The lights dimmed and the movie started. The film had all the makings of a typical romantic comedy. The main character was a woman who was attractive and single, but uptight and slightly abrasive. She ended up falling in love with the man who seemed all wrong for her in the beginning. The man had been her rival at work and she could not stand him. Then, unusual circumstances forced them to work together. While they spent more time together, she realized that he was only a conceited, womanizing jerk because he had been hurt in the past. She began to open up around him, becoming less uptight. Spending time with the woman made the man realize that the risk of being hurt is worth pursuing real love. In the end, they overcame their differences and all the other obstacles. He proposed and the credits rolled.
Allison spent most of the movie relishing her recent victory, and hoping that Jane would realize she was behind it. Before she knew it, the lights were on and people were making their way out of the theater. Allison noticed that the ending must have resonated with Vinnie, who was wearing a big smile.
“How are you going to say that proposal wasn’t the sweetest thing ever?” Vinnie asked.
Allison shrugged.
“That is so you and Josh.”
“Yeah right. First, Josh and I get along. Second, he isn’t some womanizing sleaze and I’m not uptight. Maybe abrasive, but not uptight.”
“Whatever. You are the future Mrs. Burke.”
“First I’m going to be a single crazy cat lady and now I’m marrying Josh?”
“Yes. The movie made me realize there’s still hope for you. It’ll be a beautiful wedding. I’ll be Josh’s best man and Sam can be your maid of honor. She’ll be so excited when you marry into their family.”
“You are insane. I don’t even think of him like that.”
“Well maybe you should. He likes you, look at the bracelet you’re wearing right now. You even said he was looking good when we all went swimming in August.”
“Well, he was tan and half-naked, but it doesn’t matter. Just because he’s not bad to look at doesn’t mean I want to go out with him. I know him too well.”
“Oh, perfect sense. God forbid you know someone beforehand. That is so much better than just meeting some random tool like that guy from Cleveland.”
“Hey, Randy was fun.”
“He was sixteen and had already been arrested twice. Plus, he got a girl pregnant and dumped her.”
“He didn’t dump her for getting pregnant; he dumped her for griping at him all the time. Besides, I never said he was relationship material, I said he was fun.”
“You pick the worst guys. Here’s the question, if you met Josh out somewhere and didn’t know him, would he catch your eye? Would the fact that he’s funny and nice make you want to spend time with him?”
Allison had never considered this before, but just on looks alone- yeah, she would be interested in Josh. “Maybe,” she said.
“See, you’re still thinking of Josh as the chubby boy who used to follow us around when we went to Sam’s house to play. He’s grown up a lot since then and like you said, he’s not bad to look at. Just think about it.”
Thanks to Vinnie, she was thinking about it. There were so many potential problems, though. For one thing, this was high school. They were sure to break up at some point and that could cause a strain on her friendship with Sam, as well as problems in their little group. She thought about the possibilities while they walked home. Her thoughts were cut short when a police car rolled past them, going at a slow pace. The window was down, and Allison looked up, making eye contact with the officer. She looked away as soon as their eyes met.
“What are you kids doing out so late?” Asked the officer.
“Late? Its only 7:30.” Allison said.
“We are on our way home right now, sir,” Vinnie said, giving Allison a severe look.
“Good. We’ve had some complaints about adolescents causing trouble, you probably should go home.”
“Yes sir,” Vinnie said.
The police officer continued down the road while they looked at each other in disbelief.
“I thought they had us,” Allison said, “what a rush.”
“A rush? I just about had a heart attack right here,” Vinnie said through nervous laughter.
They hurried home.
“I thought we were busted.”
“Busted for what?” asked Ruby, her round face full of suspicion.
“Hi, Mamaw Ruby, I didn’t notice your car in the driveway. How was bingo?”
“It was fine, dear. Now what did you almost get busted doing?”
“Well, we went to the movies and we snuck in two boxes of candy. Who wants to pay three dollars for a candy bar, right?”
“Oh. On my drive home, I noticed that someone threw toilet paper all over that Wallace girl’s yard and house. I thought you might know something about it.”
“No, I don’t know anything. I guess I’m not the only one who doesn’t like her.”
“What about you, Vinnie? Do you have any idea who would do that?”
Vinnie was probably the worst liar in history, because he did not like to hide the truth. He took a minute to choose his words.
“I would say that there are a lot of people who would like to do that and more to Jane’s house.”
“I couldn’t help noticing there are several rolls of toilet paper missing.”
“Okay, fine,” Allison said, “I knew the family was gone and I did it, but it’s not like we broke anything.”
“And this is the last time?” Ruby asked.
“Yes.”
“Last time, Vinnie?”
“Yes.”
Vinnie obeyed Ruby as if she were his own grandmother, because she might as well have been. She paid more attention to him than his mother or stepfather did. In fact, he stayed over with them so much that Ruby had fixed the spare bedroom up so that he had his own room. Allison knew this place felt more like his home than his actual home.
