by D. F. Jones
Ruby stopped chopping the vegetables and looked over at her two friends. She reached inside her pocket and brought out her amber stone turning it over in her hand. “Do y’all remember the day we found the room in the cave?” Both Anna and Sandy stopped what they were doing and looked at Ruby and the stone in her hand.
Anna and Sandy both reached inside their pockets, bringing out their own stones. Ruby’s eyes widened with alarm as her stone warmed in her hand. “Wow, so, I’m not the only one carrying around the stone we discovered on our spelunking trip to the cave. Don’t you think that’s strange? My stone warms up when I hold it, does yours?”
Ruby looked down at Anna’s amethyst stone. Anna cleared her throat. “Yes, and my amethyst stone glows.”
The three girls stood in a circle. Sandy held out her hand to show Anna and Ruby her hiddenite stone. Ruby thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Sandy’s green stone seemed to pulse. Ruby managed to say weakly, “So, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’ve never mentioned that day in the cave until today. I’ve tried so many times to talk to y’all, and the words just wouldn’t come out.” Ruby placed her stone back inside her pocket and went back to the table to chop up the rest of the vegetables. “I started having dreams the night we discovered the hidden room, the totem and the stones. Sometimes my dreams foretell births, sometimes deaths and sometimes I can see the future.”
Ruby glanced at Anna and Sandy; both remained silent, and both were wide-eyed with shock. “My life dreams are about the beginning of a life, the creation. Those dreams are so full of light and love, and when I wake up, I have a sense of peace. But my dreams about death, they’re dark and full of despair, and I wake in a cold sweat. I have not been able to stop any deaths yet, but I keep trying.”
Ruby walked over and dropped the veggies into Anna’s frying pan. “I dreamed about Aunt Sammie passing away and the very next day she died. I dreamed about Reed and the next day he walked into the store. I keep having another dream about a man chasing me. I think he wants to kill me. I’m not sure if it’s a bad dream or if someone in the future is going to try and kill me. It’s freaky.”
Anna smiled weakly at Ruby and continued to cook. “The day after the cave, I was sitting on my patio at home and a blue bird dropped out of nowhere onto the concrete. The poor thing had a broken wing. I walked over to it, talking softly, and picked up the bird. The bird wasn’t even afraid of me. Then, energy shot to my hands. The energy felt like static electricity but stronger. When the energy finally left and I opened my hands, the bird flew away.” Anna shook her head.
Sandy handed a margarita to Anna and then one to Ruby. She grabbed a big pot under the kitchen cabinet for their noodles. Sandy walked over to the kitchen sink and turned on the faucet. After the pot filled with water, she placed it on the back burner of the stove and turned the burner on high. She grabbed her drink and sat at the kitchen table. “It was several days for me before I knew something was different. I was working on a story for the school newspaper. I had to interview one of the teachers, Mr. Kane, for some lame award he was receiving. I think the award was Teacher of the Month. When I finished my interview, I shook his hand. It couldn’t have been more than two or three seconds, but I saw flashes of his life. The son of a bitch was a sick pervert. He’d been abusing teenage girls for years. I think he knew or maybe he sensed that I saw what he had done to those girls.” Sandy took a big gulp of her drink and then walked to the sink to look out the window.
“I nailed his ass to the cross. I’m not sure how, but I knew exactly where he kept photos of his victims in his house. I typed an anonymous letter, like I was a victim, detailing exactly how he tricked me into his house, what he did to me and the photos he took. I sent a letter to the local news station, the police department and the school board.”
Sandy poured another drink. “He never served a day in prison, because he killed himself.”
Anna shook her head. “Jesus preserve us. I wondered how they caught him. The news only mentioned the child abuse and his suicide.”
Ruby placed her hand on Sandy’s shoulder. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”
The girls made the spaghetti but had lost their appetites. Instead, they poured more margaritas and went to sit outside on the covered porch. They lit several candles and two tiki torches.
