by Gayla Twist
It didn’t make sense. Not any of it. My stomach clenched with the realization that I had somehow dreamed about Jessie’s gift before he’d even given it to me. I slumped on my bed clutching my head in my hands. My brain had gone haywire. What was wrong with me?
Chapter 16
It was getting late, but I knew I would never be able to fall asleep. I started flipping through the journal, looking with fresh eyes at the dreams I’d written down. Originally, I had been trying to make sense of them as they’d related to Jessie, not as they related to Aunt Lettie. I thought the dream about the beautiful library was because Jessie was so beautiful and I’d first seen him in a library, and it all kind of blended with my love of books. The splashes of color that became the wildflowers dream just seemed like a magical setting to be with a magical being, but maybe it was something to do with gathering flowers for the sick brother that didn’t exist.
My head started to throb the more I thought about it. Was I somehow Colette Gibson reincarnated?
No, that didn’t make any sense to me at all. She was always that mystery from Grandma Gibson’s past, but I didn’t feel connected to her. Not like how I felt connected to Jessie. And the Pools of Light pendant wasn’t hers, so that didn’t explain the whole thing with my dreaming about Jessie’s eye.
I desperately wanted to talk to Jessie but also knew I should probably never speak to him again. He was one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet, but I also felt the safest when I was close to him. Were the dreams I was having actually mine or just the fragmented memories of a dead girl? And what about the dream where a creature was chasing me in the dark and I fell near a large log?
I lay awake for most the night again, playing with the Pools of Light. I wished I could use it like a crystal ball and see into the past. If the dreams I was having were in some way Colette Gibson’s memories, then something very evil had killed her. Something that lusted for blood. Something animal as well as man. Something with hateful gray eyes.
*****
“Hey,” Blossom said when she opened her front door. “I was beginning to think you were blowing me off.”
I had almost blown her off. Not intentionally, but I had completely spaced that we’d planned a bake-a-thon. “No, I couldn’t fall asleep last night and just couldn’t get it in gear this morning,” I said. I didn’t tell her that I also had to scramble to find some interesting cookie recipes to print out once I’d realized we had plans.
“Yeah, you didn’t email me any ingredients, so my mom just got the basic stuff.”
“Oh.” Another thing that hadn’t even entered my brain. “Sorry.”
She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing me. “What’s up with you lately?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “Just been a little off.”
“I know,” she said as we headed for the kitchen. “It’s like you don’t even want to have fun anymore.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” I was letting her be a little critical of me because I had been pretty absent for the last few weeks, but I didn’t want her to go too overboard. “I just don’t find Jimmy Stevens and his football buddies all that interesting to be around.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Blossom agreed as she tossed me a frilly apron that she’d pulled off a hook from the pantry. Part of the fun of a bake-a-thon was that we wore traditional aprons like the housewives from the nineteen fifties. “He’s not even that good of a kisser,” she confided. “And he’s been getting kind of handsy lately.”
Blossom and I both weren’t down with how grabby guys could get once they thought you were their girlfriend. So many of them acted so entitled. “Did you talk to him about it?”
“Damn straight, I did. I told him, ‘Your erection is not my problem,’ but I don’t think he was really listening.”
“Why not?”
She rolled her eyes. “He was too busy trying to shove my hand down his pants.”
“Yeah, um... Blossom...”
She put up a hand to stop me. “Don’t even get started, Mrs. Keys. I already told him if he doesn’t cut the crap then he’s history.”
“Okay, that’s good.” Whenever she had the chance, my mother took the liberty of training my friends not to accept any nonsense from boys either. I tied my apron around my waist. It was white with green checks and plenty of ruffles. “What should we make first?”
And then things were fun. We were just two girls goofing around in the kitchen baking cookies and eating cookie dough. There was no talk of boys or vampires or any of that junk. It felt great just to be with my best friend having a good time and not worrying about all the other stuff. By four o’clock, we were lying on the floor in the family room too stuffed with cookies to move.
