He grabbed Rae's hand and pulled her out of the barn and I followed and sure enough trouble was brewin.' “Well, it's what we sort of wanted right?” I asked uncertainly.
Declan said “Rae get your camera ready, and Addie, if he doesn't get mad enough we're going to have to help him along.” But then we saw some shoving going on between Jett and Kevin, we ran over. Rae stayed back, focused her camera and walked slowly toward them.
Kevin was enough to make Jett mad, Storm was trying to hold Jett back; I could hear Kevin say “Dude what's with your face?” I saw it too, but it was dusk and hard to see a lot of the details. The camera flash was freaky, it made the whole scene increase in intensity.
Declan had a hand on Jett and Rae was walking toward us slowly snapping pictures every few seconds.
“Kevin, get out of here.” Declan gritted between his teeth as Storm and he were trying to hold Jett back and not very well I might add. They were pushing with all their might, it was like trying to hold back a bull.
“Is he mad enough Addie......” Declan asked, trying to hold Jett back. “You need to provoke him?” Declan turned his head and scrunched his eyebrows together at me.
“Why me? We should have let Kevin do it…” I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut and shouted “it wasn’t my fault he kissed me.” I took a deep breath… “I was in a good mood and I said some stuff.... to him...” I said an octave higher than my normal voice. As I was trying to look at Jett’s face to see if he was angry I shouted “Kevin started it…”
Jett roared and leaped out of their grips and he was on top of me. My hands were pinned to the ground and the weight of him had me pinned, immobilized. He growled really low. His face was in mine, his eyes were all blood shot, his cheeks had dark marks running along his cheek bones and under his eyes, the veins in his face and arms were protruding everywhere and his skin turned shades of grey-green. I squeezed my eyes shut. I kept chanting to myself “I love you, I love you, I love you...” Over and over again.
I noticed my breathing started to slow and so did his. “Addie....” he gritted between his teeth. I kept chanting “I love you, I love you...” I felt his face down by my neck...
And all I could say was.....”Really Jett. You're the one on top of me, I can’t move ya fat ass hooker,” and then I just started laughing, I know it wasn't that funny but the moment was sooo serious and so intense I couldn't help but laugh and then Storm did too. Jett looked away from me and Rae snapped a picture right in his face. He growled again and quickly spun around and sat on the ground so his back was to everyone. He had his face in his hands that were large with veins pronounced, his nails looked like they were stained with ink. Rae’s flash went off a couple more times. His shirt was stretched tightly across his back like it didn’t fit, it looked two sizes too small. He got up turned to look at me still lying on the ground and walked away…I’m pretty sure he was missing a tooth.
We walked back to Nic’s house and she and I stood in the driveway watching everyone leave when Peyton pulled in, she opened her trunk. She had rope, stakes, extension cords, work lights, flash lights, shovels, pics and she showed us her compass. She grabbed a helmet and turned it on it looked like something a coal miner would wear. “Nice” Nic said nodding her head in satisfaction. We got in the car, Nic’s mom came out, Nic met her “Where on Gods earth do you think you’re going at this hour?”
“The Winchesters, I asked Peyton to drive by her house on her way out and the cats escaped again, I’ll tape up the screen tonight but we’ll have to get a new one tomorrow.”
“Oh ok honey, be careful.” Her mother of course fell for that because the two of them had an affinity for animals and the screen really was torn but we had taped it up a couple of days ago. Nic got back in the car and we drove to Harriet’s old place.
“I’m not sure why we couldn’t wait until daylight for this” I moaned, I was exhausted and I wasn’t sure what we were going to find or if I wanted to find anything at all.
“I didn’t think I would sleep without looking for it.” Nic said and Peyton agreed.
We went inside the house and Nic shined her flashlight on a picture on the wall, it was a family portrait under a huge perfect looking tree. “I know where this is,” Nic stated. She probably knew the property well as she was the only person to cut grass and care for the ten acre property. I was worried this would take us aaallllll night long…..
