The Girl With Aquamarine Eyes

by Shelley Madden

  Over and over, he rewound the tape. He watched as she put her hands on the dead boy’s head as his mother stood stricken nearby.

  It was impossible. He refused to believe what he could quite clearly see. Once again, he rewound the tape and played it back, this time in slow-motion.

  He watched as the boy’s body jerked and convulsed under Heaven’s hands. Thirty seconds. That’s all it had taken before she fell to the floor in some sort of coma, and the boy sat up. The screaming mother could easily be heard, but she too fell to the floor shortly after Heaven. At that moment, Bice and Harmon burst in.

  He pushed the volume button to its maximum level. Bice was saying something to Harmon. To his frustration, the sound was garbled. He pressed the volume button repeatedly. The red light on the machine blinked madly at him, refusing to increase the sound another decibel.

  He slung open his desk drawer and rummaged through its contents. Finally, he pulled from its depths his headset. Naturally, they were twisted amongst several other wires in the drawer.

  He quickly yanked them apart, and shoved the plug into the machine. He rewound the video once more, carefully studying Bice’s lips. His eyes were centimeters from the monitor as he clung to each faded word.

  “She did this, Harmon…”

  He staggered backward in disbelief, yanking the headphones from the video deck. The cord pulled the machine to the edge of the shelf, it teetered momentarily in limbo only centimeters from the floor.

  He leapt toward it, and caught it a millisecond before it crashed and destroyed the only tape of the boy’s room. He laid on the cold tile in a tangle of wires, gasping for breath and repeating the words Bice had so softly spoken.

  “She did this, Harmon…She did this, Harmon…She did this, Harmon…”

  * * *

  Harmon sat by the poolside watching Heaven visit with Tommy.

  He’d called Tommy and invited him for lunch and a swim. The meal was extraordinary, and unbelievably went off without a hitch. He looked up as Bice approached and took a took a chair near him.

  “Are you ready to talk now?” Bice asked. He watched Heaven laugh and joke with Tommy, and leap into the pool with the boy in unison.

  “Her wrist.” Harmon remarked. “She is swimming as if nothing was wrong with it two days ago. My God, it was shattered.”

  “No one must know, ever.” Bice whispered.

  “It’s too late.”

  “The Doctor can prove nothing. He didn’t see a thing.”

  Harmon studied Bice. He looked much better today compared to yesterday. Maybe tomorrow, he’d look better than today. “Dreams asked to be taken back to the orphanage last night.”

  “Why?”

  Harmon’s gaze shifted to the glittering pool. “She wouldn’t say, so I didn’t press her. I have a suspicion she may be intimidated, or even afraid of Heaven. I’m almost certain.”

  Bice leaned close until he was touching the musician’s elbow. “My God, she’s Heaven’s only friend.”

  “I know. That’s why I called Tommy over for a visit, but Heaven took it all in stride.”

  Bice sighed in relief. “That’s good news.”

  Harmon gazed at his friend. The man was always there for him, no matter what kind of mess he’d find himself in from day to day. He didn’t ask many favors of Bice. But things were different now. He gazed at Heaven laughing in the pool.

  “Bice, get rid of the coins. Sail out to sea as far as you can, and as soon as you can. Get rid of them.”

  Bice gazed at the musician with a knowing look, and smiled. “Consider it done.”

  * * *

  Tommy was truly having the best day of his life.

  Heaven made him feel alive and important. She didn’t mind he had no friends at school, other than Ben. She understood why he was shy and quiet. It didn’t bother her a bit when he admitted he’d never had a date for the prom, or for that matter, a date for anything.

  He embarrassingly told her how the football players found great joy pounding him on the head with their schoolbooks, or stacking his locker with unmentionable items. He finally admitted for the first time ever, that he often woke up sick in the mornings, dreading the thought of going to school.

  She in turn told him about the island, and the terrible accident which had injured her legs. She also admitted she didn’t know much about life in the States, but Harmon and Bice were patient and understanding, and helping her daily.