The phone rang. Blossom only shifted her eyes slightly in its direction. “Are you going to get that?” I asked.
“Nah.” She closed her eyes drowsily. “It’s probably only Jimmy wanting to rub up against my leg. So not romantic.”
And there was the difference between high school boys and girls.
The afternoon was so enjoyable, I felt a very strong urge to share with Blossom everything I’d learned since the party at the castle. She was my best friend, after all. Plus, it was hell not having anyone to confide in about the vampires and my crazy dreams. I actually took a deep breath in order to tell her, but then the words caught in my throat. Jessie would never forgive me if I blabbed. Plus, what if she believed me? And then other people believed her? At the very least, Jessie and his family would have to leave Tiburon, and then I would never see him again. That would just be too horrible to imagine. So I kept my lips zipped.
There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to see Jessie that evening. So when he didn’t show up, I was really blindsided. Was he mad at me? Had something happened to him? Did he not know how to use a phone? It was so frustrating. I just sat there by the window for two hours feeling like a complete jerk. Even after I decided to give up and closed the window, I didn’t actually give up. Not really. My brain knew he wasn’t going to come, but my heart kept jumping every time there was a small noise outside. I was frustrated enough to scream into my pillow.
I was in a complete daze at school the next day. Never mind distracting myself with extra class work, I couldn’t focus on anything. I kept playing our Saturday night conversation over and over again in my head. Had I done something to offend him? Did he decide that being with me was too much of a temptation? Or did he just realize that I was only a sad, faded carbon copy of his Colette?
More than one teacher remarked that I seemed “a little distracted.” It was amazing how quickly they’d become accustomed to my paying attention. Or, at least, appearing to pay attention. Outwardly, I guess I looked frazzled, but on the inside, I was tearing myself apart with the thought that I would never see Jessie again. The worst part of it was there was that little, practical part of my brain, the part that probably has all the survival instincts, that kept telling me that it was for the best.
“Want to go to the mall or something?” Blossom asked as she stood by my locker while I sorted my books.
The school day was finally over, and I had been wondering how I was going to distract myself for the evening. “Is Jimmy coming?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not if I can help it.” Her reply gave the strong impression that Jimmy’s days as her boyfriend were numbered.
“Okay,” I said. “Sounds good.”
As we headed out to the parking lot, something caught my eye. Or more accurately, someone. A very tall figure in a dark suit stood waiting beside my car, his shadow stretching across half the parking lot. I froze in my tracks, my heart hammering at my ribs.
“Who the hell is that?” Blossom said out of the corner of her mouth.
“Viggo,” I replied. Then, looking at her, I asked, “Can you give me a minute?”
“I guess.” Blossom shrugged. “If you’re sure he won’t eat your car.”
I walked up to the mountain of a man, m
y legs trembling a little beneath me. I wasn’t afraid of Viggo, but I knew Jessie had probably sent him, and I was wondering if I was about to receive that vampire version of the kiss-off.
“Hi, Viggo,” I said in a low voice. I could feel half the school staring at us as kids filtered out to their cars.
“Hello, Aurora. You are looking vell,” he said, making a small bow, his hands clasped behind his back.
“So are you,” I said, dipping my head in return. “I’m happy to see you.” Lowering my voice even more, I added, “I wanted to thank you again for your help the other week.”
“Mr. Wanderlind asked me to deliver this letter to you,” he said, reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out an envelope. His hands were so enormous they made the letter look the size of a business card.
“Okay, great,” I said, taking the envelope with shaking hands. “Thank you.”
“Things are bad, now,” the giant said. “You must leave Mr. Wanderlind alone.” He leaned toward me a little and added, “Especially at night.”
“Why?” I gulped. “What’s going on? Did Jessie tell you that?”
Viggo ignored my questions. He simply turned and strode away. Two cars pulling out at the same time almost collided as both drivers stared after the giant.
