by L. C. Miller
“I’m sorry?” Peering into the trash Abby saw pieces of a broken plate. Uh-oh, she thought. “I didn’t do it!” she said quickly.
“Don’t you lie to me, young lady! You did the dishes last!” Ms. Rable’s face burned red in anger.
“No, I didn’t. It wasn’t me, it was …” Abby stopped. Ethan did the dishes last. There was no way Ms. Rable would believe her. And she didn’t want to risk getting her new friend into trouble.
“Liar!” Ms. Rable snapped out. Abby jerked her head up.
“I am not!” Abby shot back. She gasped when the slap came. She held her face as tears sprang to her eyes. The kitchen door flew open.
“What is going on?” Mrs. Herrin demanded, rushing into the room. Ms. Rable paid her no mind as she grabbed Abby’s arm.
“I don’t abide liars in my house!” Ms. Rable screeched. Mrs. Herrin stopped her from trying to drag Abby away.
“I am not a liar!” Abby yelled back. “Let go of me!” She tried to pull her arm from Ms. Rable’s grasp. Mr. Herrin ran into the room as the ground started to shake. Several glasses and plates fell out of the cabinets as Ms. Rable shrieked, trying to hold on to the countertops.
Abby jerked her arm free and ran from the room, passing the stunned boys now standing in the dining room.
Chapter Four
Once in her room she kicked her dresser, angrier than she’d been in a long time. She sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands.
Bombers came sliding up to her and licked her face. “I am not a liar,” she said to herself, wishing it to be true. Bombers butted his head against hers. She raised her face to look at him as a knock sounded at the door. Choosing to ignore the knocker, Abby sat in her window seat, wishing again there was a tunnel leading out of her room.
“Abby?” Mrs. Herrin opened the door. Abby—her cheek red—briefly glanced at her before turning to gaze back out the window. “Are you all right?” Mrs. Herrin asked, coming to stand by her.
“I’m great,” Abby muttered, still not looking at her. Saying nothing, Mrs. Herrin went over to the bed and sat, waiting. “I didn’t break that ugly plate,” Abby said quietly.
“I know you didn’t. Ethan told me he had done it and then tried to hide it. You knew he broke it.”
Abby turned to face her. “I wasn’t going to tell her that. He’s my friend. I didn’t do anything else either.” She remembered the floor shaking and dishes breaking.
“About that, I can’t really explain right now. But the expression on her face was quite comical.”
It went quiet for a few moments. “Why are you up here?” Abby asked. She didn’t want these people worrying about her. She didn’t want to like them. She couldn’t afford to.
“Because I wanted to see how you were. Ethan, Aaron, and Brannon wanted to come, too, but I made them wait. We care about you, Abby.”
Too late, Abby thought as she got up and went over to the bed.
Sitting down, she said, “None of you really know me. I could be the biggest liar you’ve ever met. So why do you care about me?”
Mrs. Herrin looked at Abby a long while before speaking. “Because I think you are a young lady who deserves more than you have received, and the boys because they like you. It’s not very often they find a girl who likes snakes.” Chuckling softly, Abby looked down at Bombers, now curled on her lap. “What’s his name?” Mrs. Herrin asked.
“Bombers. I’ve had him for a little over a year now.”
“Where did you find him?”
“Outside. Every time I opened the door, he would be curled up near it. One day he crawled up the framing, and when I opened it, he dropped on Ms. Rable’s shoulders.”
The memory brought a smile to her face and she reached up to stroke the top of his head. Hearing a car start, Abby looked out her window and saw Ms. Rable drive off. Another knock sounded at the door and then it opened. “Eleanor decided to go into town to buy more ugly plates and glasses,” Mr. Herrin spoke from the doorway. He blanched at the sight of the snake.
Mrs. Herrin smiled back at Abby. “Why don’t we let the boys come in and play with the snake while Jackson and I have a talk?” Abby nodded, grinning back at her. The boys trekked in as the adults went out.
“Are you okay?” Brannon asked, closing the door. Abby nodded as Bombers lifted his head to look at him. She saw Brannon nudge Ethan, pushing him forward slightly.
