by P. S. Power
It was…
Odd.
Nice, but so different from what she expected that she wondered if it was a trick, or trap. She patted his shirt sleeve covered arm, making enough contact to get the idea. Word had gone around Coretechs, and it was not only suggested that all the employees’ kids go to their schools party, but that a massive citywide Halloween party be done as well. That idea seemed to come from some middle management guy. Not Dan Carmichael and not Darla.
It was also a cool idea. This could act as a kind of test for that possibly?
She’d run it by the others and see if they could find the guy with the idea, after all, if he was using it to social climb or get noticed at work, no reason he shouldn’t get the credit for it. It was, at least potentially, a good PR move. Especially if it was something for everyone. They’d need to hurry if that was the case, to get the word out. As it was, the five parties the next day probably wouldn’t have much by way of attendance. Just not enough time to get anything major going.
Things happened quickly for a bit after that, Darla writing down the information for her body shop and making a few calls to set that up, including someone to come get the van and take it in, knowing that Keeley might not have time for it.
Then she said her goodbyes and left without touching anyone, mainly to keep Charles from thinking the wrong thing. It was a constant stressor in their lives, trying to make sure they didn’t have contact with anyone so that he wouldn’t think the wrong things about them. She started to feel put upon by it, tired of it, but then stopped that and tried to feel very strong and energetic as well as focused and like a hundred year old Demon pretending to be a sixteen year old girl.
It was a lot and took some energy, but at least she’d finally had enough to eat, for now.
Sherry got up, still shaking and a bit pale and started cleaning, trying to use familiar ritual to make herself feel better, Keeley knew. It was a decent idea, but the place was clean already.
“Mom, do you need help putting the flowers together for tomorrow?”
Sherry’s eyes shot open wide.
“Right. I guess I do. I have the flowers, they’re in my office, with the AC turned up on high. I got sidetracked and forgot to do anything with them, I just ran out for some extra tape and then the next thing I know a big tan car was hitting me. I guess that’s not a very good excuse is it?”
“Pretty good actually. Wasn’t it yellow though? The car? The scrape on Frieda is a nice bright yellow.”
“What? No, definitely tan. I don’t know why it would look like that in the dark though. But to answer your question, yes, I’d love some help getting the flowers ready, they have to be ready for pick up tomorrow afternoon. I’m taking them to your school…” She leaned in, whispering slightly.
“That won’t embarrass you will it? I don’t want to damage your reputation or anything.”
“What, having my hot mom show up? Shouldn’t be a problem. Especially since we’ve all been out spending the last several hours telling people that we’d be flashing people at whichever party had the largest percentage of their school in attendance. I’d blame Darla, but it was really kind of my idea too. I went along with it at least. The basic idea is that, if there’s no alcohol, and there won’t be, we need to have something at least a little daring to make it interesting. Now I just need to go up two breast sizes by tomorrow and it won’t be a problem.” Keeley shook her head, expecting Sherry to make one of her normal, shocked faces.
“Well, have fun, and remember, high school only lasts for a few more years, then you can move on to college where that kind of thing is expected. You can go without a bra though, since you’re not too big, and wear a t-shirt, so it will be easier. Of course the police might have a problem with it, so you may want to find out about that first.” Now she smiled, as if her point would actually change anything.
It earned the older woman a nod though, which got a happy smile. Her new short hair looked pretty good on Sherry. Keeley kind of wondered if she should think about trying the same thing? Her hair wasn’t a problem, but she was thin enough to give it a shot now, if she wanted.
“I’ll run it by Roy and see what he says then. Good idea.”
“Roy?”
“The Chief of Police. Roy Benson. Just a warning though, if it’s legal at all, he’s kind of a perv, so he might just say yes. Got to tell you, I’m really hoping I can pawn the whole thing off an Eve and Darla. It seems a little embarrassing just thinking about it.” She made herself blush a bit.
Sherry sighed.
“You’re suddenly growing up so fast. Soon you’ll be out of the house and starting your own life. I’m going to miss talking to you like this. I know we haven’t always been that close, I’ve tried to be a good mother, but with everything, my troubles and all, I think I’ve failed more often than not.”
It took a second to work out what was happening. It was part a plea to be reassured that she hadn’t messed up that badly, and part a subtle message to get out of the house as soon as possible, so that she could leave.
“Well, the OCD is hard to watch you go through, but you were always there for me, and I know I wasn’t exactly the world’s most normal child. We both lived and I’m not an ax murder or anything, or addicted to drugs, or pregnant, so I think we get to call this one a win. I am missing two days of school in a row, but I never heard that being suggested as a definitive gateway to drugs.” Smiling she led the way into Sherry’s office. There were a whole lot of flowers to arrange, over a hundred, and It took several minutes to put each one together. At midnight they were only half way through.
Sherry yawned.
“I need to get these together, but I’m exhausted. I think I’ll lie down for a few hours and then do the rest in the morning.”
