Bloodstone (Talisman)

by S. E. Akers

  “Thank you!” I beamed. “I’ll be down there in a sec!” I hung up the phone just as Katie came in to announce that breakfast was on the table. I threw my purse over my shoulder and ran back to my room to fetch the list of names, addresses, and amounts owed to all of Charlotte’s creditors.

  “Where are you going?” Katie yelled.

  I stepped back in the room jingling my keys. “That was my bank. You were right. Samuel came through. THEY SOLD!”

  Katie’s eyes lit up. “How much did you get for them?” she asked.

  “More than enough. I’ll even have a little left,” I replied. “Roughly thirty-one thousand, pending any extra interest or penalties.”

  “Sweeet,” Katie hummed.

  I could already see the endless names of clothing stores marching through her head. “But I’m not keeping it,” I clarified swiftly.

  “That’s just CRAZY!” Katie scoffed. “You earned it!”

  “Yeah, and then I would feel like I was profiting from what I’d done. I can’t live with THAT!”

  “Then give it to me,” Katie insisted and laid her head on my shoulder. “Bosom friend.”

  I brushed her off and narrowed my eyes.

  “What?” Katie objected.

  “You don’t look like a charity case,” I smirked as I headed for the door.

  “Are you kiddin’ me?” Katie huffed. “I’m an abandoned child without a home. That’s got to count for something!”

  I zoomed downtown and was passing through the double-glass doors of McDowell First Savings in less than seven minutes. One whopping five-figured check later, my mother’s first and second mortgages (along with her line of credit) was all squared up with the bank. I tried to handle it as discreetly as possible and insisted my contribution remain “anonymous”. However, the whisper-laden looks I got from all the tellers while I was there let me know real quick that “the word” was about to hit the street before my Reeboks would. Gotta love that small-town gossip and its perpetually spinning rumor-mill!

  My next stop was over to the post office for a major stamp purchase. It just so happened that a solider in a wheelchair was sitting out front collecting money for the Wounded Warriors Fund. Even though I was able to mend Katie’s injuries and ultimately bring her back from the dead, regrowing someone’s arms and legs lost in a battle was something I simply couldn’t do.

  I whisked open the steel-framed door with a smile. Now that’s clearly a sign from fate.

  The rest of my afternoon was spent writing out checks and paying off balances online. I thought graduation announcements were bad, but I swear I’d never signed my name or addressed and licked so many nasty envelopes in my life. My thoughtful bosom friend brought me a glass of lemonade to quench my thirst. That just made the gross coat of glue already plastered on my tongue even worse. Yuck!

  I still had to swing back by the post office and then run to my house to box up some of my things before I could even think about working on my Valedictorian address. I’d written Katie’s tribute, but I hadn’t started my actual speech yet (probably because I’d been so down in the dumps). Earth-moving and inspirational words couldn’t find their way into my head, let alone be written by my hand onto a 4 x 6 note card.

  The solider was about to leave when I whipped into the post office parking lot. I sprang out of the car, waving my check in the air. “Hold up a sec,” I yelled. The solider acknowledged me with a smile and waited patiently. I folded the check and handed it to him. “Here. I hope this helps,” I said.

  “Thank you, ma’am. Every bit does,” he replied, without even opening it. I whisked open the door and hurried inside to the counter. Half of the daggone things needed to arrive at their locations early next week to avoid any more interest.

  I entertained a curious thought while I waited in line. If the shoe were on the other foot, would she do any of this for me?

  I wasn’t about to hold my breath.

  I walked out of the post office feeling good, but a heck of a lot poorer than when I’d went in. The solider was still outside, apparently waiting for me.

  “Ma’am,” he began uneasily, “Is this—”

  I interrupted his thought with a message.

  It’s real…

  It’s good…

  And you NEVER saw me…

  A smile stretched across my face as I walked towards my car. Now I really had something to feel good about, and so did he — just under thirty thousand reasons.

  My good mood was ruined when I arrived home to find a hateful note that Chloe had left on my bed. Well, it wasn’t exactly “what” the note said — far from it. My thoughtful and sweet baby sister had scribbled her endearing “tribute” on my white chenille bedspread with freakin’ black spray-paint.

