A Way (The Voyagers Book 1)

by Tara Lutz

  CHAPTER 26

  After a short ride from the school, dropping William off first, they arrived at Jessie’s house; situated on a quiet street, just south of the middle of town. The windows of the car were rolled down, finally giving her the fresh air she had been craving most of the day. Will brought the car to a jerking stop. The muggy air covered her in a damp sheen, almost instantly. Jessie said her good byes and squeezed out of the back seat, through the small space Becky created by pulling her seat forward.

  Her father’s car wasn’t in the driveway yet, but she could see her mother sitting on the front porch, fanning herself with the latest fashion magazine. Jessie was overjoyed to see a pitcher of fresh lemonade sitting on the table beside her. Condensation was dripping down the sides and pooled around the base. She headed straight for the refreshing yellow liquid, hardly acknowledging her mother, who was critically observing her.

  “Well hello mother, how was your day? Fine daughter, would you like some lemonade? Sure mother, but I thought I would say hello first.”

  Jessie could tell her mother was only half joking, but put the pitcher down and leaned to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Sorry mama, it’s just so hot out. I feel like I’ve spent the day wandering the desert; it was so warm in school.” She took a long satisfying gulp from the glass. The aftertaste stayed on the back of her tongue; a spicy sour flavor, not one she expected.

  “Did you put some of that awful tea in this?” Jessie asked.

  Since she could remember, her mother made her drink this horrible flavored tea every morning. She claimed it was full of antioxidants, whatever they were. Jessie thought it was disgusting and had started pouring it down the drain, without her mother noticing.

  “You should take Sammy down to the pond, when your father gets home with the car. She should be off the school bus in a few minutes,” she suggested, ignoring Jessie’s question. “She would love that.”

  Her mother was right, Sammy would love it. She welcomed any excuse to spend time with her big sister. Jessie felt like she had been neglecting Sammy lately. She had been and spending most of her time with Becky, since they had both learned to drive. Jessie salivated at the idea of a quick dip in the chilly water, to put out the fire out that burned under the surface of her skin the majority of the day.

  “Do you think Dad will let me take the car? The last time I mentioned driving Sammy to get some ice cream, he wasn’t too happy about it.” She didn’t like arguing with her father, but it seemed to be happening more and more, especially when it came to her little sister.

  “I’ll talk to him,” her mother gave Jessie a reassuring smile. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

  “Ok, I’ll go change into my bathing suit and grab some towels. We can leave as soon as he gets home.” She opened up the screen door to head upstairs, when her mother’s voice stopped her.

  “Just remember Jessie, Sammy’s still little, don’t leave her alone. You have to watch her at all times, which means no swimming to the island.”

  Jessie was confused by the warning. She would never leave her little sister alone in the water and had never even attempted to swim out to the island. The place gave her the creeps. Her parents really had been acting strangely lately.

  “Sure, no problem,” Jessie called back over her shoulder; tripping a bit as she climbed the stair case.

  *******

  It didn’t take much convincing, on her mother’s part, for their father to agree to let Jessie to borrow his car so she and Sammy could cool off at the pond. While Jessie waited for her sister to put on her bathing suit, the vehicle baked in the sun in the driveway. She yelled up to her to hurry up, and occupied her wait time by munching on few cookies; washing them down with her third glass of lemonade. Finally Sammy, towel in hand, appeared on the porch declaring she was ready to go.

  Jessie muttered, “finally,” under her breath. She wondered when she had become so impatient. It must be the heat.

  The siblings climbed into the car. Jessie pulled the bench up so she could reach the pedals, her bare thighs already sticking to the scorching hot vinyl. Sammy, may have been the younger sister, but she was smart enough to put her towel down before sliding onto the seat.

  “You ready?” She asked. Their mother helped Sammy shut the -heavy for her- door and leaned through the open window to kiss the top of her head.

  “Have fun, you two,” she said. And then to just Jessie, “remember what I said about the island.”

  “I know, geez.” There was her impatience, again. “Can we go, now?”

  Her mother nodded and waved to them, as Jessie maneuvered the bulky car out of the driveway.

  The pond was about fifteen miles out of town, making it a solid twenty minute drive from their house. She turned onto the dirt road, that ended at the lake, then onto a grassy area that had been turned into a make shift parking lot by the summer visitors. Jessie pulled her father’s car into a spot, beside the only other car that was there, and smiled across to her sister.

  “Ok, bug, we’re here.” She could tell by the look on Sammy’s face that she was just as excited by the thought of cooling off in the water as Jessie was.

  They gathered up their towels, and walked to the short path, that would led them to the water. Jessie glanced back at the car and noticed she had parked it on a bit of an angle. She silently reprimanded herself, I’ll have to work on that.

  Sammy skipped ahead, to dip her toes in the pond, screeching and jumping back, when the temperature took her by surprise. Jessie glanced around for the occupants of the car that was parked at the landing, and saw no one. They must have hiked further down the rocky shoreline, probably looking for privacy.

