Talisman

by S. E. Akers

  “Samuel…Lazarus Xcavare isn’t buying Shiloh Ridge,” I grinned and added, “He can’t. Its rightful owner isn’t selling.” Strangely, my surrogate father didn’t seem the least little bit surprised.

  “I figured as much,” Samuel added with a knowing grin. His subdued reaction on the porch the other evening suddenly made sense.

  “You knew she couldn’t sell it. You knew Daddy left it to me. Didn’t you?” I deduced.

  “Yep,” Samuel confirmed as he scanned me from head to toe. “Your mother must’ve not taken it too bad. You’re still in one-piece.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, she took it bad all right, but she’s delusional enough to think that a few random acts of motherly kindness will change my mind…Not a chance!” I insisted with a harsh laugh.

  While we stood there amused by the mental image of Charlotte playing the part of “loving mother”, Coach Hayes clomped into the office carrying a stack of files. He carelessly tossed them on Mrs. Tuttle’s desk and sidled over beside us.

  “Oh, Wallace,” Coach Hayes remarked with a smirk. “I heard you were back. You’re a pretty popular girl today.”

  My scowl wasn’t nearly as obvious as Samuel’s.

  “Easy, Earl,” Samuel growled as he gave Coach Hayes a purposeful, firm nudge. “You don’t want to get me started on rumors, now do ya?”

  Thankfully, Samuel’s derisive innuendo shut him up. Coach Hayes looked a bit edgy as he huffed out of the office.

  “Are you talking about my mother? The grieving widow?” I whispered.

  Samuel nodded. “I’m sorry you found out about it, honey.”

  I scowled. “I don’t see why Daddy put up with it all these years.”

  Samuel patted my back. “Shiloh, there’s always a reason behind someone’s actions. Caiden chose to stay.”

  I hesitated. “Did Daddy…know about the others?”

  Samuel lowered his head. “I’m afraid so. Shiloh, your father and I told each other everything. Trust me. He knew.” Samuel looked over at the clock. “I’ve got to be headin’ down the road, honey…but don’t you pay any attention to those rumors and keep your chin up. Don’t let those fools see that it bothers you.”

  “I won’t,” I replied half-heartedly. The rumor-mill was just the icing on the cake. Realistically, it was all the other layers that had me worried. My world had changed basically overnight, whether I liked it or not. My mortality was what concerned me the most. I just wished my return to school today could have offered me some sort of comfort, instead of bombarding me with bullshit at every turn.

  Samuel didn’t look convinced. “Now, are you sure there isn’t anything else that’s been bothering you? Anything else you want to get off your chest?” he stressed.

  “Nope,” I fibbed. “Just trivial high school stuff.”

  “All right…If you say so. After all, you would never lie to me,” Samuel remarked as he headed out of the office. He paused in the doorway and in a serious voice added, “Remember what I said, Shiloh. Your father told me everything. There were no secrets between us.”

  I started to mull over what Samuel had mentioned about his bond with Daddy no sooner than he’d left — particularly the part about “secrets”. It really wasn’t what he’d said I found peculiar, but rather how he had said it.

  I wonder if Daddy ever told him about the wand? He knew about the land. Is it possible Samuel knows about that, too? He seemed suspicious about something. It sure sounded like his admission was more of an insinuation than a general fact.

  I glanced at the clock. Since there were still five more torturous minutes before lunch period would end, I decided to have an impromptu chat with Mrs. Tuttle to bide some time. Regrettably, all she wanted to talk about was Daddy’s passing. Her kind words were touching, but I could have done without the grief counseling. Yet another in-your-face reminder that Daddy is gone, but she means well. Before long, the bell rang and fifth period was beckoning. I snuck back to the cafeteria to grab a protein bar and a Diet Coke from the vending machines. I still hadn’t eaten anything today, and my stomach was roaring like an angry volcano about to erupt.

  I poked back to my locker. I wasn’t in any hurry to head off to the girls’ locker room to change for gym. Cooped up with those witches in a confined room while I got dressed — No thank you! I opted to hide out in a nearby restroom to scarf down my modest lunch and kill-off a few more minutes. Once I’d felt enough time had passed, I headed for the gymnasium with my head held high (but that was so I wouldn’t see any scornful looks being shot from sneering faces along the way).