Ruby sat down on the white wicker loveseat and kicked her legs out in front of her. “Wonder why we were chosen. Why do we have these abilities and why weren’t we able to talk about them until now? The carved figure from the cave appears in my dreams. He’s not a god, but some kind of messenger, revealing both good and evil. In my life dreams, he makes me feel hopeful, and when I see the future, those dreams are so vivid and detailed, it’s like I’ve been given a choice to leave the future to fate or intervene. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the death dreams.”
Anna took a deep breath and leaned forward, placing her hands on her thighs. “I’ve had one other episode, and it involved my mom. We were cleaning up supper dishes and Mom dropped a Pyrex dish. It broke on the floor. She reached down to pick up the shards of glass and one slipped out of her hand and cut a gash in her arm. She screamed for Dad, but I rushed over to her, wrapping my hands around the cut, blood pouring through my fingertips. The energy surging into my hands made our lights go out, but I didn’t let go of her until I felt the power leave me. When the lights finally came on, the gash was completely gone. My mother passed out. I scared my parents. Whatever this power is, we never spoke about it again. It was as if that whole scene never happened.”
Sandy grabbed the pitcher of margaritas off the table and topped off their drinks again. She took another sip and said, “Well, on the flip side, I have had good readings, too. I see things when I hold someone’s hands.”
Sandy sat down between Ruby and Anna, placing her glass on the wicker coffee table. “We need to start a diary of everything we have experienced since the cave and log in every time something new happens. We may be able to see some kind of pattern, some kind of link of how this is supposed to work. We may be able to figure a way to link our gifts. I will buy a journal this week.” Sandy laughed. “We’ll call it the Ditch Lane Diaries.” Ruby and Anna both laughed at the name.
Ruby said, “I agree. We need to write down everything. The last frightening dream I had was at the lake this summer. There were violent storms, booming thunder and crashes of lightning. I could hear people wailing. The dream terrified me. Thankfully, it hasn’t come true. I’m kinda paranoid about dreaming now. I’m just glad we can finally talk to each other.”
Anna replied quickly, “My power doesn’t always work. But I do feel my power getting stronger every time I use it.” They both looked at Sandy.
Sandy said, “The pervert was the worst. I’ve had a couple of random readings, but nothing alarming.”
Ruby thought for a moment, and said, “So, I’m the dreamer, Anna’s the healer and Sandy’s the soul reader. Thank God, we don’t live in the 1600s or we’d be burned at the stake.”
Sandy raised her glass and stood up. “To the Ditch Lane Diaries. May we grow in knowledge and use our powers to help others. And to figure out what the heck this messenger wants from us.”
Ruby and Anna stood to join her and said in chorus, “To the Ditch Lane Diaries.”
Chapter 9
Tonight’s The Night
MTSU was located in the heart of Tennessee and was home to the Blue Raiders. When the fall semester classes started, Ruby’s life quickly became hectic. She managed to juggle her household chores and class workload relatively smoothly. Ruby, Anna and Sandy had been together for so long the transition to them living together went very well.
Ruby had a full load of classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with her labs falling on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ruby and Reed walked to class together, and they met for lunch in the campus grill or on the grounds nearly every day. They studied together in the Todd Library, and on th
e weekends they would go to parties or to area nightclubs with Anna, Jerry and Sandy. Ruby had never been so happy in her life.
One afternoon, she sat under a big maple in The Grove next to Peck Hall, waiting for Reed to get out of class. The Grove was a favorite place for students to study, eat lunch or just hang out together. The autumn air was still warm and streaks of light from the sun shone through the huge shade trees. Ruby was leaning against a big tree trunk reading a book, when Brent came up beside her and joined her on the ground.
“Whatcha reading, sweet girl?’ Brent wore an off-white, V-neck sweater, with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, Levi’s, and cowboy boots. His tan against the sweater set off his jet-black hair, which was blowing gently in the wind. She angled her chin to meet Brent’s gaze at eye level.
Ruby dog-eared her place in the book. “Dorian Gray, English Lit. How are you?” She didn’t want to be mad at him anymore.
Brent pulled at the stems from the freshly mown grass and glanced back up to her eyes. “I’m so sorry about the party, Ruby. I shouldn’t have talked to you so crudely or grabbed your arm. I was jealous and pissed off. Forgive me?”