“Um … I just wanted … to ahh, well, say … um. Thanks,” he finished, looking down, his face red from embarrassment. He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Thanks for not saying anything.” He backed away from her, joining Aaron and Brannon.
Equally embarrassed, Abby shrugged. “It’s cool.” Wanting to change the subject, she looked at Brannon. “Want to see some tricks?”
As they watched her expectantly, Abby uncurled the snake from her shoulders. “First, you must say hello to Brannon. He’s the older brother of Ethan. Brannon, this is Bombers, hold out your hand for him.”
Brannon stared as Bombers wrapped the end of his tail around his right hand then looked at Abby. She got up, pulled a chair to a high shelf, and then stood on it, laying Bombers behind a few small stones.
“Now I want all of you to stand over here. You may not think he knows your name, but when I tell him to, he is going to flick one of those things at you. So pay close attention, or it will hit you in the face.”
Brannon went and stood to the left of the snake, a full six feet from the shelf. Ethan in front of it, and Aaron stood to the right of the snake. Abby went and stood by the door. She proceeded to tell Bombers to throw one of the things at Brannon. With a flick of his tail, he swept one of the stones from the shelf.
Brannon caught the small rounded rock inches from his face. Ethan, who was laughing at Brannon’s almost mishap, ducked when one of the stones went flying toward him. It hit an old box before falling to the ground. Aaron caught his on his turn.
She showed them more tricks, like having Bombers find an object she had hidden, and how to write by sticking the end of his tail in ink. They stayed in her room for more than an hour, laughing. Eventually, Abby let Bombers go in search of some food.
As he slithered off, Ethan asked, “How did you teach him all those tricks?”
Abby shrugged. “You know, I’m not completely sure of that myself.”
Brannon, who was looking around, got up to examine the books on the shelf. “You like to read?” he asked as he picked a book up. Flipping the cover, he read its title, “Mythical Creatures: Do They Really Exist?”
“Oh yeah,” Abby started, getting up to join him at the shelf, “I heard Borgan Maseroff had other books like this.” She read the author’s name. “But this is the only one I have.”
“I have all his books at home. I heard he was going to be publishing a new one soon, about werewolves.”
“I bet it’ll be good.” They stayed in her room well after night had fallen. Abby followed them downstairs when Mrs. Herrin called up that dinner was ready.
Abby settled between Ethan and Mrs. Herrin as they all sat at the dinner table and looked around. She watched the easy banter between brothers, their friend being treated as one of the family, and most of all she noticed how Mr. and Mrs. Herrin were always touching each other; a hand on the shoulder or a kiss on the cheek.
She wanted this, Abby realized. Even her family was never quite this way. Her mother always had them moving, never staying in one place very long. Her father … Well, she didn’t remember anything about him.
After dinner Abby went to her room. Going to the bed, she lit a lamp and stared at the ceiling. It was hard watching this family. “I wonder if whatever happened to tear us apart hadn’t happened, would my family have been like this?” she whispered.
She looked over as Bombers moved his tail around in a jar of ink and wrote on a piece of paper—Even better.
Abby smiled at the note and brushed her hand across his head. “Not even you can know for sure, but I appreciate the thought.�
�� Tucking the note into her nightstand, Abby turned off the lamp and went to sleep.
The next day, Abby got dressed to go outside with the Herrins. She took her wand out from the dresser and put it in the pocket of her sleeveless gray hoodie, hoping to sneak away and get to her cave that afternoon.
On her way down the stairs, Abby peeked over the railings for a sign of Ms. Rable. She didn’t think Ms. Rable would forget what happened the day before. Abby heard her talking in the kitchen with Mr. and Mrs. Herrin.
Abby walked in, opening the door softly. She could see Ethan, Aaron, and Brannon already seated at the table eating sausage and eggs. Brannon, with his catlike brown eyes, looked straight at her. Her stomach started growling as she looked at the food. Having pulled her wavy brown hair into a clip, Mrs. Herrin motioned for Abby to join them.
Abby gave Ms. Rable a wide berth, but she never said anything. As a matter of fact, she ignored Abby, like she wasn’t even there. Abby counted herself lucky.
