Fire in Frost

by Alicia Rades

  “Well, if Olivia knows something, we’ll figure it out tomorrow night. Now go get some sleep. You really need it.”

  I returned to my room without telling my mom that I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow night to contact Olivia.

  Maybe I could summon her myself, I thought, but that idea scared me. Truth be told, I didn’t know how. She’d always come to me herself.

  And then the realization of the obvious hit me like a ton of bricks. Aside from the séance, Olivia only appeared to me when Kelli was around.

  Only then did I realized something else. Olivia had come to me in a dream before. Maybe she would contact me tonight.

  I fell asleep thinking about Olivia and hoping that would help me get in touch with her.

  19

  They were fighting again. I can’t stand the sound of them fighting. Fighting. Fighting. Always fighting.

  I pressed my hands over my ears to block out the sound. “Stop,” I begged, but my parents didn’t hear me.

  I looked toward my two brothers who were mimicking my actions. Tears were streaming down both of their faces.

  “Look what you’ve done!” my mother yelled. “Now you’ve made them all cry.”

  “Me?” my father spat back. “You’re the one always picking fights, Sarah.”

  “Please stop,” I begged again, but my 8-year-old lungs didn’t have the strength to make an impact over their screaming.

  My mother’s voice rang out over my own. “Well, if I could actually put an ounce of trust in you, maybe this family would start feeling like a family.”

  “Oh please,” my father spat back. “Like you do anything around here to make this place feel like a home.”

  My mother threw her hands up in the air and turned away from him. “I’m done. I can’t handle this anymore.”

  “Don’t you walk away from me!”

  My father grabbed for my mother and pulled her back with all his force as his other hand smacked against her face. She sunk to the ground in defeat while he loomed over her in dominance.

  My brothers’ cries grew louder to mirror my own.

  My father spun toward us with rage plastered on his face. “Nate, would you and your brothers just shut the fuck up?”

  ***

  I was crying when I woke up and had to remind myself that it was just a dream. Those weren’t my parents. I was okay. I was a bit disappointed that Olivia hadn’t appeared to me that night. My mood lifted slightly when I replayed the dream in my mind and realized what it meant, that my abilities were giving me a glimpse into Nate’s past. That meant another piece to the puzzle, albeit small.

  I texted Emma that I wasn’t going to meet her at our corner. Instead, I headed off to school early. Most people were already at school before I usually got there, so I had faith that Justine would be there early, too.

  I arrived in the commons and scanned the tables. When my eyes found Justine, they locked onto her, willing her to look up and meet my gaze. Kelli and Nate were both sitting by her, and I wasn’t about to ask her to talk with me privately in front of them. When she did look up, she noticed my stare almost instantly.

  “Bathroom,” I mouthed, and then I turned to go meet with her. When I opened the bathroom door, I was glad it was empty. I double checked the stalls this time just to make sure we were really alone.

  Justine entered behind me. “Thank God. I’ve been dying to talk to you.”

  I told her about the dream I had about Nate.

  “That explains a lot,” she said, “but it’s definitely no excuse.”

  “Justine,” I said, really needing to get some questions off my chest. “What kind of proof do you expect me to find?”

  She shrugged slowly while an apologetic expression fell across her face.

  “Then what do you want from me?”

  “Look,” she said. “I don’t know what proof there is, but I know there’s something. Maybe a picture somewhere, but I’ve checked Kelli’s phone and her computer, and I didn’t find anything.”

  “How do you know there’s something out there?”

  “When I first caught onto what was happening and asked her about it, she got really defensive, almost angry, and then she said that I would have to go find the proof, like there was something out there.”

  “That’s it?” I asked in disbelief. It didn’t sound like much to go on. “And what if there isn’t? Justine, why are we even playing this game? Why don’t we just turn Nate in?”

  She sighed. “You don’t think I haven’t thought of that? Crystal, Nate’s mom works for the county courthouse. She knows how to pull strings, and if there isn’t any proof, then there isn’t a case. Not to mention that I’ve tried everything to convince Kelli to leave him. What am I supposed to do if she doesn’t want help?” Justine began pacing back and forth and ran her fingers through her long dark hair. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. “God, I just want to help my friend, and she won’t even let me. Crystal, you’re my last hope to save her.”

  But where was I supposed to find proof? I couldn’t just go snooping through Kelli’s house. Besides, Justine already did that and didn’t find anything. I wasn’t entirely convinced there was any proof.

  “Well, maybe she doesn’t need saving if she doesn’t want out,” I suggested, but even as I said it, I didn’t believe it.

  “Believe me, Crystal, she wants out. She’s just too scared.”

  I understood all too well. I was reminded of the way I felt her fear when Nate drove up in the car after practice. She couldn’t admit what their relationship was like or he would hurt her even more.

  I sighed. “I’ll try my best to find proof. I’ll focus harder, okay?”

  “Thank you, Crystal,” Justine said genuinely. She turned toward the door.

  “Justine.” I stopped her, wanting to ask the question that had been bugging me.

  “Yeah?”

  “How come you’re so quick to believe in my abilities?”

