Kitewell

by Fallton Havenstonne

  “You won’t need it after I teach you magic,” he said. “It’ll be inferior.” He smiled broadly.

  Beanie looked up at him. “You’re not going to kill Mrs. Kantor, right? You’re just going to teach her a lesson?”

  He smirked. “Of course, I won’t kill her. I’m not a monster. I’ll just scare her. I’m going to give her a taste of her own medicine.”

  Beanie didn’t know what that last sentence meant, but he said he wouldn’t kill Mrs. Kantor, and that was good enough for her.

  “Okay,” Beanie said. “I’ll give you the spirit-gem after you teach me everything you know.”

  “Splendid. Now let’s continue with your training. Focus on the table over there. Make it crack … ”

  Chapter 23

  Ariel tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn’t sleep with the sapphire whispering voices to her. She didn’t know what they said, but they seemed to beckon her, call her to go somewhere. She got up. She was in her pajamas and felt the breeze from the window.

  Ariel glanced at the electric clock on the nightstand. It was past midnight. She crept to the window and closed it. She gazed at the full moon, and as she did so, she clasped the sapphire pendant around her neck. It glowed a bright blue and the room lit up with an aura of light.

  A bright portal opened up beside her bed. The edges of the portal glowed white like a halo. She approached the portal, and suddenly, her body seemed to fade. She looked at her arm, which became transparent.

  Particles of her body began to stream into the portal. The portal drew in all the atoms from her body like a magnet. She stepped closer to the portal and her body became faint and wispy like fog. The closer she stepped toward the portal, the brighter the sapphire pendant glowed. She could hear voices calling for her.

  Where was she going? Who was on the other side of the portal? Regardless, she wanted to step through.

  Ariel walked into the portal, and as soon as she was through, it closed behind her. She was gone.

  PART TWO

  Chapter 24

  The car bounced. Linda stirred awake and sat up in the passenger seat. She turned to her boyfriend, Corey, who was driving, and said, “What happened?”

  “I just hit a speed bump, hon.”

  “You couldn’t go around it?”

  “Of course not. I’m on the highway,” he said.

  She sighed irritably.

  “Just go back to sleep. We’re almost there,” he said.

  “How much longer?”

  “Knoxville isn’t that far according to the GPS.”

  “How long?” she demanded.

  “An hour.”

  “An hour,” she gasped. “You call that almost there?”

  “If you factor in being on the road for seven hours, then no, an hour isn’t that long. Besides, you’ve been asleep most of the way.”

  “I can’t be late to my sister’s wedding, Corey. I’m one of the bridesmaids. On top of that, my relatives from England flew in. Know how embarrassing it would be if I came late to the ceremony?”

  He kissed her on the cheek. “You worry too much, hon. Just go back to sleep.”

  “I can’t now. I’m wide-awake. And I need to use the restroom. Can you find a place to pull over?”

  Corey sighed. “Can’t you hold it for an hour.”

  She scowled at him.

  “Half an hour?” he said.

  “Just pull over at the next gas station,” Linda said.

  He lowered the window. A waft of warm air blew in through the interior of the car. Her red hair blew in front of her face.

  “Can you please close it?” she asked.

  “It’s stuffy in here,” Corey said.

  “The AC is on. Close the window.”

  Corey shook his head as he pressed the button. The window made a hum as it slid up. Linda used the mirror in the sun visor to straighten her hair.

  “There’s nothing out here but farmland,” Corey remarked. “I’d hate to live in the countryside. There’s nothing to do out here.”

  “It’s peaceful I think,” she said, gazing out the window.

  “I’m so glad we live near the D.C. area. Gosh, I can’t believe it’s summer already.”

  “I know. So glad finals are over too.”

  “Did you finish grading those tests for your professor friend?” Corey asked.

  “Dr. Cato-Sanchez?”

  “Yes.”

  “I finished them. Even after she had the cast removed, she asked me to help her grade so that she can type her new textbook.”

  “Is she paying you?” Corey asked.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s a good friend, Corey. Besides, she’ll write me a good recommendation when I apply to the PhD program this Fall,” Linda said.

  “When you apply, make sure you remind her of that promise.”

  Linda turned the A/C up. The car was still warm from when he lowered the window.

  “I can’t wait until we go to Miami Beach next weekend,” Corey said. “I’ve been dying to go to the beach.”

  “So you can go hang out with your friends?” she said critically. “Leave me stranded like you did last summer?”

  “Well … aren’t you staying with your girlfriends at the beach house?”

  “Yes.”

  “So why can’t I hang out with my friends?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “I meant that whenever we go on vacation with our friends, you just want to hang out with your friends and hit the clubs.”

  He reached over and clasped her hand. “I promise we’ll spend more time together, hon.”

  “Look,” Linda said. “There’s a gas station up ahead.”

  Corey signaled and then pulled into the shabby gas station. They felt like they had gone back in time to the seventies by the worn-down, rustic exterior of the rectangular-shaped building.