  Sooo not necessary!

  CONGRATS!

  “CHLOE!” I raged. Not a second later, my little sister appeared in my doorway with a peppy jump.

  “Yes?” Chloe beamed.

  I’m surprised the cheery little witch didn’t pop in waving her freakin’ pom-poms.

  I pointed to my bed. “Explain this!” I demanded.

  “The cheerleading squad is responsible for all the graduation posters. You’re Valedictorian. Kara told me that she wanted you to have a sign for your bedroom that you would see ‘first thing’,” Chloe announced innocently, air quotes flying. “You don’t live here anymore, so I thought you could take it with you. So you can sleep warm tonight.”

  I glared at my unaware little sister, hoping my eyes weren’t churning with fiery streaks of white light. One more day. One more day. One more day, I repeated over and over in my head.

  “Thanks,” I grumbled as I yanked it off the bed and wadded it into a ball.

  “But I haven’t finished it yet,” Chloe pouted. “I’ve got a can of yellow. I was going to do a cute happy-face.”

  A deep, menacing voice (which I didn’t even know I was capable of making) bellowed out of my mouth, “TRUST ME… YOU’RE DONE!” Chloe whirled around and ran face-first into the doorframe trying to bolt out of my room.

  Good enough, I noted and went straight to packing.

  It was pushing nine o’clock when I’d finally finished — way past Tanner’s imposed “Dusk to Dawn” curfew. Load by load, I carried the boxes down the stairs and stacked them in the foyer. I stroked my hand down the wood molding that framed the entry to our living room. Even oak can look and feel like the finest mahogany when you know no one else can get their hands on it.

  Not now, I smiled. I heard some clanging in the kitchen. I raised my brow and headed that way. And hopefully NOT EVER…

  I tiptoed down the hall as I made my way to the kitchen. It didn’t take much to sense Charlotte’s stream of stress-fueled rants whirling in her head. Invisibly, I stopped in the doorway, curiously wanting to just watch her for a moment. I could tell by the look on her face that she was in panic-mode. The deep-set lines wrinkling her brow were undeniably evident — even with the Botox.

  I guess I was wrong… She really is worried after all.

  I lifted my golden veil as I stepped into the room. She whirled around not a second later.

  “So?” Charlotte posed. “Are you all packed up yet?”

  Ignore the tone, I advised myself.

  “Almost. I’ll be by after the ceremony to pick up the boxes.”

  “Fine,” Charlotte huffed and took a sip of her wine.

  The suspense was driving me nuts, so I dove into her bitter-pool, headfirst.

  “Are you coming tomorrow?” I asked, thinking at the very least, I could put that up-for-grabs 1% of doubt to rest.

  Charlotte patted her forehead dramatically. “I think I’m coming down with the flu,” she said with a nasty sneer. “Chloe too.”

  “That’s what I thought,” I confirmed with a deep breath-fueled smile, forcing back my tears before they could well. Even after all these years of countless cruel acts, my eyes still had a twisted mind of their own when it came to wanting my moth
er’s love. And she was a master at turning on their valve too. I simply spun around with a sharp pivot of my heel and strolled out the door. I wouldn’t dream of telling her about the house. How incredibly low would I feel if revealed what I’d done and she still didn’t want to come?”

  Nope, I decreed. My red swollen eyes were one Christmas present I wasn’t about to offer up early this year!

  A few heated “stomps” on the way to my Charger and I was on my way back to Bea’s. Katie practically tackled me at the front door.

  “Where have you been?” she demanded. “You were supposed to be here over THREE hours ago!” I couldn’t help but chuckle at her ticked-off tone. And she was wearing Bea’s pink frilly apron.

  “I told you that I had errands to run,” I defended.

  “You should have CALLED! Now your dinner is cold!”

  Are you kidding? “I’m sorry…Honey.” I laughed all the way to the guest bedroom with Katie right on my heels.

  “I need a cell phone,” Katie pouted.

  I threw my purse on the bedside table. “You know you sound like a nagging wife?”

