A Girl Between

by Marjorie Weismantel

  “Will, that sounds crazy, but I guess it all makes sense. It’s as good an explanation as any. If I hadn’t seen Bully’s wheelchair lift up like that, I would never have guessed it could be done. Do you have any idea what Mercy thinks?”

  Will thought for a minute and then answered, “When we first turned the corner and saw what was going on, there was no way we could get there in time to stop Bully from hurting you. Mercy then looked at me and said something about how WE would have to get Bully away from you immediately. There was no time to wonder what she meant. We just did it.”

  Abruptly Will looked down at my hand. “By the way, how much is your hand bleeding? Let me look at it.”

  I lifted it up. Will took my hand and unwrapped the gauze. You could see there was still some bleeding. “Look, my mom is a nurse. Let’s go to my house first and have her clean you up. We’ll have to think of something to tell her on the way. There’s also your head,” he commented as he peered down at my forehead. “It’s stopped bleeding but it has to be washed up again and it needs a band aid. If you’re fixed up with no blood showing by the time you get home, your aunt won’t be as freaked out.”

  “Thanks for your help. Will. I have to say, you’re a much nicer guy than I originally thought.”

  He smirked, “Oh, really? What did you think of me?”

  I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and answered, “I thought you were a wise guy. Now, I think that you’re a nice wise guy.”

  He just looked at me. I was waiting for a sarcastic remark but I think he was at a loss for words, not a common occurrence around Will. On closer inspection, I think I saw him blush! He is really a cute guy when he looks embarrassed like that. I’ll have to kiss him more often.

  21. Finally, Ian

  I’m glad Monday’s almost over. I hate Mondays, especially when you show up at school with a drastic new haircut. Everyone had to put their two cents in, although the comments were generally positive (at least the ones to my face!). I just didn’t like people staring at me. I was able to scrunch my hair over the cut above my eye so people wouldn’t ask about that. Eve let me wear her favorite yellow sweater. I thought about wearing a skirt but I didn’t want to overdo since I seldom wear skirts, so I wore the sweater with my best old jeans. People are always scrutinizing what you do in high school. It’s like living in a fish bowl.

  I bumped into Rainy in front of the school at the end of the day. I was listening to her go on and on about an incident in the café when I had the feeling that someone was watching me. I turned my head slightly and saw him out of the corner of my eye. It was Ian. He was across the street a little ways down, staring right at me. I didn’t want to go running over to him so I pretended that I hadn’t seen him. I hope he’s coming in this direction. As Rainy was talking, I could see her continue to glance at someone behind me, and then I felt a touch on my arm. She popped her gum and said with a funny smirk, “Hey, Tess, I have to head to work. See ya later.”

  I turned to Ian. As much as I tried to steel myself, I was taken aback by his masculine appearance. He had been doing some kind of construction work because he was wearing a dirty (tight) t-shirt, old work boots and there was a smudge of dirt below his left eye. He was as beautiful as ever. It’s just not fair! Even dirt becomes him. On top of that, he was smiling at me. Of course, he has perfect teeth.

  “Tess, I was working on a house down the street when I realized that the high school was about to be let out and I wanted to catch you,” Ian said, still smiling at me.

  “Working on a house?” I reply like a dummy.

  “Yeah, I work for my uncle’s construction company during my free time. We’re renovating an old house over on Prospect Street,” he answered.

  So that explained his perfectly formed muscles; he does construction work. I have to stop staring at his muscle-man arms. I’ve never been a fan of guys who spend hours pumping iron in the gym. Guys get a much better physique the old fashioned way, plain old physical labor. How can I maintain my composure under these trying conditions? I swear he knows what I’m thinking about. He still has that grin on his face.

  He got a little more serious. “So, Tess, I wanted to tell you how much I liked your new haircut. It really suits you, except, what happened here?” As he was studying my face his hand lightly brushed up my hair to expose the band aid over my eyebrow. As I self-consciously smoothed my hair back down, Ian grabbed my hand and held it. “And what happened to your hand?”

  I looked at him sheepishly and pulled my hand back. “Oh, THAT!” I waved it off. “It happened last night when I tripped on the old soccer field and my head hit a piece of metal. It was nothing. As far as my hands, I was just helping my gram pull out some old rose bushes. I probably should’ve worn gloves because those thorns cut me up a bit.” That excuse for my hand just popped into my head.

  Think I’m gonna change the subject. “Didn’t I see you at the bonfire?” I asked him innocently.

  “Yeah, I wanted to say hello to some old friends but I had other plans so I didn’t stay very long. I did see you in the crowd and I have to say that, at first, I didn’t recognize you because of your haircut. By the way, I heard that some strange stuff happened there. Did you know anything about how Jimmy O’Donnell got hurt?” Ian asked. Was he looking at me suspiciously?

  I regarded him with the most innocent look I could manage under the circumstances. “No, I didn’t see anything when I was there. In fact, because I hit my head I didn’t stay for the entire time, so I think I missed out on all the commotion. Someone at school was saying that Jimmy got hurt going down that steep hill behind the athletic fields. Is that what you heard?”

