“Who?” he asked, his voice full of skepticism.
“Sam.”
“Sam? Oh!” He said with relief.
“Who did you think I was going to say?”
“Never mind. So, she can dance?”
“Yeah she loves it. You should ask her out.”
“She’s pretty, but she never talks to me. Do you think she’d say yes?”
“Sam is just shy, that’s why she never talks, but I think she would say yes.”
They arrived at the auditorium where Wes spotted his group of friends and they parted ways.
“Thanks, Allison. I’m going to ask her.”
“Good,” Allison said.
She turned away from Wes and began looking for her own friends. She spotted Vinnie, Josh and Sam. They were all together in the very back row. Allison squeezed in next to Sam and got right to the point.
“Can you dance?” Allison asked her.
“Um, kind of, I guess.”
“Good. I told Wes that you can, and he’s probably going to ask you to the dance on Friday night.”
“Wes Young?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t have anything to wear. If I go with him, I won’t know what to say. I’ve never gone out with anyone before.”
“Relax. Allison and I will help you find the perfect outfit. We’ll come over and help with your hair, your make up, whatever,” Vinnie said.
Sam breathed a little easier. “So he really likes me?” she asked.
“Why else would he ask you out?”
“My little Samantha is growing up so fast,” Josh said, “But seriously, he better not get all touchy feely while you two are dancing.”
Sam blushed at the thought. Josh acted more like he was her older brother than her cousin.
“It’s a school event, I’m sure it will be PG-13,” Allison assured Josh.
“You should come with me just to help keep an eye on these kids.”
Allison did not respond, but gave a nervous chuckle. She looked at Josh; this was the first time she had been around him since her talk with Vinnie. He really was a good person. Most high school boys were not good looking, funny and nice. A girl would be lucky to get two out of three. Josh realized Allison was looking at him longer than usual.
“What? Do I have something on me?” he asked, rubbing his nose in a self-conscious manner.
Allison shook her head but did not say anything because Mr. Napier had approached the auditorium stage. The balding red-faced man wore a grim expression. Unease washed over Allison, though she was not sure why. Once he approached the microphone, most of the chatter ceased; everyone was curious about this surprise assembly.
He spoke into the microphone, “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” He then waited for silence. The student body hushed.
He took a deep breath. “Today is a sad day for Mason Springs. Early this morning Miss Janet Tucker’s house caught fire and her body was found inside the residence.”
There was a collective gasp of disbelief.
Allison had no breath; she felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. The need to throw up was overwhelming and she struggled against the lump in her throat.
“It was real,” she muttered. She stared at the back of the seat in front of her. “It was real.”
The auditorium became hot and constricting. Mr. Napier was still at the microphone talking, but Allison could not comprehend his words. He was saying something about tragedy and grief counselors when she got up and left. In the hallway, she paced. She tried to calm her breathing and heartbeat.
“How could it happen? It was a dream. I was asleep. Maybe I was sleepwalking.” A wave of nausea hit her again.
She looked up to see Vinnie exiting the auditorium; his eyes were teary.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Just shocked, I guess,” Allison said.
The rest of the day went by in a haze. Allison could not be bothered to focus in class or pay attention to her friends’ conversations. All she could think about was Miss Tucker and her dream. She was not sure what to think anymore. She considered going to the authorities and telling them that she suspected foul play, but they would want to know why she had such suspicions. What was she supposed to say, that she had a dream about it? What if they conducted an autopsy and found she had died in the exact manner Allison told them? Wouldn’t that make her a suspect? She could not allow herself to think that such a thing had happened. It had to be coincidence.
She and Vinnie had art together for their final period. When Mrs. Caudwell started the class, she looked like many of the other teachers who had puffy eyes and splotchy faces. It was easy to forget that teachers were human too, and they had just lost a colleague and friend.
“Class, you can consider this afternoon a free period. Many of you are working on projects for the annual art show; feel free to continue if you want. If you do not feel like working on anything, you don’t have to. I don’t mind if you talk among yourselves as long as you don’t disturb your neighbors,” Mrs. Caudwell said.
Allison already had two pieces ready for the art show, and she was confident at least one painting would make it in. Every year since ninth grade, she’d had at least one piece of art accepted into the statewide high school art show. Allison was a talented artist; even those who did not like her could not deny that. Her talent was something that came naturally, and Art was something she enjoyed. The simple act of painting on canvas or dragging charcoal across the paper was soothing.
She took out a sketchpad and walked to the art supply cabinet to take out some charcoal, thinking this might take her mind off everything. She did not have anything in particular that she wanted to draw so she just began making lines and curves without any conscious plan. Her hands moved with a certain precision and grace whenever she was drawing or painting. It was not until several minutes later that she realized what she was drawing. It was the man from her dreams, his odd features. A cold chill made its way down her spine when she looked into the charcoal eyes she had created. She had an urge to rip the paper into shreds, but did not. Maybe if she could put his face onto paper it would be cathartic, help her lose the images.
