by Ann McCune
When I felt clean again, I put on my sweat pants and a T-shirt before grabbing my backpack and sitting down at my desk. I was about to pull out my math book when I saw the tin. Abandoning my homework, I opened it and looked inside. There were pictures, a stone with something etched on it strung with a leather thong, and a journal. It must have been my mom’s when she was a teenager, but I only found her in one of the pictures. She was standing with a man I had never seen before, wearing white and holding a bouquet of daisies. The man was in a white suit, with a white tie. He had blond hair, the opposite of my mother, and dazzling green eyes that shone like highly polished emeralds. I looked up and caught my reflection in the window, then looked back down at the man.
I turned the photo over and almost dropped it. Written in my mom’s perfect handwriting was Victor and Sandy 1999. It was my mom and biological father’s wedding picture. I looked at the other pictures, this was my father’s stuff. Now that I knew what he looked like I found him easily in each picture. A tear streaked down my cheek, I would never get to meet the man who helped make me. I was lucky to have Burt, he treated me like his own daughter, and he was my dad every way that mattered, but occasionally, I would wonder what my biological father was like. I couldn’t talk to my mom about it because every time I tried, she would end up crying and I would feel guilty for causing it.
I pulled the journal out. It was nothing more than a hard-cover notebook with the word, Journal, written on the outside. Would I be intruding on his privacy if I looked at it? He was dead, but why else would my mom have kept it, if not to give it to me? I opened the cover and dropped it on my desk like it had just burst into flames.
On the inside cover were the words, Property of Victor Robinson, and next to that was a drawing of the goblin who had been showing up in my dreams. I wanted to cry out, to tell someone that something was after me, maybe it was the same something that killed my father.
I shook my head, he died of elevation sickness, there was no way the goblin killed him, besides it was just a dream. I was about to turn the next page when I heard the garage door open and looked at the clock. Crap, I thought to myself, it’s already six and I haven’t gotten any homework done.
“Liz?” Mom called. “Where are you?”
“In my room, I’ll be right down.” I put everything back in the tin, closed the lid, and shoved it under my bed. I didn’t know if Mom would be happy I found it or not but for the time being, I was going to keep it a secret. I went downstairs and followed my nose to the kitchen.
“You brought Chinese?” I asked, rushing over to her to take the bags from her arms.
“I didn’t feel like cooking tonight. I hope it’s alright.” She took her coat off and hung it on a peg before prying her boots off.
“I never say no to Chinese.” I put the bags on the counter, opened the first one and pulled out a square box of rice.
“Here, I will do this, you go set the table.” Mom pushed me out of the way to stop me from eating straight out of the containers.
I went to the cabinet and pulled out the plates then went back to the bag and found the chopsticks. I took them into the dining room and set the table. When I was done, Dad was in the mudroom taking his coat off.
We sat at the table and ate in silence for a few minutes before I remembered my poor Jeep. “Billy and I cleaned out the Jeep today.”
“Did Phil tell you it was totaled?” Dad asked, using his chopsticks to pick up a piece of chicken.
“Yeah, seeing it made me realize why everyone is freaking out about how I’m doing. I was really lucky,” I said, around a mouthful of chicken chow mein.
“Yes, you were.” Mom was trying to hide how upset she still was about the accident, but I could see the worry in her eyes.
“Have you thought about what kind of car you want to replace it with?” Dad asked.
“I don’t need to think about it. I want another Wrangler.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like a Subaru? They’re the safest car on the market.” Dad looked down at his plate and grabbed a chunk of rice with his chopsticks.
“I hate Subarus, and you know it.” I put my chopsticks down. “The Wrangler protected me just fine, a Subaru wouldn’t have changed what happened.”
“I know, but Wranglers like to flip. We just want you to be safe,” Mom said.
“I am safe. I did everything I was supposed to do when I saw him. I’ll drive safe no matter what kind of vehicle I have, but I will not be a Subaru driver.” I got up from the table and picked up my plate. “I’m not hungry anymore. I’m going upstairs to do my homework.”
