Sam added, oblivious to Will’s stern look, “I saw one of them who they call Gunnar shove poor Arnold Rakin’s head into the toilet. I think Arnold made the mistake of not getting out of their way in the bathroom. You know how Arnold’s always in his own little world.”
As I listened to Sam and Doug, I found myself shivering. It had nothing to do with being frightened. After these weird episodes my body always reacts this way. Will felt it too so he tightened his hold on me. When we reached his car, he settled me in the front seat and covered me with a blanket.
“Are you all right, Tess?” Will asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just feel a little shaky. I haven’t eaten much today, plus I think I’m coming down with a cold,” I responded with a tired voice.
Before he started the car, Will turned to me, looking puzzled. “Tess, was that an electrical burn on his arm?” Sam and Doug quickly sat up to hear my response.
I sighed, “I believe that’s the case.”
Doug asked, “How’d you pull that off?”
I turned around to Doug and Sam. “I’ll try to explain. Did you guys hear what happened to Tonya, Red and James Miller?”
“Yeah, I heard something about them. Didn’t they get burned with a lightning strike right in front of James’s house? I heard Tonya lost most of her hair. Wish I could’ve seen that!” Sam chortled.
Doug asked, “Why, were you involved?”
I paused before admitting, “Yeah, you could say that. They were about to attack me in front of the Miller house. I didn’t plan the strike. My body just reacted. I was able to draw the lightning to strike right in front of them. I’m wondering if I have some residual electricity in my body that I was able to use against Mr. Ugly today.”
Will looked over at me, his brow creased, “That lightning strike was because of YOU?”
I nodded tiredly. “I didn’t make the strike, but I caused the landing, yes.”
Doug’s eyes gleamed as he asked, “YOU directed lightning in their direction. Exactly how did you do that?”
I shrugged before answering, “I don’t know. My instincts just take over when I get really angry. That’s what seemed to happen today, too.”
Will put his hand on my arm and said sympathetically, “Tess, I have a good sense of what’s going on. There’s been an influx of strange people in the school and the community. Even the weather is really strange. I’ve had some crazy dreams about some of these people, as if I have a connection to them. Something’s coming our way, and it won’t be good and YOU seem to be right in the middle of it. You have to tell us whatever you know so we can help you.” Will leaned in closer and added, “And we CAN help you, Tess.”
Sam affirmed, “Believe me, there are things we can do.”
I paused for a minute while studying their grave faces. “I’ve been learning about what’s happening around here from Mercy and Miss Cassie. It’s a long story so it’ll have to wait until after the robotics meet.”
Will turned his head slightly, “Who is Miss Cassie?”
Doug answered, “Don’t you remember her? She’s the old lady who came to the high school when Alice Martin got killed in that car accident. She talked at the assembly about how to deal with grief and then she made herself available as a counselor. I guess she’s some kind of expert.”
“I think I remember that. Yeah, she spoke at the memorial for the fair, too,” answered Will as he glanced at his watch. “As interesting as all this is, Tess is right. We have to get over to the meet. Let’s go to Wimpey’s Burgers afterward and we can talk about this more.”
“Yeah, we should go. I told Mr. Kenney I’d help him out with the crank mechanism,” Sam said.
Will backed up the car and headed toward Rockledge High School. On the drive over, Sam mentioned that the robotics meet was almost cancelled due to high winds and a concern over possible black outs. When we arrived, it was raining so hard we had to dash into the back entrance.
We followed the stream of people into the gym where all the robotics displays were being set up. The heat must have been turned up because it was nice and warm, or maybe it was all the people and activity. I started to relax a little.
“There they are.” Doug pointed to our group across the gym. “Those guys look like they need some help. Let’s see how much they messed it up.” When we got there, we observed Mr. Kenney and Nathan along with two other guys, working on the pulley.
Mr. Kenney grinned at Tess. “So, Tess, does it meet with your approval?”
“It looks great, Mr. Kenney. I think we have a chance to place.”