  Katie plopped down on the bed. “I can’t help it! I’m lonely…and BORED! I need to get out of here!”

  I sat down beside her and pulled her into a tight squeeze. “One more day,” I promised.

  “I know,” Katie agreed, shifting her frown into a smile. “Wanna watch a movie?”

  “I can’t. I have to work on my speech,” I insisted. Katie rose to her feet in a theatrical “thump” and a bitchy grunt. “I finished yours. Do you want to hear it?” I asked, hoping that would settle the mistress of the house down.

  Katie stepped out into the hall. “No,” she replied quickly. “That’s okay. I read it this afternoon. I put the cards back the way I found them. In order and bound.”

  “Sooo?” I posed. “What did you think?”

  “It was um…sweet,” Katie stated, sounding a little too diplomatic for my taste.

  “Just ‘sweet’? That’s it?” I figured she would have at least shed one freakin’ tear. “Not maybe…moving?” I questioned.

  Katie’s eyes flew open. “Oh, is that what you were going for?”

  I figured my stunned wide-eyes and gaping mouth were answer enough.

  Katie nodded and batted her eyes as she pulled the door to a close. “I’ll let you get to work on that speech. Why don’t you aim for ‘funny’ with this one?”

  I didn’t appreciate the insinuation one bit. “Hey, I put a lot of thought and emotion into that thing!” I yelled.

  “SWEET?” I grumped as I ripped the cellophane wrapper off a new pack of note cards.

  Katie knocked on the door an hour later, ready to hit the hay. I still had a ways to go, so I collected my cards, turned off the lights, and crept off in search of an inspirational spot. No place seemed right. The living room was too quiet. The dining room too stiff. The kitchen was even too bright. An odd craving hit me, but it wasn’t for any particular food. I headed back to the other side of the house and opened the door to the frilly floral bedroom.

  I hadn’t been in Bea’s room for several weeks. I knew I needed to get this over with, if not for the simple fact that we were leaving first thing, the day after tomorrow. I still had to pack up everything down in Bea’s secret room. My eyes traveled around her former quarters with a painstaking sweep and a tender smile as I edged inside. Everything was as it should be, from every decorative pillow that had been strategically arranged on her poster bed, right down to the “blind” woman’s rocking chair that faced the window. My eyes drifted to a soul-stirring close as I clutched the golden topaz on my finger. I would have given anything to see her softly wrinkled face or hear that proper tone in her voice right now. I laid the note cards on the nightstand and crawled into her bed. Just as I’d nuzzled into a comfy spot, a purple light under my shirt heralded my attention. Tonight its glow was particularly bright.

  It was already touching my skin, lying gently between my breasts. All I had to do was close my eyes…and wait breathlessly for his first word.

  “What’s wrong?” Tanner’s voice rang out like a fall breeze.

  Curious. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”

  “For starters, I haven’t heard from you today…and it’s almost midnight. Way past any little girl’s bedtime.”

  “So you thought you would call and wake me up?” I laughed. “That’s thoughtful.”

  “I sensed something wasn’t right this evening,” Tanner explained.

  “Huh…I could have been in danger?” I posed.

  “You weren’t in danger,” Tanner insisted with a faint, husky laugh.

  “How do you know that?” I quizzed, still finding his accurate timing peculiar. Tanner was so silent that I thought our connection had broken for a second.

  “I know things,” he hinted. “So tell me, what’s keeping you from your dreams tonight.”

  The corners of my mouth stretched into a playful smile. “Well, I’m lying in bed,” I whispered as I stretched my arms and dug my hands under the pillows. “Feeling restless…”

  “About what?” Tanner inquired in a low, haunting whisper.

  My eyes crinkled straightaway. “My speech, of course,” I replied innocently.

  “Oh,” he mumbled. “I thought you’d be finished with that by now.”

  “It’s been hard to think of something inspiring these past several weeks,” I confessed. I turned my face towards one of the pillows and took a deep breath, just to catch a whiff of her unmistakable scent. “I miss Bea.”

  “I know you do. I miss her too,” Tanner claimed, his words stirring with sadness. “But she’s still with you.”