  Tommy felt the skin on his backside suddenly prickle, as if a blast of cold air had found its way from Antarctica right into Harmon’s backyard. He realized he was being watched, and turned to look over his shoulder.

  Harmon and Bice were indeed gazing at him a little too closely. The moment he met their stare, they each turned away. He was a respectable teenager, and almost an adult. Heaven was in good hands with him. He turned back to her.

  “Heaven, tell me something. I know for a fact your knee was cut the night I found you. There was blood in my car, and on my dad’s couch. Did I imagine it all?”

  “I don’t remember, Tommy...”

  He leaned closer. “I saw your swollen ankle. I understand the ice might have caused the swelling to go down, but it certainly didn’t make that cut disappear.”

  “Tommy, please…”

  “Look, if you’re in trouble, let me help you. The night I met you, I felt a strange connection to you. I can’t explain it, nor can I explain why the cut disappeared, but I’m a phone call away if you ever need me. Promise me you’ll call me before you leap from a wall again.”

  “I can’t promise to call you.” She hung her head, and gazed at her feet through the cellophane ripples of blue water. “I don’t have a phone.”

  “You don’t have a cell phone?”

  “No. I wouldn’t know how to use one anyway.” She quickly wiped a tear away, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  “I’ll be right back. Wait here a moment, all right?”

  “All right.”

  Tommy climbed from the pool and walked over to Harmon and Bice.

  Harmon smiled as the teenager approached. “What’s up Tommy?”

  “Why are you staring at me? Why’d you invite me over if you don’t trust me?”

  Bice glanced at Harmon, then at Tommy. “You know very little about her, Tommy.”

  “I know enough to know I like her. Besides, what is going on around this place? What on earth drove her to leapt from a wall in the middle of the night?”

  Bice rose from the table. “Harmon, I’ll take him into the study for a minute, and explain. We’ll be right back.”

  Tommy followed Bice through the courtyard, and what seemed like another half mile up the steps, down a long hall and finally into the study.

  Bice drew back the curtains, watching Heaven at the poolside. “Tommy, Heaven is not your normal everyday girl.”

  “I know this. She’s an orphan, and lost her parents at sea.”

  “There’s more.” Bice sighed, and sat down. “Sometimes, she does things without thinking of the consequences.”

  “That doesn’t bother me. She’s my friend, and I like her the way she is.”

  “Sometimes, she does things which are unexplainable. We don’t yet know or understand her as much as we’d like to at this point.”

  A puzzled look crossed Tommy’s face. “What do you mean?”

  “There are things about her we’d rather keep private for her own protection. I hope you understand.”

  “What’s the big secret, Bice?”

  “We are only trying to protect her.”

  Tommy thought a minute. “Why is her cast already off? Didn’t she break her wrist the night she jumped from the wall?”

  Bice glared at the teenager. The boy was asking too many questions. There were things about Heaven better left unsaid. He stared across the enormous lawn. In the distance, gulls circled the choppy waves in the horizon.

  “Bice?” Tommy asked. “Why is her cast off? My dad said her wrist wa
s terrible broken and he ordered a cast put on.”

  Bice knew the boy had him. He didn’t want to lie, but he was left with no choice. He was slowly being backed into a corner, and he didn’t like it. He’d brought the teenager into the study to set him straight, and now the boy had turned the tables on him. Damn Harmon, bringing the kid here to begin with. The teenager was intruding on their privacy, and asking too many questions.

  He finally turned from the window and stared stonily at the teenager. “It’s best you don’t know why, Tommy. Forget about it. Forget the accident ever happened. I’m not here to answer your questions. Also, don’t try to get too close to Heaven. You’ll meet two roadblocks if you do.”

  Tommy’s eyes grew wide, as the veins across his throbbing temples flared and threatened to burst. “I’m her friend. I trust her, and she trusts me. Maybe you should learn to trust her too. It’s part of life, which you can’t control. Nor, can you control me.”

  “We have our reasons. The less you know about her the better off you are. Don’t ask questions, because their answers are of no concern to you.”

