by Aurora Smith
“Perfect,” he said and grabbed it from my hand to pour the liquid in. He swirled it around until the red color disappeared. He handed it back to me and I put it back just the way I had found it.
“Oh my gosh, this is going to be hilarious, I can’t wait to tell Abby.” Liam was about to answer but was interrupted by the door that was opening. He grabbed me and we both went flying to the ground and we hot dog rolled under the bed, right on top of each other. Every time I was on the bottom mid roll I felt like I might die from being crushed by his muscles. Luckily I landed on top when we were done rolling and were looking at two sets of feet.
“Can you believe that Justin is twins with that weirdo?”
“I know, he’s so ugly and awkward!”
“Justin told me they’re identical, that he wasn’t always so hideous.”
“How awful, I can’t imagine, I would just want to die if I ever looked like that.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Everything in me wanted to jump out from under the bed and first, scare them senseless, then do something truly awful to them. I was going to be making a quick stop in each one of the girls in the cabin’s dreams tonight to disfigure their dream selves.
“And what about Maya? What is she thinking with that purple hair this year? Doesn’t she know that we’re all terrified of her already, she doesn’t need to go overboard!” Obnoxious laughing erupted and I let my head fall to Liam’s chest, not realizing I was still on top of him. His hand went on top of my head and he pressed the side of my face to his torso.
Clothes were all falling to the floor and swimsuits were going on, they must have been heading to the lake.
“Hurry, Justin is waiting for us and I want him to see me in this suit.” Little feet swirled around; showing her amazing physic off to whomever it was that was looking at her. The response was snobby girl appropriate. Admiration with a touch of underlying jealousy. Both of them left the room and left silence behind them when the door snapped shut. I didn’t want to leave Liam’s chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked me.
“Fine,” I said and looked him in the eye, surprised by how close we were.
“I don’t think you’re scary.”
“I don’t think you’re hideous.”
“Well, they were right about that. But that’s okay; let’s get out of here before they come back.”
“Shall we go out the window?”
“Why don’t you, I’ll grab my swim suit and we can go to the lake.” I said, still on top of him.
“Yeah, right. The lake.” He looked uncomfortable but he agreed and climbed from the window after I let him free.
I ran to my room quickly, thankfully meeting no one on the way, threw on my swimsuit and looked in the mirror. I was feeling extremely uncomfortable in my skin at the moment so I threw a sundress on over my body to hide the extra bones I had sticking out everywhere.
Liam was out front waiting for me and we walked to the lake together. My usual high after a prank had been depleted to nothing but a sick feeling in my stomach. I was glad that I wasn’t alone to think and that I was out with Liam and was going to see Christina in a minute. Liam looked incredibly uncomfortable and I felt suddenly bad for asking him to come with me.
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” I said.
“I know that. I want to come.” He smiled at me and I wondered what was going through his mind.
“Does it bother you what she said about you?” I asked.
“A little. But it’s hardly untrue.”
“Hideous is a strong word.” I said.
“Oh yeah? What word would you use?”
“Well, I would describe you as having character.” He gave me a sincere laugh and shook his head but looked pleased. “And I would also say that you had pretty eyes and…” I was about to say “nice lips” but a scream shot through the air.
We both hurried down to the lake where a group of people were backing away from Ashley, her elbows elongating and her feet turning black with hair. Her water bottle was at her feet, kicked to the side and forgotten, clearly unsuspected to be the source of the problem.
Chapter Twelve
Ashley’s beautiful face was bright red and I was truly impressed by how it was contorting. She tried to tuck her elbows in but it was impossible, Liam wasn’t kidding when he said that he looked like a chicken. Trying not to look suspicious I looked sideways at Liam who looked pleased in a mad scientist gazing his creation kind of way.
Was this boy sweet or completely nuts? I had no idea and my gut was telling me to get out ASAP. That same gut had told me that Justin was a sweet, dense, dazzling human boy who had just moved from France.
“You did this to her!” I turned my head around and saw Justin was whispering, very loudly, to Liam.
“Me?” Liam looked innocent and politely inquisitive.
“I remember you doing that to yourself.” Justin looked livid; poor guy was close to pulling his lovely hair out of his head.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Liam smiled again at his brother, which brought on a new fit of rage.
“You have a problem with your temper, don’t you?” I asked Justin who turned his whole face to me. Last week I would have fan girl squealed and fainted. My knees did do a little Jell-O action but my knees thought he was dreamy; I had no real control over them.
“You, I am done wasting my good advice on.” His finger was in my face. “And you! I’m going right now to talk to Mr. Torricelli.”
“What, are we twelve?” Liam asked, his face still on a now hyperventilating Ashley.
“Pourqoi gardez-vous lefaire?”
“Chill out! Gosh, I forgot how much you like girls like that!” Liam hadn’t changed his body position once since Justin came around but his shoulders looked suddenly defensive.
“So do you!” Justin jeered.
Wait, what?
“Get over it!” Liam said, but he looked suddenly sad.
“Get-get-over-what-I…AHHHHH!” Justin yelled then punched his brother’s arm. Liam’s eyes grew big and he groaned and rubbed the sore spot as Justin stomped away through the woods like an angry Tasmanian devil looking for fresh meat.
