“How, exactly?” asked Gus.
“They come back after one hour. Dead or alive,” said Donnelly.
“It’s easy to trace which clan is responsible. Too many bodies credited to one clan and no one will trade with them,” said Tullia.
“So, you see, things are much safer now,” said Donnelly.
“Don’t start.” Kenzie’s voice barely concealed a warning.
“Come on, cuz. It’s not healthy for Calum to be away from our world for so long,” said Donnelly. “And with the new law, it really is much safer.”
“I’ll think about it,” said Kenzie.
“Don’t just say you will to shut me up,” said Donnelly. “Really think about it. It’s going to become painful for Calum if he stays away too much longer. And, he will eventually lose all of his talents. Besides, his grandparents must miss him.”
“My parents come here all the time. So Calum’s not missing out on his grandparents,” snapped Kenzie.
“But Calum’s twelve now,” said Donnelly. “He can go to the Otherworld anytime he wants. And he’s not limited to the Aessea or Tusatha Mounds. It’s just a quick walk through this threshold to the polder, and then he’s free to go to any number of mounds.”
“I hear you, cuz,” Kenzie said in an irritated tone.
“Do you? I mean, Calum’s a great kid and all, but he’s still a kid. One day he’ll go back, with or without your blessing,” said Donnelly. “And when that happens, he won’t be prepared. It’s better if you take him back now. Let him get used to our ways again.”
“That’s enough,” Gus said impatiently. “That’s not why Kenzie called you here.”
“Tell us then,” said Tullia, trying to diffuse the situation.
Calum listened as Kenzie described the storm. Hearing nothing new, he bolted upstairs. “Accessi,” he said as he entered his room. He was relieved when his school schedule drifted off his desk and floated toward him. It always embarrassed him when his Sidhe talents didn’t work properly in front of Hagen.
“Please excuse my boarding house reach,” said Hagen, snatching Calum’s schedule from the air. He laughed at his joke and handed Calum his own schedule.
Hagen was a little taller than Calum and had a much darker complexion. Hagen and his siblings inherited their skin color from their dad, and the blackest of black hair from their mom. Tullia had gray eyes and Donnelly’s were brown, which explained the unique hazel-colored eyes of their children.
“Let’s see,” said Hagen. He read over the card as he ate his ham and cheese sandwich. “We’re on the same team. And our schedules look pretty much the same. The only difference is PE. I have Coach Miller, but you have Coach Payne. Boy, he sounds rough.”
“Yeah,” Calum laughed. “Hey, Arlen’s on our team, too.”
“Thrilling,” muttered a non-thrilled Hagen. “Don’t tell me he developed a love of music and signed up for orchestra.”
Calum answered through a mouthful of potato chips. “No, he didn’t. And Arlen doesn’t have science or language arts with us, but he’s in my PE class.”
“How lucky for you,” said Hagen, reaching for his soda. “Tullia said some girl was staying here. What’s her name?”
The question caught Calum off guard, and he felt his throat tighten. He sipped his soda before answering. “Laurel. She was supposed to stay here a couple more days, but her parents got back early.”
“Fess up, cuz,” said Hagen. “Your mom told my mom Laurel’s cute. Is she?”
“She’s okay, I guess.” Calum felt heat rising on his cheeks.
“What’s she think about Arlen?”
“They haven’t met. Arlen hasn’t been around all summer.”
“I better make friends with her fast, before she moves to the dark side.”
“Very funny,” said Calum. “Arlen’s not that bad. You just need to give him some time.”
“It’s been years, Calum. It ain’t gonna happen,” said Hagen.
A long silence stretched between them. “You aren’t really going to make me ask, are you?”
“No,” said Hagen. He sighed loudly. “There’s nothing new about Finley. I’m beginning to think we’ll never find him.”
“Don’t say that.” Calum said, pointing at Hagen. “Ever.” He walked to the window and stared out.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I was there too. We were only inside a few minutes, Calum. No one saw anything. It’s like Finley evaporated.”
“Doesn’t matter. Just don’t ever say that.”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. All right?”
Calum studied Hagen’s face. Didn’t he understand how important it was to never give up hope?
