A Girl Beyond (War of the Witches Book 2)

by Marjorie Weismantel

  10. School Mode

  I wish we had more time to adjust, but my aunt wanted us to start school right away. I was in panic mode because of my uncontrolled auric sight. I’d be dealing with crowds of strange teenagers everywhere I went. Am I going to see colors spinning around everyone’s heads? That would be a major distraction. Would I be able to shut it off?

  On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind using my auric sight if I had control over it. Think of what an advantage that would be for a new student in a big high school. You want to make friends, but it’s tough to expose yourself in the high school arena. One misstep and you become a loser, or even worse, a target. In order to get by, you either shrink yourself into nothingness or you join some faction with strict social expectations. I’d rather make friends with the real ones right away. The reading of auras helps you to see kids as they truly are, not their show-off version.

  As I started drifting off in bed that night I found myself thinking about all the new stuff going on around me. It was scary and exciting at the same time. I was also anxious because I hate being the new kid in school.

  Suddenly, I found myself walking through the halls of Woodley High School. Where is my English class? This hall seems like it goes on forever. Students were passing me but not noticing me.

  What’s going on? I can see a pack of students in the middle of the hallway obviously intent on something. I think it’s a fight. Is that two girls? I’ve never seen two girls fight. One is really aggressive, pulling hair and trying to get in the other one’s face. I can’t see the other one because she’s smaller and she’s protecting her face with her arms and hands. Some students are egging them on saying stuff like, “Get her, Tonya, she’s always asking for it.” The aggressive Tonya girl shoved at the slight girl, who then tripped over someone’s foot and fell back hard. Her head quickly snapped back and slammed into a metal tool box that was left near some exposed pipes. Everyone stopped and stared, as if they couldn’t quite believe what had happened. The victim appeared unconscious; then she started having a seizure. Students were taking off left and right. I could hear a teacher yelling something as he came from a nearby room.

  Abruptly, I woke up. It was still the middle of the night. What was that about? That was a nightmare, but I felt like I was right there. Why did I have that creepy dream about the new school? It shook me up. I had a hard time getting back to sleep after that.

  Before I knew it, the alarm was going off and I was dragging myself out of bed. I put on my lucky outfit and met my cousins at breakfast. My oldest cousin, Annie, was more duded up than Eve or me. She’s tallish, pretty, with long blond hair and on the shy side. My cousin, Eve, reminded me more of Aunt Amy. She likes trendy clothes, but was more of a casual dresser. She could be whiny at times, but still sweet. She’s also the jock of the family. As for myself, my cousins always say that I’m still a “work in progress”, whatever that means. I’m pretty sure it’s not a compliment.

  Auntie was there to give us a little pep talk, and to shove some food at us. I almost felt worse for her than for us. She was wringing her hands like crazy.

  "We gotta go, Mom. Don't worry. We'll be fine today,” Eve said while gulping down orange juice.

  We took the bus to school and headed straight to the office. I noticed kids checking us out, but not too blatantly. I could see flashes of color around moving students, but it was fleeting. We were waiting for our student guides in the office when a stocky girl with short strawberry blond hair and bright pink fingernails rushed in. She paused to take a breath and said, “Hope I’m not late. I’m the student guide for, uh,” she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and glanced at it, “Eve.”

  Eve took a tentative step toward her and affirmed, “Hi, I’m Eve.”

  “Hi, I’m Miranda, but everyone calls me Rainy. Did I hear that you guys live in the old Drake house?” she asked.

  Annie asserted, “Yeah, we moved in with our grandma, Edwina Drake yesterday.”

  “Yesterday! You haven’t been here long. So I guess you don’t know a soul here. Hey, I’ll introduce you guys around,” she announced with an excited grin.

  At that point, two other girls arrived to escort me and Annie to our first class. The rest of the day passed in a blur. As far as the auras, I saw swirls of colors around many students, but I found that if I didn’t look at anyone for too long the colors would eventually fade. It was different with teachers because I had to address them before every class to tell them who I was, blah, blah, blah. When they focused on me, I couldn’t help but get a very clear picture of their auras. Four of the teachers had bright auras of different colors, however, two teachers (that I hadn’t liked on sight) had darker, murky auras. Not good at all! This auric sight thing may turn out to be helpful.