“Elizabeth don’t be like this,” Dad called. I ignored him and threw away what was left of my food, rinsed my plate, and put it in the dishwasher, then I stomped up the stairs to my room.
I took my pack off the bed and pulled my books out. I looked out the dark window, fuming. I would walk before I would drive a Subaru. I couldn’t believe they wanted me to get a hippy car. The accident wasn’t my fault.
I took a deep breath and opened my math book. Homework was the last thing I wanted to do, but I could not afford to get more behind than I already was.
CHAPTER 6
I was in a small fiberglass fishing boat on the Freeman Lake. It was summer, and the sun was out. It was too bright to be out there without my sunglasses. I felt on top of my head for them, but they weren’t there. I would have to go back to shore for them.
I went to the small motor at the aft of the boat and pulled the starter string. The motor started for a second then died. I tried again, and nothing happened. I found the primer bulb, squeezed it a few times and pulled, still nothing.
“You know this is a dream, right? Your mind must not want you to start the engine since it won’t start,” a voice said from behind me. I jumped so high I was surprised I didn’t fall out of the boat.
I spun around to find Shawn sitting backward on the wood bench seat at the bow. He had one foot propped on the seat in front of him, and his arms were crossed over his chest. He was wearing a red tank top, khaki cargo shorts, and flip flops. The sun was behind him making his hair glow with golden highlights. I let out a relieved breath, it wasn’t the goblin from my nightmare.
“What are you doing here? Can’t I dream in peace?” I didn’t mean it, I wanted to ask him why he got mad earlier in the day.
“Hey, it’s your dream. You tell me why I’m here.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“Alright, why did you start acting all weird today?” I sat on the seat next to the motor.
“Because you remembered your dreams about me. You aren’t supposed to be able to. No one remembers their dreams when we are in them. How are you able to?” He put his foot down and leaned forward resting his forearms on his thighs.
“I have no idea. I have always been able to remember my dreams, ever since I was a little kid. Maybe I’m just special. Why do you care?” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling like he was making fun of me.
“I want to protect you.” He pulled his eyebrows together and frowned.
“Why?” He barely knew me. What made me so special?
“I like you.” He wouldn’t bring his eyes up to meet mine.
“You like me?” My mouth dropped open, a guy had never told me they liked me before.
“Well, I think I do. I don’t know you very well, but I get a pretty good feeling about you.” He stared at his foot like he had never seen it before.
“I know what you mean, I feel the same way about you.” I felt myself blush, and I stared at the bottom of the boat. “Except when you are being a dickhead.”
“Are you always this honest?” He smirked.
“About stuff like this? No, but this is a dream.” I released my arms and folded my fingers together.
“Really? So, what else do you like about me?” he asked, as an alarm started to beep from somewhere across the lake.
“You don’t want to know,” I said, looking around. “I think that’s my a
larm clock. Guess I’ll see you around.”
“Timing is everything,” he replied and disappeared.
I rolled over and turned my alarm off. Another strange dream. How was I supposed to see this guy every day and dream of him every night? It wasn’t fair. He was nicer in my dream this time. Maybe it was because I actually met him and talked to him face-to-face. There was something different about him but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Why was I drawn to him? Was it because he was a good-looking guy I hadn’t known for my entire life, or was it just because of who he was?
I forced myself to stop thinking about him and rolled out of bed to get ready for the day. After I showered, I looked in the mirror and had to take a step back. The black and blue marks were fading, but they were replaced by a yellowy-green color. I opened the drawer holding the makeup Mom had bought me for Christmas then closed it. I didn’t think I could cover up the rainbow of colors on my face without a Hollywood makeup artist. Plus, everyone saw me the day before with the bruises, so if I showed up with a bunch of makeup covering them, they would know I was being self-conscious about it.
