Soul Stone

by Gladden, DelSheree

  I shrug, turning and pulling myself against Tanner’s chest. Suddenly, I feel weird about looking at Bas. I focus my attention on Tanner and his question. “Bas said I get to pick, but seeing the look on his face after my first arrow hit was pretty satisfying on its own.”

  My hands lock behind Tanner’s neck and I pull him down for another kiss. He gives me what I want, but pulls away after just a peck. He seems distracted, but when I remember David standing behind us, I think I understand why. Or maybe Bas standing nearby with a strained expression has something to do with it. I force myself to be happy with having Tanner’s arm around me and turn my attention to the next group of archers and away from Bas.

  Two more groups step up to the line before everyone decides to break for lunch. Tanner tells me the tradition is that everyone gets to shoot five arrows before lunch, but it’s basically just whoever still wants to practice after lunch. I fully intend on getting in a little more practice time, but I’m happy for the break. After we grab our food, we look around for somewhere to sit.

  I spot Sibeal on a blanket with Bas and point them out to Tanner. When a look of irritation flashes across his face, I say, “We could try to ask her about her religious beliefs…if we can find a way to work it in without it being totally awkward. What do you think?”

  “Oh, uh, sure. We can try,” his says. “If she invited you over to her house sometime you could probably figure it out that way. I bet they have something religious on display if they’re really into it enough to end up with some kind of power.”

  I nod thoughtfully. That’s probably a better plan. We head over to their blanket and sit down. Bas looks up immediately, and I swear he flinches. Turning away, I look around for David, but I don’t see him anywhere. He must have found a girl to talk to. I figure he’ll find me easily enough if he wants to and focus on Sibeal instead.

  “So, did you enjoy the session?” I ask her.

  Her head bobs up and down eagerly. “It was really neat! I think I got some great pictures.”

  When she turns her camera toward me, I watch as she flips through the digital pictures. They really are quite good. “Wow, Sibeal! These are going to look great in the yearbook. Thanks for taking them.”

  “It’s nice to get my camera out again,” she says shyly.

  “What else do you like to photograph?” Tanner asks.

  Sibeal looks at him sideways, still not willing to meet his gaze straight on. “Mostly just landscapes and flowers. I used to do people, but not much anymore.”

  “Why not?” Bas asks.

  “I don’t know,” Sibeal says. She fiddles with her camera. “I wasn’t that good at photographing people.”

  “Well, the ones you took today look pretty good. Maybe you just need more practice with people,” I suggest, hoping this will open up a chance for me to find out more about her.

  Sibeal’s eyes pop up briefly, but her shy smile quickly pushes her head back down. “I’d have to have someone willing to sit for me, and I doubt that will happen.”

  Judging by the way most of the school thinks she’s creepy, probably not. Luckily for her, I have ulterior motives. “You can take pictures of me. I think it would be fun.”

  For the first time since we sat down, Sibeal actually looks up and stops hiding behind her hair. “Really?”

  “Sure. Why not? It’s been a while since I’ve had my pictures taken professionally.”

  The blush that blossoms on her cheeks brings real color to her complexion. “I’m certainly not a professional.”

  “Maybe you will be someday, though,” I say with a smile. “I could even come to your house so you’re somewhere familiar and not as nervous.”

  Sibeal’s smile falters for a moment, but she nods her head eventually. “Sure. That would be great. Do you want to come over tomorrow?”

  I smile and lean against Tanner. “That sounds great.”

  Soon after, some of the other archers head back to the targets for more practice. Sibeal excuses herself for another opportunity to take pictures and Bas is quick to tag along. Tanner and I take a few more minutes to finish eating and talk about me going to Sibeal’s tomorrow. He wants to come as well, but we both know that won’t fly with Sibeal. We toss around ideas about what I should look for at Sibeal’s house for a few more minutes before migrating back to the targets to join in the fun.

  We watch a few rounds before claiming the next available targets. I’m getting my gear ready when David trots up to me. “Hey, I’m going to head out. I’m taking Mom out for a late lunch. Are you good getting a ride home?”

