by Geof Johnson
“I’ll stay with her,” Lisa said.
“No, I will,” Evelyn said. “People will gossip if Larry goes without you.”
“But you never miss church, Evelyn.”
Carl waved one hand. “We can work that out later. Somebody will stay with her, for sure. Then we’ll figure out what to do with her afterwards.”
* * *
Duane Gundy swept the knick-knacks from the top of the shelf with one arm and yelled, “Where are my little black pills?”
“Honey,” Mrs. Gundy said with a timid wince, “I wish you wouldn’t take any of those today. They make you so aggravated.”
“I’m aggravated now!” He hurled a book across the room and it slammed against the wall. “I need ’em. Didn’t get much sleep last night.” He shook both fists at her. “Where the hell are they?”
“They’re in one of your boots in the bottom of the bedroom closet. You hid some of them there last time Mrs. Nash came.”
“Well, what are you standing around for? Run in there and fetch ’em.”
His wife hurried off and he paced the floor, biting furiously on a thumbnail. She returned moments later and handed him the orange plastic bottle. He yanked off the cap and dumped two of the shiny black capsules in his hand, put them in his mouth and swallowed them dry. That ought to do the trick.
“I’m going to Haynesville and ask around at the bus station. We got any pictures of Sammi I can take with me?”
“No,” she said. “You wouldn’t let me buy her school pictures.”
“Damn! We don’t have any?”
His wife shook her head and he kicked the nearest chair. “How much time we got ’fore Mrs. Nash comes for her next visit?”
“It’s always the last Thursday of the month.”
“Good. That gives me plenty of time to find Sammi.” He shook his head angrily. “That old lady don’t like me. She’ll take Sammi away for sure if she finds out she done run away.”
“Miss Parks was a lot nicer, I thought. Wish she was still Sammi’s caseworker.”
“Well she ain’t, ’cause she moved to Raleigh.” He pulled his car keys from the pocket of his jeans. “I’m going. Don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
She put her hand to her cheek and furrowed her brow. “Duane...I...don’t you think it’s time we called somebody? I mean, what if she’s hurt or —”
“No!” He slapped the wall so hard that the front windows rattled. “How many times I gotta say it? If we tell anybody Sammi’s run off, the county will take her away.” He snatched open the front door and said, “I’ll find her myself.”
* * *
Rachel opened her front door and found Lisa and Sammi on the porch. Sammi smiled brightly at Rachel, with big dimples showing.
“Hey, Sammi.” Rachel let them inside. “I love your haircut.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Sikes. It’s a pageboy,” she said proudly.
“Are you going to be okay staying here while we’re at graduation? I thought it would be better since we have the clubhouse and swings, and you don’t really have any toys to play with. I’ll order a pizza for you before we leave.”
Sammi barely nodded a quick answer before she ran to the family room window and pointed at the gazebo in the backyard. “That’s it, isn’t it?” She glanced back at Rachel and Lisa. “That’s where you called me from. It’s just like I pictured it.” Then she looked at the clubhouse at the far end of the lawn, and her dark eyes grew wide. “Ow, wow! Can I play in it? Can I, please?”
“Might as well. That’s why Carl put the swings back up.” Rachel opened the back door and Sammi burst out of it as if shot from a cannon, racing across the grass toward the two-story playhouse and swing set that Carl had built for Jamie years ago.
Rachel and Lisa went out, too, and watched from the deck as Sammi scampered up the steps and opened the door to the top of the kid-friendly wooden structure at the back edge of the yard, a little square house with windows on three sides and a pitched, shingled roof. The bottom story had the same dimensions, but it was open with four low walls. Jamie used to call it a fort, Rachel remembered. She said, “I cleaned the spider webs out of it a little while ago. It brought back a lot of memories, being in there.”
“I remember when our kids used to play in it all the time.” Lisa sighed deeply.
Sammi’s face appeared in one of the small windows and she yelled across the yard, “It’s got a table and chairs. Can I eat my pizza in here?”