“You have to straighten up, Allison. It seems like you’re suspended more than you’re attending school, and the year just started. You go back tomorrow and I need you to make a better effort. Do not allow people to provoke you. You’ll be an adult in a couple of years, and all this nonsense won’t fly.” Ruby said.
She nodded, “I will do better.”
Allison meant what she said. She did not like to disappoint Ruby, even though that was what she ended up doing most of the time.
“I brought KFC home, let’s go eat,” Ruby said, “And, the toilet paper thing was funny, but don’t do it again.”
Ruby did not have many rules, but there was one. She insisted on eating at the kitchen table, with the television turned off. She believed real conversation was a lost art, and blamed it on two things, texting and families skipping dinner together around the table. So, the three of them sat in the kitchen of the 1970’s trailer and ate KFC. After dinner, they played cards for quite some time. Ruby seemed to know every card game in existence, and she loved to play everything from Go Fish to Texas Hold ‘EM. Tonight’s game of choice was Gin Rummy. After several hands and a little television, Ruby was ready for bed.
“Vinnie, do I need to take you home or are you staying the night?” Ruby asked.
“I’ll just stay,” he said.
“So, are you both in for the night?” she asked.
“Yes,” Allison answered, already knowing why she asked. “But is this really necessary every night?”
“Maybe not, but it gives me peace of mind,” Ruby said.
Her grandmother opened a kitchen cabinet and grabbed a familiar bottle containing a milky liquid. Dabbing her fingers with the liquid she walked through the trailer touching every door and window that led to the outside. She muttered as she walked through the trailer, “Protect us, and keep us invisible to our enemies. Make this a barrier, a veil against those who wish us harm.”
One of Allison’s earliest childhood memories was of her grandmother doing this. Ruby di
d not attend church and was not religious, but she did have several curious practices that seemed spiritual in nature.
Vinnie and Allison were tired and soon everyone was in their respective beds, sleeping. Allison tossed and turned throughout the night. She kept having strange, fragmented dreams. In one dream, she was standing in an unfamiliar house with her Algebra teacher. Miss Tucker was burning incense and saying some type of prayer at an altar. Allison woke up and looked at the clock. It was only 2:30 in the morning. She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. She drifted off soon enough. This time, her dream was of an unusual looking man who was giving orders to a small group of people. He spoke to the group with fervor. Allison awoke once more. The image of the man’s face was burned into her mind. It was 3:15 in the morning. She got up and drank a glass of water before returning to her bed and trying again to sleep.
She relaxed and finally was able to go to sleep for the third time. When she began to dream, she was back in the unfamiliar house. Miss Tucker was sleeping on a plush couch; it looked as if she had fallen asleep while grading papers. A man kicked the front door open and entered, followed by several other men. One of the men was recognizable from her earlier dream. His features were too distinct to forget. He had white hair though he did not appear to be older than 35. He had bright blue eyes and a deep scar down his face.
Miss Tucker opened her eyes in time to register what was happening before one of the men stabbed a blade into her neck. While the blood flowed, the man pulled out a small glass container and collected her blood. Allison felt her heart in her throat. She tried to yell, to stop them, but they did not even look her way. She could only watch, helpless. Useless. Before leaving, one of the men lit a cigarette and threw it on her chest. The cigarette caught her shirt on fire, which spread to the fleece throw around her legs, and engulfed the couch. Soon the entire place would be on fire. As the men turned to walk out of the house, Allison got another look at the man with the scar. It felt like he knew she was watching, and he did not like it. She did not dream anything else the rest of the night.
Chapter 3
Allison woke up to the buzzing of her alarm clock. She was drenched in sweat and the taste of iron was on her tongue. She did not have to look at her pillowcase to realize she’d had a nosebleed during the night. She was not even surprised; her nose bled every other day now. Whenever she would have a realistic dream or a long vision, her nose would bleed. Even though she needed to clean herself up, she was in no hurry to move from the bed. She remained under the covers for several minutes, trying to push the images of her latest nightmare out of her mind. Eventually, she had to face the day. She threw the covers back and got to her feet. She stretched and began her morning ritual.
After Allison, Vinnie and Ruby were all dressed for the day, they sat at the table eating oatmeal and wheat toast. Allison tried to keep up with the conversation, but she could not stop thinking of her nightmares. She could not stop seeing Miss Tucker’s look of horror, the bloody scene that unfolded or that evil, strange-looking man. His face was there every time she closed her eyelids.
“Are you excited for your first day back?” Ruby asked Allison.
“This early in the morning, there’s nothing I could be excited for, especially school.”
“You might not be excited but at least you look good,” Vinnie said, “Someone did a great job buying that outfit for your birthday.”
“I know. Whoever it was has amazing taste.”
Vinnie laughed, “Definitely.”
“We should probably start moving before traffic gets heavy,” Ruby said.
“You’re right. I would hate to get stuck in a traffic jam,” Allison said.
“It does get congested when the other twelve cars in this town are on the road,” Vinnie added.
“Very funny. Let’s get this comedy routine on the move,” Ruby said.