  “Yeah, Jimmy’s cousin is on the construction crew I work with. I heard from him that Jimmy went flying down that hill in his wheelchair and then his chair flipped over at the bottom,” said Ian. “That must’ve been brutal. Can you imagine? I heard that if he hadn’t been in such good shape physically it probably would have killed him. Man, he’s had some real bad luck lately.”

  “Do they know how he ended up going down that hill?” I had to ask him even though I was freaking out about it. I had to know what people thought.

  “Jimmy hadn’t really said. It was like he didn’t know, or else he just didn’t remember. The doctors say that he should eventually recall what happened. It was so bizarre! At the top of that hill is that abutment. It’s not like someone could have lifted him over. He’s really a big guy, plus you have to add in the weight of the wheelchair. You’d need a forklift to get him over that. It’s a real mystery.” As Ian was speaking he was shaking his head with disbelief.

  I had to ask, “Why would anyone want to do that to Bull…I mean Jimmy?” I wanted to hear what Ian thought of Bully Boy.

  “Oh, there are probably plenty of people who wouldn’t mind seeing Jimmy take a fall, but I don’t see anyone wanting to kill him! Jimmy can be a real obnoxious pain. I’ve seen him really torment kids in school. I don’t go along with that stuff. I would say that I was never really big friends with Jimmy, or enemies for that matter. He left me alone and I left him alone.”

  THAT bugged me. I just had to add something so I responded, “I have to say, I can’t stand bullies.”

  He looked at me thoughtfully and replied, “I don’t like bullies either, but there are some people you just don’t want to mix it up with. You know what I mean?”

  I’m not giving in on this. I narrowed my eyes at him. “There are times when you have to take a stand, like when you see a bully picking on someone who’s weak. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  He suddenly looked taken aback. “Tess, why are we going on about this? I’m not friends with Jimmy, but at the same time, I don’t want to see him get hurt.” Ian quickly glanced at his watch before he continued, “I’m sorry, I have to get back to work. I’d like to stay and hang out with you but I came here for a reason. The Tri Town fair starts on Friday in Andover. My crew is building the stage for the bands that will be playing there. Anyway, I
was wondering if you’d go with me on Friday night? I love greasy fair food, I love crazy rides, and I love country music, so what do you think?”

  He’s so darn confident, like he knows what I’m going to say. If I was smart I would keep him guessing, but I can’t. I want to go with him and he knows it. “I guess I can make it. I have nothing else going on Friday night. I’ve never been to a town fair before.” I tried not to sound ecstatic, even though that’s how I felt.

  “Great!” I was rewarded with a full smile of perfect white teeth. “I have to get back to work. Pick you up on Friday at 6 o’clock.”

  I watched him stride back from the direction he came. I didn’t want him to turn around and see me admiring his every step, so I forced myself to look away. It was hard to do.

  22. Belinda

  On Wednesday after school, Mercy invited me over to her house. I was grateful because I was going crazy just sitting home. All of the events of Friday night were going round and round in my head and none of it was making any sense. Mercy might be the one person who could shed some light on what was going on.

  My aunt offered to drive me to Mercy’s place, since it was a few miles out of town. When we got to the designated address, we weren’t sure where to go. There was a turnoff onto an unkempt dirt road that was lined on both sides with overgrown bushes and trees. It didn’t appear that anyone had driven down that way for quite some time.

  My aunt put the car on idle and we sat there for a minute trying to figure out what to do. Could they live down that road surrounded by all these woods? I seem to recall Mercy mentioning that she lived next to a state forest and that her closest neighbor was over a mile away. But, this isolation was a little creepy. My aunt finally shrugged her shoulders and turned onto the road. It was rough going so we proceeded slowly. After a while, we went around a curve and came upon a house trailer in a clearing. There was Mercy, lounging in a faded blue couch under an awning. When she saw us she got up, adjusted her long skirt and ran over to greet us.

  “Hey, Tess, I’m so glad you could make it. You can see why I don’t get too many visitors around here. It’s out in the boonies.” She then turned to my aunt, grinned at her and stuck out her hand, “So nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Littleton.”

  “Nice to meet you too, Mercy,” Aunt Amy replied, smiling. Then Auntie turned to me. “I have to head out because I’m meeting Grandma for lunch. When should I come get you?”

  Mercy jumped in, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Littleton. My mom said that Tess can stay for dinner and then she’ll drive her home on her way to work. Mom’s on the eleven o’clock shift. ”

  Aunt Amy nodded. “OK, girls, see you later.” As my aunt turned her head around to back up the car she glanced at me. She looked very pleased. I knew she was happy that I was making some friends in Woodley. And my aunt wasn’t the snooty type. She wouldn’t care if Mercy lived in a trailer or a mansion. As long as I liked Mercy, that was enough for her.

  As I looked around at all the surrounding woods I asked, “You guys really are out in the boonies. Do you mind living out here?”

  “My mom and I have moved around a bit over the years. Every time we relocate we get a place further out in the sticks. I guess I’m just used to it. In fact, I’d say that I’ve really gotten to like the peace and quiet. I find that when I’m in a noisy place like a city, I’m not that comfortable. Anyway, Tess, one reason I invited you here today was to help you figure out what’s going on. I think my mom can help you out. Why don’t you come on in and meet her?” Mercy held the door open for me.