Mom was waiting for me with my lunch, and an egg and cheese sandwich. “Thanks, Mom,” I said, grabbing a mug from the cabinet, and filling it with coffee.
“How did you sleep?” She leaned back against the bar and crossed her arms over her chest.
I walked around and sat on the other side of it. “Good, weird dreams though. Ever since the accident I have been having weird dreams, but I feel rested.” I took a bite of the sandwich and chewed slowly. She made the best egg sandwiches. When I opened my eyes, she was staring past me, frowning.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, putting my sandwich back on the plate.
“Your biological father always talked about dreams, how you have to pay attention to them. He was always worried about my dreams, like he was afraid something was going to happen to me in them.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Then he had to go and die in his sleep, like so many others in Twisted Pines.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. Don’t worry, they aren’t nightmares.” I got up from the bar and wrapped my arms around her.
“Stupid man. He refused to sleep with a dreamcatcher over his head. He thought if he could defeat the monsters plaguing his dreams he could save everyone in town from them.” She wiped at her eye. “Then he had to go and die.” She lapsed into silence then pulled away from me. She had never told me about his dreams before, and I wondered if, somehow, the same goblin that was stalking my dreams was the one who my bio-dad dreamed of.
The coroner said he died of an altitude induced heart attack. They had just moved to Twisted Pines from California and going from sea level to over eight thousand feet puts a lot of strain on the heart. It takes time to adapt. They had only been in town for a few weeks and Mom was six months pregnant.
Mom met Burt before I was born. He was the doctor who she was seeing for prenatal checkups. He helped her through her grief, then give birth to me, somewhere in there they fell in love and got married. He was the only father I had ever known. I could tell she loved my dad and I loved him too, but she still got upset whenever she talked about my biological father.
The goblin in my dream had called me Martröð Veiðimaður and said he would find me again. I needed to find out what Martröð Veiðimaður meant, it was important for some reason. I looked at my watch and sighed. Billy would be there shortly, and I wanted to finish eating before he arrived. There was a loud knock on the front door before it opened, and Billy yelled out a greeting, breaking the silence between us.
“We’re in the kitchen,” I said, before going back to my breakfast.
“Good morning,” Billy said, coming in going over to the cabinet to get a mug then pouring himself some coffee.
“Good morning, Billy, help yourself,” Mom said in a short, clipped voice before and leaving the room.
“Thanks,” Billy called after her. He raised his eyebrows at me while taking a sip of the hot coffee. “Was it something I said?”
“No, she started talking about my bio-dad. You know how she gets.” I took a sip of my coffee.
“I’m sorry.” Billy took another sip of his coffee. “Your face is turning into a rainbow. Is there a pot of gold at the end of it?”
“Ass, just what a girl wants to hear about her appearance.” I rolled my eyes, finished my coffee, and took my dishes to the sink. I rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher.
“Since when do you care about how you look?” Billy asked, following me with his eyes as I moved around the kitchen
“Since my face is more black, blue, and green, than it is pink and flesh- colored.” I went over to the mudroom, took my Carhartt jacket off its peg, put it on, then went to the counter and put my lunch in my backpack. “Are you ready?” I asked, slinging the strap over my shoulder.
“Your carriage awaits, my rainbow girl.” Billy twirled his arm and bowed toward the door.
“You are in fine form this morning.” I led the way out of the house. “Bye, Mom, love you,” I called, before I shut the front door behind us.
Billy and I were quiet on the way to school, both stuck in our own thoughts. I hadn’t seen my mom cry over my bio-dad in years. I wondered why telling her about my dreams made her think about him. Crap, I thought to myself. How was I going to look at Shawn in the eye after last night’s dream? He already knew I dreamed about him, as long as he didn’t ask me what I dreamed about it would be okay. I just needed to remember to avoid the topic and it wouldn’t be a big deal. They were just dreams after all.
CHAPTER 7
We arrived at school later than I would have liked and had to hurry to our lockers to make it to class on time.