  After he parked, they exited the car and stretched—the first time in hours. They were both twenty-four years old and left early that morning from Arlington, Virginia. They were students at Glebe University and lived on campus. There, Linda pursued her master’s in chemistry while he was still working toward his bachelor’s in marketing since he had changed his major twice already.

  “What a dump,” Corey commented. “At least the gas is cheap. It’s a quarter less than what we pay in Virginia.” He unscrewed the cap of the car.

  “I’ll be back,” Linda said, starting for the gas station.

  “Wait,” Corey said.

  He went over and kissed her. She smiled with a dimple.

  He handed her two twenty-dollar bills. “Please pay the cashier for the gas. There’s nowhere to pay with my card on this thing. Oh, can you get me some iced tea and chips while you’re in there?”

  “Sure,” she said.

  “Love you, hon.”

  “Love you too.”

  …

  The door chimed when she entered the gas station. The cashier behind the counter looked up from a sports magazine and smiled. He wore a Braves cap and a faded jean overall. He crumbled a bag of chips and threw it in the receptacle beside him. Then he quickly straightened his hair.

  “Hi ma’am. It’s gorgeous outside, ain’t it?”

  “Yes. It’s hot,” she said, brushing her red hair back. She looked around the store, searching for the sign that pointed to the restroom.

  “Can I help you find anything?” he said.

  “Do you know where I can find the restroom?”

  “Restroom? There’s no restroom here,” he said.

  Her jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

  He chuckled. His breath smelled like potato chips—sour cream. “I’m just yanking your chain.
There’s a restroom at the end of the aisle. You can’t miss it.”

  Linda let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

  “No problem, ma’am. Oh, and here’s the key.

  He gave her a metal rod with a key attached at the end of it. She clasped it reluctantly like it was smothered with germs.

  “All sorts of people come in and I got to keep it clean,” he said as if to justify having it.

  “Right.”

  She hastened down the aisle to the restroom, not wanting to be in the gas station for another second.

  …

  Linda paced to the car and got inside hastily. She sighed with relief. After clicking her seatbelt shut, she said, “Gosh, it’s disgusting in there. Let’s get out of here.”

  Corey drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, shaking his head. He was visibly upset.

  “Well?” Corey said.

  “Well what?”

  “Where’s the iced tea and chips?”

  She blushed. “Oh, I forgot. I’ll … I’ll go back in and get it.”

  Linda reached for the door lever.

  “It’s too late now,” he said. “We have to go or else we’ll be late to the wedding.”

  He turned on the engine and put it in gear. As he rolled up to the road, the cashier jumped in front of the car and smacked his hands on the hood. Corey slammed the brakes and the car lurched. Corey put the car in park, then rolled down the window as the cashier rushed over to it.

  “Are you serious?” the cashier cried. “Trying to leave without paying?”

  “There must be a mistake, sir. I paid for the gas.” He turned to Linda. “You paid him, right?”

  She flushed red with embarrassment. “I forgot.”

  Corey bit his lip. To the cashier, he said, “How much do I owe you?”

  “Don’t you know how much gas you got?” the cashier retorted. “Eighteen dollars.”

  “Give me the money,” Corey said to Linda in a rude tone.

  She gave him back his money and he paid the cashier with a twenty.

  “Really sorry about that,” Corey said.

  The cashier stuffed the twenty-dollar bill in his pocket and started for the gas station.

  “Wait a second!” Corey yelled. “You owe me change.”

  “I owe you nothing after that stunt you pulled.”

  “You owe me change, sir,” he said firmly.

  “Forget about it,” Linda said. “It’s only two dollars.”

  “Yeah, two dollars is a lot,” he replied. “And I’m not having this guy take my money because you didn’t remember to pay him.”

  To the cashier, Corey said, “Well?”

  The cashier snarled. “Give me a minute.”

  He went back in the store and got two dollars from the register. After he came out and gave it to Corey, he said, “I think we got off on the wrong foot. My name’s Earl. Earl Culver.”

  Corey shook hands with him but regretted it after feeling the grease on it.

  “I’m Corey,” he said reservedly.

  “Say, where are you all headed?” Earl asked.

  “To Knoxville.”

  “What for?” Earl pressed on.

  Corey forced a friendly smile. He wanted to leave, but didn’t want to upset the man more. “We’re headed to a wedding.”

  “You know there’s road work ahead on 81. It’ll add an hour if you keep on it.”

  “Add an hour,” Corey gasped.

  “We can’t be late,” Linda said. “I can’t miss the ceremony.”

  “We won’t be late,” Corey said to her.

  “There’s a way around it,” Earl continued. “Go on for five miles and make a right on Kitewell Road. Then take a left on Wishwell Road. It’ll take you back onto 81. The trip’ll save you thirty minutes.”

  Corey nodded. “So take Kitewell Road.”

  “Kitewell Road.”

  “Then Wishwell Road.”

  “Left on Wishwell Road. Yes, sir.”

  “And then get on 81?”

  “Just follow the signs. You’ll see it.”

  “Earl. Thank you, so much. You’re a good man. I appreciate it.”

  Corey shook hands with Earl again, even though he despised Earl’s greasy hand.