  Before I knew it, we were approaching last period. I was making my way to English when I saw a crowd of students gathered at the end of the hall. Immediately I knew something was up. Students were gathered in a circle and I heard loud, accusing voices.

  Are those two girls fighting? Oh, no! This was starting to look all too familiar. I heard a girl scream at someone. I saw the other girl back off, holding her hands over her face. I knew what was coming. Where are the teachers when you need them? What do I do? I heard a boy yell, "Get her, Tonya, she's always asking for it."

  As I watched the big blond lift her arm, I pushed through the crowd and managed to shove her back. I shouted to her, "You're really going to hurt her. You've got to stop it."

  Blondie looked at me like I was crazy. "Who are YOU, and what do you think you're doing? Butt out, you bitch!" She started to come at me when we suddenly heard a male teacher shout from down the hall. Everyone immediately dispersed.

  I ducked behind some students and managed to escape into my English class two doors down. I saw several students staring at me while I waited to talk to the teacher. I can just imagine what they were thinking. Why did that crazy girl butt in? Who is she? The teacher finally gave me a textbook, and sat me down near the front. I was trying to stop shaking. This is great! I start off in a new school by getting into a fight. What possessed me to do that? Unfortunately, I saw her aura as I charged into the crowd. It was an ugly pulsing red. I saw aggression, violence, evil.

  When the final bell rang, I got out of class as fast as I could. I didn't want to run into Blondie or any of her cronies. I remember hearing someone egging her on, so she does have some friends around. The other girl wasn't even interested in fighting. Why was Blondie after her?

  I met my cousins and Rainy in the front of the school by the flagpole where we had arranged to meet. Before I could say a word, they all showered me with questions. Annie started it up. "What were you thinking, Tessie?"

  Eve glared at me, adding, "What the heck happened? Why did you get involved in that situation? I was sitting in calculus last period and all I heard about was how the new girl got involved in a fight with Tonya. It sounds like Tonya’s bad news."

  “Did you say her name was Tonya?” I asked, stunned. Her name was even in my dream. Don’t dreams come from your subconscious? How could I know her name?

  Rainy turned to me looking aghast and asked, "Was that YOU who got involved? I heard it was a new girl, but I didn’t believe it one of you. Tonya is bad, bad, bad. If you get in her sights, you better watch your back."

  I was getting more and more freaked out. Way to go, Tess. "So, did I piss a lot of people off? I sure didn’t mean to. My goal was to stay invisible here, at least for a while.”

  "I don’t think too many people care, to be honest. People don't like Tonya. She’s bullied more than a few kids in school and around town. In fact, I would say that most of the school is afraid of Tonya except for her pals. Tess, I believe you made a few friends today. People probably think you’re insanely brave.” As Rainy said that, she was smiling at me. I don’t think I cared for the ‘insanely brave’ comment. There was too much emphasis on the insane part.

  Annie wasn't ready to let the matter
drop. "What made you jump into the fight the way you did? I heard you got right in the middle and gave Tonya a punch in the gut. Then, I heard you yelled something at her. What possessed you to do such a thing?"

  I snapped at her, "That's an exaggeration. I didn't punch her in the gut. I merely got in front of her to protect the other girl, and then I shoved Tonya back to keep her from hitting on that girl. I also let Tonya know why I was doing it.”

  Eve face morphed from anger to disbelief. "Tess, why were you doing it?"

  I had to think about that question. Should I tell them about the dream I had? I don't think so. They'd believe that I was crazy because it wouldn't make any sense to them. In fact, right now, I believe that I may in fact be crazy. That's the second dream I've had in recent days that has predicted a future event. Why am I having these dreams? They’re scary but I can't avoid them. They just happen. I finally turned to Eve and replied, "I had a concern that Tonya was going to hurt the other girl. I couldn't just let it happen.” Eve didn’t look too convinced.