“Should we go after him?” I squealed.
“No, he won’t tell, he’s full of threats.”
“He didn’t look like he was threatening.”
“Maya,” he put his hands on my arms and made a point to look me in the eyes. “He is just upset and he has every right to be, he won’t tell anyone.” His thumb was brushing against my arm and I felt my temperature rise.
“Why did he say that you liked girls like that?” I made sure my voice was indifferent.
“Oh,” he dropped his arms and placed his hands back in his pockets. “I had a friend in France who looked - she was - she was very beautiful.” Pain took over his face and I didn’t know whether to feel bad for my skinny legs or to try and console him from the obvious emotions he was feeling. I needed to get a grip on this strange jealousy thing I was dealing with.
“Everyone! Please go about your business,” Mrs. Scarlett, a particularly strange looking troll, who came up to Ashley’s hips, was waving her arms around trying to calm everyone. She grabbed one of Ashley’s new elbows and steered her toward the nurse’s office. I noticed that all the other pixies at the beach were looking at their arms and feet, hopefully wondering if that was a pixie thing.
Gladys, a strange witch girl who dressed in all black and never spoke to anyone was smiling as though a spell had just worked. We caught eyes and she looked down, then from side to side to see if anyone suspected her. I wondered what else was about to happen to Ashley. One doesn’t mess with witches. That was like common knowledge 101, but Ashley had always assumed she was above those kinds of rules.
“So, you’ve drug me here what are we…oh no.” Liam’s voice went from polite conversation to scared.
“What?”
“Magnus.” He pointe
d to a livid looking Magnus who was stomping his feet which looked painful on the little lakefront pebbles.
“You did it WITHOUT me?”
“We had to do it quick, they almost caught us!” I began laughing because of the complete outrage on his face.
“Watch your backs, I’m doing one on my own now and I have a feeling I know exactly who’s going to be on the receiving end.” He gave both of us a prolonged, raised eyebrow stink-eye, then turned around and stormed away.
“Well then,” Liam said, looking amused.
“I’ve never been on the other end of a prank before.” I laughed. What could he possibly think up that I haven’t thought of?
“Really? No one has ever put your hand in hot water? Put shaving cream on your face while you were sleeping? Duck taped you to the wall?” Liam asked me, too much joy on his face.
“No!” I laughed.
“Well, my cute friend, I think you’re about to find out.”
***
My dad had other duties to deal with that night, which meant that he had been neglecting all the other people who needed a good scare. I was alone and he encouraged me to take a night off and promised that I would feel less attached to Liam in the morning.
I went over that conversation in my mind as I watched pre-teen Liam in a lab coat pouring over a dead frog that lay on an operating table. He poked and prodded it with a scalpel, taking the heart out and examining it like it was a nugget of the finest gold. Then some strange floating action and lizards pranced in and out of his mind. They were floating and fuzzy. He was having one of those dreams that made no sense and were completely pointless. I was getting bored and had thought maybe sleep would be a good idea until I saw Justin’s face float by.
I closed my eyes, deciding to have a look into Justin’s mind, something I had never been brave enough to do before. When I opened my eyes I was standing in front of a mirror, watching Justin look at himself. He looked disgusted as he inspected his skin and moved his hair around in different directions and tugged on the roots. I felt sadness and a sense of not belonging rush through me and my heart ached. There was a knock on the door and Justin quickly wiped his face to rid the loose tears and patted his hair back into place.
“Come in,” he said and took in a deep breath.
“Hey, bro.” Liam walked in and he looked just like Justin. Both of them were the exact replica of the other person. Liam just slightly larger in the chest and shoulders, but that might have been from working those muscles more. Liam plopped onto the large, wood framed bed and put his dirty shoes on the comforter. Justin let him although he looked annoyed by it.
“Hey.” Justin finally responded but Liam didn’t look like he noticed his nonresponsive brother.
“So, I was thinking of introducing Sheila to Carl,” Liam said and Justin scoffed.
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Oh come on. I’ve been dating her a few months and she’s dying to meet him. What’s the big deal?”
“What if he hurts her?” I felt the worry deep in my chest; I wanted to punch Liam in the face. Why did I feel so strongly about it right now? I don’t remember feeling this way in any of Liam’s dreams.
“He won’t hurt her; he’s been fine for a century. Has he ever done anything to you?” Liam asked and a little bit of the worry lifted, but just slightly.
“No, he’s never hurt me,” Justin finally said.
“Exactly! You can come with us if you’d like. I know how much you like her.” My heart began to soar with excitement. Who was this Sheila? A deep fascination and attraction rose in my chest.
“I’ll come,” Justin said passively, shrugging and crossing his arms.
Everything suddenly jumped and shifted, Liam’s former face melting in front of me and a face, as beautiful as any I had ever seen, appeared. She wasn’t doing anything but looking at Justin, her flushed lips smiling, then her wide, sapphire eyes looked down in a come-hither type of way. Her hair moved as if it were under water, the dark golden locks looked soft and full. This must have been Sheila. A powerful feeling came over me and I wanted to touch her but I knew that she wasn’t mine to touch. She was Liam’s. Jealousy brooded deep in me; I wanted that girl.
