by Donna Cain
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” he responded while pushing himself up from the recliner. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mom. Well, maybe the afternoon.” Eli felt like he could sleep for a week.
“Goodnight, Baby,” Lara said. As she watched him leave the room, she said a silent prayer of thanks that her kids were safe.
Eli took a quick shower. He smelled like dirt and sweat, and he wanted to get the remnants of the day off of himself. After brushing his teeth, he went into his room to find Brody asleep on his bed. It occurred to him that he didn’t get a chance to tell his mom about what had happened with the dog earlier in the day. He went to Brody and stroked his dog’s soft coat. His hand came away clean. No fur. “Well I guess you’re feeling better too, huh, Buddy?” he said softly to the pup. He crawled under his covers and was asleep within minutes.
Waking up the next day, Eli felt the effects from his adventure in the woods. His leg muscles were sore from running after Brody, and his arms were sore from digging the box out of the ground. His head still felt fine though, and he was not as freaked out about Mr. Jackson’s death. He wondered if Hunter felt the same as he did.
Rolling over to look at the clock, he was surprised to see that it was only 11:41 am. He felt like he had slept for a whole day. He noticed that Brody wasn’t on his bed anymore and listened to the sounds of the house. He could tell his mom was in the kitchen, on the phone. The one-sided conversation was plainly about the events of the previous night. Eli thought she was talking to a neighbor because it sounded like they were setting up plans to take meals over to Mrs. Jackson and Darren. He was glad. Not only had Eli liked Mr. Jackson, but he also really liked Darren, too. He thought Darren was a good guy. He was low-key and genuinely nice. He knew that he and Shasta used to be good friends, but Eli hadn’t seen them together in a couple of years. He decided that he and Hunter should go see Darren today and tell him and Mrs. Jackson how sorry they were.
He padded off to the bathroom and then headed to the kitchen. His mom was just getting off the phone. She greeted him with another big hug. “How’d you sleep, Honey? You’re up earlier than I expected.”
“I slept fine. Who was on the phone?” He asked as he sank into a kitchen chair.
“Oh, that was Valerie Port. She and Mrs. Stagg are organizing some things for the Jacksons. I’m in charge of food tomorrow after the viewing and dinner for them in a few days. I think I want to go see Agnes today, though. The poor thing is probably a wreck. Luckily, I already had this weekend off. I wouldn’t want to go in to work today. Do you have plans?” She asked as she gathered the ingredients to make Eli some pancakes.
“I think I’ll see if Hunter wants to visit Darren. Maybe we’ll go with you when you go over to see Mrs. Jackson. When are you leaving?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll wait for you two. Just let me know when you’re ready, and we’ll all go together. I’ll grab Gina, too. Hunter won’t mind if his mom goes.”
“What about Heather?” Eli hadn’t seen any signs of his sister since he’d been up. Usually there was a screech or a door slamming.
“She left early with Jake. They’re going to the skate park over in Glovercroft today. Of course, none of this affects your sister. She’s in her own little world. I do want her to come with us to the funeral, though. I think that’ll be Monday.” She whipped up the batter and poured out little circles onto the sizzling griddle.
Eli’s mouth watered as he smelled the pancakes cooking. “You know, she’s really been horrible lately,” he said. “She never does anything around here. She even left the security gate unlatched so Brody could escape and when I told her about it, she screamed at me and slammed her door in my face. I think it’s that boyfriend of hers. She’s starting to act like she’s better than everybody else.”
“I know, Eli,” Lara said as she flipped the cakes over to cook on the other side. “She’s just having her first love right now. It kind of takes a girl over. Give her a little time to adjust to all of the emotions rolling around inside of her. She’ll come back to us the same old Heather as before.” She flipped three pancakes onto a plate and set it down in front of Eli. The steam coming off of them dissipated as he slathered them with syrup.
“Are you sure that’s any better? The old Heather was a pain, too.” He snickered to himself as he forked in a dripping mouthful.