Peyton walked out strung her three extension cords together and connected the work light. Nic plugged it in. It lit up a section of the back yard pretty well. I wasn’t sure I was seeing right but I saw a perfect looking tree in the back corner, the light just barely reached the outskirts of the shadow the tree would make during the day. Peyton picked up a shovel, slung the rope over her shoulder and tucked the stakes under her arm. Nic pulled stuff from the trunk too, so I followed suit, threw a helmet on my head and turned it on.
Nic stood at the base of the tree looked at her compass and adjusted herself, then paced off eleven steps and started to dig. I got a chill down my spine just thinking of what they might find. Nic and Peyton dug until the ground got so hard they couldn’t dig any further. Nothing.
“Good” I said lying in the grass trying to ward off bugs. “Are you guys done now?”
“No” Nic pouted “I was sure after I found Dean and Sam looking for something suspiciously the other day that it would be out here.”
I just started to laugh “So you think there is really some sort of treasure buried out here?”
“Yes” she replied wiping the sweat off her brow “I do.”
“Well then you need to find the compass she used because it may not have worked right and it could send you in another direction, plus she was short, have Peyton pace off the steps. Of course, eleven may be a precursor for something else, it may stand for something like an anniversary month or birthday and you actually need to know the date.”
“Genius, pure genius for that Addie, I will let your lazy ass lay there...”
“That is why you keep me around, besides my good looks.”
Peyton knocked me with her foot “You wish.” And she snort laughed.
Nic ran inside and about ten minutes later came up with a very old large looking compass, she pulled Peyton to the base of the tree. Their west was not Nic’s first west, Peyton walked off eleven paces. They stopped, rooted to the ground, then they looked up at me slowly….
“What?”
“The needle is pointing toward you now” Nic stayed and Peyton left to get a stake and hammer and hammered it into the ground to mark ‘the spot.’
They looked back at me I sat up. “We need a date don’t we?” I asked, Nic shook her head. She lent me a hand and I took it. We all headed back to the house. An old calendar was hanging on the kitchen wall, Nic took it down and paged through to November, the fifth was circled.
An hour later Peyton’s shovel clinked.
The next day Jett picked me up, but we had to stop at Woolworth's first, so Jett could pick up some glue and he wouldn’t tell me what for. He wasn't grumpy, wasn't smiling nor would he kiss me, he just seemed bleak.
We met at Nic's house to clean up from the party. We pulled in and chatted with Storm and Declan. Declan told us Rae would be here later and gave me a look, I nodded. We started walking back to the company barn and Jett told us he'd catch up.
It was hot, the sky was blue, it was a perfect day. Rae wasn't with us yet because she was developing the pictures we took of Jett last night and if he had known that's what she was doing I don't think he would have shown up today. I'm not sure how he'll take seeing the pictures either.
I was in a good mood, though, a bit nervous. I started cleaning the inside of the company barn, wiped off the furniture, counters and started to clean the floors when Jett came in. He was all smiles now. He came over and gave me a hug and kiss. I wanted to see his missing tooth, but the smile left him too quickly when he noticed me looking. He got on his hands and knees to wip
e up the floor with me and I knocked him sideways. He laughed, all his teeth were in place. “I thought you knocked a tooth out last night.” I said.
“You noticed.”
“Well, yeah.”
He waited a minute, “I glued it back in, that's why I had to go to the store....”
He got back on all fours and started cleaning the floor and we had it done in no time. “Wait a minute how did you glue your tooth back in?”
“You can’t leave well enough alone can you?” I shrugged and gave him a minute. “About a month ago I lost both my eye teeth, so the dentist made me a retainer, he pulled it out of his mouth and attached to it were two teeth. I replied “hmmm” I slid my hand in his other hand and we walked outside. I obviously had no clue what to say to that.