  Just as the second bell rang, I ran in to find the girls separated on one side of the gym, already lining up to play volleyball. The guys were assembled on the other, hitting the mats for some more wrestling. Coach Hayes looked none too pleased about my fashionably late arrival.

  “Get changed, Wallace, and get on your team’s side!” Coach Hayes yelled as he gruffly motioned me to the team opposite Katie’s. He had placed me on Kara’s side of the court. As I entered the locker room, I rolled my eyes and thought, This day just keeps getting better and better!

  I was changed and back out on the gym floor in just under two measly minutes. I kept my eyes focused on the side where the girls’ volleyball game was about to start. Since I was still on everyone’s “rumor radar”, I didn’t want anyone catching me looking over towards the mats. Surely they would think I was trying to catch a glimpse of Mike. Even if I’d wanted to look at anyone, it would have been Ty. Sadly however, after the latest round of gossip (courtesy of Kara Leighton), I feared he probably didn’t even want to be in the same room with me.

  I jogged over to my team’s side and took a spot on the rear row. Kara glared at me throughout our entire first match, no matter what position she held. We lost, mostly because she was more interested in tossing me dirty looks, rather than smacking the volleyball over the net. My contribution to the game was flawless. Everyone noticed too. I even overheard some of the guys waiting to take their turns on the mats making various comments about my tight “athletic skills”. The fact that I thought of Kara’s face every time I smacked the ball paled in comparison to the power the wand had given me (but I thought the mental image couldn’t hurt).

  We were about to start our second match when I noticed Ty and Mike taking the same mat from out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t need any telepathic powers to clue me in on their intentions. Their scathing body language was blatantly clear. Ty looked like he could rip Mike’s head off without even blinking. Mike’s cocky attitude didn’t help matters. His snide grin was egging Ty on as they assumed their positions. You couldn’t cut the tension in the air around them with a knife, though a chainsaw would hit it right. At the sound of Coach Hayes’ silver whistle, they were on top of each other and rolling around like two wild junkyard dogs. No sooner than one had the other close to being pinned, they would break free and then turned the tables on the other. They went back and forth like this for a good while, each time with increased ferocity. Though the score appeared to be tied, this was no friendly high school gym match. It was obvious that this rowdy bout wouldn’t be over even after someone’s shoulders were successfully pinned.

  This was a déjà vu moment if there ever was one. I was too focused on their little grudge match to realize that my team had been trying to get my attention so they could start the next game. Soon, they too were engrossed in watching the match unfold into a savage brawl on the other side of the gym. Mike was even sneaking in a few illegal moves. I glanced over at Coach Hayes, who didn’t seem to care. He couldn’t have been more oblivious to Mike’s “choke hold” or even the blow the star quarterback drove into Ty’s back if he tried.

  What gives? This is high school wrestling, not a WWE smack down. Even the guys on the sidelines were all riled up and picking sides as they chanted for their intended victor. Mike managed to throw his knee into Ty’s chest, and still Coach Hayes said nothing. I doubt the word “penalty” even entered that
pea-brained head of his. Suddenly, Mike hooked one of his elbows behind Ty’s knee and the other behind his head. Once Mike felt he had a firm lock on him, the cocky jock began to slide his knee up for his final move, inevitably leaving Ty pinned. With Mike’s knee planted firmly against Ty’s back, he began to rock Ty onto his shoulders.

  Fortunately, Ty was incredibly agile, as he proved on the dance floor last Saturday night. When Mike went in for the kill, Ty arched his frame high off the mat, shifting all of his weight back onto his shoulders in one swift maneuver. Mike’s cradle-hold broke when Ty threw all of his weight forward. Ty managed to land firmly on his feet in a low squat and then swooped around in less than a second. He grabbed both of Mike’s legs, just as the cocky jock tried to rise into a countering stance. Before Mike realized what was happening, Ty pounced on top of him and drove Mike’s shoulder blades down onto the blue mat. At the sound of Coach Hayes’ whistle, half the class erupted in cheers for Ty. The other half seemed dissatisfied the match had ended without bloodshed.