Will snorted, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Hey, let’s go check out the other schools, especially Andover. They beat us last year, but their display looks like crap from here,” Sam contended.
We started wondering around the gym, checking out some crazy contraptions. I know our entry functioned well, but it wasn’t as original as some of these other ones. What are some of these mechanisms supposed to do, anyway? Were they really useful, or just a waste of space?
As we walked around, I made a point to observe everyone around me. At Woodley High there were more and more wackos showing up every day, sending out bad vibes and giving me the evil eye. It’s become second nature for me to be watchful of my surroundings. Hopefully, things will be OK here, after all, except for Will, Sam and Doug, no one knows anything about me.
It’s comforting to be able to blend into the crowd, at least for a while. Unfortunately, my sense of calm was fleeting. I took a deep breath to slow my growing anxiety but it didn’t work. Once my paranoia gains momentum, I have a hard time maintaining proper perspective of my surroundings. I could hear the sounds of the storm over the chaos in the gym. I started to perceive things out of the periphery of my eye, unexplained flashes of light that would quickly dissipate when I turned to look. I noticed people staring at me a bit too long. When I returned their stare, they quickly looked away. Was I paranoid or simply attuned to what was around me?
“There sure are a lot more kids here than last year. Have you guys noticed that?” Doug asked.
Sam replied, “Yeah, I guess.”
Will said, “It does seem a little weird. A lot of these kids don’t look like the robotics type, if you know what I mean.”
“And what’s the deal with the Halloween costumes? Who said anything about dressing up? This is a robotics meet, not a Halloween party,” Doug remarked.
“Maybe they came from some activity at one of the schools. After all, Halloween is just around the corner,” I speculated.
“Yeah, maybe. I still don’t recognize any of them, though. You get to know most of the robotics kids in the other schools,” Will contended.
“Maybe they’re freshman. You wouldn’t know them as well,” I offered.
Suddenly, the lights flashed off for a second, then came back on. My heart skipped a beat. I’m getting way too jumpy. Two boys walked by in zombie costumes. Their dead hanging skin obscured part of their faces but I could still see their eyes. They were staring at me. They looked hostile, but what do you expect with the dead person getup? Is that their aura? It resembled the color of the gym wall of beige/brown. It was either the lighting or they were just stupid, follower, no-minds.
We noticed the judges making their way over to our entry so we high-tailed it over there. On the way, I thought I heard a muffled scream.
“Will, did you hear that?” I asked him.
He looked at me, puzzled. “Hear what?”
“I thought I heard a scream near the locker rooms.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t hear anything. It was probably the storm.”
“Guess I was just imagining it.” I frowned. “Maybe you’re right.”
The lights went off again. It got real quiet for a minute and then everyone started talking. Will moved next to me and took my hand. “Don’t worry,” he whispered in my ear. “I think this is just temporary.” I knew I should take my hand away, but it made me fe
el better.
We heard over the speaker: “Folks, don’t get too concerned. We have someone checking this situation out. I’m sure the lights will be up and running in a couple of minutes. Just be patient.”
Sure enough, the lights came back on. I blinked. It was so bright. I noticed a pack of vampires near us. I didn’t see them before. What, am I worried that vampires are going to bite me? I’ve gotta get a grip! I could hear the storm raging outside and I saw flashes of lightning, but so what? It was just bad weather. It’s very peaceful in here and I’m surrounded by my friends. I took a deep breath. I’m OK.
I heard the muffled scream again and my heart skipped a beat. So much for that. I glared at Will. “You must have heard it that time.”
He looked over at me, frowning. “No, Tess, I really didn’t hear anything. You want me to go and check?”
I pursed my lips. How could he not hear that? “Forget it. It’s probably nothing.”
The judges finally arrived to view our entry. Nathan was setting up the pulley to demonstrate how it worked. Will and Doug’s role was to explain each step as it moved along. I found myself getting so nervous about our project that I had to leave for a few minutes. I was afraid of a dumb screw-up. In situations like this, I’m always the pessimist. I think it’s time to find a distraction before I drive myself crazy.
