Inherited Magic

by Jennifer Mccullah

  Inherited Magic

  Jennifer Mccullah

  Inherited Magic © 2013 Jennifer Mccullah

  All Rights Reserved

  For my mother, Glenna Mccullah

  You were the first one to realize and support my love of writing.

  Thanks to Jan Sparkman for editing.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 1

  Allison sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She knew it was crazy, but she did feel different. It was almost as if today, September 25th, had changed something inside her. She laughed at herself for being dramatic.

  The only real difference was now she could begin trying for her drivers permit, and then her license. Allison smiled when she thought about it. She could imagine driving around on her own, going anywhere she wanted. It was an exciting prospect.

  Allison got out of bed ready for her day. In the kitchen, she found her grandmother making a large breakfast with all of her favorites: homemade blueberry pancakes, biscuits and gravy, country ham and scrambled eggs. There was more food than she could ever dream of finishing, even with the help of Vinnie and her grandmother.

  “Are you sure you made enough food, Mamaw?” Allison asked Ruby James.

  “I had to make sure you had everything you wanted. You only turn sixteen once.”

  What she wanted was a new car like the one Jane Wallace had gotten for her birthday. Well, not exactly the one Jane got. She could do without the blinding shade of pink. Allison assumed all sixteen year olds wanted a car, but she knew her grandmother couldn’t afford it. For this reason, Allison did not mention a car when Ruby asked what she wanted. Instead, she requested DVDs, books, art supplies and clothes.

  Allison was glad her birthday fell on a Saturday, because she did not want to wake up early and spend the day in class. She was happy to sleep in and enjoy a large breakfast with her favorite people, Ruby and Vinnie Castillo, Allison’s best friend. After they ate and relaxed a while, they spent the afternoon doing some of the things Allison enjoyed. They watched a movie at the local theater and visited the large public library in a neighboring town. Allison had been in need of some new reading material and was satisfied with the books she found. Vinnie left with his typical haul of graphic novels, which Allison made sure to refer to as comic books.

  Later in the evening Josh Burke, Samantha Croley and Samantha’s mother, Susan, gathered at Ruby’s home for a small birthday celebration. They ate dinner and had birthday cake; then Allison began opening her presents. She opened Vinnie’s first. He had gotten her three tops and two pairs of pants.

  “Thanks, I love them,” she said.

  When Allison said she loved them, she meant it. Vinnie always knew what type of clothes she liked, and she knew he had taken the time to find just the right items. Vinnie could be the most thoughtful person ever and she knew that he had given a lot of thought to picking out her gifts. Whenever she heard people say, ‘it’s the thought that counts,’ it sounded corny, but it must be true because the thought he put into her presents made them mean so much more.

  “See, I chose the same color scheme so you can mix and match. This one here,” he said, pointing to a red and black blouse, “will go perfect with your black hoops or the little studs Ruby gave you for Christmas.”

  Next, she opened gifts from Sam and Susan. They gave her seasons 7 and 8 of Charmed on DVD, completing her collection. They also gave her a nice collector’s edition of The Hobbit, one of her favorite books. Then she opened her present from Josh. Allison unwrapped the box and was surprised to see a silver charm bracelet just like the one she had seen at the jewelry store in town one day when she, Sam and Josh had been window shopping. Allison remembered mentioning that she thought the bracelet was pretty. She also remembered the price; he shouldn’t have bought her something so expensive.

  There were oohs and ahs, everyone commenting on how pretty it was. Allison was not sure what to say.

  “Thank you Josh, but you shouldn’t have spent that much money.”

  He shrugged, “I knew you liked it, and I thought it would look pretty on you.”

  “It will.” Vinnie agreed.

  Before she could say anything else, Ruby stood up and handed Allison her last present. It was a small box. When she pulled off the lid, she stared for a moment in confusion. Inside was a key, but she knew better than to get her hopes up. Allison knew Ruby could not afford to buy her a car.

  “What does this go to?” she asked.

  “Follow me and I’ll show you.”

  Allison followed Ruby out the front door, and there in the driveway was an unfamiliar car. She stared at the small, squared vehicle.

  “I know it isn’t much, but I wanted you to have a car on your sixteenth birthday.”

  “It’s mine?” she asked, a smile creeping across her face.

  “Yes. I know it isn’t new, actually it’s a ’91 Ford Tempo, but it’s paid for and it’s all yours.”

  “Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, and thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around her grandmother’s neck.

  She ran down the steps to examine her new car. It was a faint gold color, and it looked like it was in good condition. The interior was nice except for a few cigarette burns and the outside did not have any major dents. Allison could not stop smiling. Her friends gathered around, admiring the new car.

  “We can cause so much trouble in this,” Josh said.

  “Excuse me?” Asked Susan, who was not only Sam’s mother, but also Josh’s aunt.

  “I meant we can get to our prayer group so much faster now,” Josh said.