Blossom walked up to stand beside me. “Holy... whatever the hell that was.”
“Don’t be mean,” I told her. “He’s nice.”
“And just how, exactly, do you know him?”
I silently cursed. What the hell was Jessie thinking sending a giant to my school? Had he heard of that groundbreaking invention, the telephone? Was he aware of the post office? At the very least, he could have easily just slipped the note through the mail slot in our front door.
“Aurora?” Blossom pressed.
“Don’t you remember Viggo?” I acted surprised.
“No, I think I’d remember a guy like that.”
“Wow, you were more out of it than I thought,” I said, giving her an incredulous look. “We met him at the castle. You talked to him for, like, ten minutes.”
Blossom narrowed her eyes at me. “What did I talk to him about?”
“Mostly how tall he was,” I improvised. “You were a little fixated with it. I think you kind of made him a little uncomfortable.” I was hoping to embarrass her into not asking too many questions.
“Oh, yeah.” Blossom nodded several times. “I think I kind of remember him. I mean, he’s pretty unforgettable. What did he want, anyway?”
“I... uh...” I guess she hadn’t seen Viggo hand me the letter. I discretely slipped it into my bag. “I still have Jessie Vanderlind’s coat, and he asked me to return it when I had a moment.”
“Back to the castle?” Blossom’s eyes grew round. “Take me with you when you drop it off, okay?”
“Yeah, well... I told him it’s at the dry cleaners.” I unlocked the car. “Let’s get going if we’re hitting the mall.”
Jessie’s letter was burning a hole in my backpack. I could feel it there, unopened, unread, and it was killing me. There was no way I could read it with Blossom around. She was not the kind of girl who responded well to comments like, “It’s private,” or “It’s none of your business.” I had to bide my time until I had a moment alone.
My opportunity came when we were in Halle Brother’s department store. I made the excuse of needing to find a sports bra. Blossom did ask “Why?” but didn’t insist on coming into the dressing room with me. Trying on a bra is something a girl needs to do alone.
I made up some excuse about, “Think I might start jogging,” and grabbed a couple of random bras off a rack, hurrying to the dressing rooms.
Once I was safely locked away from prying eyes, I pulled out Jessie’s letter. The envelope was obviously made of some very nice paper. I didn’t want to just tear it open, so I rooted around in my bag until I found a hair clip, which I used as a letter opener to slit the paper.
My Dear Aurora,
Urgent business calls me away and I will be unable to meet with you in the foreseeable future. I regret that I am unable to tell you this in person. Please take care of yourself.
Best Wishes,
Jessie
Best wishes...? Seriously?
Chapter 17
I really didn’t know what I expected Jessie’s note to say, but that definitely wasn’t it. Was he actually busy, or had I just received a vampire-style Dear John letter?
“What’s wrong with you?” Blossom asked as we sat in the food court, splitting one of Aunt Agatha’s giant pretzels. “You look like your dog died.” It was a weird comment because Blossom knew I didn’t care for most dogs, but still, she was concerned.
“I guess I’m not feeling great,” I mumbled, not trusting my voice not to crack if I spoke at a normal level.
“Oh.” Blossom immediately dropped the piece of pretzel she was about to put in her mouth and wiped her hands rather vigorously on a napkin. “Thanks for sharing.”
“I don’t think it’s catching,” I told her. “Probably just my week of the woman.”
“Oh,” Blossom repeated, picking her bite of pretzel back up and popping it in her mouth.
I don’t know how I made it through shopping without looking at Jessie’s note again. I wanted to stare at it until the words were etched into my eyeballs. I needed to divine its meaning. I went to reach for it in my bag so many times Blossom must have thought I was developing a nervous twitch.
“Sorry the mall wasn’t that fun today,” I said as I pulled the bug into Blossom’s driveway. “I’m just super low energy.”
“Don’t worry about it. I completely understand.” After she got out of the car, she leaned down to add, “Take an iron pill and eat some chocolate.”