Lisa cupped one hand to her mouth. “As long as it’s okay with Gina.”
“Gina’s a real sport,” Rachel said to Lisa. “She’ll probably eat in there with her.”
Moments later, Sammi popped out of the side door, scooted down the yellow slide, and climbed onto one of the two swings. Rachel and Lisa watched the little girl pendulum back and forth, smiling broadly while her dark hair blew back from her face.
“She sure is cute,” Rachel said.
“She’s adorable,” Lisa said without taking her gaze from the happy child. She took a deep breath and turned to face Rachel. “She’s exactly what we asked for, isn’t she? She’s not too old and not too young, and she’s got dark hair and dark eyes...and...and a little magic in her, just like we said.” Lisa glanced at the gazebo. “We were sitting right there.”
“She has to like cuddling. I seem to remember that being one of the requirements.”
“She was sitting in my lap on the couch right before we came over. And she held —”
“Wait. You let her sit in your lap?” Rachel said.
“What’s wrong with that? She was with me on the couch, and I looked at her and she smiled at me, and...and it just kinda happened, and...never mind!” Lisa frowned for a moment and shook her head. “But on the way over here, she held my hand while we crossed the street. Do you know how long it’s been since a little girl did that?”
Lisa stared at her hand for a moment and then her eyes turned sad. “And now Fred’s about to graduate. Just a couple more hours and she won’t be my little girl anymore.”
“She’ll always be your little girl, Lisa, even if she doesn’t hold your hand.”
“I guess,” Lisa said quietly and looked at Sammi on the swing. “I wish I could keep Sammi.”
“But you hardly know her.”
Lisa didn’t answer. She only stared at the dark-haired child.
She’s falling for her already. “Is she using magic on you, Lisa?”
“She’s too young to work a spell, according to Fred.”
“But how can you know that you want her...I mean...it’s so soon. She just got here. It’s crazy.”
“Wait until she holds your hand or sits in your lap. You’ll want to keep her, too.” Lisa squeezed her mouth into a determined line. “Besides, she came here because we called her. How can I send her away?”
“Be careful what you wish for, right?” Rachel forced a small laugh. “Well, maybe you won’t have to turn her over to the county. Maybe you can keep her.”
“I doubt it.” Lisa’s mouth grew even tighter. “Even if I could get Larry to go for it, which he won’t, we’d still have to go through the foster parent certification business. I don’t know how long that takes.”
Rachel took a long, slow breath while she gathered her thoughts. “We don’t know much about her, anyway. She might be a little hellion, for all we know. You might not be able to handle her.”
Lisa shrugged, barely a twitch of one shoulder. “I already raised a firecracker. I think I’m qualified.”
The swing reached the highest point at the back of its arc, and Sammi felt weightless, just for a moment. Then she pulled hard and kicked her legs out, and she rushed forward, the wind blowing against her skin and her hair fluttering behind her like a silky black pennant.
She closed her eyes and thought, I’m flying.
She swooped skyward and opened her eyes, blinking in the bright sunshine. She felt so free, so happy that she could barely contain herself, but afraid that she
was only dreaming and she would wake up any minute, back in the shabby house of the Gundy’s.
No. I really made it. I’m here.
She had managed to escape the cruel and obsessive Mr. Gundy, make her way all the way across the state by herself, and find the Callahan’s house, the house where she wanted to live more than anything.
And now the Two Most Wonderful Mothers were watching her swing, talking and occasionally smiling at her.
If I can just get them to let me stay, then it would be absolutely perfect.
A dark cloud of worry threatened to block her newfound sunshine, and she bit her lip hard and fought it off. It’s got to work, it’s just got to. She stared at the mothers on the deck and began a new earnest prayer, Please don’t send me back. Please don’t send me back. Please don’t send me back.
