by S.E. Akers
Mrs. Thompson was facing the whiteboard, so I leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Absolutely HIDEOUS.”
Soon the sound of irksome feedback “crackled” through the intercom. “Good Morning, students,” our principal, Mr. Harless, belted out enthusiastically. “I have a lot of announcements this morning, so bear with me. As everyone is well aware, Homecoming is finally here, and I trust that all of you will be at the field tonight to cheer our Golden Knights on to victory against the Princeton Tigers.”
Students could be heard in our class and throughout the building as they erupted into a chorus of cheers, roars, claps, and whistles.
Mr. Harless continued, “The game starts at six sharp, and we’ll crown our new Homecoming Queen during halftime. Good luck to every young lady on the Senior Court.” A brief pause followed. “Now, on to some surprising and exciting news. I’m sure everyone is already aware that Xcavare Enterprises will be purchasing the Riverside Pocahontas Coalmine. They’ve made a promise to not only make this mine their most profitable, but also to revitalize our community and bring it back to its status as one of the richest counties in our state. They’ll be making a substantial investment in our infrastructure, our businesses, and our people. I’m pleased to reveal their proposal for our school and its students. For starters, Xcavare Enterprises has graciously offered to sponsor our Homecoming game, as well as tomorrow night’s dance. What’s more exciting is that they’ll also be making a generous donation to our Science department, which will finally allow us to renovate the classrooms and purchase the equipment and materials needed to keep up with the demands of the 21st-Century Student. In addition, they will be granting eight of our college-bound seniors an extraordinary opportunity. These selected students will be allowed to travel abroad to one of their mining operations. Further details about the study-trip will be disclosed after all the students have been officially chosen. The selected students will, however, be required to obtain passports to participate.”
Katie whipped around in her seat. “That sound’s exciting. I’m sure your name will be on that list.”
“That’s all I am right now is college bound, not college accepted, remember?” I whispered back.
“Lastly,” Mr. Harless added, “and what I’m sure all of you will feel is the most exciting news . . . Classes will be dismissed today after fourth-period to kick off our Homecoming festivities. Buses will be running in accordance with our half-day schedule. That’s all, and Go Golden Knights!”
Cheers echoed throughout the school. I looked around the classroom. Everyone was overjoyed with the news — Homecoming, an early dismissal, and of course, all the generous gifts from Lazarus Xcavare. I sat there watching the unsuspecting, jubilant students as I thought about what I’d read while researching in the library yesterday.
Xcavare Enterprises wasn’t in the economic recovery and revitalization business; they were in the mining business. They seemed to be going well out of their way to adopt our little town. Though Lazarus Xcavare was apparently very wealthy, I didn’t get the feeling that he was a devout do-gooder — quite the opposite. He seemed cold, conceited, and callous. I was starting to think there was a lot of truth to the article I’d read.
Maybe they were buying up mines and then abandoning them? This just might be an attempt at some damage control to keep their shareholders happy. Surely a shrewd PR move like this would help bump up their stock price. I was so deeply engrossed in my thoughts I didn’t realize Katie had been trying to get my attention.
“SHILOH? Earth to Shiloh,” Katie teased as she waved her hands in front of my face.
“Sorry,” I replied.
“Isn’t that great news? See . . . I told you they were going to make a commitment to Welch,” she bragged and then turned back around in her seat.
Mrs. Thompson attempted to commence with class, but even she didn’t look the least bit interested in rattling off any equations this morning. Everyone was on such a high.
“Okay, people,” Mrs. Thompson announced. “Free period for the rest of the class — but keep it down.” Cheers flowed around the room again.
I grabbed my Geology book and propped it up, directly in front of my face. Katie got the hint. I didn’t want to be bothered.
I’d just opened the book up randomly in my haste for cover. To my surprise, I happened to be looking at a chapter entitled, “Gemstones”. As I flipped through a few pages, I made a noteworthy discovery. On page 298, there was a picture of a polished royal blue stone with various white, black and gold speckles. It looked identical to the one I saw sitting in the center of Lazarus Xcavare’s gold ring.
Lapis Lazuli, read the caption underneath the color photo. So that’s what it was. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something about his ring that was still nagging me. A chill ran down my spine just thinking about the abrupt jolt I’d felt when my fingers touched it yesterday. There really wasn’t any other information, but at least I learned something. It was an alluring stone, without a doubt, but I would have expected him to be wearing something a little more extravagant and flamboyant. Something gaudy to match his demeanor.
Katie tapped on the back of my book. I lowered it just enough to see her making a sad, puppy-dog face. I sighed as I closed my textbook with an obedient grin and then tucked it under my desk straightaway. She smiled and playfully started clapping her hands.
“Good,” Katie beamed. “Now, tell me exactly how crappy the dress was.”
We spent the next forty minutes bashing Charlotte and Chloe. The second-period bell rang before long, ushering everyone on to his or her respective classes. Katie and I had different teachers for Literature, so I headed off alone to Mr. Jackson’s class. I arrived to find a note scribbled on the whiteboard in blue ink.