  Allison rubbed her hand across the car. Something happened. It felt as though she had grabbed onto a live electrical wire. She was no longer at home looking at her new car; she was somewhere else that was just as familiar to her, Principal Napier’s office. Allison was sitting in a seat next to Jane Wallace, whose hair was unusually messy. Jane was crying as she spoke.

  “I was telling her happy birthday and congratulating her on getting a new car when she attacked me.”

  “What do you have to say for yourself?” Mr. Napier asked, turning to Allison.

  Allison had no answer. She took a deep breath, blinked and was surprised to see her family and friends staring at her.

  “Are you okay?” Vinnie asked.

  “I’m fine,” she said, though it was a lie.

  She actually felt dizzy and shaken. Her head ached and she was worried because she had no idea what had just happened. The rest of the evening was enjoyable and she tried to have fun, but her mind kept drifting back to that strange episode. Allison could not help thinking about it.

  The weekend went by too fast. It was Monday before she knew it, which meant another five days in that special type of hell known as High School. People always told her that she would miss it one day, but she didn’t buy it. How bad would her life have to be in order to miss being forced to spend day after day with these people? She thought about it while walking through the crowd. Allison liked a few people but the majority she could do without. She walked past Jane Wallace, one person she would definitely be happy not to see again.

  In Allison’s mind, Jane was a walking cliché. She was the type of mean girl found in every coming of age teen movie ever filmed. Jane was snobby, manipulative, rich, head cheerleader and of course, blo
nde. She was everything Allison loved to hate all rolled up into one obnoxious package.

  They had gone to school together since elementary, and they never liked one another. Jane always sought Allison out; she always had something nasty to say. Allison honestly did not understand why; there were plenty of other poor kids to harass. Maybe Jane just enjoyed the reaction Allison gave her. She always took the bait, Allison always engaged even though she knew the smart thing would be to walk away.

  “Happy late birthday,” Jane said in her fake nice voice.

  Allison did not slow down, so Jane walked faster to catch up.

  “Thanks,” Allison said, without stopping or looking in her direction.

  “Sixteen. That’s a big one. Did you know that I got a brand new car when I turned sixteen?”

  “Well, you told the entire school and I’m not deaf, so yeah, I heard that.”

  “Too bad you’re poor and everything. It must suck turning sixteen without getting a new car.”

  Allison stopped. “My grandmother bought me a car, thanks for the concern.”

  Jane’s face was full of disappointment upon hearing that information, but she recovered fast enough.

  “If that’s even true it must be a piece of junk.”

  “It’s used, but it’s in good condition.”

  “What year?”

  “91.”

  “A car from the 90’s? Not just the 90’s, the early 90’s. I think I would prefer not to have a car at all, but what else can you expect living in the dirt lot?”

  As usual, Allison did not think about anything before reacting. She was on top of Jane in an instant, throwing punch after punch. This was not Allison’s first fight, and she was not one of those girls who pulled hair. No, she wanted to draw blood. She focused on Jane’s face, hoping to leave her with a black eye. School pictures were in three days and it would be a major disaster to someone as shallow as Jane if she were to have a bruise on her face.

  It was over almost as quick as it started. School officials were soon pulling them apart while advising onlookers to go to class. Once they were both in Mr. Napier’s office, Allison had the worst case of déjà vu ever. It was exactly how she had envisioned it on the night of her birthday. The only difference was this time when Mr. Napier asked her what she had to say for herself, she had plenty to say.

  After hearing Allison’s side of what happened, Mr. Napier spoke.

  “Allison, I understand it is frustrating when people insult you or where you live, but we’ve been here before. You have to stop reacting; you’re letting people control you. Jane, you have two days suspension for provoking Allison.”

  “But I have practice after school both days.”

  “I don’t care. You’re lucky you only have two days. Allison, since you admitted to hitting her first, you are suspended for the rest of the week. I’ll call your grandmother to come pick you up.”

  “Don’t bother, she’s at work. I can walk home.”

  “That’s fine, but we are still going to send a note home to let her know you’ve been suspended.”

  Having to miss a week of school was not punishment to Allison. She glanced at Jane before leaving Mr. Napier’s office, and was happy to see the beginning of a black eye.

  Chapter 2

  Allison and Vinnie were about to leave for the comic book store when Allison stopped in her tracks and doubled over. She was having another vision, or whatever it was that happened on her birthday. These pictures Allison kept getting since her birthday were coming more frequently and lasting longer, along with her headaches and the occasional nosebleed.

  This time she was in front of Jane Wallace’s home. It was one of the largest and nicest houses in her town, but to Allison, it just seemed pretentious. Why would a three-person household ever need a home with six bedrooms? To her it was overkill, nothing more than a pathetic attempt to say “Look at us, we have money! We matter, we’re rich!”

  Allison watched Jane and her parents get into her father’s Escalade. While they were pulling out of their driveway, the Dad said something about going to Knoxville, which was over an hour away from their town. As quick as the vision hit her, it was gone and she was back in her living room, looking at Vinnie.