There was one display I had been meaning to get to all night. It was the entry that was assembled by an all-girls robotics team. As I went across the gym to check out their display, I could see a gleam of shiny pink through the crowd. When I got close, I observed a vehicle of some kind built of giant pink and purple building plastic blocks. It was driving around in circles. Was that a dog in the driver’s seat? Very clever!
There it goes again, that funny scream. It seemed closer now so I decided to check it out. I left the gym and went around the corner into a short hallway. At the end of the hall was the girl’s locker room. I tried the door but it was locked. That’s when I noticed a paper sign that was tacked on the wall with an arrow that said: “Girl’s Bathroom Downstairs”. I followed the arrow which took me down another hall to a stairwell. I thought I heard a faint scream again but I wasn’t sure. I continued down the stairs and around the corner.
I stopped and looked around. It was an old hallway that looked like it hadn’t been used since my grandma went to high school. There were cracked linoleum floors and dirty, marked-up walls. Exposed light bulbs and grimy old pipes hung from the ceiling. Across the hallway was a door with that funny old fashioned mottled glass that you couldn’t see through. There was a number on the door so I figured that it must be an old classroom.
I walked further down the hall to the girl’s bathroom and opened the door. The dim light lent an odd cast to the sinks and the toilet stalls. The faucets looked all rusty. I doubt they even worked. I walked further in to check out a toilet. It was sooo gross. It was all black inside and completely dry. Two of the stall doors were missing. I flushed a toilet and a loud shriek came out. That sound; that was it! That was the muffled scream I had heard. Someone was down here flushing these toilets? As I shrugged and turned around to leave, a sudden sense of dread came over me. I had a sudden urge to RUN, not walk out of this place. As I reached for the door, I heard a loud crack of thunder that sounded like it was directly above the school, then complete and utter darkness.
Oh, my, God! I can’t even see my hand. It’s pitch black in here! Why am I such an idiot? Why do I always do these things? I tentatively felt around for the door and turned the handle. I couldn’t get it to open. I kept on twisting and turning, but it still wouldn’t move. What do I do now? I’ve got to get outta here before I go nuts. I remember seeing a window near the last sink. I crept over there by grabbing each sink until getting to the last one, then I groped around for the window. I grasped the handles and gradually pulled it up an inch at a time until it came to an abrupt stop. I couldn’t budge it after that and there was no way I could fit through that opening.
Suddenly, there was a bright FLASH!!! It was lightning, immediately followed by a loud CRASH of thunder. The storm was directly over us. I backed up against the sink and put my face in my hands. What could I do now? Will, Doug and Sam should eventually start looking around for me, but it could take them all night to find me down here! I breathed in and out, in and out, trying to keep my panic at bay. I had to calm myself down. When Will does find me I don’t want him to see a raving lunatic. I sat down on the floor to wait it out with only the sporadic lightening to illuminate my cold, dark prison.
43. Surprise Visitors
I must’ve dozed off because something caused me to jerk awake. It took a few seconds to remember where I was. Crap! I’m still in this nasty bathroom. What was that scrabbling noise? I sat quietly and listened. Something BIG and FURRY scurried across my foot at the same time the lightning flashed. WAS THAT A RAT????!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHH” I screamed as I shot up and banged my head on the sink. More lightening. I KNOW I saw more than one black furry thing running around. This really sucks! Lightning flashed again. Oh, my, God! There were dozens of rats coming in through the window! At that moment, I felt one trying to crawl up the inside my pant leg! I immediately kicked it off and climbed up on the sink. I have to do something NOW! No time to think.
I leaned down and turned the sink on full blast. Then I stepped over to the next sink and turned that one on. I straddled the two sinks and started rubbing my hands together. I continued rubbing and rubbing while I watched more rats coming in through the windows, their eyes gleaming as if they knew I was trapped. I continued rubbing and rubbing while I was kicking at the rats. I could hear their sharp teeth chattering. I could feel them trying to bite at my toes!
