The Key

by Felicia Rogers

  Chase left, rolling his eyes. Great meeting, really great. So worth the time and damage to his reputation.

  Mrs. Grady arranged his schedule and he thanked her then joined the crowded hallway. The bell rang and he glanced at the papers she’d handed him. Third period. French. He swore under his breath as he studied his paper map. How was he supposed to use it to find his classes? The words were blurred, the floors unmarked. He lifted his chin. A sign, like you might see in the mall, dangled from the ceiling. Hitching his backpack higher on his shoulder, he set out in a jog following the arrows. Third period was in full swing before he slipped in and found a seat off to the side.

  Stares, new guy, whatever. At least he knew he wouldn’t be the only one, if the area’s big employer was expanding. There would be at least several more newbies wandering around and the unwanted attention would be shared out. Hey, he had gotten something useful from the principal’s little meeting — intel.

  “Everyone turn to page fifty. You’ll find your assignment on the board.”

  Groans mingled with the sound of shuffling papers. Chase bent and drew paper and a pencil from his backpack.

  A pretty cheerleader type sitting in the middle of the room whispered, “I just don’t get what he sees in her.” She twisted a strand of honey-colored hair around her finger. She looked as if she might have come from a California beach. “Marley, you want to make a bet?”

  “Sure, Stephanie. What’s the bet?”

  “I bet I can make tall, dark, handsome, and new forget all about Maddie before the week is up.”

  Yep, more newbies around. Excellent.

  Marley scratched a pen lid against her forehead. “I don’t know. He seems pretty into her.”

  A shadow fell across his desk. “Ladies, you should not be talking.”

  “Sorry,” said Stephanie.

  Chase started to say hello, but the teacher dropped a thick book on his desk. The flimsy metal legs vibrated beneath him.

  The teacher walked away, saying, “If you need help, feel free to ask.”

  He nodded, but didn’t get the impression the teacher really meant what he said. At least one teacher just going through the motions. Not good. At least it was only French and not something important, like chemistry or pre-calc. He sank low in his chair and tried to blend.

  “Accueil. D’où êtes-vous?” The teacher stared at him.

  Keeping his face blank, Chase nodded. “California.”

  “Ah, California.” The French teacher spoke rapidly and Chase lost the thread. Thankfully, he moved to another student. Chase breathed a sigh of relief. He could follow some of the chattering but couldn’t bring himself to care.

  The bell rang and he moseyed to the cafeteria. The line wound around the octagonal room and he found himself at the end. Tray finally filled, he looked for a place to sit. All the tables were full. A door to the outside stood open. Shoulders stooped, he found a seat underneath a small tree with drooping leaves on a brick planter. Thankfully the weather had warmed overnight. The seat was damp but not icy.

  The pizza tasted like cardboard and the milk was warm. Could this school get any worse? He carried the full tray to the garbage can and let the contents slide off into it. Backpack hoisted on his shoulder, he dragged out his map.

  Running his finger along the route as he walked, he mumbled, “If I take this hallway, and then—”

  “Whoa!” came a feminine voice, but the warning was too late. Delicate hands fell against his chest.

  Just like at the store yesterday. An electrical tingle raced over him and his pulse revved. “Sorry,” he said, heat flushing his cheeks.

  “No, it’s okay. It was my fault.” Before he could speak again, the girl moved past, not even looking up. The fresh ozone scent of a thunderstorm hung in the air.

  He turned to apologize, but the words stuck in his throat. Auburn waist-length hair, clasped in a ponytail, swished behind her as the girl made a hasty retreat. She didn’t glance back. It had been her, but his next class wouldn’t wait. He’d have to find her again.

  Shrugging, he left the atrium, entered the hallway, and studied the map again. As usual when starting a new school, it was going to be a long day.

  ****

  A few minutes earlier

  Dougal hid in the corner of the atrium, his leg propped behind him against the wall. A toothpick hung from his lips as he struck his casual pose. Teenagers — ugh! Always worried about appearances and what others thought. In five years none of it would even matter and after a hundred years of life, he should know.