  “What is it?” Vinnie asked.

  “I just had the best idea,” Allison said, “I know how I can get back at Jane.”

  “Get back at her?”

  “Yeah, she got me suspended.”

  “You were suspended because you beat her up. School officials do frown on that.”

  “Well, they shouldn’t, because she deserved it, and now we’re going to TP her house.”

  “We?” Vinnie asked, following Allison into her bedroom.

  Inside Allison’s room there was no Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber, instead on her walls, there were posters of The Clash, Avenged Sevenfold and her personal favorite, Joan Jett.

  “Yes, we. Two people can finish the job faster than one person.”

  Allison emptied her backpack, dumping books, pens and loose papers all over her bed.

  “What if they’re home?”

  “They’re gone, trust me.”

  Allison walked past him and into the bathroom. Her grandmother always kept Charmin in bulk. She began stuffing the backpack with toilet paper while Vinnie stood at the doorway.

  “I don’t know if we should do this. Its daylight; and what if something happens? I don’t want to get in trouble for destroying property.”

  “You won’t. Even if we were caught, we would just have to take it down and maybe do some community service. It’s not like we’re throwing eggs or breaking windows.”

  Vinnie followed Allison as she exited the trailer, locking it behind her. They walked through the large lot filled with trailers, of various size and age. Some were well kept while others looked like they could fall in at any moment. Ruby’s trailer was definitely one that had been well maintained. Her grandmother always said there was no shame in living in a trailer, but there was certainly shame in living in filth. She kept the inside spotless, and she worked with the small bit of land she had on the outside, planting beautiful flowers and making sure the lawn was well manicured.

  This particular trailer park was referred to as “The Dirt Lot”. The name developed because the large area, which housed at least sixty trailers, was once nothing more than a bare piece of land with more dirt than grass. It was literally a dirt lot: however, that was in the 70’s. The term lasted long past the time when grass was grown and trailers were put down. It was now used as a derogatory term, meant to describe those who lived in the trailer park as being dirt. There may have been people who lived there that deserved such a title, but, that could not be said of Allison or most of her neighbors. Using those words, The Dirt Lot, was all the reason Allison needed to attack Jane that day at school. So what if she was suspended for an entire week, giving Jane that black eye was well worth it.

  Allison and Vinnie walked through the trailer park, waving and speaking to various neighbors who were outside. Some were working on cars, while others were watching their children play or just relaxing on their porches.

  “If you’re scared, just go to the comic book store and I’ll meet you later,” Allison said to Vinnie, “I don’t want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

  Vinnie walked in silence, considering the option. Allison knew Vinnie was much more worried about consequences than she ever was. Sometimes he probably wondered if she even knew what consequences were. She also knew how much he hated being in trouble, which was why she did not want to pressure him into the idea.

  “No, I’ll help. The two of us can get it finished faster.”

  Allison smiled. She had hoped he would come around. When they approached the house, the Escalade was gone. They looked around to see if any neighbors were outside on their porches or in their yards. It looked clear. Allison dropped the bag on the ground and began to take out the toilet paper.

  “Make sure to get the t
rees,” she said, handing Vinnie a roll and keeping one for herself.

  They threw the rolls as high as possible, watching them unravel in the air and fall into place. One roll after another took flight until they were all gone. Allison took a moment to step back and admire their work. It could have used a few more rolls, but this was good. She was pleased.

  “What are you kids doing?” asked a voice from behind them.

  Allison felt her stomach drop. She turned to see that the neighbor across the road had walked out on her porch. Allison glanced at the old woman, who was using a walker.

  “Go, Vinnie.” Allison said.

  She sprinted down the street and he followed, both running at full speed. Even though the woman could never catch them, she might call the police. Once they were out of sight, they stopped running.

  “Let’s go watch a movie,” Allison suggested, “in case she calls the police, we won’t be out where they can identify us.”

  “Okay.” He said, still catching his breath.

  They were not far from the theater. When they reached the building, they stood in line and purchased tickets for the latest romantic comedy. They rushed inside the theater, forgoing soda and popcorn. Once they were seated, there was a sense of relief. Before the movie, Allison expressed her disdain for most romantic comedies, wishing there had been a better choice available.

  “I just think these movies set up unrealistic expectations. No man is ever as good or thoughtful as they write them in these films. Then they always end up together when everything is finished. It just doesn’t relate to the human experience,” she said.

  “Yeah, but it’s sweet. You are too bitter to be just sixteen.”

  “How can I be bitter? I haven’t even had my first true love,” she said in a mocking voice, “I’m not bitter, I just see through the BS.”

  “I can see it now. You are going to be an unmarried, crazy cat lady. But it’s okay; I’ll still come visit you at least once a week.”

  Allison laughed but said nothing. She considered the option of single, crazy cat lady. It didn’t sound too bad, much better than a house full of screaming children. And at least cats were more independent than dogs.