  “Sure, no problem. Have fun with Mom.”

  He gives me a quick hug and then heads for the car. When Tanner steps up with his bow, I switch gears and focus on the yellow of the target center. I release several arrows before realizing Tanner has disappeared. I look around to see where he went, thinking I forgot to ask him if he could give me a ride home, and spot him over by one of the tables getting a soda. I turn back to the target and prepare another arrow.

  Before I can release, Bas startles me by coming right up to my side. “You could stand to relax your shoulders a little more.”

  “Really? I’m doing pretty well without your help, you know.”

  Bas grins his annoying grin. “But you’re not perfect.”

  Planning to ignore him, I ready my arrow again and prepare to draw back. Bas’s hand on my shoulder makes me flinch. The sudden jump in my pulse irritates me. I turn around and glare at him. “What are you doing?”

  “Your shoulder is high. You need to bring it down.”

  He’s being bossy and irritating, but I know Tanner has told me the same thing a million time. Perhaps Bas is just trying to help. No ulterior motives. Maybe. This time, when I ready my arrow and I feel Bas’s hand on my shoulder as I draw back, I don’t flinch away. He presses down on my shoulder, but it doesn’t seem interested in budging. Him touching me is making me more tense!

  “Relax,” Bas commands.

  “I am.” My snappy voice has no effect on him.

  “No you aren’t.” He huffs at me. “Bring your arrow back down for a minute.”

  I expect him to offer a few more words of sage, if not obnoxious advice. My breath catches when one of his hands slides onto my stomach while the other goes back to my shoulder. It’s suddenly hard to think while Bas gently presses down on my shoulder and pulls my torso toward him. When he stops, I struggle to figure out why.

  “This,” he says next to my ear, “is the position you should be in when you take our shot. You’re arching your back and lifting your shoulder. Do you feel the difference?”

  “Um, yeah. I think so,” I say quietly, my breathing labored.

  His hands slide away and I nearly stumble. My lungs remember how to breathe and I draw in a huge breath.

  “Okay, try again.”

  I nod, even though my head feels a little slushy at the moment. All my focus goes into demanding my shoulder stays down where it belongs as I draw back.

  “Watch your back,” Bas orders.

  His hand presses against my stomach again and I nearly lose my grip. I do, at least, feel the difference this time. I try to focus on that, remember it. Not Bas’s touch, just the position, I tell myself firmly. My fingers spring away from the arrow and it flies toward the target, hitting deep in the red second ring.

  “Sorry,” Bas says, “I made you hold it too long. Your position looked much better, though.”

  He doesn’t say anything else, but his gaze doesn’t leave me. My breathing spikes again, confusing me and making me feel dizzy. Why did he have to touch me? Why can’t I think of anything else? I close my eyes as I start to feel faint. I try to slow my breathing, but I feel my knees buckle first. My bow slips to the ground as Bas jumps forward to catch me.

  Things get a bit jumbled as Tanner rushes in and grabs me out of Bas’s arms. I stumble, trying to get my feet back under me.

  “What did you do?” Tanner yells, real anger in his voice
, which sounds strange to my ears.

  “Nothing!” Bas defends.

  “It didn’t look like nothing.”

  Tanner pulls me to his chest, asking me if I’m okay. Holding onto him, everything begins to clear. “I’m fine,” I say quietly.

  When he continues crushing me to his chest, I try again, a little louder this time. “Tanner, I’m okay. I just got lightheaded for a minute.”

  “Lightheaded? You looked like you fainted,” Tanner argues.

  “I just got dizzy. I think I need some water. Why don’t we go sit down?” I beg.

  Tanner nods and starts pulling me away. I’m not totally sure what just happened, but it isn’t hard to imagine why Tanner is glaring at Bas as we walk away. If what Bas was doing looked like more than what it really was—what I hope it really was—from Tanner’s point of view, it’s not hard to puzzle out why he’s so mad. We are both misinterpreting things, right? I try to convince myself that David wasn’t right. He can’t be.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tanner didn’t say anything else about Bas yesterday, but he didn’t talk to him the rest of the day either, which makes me worry. I don’t know what kind of game Bas is playing, but I have no intention of being part of any bid to hurt Tanner. So, my new goal is, avoid Bas at all costs.