At the end of the day, Allison and Vinnie began the walk home. It was a walk they were used to making. Ruby did not get off work until 4:30, and Vinnie’s family never bothered to pick him up from school. They would rather walk than wait there for Ruby or ride the bus. They walked down a narrow sidewalk, the air felt too cold for the first week of October.
“I always liked Miss Tucker. She was a good teacher,” Vinnie said.
“She really was.”
“It’s just so sad. I wonder how it happened.”
“A group of men forced their way into her house, killed her and started the fire.”
Vinnie stopped walking and looked at Allison. His face was unreadable.
“What makes you say that?” he asked.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I dreamed about her last night and that is exactly what I dreamed. First, I dreamed she was praying at an altar, and later I dreamed these men murdered her. I could see everything.”
“You dreamed all this last night?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re sure it was Miss Tucker in your dream?”
“Positive.”
Vinnie probably thought she was crazy, but still, she kept talking.
“I have been having things like this happen for over a week. I’m not sure if they’re dreams, visions or what. They’re becoming more frequent and sometimes they give me headaches and nosebleeds. It even happens when I’m awake, kind of like déjà vu,” Allison said.
“Are they always about people you know?”
“No. Sometimes it’s weird, like watching unfamiliar people and events. It feels like I am watching movie clips completely out of order.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but you have to know the dream about Miss Tucker is just a coincidence.”
&
nbsp; Allison shook her head. “It feels like I could have stopped it.”
“I’m telling you, there’s no way you could have stopped anything. I’m sure by the time you woke up the fire was already going. Yes, the timing is odd, but you can’t hold yourself responsible for a dream.”
They had reached the home of Vinnie’s family. Chuck’s car was parked in front. Since he was still home, Allison guessed that he had called in to work so that he could sleep off his usual hangover. They stopped in front of the little white house with blue shutters.
“Anyway,” Vinnie said, “it was just a dream.”
She wanted him to be right; she did not want it to be her fault, so she chose to believe his words.
“You’re probably right, but can you keep this between us?”
“Of course,” Vinnie said.
She knew he meant it. He was good about keeping secrets.
“Well, are you coming back over tonight? Mamaw can pick you up if you want.”
“Probably. I’ll call you later and let you know for sure.”
“Okay, see you.”
Allison continued her walk home.
Chapter 4
Allison spent most of that week thinking about what had happened with Miss Tucker, and trying to make sense of the whole thing. It was all that anyone at school could talk about, so there was no way to forget. She was glad when Friday afternoon approached and she could spend her weekend thinking about anything other than school and dead teachers. When the final bell rang, Allison gathered her belongings and rushed to her locker.
Allison, Josh, Vinnie and Sam met outside the school. They were talking about the dance. Even though Allison would not be there, she was excited for Sam. Josh was standing next to Allison, and she could not help noticing that he smelled good. She wasn’t sure what type of cologne he had on, but it was just right. The smell was noticeable but not overpowering.
“You could always change your mind and come with us,” Josh said to her.
It was tempting. She wondered what could happen if she went along with the group. Maybe they would end up dancing together, having a moment alone. She had not thought much about anything other than Miss Tucker and her odd visions this past week, but right then all she was thinking about was her relationship with Josh. She was beginning to look at him in a different way. Vinnie was right; he was no longer Sam’s annoying cousin who was always around, or just her goofy friend. She was realizing how attractive he really was and how much she liked spending time with him. Maybe she should go to the dance, just to see what might happen.
A voice interrupted Allison’s thoughts. “I can’t wait for tonight, Josh,” Cindy Daniels said.
“Yeah, it should be fun,” Josh said, though there was no excitement in his voice.
Allison’s face was hot. She stared at Cindy, putting the pieces together. Josh had asked her out. There she was, thinking about going to the dance and trying to make some kind of move on Josh. It never occurred to her that he might have found someone else while she was busy blowing off every advance he made. Why wouldn’t he ask Cindy out? She was a nice girl and she was pretty. Allison was looking for something mean to think about her, when in fact there was nothing. She had always liked Cindy, though now she had the sudden urge to throw her down a flight of stairs. At least with Jane, her dislike was justified.
“You two are going together?” Vinnie asked.
Cindy nodded.
“That’s great. We’ve been trying to talk Allison into going but she won’t.”
No, she would not go, especially now.
“It’s going to be fun,” Cindy said, “you should come.”
Why did she have to be so nice and bubbly?
“Maybe next time,” Allison said with forced civility.
“Allison, you should come with us,” Josh said.
“Yeah,” Vinnie said, “I still need a date.”
“Very tempting offer, but I don’t do school functions. Oh, there’s Susan,” Allison said.
Allison was relieved to see Sam’s mom pull up in her brown panel station wagon. Josh waved at his aunt before walking inside with Cindy.