We came out of the company barn, smiling and hot. Hopefully the rest of the gang had finished picking up the garbage outside. I started in on them “You guys are bums, you're not done yet!” I flapped excitedly...I was in an overly happy mood. I had my favorite jean shorts and a tank top on with a flannel over it. The sleeves were cut off, it was open and I had tied it at the waist. I hiked the garbage bag over my shoulder and hauled it to the tractor and then let it roll off of me onto the trailer.
I put my hands on my hips “Aren't you guys done yet! Come on guys hustle up...” I said with a huge smile. Jett just looked at me wearily like he was so tired from washing the floor. Nodded his head upward, “What's that in your pocket?” he asked.
“What?” I touched my pockets, I felt my folded up note, it was peeking out a bit. My eyes got big, I smiled ear to ear and said “Ah, that's my grocery list.” I shoved back into the bottom of my pocket.
Jett said “No it's not.” Declan stood up “What is it!”
I looked at Jett “Why are you causing trouble for me crabby butt?” My eyes were wide and I was very giddy. Nic considered it and shrugged her shoulders. Storm perked up, he came over to me and said really softly “What's in your pocket?”
I just jogged to the other side where no one was standing as I was laughing, then stopped cold. I said very seriously “It's my grocery....” but then I lost it and laughed out “list.”
Declan darted toward me and I turned and spun to the right to get away from him. “Jett if he touches me you’re in deep......” Declan started chasing me. I ran under some evergreens instead of going around and started running for the dock. “Jeeeettt....you bett...er st...ooppp....him.......”
I looked back and Nic had followed me, she darted under the soft evergreen trees like I did. The rest of them went around. I kept running I knew they'd catch up any minute. I kicked off my shoes at the sand and headed for the dock I jumped off it as high as I could and turned in the air so I could see who was coming. Jett was in the air with me....we both crashed into the water. He grabbed my waist and we went under water and Jett spun me so I was closest to the top. We came up and he was smiling again. I saw Nic crash into the water next, then Declan and Storm right on his heels....
Jett gave me a kiss on my lips and said “You're a dork.” I just looked at him and laughed “I know....”
“The water feels good.”
“I know not too cold.”
“But you look cold...” I gave him a weird look like how would he know.
“White shirt,” he said, my tank underneath was white.
“Crap” I turned around to button my flannel and he dunked me playfully, I was able to button it.
Nic grabbed some floats and tossed them in “Addie I can't believe how fast you can run.”
“Yeah, no shit!” Jett replied. “I barely caught up to you and I'm fast.”
Declan added “Yeah, Jett has gotten really fast this year and I bet you could give him a run for his money.”
We were all lounging in the water when Rae appeared. Suddenly I recalled the whole reason why we were in the water, my note but no one else seemed too.....
I got out of the water and Jett pulled me back in and he kissed me on the neck. We floated for a second and he released me. As I was getting out of the water again, I checked all my buttons. “Hey Rae.” I said.
Declan was already by her getting her wet, she was pushing him away. “Wanna take a quick dip?” He asked “No...I'm good.” She grumbled, turned and walked to a nearby tree; dropped an envelope, her purse and kicked off her shoes. She walked back onto the dock, rolled up her three-quarter pants and sat at the end of the dock and dangled her feet in the water.I sat next to her when Jett swam over to us. Rae immediately complained she didn't want to get wet, but she got splashed anyway. Declan took a running start from behind us and jumped over us doing a can opener into the water getting us wetter.
Jett tugged on my legs and back into the water I went. It was a perfect afternoon. The guys all started doing all sorts of jumps off the dock. The girls stood at the end of the dock and held their hands together like a bridge and the guys jumped over them. Storm ran through them instead. Jett started getting some amazing height, it was awesome. After a while everyone eventually ended up lying on the dock or picnic table drying off in the sun.
I was almost asleep on the dock when I felt Jett roll onto his side and yanked the wet note out of my pocket. He hopped up real quick, I sat up fast holding my pocket which made everyone stir. Jett walked over to the picnic table and I laid back down.