  As I walk over to Sibeal’s house, I try not to think about Bas at all, and certainly not about how confusing it felt to have his hands on me. I keep telling myself that I’m being an idiot about the whole thing. He was just trying to help my positioning. Not once did his hand linger longer than necessary. He really wasn’t even all that gentle about it. If he was actually trying to hit on me, he didn’t do a very good job of it.

  Heaven help me if he does actually try. Not trying sent me into enough of a tailspin all on its own. I shake those kinds of thoughts out of my head and focus on Sibeal.

  I approach the cottage she and her mother are living in tentatively. The bag of clothes Sibeal recommended for the photo shoot suddenly feels like it’s full of bricks. What if she tries something weird? Does her power still work, or was it taken away as a part of the punishment? I have no way of knowing. Tanner’s warning to watch everything she does very closely is a repeating thought in my head.

  My knuckles rap on the door. I hear a few shuffling sounds before the doorknob turns. When the door swings open, the woman I recognized from the internet articles stands before me with a smile that seems sincere, but dimmed.

  “You must be Arrabella,” she says politely as she gestures for me to come in. “Sibeal is expecting you.”

  “Thanks for letting me come over, Mrs. Ahearn. I’m excited to have Sibeal take my pictures. The ones she’s taken for the yearbook so far have been great.” I set my bag on the floor and sit on one of the pretty antique couches in the living room.

  Mrs. Ahearn sits across from me. “Sibeal is a very talented photographer. I’m so glad she’s decided to put her talents to use again. Thank you for encouraging her.”

  The sight of tears glistening in the corners of Mrs. Ahearn’s eyes sends a shot of guilt through me. If I was really Sibeal’s friend, I would be doing this to help her deal with whatever is happening in her personal life. My motives wouldn’t be so selfish. I smile at Mrs. Ahearn, hoping that maybe after this all blows over, Sibeal and I will not only still be alive, but maybe we really will be friends. So long as the reason for her punishment isn’t because she killed someone. That might be a deal breaker.

  I’m relieved when Sibeal hurries out of her bedroom with a bulging camera bag. I’ve never seen Sibeal smile so big. It’s infectious. I am grinning back at her without really knowing why.

  “Are you ready to get started?” Sibeal asks.

  “I guess,” I say with a laugh.

  I glance down at my old jean shorts and tank top. My face is bare of makeup with my long hair tied up in a simple ponytail. Sibeal told me to show up like this, but I am really hoping she has something more planned. This may have been a ploy to get to Sibeal’s house, but I am looking forward to the experience. I have a feeling Sibeal is an amazing photographer. Plus, as long as Sibeal isn’t hiding a body in her basement, I think we could be good friends.

  “Okay,” Sibeal says excitedly, “let’s head back to my room and I’ll do your hair and makeup and we can look through the clothes you brought.”

  She barely gives me a second before turning around and rushing off to her room. I stand up and smile at Mrs. Ahearn. I know Sibeal is waiting for me, but I take a quick glance around the room. There are a few trinkets here and there that I think might have some religious aspects to them, so I make a note to investigate more later on before excusing myself.

  In Sibeal’s bedroom, holding onto my main objective is tough. Ever since moving here, most of my hang out time has been spent with Tanner. Girl time just hasn’t existed. Until now, that is. Sibeal becomes a totally different person as we try on different makeup combinations and hairstyles. I spend more time laughing with her than I have in a long time.

  I fear I’ll be too busy enjoying myself to find what I came here for until I open a drawer on Sibeal’s vanity. My search for the peach lipgloss she wants turns up a picture instead. The dark hair and gentle eyes are impossible to miss. I recognize the boy from my second dream instantly. His image brings back the pure, blissful feeling that pervaded the dream as he and Sibeal shared their first kiss.