Mr. Herrin put a glass of orange juice in front of her as Abby loaded her plate full of sausage and eggs. She could tell Ethan and Aaron had just woken up, too, for they both seemed half asleep as they ate, and Aaron’s hair was almost standing straight up. After they finished eating, they started to get ready for the picnic in the woods. Abby saw Aaron trying to brush his hands through his hair to straighten it up, but he avoided meeting her eyes.
Mrs. Herrin had risen early to prepare their lunch. “Well, while you are all out, I think I will go into town again to shop for a bit,” said Ms. Rable as she left the kitchen. She grabbed her purse off the counter and said bye to everyone. Abby didn’t relax until she heard the car start in the drive and pull out.
She drained the rest of her orange juice and grabbed the last biscuit before turning to Mrs. Herrin. “How far did you want to go in today?”
“Oh, I’m not sure. How about until we get tired of walking? Then we’ll set up the picnic. Or we can find a nice little clearing.”
“I know where a clearing is. It is about a half-hour walk through the trails.” And it is close to the cave, Abby thought.
“Okay, good. We will go there.” Mrs. Herrin ushered everyone out of the kitchen. Ethan and Aaron ran upstairs to get jackets; Brannon left to get an old blanket from the closet. Abby waited at the front door as Mr. Herrin packed the lunches. They left the house a few minutes later, heading toward the path in the trees.
They were quiet as they made their way through. As they passed the lake, Abby could just make out her rocks through the trees. When they made it to the site, Mrs. Herrin laid the blanket out for everyone to sit on.
Abby laughed as Ethan and Aaron stretched out on the blanket, still seeming tired. “I want to see the lake. Is there a spot where we can go sit near it?” Mrs. Herrin asked Abby.
“There is an old dock not far from here.” They left the food and blankets on the ground. Ethan and Aaron said they would stay there and guard the food from any predators.
Mr. Herrin laughed at that remark. “I bet you a pumpkin pie they will be asleep in minutes,” he said to Brannon.
“I won’t take that bet. I’d have to make that pie.”
They made it to the worn dock at the lake. It had lost many boards and the only ones left appeared as if they would fall with the next wind gust. Mr. Herrin had fishing poles and Abby, who had not seen them carrying the poles, had to bait the hook for him. When she asked why he didn’t already know how, he said fishing wasn’t his cup of tea.
Then she had to show them how to throw the line in, while still holding the pole. Of course, it was after Brannon had accidentally thrown his in and had to use the other fishing pole to fish it out.
They stayed at the lake for a long while, fishing and telling Abby stories of their lives. Brannon looked very red when they told her of his first attempt to ride a bike and mumbled something about preferring to fly.
After they caught four fish, a boot, and some handlebars, they walked back to their camp. Once there, they saw Ethan and Aaron were awake and sword fighting with sticks. Looking at them, Mr. Herrin said, “Okay, everyone, go and find us some sticks to build the fire with.”
“Oh, and I saw some berries near the lake. If you want, take a basket and pick some. We can make a pie later on,” suggested Mrs. Herrin. Ethan and Aaron tossed their sticks on the ground.
Abby and the boys went back into the woods as Mr. and Mrs. Herrin went to the other side of the clearing, disappearing into its shadows. Abby wasn’t worried about them finding the oak tree, as only Mystics could see it.
As Ethan and Aaron went to go gather sticks, Abby thought this was the perfect opportunity to sneak off to her cave. She tried to quietly walk back toward the lake, pretending to gather berries. Brannon was bending down to pick up a small log to take back to camp.
She glanced back to make sure she wasn’t being followed before breaking into a silent run toward the rocks, but she hadn’t realized she had gone toward the wrong ones. When she finally made it to hers, she leaned against them to catch her breath.
She pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at the wall. Before she could say anything, however, she heard Ethan, Aaron, and Brannon calling for her.
Chapter Five
Shoving her wand back into her pocket in a rush, she rounded the corner of her rocks and ran into the boys.
“Hey, there you are. We wondered where you went. Mom said we have to leave because rain clouds are coming in,” said Ethan.
