by ID Johnson
Somehow, we ended up on the beach, the club nowhere in sight. The moon hung low in the sky, reflecting off the lapping water, and I heard laughing coming from between the palm trees in front of me. I hurried, trying to get there in time to save the couple. I had no idea what I would do against three vampires, but I hoped instinct would kick in, and reminded myself I was dreaming.
I stepped into a clearing and saw the backs of the three sinister figures. Between their heads, the faces of the couple somehow shone in the moonlight that shouldn’t have been able to penetrate the canopy. They were no longer laughing as looks of horror overcame their faces. While I was certain I’d never seen two of the figures before, which I could now determine were a man and woman, the other was definitely familiar to me. The shadows seemed to encircle him, as if I wasn’t supposed to know his identity. I took a step forward, coming out of the darkness myself. “Hey!” I shouted, hoping he’d turn around so I could catch a glimpse of his face. I had to know who it was. He began to turn around, and I braced myself for a jarring revelation….
I blinked several times, wondering if the music I heard was coming from the club. I realized it was my alarm and smacked at my phone several times before I managed to hit the “stop” button. “Dang it,” I muttered under my breath. But part of me was relieved. Whoever that was in my dream, something told me this familiar person really was related to the killings in Cabo, and I knew I wasn’t prepared to have that information, not right now anyway.
Doing my best to push the dream aside, I climbed from bed and turned my thoughts to the first day back from Christmas break. For now, I needed to concentrate on reality, not my dreams, not vampires, not whatever the heck was going on with my sister and her friends. I had my own problems to worry about, and while I trusted Elliott to do what he said he would, I was concerned about both of my best friends. Hopefully, when I got to school, I’d see that everything was back to normal.
Chapter 6
The atmosphere in the hallway when I got to school was suffocating. Everyone was walking around with their heads down, like they either dreaded coming back after a long break or they were still thinking about losing two of our own. There wasn’t even the whispering and talking behind cupped hands there had been right after Drew’s death. I couldn’t help but feel like everyone was wondering who was going to be next, and there was nothing pleasant about that.
Emma definitely wasn’t herself. I saw her at her locker right before first period and approached her with caution. She still jumped when I said her name. “Sorry!” I said, keeping a comfortable distance away from her. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She glanced over each shoulder before she said, “It’s okay. I just….” She let it go. “How was your break?” We hadn’t seen each other for a while.
“It was all right. How was yours?”
Emma let out a deep breath. “Okay.” She glanced around again. “I can’t stay here,” she said quietly, which I thought was very strange. “I’ll see you second period.”
“Wait! Em!” But she was gone, disappearing into the crowd of students making their way to their first class. I sighed and headed off toward first period, hoping she’d be okay. We had biology together second period, Lucy, too, so at least I’d have a chance to check on both of them in an hour or so.
Our teacher, Mrs. Neally, was standing behind her desk shuffling papers, which I hoped were not a pop quiz. I smiled at a few girls I knew from cheerleading and then found my seat, noticing that Liam’s desk, which is right behind mine, was empty. Just as I was beginning to worry that something weird had happened to him, too, he came through the door, a big smile on his handsome face.
“Hey, Cass,” he said, bounding past me to his desk. “Nice to see you. Did you have a good break?”
I had been digging in my bag for a pencil, which I finally extracted, and turned to look at him. “Uh, yeah, it was fine, thanks. How was yours?” I had seen him at the mall right before Christmas, but that had been almost two weeks ago, and believe me, a lot can change in a couple of weeks.
“It was great,” he replied, still grinning. He was the only person I’d seen all day who looked genuinely happy, and I was beginning to grow a little concerned. “It’s gonna be an awesome day!”
My eyebrows were knit together so tightly, I could hardly see. Just when I was about to ask Liam what in the world was up with him, a rush of students came in the door, four or five of them, also all smiling from ear to ear, making comments about what an awesome day it was going to be. “This is the best day yet!” one of them, a football player named Grant, exclaimed, and his buddies all agreed.
“You may take your seats!” Mrs. Neally said, her countenance not at all chipper, and the bell rang. While I couldn’t figure out what was going on with my classmates, I knew I needed to concentrate on Mrs. Neally’s lesson. You never knew when you might encounter a pop quiz or an assessment you didn’t see coming in here, and unlike my sister, I was still planning on going to college, which meant I needed to keep my grades up, even if the world around me was morphing into some kind of psychotic Tim Burton movie.
The hour passed by fairly quickly, and even as the bell rang to dismiss us to second period, those kids who came in all happy were still laughing and carrying on. Mrs. Neally had commented about something being in the water, and I honestly wondered if they’d slipped something into class in their Ozarka bottles.
“See you in algebra, Cassidy,” Liam said, patting me on the shoulder as he slipped past me. “Make it a great one!”
“You, too,” I replied, my forehead still crinkled. If nothing else, at least whatever was wrong with Liam had caused him to touch me, and as I gathered up my belongings and headed out the door, I could still feel the warmth from his hand on my shoulder.