“Hey, I’ve got something to show you,” said Hagen, grinning wickedly. “I got this when we were in Tusatha.” He pulled a seed from his pocket, placed it on the carpet and said, “Cresco.”
A thick tree trunk materialized, crashing through Calum’s bedroom floor. He stared in amazement as he shrank back from the branches of a fully grown loblolly pine. Its top brushed Calum’s bedroom ceiling, leaving green streaks on the white paint.
“Awesome.” Calum stretched out his hand, feeling the tree’s prickly needles. “But how do we get it out of here?”
“It’ll disappear in a minute,” said Hagen.
“Ha-gen!” shouted a voice from below.
“Sounds like a minute’s not fast enough,” said Calum. They raced each other back to the kitchen where the pine’s trunk stood in the middle of the room. Gnarled roots pulsed as they worked their way through the floor.
“Look at this mess,” Tullia said sternly.
The tree abruptly vanished.
“What mess, Tullia?” Hagen asked innocently.
Gus and Donnelly burst out laughing.
“Don’t encourage them,” said Tullia. A snort broke through her suppressed laughter, causing everyone else to laugh harder.
“Cresco. I’d forgotten that one,” Donnelly chuckled. “Anyway, I was about to call you guys down. I want to hear more about this storm.”
Calum described the strange weather he’d experienced earlier that day with Laurel, and how Frank was convinced there had been a tornado.
“So, what do you think, Donnelly?” asked Gus.
“I think a tornado with no wind, no hail, and no damage is no tornado. You were right, Kenzie. I can feel it. Dark Sidhe have come to Emerald Lake.”
Wi
It was standing room only in Siopa Leabhar on Friday night. The many conversations of tourists and locals made a low buzz in Calum’s ears. He waved to Laurel as she and her parents edged their way through the crowd. They became separated when two men loaded a bass onto the makeshift stage. Laurel arrived at Calum’s table, a full minute before her parents.
“Where—did—you—get—that—stone?” Donnelly hissed, his eyes fixed on Laurel’s necklace.
Laurel’s long fingers curled protectively around the gray stone and she tucked the necklace inside her T-shirt.
Calum stared at his uncle, surprised by his reaction.
“Girls have all kinds of necklaces,” said Tullia. “Here, honey.” She handed Donnelly a ruby-colored glass. “Please excuse his voice. He’s had laryngitis off and on all day.”
Moments later, Rob and Andrea joined them at the table. Kenzie introduced the adults just as the lights of the bookstore dimmed. Gus stepped onto the stage and announced the first band and the audience responded with thunderous applause.
Calum leaned closer to Laurel. “My cousins are up in the loft. Come on.” As he led her upstairs, he turned back to see Donnelly staring at Laurel’s retreating form.
The blue walls of the loft were complimented by a large blue-green watercolor. Several chairs and ottomans sat on a heavy braided rug. Small bookshelves and a white desk were in one corner. Two children sat on a large sofa, their feet propped on a clear blue table, peering down at the bookstore below.
“That’s Brytes and Hagen,” said Calum. “Will
’s asleep in the other room. He always gets tired on Talent Night.” He nodded to Hagen. “Hagen’s in our homeroom class.”
Hagen smiled at Laurel.
“And Laurel’s dad is the new assistant principal at Longwood,” said Calum.
“Thanks a lot,” muttered Laurel.
“He’s gonna find out anyway.” Calum motioned for her to sit with him on the sofa.
“I think I’ve seen Hagen before,” whispered Laurel. “I don’t know where, though.”
“Well, duh. There’s pictures of him all over my house.”
Laurel sat on the sofa, her arm brushing against Hagen’s.
“Ouch!” said Hagen.
“Sorry. Static electricity,” said Laurel.
Calum noticed Laurel never took her eyes off Hagen as first one song, and then another played. It disturbed him that Laurel seemed to be so taken with Hagen. After a few sets, Gus returned to the stage and announced an intermission.
“LMS is a pretty big school,” said Laurel, breaking the awkward silence. “How come it’s so big when Emerald Lake is so small?”