“Race you back,” Aaron called as he took off, Abby and Ethan on his tail. Abby stopped and looked back at Brannon. He was studying the rocks.
“Are you coming?” Abby asked. Brannan looked at her and grinned before blasting past her.
The group made it to the house seconds before the rain fell in torrents. The wind was howling something fierce when Ms. Rable came hurrying into the house, carrying four large shopping bags. Shoving the bags at Abby, she went to her room to dry off.
Dinner that evening was a quiet affair; everyone was tired from their excursions. Afterward, Abby went upstairs to her room.
She saw Bombers curled on her bed when she flipped on the lamp. “How are you today, Bombers?” she asked as she reached into her pocket. “Did you catch many—oh NO! NO, NO, NO, NO. It can’t be gone,” she cried as she started searching her other pockets.
“My wand! Bombers, it’s gone. I don’t know … No! I must’ve missed my pocket when I heard the boys coming. I have to go back and find it,” she said as she went over to the window.
Thunder shook the house as she watched lightning streak across the sky. “Okay, so, as soon as that lessens up some, I’m going out. It’ll still be there. Right? Okay.” She climbed on her bed and leaned against the headboard. Bombers curled up beside her.
She stroked him to calm herself as she waited. She half sat, half laid, listening for the rain to stop.
~*~
Abby woke up stiff-necked and sore the following morning. Rising, she went to her old desk. From the calendar sitting upon it, she had marked when the Herrins were going to be leaving. Tomorrow. Making today the last day of their visit.
As she was dressing, she remembered her wand. “Holy harpies, I forgot!” she said to herself. “I have to go back and get it.” She felt very nervous without her wand, even with the charm spell that was on it. No one could touch her wand without her permission.
“I know what I can do, Bombers.” She opened her closet and took out a small box. Sliding the lid off, she removed a blue pouch. “I can send a note to Rainy and see if she can find it!”
She addressed her note, writing out her request, and then opened the pouch. A puff of dark blue powder rose into the air. Placing her fingers into the water glass beside her bed, she then dipped them in the bag. Gently blowing on her powdered-covered fingers, a bubble formed. She slid the note in and then pushed it out the window. More relaxed, she finished getting ready and went down the stairs.
When she walked into the din
ing room, she saw only Mrs. Herrin, Ms. Rable, Ethan, and Aaron. Mrs. Herrin motioned for her to sit and eat breakfast. Taking a seat, Abby asked, “Where are Brannon and Mr. Herrin?”
“They’re out and about right now,” replied Mrs. Herrin. When Abby finished her last biscuit, she heard voices coming from outside the dining room door. Mr. Herrin and Brannon walked in, looking very muddy. Mr. Herrin’s black hair was drenched and plastered to his face.
“What have you been doing?” demanded Ms. Rable, frowning at all the mud they were carting in.
Mr. Herrin gave his wife a quick look before answering. “We went for a little walk in the woods. Didn’t realize it would be so muddy. We’ll just go and clean up real quick.” Brannon followed his dad out of the kitchen, and Abby could hear them going upstairs.
Mrs. Herrin excused herself from the table as soon as Ethan and Aaron finished their meal. Abby was getting up from the table when Ms. Rable told her, “Go upstairs and change. You’ll be tending the garden again today.”
Abby mumbled her okay as she set off toward the stairs.
She was surprised to see the bubble already gliding through her open window. Quickly popping it, she caught the note that fell from it.
Abby,
Perfect timing, as I was out hiding from Marcella. I looked around the entrance, but I didn’t see anything. It’s really muddy out there though. Are you sure it’s not somewhere around your room? Did you ask Bombers if he saw it?
~ Rainy
Dang! Abby thought. Changing into her gardening clothes, she left her room in time to see Ethan and Aaron leave with Mr. Herrin. “They’ve gone to the airport to pick up Carly and her dad, Mr. Peterson,” Brannon explained.
“Carly and Mr. Peterson?” Abby asked him.
“Carly goes to school with us. She’s in Ethan and Aaron’s class. You’ll like her. She’s nice. Her dad, Mr. Peterson, is a teacher. He teaches fourth years to sixth years.”