  “Don’t mention it,” Earl said. “You all have a safe trip.”

  Corey pulled onto the road and sped off. With the gas station shrinking behind him in the rearview mirror, he felt a sense of relief.

  “Good thing he gave us directions,” Linda said. “It was really nice of him.”

  Corey chuckled.

  “What?” Linda said.

  “Do you think I’m following his directions? It’ll take us to a dead end. I knew something was off when he started talking to us. He just wanted to add more time to our drive for inconveniencing him.”

  “Are you kidding me?” she said sourly. “Seriously, stop being paranoid and follow his directions.”

  “Listen, hon. Guys like him like to give people like us a hard time because we’re city folks.”

  “And what if he’s just being kind? Ever thought of that? What if there is roadwork ahead? And if I’m late to the wedding, do you know how embarrassing that’d be? Especially since I’m one of the bridesmaids. My aunt Joanie will despise me. She won’t ever invite me back to England again to see her.”

  “You’re over-exaggerating,” Corey said.

  Linda crossed her arms, shaking her head. She gazed out the window. When he leaned in to kiss her, she pulled away.

  They were silent for a few minutes as he drove.

  “Look, there’s the sign,” Linda beamed. “Kitewell Road.”

  “I see it,” he said, “And I know it’s a trick.”

  “A trick?”

  “It’s gonna cost us more time if we take it. Do you want to be late?”

  “Stop being paranoid. The guy wasn’t tricking you because you made him get you two dollars,” she said.

  “Trust me. He was ticked.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Take the road, Corey.”

  “If I take it, then we’re late.”

  “Take it!” she snapped.

  He slowed down as if he was about to turn, but at the last second, he sped back up and passed Kitewell Road.

  “What are you doing?” Linda cried.

  “Keeping us on schedule.”

  She groaned, then gazed out the window again.

  A mile later, the pickup in front of them slowed down steadily. Corey couldn’t get around it with traffic on the other lane. Soon, a sea of red brake lights flashed as traffic ground to a halt.

  “See,” Linda said. “See!”

  Up ahead, they saw orange signs indicating construction work ahead.

  “Argh. Now we’re stuck,” she groaned.

  “Be patient,” he said. “I’m sure traffic will letup in no time.”

  The destination timer on the GPS increased gradually. After waiting for ten minutes, it said they would arrive in Knoxville in two hours!

  “I told you to take the road,” Linda said. “I told you we’d be late if you didn’t.”

  He rubbed her shoulder. “It’s going to be all right. Just … just text your sister that we’ll be a few minutes late.”

  “Are you kidding me? Tell her we’ll be late! She’ll kill me Corey.”

  Corey knew she had a point. This was getting worse by the minute. “Want me to turn around? I can take Kitewell Road if you want. Just say it and I’ll turn around.”

  She started to loosen up a bit. A smile crept onto her lips. “Yes. By all means.”

  Once the adjacent lane was clear, he made an illegal U-Turn and drove in the opposite direction. As soon as he saw Kitewell Road, he slowed down at the bottom of the hill and m
ade a left onto it.

  Linda clasped his hand. “Thank you.”

  “Let’s hope this isn’t a trick.”

  “It’s not. Trust me.”

  Trees stood on both sides of the road. It narrowed as Corey rounded the corner. Corey reached a fork and made a sharp left turn onto Wishwell Road—just as Earl had instructed. Corey slowed to a comfortable thirty miles per hour. There was barely enough room for one car as the road twisted left and right.

  Eventually, the road straightened out. For about a mile, they could observe the gorgeous scenery around them without worry.

  He took his eyes off the road for a second when a bright portal opened up before them. A young girl stepped onto the road, barely visible. She appeared transparent like a ghost. She was still in the pajamas she wore on the night she disappeared.

  “Stop!” Linda yelled.

  Corey slammed on the brakes.

  The tires screeched and the car passed through the young girl like she was a mirage. The portal closed behind them as they passed through it. Corey swerved onto the grassy shoulder and the tire popped with a bang.

  Corey and Linda both looked at each other in shock, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Corey got out of the car slowly, then walked to the front of the car. He didn’t see a body on the ground. He gazed at the road and noticed the skid marks the car had left behind. There wasn’t a body on the road either. Had she vanished?

  Linda got out of the car and scoped the scene. She was just as stunned as Corey that there wasn’t a body. It took Linda a minute to recall that the girl she saw was almost invisible. Why was that? She also remembered that there was a portal, but maybe it was the glare from the sun. It all happened so fast. She still needed time to process it.

  “Where’s the girl?” she said.

  “I don’t know. I don’t see her anywhere.”

  “You saw her, right?” she said, sounding unsure of herself.

  “Yes,” Corey said. “I don’t know what happened to her. It’s like she disappeared.”

  Linda scuttled up to the tree line and peered into the forest.

  “See her?” Corey asked.

  Linda returned to the car shaking her head.

  “She came out of nowhere,” Corey said. “What the heck just happened?”

  “I … I don’t know,” Linda said confusedly. “I thought you … ”