  Sammy reached down into the water and threw a splash up at Jessie. It fell just short of her, but a few drops sprinkled her legs and landed on her feet. The small amount brought relief from the pounding heat and she eagerly wadded into the water, until it covered three quarters of her body. Jessie braced herself and pushed off the bottom, to dive below the surface. She stayed submerged for a few seconds, letting the pond wash away the day’s stickiness, then emerged, to check on her little sister.

  Sammy was making mud pies in the shallow water, just off the shore. The sun sparkled off the fading ripples, that her feet were kicking up from below, and she brought herself around to face the island. She thought she saw movement behind the trees and swam towards it, trying to bring it into focus. She was halfway across the large pond, when she heard Sammy calling to her.

  “Jesssieeeee, look what I made,” she was pointing to a mound of mud in front of her.

  “That’s nice, Sammy. Make it a bit higher, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She continued towards the island.

  She had heard stories about the island in the middle of the lake. Someone told her once that it was full of snakes, or had she dreamt that? Either way, she wasn’t about to risk finding out, and stopped where she was in the water. She had gone far enough, she had also heard that snakes could swim.

  The flutter in the trees had stilled. She decided it was the wind, or the shadows playing in the sun that touched the bottom of the thin tree line. Jessie flipped in the water and swam back to the shore. Sammy was watching her, covered in mud up to her elbows. She kicked her feet a bit more furiously and wished she hadn’t allowed her mind to conjure up images of snakes gliding towards her through the water. She reached a spot where she could easily walk out of the water and up the bank. A wall of heat hit her. Jessie knelt down in front of the muddy sculpture that had taken shape in front of her sister.

  Sammy rubbed her hands over the top of it. “Did you see him?” She asked the dripping wet Jessie.

  “See who?” Jessie was just catching her breath, after her sprint away from the imaginary water creatures, and looked around them. There was no one there.

  “The man on the island.” Sammy looked past her sister and pointed one muddy finger in the direction of the island.

  Jessie
felt the hair on the back of her neck stand at attention. Goose bumps, that had no business showing themselves in the summer heat, appeared on her arms.

  “There is no one out there, Sammy,” Jessie reassured her. Then why am I afraid to turn around and look?

  “He was right there. Don’t you miss him, Jessie? I do.” Her sister’s eyes filled with tears.

  Jessie had heard enough. She lifted herself off the ground, bringing Sammy up with her and hurried back to the car; trying to shake the paranoia that they were being watched. Sammy stumbled and tried to keep up with her sister, but before she did, she lifted her hand, and sadly waved at the island.

  CHAPTER 27

  She dreamt about him again that night. The boy with the dark hair, always walking ten steps in front of her. She would try to catch up, her outstretched hand reaching to touch his, so she could get his attention. If she could just see his eyes. It was always the same. The more she tried to reach him, the farther away he would get; until he disappeared and she was left spinning in circles, trying to see where he went. Jessie woke up consumed in sadness; the dream floated away with the sleep she blinked from her eyes. She was startled to bring something back from this one that she hadn’t before. She reached for the notebook she kept on the table, beside her bed, and wrote the name that had whispered off her lips before she woke up. She read it out loud.

  “Dex.”

  The name sent an unidentified sensation down her spine. She laid back on her pillow, searching her thoughts for something that was not close enough for her to get a hold on, like the boy in her reoccurring dream. Her eyes opened again when she heard a light knock on her bedroom door and it cracked open.

  “Time to get up sleepy head,” her mother urged. “You won’t have time for breakfast before school if you don’t hurry.”

  Jessie didn’t have to be reminded that her mother thought breakfast was the most important meal of the day; one that she would gladly skip for an extra minute of sleep.

  Remembering what day it was, Jessie asked, “Is it ok if I look through your jewelry box before I leave? I need something that goes with my new top, to wear to the dance tonight.”

  A quick look, of what Jessie perceived to be fear, crossed her mother’s delicate features. It was the same look she had seen the day before, when she made Jessie promise not to swim to the island.

  “Sure,” she answered, a smile erasing the look. She was gone before Jessie could ask if anything was wrong.

  Jessie closed the notebook that was still open on her lap. The dream evaporated, like dew in the morning sun.

  *******

  “What’s that?” Becky asked. “I’ve never noticed you wear that before.” She motioned towards the necklace hanging around Jessie’s neck. Jessie moved her hand up and lightly touched it.

  “I found it with my mom’s jewelry this morning. She said I could look for something to wear to the dance tonight.” She brought her chin in tight and looked down to see it. “It’s pretty, right? I like the color.”

  “Sure,” Becky shrugged. “Come on, we’re going to be late for class.”

  It amused Jessie that Becky was the one reminding her that class was about to start, when she was the reason they were late most of the time. Jessie let the necklace settle back into the hollow between her collar bones, grabbed the books she would need for that morning’s classes, and shut her locker door.

  “So ‘Will 2’ told my Will that tonight is going to be, like, a date for you guys. That’s exciting.”

  This time it was Jessie that lifted her shoulders in an - I guess so - shrug. “Sure, it’ll be fun. He seems nice.”

  She needed the time off, from some of the strange occurrences that had tracked into her dreams, over the last twenty four hours. The feeling like she was being watched had followed her from the lake, and was now sneaking around the corners of the school.