* * *
The gymnasium at North Henderson High School was awash in a sea of purple. The seniors, wearing their robes, filled the floor, their chairs arranged in neat rows, while their parents packed the bleachers. It was warm inside on this early June evening, and Rachel felt damp, even in a short-sleeved dress, and she fanned herself with her program.
Her family and friends nearly filled the bleacher row, high in the back near the wall. Rachel struggled to keep her emotions under control as each senior’s name was called, several of whom she had taught when they were kindergartners.
Kindergarten. That was so long ago. She remembered Fred and Rollie, beautiful little five-year olds, being in her class, but Jamie wasn’t. I was so worried about him not being with his friends that year, but everything turned out fine.
The students lined up on one side of the stage, and when their names were called, they walked across, shook hands with the principal,and accepted their diploma. Though the parents weren’t supposed to applaud when their child’s name was announced, many did. Jamie got a nice ovation when his turn came, and Rachel’s eyes blurred with tears.
He’s all grown up now. He’ll be leaving for college soon. How am I going to bear it?
When Fred walked across the stage, her red hair glowing as brightly as her smile, Rachel heard Lisa sniff, and she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Just then, Rachel tried to imagine Sammi in a purple gown, walking across the stage to accept her diploma to the cheers of family and friends. It made Rachel’s heart ache even more.
They grow up too fast.
After a few more names were announced, Lisa leaned close to Rachel and said in a low, determined voice, “I want to keep her, Rachel.”
Rachel didn’t have to ask her who she meant.
* * *
Bryce’s backyard was rocking, his graduation party in full swing. The music was loud, the pool and game room were full of kids, and Jamie’s friends were having a great time. Jamie, however, was getting tired of dancing.
“Come on, Fred, let’s take a break.” He wiped the perspiration from his forehead and frowned. They were on the wide brick patio with a dozen other teens, between the pool and the house, near the DJ and his huge sound system. “That’s five songs in a row, now.”
“Don’t be such a baby,” she said. “I’m just getting warmed up.”
“Well, I’m getting worn out. Besides, we need to find Rollie, Bryce and Melanie and have a little conference. Have you seen them?”
“Rollie’s chatting up some girls over by the grill, and I think Bryce and Melanie are in the game room.”
“I’ll get Rollie, you get Bryce and Melanie, and let’s try to find a quiet place to talk.”
They gathered in Bryce’s living room, one of the few places at Bryce’s house that wasn’t swarming with celebrating teenagers. Fred said, “Hold on, before we say anything.” She grabbed the pendant that hung around her neck. “Let me twirl this so nobody can eavesdrop.”
“Wait!” Rollie held up one hand. “Is that the one with the Stupefyin’ Spell? I don’t have my counter charm.”
“You should wear it all the time.” Melanie raised her arm and gestured at the cheap plastic woven bracelet on her wrist. “I do.”
“How was I to know I’d need it? It’s graduation night, for cryin’ out loud.”
“Never mind.” Jamie gestured with one hand and a faint yellow shimmer appeared around them. He nodded and said, “That should do it.”
“Is that your shield?” Bryce asked.
“Yep, but I had to tweak it to block out sound. Let’s make this quick before anybody gets suspicious.”
Fred updated Rollie, Bryce, and Melanie on the situation with Sammi.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Sammi was able to listen to us with her magic,” Jamie said. “There are probably thousands of people talking about magic at any one time, yet she mostly hears us, as if she has some kind of filter.”
“And she hears our moms.” Fred nodded. “Sammi thinks she only hears what’s important to her. She has no idea how her power works, though. I’m taking her to see Momma Sue tomorrow to see if she knows.”
“But what’s going to happen to Sammi in the short term?” Jamie looked at Fred. “Somebody’s gotta agree to let her stay with them, and it doesn’t sound like your dad is too keen on doing it. And if her foster father is as crazy as she makes him out to be, she’s going to need some protection.”
“She needs to be someplace safe,” Melanie said.
“Sammi should stay with one of us,” Fred said, “though she really wants to stay at my house.”