Ruby smoothed her ponytail, twirling the ends with her fingers. “I forgive you. Do you forgive me? I didn’t mean to cause problems between you and Reed.”
Several female students walked by them and one said, “Hi, Brent.” Ruby smiled in spite of herself. The boy was darn good-looking. Girls couldn’t help themselves.
Brent threw the girls a peace sign and turned back to Ruby. He asked, “So, are you still in love? Reed treating you okay?”
Ruby looked down at the grass for a second. She hated to see the disappointment in his eyes and knew she’d been the one who had put it there. “Yeah, still in love. He’s been great, so far. You seeing anyone?”
With a sigh, he replied, “I see several girls, but none of them are you. I miss you, RJ. I miss you so much. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed just being with you, laughing with you and just goofing off. Most of the girls I date, they don’t give a shit about me as a person. They just like the way I look. That never mattered to you.”
She had to chuckle. “Oh, Brent, I like the way you look, too. You’ll find the person you’re supposed to be with. I know it.” She placed her hand on his forearm, and he covered it with his hand. Her hand dropped away.
Brent gave her a serious glance. “I wanted to spend my life with you. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. It’s just hard knowing you’re with him. Do you ever think about me? Do you miss me? I’m not even mad at him. Hell, I don’t blame him. After three years of Tap It, it took a fiery redhead to blow us both out of the water. And speak of the devil; he’s walking pretty fast in this direction now.” Brent laughed as Ruby’s mouth curved into a smile.
Ruby could hear a steady stream of curses coming from Reed’s mouth. She stood up and hadn’t missed the speculative glance Reed had thrown her way. Ruby reached out to touch his arm. “Reed, Brent just stopped by to apologize.”
Reed gave her a thin smile and then turned to Brent. “So, you’re sorry for putting a bruise on her arm. Did you know you hurt her?”
Brent squared his shoulders, and Ruby knew she had to do something quickly. “Reed, he is sorry. It’s okay. You two have been friends a long time. Now, kiss and make up.” She placed her hands on her hips, which made them both laugh.
Brent took a step back. “No thanks, Mom, I’m not kissing him. I’ll leave you two alone.” He turned and walked away.
Ruby sat back down on the grass and Reed sat beside her. He was breathing hard. Strands of her hair escaped her ponytail from the wind. She smoothed them down with her hand. She moistened her lips, but her mouth was still dry from the darkened look Reed gave her. “Reed, don’t be mad at me. I was sitting here reading when he sat down beside me. He was only here a few minutes before you arrived.”
Reed lifted a brow and said in a clipped tone, “I don’t trust the son of a bitch. He would try to steal you from me in a New York minute.”
Ruby reached up and combed her fingers through his hair and his darkened mood began to soften. She pushed him back on the grass and straddled him. She bent over close to his face and said, “I love you, not him.” She kissed him in front of anyone who wanted to look on.
* * *
The week before homecoming, Ruby took Reed hiking around her favorite trails. They walked along the river trail for about a half hour until they found the perfect place to stretch out. Ruby brought a stadium blanket in her backpack, and Reed had filled his backpack with drinks and snacks. They lay under the trees next to the water and relaxed in each other’s arms.
Reed drew her closer to him and said, “I’ve lived here for three years and I’ve never seen this trail. It’s so beautiful.”
Ruby sat up and pulled a bottle of water out of her backpack. She gulped it down. “It is beautiful out here. I love to hike. I’ve walked most of the trails around this county and a few off-trails too. I love the woodsy smells of the trees and wildflowers.” Reed handed her an apple and she took a bite. The crisp apple burst with sweetness inside her mouth. She took another bite as she surveyed the area around them.
Ruby pointed to a couple of nearby plants that were native to the area. “This beauty here is the Tennessee coneflower, and look over here, see that gem? It’s the little bluestem, and oh, oh, look over there in the river! Do you see the little otter?”
Reed chuckled as he tore into his candy bar. “He’s a cute little fella, isn’t he? And you amaze me. How do you know the names of all those plants?” He took another bite of his candy bar and rummaged in his backpack to pull out a bottle of orange juice.