Even though I knew he wasn’t coming, I still sat by my window at nine o’clock waiting for Jessie. It was like I couldn’t help myself. I felt pathetic on a couple of different levels. I’d been wound up about guys before, but never so very tightly wound. It was painful, and I couldn’t explain my feelings, not even to myself.
I was just sitting there, fiddling with the Pools of Light pendant, noticing how the crystal captured the moonlight, when something in our backyard drew my attention. Someone was back there. A very tall someone. I knew in a second it was Viggo. “What the hell?” I said to myself and hurried out of the room.
“Viggo.” I walked straight up to the giant. “What are you doing here?”
“I am vaiting,” he told me. “You should go back into the house.”
“What are you waiting for?” I demanded. I felt like a bit of a fool confronting the massive man with just a parka pulled over my pajamas, but I didn’t let that stop me.
He shrugged his enormous shoulders. “Mr. Wanderlind told me to vait, so I vait. He told me to vatch you, so I vatch.”
“He what?” I tried to process what I’d just heard. Jessie had set up a guard to keep an eye on me? That sounded a bit paranoid. “Listen, Viggo, Jessie Vanderlind does not make the rules around here. This is my house and my lawn. I don’t need watching.”
“This is not your house,” the giant said. “This is the house of your mother. I vill ask her if she does not permit me to stand here.” He made to step around me.
“Whoa, wait a minute.” I waved both hands in the air, trying to get him to stop. “I really don’t think bringing my mom in on this is a good idea.” The less she knew about vampires, giants, and sneaking into castles, the better.
Viggo re-assumed his parade-rest posture. He apparently didn’t feel the need to gloat at outsmarting me.
I glared at him. “Do you always do exactly what the Vanderlinds tell you to do?”
He glanced down at me. “The Wanderlinds, no. Mr. Jessie Wanderlind, yes.”
“And why is that?” I asked.
Viggo ignored me.
We stood there for a while, me staring at him, him staring at nothing. I toyed with the idea of trying to scale him like Everest and wondered how much of
a fuss that would cause. Probably enough to draw the attention of my mother and quite a few neighbors. I thought better of it and just went back inside.
I had to accept the fact that I might not ever see Jessie again. The thought made my body ache all over. I was so angry, frustrated, and hurt that I cried in my room for about an hour and then sniffed for the next two. I didn’t want to sleep because I didn’t want to dream. The better part of the night I spent staring at the pendant he had given me. It was probably a farewell gift, and I was pitifully grateful to have it. At least it was something to remember him by.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday all melted into one big pile of misery. How could I be heartbroken over a guy I hadn’t even kissed? And one who could just as easily save my life as suck all the blood out of my body.
Viggo was at his post on Tuesday night. I tried to ignore him. On Wednesday my mother was out, so I went outside and marched right up to him. “You can leave now,” I said. “I understand that Jessie doesn’t want to see me. I won’t try to contact him. You don’t have to watch me anymore.”
The giant glanced briefly in my direction. “You are a stupid girl,” he told me. “Go back in the house.”
I did go back in the house and straight over to the telephone. I dialed 911 and waited to be connected to emergency services. “Hello? There’s this giant creepy guy in my backyard, and he won’t go away,” I said, allowing my voice to sound as tearful as I felt.
The cops came by a few minutes later. Tiburon did have an excellent police department, compliments of the Vanderlinds. I pointed out Viggo to the two officers that came to the door. “He won’t be bothering you anymore, Ma’am,” I was told, once they had convinced the giant to be on his way.
Thursday night, Viggo was nowhere to be seen. That was probably a good thing. My mother would have noticed the giant in the backyard eventually, but his absence tore open my emotional wound again. I was the one that had called the cops on him, but I knew that his absence meant Jessie had told him not to bother about me anymore. Was that a good thing? I wasn’t sure. But having Viggo gone meant Jessie was fading from my life.