Lara giggled and said, “Oh, come on! It’s good to have a healthy self-esteem! She’s our Heather, Eli. And she loves us both, even if she never shows it!”
They laughed together and Eli finished his breakfast. Lara cleared the dishes and started washing the emptied bowl of batter. As Eli left to shower and dress, Lara told him to let her know when he and Hunter were ready to leave for the Jackson’s.
Before hopping in the shower, he shot off a quick text to Hunter. “Going to see Darren with Mom. Coming?”
CHAPTER 14
Darren & Shasta
Darren’s world had come crashing down in a matter of minutes. The euphoric high that he had been on after performing so well in the game, followed by the exciting meetings with the recruiters, had turned into a devastating feeling of loss and bewilderment. Sitting in the police car and hearing the news from Sheriff Buchanon was dreamlike. He remembered looking for his dad’s face in the crowd outside of the stadium. He was so pumped to tell him all the recruiters had said. He basically was offered a place on both teams, it was up to him to decide which scholarship he would take. He couldn’t wait to give his folks the news.
Instead, he had caught the sheriff’s eye and somehow he had known. He had pushed to the back of his brain the thought that something had gone terribly wrong for his father not to be sitting in the stands with his mom and Shasta. When he saw Sheriff Buchanon’s face, he knew. He didn’t remember walking with the sheriff to get into the cruiser. He didn’t remember sitting in the car with his mom and Shasta in the back. His first memory of that time was of Sheriff Buchanon hugging him and telling him to be proud of his father because his father had been damn proud of Darren.
They had gotten home soon after, and Shasta stayed with them. Then people started to come, even though it was late. It was okay, though. It wasn’t like he and his mom were going to sleep any time soon. They were reeling. First a few neighbors came, then family started to arrive. Most of his mom’s side of the family lived in Shale, the next town over. There were very few left on his dad’s side, though. They would be coming the next day.
The house was a flurry of activity – people bringing food, making calls and arrangements. Darren had staked out a corner of the living room, and Shasta hadn’t left his side. She sat with him that night and throughout most of the last two days, only going home to change clothes or sleep a little bit. Otherwise, she was beside him just holding his hand. She spoke to people when he couldn’t, and she brought him food and drinks. Mostly, she was there. No conversation had been needed. They were just Darren and Shasta again without skipping a beat.
More people had come throughout the past two days. Most of them wanted to give Darren a hug, but halfway through the first day he was done with hugging. He just stopped standing up when someone came over. That took care of that. A few people were crying but most were talking about what a surprise it was, and saying things like, “How could this have happened?” Some people were telling stories about a younger Claymont or something funny that he had done in the past at one the neighborhood parties. Darren knew that his dad was a great dad, but he was only now learning how much Claymont had been loved by everyone else.
Darren was thankful for all of the visitors. Not for himself, Shasta was all he needed. His mother had been so strong, and he was glad that she had so much love and support. He was worried what would happen when things started to die down, and not as many people were coming around anymore.
The first day Eli and Hunter and their moms had come over. That was kind of weird since they were the ones who had discovered Claymont in the Caterpillar. Darren was afraid that it wou
ld upset Agnes to see them, but quite the opposite happened. She saw them come in and immediately went to them and hugged each boy tightly.
“I want to tell you boys, Thank you. Thank you for finding my husband and calling for help. I know it was hard on you and I’m sorry for that. But I’m so grateful Hunter. Eli. So grateful.”
Darren could tell that they were uneasy and didn’t know how to respond, so he was glad when Lara Andrews moved forward to hug Agnes. Gina, Hunter’s mom, followed suit and soon the three women were talking, so the guys slipped away over to where Darren and Shasta sat.
“Hey, Darren,” Hunter began. “We just wanted to come over and say sorry about your dad. He was a really fun guy, and he was real nice, too.”