  He planted both feet on the ground and looked at his wide-soled black boots. He sighed. Why did teens have to dress in such hideous outfits? Fortunately the attire he’d chosen for himself after researching several teen magazines wasn’t overly grotesque. At least he could stand the black. It also seemed to garner much attention. The adults eyed him warily and the kids expressed intrigue, wonderment. Perhaps he should have dressed more obscurely. Of course with his natural good looks, no clothes would have made him blend.

  He rubbed a spot between his brows. Finding Maddie so quickly had been unexpected. Of course, that was just part of his assignment. Serena’s continued haranguing that he ‘get close to the key’ was annoying. Why did she not do the work if she was dissatisfied with his performance?

  A magical blue light glowed around the outer courtyard doors, getting closer fast. Dougal perked up. Maddie exited the building. Hair fell across her face and she bumped into a strange boy walking with his head bent. Dougal’s stomach clenched as Maddie made contact. How dare the stranger touch her? Dougal made a move to intercept and tell him to keep his hands to himself, but the boy seemed slow-witted and allowed Maddie to walk away without offering an apology.

  The new boy scooted past Dougal. The air between them sizzled with electric energy. It danced along Dougal’s arms and lifted the hairs on the nape of his neck. Ozone tickled his nostrils. He frowned, feeling the heat in his eyes that meant they were glowing. He hadn’t felt a surge like that since childhood. Who was this stranger? Had he come for the key as well? And if so, why?

  Chapter 2

  The day was finally over. Maddie stowed her unneeded books in the teachers’ lounge. A couple students had left, the principal told her after the last class, one dropping out and the other moving. But the two new guys had been in the front of the silly man’s mind; it seemed he’d met with both earlier that day, when they’d registered. He hadn’t remembered her, also new but not as new as them.

  The two guys got the lockers. At least the staff had made room for her in the teachers’ lounge. Goodie.

  The remaining books weighed heavily on her back. She hauled the load to the bike rack, placed the backpack in her bike’s front basket, put her helmet on, and set out.

  She’d been living with her great-grandmother since her parents’ unexpected death. The situation wasn’t ideal, but at least she had a home.

  Tall pines lined both sides of the highway. A wide strip of asphalt ran along both sides for bike riders and walkers. The community of Coal Creek loved their tourists and some employees walked to the weapons factory for their shifts.

  Maddie pedaled and mentally reviewed her day. Dougal Lachlan. She lifted her hand from the handle and fanned herself. He was a hottie and a half. A smile twitched at her lips. Poor Stephanie. The girl had barely made it through the day without having to see the school nurse over Dougal’s fawning toward Maddie.

  Toward her.

  The bike coasted downhill. The wind whipped at her hair and brought the scent of dying honeysuckle and pine sap; the unexpected snowfall yesterday had taken its toll. Soon the season would change and the temperature would turn even colder. The thought of riding her bike in extended winter weather caused her stomach to knot. Clumsy her, the bike, snow, ice… not a comforting combination.

  Maybe she could convince Grandma Draoi to buy a car. With it she could take Grandma to the grocery store and they wouldn’t need to depend on
the kindness of strangers. The lady who volunteered to take her shopping seemed like a freeloader, always taking something with her when she left.

  Maddie rounded the corner, their driveway just ahead. Gravel crunched beneath the bike’s tires. She stood and pedaled faster. Maybe Grandma Draoi had supper ready. After the stomach-curdling pizza no one had eaten, she was starving.

  ****

  Chase parked his truck in the circular drive, wishing again that he’d driven it across country rather than let the movers tow it behind the big van; that would have been such an experience, but Mom had vetoed the idea without giving it the consideration he felt it deserved. With a sigh, he entered the new house, which seemed to be exploding from his brothers’ rowdy play. Ah, it was good to be home, no matter how new it was. A football flew through the air and he caught it with one hand. He was set to throw it back when his mother appeared from nowhere and grabbed it.