  I was a little dubious about how Mercy’s mom could help, but it was certainly worth a try. We walked up the steps into the kitchen of the trailer. The first thing I saw were dried plants hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the room. There was clutter everywhere but the place didn’t appear disheveled or dirty. It’s just that most of the available surfaces in the kitchen and the living room were covered with jars or books or some other kind of paraphernalia. Perhaps it was because their living space was rather small; there wasn’t a lot of available room for storage. I have to say that this place did fit Mercy. She was frequently wearing a floppy hat over her mop of hair, with long earrings and a big skirt. It wasn’t exactly a neat, tailored look.

  Suddenly, I heard the slam of a screen door. A slender woman in worn baggy jeans and a flannel shirt emerged, carrying a bundle of greens. Her brown hair was streaked with gray and pulled back into a long braid. She stopped and scrutinized me for a minute and then she asked, “Are you Tess?”

  Mercy answered, “Of course she’s Tess. I told you she’d be coming over today, remember?”

  She was still studying me as she responded, “Yes, I know. I just wanted to be sure.”

  Mercy looked anxiously between Tess and her mom. “Mom, remember what you told me the other day? You said that you would help Tess find out what was going on. I had Tess come over today for that reason. Things are getting bad out there and she has to know what’s up in order to protect herself.”

  “I think you’re absolutely right. I guess I’m a little nervous because I’m out of practice. I haven’t hypnotized anyone for over a year now. I can never guarantee success. Of course, ultimate success also depends upon the subject.” Mercy’s mom turned to me and asked, “Have you ever been hypnotized Tess?”

  I was completely taken aback. “Hypnotized? Not that I remember. Why would you ask?”

  Mercy’s mom replied, “Because I plan on hypnotizing you, Tess. By the way, why don’t you just call me Belinda? I think that will help you to feel more relaxed when I put you under.”

  23. The Past

  Mercy touched my arm and smiled at me. “Don’t worry, Tess. I’ve been hypnotized a few times. There’s nothing to it. Just follow my mom’s directions and you’ll do fine.”

  “What do you want to hypnotize me for? How will that give me answers? I don’t understand.” I was starting to feel panicky.

  Belinda said, “Take a seat dear and let me explain how it works. If you decide that you don’t want to be put under by hypnosis, I most certainly would not do it.”

  Something about Belinda’s calm voice made me feel better. I took a deep breath and sat down. “OK, go ahead and explain things to me.”

  Belinda said, “There’s something in your past which you can’t remember that will help clarify the strange things that have been happening to you.”

  How could Belinda know that much about me? “Exactly what strange things are you referring to?” I asked.

  Belinda thought for a minute before she answered. “Have you ever affected the outcome of a future event by your actions? Have you ever had premonitions of a disaster which enabled you to avoid it? Have you ever heard voices from the past, or ever ‘spoken in tongues’ as we say?” She paused for a moment and then asked, “Have you ever disabled someone else’s actions through your own thoughts? Have you ever been able to hear what someone else was thinking?”

  I was stunned. Everything she said had been happening to me. I was terrified to really examine what was going on so I never put it all together. If I had, I would have come to the conclusion that I was losing my mind. I also had the perfect excuse to avoid my troubles. After all, I’ve been directing my energies toward adapting to my new life here in Woodley. I put everything else on the back burner.

  “There is some truth in what you say,” I admitted. “What will happen when you hypnotize me?”

  “Through a series of relaxation techniques, I will be able to reach the deeper parts of your unconscious mind that would normally be inaccessible. However, you will be aware of your surroundings and what you are doing and saying. The purpose of the hypnosis is to make you more knowledgeable about your past and how your past affects your life today. When you are viewing through the lens of hypnosis, it’s almost like seeing a movie. You can pause, slow down, or go forward.”

  I responded, “I don’t understand how learning about my past will help me to understand what’s happe
ning to me today.”

  Belinda responded, “Tess, you’ll have to trust me on this. If what I suspect about you is true, it will explain just about everything.”

  “What I don’t understand is why you just can’t just tell me about it. Why do you have to hypnotize me?” I asked.

  Mercy jumped in and said, “Tess, we don’t know about your past. That’s something that you learn from the hypnosis. Even if my mom did know something, I don’t think you’d believe her if she just told you. I had my doubts, too. You just have to see for yourself.”

  After what happened at the bon fire, I can’t afford to ignore all of the strange events that seem to follow me around. There’s no sign that this insanity is stopping, or even slowing down. I would even say that they’re increasing in number and intensity. I’m also smart enough to know that I can’t figure this out by myself. I have no idea why they’re occurring. What’s most important is that I trust Mercy. (I can’t forget that she’s the major reason I’m not in the hospital or even dead right now!) I don’t know her mother as well, but they seem to work together. I looked over at Belinda, “OK, let’s just do it.”

  Belinda stared at me. “Are you absolutely sure, Tess? It will open doors to the truth. Sometimes the truth can be pacifying, but sometimes it can be terrifying. Once that door is open, you can never go back.”