  I turned to Rainy. “By the way, who is that girl?"

  "Her name is Mercy Reed,” stated Rainy.

  “Rainy, why do you think Tonya would pick on her?" I asked.

  Rainy paused before answering. "Mercy is different. She's always been one to keep to herself, and from what I've seen, Mercy is not one to kowtow to Tonya and her group. I wouldn't be surprised if Mercy stood up to Tonya in some situation, so Tonya had it out for her. I've heard rumors to that affect anyway. Most kids here just don't want to stick their neck out when it comes to Tonya. She's the kind of person that can make your life miserable. Mercy seems like she's pretty independent. She doesn't care what others think."

  "Has Mercy lived here for a long time?" I asked.

  “Mercy’s only been here for around six months. She sat next to me in sociology class last spring, so I got to know her a little. I liked her because she spoke her own mind in class. She’s definitely not a kiss-up to the teacher type. I don’t think she’s ever attached herself onto any particular crowd of kids so I really can’t say what she’s into,” Rainy answered thoughtfully.

  “Mercy sounds OK to me. I’d like to meet her sometime,” I responded while inwardly smiling. I glimpsed at Eve out of the corner of my eye. She’s always trying to be my mother.

  Eve turned to me and glared. "Tessie, please be careful who you make friends with. Mercy sounds a little strange. You're making me nervous right now."

  “OK, Evie dear, I’ll check with you before I make friends with anyone. Does that meet with your approval?” I looked at her, amused.

  “Humph,” responded Eve, aiming her best look of motherly disapproval at me.

  I smiled sweetly at her.

  11. Miss Cassie

  Fortunately, our first day of school had been on a Friday. That gave us the whole weekend to recover from the trauma of that first day. My cousins decided to go to the high school football game on Saturday. Rainy invited all of us, but I think she really wanted to hang out with my cousins. That's OK; she's more their age. I'm glad they're making friends with someone like Rainy. She has a striking clear orange/red aura. I sense great warmth, passion and enthusiasm.

  I’m not ready for the social scene at a football game right now, anyway. In fact, I need a mental break from anything that requires mental energy on my part. I’ve been thinking about what happened to me in the past six weeks: Frank’s death, the move across country, a train accident, auric sight, dreaming about future events and the fight at a new high school. I’m beginning to wonder how I am still sane.

  I needed some time to myself, so I figured today would be the perfect time to check out Woodley. Grandma said I could use Grandpa’s Myron’s old bike if I gave it a tune-up. That’s fine because I know all about tune-ups after working on cars with Frank. I pumped up the tires, oiled the chain, checked the brakes and adjusted the seat. Grandma suggested that I ride to the center of town where there’s several pre-1700 homes and an historic church. I know it sounds strange for a teenager to purposely go around looking at old houses, but I’ve almost become obsessed with this place. It’s related to the feeling that I've been here before. I have a desire to explore everything. Perhaps I’ll find an explanation for my feelings of familiarity.

  I donned my baseball cap, a comfortable T-shirt and shorts and rode off. On the way into town I got a close up look at some of the old homes that grandma was talking about. If you closed one eye and blocked out some of the stores on the east side of Main Street, you could almost imagine how this town looked in Puritan days with women wearing long dresses and people walking or riding horses everywhere.

  After passing the church, I stopped in front of the old red house that I had noticed when we first came into town. It was an odd square-ish shape that Grandma called a ‘saltbox’. The windows had tiny rectangular panes so I figured it must’ve been dark inside, at least in the old days. I imagined how the rooms were laid out. I pictured the large fireplace in a back kitchen with the big black pot and a small brick oven built into the wall.

  As I was staring at the place, I suddenly noticed the movement of an old lady in a rocking chair just outside a side door. She was a tiny thing, wearing an apron over a long blue dress while she pushed the rocker with old fashioned tie shoes. She had white hair that was pulled back and was looking directly at me. She must’ve been wondering what I was doing, standing there like a dummy, staring at her house. I finally spoke to her.

  "Hi,” I shouted. “Hope you don’t mind me checking out your house. It’s looks really old.”