  “Chase, don’t encourage them. I told your brothers to go outside and play.”

  Cole and Colton grumbled in unison. Cole made a grab for the football. She raised it above her head with a frown.

  “Where’s Dad?” Chase asked.

  “I think he’s in the workshop, unpacking tools.”

  “And Chris and Craig?”

  “They called to say they were staying at school to try out for junior varsity football.” She handed over the football and shooed the twins outside, then lowered her gaze to the box at her feet. “This is such a disaster. I can’t find anything. I don’t know how I’m supposed to fix dinner. Can you believe it? The movers wrapped my dishes with the twin’s underclothes! I’ve been working all day and I can’t find a thing.” She sent him a desperate look and asked, “Do you want to help me?”

  “Uh, maybe we should just order pizza?” It would have to be better than the poisonous variety the school had served, if the company expected to stay in business.

  “Men!” she complained, and opened the box.

  Chase slipped out of the house. He found his dad in his workshop, in much the same state as his mother. “Oh, Chase, glad you’re home. How was your first day of school?” He didn’t wait for a reply but said, “Look at this. Your mother is going to have a fit.”

  “What is it?” Chase asked, leaning over the open box.

  “Her fine silverware is mixed in with my drill bits. I guess I better go tell her.” Dad stretched and walked past.

  Chase straightened. “Dad?”

  “Yeah?” He stopped at the door.

  “I really need to talk to you.”

  “Right now?”

  “Yes. Do you have time?”

  Dad sat on a stool. “Sure I do. What do you need to talk about?”

  “Well, school was…” He didn’t finish, choosing instead to study his hands.

  “Not so good, huh?”

  “No.”

  A gentle hand settled on his shoulder. “Look, Chase, I know it’s not easy going to a new school — again — especially during the middle of the year, but I promise this is the last time.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Chase scuffed his toe against the concrete floor. “It’s just that…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. Of all the schools they could have finally settled into — uninterested teachers, bored students, lousy food, and a girl who made static electricity sizzle along his arms but wouldn’t stop long enough to talk with him. Totally awesome.

  “When I retired from the Air Force, I thought we would stay in one place, and here I am, moving you guys around again.” Dad ran a hand over his still thick hair. “But I promise this is the last job transfer. If this place doesn’t like my consulting, then I’ll just stay home and pester your mom all day.”

  No, Dad already felt guilty. Chase couldn’t complain. Maybe if things got really bad, he could talk his parents into homeschooling or letting him take online classes. That needed research into state and local laws, though. For now, he was stuck.

  In turn, Chase patted his father’s shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. You’re only doing what’s best for us.”

  “I hope so.”

  “When do you start the new job?”

  “Next week. They were kind enough to give us a week to unpack.”

  We’ll need it. Chase started to speak, but Mom yelled from the back door. “Alexander!”

  Dad sighed. “I guess I better tell Carissa I found her silverware.”

  Alone, Chase knelt beside the box and separated drill bits from forks. It seemed the right thing to do.

  ****

  “Grandma, supper was excellent.”

  “Thank you, dear. I’m glad you liked it.”

  “Do you have any plans tonight?” asked Maddie. She leaned her elbows on the table and cupped her chin.

  Grandma Draoi turned away from the sink and giggled. If she’d been much shorter, she’d have needed to stand on a box to even reach the sink. “I think I’ll curl up with a good book. I received one in the mail today and it is positively scandalous.”

  No one knew precisely how old Grandma Draoi was, including Maddie, but age had softened everything about her. Only hints of fiery red remained in her greyed hair, and her kind green eyes seemed to have faded through the years with time and sorrow. Even her body had rounded and softened with age. Maddie thought her the perfectest grandmother of them all.

  Maddie cocked her eyebrow as Grandma Draoi flashed a book showcasing a shirtless man. A really hot one. “I see.”

  “Don’t you laugh at me, child.”