She headed off to bed then, as Keeley kept working, following the list of what each person wanted, then storing the arrangements in their little plastic containers near the AC to help keep them fresh. She looked at the clock and sighed.
The work would take at least four hours at the current rate, which was doable for her, but not her mom. Deciding it was an exciting, good time fun fest, she finished them all, then went to hit the books, only to realize she didn’t have any homework to do. She hadn’t picked it up.
Oops.
Instead she decided to just go and fix a snack. She was hungry again and really, she couldn’t afford not to eat any more. At least the cupboards were full. Her mom liked to make sure they had extra. A lot extra. All clearly labeled and stacked so that you could see everything clearly at a glance.
After she ate, a whole lot of food that barely sufficed to take the edge off the pain in her middle, she turned to scrubbing the kitchen from top to bottom. It was about the only way her mother would feel good about everything. If there was a speck left anywhere, she’d probably have to stop and spend her whole morning cleaning herself, which would put her off schedule for the day.
It was, Keeley reflected, kind of hard to live with other people sometimes.
That was life though, wasn’t it?
Chapter seven
It took a few hours to get everything really ready for the day, but by seven, as her mother ran out of her parent’s room, heading directly to her office by the sound of it, Keeley thought she was ready. It looked right to her in the mirror at any rate. She decided to see what her mom had to say about it and walked over quietly. Trying to feel poised and in control.
Sherry was just standing at first, in the middle of the room, rubbing her eyes. Then she checked every arrangement quickly, against the list in her hand. Ribbon color had to match type of flower, they needed to be wrapped correctly and all that. They were, Keeley was pretty sure. Very sure. It wasn’t hard, once you had the right materials. Wasn’t that what her mom had always said about it?
It took a while for Sherry to turn enough to catch on to the fact Keeley was standing in the door, which finally got her to turn all the way around, staring silently. For a long t
ime. After half a minute of a highly appraising stare her mother nodded, face a little pink and blurry looking still, a line across her left cheek from the covers.
“You look incredible. This is incredible. Didn’t you sleep?”
Lying wouldn’t work, too much had been done for that, hadn’t it? Obviously she hadn’t slept. She considered claiming she had anyway but just shook her head. Honesty was easier.
“No time for it today. I’m fine though. I’ll grab a mocha-frappe something or other later as I run over half the city. Do you really think I look OK? I’m going for a kind of dressy business look…” Gently she gestured to the white blouse and blue jacket with matching skirt. It was a little plain, but Darla had suggested it to her, in her normal fashion.
By buying it for her and telling her to stick it in her closet for later. That it had been gotten over a week before and fit now, with all the weight loss, kind of meant Darla had known this was going to happen. It was a size one. Keeley hadn’t been a size one since she was twelve.
Her mom beamed at her for a moment, looking happy if slightly troubled, a soft tremble to her mouth that Keeley probably wasn’t supposed to notice, that most people wouldn’t, she knew.
“You look like a twenty-five year old super model trying to pretend to be a secretary, if you want to know the truth. Don’t let your father see you like this, or he’ll lock you in and never let you leave the house… That… isn’t exactly a joke either Keeley.” She changed the subject waving a hand sleepily at the flowers.
“Did little elves help you with this? It all looks perfect. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get them to the school later today and then get them to the kids that bought them. Somehow.”
Right, Frieda the wonder van was going away for the day. The volume of flowers might fit into the back of her mom’s car, but it would be close. Unless they took the back seat out. That got her moving out to the garage without saying anything. It didn’t take as long as normal, or as long as the last time at least, the seat coming out smoothly this time. It was heavy normally, but felt a lot lighter now, almost as if it didn’t really way much of anything.
Ah.
So the increased strength thing she’d been trying actually worked? Cool.
Sherry tried to help and didn’t comment on the whole thing as they slide it over to the side of the concrete space, next to a completely empty work bench that had come with the house. It would be a good place to set up for wood working projects, she decided, since she needed to get a hobby or two anyway.
“And that will work. You’re just a model of efficiency lately aren’t you? Almost like a different girl all together.” It was supposed to be leading, but just sounded heavy handed in the way it was said.
Her mother was trying to lead her to some conclusion, as if without being told specifically Keeley would just jump to being a Demon? Brilliant. Her mom meant well though, so she got a soft smile and Keeley made sure no grease or anything showed on her outfit.
“Not really, except the looks, I’ve pretty much always been like this. It just didn’t show as much because I was focusing on schoolwork. Getting really good grades doesn’t show very much to the world. Just the same old me.” She looked down at herself, which was very different even from that angle.
“Well, with better clothes. Darla gave me these. Thought it might help at work.”
They didn’t do anything else for a while, except wonder inside to the living room, waiting as they were for the car Keeley had use of for the day to come. That happened at about seven-thirty, a knock at the door, with two men standing in tan colored uniform shirts and jeans. One, an older man, with a gray beard that he needed a little help trimming for best effect, the other a guy in his twenties that kind of stared at her while she filled out the paperwork needed and got the keys exchanged.