  She shrugged. “My grandma was psychic, and so is my aunt,” she said casually as if being psychic was an everyday occurrence. And then she left.

  I stared after her in disbelief. What? Justine came from a line of psychics? Could that mean that she was psychic, too? She couldn’t be or she wouldn’t be asking me for help, would she?

  I exited the bathroom and found Emma and Derek in the commons just as the bell rang. We walked to our lockers together, but I stayed silent as I mulled everything over. There was possibly proof somewhere that could save Kelli. Justine might have some psychic abilities. And I still had to talk to Olivia tonight.

  “I was reading up on the stuff we’re doing tonight,” Emma said at our lockers with a low voice. “And what I read said it works better if you have something from the person. Like something that belonged to them.”

  I eyed Emma suspiciously. What did she have in mind? “But we don’t have anything,” I pointed out.

  “But we could get something,” Emma suggested.

  If we could get Kelli, I thought, Olivia might actually make an appearance. But I knew Kelli wouldn’t go for it in a million years.

  I still wasn’t sure what Emma was getting at.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll take care of it. I just have to get Derek to help me.”

  “You don’t think what we’re doing tonight is going to scare him off?”

  She shook her head. “No. Besides, he’ll help me either way.”

  How many more people would I let in on this secret? I wasn’t just concerned about telling people about my abilities, but I was nervous about mentioning Kelli. Justine told me not to tell anyone about what was going on, but since Olivia was somehow involved, I had to tell the people at the séance about who we were supposed to help.

  When I entered my first class, a blissful sensation washed over me. I knew that we would soon have our answers to everything.

  20

  I set my volleyball jersey next to everyone else’s on a table in the co
mmons. After a victorious season, our coaches were rewarding us with a pizza party after school, which also doubled as turn-in-your-equipment-and-do-inventory day. Luckily, I got to enjoy pizza while our manager took care of inventory.

  I gave Derek an apologetic look as he entered the gym with a stack of jerseys. Sorry you have to do that, and sorry I’ve been such a crappy friend toward you lately, I tried to say with my gaze. I really had been ignoring him, and even though I had a lot on my mind, I was excited to dress up with him tomorrow assuming tonight went well and Olivia helped us fill in the missing pieces to the puzzle that is Kelli and Nate’s relationship.

  Seventeen hungry girls gathered around the lunch tables as the coaches brought the pizza to us. I grabbed a piece of double cheese pizza and bit into it. It tasted like heaven. I moaned in pleasure and exchanged a glance with Emma to say I approved of the delicious meal. She widened her eyes back at me in agreement.

  After just one slice, Emma bounced up from the table. “I’m going to go check on Derek, okay?”

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” I assured her, and with the glance she threw back at me, I suddenly understood what was happening. This is what Emma was talking about earlier about having Derek help her. She was going to get Olivia’s volleyball jersey from the storage room where Derek was returning the other jerseys.

  I wondered if her jersey would even be in there. Surely her mom would have returned it to the school even after Olivia’s death. It could have been anywhere when her room caught on fire, therefore not burning with her. I had heard that the house suffered little damage and that Olivia would have been fine if she didn’t have asthma. Even if it was in the same room with her, would it have burned? Then again, most girls left their uniforms in their gym lockers. The school would have taken it back before they even gave the rest of her belongings to her family.

  I didn’t have to wonder about the jersey anymore because when I was enjoying my second slice of pizza, I watched Emma walk out of the gym and sneak down the hall toward her own locker. No one would have noticed the balled up jersey in her hand if they weren’t looking for it, and no one did but me.

  Emma sat back down as if nothing had happened and casually picked up another piece of pizza. People talked and laughed about the season. I joined in where appropriate, but my mind was once again stuck on more important subjects. I couldn’t stop stealing glances at Kelli and wondering how I was going to help her. What was going to happen at the séance tonight, and how was I going to tell everyone about Kelli?

  As I tried to sort out my thoughts, a wave of terror overcame me again. The blissful sensation I felt earlier disappeared. My vision clouded, and I felt woozy.

  “Crystal, are you okay?” Emma asked. “You look terrible again.”

  My vision returned without any indication of why I was feeling the way I was. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I didn’t believe my own words. All I knew was that I wanted to get away from the crowd so that I didn’t embarrass myself if a vision was coming on. “I just need some fresh air.”

  “Want me to come with you?” she offered.

  I glanced at her half-eaten piece of pizza and then at the other girls. Emma was having fun. I didn’t want to worry her. “No, I’ll be fine on my own.”

  I found my way outside and steadied myself against the side of the building. The air was thick, but a strong wind helped cool me down. I slid to the ground and closed my eyes as I focused on my breath to ease my anxiety. I knew something was coming, but I didn’t know what to expect. Was Olivia somewhere nearby?

  “I’ve been looking for you,” a menacing voice said.

  I opened my eyes to find a tall, muscular figure standing above me.

  “Nate?” I asked in shock. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to pick up my girl.”

  I closed my eyes again. I didn’t have the strength to deal with his crap.

  “Did you hear me?” he snarled, crouching down to my level. He was dangerously close.