Jamie nodded again. “And I’d rather she stay where we can talk to her, so we can figure out what’s going on, because something is, I think.”
“You mean like a Cosmic Something is going on?” Bryce asked. “Like when we were staying on Eddan’s world?”
“Yes, though I haven’t felt anything unusual, like gears clicking into place, like I did back then.” Jamie turned to Fred. “How about you? Do you have any sense of anything different?”
Fred looked at the front windows for a long moment. “Not like gears clicking or anything. It’s more like...like the way your hand fits in a glove.”
“Huh?”
“Well...Sammi slept in the bed with me last night, and that should have been awkward, but it wasn’t. It felt like...normal, I guess.”
“Like she belonged there?” Melanie said.
“I suppose that’s the best way to put it.” Fred shook her head slowly. “That little girl wants to belong here with us. She wants it more than anything. That’s what she told me.”
“Oh, boy,” Melanie said. “That’s an awful lot to ask of your parents.”
“My mom feels responsible for her being here.”
“I don’t think this is all your mother’s doing,” Rollie said. “I think there’s more to it than that, like when my power started showing up right when the demon did.”
“So this girl may be part of something bigger,” Bryce said.
Jamie pursed his lips. “And we should assume that’s true until the facts say otherwise.”
“I agree,” Melanie said. “When it comes to you guys and magic, there’s no such thing as a coincidence.”
Carl knocked on the Callahans’ door, and when no one answered, he let himself in. “Larry?” he called.
“Down here,” came a voice from the basement.
Carl went downstairs and found Larry and Garrett draped on the sofa in front of the big television, watching the baseball game with their feet up on the coffee table and open bottles of beer in their hands. Larry gestured at the small refrigerator near the corner. “There are some cold ones in there.”
Carl fetched a bottle and opened it, dropping the metal cap into the garbage can. “Some night, huh?”
“I don’t remember so many people crying at my graduation,” Garrett said.
Larry took a swig from his beer. “I don’t remember my graduation at all.”
Garrett glanced at the bottle in his hand and then looked back at his friends. “You think our kids are drinking at that party?”
“No,” Car
l said. “Some of the kids may be sneaking off to their cars to drink, but I doubt our kids are.”
“And Fred wouldn’t want to miss out on any dancing. She said they have a DJ.” Larry picked up the remote and muted the television. “Lisa still at your house, Carl?”
“Yep. Rachel isn’t willing to part with Sammi just yet. Adele’s over there, too.”
“Great,” Larry groaned with a shake of his head. “Just great.”
“It’s like they found a stray puppy,” Garrett said. “They’re never going to give her up.”
Larry set his beer down on the coffee table and crossed his arms. “We need to turn that little girl over to the county before this goes too far.” Carl and Garrett didn’t respond, and Larry said, “How come I’m the only one who thinks that’s a good idea? Everybody’s actin’ like I’m Mr. Scrooge or something, but isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”
“Under normal circumstances, yeah.” Carl picked at the paper label on his bottle with one thumbnail, and studied it closely for a moment. “But these aren’t normal circumstances, not just because Sammi’s foster father is a pedophile, but also because she’s a witch, and her unusual power is why she came here in the first place. Jamie called me from Bryce’s party, right before I came over here, and he really wants us to keep Sammi for a few days until he can figure out what’s going on.”
“What do you mean, what’s going on?” Larry said, raising his voice and gesturing broadly with one hand. “I’ll tell you what’s going on. A little girl ran away from her abusive foster family, and we’re breaking the law by keeping her here. We should take her to whatever county service handles this sort of thing, and they’ll put her in a better foster home. That’s what they do.”
“It’s the DSS,” Carl said. “The Department of Social Services. They’re over near the airport.”
“Okay. So we take her over there in the morning and everything will be fine, right?” Larry got no response from either of his friends, and he said, “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?” He spread is hands. “I mean...come on.”