“Yeah,” Eli agreed. “He always came to our shows. Remember? He even paid for a ticket that one time. We didn’t even sell tickets.” Feeling sadder with the memory, Eli looked at the ground. “Anyway, we’re sorry, Man.”
Shasta was about to reply for Darren, when he stood up and awkwardly gave Eli a half hug. “Thanks, Man,” he said.
He moved to Hunter and repeated the same half hug and thanks and sat back down. Shasta was a little taken aback but recovered enough to ask, “How’re you guys doing? That couldn’t have been an easy day for you. I heard that you three were pretty sick. Feeling better?”
Hunter replied, “Yeah. Actually, that was pretty strange. Eli here had a big headache, Buggie was almost fainting, and I couldn’t stop puking. My mom says it was stress, but Eli and I felt that way before we even got to the clearing. Listen, I was thinking about that. I think there might be something in the woods. Some kind of chemical they used to kill off some of the vegetation or make the animals go away. It has to be something.”
That’s when the rest of the Jackson family had arrived, and Darren had to go speak with his relatives. Shasta went with him leaving Eli and Hunter alone. They left a few minutes later and Darren hadn’t spoken to either of them again. He saw them at the funeral service that day, but he didn’t feel much like conversation.
Now he and Shasta occupied the same corner of the living room as people trickled in to visit once again. The funeral had been short, the gravesite service even shorter and Darren was glad of that. Going on day three of the nightmare was just about all he could take. Shasta, sensing his mood, took his hand and led him out of the room into the back yard. Even though it was fall, the leaves were still green. She sat him down on the back steps and plopped down beside him. She had been at his side almost constantly for the last three days after not being alone with him for almost two whole years. Finally, it was time to talk.
It was simple and to the point. It was also everything Darren had been wishing for.
“I love you, Darren. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I’m sorry to drop this on you now, but I think you need to know where I stand. I want to be here for you. I’m glad you’ve let me so far, but if you think things are just going to go back to the way they were before you kissed me, I can’t. I really want to be your friend, and I’ll really try if that’s what you want, but I need you to know how I really feel.”
Darren stared at her deep brown eyes and confusion turned into realization. “You love me? You’ve felt like this all along? Shas, why didn’t you tell me? I thought you were mad about the kiss. I thought you wanted distance.”
“What? No! What are you even talking about? You looked so angry and then you just left the party. I thought you were mad at me! Then you wouldn’t talk to me and...”
“No,” he interrupted. “not wouldn’t, couldn’t. I couldn’t stand being around you because I wanted things to be different with us, and I thought you were the one that didn’t feel the same. I’m so sorry, Shas. I handled this all wrong.”
Shasta couldn’t believe what was happening. “No, Darren, don’t be sorry. It sounds like we were both wrong. We were both idiots. We’ve wasted so much time without each other. I’m sorry, too.” She threw her arms around him and tears sprang into her eyes. “I’m so sorry for everything you’re going through right now, and I promise I’ll be here for you. I’m not going anywhere ever again. I love you, Darren.”
Darren closed his eyes. He smelled her citrusy-clean smell and felt her soft auburn hair against his skin. “I love you too, Shasta. I always have.”
They stayed that way for a little longer, savoring the comfort each of them felt in each other’s arms. The sun was dipping in the sky, and the light was fading. They could hear people’s voices from inside the house. The sound brought them back from the moment.
“My dad would be happy about this, you know?” Darren said. “He really loved you.”
Shasta’s eyes filled with tears again, and she said, “I loved him, too. I still can’t believe he’s gone. It happened so fast.”
She put her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand. After a few moments she said, “Do you think there’s anything to what Hunter was saying? About a chemical in the woods or something put there purposefully that would make people sick?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot he said that. I can’t imagine anyone doing that knowing that people are in those woods a lot. I mean, not only the construction crew, but kids from this neighborhood are in there all the time,” he replied.
“But not usually as deep as the site. When they play in the woods, they usually stay right around the paths. We hardly ever went past that when we played out there, remember?”