I concentrated on bringing my feeling back and trying to push Justin’s out. They were strong and completely overwhelming me.
“Show me Sheila and Liam together,” I said and regretted it immediately. Sitting in a stone Jacuzzi that was surrounded by grey gargoyles and porcelain angels was the pair I had just asked to see. Their lips were locked passionately and sorrow filled the empty cavity in my chest. I was watching from inside the house, the glass and twenty feet separating me from what I wanted. Or what Justin had wanted. I pulled back again, trying to feel my own emotions but I felt confused and scared.
“Maya Stephanie Justice?” I yelped and turned to see my dad looking at me and not appearing pleased.
“Dad!”
“What are you doing here?” he asked and I stammered for a response but none came.
“I was curious.”
“You look flustered. What’s going on?” He reached out for me and put his hands on my shoulders to steady me.
“Why are the emotions so raw and strong in Justin’s mind? I don’t remember feeling this in Liam’s.”
“Calm down, I told you that you would feel this,” he said.
“I haven’t felt this, it’s like his emotions are my emotions.” I began crying, no longer able to handle the pain that was in my chest.
“You’re feeling what he’s feeling?” My dad looked around and his face stopped where we had last seen Justin and I turned to see what he was looking at. Justin was looking at my father and me, his face sad but expectant.
“Maya, you need to stay away from Liam,” he said and his voice was clear.
“Why?” I asked.
“Maya, this isn’t a good idea.” My dad looked shocked.
“Liam hurts people. He is not safe.” Justin said, his hands trembling.
“Why do you keep saying that? What did he do?” I asked, but my dad jumped in.
“Justin, if you want to talk to her about this then find her in the morning. This is not appropriate.” My dad’s voice was strong and I felt panic rise.
“No, Justin. Tell me what Liam did. Tell me about the accident.”
“Meet me at the little pond’s dock. I’ll tell you everything,” he said, then dissolved into nothing. Blackness engulfed me and the agony in my chest eased and relief took its place.
“What were you thinking?” My dad’s voice was beside me and furious.
“I was curious.”
“He knew you were there, he was showing you memories. That’s the reason you felt what he was feeling, he wanted you to feel it. Did you speak to him at all before that?” he asked.
“Well…I asked who Sheila was.”
“Sheila.” My dad said the name and he looked tired.
“What happened to Sheila, Dad?”
“I agree with Justin, stay away from Liam. He is bad news.” I didn’t want to believe him but I nodded so that he would go. “Go to sleep and stay away from dreams. Do not do anything without me.”
“Alright,” I agreed, not completely sure if I was going to comply or not. I felt my dad’s lips on the top of my forehead and I was awake in my bed.
Simon was on my pillow with his beak tucked under his wing and snoring. Birds snore, go figure. I let my eyes adjust to the darkness in the room. Everyone was sleeping, especially Mother Nature, whom I was most worried about.
For once I was grateful for my tiny body, it hardly made one sound as I lifted the covers, opened the door to my room and walked down the hall to the front door that would lead me to the pond.
I had no idea if Justin was going to be there, but he told me to come and I was going to at least try. Mixed emotions flooded me as the cold rocks under my feet brought me more into reality. How is it that Justin knew I was there in his dreams? Had he been wa
iting for me? I sped up and rounded the trail that would lead me to the pond.
The camp was dark, unusually so, with fewer stars than normal, and the moon was just a sliver of a crescent. My emotions were going a million miles and they pushed my steps forward without thinking about what I was doing or if this was a good idea.
The sound of bullfrogs croaking and the soft slapping of water against the docks legs grew louder and the minor resolve I did have disappeared completely when I saw the shadow of a tall, strong figure at the end of the dock, waiting for me.
Chapter Thirteen
“I’m glad you came,” Justin said with a shaky voice. He looked sad, angry and frustrated, all wrapped up into one dreamy, bedhead mess that, surprisingly, didn’t do much for me.
“I’m here.” Of course that was the instant that I realized I still had my skin tight tank top and night shorts on. The shorts were tiny and he could probably see my bony butt. So impressive, especially next to the amazing Sheila we had just reminisced about together. I pulled down on the bottoms of my shorts and realized I was at a loss.
“I’ve been waiting for you in my dreams, every night since the explosion, I have been waiting,” he said.
“I didn’t realize that…why would you think that I would be there?” I asked.
“You told me to watch my dreams. I figured that would be a safe place to talk to you.”
“Oh,” I said lamely.
“You have a certain kind of terror, Maya. It’s different than I ever felt before when you entered my mind. That’s how I knew you were there.”
“Why didn’t you just talk to me yourself?” I asked.
“Because I thought it would be better if we talked in private.”
“You mean you don’t want to be seen with me.” I crossed my arms, which was always very unimpressive.
“That’s not what I meant.” He held his hand out, inviting me to sit down with him on the dock. I complied and sat, my legs tight together so nothing came spilling out of these darn shorts.
“What did you mean then?” I asked.
“Listen. I’m not very good at talking to girls, especially one I don’t really know, about something that’s so personal.”