I tilted my head sideways to check the scene out and Nic went over and straddled the bench next to him. The note was wet and folded up on the table, they were both looking at it. Then Nic stretched her arm over to it and pulled a corner and Jett assisted like it was major surgery. They opened it slowly. I laid back and closed my eyes.
The sun felt so good, it was so simple and care free laying here. I thought of Tori and I in our yard baking in the sun. Last year we bought our own six foot baby pool so we had a place to cool off. We would just lay in the sun, motionless and it warmed you to your core.
The curiosity must have been too much for Declan because I felt him take a step over me and I knew he wanted to see what the infamous note was all about. When they were done reading it Jett and Declan both looked majorly concerned. As I walked up to them I said “It was just a dream, it wasn't that scary.”
They both looked at me, “If this” he held up my letter and shook it, “...is true....” Jett paused a bit and looked at Declan “and we don't do anything to stop it, I mean maybe we could have helped Jewel, and maybe we could help this girl!”
“So that means whoever’s driving the truck intends to kill and has possibly killed before.” Nic said to me.
“What, this hasn't already happened?” Declan was confused. We had to explain the whole dream thing to him. “Oh this just gets better and better,” he replied.
There was a silence. Jett slid the note across the table and pushed it as though it weighed twenty pounds. The air felt like it weighed more, everything around me seemed more depressed and weighed heavily on us. Storm pulled the note over to him, when he was done he pushed it in front of me – like no one else wanted to touch it.
I noticed myself folding the note as though it was made of cardboard, hard to fold. I slid it into my front pocket as I always did and I could feel it sitting there weighing me down, it felt stiff, uneasy and uncomfortable. “While we are on uncomfortable subjects, I'd like everyone here to know that what we talk about here stays here, no one's to breathe a word of any of this to anyone else, please.” No one said anything. I said “Alright?” Everyone mumbled in agreement, Storm just staring at me with his intense eyes, like he was looking into my soul and reading my every thought.
Declan asked apprehensively “Should we take a look at the pictures?” As Rae went to get them Jett traced his thumb over the birthmark on my shoulder. “It looks like an angel, maybe it's my guardian angel.” He kissed it. Storm scowled at that.
Rae sat down with the pictures and passed them around one at a time. They were passed around in silence. Seeing the proof in your hands was way more frightening than
trying to recall what he looked like the night before when his emotions were heightened. Seeing these pictures made the situation all the more surreal and serious. This did not look like the Jett I know, he looked.... monstrous. I hadn't recalled that his eyes glowed. Jett looked at my face, dropped the pictures he had on the table and walked away. No one tried to stop him, or explain the situation away.... or said a word.
Jett drove me home I felt like there was iron curtain between us. He pulled down to the bottom of my driveway and we sat there for a minute. I asked “What's with the teeth and why did you hide it from me.” He scrunched his eyebrows at me. I picked up his hand and put my fingers through his and then stroked the top of his hand with my other, shifting sideways so I was facing him. “You don't want to talk about it?”
I wanted Jett to know he could trust me. I know it's possibly only a high school crush, at least that's what my mom keeps telling me, but now in this moment, I feel like it's more. And since I have such an attachment to him, I really wanted to help him and I was very worried about him, I needed to know else he might be keeping from me.
“You know I can make you talk.” I said sweetly with a smile.
“I think Sheila may have more answers for us, or I'm hoping she does. Why can't I dream what I want to know, that would be cool. Instead, I get these cryptic dreams never knowing who or when it's going to happen.”
I walked in the back door of the Richfield Reading and Speech Center. I always loved the building. It looked like an old school house, red with white trim, very simple. When the door closed behind me Sheila jumped – I looked at her with my eyebrows raised and said “The real questions is if you're really psychic how come you didn't know I was coming?”
She couldn't help but laugh. “I’m not that kind of psychic” she said. “That's not quite how it works for me, I can read people when they are near me and I use tools to read them. I wish I was telepathic... What can I help you with Addie?”
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