Our biology classroom was down the next hallway, so I had to hurry to my locker to switch out my textbook before I rushed to class. I had heard about some schools going to online textbooks, and I thought that sounded like a fabulous idea, especially since I had a bottom locker and Morgan Pence wasn’t always so careful when he opened his. I’d been the recipient of one too many book drops to the head already this year.
Morgan wasn’t there when I arrived, however, and I was glad. I quickly grabbed my bio book and shoved in my history book before turning and hurrying toward class. Even though I was in a rush, I could tell something had changed. Where there had been dismal kids with solemn faces, lots of people seemed happier now, like a cloud had lifted. I still had no idea what was going on, but I was glad to hear the laughter ringing out down the corridor as I rounded the corner to class.
As soon as I stepped into Mr. Horton’s lab, I realized what was going on. Rather than seeing the familiar face of our aged bio teacher sitting behind his desk, a different familiar face was present, and rather than sitting in the chair like our proper teacher, he was sitting on the corner of the desk. Dressed in a tan sports coat, a blue tie, white button-down shirt, and navy blue slacks, I wouldn’t have even recognized him from this angle, with Lucy’s head blocking his face, if it hadn’t been for the unruly curls springing up around Lucy’s perfectly coiffed long, caramel brown tresses. Lucy was laughing, and I realized there were a few other kids standing around talking to him as well. Shaking my head, I went to my work area and put my stuff down.
I’d shared the lab table with Emma all year, but now that we were working on our projects, Lucy also sat with us as she was in our group. Her bag was slung over the back of the chair between mine and Emma’s, and just when I was beginning to wonder where our third amiga was, she walked in, the worried expression still on her face.
I didn’t even wait for her to put her stuff down. I met her in the aisle and grabbed her arm. “Emma, come here.”
“But, I need to….” She tried to pull away from me. I knew she wanted to set her books down, and I knew she hated that I was touching her, but I needed my friends fixed, both of them, and there was only one person who could do that.
He was telling a story as we approached, and I didn’t want to interrupt, but I also couldn’t wait too long either. “And then, wouldn’t you know it, but that bear totally left my lunchbox alone and ate every last crumb of my brother’s sandwich!” The kids standing around Mr. Horton’s desk laughed as if that was the funniest thing they’d ever heard in their lives. “And that’s why you don’t always have to be fast—you just have to be faster than the slowest person in your group!” Once again, the sound of a laugh track from a sitcom filled the lab space. I assumed I would also be laughing—if I’d heard the first part of the story, if it was actually funny, and if I’d been brainwashed into thinking everything was hilarious today.
“Well, if it isn’t Cassidy Findley,” Elliott said, smiling at me. “You’re having a great day, aren’t you? I can tell. This is your best day yet.” I saw the little twinkle in his eye and realized that was what he was doing to everyone. I just didn’t know how he’d made such an impact so quickly. I mean, some of the kids who’d walked into first period so jolly would have had to have encountered him in the hallway or something. They certainly didn’t come through this class first.
“Uh, hi, Mr….” I didn’t know if he’d made up a name.
“Dr. Sanderson,” he replied, and I nodded. At least I wouldn’t have to remember to call him something else.
“Right, Dr. Sanderson. This is my friend Emma O’Sullivan.”
Emma was looking at him like he was a single-celled organism under one of our microscopes. The crowd parted a bit as we stepped closer, but she was only moving because I hadn’t let go of her.
“Emma! It is so nice to meet you,” Elliott said, smiling at her in glee. “You are having the best day ever, aren’t you! You are completely care free and ready to let some joy into your heart!”
It was the corniest thing I’d ever heard in my life, especially since Emma would be the type to point out that your heart is an internal organ, and there was simply no way a person could let anything in or out of it except oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. But then, a smile broke out across Emma’s face, and she pushed her glasses up with her middle finger. “It is a great day!” she exclaimed. “I have never been happier! There’s nothing to worry about.”
Lucy was standing on her other side, and she wrapped her arms around Emma—who let her. “I’m so lucky to have such awesome friends!” she exclaimed.
The bell rang, and I looked Elliott in the eyes, wondering if he had any idea how to teach a biology class. It didn’t surprise me at all that he was here; I was certain he could fool the principal into thinking he was a qualified substitute, let alone a certified teacher and I didn’t doubt Mr. Horton would appreciate having one more day added to his winter break, assuming Elliott had somehow persuaded him to take it rather than locking him in a broom closet. Dr. Sanderson winked at me, and I took my friends by the shoulders, suggesting we take our seats. Even with the brainwashing, we all knew that when the bell rang, we had to head to our lab areas.
“All right, kids,” Dr. Sanderson said, standing. “Let’s go ahead and head to our chairs if you’re not already in them.” Plenty of kids had been up around his desk, and they were headed off to their seats now. I noticed that he’d written his name on the whiteboard, along with the phrase, “Today is the best day yet!” and as I looked around the room, the ridiculous grins on all the kids’ faces told me the power of suggestion was great with this one.
“Now, Mr. Horton called in sick today, though I imagine he just needed one more day to enjoy Mrs. Horton’s apple pie.” He said it like it was an inside joke, and everyone but me laughed. I was still skeptical that he was going to be able to pull this off, though I don’t know why. So far, everyone was eating up every word he said. “So, we are going to be working on our bio projects. Now, I understand that you’ve been working on this for a few weeks already. Is that right?”