  In the midst of all the excitement, Mrs. Tuttle’s voice began to blare over the gymnasium intercom. “Coach Hayes…” she announced.

  “Yes, Mrs. Tuttle,” he groaned, clearly ticked-off by her interruption.

  “There was a problem with the forms you dropped off to me,” Mrs. Tuttle replied.

  Coach Hayes brow furrowed. “What’s wrong with them?” he snapped.

  “They weren’t filled out properly,” Mrs. Tuttle griped back. “You need to come by the office and sign them in the correct places if you want them to go out in today’s mail.”

  Coach Hayes grunted. “I’m heading your way.”

  On his way out, he called back, “Guys, take a break until I get back. Girls, get back to your game. You’ve wasted enough time standing around gawking!”

  The loud “bang” from one of the gym doors slamming prompted most of the girls to hurry over and take their sides for the next match. I remained where I stood, still somewhat baffled as to why Coach Hayes let Mike get away with so many underhanded moves. Mike was still lying on the mat and scowling at Ty while his eyes followed him into the guys’ locker room.

  Several of my teammates waved me over to join them. I reluctantly resumed my position on the back row, but my head wasn’t in the game. My instincts told me that this tiff between the two of them was far from over.

  I served the ball and tried to keep one eye on the game and the other on Mike. The match became so intense that I found myself distracted by several hard drives the other team kept sending my way. After lobbing the ball back across the net and scoring another point, I resumed my surveillance, but oddly Mike was nowhere to be found.

  Where did he go?

  I soon spotted Mike coming out of the guys’ locker room. As he strutted onto the gym floor, I noticed his face looked flushed and he had an overly boastful air about him, but Ty was still nowhere to be found.

  Ty should be out here by now. Where is he? I turned my attention back to Mike, who seemed to be wiping something off his hand. I looked closer. It was blood.

  “Hey, Shi-HO,” Kara yelled out. “Are you going to serve the ball or what?” Several of the girls erupted into laughter over her cutesy little pun.

  My head whipped around quickly. I threw Kara a sweet little smile and quickly served up the ball — right into her face. She fell to the floor in tears. While the girls on my team huddled around her, crying from the harsh sting, I ran over to Mike.

  To heck with what THEY think!

  “What were you doing in the locker room, Mike? Where’s Ty?” I demanded gruffly.

  Mike said nothing, but he looked guilty as Hell. He started to walk away when I grabbed his arm. A vision surfaced. He didn’t have to say a word. His mind had already told me everything I wanted to know. Mike had snuck up on Ty while he was at the fountain getting a drink of water. He had grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed his face into the steel basin. Then Mike pulled him back and punched him in the face. Even after Ty had hit the ground, Mike kicked him in the gut several times. When Mike saw the appalled look on my face, he snatched his arm from my grasp and walked away.

  I flew into a rage. I was already struggling with trying not to take my anger over Daddy’s death out on him and dealing with all the rumors floating around about us, but unfortunately this unexpected turn of events forced my “final straw” to snap.

  I ran to catch up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Once he had fully turned, I drove my right fist into the center of his face. At the sound of the sharp “crack”, I knew instantly that I’d broken his nose. He let out a whiny moan as he hunched over to cover his face. I wasn’t about to let him catch his breath. After all, he didn’t extend Ty that courtesy. I raised my leg, and with one powerful (but somewhat restrained) blow, I planted it in the side of his abdomen. I tried to control my freakish strength, but I was pretty sure I ended up cracking a rib (maybe two) as I sent him hurling across the gym floor. The rush of adrenaline kept my guilt at bay as I thought, My bad.

  By this time, a crowd of students had formed around us. I heard Kara yelling for someone to stop me as I marched over to scoop Mike up off the ground. I glanced over at the guys. Several of them jumped back. I hoped it was because I looked intimidating and not startling. I’d accidently let a small stream of white swirl within them for a brief moment (I couldn’t help it). Either way, not one of them even gave the notion of pulling me off him a second-thought. Most of them were standing there wide-eyed and open-mouthed from the shock of what they were witnessing.

