10. School Mode
I wish we had more time to adjust, but my aunt wanted us to start school right away. I was in panic mode because of my uncontrolled auric sight. I’d be dealing with crowds of strange teenagers everywhere I went. Am I going to see colors spinning around everyone’s heads? That would be a major distraction. Would I be able to shut it off?
On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind using my auric sight, if I had control over it. Think of what an advantage that would be for a new student in a big high school. You want to make friends, but it’s tough to expose yourself in the high school arena. One misstep and you become a loser, or even worse, a target. In order to get by, you either became invisible, or you joined some faction with strict social expectations. I’d rather make friends with the real ones right away. The reading of auras helps you to see kids as they truly are, not their show-off version.
As I started drifting off in bed that night, I found myself going over the last few days. It was scary but also pretty interesting. I was anxious about tomorrow because I didn’t want to be the new kid in school.
Suddenly, I found myself walking through the halls of the new school. Where is my English class? This hall seems like it goes on forever. Students were passing me but were not looking at me.
What’s going on up there? I can see a pack of students in the middle of the hallway obviously intent on something. I think it’s a fight. Is that two girls? I’ve never seen two girls fight. One is really aggressive, pulling hair and trying to get in the other one’s face. I can’t see the other one because she’s smaller and she’s protecting her face with her arms and hands. Some students are egging them on saying stuff like, “Get her, Tonya, she’s always asking for it.” The aggressive Tonya girl shoved at the slight girl, who then tripped over someone’s foot and fell back hard. Her head quickly snapped back and slammed into a metal tool box that was left near some exposed pipes. Everyone stopped and stared, as if they couldn’t quite believe what had happened. The victim appeared unconscious; then she started having a seizure. Students were taking off left and right. I could hear a teacher yelling something as he came from a nearby room.
Abruptly, I woke up. It was still the middle of the night. What was that about? That was a nightmare, but I felt like I was right there. Why did I have that creepy dream about the new school? It shook me up. I had a hard time getting back to sleep after that.
Before I knew it, the alarm was going off and I was dragging myself out of bed. I put on my lucky outfit and met my cousins at breakfast. My oldest cousin, Annie, was more duded up than Eve or me. She’s tallish, pretty, with long blond hair and on the shy side. My cousin, Eve, reminded me more of Aunt Amy. She likes trendy clothes, but was more of a casual dresser. She could be whiny at times, but still sweet. She’s also the jock of the family. As for myself, my cousins always say that I’m still a “work in progress”, whatever that means. I’m pretty sure that it’s not a compliment.
Auntie was there to give us a little pep talk, and to shove some food at us. I almost felt worse for her then for us. She was wringing her hands like crazy.
"We gotta go, Mom. Don't worry. We'll be fine today,” Eve said while gulping down orange juice.
We took the bus to school and went to the office together. I noticed kids checking us out, but not too blatantly. I could also see flashes of color around students, but since everyone was moving, the colors were fleeting. My aunt had Grandma bring in our old school records and sign us up last week so our schedules were all set. We were supposed to meet with student guides in the office. A stocky girl with short strawberry blond hair and bright pink fingernails was the first one to rush in. As she glanced at us she commented, “Hope I’m not late. I’m the student guide for, uh,” she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and glanced at it, “Eve.”
Eve took a tentative step toward her and affirmed, “Hi, I’m Eve.”
“Hi, I’m Miranda, but everyone calls me Rainy. Did I hear that you guys live in the old Drake house?” she asked.
Annie asserted, “Yeah, we moved in with our grandma, Edwina Drake yesterday.”
“Yesterday! You haven’t been here long. So I guess you don’t know a soul here. Hey, I’ll introduce you guys around,” she announced with an excited grin.
At that point, two other girls came in to escort me and Annie to our first class. The day went by in a blur. As far as the auras, I saw flashes of color around many students, but I found that if I didn’t look at anyone for too long the colors would fade away. It was different with teachers. I had to address them before every class to tell them I was new, etc. When they focused on me, I would get a very clear picture of their auras. Four of the teachers had clear bright auras of different colors. Two teachers had darker, murky auras. Somehow I knew that wasn’t good. This auric sight may actually help me out after all.