  “Bice, if you want to do something for Heaven, other than smother her and run her life, get her a cell phone. At least that way she can reach out to someone before she takes a flying leap off a wall again.”

  He glared at Bice, shaking his head in disdain. He turned on his heel and stomped out of the study, leaving a speechless man in his wake.

  * * *

  The café was situated on a busy corner on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

  Patio tables sat under colorful, sweeping umbrellas. The city hummed with traffic and pedestrians. They dodged about, anxious to meet their unknown deadlines.

  Dr. White sat behind a crisp newspaper, at a lone table the furthest from the busy café. He struggled to hold the paper in place, fighting the currents of wind which threatened to rip it away. He gazed at his hands. Apparently, it wasn’t the wind shaking the paper. It was his nerves. Exasperated, he plopped the paper down on the table.

  “Dr. White?”

  “Yes?” He turned around and gazed at the man standing behind him.

  “I’m Dr. Killmore, thanks for agreeing to meet me. I hope you’re well today.” He offered the aged physician his hand.

  “Let’s skip the cordial small talk.” Dr. White grumbled. “What do you want to know about Heaven?”

  Dr. Killmore pulled the opposite chair out, and sat down. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a video tape and slid it across the table. “This. Take it home and watch it.”

  Dr. White picked up the tape and studied it.

  “I’ve got it on tape, Dr. White. Watch her hands glow. My patient was dead, stone cold dead, until she put her hands on him. He’s alive and well now, see it for yourself.”

  Dr. White smirked at the neatly-dressed physician. “Have you lost your mind? I only took care of her broken legs. I have no idea what you’re talking about, besides, she disappeared after that.”

  Dr. Killmore leaned in close. “She can heal people, it’s right here on the tape. This is why your patient never returned for cast removal, or physical therapy. She’s up and walking as if her legs were never mangled to begin with. I’m going to find out how she does it. I will harvest her cells, inject them into my patients and cure every ailment known to mankind.”

  “Have you gone mad? Her guardians will never allow you to turn her into a guinea pig.”

  “Never mind how I’m going to do it. This girl will bring me to a new medical frontier, unknown to mankind. Think how many people she can heal. But I need your help with the research.”

  “And you have this on video?”

  “See it for yourself.”

  Dr. White thought a moment as he studied the tape. Suddenly, his eyes widened. “Count me in. Get the girl one way or other, but don’t screw up.”

  “You can count on it.” Dr. Killmore assured him. “Go home and watch the tape. It’s something you’ll never again see in your lifetime.”

  “What do you plan on doing with her, once you get her?”

  “ I’ll take her into Mexico, from there, we’ll leave the country. They’ll never find us.”

  Dr. White clutched the tape until his fingers reddened. “I better be able to find you, got it? I’ve got the tape now. If you plan on disappearing, I’ll blow this whole thing wide open. Be sure to stay in touch.”

  Without a backward glance he slipped the video into his jacket pocket, stared long and hard at Dr. Killmore, and quickly ducked away from the annoying café.

  * * *

  Tommy returned to the pool and sat beside Heaven.

  The sun was setting, its glowing orange mass silently dipping beneath the waves in the distance. It had been a perfect day, until the strange conversation with Bice. At least Harmon had sent him enough money for car repairs. He was anxious to have his car again, and return to work soon.

  “What was that all about?” Heaven asked.

  “Nothing important. I have something to ask you though.” He blushed a pale shade of red.

  “What is it, Tommy?”

  He took her hand and held his breath. “Heaven, would you go to the prom with me?”

  “Prom? What is a prom? Is that like the mall?”

  He laughed and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. “It’s a school dance, where you wear a beautiful dress, and I buy you flowers.”

  “I don’t know how to dance.”

  “I’ll teach you.”

  She suddenly leapt up, grabbed his hand and pulled him to the patio table. “Harmon, I’m going to the prom! Hurry, I need a beautiful dress!”