“We should have your vehicle back to you first thing Monday morning, Miss Thomson. Here’s a card, so you can call if you have any problems or questions.” The older man spoke professionally, if not smoothly. A good workman’s voice though.
The younger man turned red when she smiled at him, trying to make enough eye contact to count as flirting. It wasn’t something she’d done a lot of before. On the good side, it seemed to be working, though he didn’t say anything at all.
When they left Sherry shook her head and ushered Keeley out to the shining burgundy vehicle waiting for her. It was nice, but had the look of something an older person would be driving. No sports car here. A nice big trunk and everything, which was good, since she might need the space to haul things, later.
It was just that kind of day.
She remembered that she needed the alcohol to plant, and nearly laughed, sneaking back in while her father took a shower and moving it all out quickly, Sherry saw her and went wide eyed but didn’t say anything at all. She mouthed the words “good luck” at her, her eyes looking shocked.
She’d need it, wouldn’t she?
The day was hectic to say the least. She ran from school to school, talking to the Principals, chatting with people in the halls and hinting at both possible sex and money being given away at the parties. That part she could really do, and decided on it, a hundred dollar drawing for each event. Coretechs could pay for it. It got a bit of interest at least. After all, if only a few people showed up, each person stood a good chance of being the winner. If a lot made it, well, even one in a hundred wasn’t that bad, was it? Somebody had to win and it really could be anyone.
She left Wilson High for last, parking in their visitors section, right by the office section, then walking to the student parking lot to find the vehicles she wanted. She’d been afraid that they’d be hard to spot, since she only knew what the one looked like, but she needn’t have worried. They all had “Wilson High Football” or things about “Homecoming” written all over the windows in white paint. Breaking in might be a problem, should have been a problem, but when she tried the doors on three of them they were unlocked. One had a broken door handled, and the car was so old and beat up no one would normally bother it anyway, so that was probably forgivable. The others had no excuse.
What she saw when she looked in almost made her laugh.
Calming herself she turned and walked away quickly, schooling her face as she did. It was really just too rich.
Each of the vehicles she’d intended to target had one or two kegs in the back already.
Biting her lip would be too obvious, not that anyone was watching, so instead she went to visit the Principal, kind of dreading it, because the woman was freaky. She scared Clara and Glen somehow, which couldn’t be a good sign. Keeley realized she should have asked them about it, but it was hard to remember that these people were, for lack of a better term, her personal slaves now and had to answer her. Really, she kept wanting to treat everyone normally, which would have worked in an ideal world. Just let them go about their lives and not bother them overly.
If she did that though, it would be a dead giveaway that she was still too young to have gotten past being sensitive like that. She needed to keep to her act, even if it meant seeming mean or pushy.
The woman wasn’t in, not at all, and no one had a clue when she would be, so Keeley just waited for her, chatting up a few kids about the party later as she did. After an hour there was a low buzz from the hallway, even though class should have still been in session. Looking out the long row of clear windows in the hall, she saw why.
Half the police force was in the parking lot, glancing through windows. She could see waving as different vehicles got pointed out. A lot of them. At least twenty. She counted quickly. Twenty-three.
Oops. It was a slightly bigger thing than she’d intended, wasn’t it? These were just the ones dumb enough to not put the stuff in the trunk, or cover it with something, too. Morons. Even better they could have not brought the stuff to school. On the good side she didn’t have to feel bad for the trouble they were going to get into for it. A keg wasn’t just for personal use.
A scratch with just a tiny bit of denting.
From side swiping someone? Keeley calmed her nerves, tried to feel bold and relaxed and made a point of increasing her personal strength, speed and poise. Then, taking a single deep breath, she walked out, directly past the car, which was in the faculty parking, requiring her to make a large loop around some shrubbery to come from that angle, and glanced, for a brief second, at the marks.
There, under the tan, was a line of brilliant yellow. Almost like a taxi, or a school bus. The original color.
She kept walking, staring at the police, then at the older, bitter seeming woman that was looking at the officer in charge angrily. She gestured at the right vehicles, as if she knew who had what, which was bizarre.
Unless she’d gotten them the kegs of course.
But that didn’t seem very responsible for a school official, did it? It wouldn’t pay to jump to conclusions. Not at all.
The woman looked pissed for sure, as she looked over at Keeley, suspicion written large all over her face. As if she blamed her for all this? That didn’t make sense, did it? She was just a school girl trying, rather desperately to get some parties put together. Keeley walked over, hesitantly. Really, it should be setting off alarm bells for almost everyone, because people avoided the police, unless they were guilty of something and trying to look innocent.
Or needed to report a crime.
It made every possible action look guilty to the police, but Keeley didn’t try to interact with them, sidling up to the woman, looking at her wide eyed then at the officers.
“What…” She didn’t finish the thought.
The angry look got switched from her to the cops, then to the cars with writing on them. She sighed and shook her head, as if personally wronged by the situation.