I didn’t need to worry about talking to Shawn until lunch, since we never crossed paths, and I was starting to ignore the pitiful looks I was getting from people staring at the bruises on my face.
When I walked into the cafeteria Shawn and Jo were the only ones sitting at our table. I wanted to turn around and wait for Billy in the hallway, but they had already seen me. I could do this. Just act like nothing has changed since yesterday. I straightened my back, pulled my chin up, and walked over to the table with a fake smile plastered on my face.
“Hi, how are you guys?” I asked, sitting down, and putting my bag on the table.
“Just another day at school,” Jo said, rolling her eyes, and opening a fun-size size bag of chips. “Is it June yet?”
“I wish,” I said, giving her a genuine smile now.
“This school isn’t so bad, at least we don’t have to walk through metal detectors,” Shawn added, taking a bite out of his sandwich.
“No joke. It could be much worse,” Jo said, eating a chip from her bag.
“Where were you guys before you moved here?” I asked.
“New York City,” Jo said, around a mouthful. “Jon made us go to public school for the life lesson.”
“Who’s Jon?” I asked, looking at them baffled.
“My dad, he’s in charge of our branch of Knights Inc.,” Shawn said, taking a sip from his soda. “We didn’t know how long we were staying. It was pointless to spend the money on a private school when there was a chance we wouldn’t be there for the whole year.”
“Oh.” I had no idea what it would be like to move around so much.
“Hello, all,” Tommy said, sitting down next to Jo, while Tracy sat next to him.
“How is your day going, rainbow girl?” Billy asked, sitting down next to me.
I punched him in the arm and everyone laughed. “Don’t call me that.” I looked at everyone at the table making it clear if anyone else started calling me rainbow girl there would be hell to pay.
“When did you become such a princess?” Tommy asked, looking confused.
“Don’t call her princess,” Shawn said, before his eyes bulged and his mouth hung open. It looked like someone had kicked him between the legs.
I wanted to say something, but all I could do
was stare at him, stunned. There was no way for him to know I hated to be called a princess unless he was in my dream too. Had he really killed the goblin? What if he wasn’t a figment of my imagination? I felt my face flush and hoped the bruises would hide it from the rest of the guys.
“Why not? She’s acting like one,” Tommy said.
“She hates being called a princess.” Shawn dropped his eyes to the table and didn’t look up. His expression went from anger to disbelief. He stood abruptly, gathered what was left of his lunch, and walked away.
I watched him leave, too dumbstruck to say anything. I looked at Jo and she shrugged her shoulders. Something was going on, but I didn’t think she knew what it was. “Jo?” I asked softly.
She picked up her lunch and stood. “I better go talk to him. Sorry, everyone, I don’t know what his problem is.”
Everyone else at the table looked at each other confused.
I moved to get up. “Hey, I’m sorry. You know I don’t think of you as a princess,” Tommy said.
“Yeah, don’t get all mad and storm off,” Billy said, recovering from the moment, and putting a hand on my shoulder.
I relaxed and sat back down. There was no need to cause a bigger scene than Shawn already had. My next class was with him, I would talk to him then.
“So, prom is in a few weeks, are you going?” Tracy asked me.
I did a double take. Tracy and I weren’t what I called ‘friends.’ She sat with us because she and Tommy had been together since a fated New Year’s Eve kiss. I didn’t mind her, but we had never had girl talk before. I wasn’t sure I knew how.
“I haven’t really thought about it.” There were so many things going through my mind it took me a minute to understand what she was saying. “Don’t I need a date?”
“No one’s asked you yet?” She arched an eyebrow and quickly looked at Billy then back at me.
“No, but I’m not really a prom person.” I had never even thought about going to prom. It wasn’t something that sounded like fun for numerous reasons: I would have to wear a dress, do something crazy with my hair, wear makeup, and dance. I could work on almost any motorized vehicle, but I could not dance.