Before I knew it, we were approaching last period. I was making my way down a long hall to English class. I noticed a crowd of students gathered at the end of the hall. There was commotion of some kind. Are those two girls fighting? This is eerie. It was starting to look all too familiar to me. I could hear a girl screaming at someone. I could see the other girl backing off, holding her hands over her face. I knew what was going to happen. What do I do? I could hear someone say, "Get her, Tonya, she's always asking for it." I ran into the crowd, when I saw Tonya lift her arm as she advanced on the girl. I stepped up and pushed Tonya back with all of my strength.
I shouted to Tonya, "You're really going to hurt her. You've got to stop it."
Tonya looked at me like I was crazy. "Who are YOU, and what do you think you're doing? Butt out, you bitch!" She started to come at me, when we could hear a male teacher shout from down the hall. Everyone immediately took off.
I ducked behind some students and managed to escape into my English class two doors down. I saw several students staring at me while I waited to talk to the teacher. I can just imagine what they were thinking. Why did that crazy girl butt in? Who is she? The teacher finally gave me a textbook, and sat me down near the front. I was so freaked out. What a way to start off the year in a new school, to get involved in a fight. What else could I do though? I knew that girl was going to get seriously injured. I had to do something. Unfortunately, I may have made a nasty enemy with that girl Tonya. I saw her aura. It was a dark blood red. It was angry, pulsing. I felt aggression, violence, evil vibrate around her.
When the final bell rang, I got out of class as fast as I could. I didn't want to run into Tonya or any of her cronies. I remember hearing someone egging Tonya on, so she does have some friends around. It seemed like the other girl wasn't even interested in fighting. I wonder who she was.
I saw my cousins and Rainy in the front of the school by the flagpole where we had arranged to meet at the end of the day. Before I could say a word, they all showered me with questions. Annie started it up. "What were you thinking, Tessie?"
Eve glared at me adding, "What the heck happened? Why did you get involved in that situation? I was sitting in Calculus last period and all I heard about was how the new girl got involved in a fight with Tonya. It sounds like Tonya’s bad news."
Rainy turned to me looking aghast and asked, "Was that YOU who got involved? I heard it was a new girl, but I didn’t believe it. Tonya is bad, bad, bad. If you get in her sights, you better watch your back."
I was getting more and more freaked out. Way to go, Tess. "So, did I piss a lot of people off? I sure didn’t mean to. My goal was to stay invisible here, at least for a while.”
"I don’t think too many people care, to be honest. People don't like Tonya. She’s bullied more than a few kids in school and around town. In fact, I would say that most of the school is afraid of Tonya except for her pals. Tess, I believe you made a few friends today. People probably think you’re insanely brave.” As Rainy said that, she was smiling at me. I don’t think I cared for the ‘insanely brave’ comment. There was too much emphasis on the insane part.
Annie wasn't ready to let the matter drop. "What made you jump into the fight the way you did? I heard that you got right in the middle and gave Tonya a punch in the gut. Then, I heard you yelled something at her. What possessed you to do such a thing?"
I snapped at her, "That's an exaggeration. I didn't punch her in the gut. I merely got in front of her to protect the other girl, and then I shoved Tonya back to keep her from hitting on that girl. I also let Tonya know why I was doing it.”
Eve face morphed from anger to disbelief. "Tess, why were you doing it?"
I had to think about that question. Should I tell them about the dream I had? I don't think so. They'd believe that I was crazy because it wouldn't make any sense to them. In fact, right now, I believe that I may in fact be crazy. That's the second dream I've had in recent days that has predicted a future event. Why am I having these dreams? They’re scary but I can't avoid them. They just happen. I finally turned to Eve and replied, "I had a concern that Tonya was going to hurt the other girl. I couldn't just let it happen.” Eve didn’t look too convinced.
I turned to Rainy. “By the way, who is that girl?"