  She continued to stare at me. She finally replied in an elderly voice, "Hello, Elsa".

  Before I answered I smiled reassuringly at her, "My name isn't Elsa. You must have me mixed up with someone else."

  I hopped off my bike and strolled toward her. As I got closer, I got a better look at her face. I had initially presumed her to be a flakey old woman, especially after she called me Elsa. I realized, however, when I studied her eyes, that she had a keen look about her. She wasn’t foggy-brained at all. Her eyes were as clear and sharp as a sunny day.

  Her aura suddenly materialized as a simmering golden cloud, floating about her upper body. I had never seen anything quite like it. It literally radiated goodness and joy. A wonderful feeling wafted over me, a sense of peace and love, an out of this world, heavenly sensation. I wanted to soak it up, but it was fleeting. Did I imagine that?

  I took my hat off when I got to her and said, “My name is Tess.”

  "Well, you were Elsa at that time. Would you like to see how the house has fared?" She asked me as she stood and picked up whatever she was knitting.

  How the house has fared? What was she talking about? "Yes, I’d love to see the inside your house. And what is your name, ma’am?" I inquired.

  “You don’t know my name, dear? I’m Miss Huggins, Cassie Huggins. You can call me Miss Cassie,” she answered. Then, she slowly turned around and walked directly to a side door. The doorway was certainly very short. If I was over 5'10" I would've had to duck. Were people that short in the old days?

  While entering the doorway, I turned and asked her, “How long have you lived here, Miss Cassie?”

  "I have lived here a very long time; for my entire life in fact. I was even born in this house. Would you like to come in and join me for a cup of tea?" She invited as she pulled off her straw hat.

  "Yes ma’am. That would be nice." I responded as my eyes took everything in. The inside was quite dark and spare of furniture. We went into the back, where I knew the kitchen was located. It was much like I had anticipated except some of the interior had changed. I had a dim memory of a bare table near the wall with a bench on two sides. This present-day kitchen had a basic square table with chairs around it and a table cloth on it. It was pretty old furniture, but definitely not crude like those benches were. Miss Cassie also had bunches of herbs hanging in two corners of the kitchen. I remember seeing the that.

  She made the t
ea and sliced some sweet bread onto a plate that she carried into the front parlor on a tray. Both of us sat on opposite ends of a stiff, ornate couch. While we were sitting in the parlor a strange memory flashed through my mind. I pictured a simple pine coffin on a table right in the middle of this room. Where did that come from?

  I became aware that Miss Cassie was focusing her intense green eyes in my direction. Out of the blue she asked me, "Tess, you must be aware that you have some special abilities.”

  "What are you talking about? What do you mean by special abilities?" I felt shivery. She sounded like Dr. Lee.

  "I don't have to explain it to you. You know. I'm sure things have happened to you recently. Sometimes you can ‘see’ things before they happen. Isn't that true, dear?" She patted me lightly on the hand while she spoke.

  "I wouldn't say that I see things before they happen. That would be impossible anyway." I couldn’t look in her sharp eyes as I lied.

  “You haven’t seen premonitions during waking dreams or, perhaps in your night dreams?" she reiterated in a calm voice.

  "Well, maybe. I think it’s just coincidental, though. People have dreams all the time. I don't think they mean anything." I was starting to sweat. She knew I was lying.

  Miss Cassie’s little wrinkled hand gently lifted up my chin to look at me. "Seers can also see things when they are completely awake. Sometimes, they see events just before they happen. It is nothing to be fearful about. Sometimes it is helpful.” Her eyes widened in surprise as she peered at me. “And you, my goodness, something has happened to you. You have acquired additional sight. You can read the auras. That is so unusual. What happened to you, Tess?"

  I studied the knots in the oak floor and nervously swung a leg back and forth as I responded, “I was involved in a train accident and a piece of metal went into my head. I started seeing the colors after that happened. The doctors attribute my auric sight to that injury.” I paused and looked at her, “I’ve been seeing auras ever since then. I haven’t mentioned this ability to anyone else. It’s too weird.”