Vinnie, Sam and Allison all three piled into the car. They were going to Sam’s house to help her get ready for the dance. Once they arrived, Allison tried to forget about Josh and focus on helping Sam. They began going through every stitch of clothing she owned. She tried on several different outfit combinations, stopping only when her mother called them to come eat.
Susan had ordered a couple of pizzas. Allison loved to come over to Sam’s house because her mom was so nice and fun. She imagined her own mother would have been that way if she were still alive. Unfortunately, Allison never got the chance to know what type of mother she would have had. The only things she knew about her mom were the things that her grandmother had told her.
After eating, they got back to finding an outfit. They decided on a light blue dress. It was a little low cut and the hemline fell just a few inches above Sam’s knees.
“I don’t know, I may be a little cold in this, it is October,” Sam said.
“I think you’re more worried about showing off a little skin. The temperature has warmed up a lot from what it was at the beginning of the week. It looks great; just take your white cardigan if you’re worried about being cold,” Allison said.
“What do you think, Vinnie?” Sam asked.
“It’s perfect. The dress is pretty and it flatters your shape. It shows off your legs, which are great, without being too revealing.”
Sam smiled. “You guys really like it?”
“Yes!” They both agreed in unison.
That settled the dress issue, and the rest of the time was spent on hair and makeup. Vinnie changed into the outfit he had picked for the night. Allison thought he looked handsome, but he looked good in anything he wore. Vinnie took advantage of any reason to get dressed up and go dancing. He made an appearance at most of the school dances. Once they were ready to go, Allison told them to have fun and let her know how everything went. She then walked home, refusing Susan’s offer to give her a ride.
Allison thought about everything while she made her way home. Taking a walk had always been relaxing for her; during these times, she could focus more and get her thoughts in order. She found that she needed moments alone, whether she was taking a walk, drawing, or reading to keep her sanity.
On her way home, she felt a buzzing in her pocket. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at the screen to see she had one new text. When she opened the message, it was from Josh and the only thing it said was “Hey.”
“Hey,” she wrote back.
In a few seconds, it buzzed again, she opened the message.
“Did you get Sam all straightened out for tonight?”
“Yeah. She looks great.”
It was a few minutes before Josh responded.
“I wish I was going with you instead of Cindy.”
Allison could not believe what she read. Sending this text before he went out with another girl, was that supposed to be flattering? Not to mention Cindy. Allison did not like her very much at the moment, but she was nice, and she deserved better from Josh.
“Well, you’re not. Maybe you should be texting the girl you are going with.”
He didn’t send anything back, and Allison was relieved. She was finished thinking about him and school dances for the night. When she made it home, Ruby was already there.
“You didn’t change your mind about the dance?” Ruby asked.
“No, but I would like to go to the game room for a little while if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine, sweetie. Do you need some money?”
“You’re offering me money? Sounds like you want me out of the house. Do you have a hot date coming over? It’s Earl from the hospital, isn’t it?”
“No, but I do want you out of the house enjoying yourself. You should be having fun on a Friday night. Besides, I know it has been a rough week. You took the ne
ws about your teacher pretty hard.”
Allison sighed, “Yeah.”
Ruby looked at Allison as if she was waiting for her to say something more.
“Have you been feeling okay?” Ruby asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You know you can tell me anything, no matter how strange you may think it is.”
“Everything is good, really. I’m going to go get ready.”
Allison was not a prissy girl but she did not want to be seen wearing the same outfit she had worn to school. She grabbed her favorite Sex Pistols t-shirt and worn out jeans, completing the look with her all black vintage Chucks. She ran a brush through her hair and was ready to go. When she went back into the living room, Ruby was sitting in her recliner and had a twenty-dollar bill ready. “Thanks, Mamaw.”
She bent down to kiss Ruby’s cheek and when she did, an image flashed into her mind. It was Sam and Wes. They were slow dancing, and then Wes gave her a quick kiss, just a peck on the lips. Sam blushed. The image was gone in an instant. Allison felt underneath her nose to make sure it was not bleeding. Ruby was staring with her eyes narrowed.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” she assured her grandmother.
“If you’re ready, I’ll take you down there.”
“Yeah, I’m ready. Can I drive?”
“When you have your permit.”
“That’ll be forever. I can’t even get into Driver’s Ed until next semester.”
“Oh, that’s not so long,” Ruby said while they walked to the Buick.
There was not much entertainment in Mason Springs. There was the game room, which didn’t even have a real name, just a sign that read, Arcade and Pool Tables. The sign was not even accurate; there were games and one pool table. It should have read Arcade and Pool Table. Outside of the comic book store and movie theater, the game room was all there was for entertainment.
When she entered the game room Allison got lucky, the pool table was free. She made change and walked to the table with a pocket full of quarters. She picked a good stick and began her game. She hit the pool balls, and thought about the vision she just had. She hoped it was true, laughing at the thought of Sam blushing. Allison focused on her next shot. She got two balls in two separate pockets. She liked to think of herself as a decent pool player. She was too focused on her game to notice the tall boy walking up to her.
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