  I reached Mike to find him rolling around on the floor. I stood over him and waited until he was on his feet. I took a deep breath and grabbed him by his shoulders. At that moment, Coach Hayes reappeared to witness me slinging Mike into the bleachers, where he landed in the fourth row.

  “WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!?” Coach Hayes roared. He stood there flabbergasted at the sight of his star quarterback being tossed around like a football — by a lowly girl, no less. He ran over to check on a very battered Mike Riverside. The gym remained silent. “WALLACE! Explain yourself!” Coach Hayes demanded.

  I didn’t say a word. As I focused my attention on an extremely pissed-off Coach Hayes, all I could think was, He had it coming.

  “Mike just jumped me in the locker room,” Ty declared. I whipped around to see an equally stunned Ty Smith rushing to my defense. Aside from the dumbfounded look on his face, he looked relatively okay. His nose was a bit bloody, but his appearance paled in comparison to Mike’s.

  “If that’s so, then why aren’t YOU the one out here,” Coach Hayes posed in a doubtful tone as he paused to shake his head and added skeptically, “…beating him to a PULP?”

  That was a good question. Ty was still too shocked to come up with a logical answer or at the least, a good lie. After a few seconds of silence, Ty proposed, “Look, Shiloh’s been through—”

  Coach Hayes was in no mood to for Ty’s excuses or my newfound muteness. He interrupted Ty and jumped right in my face screaming, “I don’t care if your father did just die! You’d better tell me what in the Hell has gotten into you!”

  I could feel small drops of his spit spraying my cheeks, but I remained still while I watched his nostrils flare up and down like a bird flapping its wings.

  “GET YOUR STUFF, WALLACE!” Coach Hayes ordered. “You’re SUSPENDED until further notice!”

  I turned and hurried into the locker room. The “old me” would’ve been devastated by such a harsh strike on my permanent record. However, the “new and improved me” didn’t really give a rat’s ass at that moment. At least I can get out of here. I need an early break from “normal” anyway…

  I was changed and back out the door in an instant. My adrenaline was still surging as I stomped across campus. I was still pretty wound up from my altercation, but I felt good about the beating I’d just served up to Mike. All I could think about on the way to my car was how Coach Hayes had no response to Ty’s anno
uncement that Mike had attacked him. He didn’t even care that their wrestling match — that “HE” had let get so out of hand — had played a small part in it. Still raging with anger, I gave my car door an extra-hard slam. I cranked my engine and squealed off down the hill thinking, There’s one for the rumor mill — Chick pummels star quarterback…Glad I could contribute!

  I headed straight through the middle of downtown Welch along McDowell Street, without a clue as to where I was heading. I didn’t want to go home and have to deal with Charlotte or Chloe. I had no idea if Tanner was at the mine or not. I still hadn’t heard from him. Beatrix would probably be there finishing out her last week in the office. I wasn’t the least bit hungry. Nothing to do but drive, I thought restlessly.

  Now that I was away from “normal” and alone in my car, I was starting to calm down. I felt the “old me” surfacing. Even though Mike deserved everything he had gotten, I rationalized that a lot of the force behind my blows may not have been entirely warranted (despite me holding back about ninety-five percent of it).

  I didn’t have to crack his ribs like that. Though, I could have very easily shattered them. Maybe I should’ve held back a few more percent? I knew that was true. As I came to a halt at Welch’s only stoplight located in the center of town, a familiar feeling started to churn inside me.

  Crap! Here it comes…The guilt!

  I found myself fidgety as I sat there at the red light. Wrought with remorse, I kept telling myself, Mike will be okay. He’s a quarterback. He’s taken plenty of hits. No matter how hard I tried to reassure myself with optimistic thoughts, nothing seemed to help alleviate any of my guilt. I let out a shame-fueled sigh as I stared listlessly out the front windshield.

  At times like this, karma could always be counted on to deliver an unforeseen, retaliation blow. And that was what I knew to be true when from out of nowhere, an unwanted sight popped into my view. The dark stranger who was at the Kwik-Serve this morning was crossing the street in front of me. My eyes flared when the man stopped abruptly. He started looking all around, seeming confused by something. The eerie man slowly turned my way. His dark-brown eyes peered into my car and locked with mine.