  “Me, laugh, at you?” Too late, Maddie covered her mouth. Grandma whacked her with a towel. Maddie raised her hands in defense and scooted away from the table. “I’ve got some homework to finish, so I’ll leave you to your licentious read.”

  “Pshaw,” Grandma Draoi said as Maddie hurried from the room.

  Upstairs, she stretched across her bed and dragged out her journal. She turned to the first empty page and cataloged the day’s events. Dougal, tall, dark, hot, and actually willing to talk with her. But forgotten by the principal and relegated to the teachers’ lounge. Blech. And not even a glimpse of the polite guy from yesterday’s encounter at the store. And it looked as if Stephanie was deliberately isolating her from the other kids. So both a good day and a bad day at the same time.

  In the margin she doodled a picture of Dougal. Using charcoal, she darkened in his hair and smeared it with her thumb, making sure it swooped over his dark brows and lay in a caress across his broad shoulders.

  She rolled over onto her back and read what she’d written. Finished, she dropped the book onto her cedar chest and sighed. Too much to deal with. Why did Stephanie have to be such a selfish drama queen?

  The phone rang. Sitting up, Maddie waited. Five rings in and her grandma still hadn’t answered.

  “Must be one good book,” Maddie muttered as she leaned over and grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Maddie?”

  “Yes?” she asked hesitantly. Who could be calling her?

  “It’s Dougal.”

  Excitement exploded through her. She covered the mouthpiece, sprang off the bed, jumped up and down, and squealed. Drawing in a couple of deep breaths, she calmed herself and removed her hand. “What can I do for you?”

  A snicker floated across the line and a wave of heat rushed up her neck and across her cheeks. She’d been busted.

  He said, “I fear I missed the homework assignment in history.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment welled inside her as she reached for her backpack. “Let me just pull out my notebook. I know I wrote it down.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

  “Sure.” The book free, she read off the assignment. She collapsed back on the bed, drawing her knees up and playing with a strand of her hair. “If you ever need help, just let me know.”

  Background noises filtered across the line. A feminine voice whined. “Dougal, get off the phone. I’m feeling neglected.”

  What? Maddie dropped her hair and sat strai
ghter. She could not have heard that right. And that voice…

  “Stephanie, I’ll be done in just a minute.” He paused, then added, “Thanks again, Maddie. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  “Yeah,” she said, her heart thumping madly against her ribs, her voice dull.

  “I guess I better go. If I don’t get started on my homework soon, I’ll never finish.”

  “Sure.”

  “See you tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Okay.”

  The phone clicked off. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye and down her cheek. She’d known the attention had been too good to be true.

  ****

  Dougal glanced back. Stephanie stretched in the booth seat on the big room’s far side. Decorated in a fifties style, the small town diner sported a long counter, swivel stools with vinyl tops, and booths. A malt machine hummed. Waiters and waitresses wore paper hats and red striped jackets. The checkered floor matched their Oxford shoes.

  Dougal had excused himself on the pretense of selecting a song from the jukebox. He’d peered into the machine, covertly dragging out his cell phone and making his call. A thrill had tingled through him as he’d realized how excited the call made Maddie. Her muted squeals had radiated over the phone line. Presumably she would have kept that up had Stephanie’s voice not intruded.

  He looked over his shoulder again and sighed. A relationship with the popular girl was a necessary evil, mainly because Maddie was jealous of her. Who wouldn’t be? Stephanie was a bombshell, long blond hair hanging down to her tush, tanned skin, pale blue eyes, and a voice that grated on the nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. But she could be used to manipulate Maddie’s emotions, to twist the key into the shape they needed. Tedious, but necessary.

  He shoved the phone in his pocket, selected a ballad, and returned to his seat. Stephanie leaned over and ran a manicured nail across his exposed neck. He allowed his mouth to spread into a smile. All for the cause.

  “Who were you talking to?” she whispered, licking her painted lips.

  He waved a small strip of paper. “I called Maddie about a homework assignment.”