“Because Longwood and Broad River are the only middle schools in Wander County,” said Hagen. “All the kids from the other small towns have to go to one of them.”
“It won’t be as crowded next year,” said Brytes.
“Why not?” asked Laurel.
“They’re building a new middle school,” said Brytes, looking quite full of herself. “Some students will be pulled out from Longwood, and others will come from Broad River. I’ll still go to Longwood, but my class will be about two thirds the size of yours.”
Hagen rolled his eyes. “If you can’t guess, Brytes is well…very bright.”
“That joke got old a long time ago,” said Brytes. She stomped down the stairs to sit with her parents, but quickly returned saying, “Grown-ups are so boring.”
An hour later, Gus’ band performed the final song of the evening, Irish fiddle music that brought everyone to their feet. Rob and Andrea were saying good night when the Calum and the others joined them downstairs. They added their goodbyes, and as soon as the Werners left the bookstore, Kenzie locked the door and closed the blinds.
Books and magazines immediately sailed through the air to land gently in their proper places as the Sidhe used their talents to clean up. Dishes were sent to the dishwasher, and counters were washed by a floating spray bottle and a soapy dishrag. Ten minutes later, the two families were walking home.
Calum thought about the way Laurel had stared at Hagen, and he felt a strange anger toward his cousin. Calum was confused: why on earth was he angry with him? Hagen had done nothing. Calum shifted his focus to Laurel. She hadn’t done anything either. Not really. A memory nagged him. He had felt this way before. The night Arlen had told him about Neal. Not really angry, but what? Jealous. Calum was jealous of Hagen. The revelation took Calum by surprise. He hadn’t thought of Laurel as anything more than a good friend, so why should it bother him if she liked Hagen? It shouldn’t. But it did.
“What do you think about Laurel?” asked Kenzie.
Calum panicked, afraid his mother had been reading his thoughts. But as the adults’ conversation continued, he realized her question had been a coincidence. She wasn’t talking to him.
“You were right, Kenzie,” said Tullia. “There’s definitely something about Laurel. But I get the feeling it’s more on Rob’s side than Andrea’s.”
Rob’s side? Calum wondered. What are they talking about?
“Heads up,” said Tullia.
Seconds later, a yellow cat darted out in front of the small group, racing across the street and into the hedges surrounding a house on the corner. A large dog barked furiously a few houses away.
Calum grinned. He’d always been impressed with Tullia’s ability to make predictions. Her talent was limited, though. Her predictions came only moments in advance, but she was never wrong.
“Whatever’s going on with Laurel, it’s clear she doesn’t know anything about that stone,” said Kenzie.
“She’s awfully protective of it though,” said Donnelly.
“And, the stone’s protective of her,” said Kenzie. She explained what had happened when Kenzie had cut the necklace from Laurel’s neck.
“I’d like to know how she got it,” said Donnelly. “It has the Hobayeth’s mark on it.”
“Are you sure?” asked Kenzie.
“I think I know the mark of my own clan,” Donnelly grumbled.
“And you would know if they were here? The Hobayeth?” Kenzie asked worriedly.
“Only if they wanted me to,” said Donnelly.
“But you can tell Laurel’s not a part of that clan, right?” asked Calum.
“Yes, I can tell. She’s not Hobayeth. But that only makes things more suspicious, her having their token.”
“We’ve been watching her for weeks. She seems to be nothing more than a normal girl,” said Kenzie.
“Well, don’t get too attached to her,” said Donnelly. “If she’s somehow figured out about us, or even a hint about our world, our next step won’t be a pleasant one.”
Calum glared at Donnelly and felt a shiver down his spine when he saw the look in his uncle’s eyes.
Chapter Five
Sixth Grade
Calum spent the final weeks of his summer vacation hanging out with Hagen and Laurel at Siopa Leabhar. They played with Wrecks in the garden, walked to the movies, or had ice cream at Bat’s while the adults had coffee and long conversations. One afternoon, as Calum and Hagen walked through the stacks, they overheard their mothers talking at the café counter.
“I think it’s cute,” said Tullia.