"Her name is Mercy Reed,” stated Rainy.
I asked, “Rainy, why do you think Tonya would pick on her?"
Rainy paused before answering. "Mercy is different. She's always been one to keep to herself, and from what I've seen, Mercy is not one to kowtow to Tonya and her group. I wouldn't be surprised if Mercy stood up to Tonya in some situation, so Tonya had it out for her. I've heard rumors to that affect anyway. Most kids here just don't want to stick their neck out when it comes to Tonya. She's the kind of person that can make your life miserable. Mercy seems like she's pretty independent. She doesn't care what others think."
"Has Mercy lived here for a long time?" I asked.
“Mercy’s only lived here for around six months. She sat next to me in sociology class last spring, so I got to know her a little. I liked her because she spoke her own mind in class. She’s definitely not the kiss-up to the teacher type. I don’t think she’s ever globbed onto any crowd of kids, so I don’t know what she’s into,” Rainy answered thoughtfully.
“Mercy sounds OK to me. I’d like to meet her sometime,” I responded while inwardly smiling. I glimpsed at Eve out of the corner of my eye. She’s always trying to be my mother.
Eve turned to me and glared. "Tessie, please be careful who you make friends with. Mercy sounds a little strange. You're making me nervous right now."
“OK, Evie dear, I’ll check with you before I make friends with anyone. Does that meet with your approval?” I looked at her amused.
“Humph,” responded Eve, aiming her best look of mother disapproval at me.
I smiled sweetly at her.
11. Miss Cassie
Fortunately, our first day of school had been on a Friday. That gave us the whole weekend to recover from the trauma of that first day. My cousins decided to go to the high school football game on Saturday. Rainy invited all of us, but I think she really wanted to hang out with my cousins. That's OK; she's more their age. I'm glad they're making friends so fast. Rainy seems pretty cool. She has a striking clear orange/red aura. I sense great warmth, passion and enthusiasm from her. She will be a nice new friend for us.
I’m not ready for the social scene at a football game right now. In fact, I need a mental break from anything that requires energy on my part. I reviewed what happened to me in the past six weeks: Frank’s death, the move across country, the train accident, the auric sight, the dreaming about future events and the fight at the new school. What I’m wondering is, how am I still sane?
I need some time to myself, so I figured that today would be the perfect time to check out Woodley. Grandma said I could use Grandpa’s Myron’s old bike if I gave it a tune-up. That’s fine. I know all about tune-ups after working on cars with Frank. I pumped up the tires, oiled the chain, checked the brakes and adjusted the seat. Grandma suggested that I ride to the center of town where there’s several pre-1700 homes and an historic church. I knew it sounded strange for a teenager to purposely go around looking at old houses, but I’ve almost become obsessed with this place. It’s related to the feeling that I've been here before. Why does this town feel so familiar to me? I wish I knew.
I donned my baseball cap and most comfortable T-shirt and shorts and rode off. On the way into town I got a close up look at some of the old homes that grandma was talking about. If you close one eye and block out some of the stores on the east side of Main Street, you can almost imagine how this town looked in those Puritan days with women wearing long dresses and people walking or riding horses everywhere.
Near the church, there’s an old dark red house that I had noticed when we first came into town. It's the one that I feel like I've been in before. It's a small square-ish house that, I think, is called a ‘saltbox’. The windows had these tiny window panes so I knew it was rather dark inside. I could imagine how the rooms were laid out. I pictured a large fireplace with a big black pot hanging in it. There were only a couple of simple chairs in there to sit on.
As I was staring at the place and imagining what the inside looked like, I suddenly noticed the movement of an old lady rocking in a chair outside by a side door. She was a tiny thing, wearing an apron over a long blue dress, pushing the rocker with those old fashioned shoes that tie in the front with chunky heels. She had white hair pulled back, probably in an old lady bun, and was looking directly at me. She was probably wondering what I was doing, staring at her house. I finally decided to address her. Maybe she knew something about the background of this place.
"Hi,” I shouted. “Hope you don’t mind me checking out your house. It’s looks really old.”