With a shrug, she said, “I took horticulture in high school and kinda got addicted to researching the flowers and plants native to the area. It’s one of my hobbies. I’ve helped my mom over the years experiment with transplanting some of the wildflowers and grasses in her yard. I love being outside, planting flowers and digging in the dirt.”
Reed lay back on the blanket, placing his hand behind his head and looking up into the blue sky. “I love you.”
She whipped her head around to face him. “You’ve never said that to me before. Do you really love me?” A gust of wind kicked up some leaves and a squirrel darted out and scurried up a nearby tree.
With a lazy smile, he said, “I have loved you since the moment I saw you in the store. It just took me a while to admit it to myself.”
She lay back next to him, looking out at nature. This had turned into a perfect autumn day and she would never forget it. Reed loved her.
* * *
Ruby and Reed took turns visiting each other over the next several weeks, either at her place or his apartment. They had had some pretty hot and heavy make-out sessions, but she had yet to sleep with him.
Then Reed invited her to spend the weekend with him in Nashville. He bought tickets for them to see Bob Seger and had booked a room at the Hyatt Regency. He’d also booked a reservation to the spinning restaurant above the hotel, which offered a spectacular view of the Nashville skyline. Ruby decided this would be the weekend she would make love to him.
As that Friday night approached, Ruby became nervous and just a little frightened. She had already talked to Sandy, who had somewhat prepared her for what would happen. She had taken anatomy, but the clinical version of sex was different when you were the one it was going to happen to.
Ruby typically wore blue jeans when she and Reed were together. Friday night was going to be special. She wanted to look and feel special. Ruby had received, for her birthday, a beautiful long, off-white maxi which had buttons down the entire length of the dress. She paired it with a brown leather belt and her dark brown cowboy boots. Sandy and Anna had done her hair and makeup.
Her two friends brought her to the full-length mirror behind Sandy’s bedroom door. Anna placed her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “You are stunning tonight.”
Sandy hugged her. “Our baby is leaving he
re a girl and will be returning to us a woman.”
“Geez Louise. Come on y’all, I’m nervous enough.” Ruby turned around and playfully pushed Sandy out of the way to look at her reflection in the mirror.
Sandy and Anna followed her out on the front porch as Reed pulled into the driveway. Sandy teased, “Poor Reed doesn’t have a clue, does he?”
Bags in hand, Ruby said, “Well, I’m pretty sure he knows I’m going to sleep with him this weekend. I just didn’t tell him the part about being a virgin.”
“God, I’d love to see the expression on his face when he finally realizes he has a virgin on his hands.” Sandy cackled and Ruby gave Sandy a mock elbow to the ribs.
“Check ya later, much later!” Ruby sucked in her breath when she saw Reed. His hair was shiny as silk, and his expression was bright with excitement. Reed wore a tan corduroy jacket with a black turtleneck, paired with Levi’s and penny loafers. Tonight’s the night, she thought.
“You ready to go, Ruby?” Reed jogged up her front steps, and then he froze in his tracks. “Oh God, you’re a knockout in that dress.” She could see the raw hunger in his eyes and giggled when he had to adjust his package. “Let me grab your bags. Huh, um, crap, you’ve made me lose my train of thought, woman.” Ruby blushed, turned to her friends and winked. Reed rushed around to the passenger side of his car and opened the door for her. As she stepped into the car, he placed her bags in the trunk. Ruby waved to Sandy and Anna. Reed jumped into the car, started the engine and pulled out on Bell Street.
* * *
As they walked into the lobby to check in, Ruby and Reed both raised their heads to watch the glass elevators scale the hotel’s twenty-eight floors. Reed held her hand as they walked to the counter. They had just enough time to check into their room and meet their six thirty reservation, with five minutes to spare. The concert started at eight and they were within walking distance.
The spinning restaurant offered them a panoramic view of Nashville and they didn’t even have to leave their seats. Reed ordered them a couple of glasses of champagne. Ruby ordered freshwater trout and rice pilaf, with coconut cream pie for dessert. Reed opted for the filet mignon with asparagus spears, roast potatoes and a decadent-looking chocolate cake.