“Yes, Dr. Sanderson,” several kids chanted in unison. I was the only one who thought that was weird.
“Perfect! Well, I’ll call roll, and then we’ll get started. I don’t mind a little chatter while you work either, so long as we can keep it down to a low roar. Why not? It is the best day ever!”
Laughter rang out again as Elliott walked behind the desk and grabbed the roll sheet for second period. He called off the kids’ names and they each answered with a cheerful, “Here.” Even my own voice sounded more chipper than I expected. I took a deep breath and allowed myself to be sucked into the delusion. Why not? Being happy was better than being depressed or anxious, I supposed.
We were working on our project when Dr. Sanderson, who had been making the rounds, came over to check on us. Like every other table he came to, our countenances immediately changed when he stopped in front of us. Though we’d been upbeat as we discussed our progress on the project, which had to do with plant cell regeneration, our smiles widened and I could hear the glee in my friends’ voices as they greeted him. “How’s it going?” Elliott asked.
“Great!” Lucy exclaimed. “We’ll be ready to start our experiment by the end of the week.”
“That’s so awesome,” Elliott said. “High five!” Lucy had to jump up to reach his outstretched hand, which he was purposely holding a few feet above her head, but she laughed as she did it.
“I want a high five, too,” Emma proclaimed. My mouth dropped open. Emma didn’t volunteer to touch people.
“You got it!”
She giggled like a little girl as she leapt into the air to slam her hand against his.
“What about you, Cassidy? It is Cassidy, isn’t it?” he winked at me. “Do you want a high five, too?”
“No, thank you,” I said, though I was smiling at him. “I had a big breakfast.”
My friends looked at me like they thought I was nuts. Either they didn’t understand I was implying that jumping would be unsettling for my stomach, or they thought I was crazy for not literally jumping at the chance, but when Elliott laughed, they laughed, too. “Hey, Cass, could I speak to you in the hallway for a quick minute?” he asked, gesturing like he wanted me to follow him.
“Sure,” I replied, glad to have the chance to talk to him in relative solitude.
We approached the door and someone yelled out, “Dr. Sanderson! Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back,” he assured he class. “You guys just keep working. You’re doing awesome. And it’s the best day ever!” Quiet cheers followed, and I realized they weren’t any louder because he’d told us to keep it to a low roar. We weren’t able to be any louder than that because of our programming.
Part of me was a little perturbed, though, that I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. There was nothing quite like being fully aware that you’re being manipulated. He looked around the hallway as the door closed behind me. We were more or less alone, though there was a camera down the hall a little way, and people could round the corner at any moment. Something told me he’d know if anyone was coming.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my arms folded, a goofy grin on my face.
“Well, it’s nice to see you, too.” He feigned offense.
“It’s always nice to see you,” I replied, though I wasn’t sure if that was true. I remembered being terrified he’d show up at Lucy’s the night he’d sent Hannah instead. In retrospect, it probably would’ve actually been better if it had been him. I took a deep breath. “I knew you said you’d come to my school, but I wasn’t expecting this.” I gestured at the classroom. “How did you manage all this?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty lil head about that,” he replied. “I’ve got it all covered. Shenandoah High is the happiest place on Earth right now. Disney World ain’t got nothin’ on me!”
I laughed so loud I snorted, which made me irritated at him for making me look dumb, but I still couldn’t express my irritation. “What about the kids who haven’t been in your classroom? Why are they so happy?”
“For one thing, I’ve been standin
g in the hall between classes greeting everyone.”
I nodded. That explained a lot of it.
“Also, there’s the power of suggestion. Tell a couple of kids it’s a great day, they’ll tell others.”
“You are… a freak of nature,” I said, not able to come up with anything else, good or bad.
“Thank you,” he replied, winking at me. “I see you fighting it. That’s okay. I don’t need to brainwash you. But I do want you to have a terrific day.”
I remembered the video I’d seen the night before and the dreams—mine and Lucy’s. It seemed ridiculous to think anything could ever be terrific again. But then, he knew so much more of whatever this darkness was that was invading my life, and he seemed happy most of the time. Was it possible to know about this… situation and still go on about life like everything was hunky and dory? It would appear that was the case. “’Kay,” I said, letting the goofy grin morph into a genuine smile. “I will.”
He laughed at me, the sound of his rich, comforting chuckle echoing down the hallway. “I know you will.” I didn’t even care that he seemed to be poking fun at me now. What else was new? The desire to slug him in the arm was curbed by the recognition that he was currently posing as a teacher, and I didn’t particularly want to pay the principal a visit.
Elliott opened the door for me, and I ducked under his arm and rejoined my friends, still smiling like a fool, a happy fool.
“What was that all about?” Lucy asked. Though she was also smiling, I could see a hint of concern behind her blue eyes.
“Nothing,” I replied with a shrug. “He just wanted to make sure I was okay.”
“Do you know him? I mean, outside of class?” Emma asked. I thought I saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes, but I didn’t want to bring any more panic up to the surface. I chose my response carefully.