  “No,” I answered honestly.

  “I said I’ve seen you talking to my girl again. I thought I told you to stay away.”

  “And what are you going to do if I don’t?” I challenged, but I immediately regretted it. Even though I didn’t think he’d actually carry out his threat, I was still undoubtedly scared of him.

  “I’ll make you pay.”

  I couldn’t help but notice that he never made it clear how he would make me pay.

  I was bold. I was too bold. Before I knew what I was saying, words escaped my mouth. “Well, if you don’t leave Kelli alone, I’ll make you pay.”

  He laughed. “A little girl like you? I’m so scared.” Sarcasm dripped off his tongue.

  I shook my head in disbelief and met his terrifying gaze. I didn’t know where the courage came from, but I found myself saying, “You’d never go through with it. I’m not your girl, and I wouldn’t put up with an asshole like you.”

  My own eyes widened in disbelief. I’d never swore at someone like that before. The words didn’t feel like they were my own.

  He recoiled, surprised that someone like me would stand up to him.

  I took this opportunity to stand up. I turned away, prepared to get back to the commons where there would be witnesses. The clouds seemed darker than when I came outside, and the wind seemed to pick up.

  Nate grabbed for me. He wanted the fight to continue, but as soon as his hand clamped around my wrist, a powerful gust of wind came crashing down on him. I caught a glimpse of a white figure. I watched Olivia’s face twist in anger as her apparition lunged toward Nate, and he fell to the ground.

  I took my chance and sprinted back toward the main doors while silently thanking Olivia for getting me out of there. I knew Nate wouldn’t pursue a fight with witnesses around.

  I steadied my breath as I returned to the table and replayed my own words back in my mind. I wondered if maybe the words I’d spoken hadn’t been my own after all. I took one final calming breath. I was safe for now, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t my last encounter with Nate.

  21

  “What am I supposed to write?” I asked.

  Even though I didn’t invite Emma to stay the night, I was glad that she’d come over, otherwise I’d be all alone after our pizza party worrying about the rest of the night. On some level, I wanted to talk with Olivia now, but I was still nervous about doing it on my own.

  Emma shrugged from where she sat on my bed. “Whatever comes to your mind. These exercises will help get us ready for the séance tonight.”

  Of course, we couldn’t start until later, once Mom, Sophie, and Diane closed down shop, and since it was the night before the Halloween festival, I suspected they wouldn’t be home until late, at which time we could finally bring our abilities together to contact Olivia. Since my mother had nothing to hide from me, we figured we could hold the séance at home. Despite my anxiety for tonight, I waited patiently and played along with Emma’s games.

  “How is this going to help me?” I cocked my head to the side and stared at her skeptically from my chair. I wasn’t sure if she was serious about this exercise or if she was just avoiding our geometry homework.

  “If we both write down three predictions, it will help us get in touch with our inner psychic.”

  “Okay, but what kind of predictions should I make?”

  “Anything you want. The website said you should try making predictions for tomorrow, but I think you’ll be fine with anything.”

  “Okay,” I agreed reluctantly. “I’ll try.”

  We both fell silent and bent over our pieces of paper. I closed my eyes and tried to get in touch with my “inner psychic.” When nothing happened, I opened my eyes and stretched my fingers, then my neck, and then let my shoulders fall in relaxation. I closed my eyes again and reached toward a prediction.

  I drifted as if I was no longer in my body. My mind wandered in a different realm. There was no sense of time there, just a pea
ceful ambiance that made me feel like I was floating. All of my thoughts left me as I found dominance over my consciousness. I didn’t know how long I sat there.

  “Those sound good.” Emma’s voice snapped me back into my body.

  “What?” I asked, blinking up at her in confusion. She had moved from my bed and was now standing behind my chair at my desk.

  “Your predictions,” she said, pointing to my piece of paper.

  I looked down to find words scrawled across the paper in my handwriting. I hadn’t remembered writing anything.

  “My predictions are probably just nonsense,” Emma said, pushing her paper toward me.

  I took it and read her predictions, admiring the perfect curves of her letters as I did so.

  I will fall in love within the year.

  I will soon discover a food allergy I never knew about.

  I will love pizza forever.

  “I just wrote that last one because I couldn’t think of anything else more creative,” she giggled as she took her paper back and bounced back to my bed to rewrite her predictions, which I knew weren’t predictions at all. “This is really difficult and frustrating, though,” she complained before she continued scribbling.

  With Emma quiet, I took the opportunity to look at my own predictions. I stared down at my sloppy handwriting, took a deep breath, and read through them.

  The more answers you find, the more questions you’ll ask.

  Be patient with your heroic duties.

  Put more faith in your friends. They might surprise you.

  “This is dumb,” I complained to Emma. “These aren’t even predictions. They’re like cheesy things you would find in a fortune cookie.”

  Emma wrinkled her nose and stared at me seriously, blinking a few times. “You’re kidding, right? Those are really good.” She rose from the bed again and came to stand beside me to look over my shoulder at the choppy writing. “What do you mean by ‘put more faith in your friends?’ Are you lacking faith in me?”