“It is,” said Kenzie. “But they’re growing up so fast. There was a girl we met during our last trip to South Carolina who thought Calum hung the moon.”
“Hung the moon?” whispered Calum.
Hagen shrugged his shoulders.
“Of course, he was blissfully unaware of her attentions,” said Kenzie. “Has Laurel said anything to him?”
Calum heard the tinkling sound of a spoon, stirring inside one of the porcelain cups.
“Not that I know of,” said Tullia. “But I’ve seen the way she stares at him. So cute. She’s the first girl to have a crush on Hagen.” The shop bell rang as a customer entered the bookstore, ending their conversation.
“Wait. Laurel has a crush on me?” Hagen whispered.
Calum felt that little ball of anger again. He tried to play it off, poking Hagen in the ribs with his elbow. “Don’t worry about it. I doubt Laurel has a crush on you.”
“Why not?” asked a defensive Hagen.
“She doesn’t think about us like that.” But Calum remembered the way she had sat so close to him at the movies that day. Or does she?
“She sure does stare at me a lot,” Hagen challenged.
“I don’t know,” said Calum. “Maybe she’s wondering why you dress you so funny.”
“Or maybe,” suggested Hagen, “she’s trying to figure out why someone as cool as I am hangs out with a dork like you.”
“Nah,” said Calum. “Must be she’s trying to find out where that smell’s coming from.”
“Good one,” said Hagen. They both roared with laughter. Their jokes continued, becoming more and more disgusting, until Tullia called Hagen to go home.
Calum’s anger faded as quickly as it had come. It was stupid to think Laurel liked either one of them. He decided to put away these thoughts and appreciate Laurel for who she was. A friend who just happened to be a girl. Besides, Calum had other things to worry about.
As summer slipped away, Calum felt conflicted about middle school. He was eager to start sixth grade, but he was equally anxious. Before he could decide which emotion to follow, time made the decision for him. The first day of school arrived abruptly, like a door slamming shut on summer. He was definitely anxious.
The night before, Calum had worked his way through his school supplies. He
took out his schedule card and organized his binder so each class had its own section. He filled zippered pouches with pencils, erasers, and scissors, and put them into his black book bag. His things were ready for school, but he wasn’t. He didn’t rest well that night, and when he did manage to fall asleep, his dreams were of lockers that closed around him like a coffin.
Kenzie and Calum stopped at Hagen’s house on the first day of school before picking up Laurel. “She doesn’t want to ride in with her dad,” Andrea had explained. “She’s worried about how the other kids will react when they find out he’s the assistant principal.”
As they pulled into the car line, Kenzie glanced in the rearview mirror. “Everyone okay?”
Calum half-smiled. “I guess.”
“You guys are going to love middle school,” said Kenzie. “And don’t worry. Mr. Werner promised to keep a low profile.”
Laurel smiled weakly, straightening her unmistakable first-day-of-school outfit.
“It’ll be fine, really,” said Kenzie. “And I hope by now, all three of you realize no one’s going to be stuffed inside a locker.”
Calum, Hagen, and Laurel laughed nervously and the tension was broken. They reminded each other to look for one another at lunchtime, but as Kenzie pulled up to the drop-off point, silence invaded the car like a dense fog and their collective nervousness returned.
“Okay guys,” she said, bringing the car to a stop. “Have a good first day.”
Calum sucked in a deep breath and opened his door. Laurel and Hagen slid out behind him wordlessly. Calum looked around the campus of Longwood Middle School and felt an intense longing for one more week of summer vacation.
The school grounds had been mowed and the smell of cut grass combined with the scent of freshly lain mulch. Small gardens with old-fashioned benches and colorful birdhouses dotted the schoolyard. Calum saw outdoor classrooms, greenhouses, and large navy barrels that were used to capture rainwater.
The car line had taken too long. By the time Calum, Hagen, and Laurel entered the school, the hallways were nearly empty. They walked across freshly waxed floors, following green signs posted on cinderblock walls. Sixth graders were to report to the Commons for an assembly. A sea of brown tables advertising school clubs made the walk deliberately roundabout—and a bit like a state fair.
The Circle Page 5