  Jessie questioned Sammy again that morning, about the boy she insisted she had seen on the island. She waited until they were on the school bus, so their conversation wouldn’t be over heard by either of their parents. Her sister had looked off into the distance and given her a few vague answers. It nagged at Jessie. She noticed movement in the shadows also, but Sammy was so sure that there had been a boy. A dark haired boy that they both knew.

  Becky smiled, and Jessie snapped back into reality, “and if you guys hit it off, we can double date.”

  They entered their first class of the day, as the teacher was going through attendance. He frowned at them when they took their seats. Jessie opened her notebook and pulled out her homework to pass to the front of the room. As she fumbled around trying to find it, a loose sheet escaped, floated slowly to the floor and landed upside down, between her desk and Becky’s. Becky leaned over to grab it, almost upending her chair, and flipped the paper over to have look. Jessie snatched it out of her hand, quickly, almost tearing it in half.

  “Hey, geez Jessie. What’s so important?” Becky sounded hurt. The look on her face said otherwise.

  “It’s nothing,” Jessie lied.

  Before she left for school, she scribbled down the fragments of the dream; the parts that had remained stuck in her head ever since she opened her eyes that morning. It lingered with her, while she ate her breakfast, showered and got dressed. She hoped if she wrote it down, it would leave her alone. If nothing else, it could be a good start for a short story, she may have to write, for English, at some point that semester.

  “Is it a new story?” Becky asked. “You know I like your stories. Let me see it.”

  “Ladies and Gentleman.” Their teacher had completed collecting all of the assignments and now expected everyone to pay attention. Jessie, relieved to end the conversation, folded up the wayward, three ring paper, and slipped it into the back of her geography text book. She didn’t notice that Becky was watching where she put it; her eyes cold.

  CHAPTER 28

  The day crawled by and Jessie was thankful that her last class of the day was a spare. This meant she wouldn’t have to be in a hurry to get to the diner, to start her shift. She walked at a leisurely pace along the street, under a thick leaf canopy, inventorying some of the events of the last few days, like she was preparing to weave one of her tales.

  Her mother’s hesitation, when she asked to borrow a necklace, and the color that drained from her face when she showed her the piece she picked. The hushed, short conversation she overheard her parents having before they gave her permission to take the car to the pond. She had known it had been about the island. Was there something out there they didn’t want her to see? That brought her to the boy. The one that Sammy was sure she spotted, watching them. Had her little sister inherited her inconvenient imagination?

  There was an easy answer for all her misgivings. The necklace that hung around her neck held sentimental value for her mother. She was afraid her sometimes forgetful, always clumsy, daughter would lose it or damage it. Her father still didn’t completely trust her taking the car alone; she was a new driver. Sammy had seen the wind in the trees or a shadow passing over a rock. All of these were perfectly tidy explanations. It unsettled her that her mind didn’t want to accept any of them. Her thoughts returned to the dream and the name she recorded in her bedside book. That was who Sammy had seen on the island. The same boy that she reached for, but could never quite touch. Dex. She knew it was impossible, but it would make a good story.

  Jessie heard the blaring horn before she saw the car; the abrasive sound, shaking her out of her daydream about her night dream. She jumped back onto the curb, she had blindly stepped off, just as the car screeched to a halt. The fire red car - what an odd color- she thought, was a convertible and obviously not from the small town. The driver was a boy, slightly older than Jessie. His hair one shade darker than her own.

  “You should be more careful,” he offered this advice while flashing her a row of glowing white teeth.

  “You’re right. Sorry.” She couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were b
lue, like hers, and they softened when he saw that she was shaking.

  “Don’t worry about it. I was watching out for you.” He winked and pulled the car away from the curb.

  “Wait…” Jessie called after him, but he had already turned the corner that would take him to Main Street. She wanted to ask him if they had met before. There was a resemblance in his face that she couldn’t quite place.

  She realized that she had been taking too much time to walk from school to the diner and quickened her step a little. It was hot for the time of year it and she could feel perspiration dripping down her back. The clothes packed back pack she was carrying didn’t keep her from achieving a faster pace. Jessie was glad she left most of her school books in her locker; it lightened her load. She hadn’t meant to leave the text containing her scribblings about the previous night’s dream, but when she remembered it was too late to turn back. They would be safe there for the weekend. She wouldn’t need the notes before then, but it bugged her that it made her feel uneasy that she had forgotten them.

  *******

  As the lunch crowd subsided, the diner was emptying. Jessie was busy clearing the tables when its owner, Miss Allie, came marching through the front door, looking distracted. She rarely left the diner during the day; Jessie was curious where she had went. Her mother often accused her of looking for a conspiracy that wasn’t there –‘your imagination will get you in trouble someday, Jessie,’- she would say. Her daughter was beginning to wonder if that may be an accurate premonition. Miss Allie had probably been out getting some lunch to put some variety in her burger, fish n’ chips and apple pie diet. Jessie started emptying the full tray of dirty dishes, onto the counter leading to the kitchen, when her boss approached her, smiling warmly.

  “Hi Jessie, how’s your second day?”