“That’s true, but what about the people working in there – those surveyors and the people from Gary Sam Construction and Oakwood Homes? Did any of them get sick? I don’t think there’s anything to it, Shasta.”
“You’re probably right,” she agreed. “Hunter, Eli and Buggie were just stressed. You know, I haven’t seen Bug in a few days. I really should go check in and say hi. Do you feel like coming with me?
“I better stick around with Mom. I don’t really want to leave her right now. Will you come back when you’re done?” It was like she was his own, personal sun. When she was near, he felt better. When she was gone, the stinging loss and sadness surrounded him like a cloud.
“Of course I will,” she said. “I won’t be long.” She leaned up to reach his face and kissed him softly. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
They got up together and went back into the house. People were starting to leave. Soon it would just be him and his mom. The future Darren had dreamed of had been ripped from his grasp. What were they going to do now? Would they leave Meadowview Acres? Darren put an arm protectively around Shasta and walked her to the door. “Come back soon,” he said.
She smiled that sweet, gentle smile and left him.
CHAPTER 15
Heather
Two days after Mr. Jackson’s funeral, Hunter and Eli decided to retrieve the box from the shed and open it. The suspense had been killing Hunter, but Eli had almost forgotten about it. That is, until Hunter said, “Dude! We have to open the treasure chest! We’re probably sitting on a gold mine and we don’t even know it!”
Eli was skeptical. “It’s probably nothing, Hunter. I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”
“Well you’re not me, and I know there’s something cool in there. Who knows how long it’s been buried? Plus, you can hear something sliding back and forth when you shake it.”
“What if it’s something that needed to stay buried? Did you think of that?” Eli was remembering the uneasy feeling he had when he thought of how sick they all were at the construction site. He didn’t believe, as Hunter did, that there was some kind of chemical placed around the site to kill off the vegetation. In Eli’s mind, their illnesses were somehow connected to that box. They would never know, he guessed, unless they opened it.
It was after school on Wednesday. His mom wouldn’t be home for another hour, and he could hear Heather in her room screeching at someone on her cell phone. There’s nothing better to do.
“Okay. Why don’t you go get it out of your shed and bring it int
o my room? I’ll go get our wire cutters and the vice and tools. Let’s get this thing over with,” Eli resigned.
Hunter was off like a shot. He was so excited. Eli went to the garage and gathered the tools they would need and headed to his room. Halfway down the hallway, he heard Heather scream.
“No! I’m NOT going to forgive you, Jake! I don’t care if you think Trish is making it up! She’s NOT! You’re guilty! You were kissing her! Trish said Joe walked in on you kissing HER! How could you DO this to me? We’re in LOVE,” her ranting continued.
Eli shook his head and made his way into his bedroom. He closed the door behind him. Brody was not on his bed as usual. His mom was picking him up from the veterinarian on her way home. She was nervous about the amount of fur he’d lost and wanted to get him checked out. Eli had told her a condensed version of the happenings in the woods, and she had wanted to make sure the dog hadn’t gotten into anything poisonous.
Hunter, looking queasy, opened the bedroom door a few minutes later. “Man, I don’t know what it is, but I’m feeling sick again. I puked up the pizza bites I had after school. Just threw ‘em up out of nowhere.” He put the box on the bed and sat beside it.
Eli noticed the faint but concrete evidence of a headache coming on. Warning bells sounded in his mind. “What is it about this damn thing?” He asked Hunter. “Every time we’re around it, we start feeling this way. Maybe we should just take it back, Hunter. Let’s just take it back to the woods.”
Hunter was doubled over on the bed but managed to say, “Listen, Eli, if there is a connection to this thing and us feeling sick, and I mean “IF”, we have to find out for sure. What if it’s just a coincidence?” He burped a liquid sounding burp.
“Think about it, Hunter! You puking, my headache, Bug fainting and weak! Even Deputy Clay and his nose bleed! And what if something about this box hurt Mr. Jackson? Do you really still want to see inside?”