They live in Mason Springs, a town in Kentucky. It is small and feels safe, the type of town parents love to raise children in. It is also the type of place most children grow up and leave because there are no jobs and nothing ever happens.
When they reached the outside, Allison glanced over at her new car. She could not wait to be able to drive herself to school.
“We could take my car,” Allison said.
“I think I would rather drive mine, there’s more room and I’m used to it.”
They all entered Ruby’s dark blue Buick and began the trip to school. Sooner than Allison would have preferred, they were in front of Mason Springs High School.
“Have a great day and learn something,” Ruby said.
“We will,” Vinnie said while Allison nodded.
“And Allison, please don’t get into any trouble.”
“I won’t. Have a good day at work.”
Ruby drove off, headed to the hospital where she had worked the front desk for the last twelve years.
Allison and Vinnie entered the old stone building, which now housed Mason Springs High School. It had been built in the 20’s and as far as Allison knew, had never had any renovations. There were rumors that it was once used as a psychiatric ward, where staff abused and neglected patients. Allison was not sure how much of this was true, but being inside those walls did make her feel like a crazy person.
Allison and Vinnie did not make it to their lockers before Jane approached them. She hurried down the hallway looking furious. Allison and Vinnie exchanged looks.
“Try not to laugh,” Allison said.
“Try not to hit her,” Vinnie replied.
“If it isn’t juvie hall and the sidekick,” Jane said once she reached them.
“Just to be clear, which one am I?” Allison asked.
“Sarcasm, funny.”
“A three syllable word, impressive,” Allison said.
“So, are you missing some toilet paper?” Jane asked.
Allison’s satisfied smile answered her question, “What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about! Aren’t you too poor to be wasting toilet paper, or did everyone in The Dir-” she stopped herself from finishing the phrase, “or did everyone in the trailer park donate to the cause?”
“Everyone in the trailer park doesn’t need to donate to me kicking your ass,” Allison said.
Jane backed up, knowing that Allison could and would do it again.
“If you ever touch me, I will press charges for assault on a minor,” Jane said in what was supposed to be a threatening voice.
Allison and Vinnie both laughed.
“You’re lucky you’re rich and pretty because you are not smart,” Vinnie said.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’m a minor too, and in fact, you’re older than me. You can charge me with assault, but not assault on a minor.”
Allison and Vinnie walked away from Jane, leaving her looking confused. Allison found it shocking that someone could be that dense. They stopped in front of a classroom door.
“Have fun in Media Arts,” Allison said.
“Always.”
Media Arts was Vinnie’s favorite class. He performed well in front of the camera. Allison attributed that to the fact that he was handsome, articulate and likeable. He had dreams of being a talk show host someday, preferably on OWN. Oprah was one of Vinnie’s biggest heroes. To Allison, it seemed like an odd choice of idol for a fifteen-year-old boy, but that was Vinnie. He liked what he liked, without caring about the norm.
“See you in third period,” Allison said.
She walked up the stairs to her first class. When she entered Mr. Bunch’s classroom, the seats near the back were already taken. She sat in an empty chair near Wes Young. He was smart, quiet and one of the few people Allison liked. The bell rang but there was no Mr. Bunch. Students began to talk while they waited, and a few minutes after the bell, he arrived. Mr. Bunch never looked happy, but today he looked more unhappy than usual.
“Students, gather you belongings. The
principal has called an assembly,” Mr. Bunch said.
Wes raised his hand. “Shouldn’t we turn in our homework first?”
“Shouldn’t you stop being a geek?” Siler asked.
Wes looked down at his desk, embarrassed but too smart to say anything back.
People like Siler and Jane were the reason Allison could not stand this place. It seemed as if the more cruel and hateful someone was, the more popular that person would be. It just did not make any sense. Allison had no use for people like them, and had no problems making sure everyone knew it.
“I’d rather be a geek who’s going to graduate than a moron who probably won’t,” Allison said.
Siler’s laughter stopped. A few students laughed at her comment, and he looked around, taking a mental note of everyone who found her remark funny.
“Enough,” Mr. Bunch intervened. “We will worry about the homework tomorrow. Everyone go to the auditorium.”
There was a low murmur while students began to grab their belongings and exit the classroom.
“You need to watch that mouth,” Siler warned when he passed by Allison’s desk.
She rolled her eyes but let it go without responding. When she was in the hallway, Wes caught up with her.
“Thanks for saying that to Siler.”
“No problem. He can’t even pass his classes and then he’s going to make fun of someone for being smart?”
“I’m glad you’re back.”
“That makes one of us.”
“Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go with me to the school dance this Friday night.”
Allison was quiet for a minute. This was tricky. Beside the fact that she had no romantic interest in Wes, she knew her friend Sam did, even if she was too shy to admit it.
“Thanks for the invitation, but I don’t come to the school unless I’m forced by law. You know, truancy and whatnot. Besides, I’m a horrible dancer.”
“Oh. Maybe some other time.”
“Maybe, but you know who can dance and is free on Friday?”
Inherited Magic Page 2