, but I just could not. I would not survive.

  Our time was up—at last—and Justin was looking at me expectantly. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked again.

  “Perfect,” I choked. He sat down in the lift chair and I met him up on the pool deck.

  “Will Janine be back on Saturday?”

  “She better be.”

  “Will you see her between now and then?”

  “Probably.” I was staring at the towels. Reaching for one, I offered it to him and then I took a second towel.

  He turned his head and said, “Tell her I missed her and I hope she’s feeling better.”

  It hit me like a rock. He liked Ashla. I was nothing more than a volunteer who had likely given him the weirdest experience he’d ever had in a pool. I gripped the towel, rubbed his back, and then tossed it in the laundry bin. “I’ll tell her,” I said, returning to normal.

  Ashla

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  No school. No swimming. No outside activities. I could add no life, but I needed to decide which of these was a bad thing, given the state of affairs lately. No outside activities was problematic though, as I had promised Celeste I would do today’s hydrotherapy session with Justin.

  I stuffed my swimsuit, wig, contacts, and makeup into my backpack and slipped downstairs to the overly busy kitchen where Mom and my grandmother were baking up a storm for Sunday’s bake sale at the church.

  “I’ll be at Celeste’s,” I called out as I swung by the kitchen. I dove into my sneakers and had planned to rocket out the front door before they could stop me.

  “No activities,” Mom called back. “Doctor’s orders.”

  I didn’t stop. “Don’t worry,” I replied. I had my hand on the front door handle when my grandmother stopped me.