  “I know,” I replied. “I thought staying here would help, but it’s been hard. Every time I turn around I think about her.”

  “Hasn’t having your friend back helped?”

  “Yeah…but I’m ready for a change of scenery,” I sighed. “And so is she.”

  “The day after tomorrow will be here before you know it,” he assured.

  “I still feel bad about not telling Charlie and Naomi that I’m leaving early. And Samuel is still on his cruise. He’ll be hurt too.” I rolled my eyes at the ceiling and added, “I suppose.”

  “You don’t think he deserves a fresh start?” Tanner asked.

  “Well, when you put it like that,” I groaned, putting my selfishness in check. “But I still don’t think she’s right for him.”

  “And that’s strictly for you to decide?” Tanner contended. “Not fate?”

  “No. It’s not,” I conceded with a laugh. “Just overlook me. I’m still a little bitter that he’s not going to be there tomorrow. I expected Charlotte and Chloe not to come, but I never thought Samuel would ditch me too…And I bet Ms. Marion planned this all along.” I shook my head. “I’m probably the only Valedictorian ever, who didn’t have a single family member show up on their behalf.”

  “Of all the moments you’ve had in your short life and all the ones yet to come, does it truly matter who will or won’t be there?”

  “No,” I replied. “I guess not.”

  “Then stop whining, little girl. You’ll be too busy this summer to give it a second-thought.”

  “Doing what?” I inquired. “Training?”

  “Of course,” Tanner responded was a light wisp of a laugh. “There’ll be many long days and nights of that…among other things.”

  Even my butterflies liked the potential of that.

  “I think I’d better let you work on that speech,” Tanner insisted. “I wouldn’t want to impede your thoughts.”

  Yeah, sure you wouldn’t. “Trust me. They’re beyond ‘impeded’. I don’t know what to write or where to begin?” I propped myself up on my elbows. “I don’t even know how long it should be?” I grumbled.

  “Let the words come from your heart. You might find it nice to verbalize what you’re thinking and feeling for a change… Maybe even act upon it,” he said intent
ly, his words seizing my soul without any effort. “And as far as the length, use that prom dress of yours as a guide. Long enough to cover the topic, but short enough to keep it interesting.”

  I remained breathlessly frozen as our contact broke. My stare remained glued to the blank white ceiling while his words lingered in my head and their sentiment churned feverishly in my heart. I grabbed a pillow and threw it over my face to subdue that sweet, tormenting ache.

  Now how am I supposed to concentrate?

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  I’d always pictured this to be an exciting day, but it wasn’t. It felt like any other of late — possibly worse. The only evidence that it was supposed to be “special” was a red circle around today’s date on my calendar and a satiny gold cap and gown hanging in my closet. Graduation Day. I deflated my cheeks with a spiritless puff of air as I slung my ceremonial digs over my shoulder.

  Some “first day of the rest of my life”…

  And I was running late. That didn’t help my mood. I’d forgotten to get my gown out of my closet last night when I was here boxing up my things. Maybe a small part of me was curious to see if Charlotte and Chloe had changed their minds about coming today? They were both up (though their doors were shut), so in a roundabout way I got my answer. I didn’t hear the sounds of two self-absorbed divas stirring about, trying to get primped and dressed for a special event. I eased my lavender bedroom door to a close.

  Charlie and Naomi will be there, I thought. That’s something.

  I tiptoed down the stairs, careful not to step on any creaky boards. The last thing I needed before I had to give my speech was a warm-up bitch-fest with the “queen of mean”. Considering the mood I was in, I would lose my voice for sure. I maneuvered around the boxes stacked in the foyer. Everything was packed up and ready to go. While all my other classmates attended parties or luncheons with relatives in their honor, I would be spending a grand afternoon alone at UPS and then back to Bea’s for more physical labor. Hopefully Katie was getting a jump-start on the contents down in the secret room. Everything in there was extremely delicate and had to be wrapped. I reminded her to be “careful” about twenty times this morning, for her own good. She had just gotten her body back. I’d hate for it to accidently “blow-up”.