She continued to stare at me. She finally replied in an elderly quavering voice, "Hello Elsa".
Before I answered, I smiled reassuringly at her, "My name isn't Elsa. You must have me mixed up with someone else."
I hopped off my bike and strolled toward her. As I got closer, I got a better look at her face. I had initially presumed her to be a flakey old woman, especially after she called me Elsa. I realized, however, when I studied her eyes, that she had a look about her. She wasn’t foggy-brained at all. Her eyes were as clear and sharp as a bright sunny day. Her aura started to emerge as a beautiful clear golden cloud. I had never seen anything like it. I associated it with goodness and joy. Then, some other feeling drifted over me, a sense of peace and love, an out of this world, heavenly sensation. I wanted to soak it up, but it was fleeting. Did I imagine that?
I took my hat off when I got to her and said, “My name is Tess.”
"Well, you were Elsa at that time. Would you like to see how the house has fared?" She asked me as she stood and picked up whatever she was knitting.
How the house has fared? What was she talking about? "Yes, I’d love to see the inside your house. And what is your name, ma’am?" I inquired.
“You don’t know my name, dear? I’m Miss Huggins, Cassie Huggins. You can call me Miss Cassie,” she answered. Then, she slowly turned around and walked directly to a side door. The doorway was certainly very short. If I was over 5'10" I would've had to duck. Were people that short in the old days?
While entering the doorway, I turned and I asked her, “How long have you lived here, Miss Cassie?”
"I have lived here a very long time; for my entire life in fact. I was even born in this house. Would you like to come in and join me for a cup of tea?" She invited as she pulled off her straw hat.
"Yes ma’am. That would be nice." I responded as my eyes took everything in. The inside was quite dark and spare of furniture. We went into the back, where I knew the kitchen was located. It was much like I had anticipated except some of the interior had changed. I had a dim memory of seeing a table against the wall with a bench on two sides and no tablecloth. This kitchen had a table with chairs around it and a table cloth on it. It was pretty old furniture, but definitely not as crude as those benches were. Miss C
assie also had bunches of herbs hanging in two corners of the kitchen. I remember seeing the bunches of herbs.
She made the tea and sliced some apple bread that she had made, and we carried it to the front parlor. Both of us sat on opposite ends of a stiff, ornate couch. While we were sitting in the parlor a strange thought flashed into my head. I remember seeing a plain old coffin in here on a table right in the middle of the room. I wonder where that thought came from.
I had the impression she was thinking something about me because suddenly she focused her intense green eyes in my direction and stated, "Tess, you must be aware that you have some special abilities.”
"What are you talking about? What do you mean by special abilities?" I felt shivery. She sounded like Dr. Lee.
"I don't have to explain it to you. You know. I'm sure things have happened to you recently. Sometimes you can ‘see’ things before they happen. Isn't that true dear?" She patted me lightly on the hand while she spoke.
"I wouldn't say that I see things before they happen. That would be impossible anyway." I couldn’t look in her sharp eyes as I lied.
“You don't see things during waking dreams or, perhaps in your night dreams?" she reiterated in a calm voice.
"Well, maybe. I think it’s just coincidental, though. People have dreams all the time. I don't think they mean anything." I was starting to sweat. She knew I was lying to her.
Miss Cassie’s little wrinkled hand gently lifted up my chin to look at me. Her eyes were smiling. "Seers can also see things when they are completely awake. Sometimes, they see events just before they happen. It is nothing to be fearful about. Sometimes it is helpful.” Her eyes widened in surprise as she peered at me. “And you, my goodness, something has happened to you. You have acquired additional sight. You can read the auras. That is so unusual. What happened to you, Tess?"
I studied the knots in the oak floor and nervously swung a leg back and forth as I responded, “I was involved in a train accident and a piece of metal went into my head. I started seeing the colors after that happened. The doctors attribute my auric sight to that injury.” I paused and looked at her, “I’ve been seeing auras ever since then. I haven’t mentioned this ability to anyone else. It’s too weird.”
A Girl Between Page 5