I sensed it was almost time. I closed my eyes and kept on rubbing and rubbing. My head felt like it was about to burst. Sparks were gradually building into a shower between my hands. I could feel the sharp heat, but it was more tingly than painful. After pausing for a second, I threw the electric ball onto the floor with all of my strength. At that same exact moment, lightning crashed through the window, fused with my high voltage ball and exploded onto the floor, CRACK…… SIZZLE…… POP…. Sparks zinging off the pooled water, furry bodies sizzling…..
What was that smell?? Dead, burned flesh. Electrocuted rodents. They smelled so baaaaaad. I hung onto a pipe above the sink. I didn’t plan on falling onto the floor. It was covered with water and a layer of floating dead rats.
Occasional flashes of lightning cast an eerie picture of rain pouring through jagged glass. It was getting colder in here. I deliberately averted my eyes from the dead rodents floating around below me. I still heard thunder, but it was muted. Was it further away? My arms were killing me but I didn’t dare let go. My flip flops (why did I wear these darn things?) weren’t too steady on the surface of the slippery sinks. If I get out of here in one piece, I’m swearing my flip flops off.
BANG, BANG, BANG. “Tess, are you in there?” Doug yelled.
“Doug, I’m in here. Get me out!” I screamed.
“It’s stuck. I can’t get in. I’ll be back.”
“Hurry up!” I yelled.
As the lightning flashed again, I glanced toward the window. Glowing eyes and clicking teeth. More rats were crawling in. I’m gonna lose it if I’m in here much longer.
“Tess, can you hear me?” It was Will!
“Yes, I’m here,” I shouted.
“The maintenance guy’s coming. You OK?”
Breathe in, breathe out. “It’s really bad in here, Will. You gotta get me out,” I pleaded.
CLANK, CLANK, CLANK, smash. “I’m trying Tess. Hold on.”
I heard the sound of wood splintering. SMASH …. SMASH. The door banged open and Will charged in carrying one of those big old fire extinguishers. “What the…?” he shuddered, looking around. Then he came over and gently lifted me down from the sink. “We’re outta here, Tess.”
I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes.
44.
My Protector
Sam and Doug were coming down the stairs with the school maintenance guy at the exact same time that Will was carrying me up. Will paused and directed his anger him. “Do you know there are dead rats floating around in there? How could Tess get locked in that place? Somebody will be held responsible for this!” The maintenance guy looked at Will like he was from another planet and then he continued on his way down the stairs. I was shocked, even in my foggy state. I had never heard the cool, calm, Will use such a scathing tone.
“Let’s get outta here,” Will muttered to Sam and Doug.
When we got to Will’s car, he settled me in the front seat and covered me with a blanket (this was becoming an all too familiar story). I was shivering violently from head to toe so he started the engine and blasted the heat in my direction.
Will abruptly turned to Sam and Doug. “I’ll let both of you guys off at Sam’s house. I have to get Tessie some medical attention as soon as possible.”
Doug leaned forward in the seat and asked, “Tess, what do….”
Will barked, “No questions for Tess right now. She’s been through a terrible ordeal and now she’s in shock. We can find out what happened later.”
“Will, where are we going? Are you taking Tess to the hospital?” Sam inquired, looking at me anxiously.
Will shook his head. “I want to take her to my house. My mom’s a nurse and she can treat any symptoms of shock and check her over right away. I’m afraid that if I take Tess directly to the emergency room she’ll have to wait forever and frankly, she needs to be treated quickly. After that, I can bring her in, if need be.”
Will left the guys off and headed home, driving like a maniac. I knew he was anxious because he’s not the speeding type. After he pulled into the driveway, I automatically snapped off my seat belt and opened the door. Will quickly leaned over and grabbed my wrist. “Tess, what’re you doing? I’m bringing you inside. Haven’t you even noticed that your feet don’t look so good?”
A Girl Beyond (War of the Witches Book 2) Page 22