  The picture means he is real. I trust the dreams enough to know they don’t lie, but it shocks me again to see something from them brought to life. I don’t notice right away how quiet the room has become until Sibeal’s fingers brush against the picture. When I look back at her, I see tears in her eyes.

  “Sibeal, who is this?”

  Her chest convulses, but she fights to maintain control. “His name is Colin. He was a very dear friend of mine.”

  Was? My heart rate speeds up as I begin to wonder if this boy is the reason Sibeal is being punished. “Did he…pass away?” I ask slowly.

  “No,” Sibeal whispers, “but he’s not a part of my life anymore. I should get rid of that picture, but it’s hard to let go.”

  I can imagine. I’m relieved, at least, to hear that he’s not dead. If she’s telling the truth about that. “Did you take this picture?”

  She nods, a tiny movement. “Yes.” She wipes at her eyes. “I stopped photographing people after that. It was too hard.”

  “Sibeal, I’m so sorry. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

  “No,” she says quickly, “it’s time to move on. And besides, I’m having fun. Come on, let’s see what clothes you brought.”

  I set Colin’s picture down and head over to my bag with Sibeal. She gushes over the choices. Half of what I brought I had forgotten was even in my closet. Dressing for school was much more like dressing for the catwalk in Manhattan. The private school I attended mainly catered to the upper class. Even with a doctor for a dad, I was still one of the least affluent kids at school. Here, jeans and a cute shirt are perfect for just about every event. It’s actually kind of liberating.

  Sibeal pulls out three combos she deems picture worthy and steps out so I can try on the first one. I feel terribly sneaky as I slowly get dressed, peeking and snooping all over Sibeal’s room for hints about her religious leanings. For the most part, I don’t spot anything that immediately catches my eye.

  Most of Sibeal’s room is covered in pictures and posters or other famous photographers’ works. I almost give up, but a group of pictures above Sibeal’s dresser seems to stand out. I’m not sure why until I walk over and look at it more closely. The photographs stuck to the walls with pushpins are similar, all pictures of beautiful groves or small ponds. The way they are arranged makes me think these are places sacred to Sibeal. The small collection of items on top of her dresser, resting right below the photos convinces me I am right.

  I’m not sure what the little gold bracelet, wooden bowl, and a few other seemingly random items have to do with eac
h other, but they seem important. They are the only things on top of the dresser. Knowing that Sibeal will begin to wonder what I am doing soon, I take out my phone and snap a picture of the groves and ponds, as well the items on the dresser and the picture of Colin. Tanner and I can puzzle over them later.

  Finishing up, I poke my head out the door and let Sibeal know I’m ready. She hurries over with her camera already around her neck. “Great! I have some spots picked out already. Bring the other two outfits. We can mix and match if we need to while we’re out there,” she says.

  I grab the clothes and trek out into the woods with her. The first stop is a small meadow filled with flowers. “Wow, Sibeal, this place is great.”

  “I know!” she gushes. “Okay, I’ll have you sit down in the flowers, right in the middle of those tall ones. Try to keep them standing up around you. I want to shoot you through the stalks and leaves.”

  I’m not sure how much of me she’ll actually see, but after seeing the amazing picture of Colin, I’m willing to let her boss me around. For the next twenty minutes, I do exactly as she tells me. After photographing me through the flowers, she has me push a few away so I can peek through. I worry we’re crushing everything when she has me lie down in flowers and then stands over me to get a picture from above. Through the whole process, I have no idea how any of these are turning out, but Sibeal lets me see everything she’s taken as soon as she helps me up.

  She laughs when I am literally speechless. “As soon as I show these to people, you will have every senior in town begging you to take their pictures for the yearbook. Usually people have to go to Portland for decent pictures, and none of the ones I’ve seen have been this good.”

  “Thanks, Arra, but I don’t know about that.”

  “I’m totally serious. These are amazing.”

  Sibeal looks over at me with a tentative smile. “Do you really think so?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She smiles for real this time. “Well, we aren’t done yet. Come on, I have a few more places I wanted to try out.”