  Bice glared at Tommy. He was tempted to chase the boy back to the study, and shake some sense into him. Better yet, he’d throw him in the pool and be done with him for good. The least he could’ve done was ask one of them first, not spring it on Heaven without their approval. He’d already warned the boy not to try to get too close to Heaven. It was now obvious the boy would do as he felt.

  “Sounds fun.” Harmon replied. “When is the dance, Tommy?”

  Bice whirled around and glared at Harmon. “We need to talk about this first. Privately.”

  “They’ll be fine.” Harmon insisted. “We’ll be their chaperones. Let them have fun.”

  Bice slammed his drink down, glared at Tommy and stormed back into the house.

  * * *

  Bice watched through the curtained window as Tommy finally left.

  He’d passed the time pacing back and forth in his room, glancing out the window every few seconds. Harmon was finally making his way into the mansion with Heaven. He could wait no longer. He raced downstairs toward the study.

  “Have you lost your mind?” He demanded as he stormed into the room. “The kid is already asking too many questions. Now you’re letting him take Heaven to the prom?”

  “Questions? What kind of questions?”

  Bice leaned over the desk and met Harmon eye to eye. “He noticed her wrist was healed already. And you, you are supporting it by letting him take her. Do you want her found out Harmon? Do you? Do you know she could be a threat to national security?”

  “No, I don’t Bice, but I can’t keep her from living her damned life.”

  “I understand that, but we have to make a choice. If something happens, and she does what she did at the hospital, what if someone else sees it? Did you forget about the child that was dead? There was a witness!” Angered, Bice slammed his fist on the desk.

  “One woman might have seen it. She looked Spanish. Maybe she won’t be able to explain what happened.”

  “There are security cameras in every room at that hospital. Did you forget how she stuck her face into one and painted it with her lipstick? They know Harmon, they all know about her by now. What the hell are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know.” Harmon moaned. “I can’t wave a magic wand and make those security tapes disappear. I can’t snap my fingers and make her normal. I also can’t drive away a ne
w friend. For God’s sake, Dreams just bailed out on her.”

  “Do you realize there will be a hundred or more kids in that ballroom at the Prom? If one of them gets hurt, or chokes on the food and dies, they’ll take her from us Harmon, they’ll take her!”

  Harmon was beginning to worry about his manager. The man looked like he’d step off the edge at any moment. “You’ve got to calm down, and I know the risk. Again, I will remind you I will not keep her a damned prisoner here, she needs a life.” Harmon shoved the stack of lyrics in front of him to the floor, watching as they scattered about like fall leaves caught in a sudden whirlwind.

  Bice ran his hand through his hair and gazed at the ceiling. “All right Harmon, you win. Let her go to the damned Prom. You better hope and pray nothing happens to a single person in that room, you better hope lightning doesn’t strike anyone in the parking lot, because if it does you can kiss Heaven goodbye.”

  He glared at the musician, and stormed out the door.

  * * *

  Tommy’s hands shook as he knocked on the door of the mansion.

  It was prom night, and he hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before, or all week for that matter. Nervously, he gazed at the corsage he held. The flowers swayed and quivered despite his firm grip. Petals drifted loose from the stems, and fell to his feet.

  He hoped she liked them. He’d driven all over town, determined to find the perfect flowers for his new friend. He’d finally settled on an island bouquet, trimmed with bird of paradise, lilies and white orchids.

  The mahogany doors were suddenly swept open. A man whom he had not seen before, dressed in a fishtailed tuxedo, guided him to the staircase and quickly evaporated down the dim hall.

  “Hello, Tommy.” Bice slapped him on the back, a little too hard. “You look nice. Heaven will be down any minute.”

  “Thank you.” He coughed.

  Tommy followed Bice’s gaze toward the glistening mahogany steps. The vision coming down was beyond his mind’s ability to register, much less comprehend. He fought the sudden urge to throw the flowers aside, and make a mad dash out the front door and into the obscurity inside his worn out vehicle.

  She wore a floor length white satin gown. Her golden hair was swept up in curls, several fell down each side of her face and down her back.