Talisman

by S.E. Akers

  Emerald Eyes Whiskey… I rotated the flask back and forth for a moment, simply watching the light bounce off the facets of the green crystal eye. “Where did you get this?” I asked curiously.

  “Actually, someone from Xcavare dropped it by the house today, as a gift for my father,” Mike revealed, his grin looking just as proud as it did sneaky. “He wasn’t home, so the guy left it with me.”

  “Don’t you think your dad will miss it?” I posed with a doubtful laugh.

  “Nope,” he assured and pointed to the flask. “The top screws on. There’s no seal. I’ll replace it with some of his other whiskey from his liquor cabinet and show him ‘his gift’ in the morning. He’ll never know the difference. He’s way too tight to ever buy something like this. This stuff is so expensive and extremely rare. I read where they only make around a hundred of these bottles a year. Hell, Shiloh . . . That’s a real emerald in the center of that eye.”

  I had to admit I was quite impressed with Mike’s plan and very intrigued by the flask in front of me, as well as its contents.

  He unscrewed the cap. “Ladies first,” Mike insisted as he pulled onto the highway. “Just take a few sips . . . to help you relax. We’ll be at the dance before you know it, and I’ll cut you off. Then you can use some of those mints Katie threw in your bag,” he joked and gave me a nudge with his elbow.

  Now normally I would never submit to peer pressure. However, as bad as what the past few days had been, I rationalized that there wasn’t any possible way they could get much worse, even if I happened to catch a little buzz.

  What the heck, I thought as I threw back the bottle to take a sip.

  The whiskey was surprisingly sweet. The only alcohol I’d ever tasted was some hot beer at a pool party two years ago, and it was downright nasty. However, this stuff was as smooth as silk and incredibly delicious. I started picturing all the grimaces people would make in the movies whenever they took a hard shot of whiskey, but my face never flinched.

  Mike’s cell phone rang. He answered it and immediately started talking to someone in a noticeably hushed manner. It had to be Kara. I shook my head and turned to the window. Poor Tyler, I thought as I took a hefty swig.

  The closer we got to our high school, the more anxious I became about having to give the bottle of Emerald Eyes back to Mike. I found myself unable to stop drinking it. As soon as we started up the hillside drive that led to the upper parking lot, I took “one more sip”, and then another one, and then yet another. I couldn’t even cut my own self off!

  Before I knew it, Mike was off the phone and had whipped into a parking space. I gave the flask a light shake and thought, Oooh crap…

  “Okay, hand it over, Shiloh. The bar’s officially closed,” Mike joked.

  I fought off a cringe as I handed him the flask and then waited for his predictable response.

  His bottom lip fell to his lap, right along with the bone-dry flask. “Son-of-a-BITCH!” Mike cried out and then shot his bulging eyes at me. “You drank the WHOLE FREAKIN’ THING!” Though truthfully, he looked more shocked than angry.

  Mike’s official confirmation had my teeth sinking into my bottom lip. “Well . . .”

  “Crap, Shiloh! You’re going to be stinking drunk — not to mention SICK!” Mike raked his hands nervously through his hair and started rubbing his head. “If you get busted, don’t tell ANYONE what you drank or WHO gave it to you, understand?” he ordered, sounding all in a panic.

  “I feel fine. Really,” I insisted. “Look, I’m sorry, Mike. It was just so sweet and smooth. It didn’t taste like alcohol at all. Maybe that’s why I didn’t realize how much I’d drunk?”

  I honestly did feel bad about downing all the whiskey. I didn’t even share a drop of it with him. He was right. I would probably end up embarrassing myself by dancing on a table or worse — clinging to a damn toilet.

  “I’m sooo glad you liked it,” Mike snapped. “You may be ‘fine’ now, but wait about thirty minutes and then tell me how you feel!”

  “Mike, are you sure there was any alcohol in it?” I questioned.

  Mike pitched the empty flask under his seat. “I wouldn’t know, Shiloh — I didn’t get to taste it!” He hopped out of the car and walked around to open the passenger door. “Come on,” he demanded, holding out his hand. “I’ll have to babysit you for the evening.”

  A blast of cold air whirled around my frame as Mike helped me out of the car. I’d left in such a hurry that I forgot to grab a coat. I shivered as I looked up at the dark, starless sky. To my sheer surprise, a flake of snow drifted down and landed on my shoulder. It was the first snow of the season. The first snow was always the most exciting, like seeing a long lost relative. However, a few weeks of steady visiting left you wishing every last speck would go away — and not return for another year.

  “I didn’t know it was supposed to snow tonight,” I said aloud, still amazed. I held out my hands to catch a few more snowflakes falling from the dark and puffy clouds above. They were really starting to come down.

  Mike seemed puzzled as he looked up at the sky and all around. Then he took hold of my hands and stared directly into my eyes. “Shiloh, it’s not — It’s not snowing. What are you talking about?” he quizzed skeptically.

  I jerked my hands out of his grasp. “The snow that’s coming down,” I insisted as I pointed up to the sky. My confident expression soured as soon as I realized there weren’t any clouds of any kind hovering up there anymore.

  Where did they go? Then I desperately searched all around for any lingering traces of glistening white flakes. Strangely, there wasn’t a speck of snow to be found anywhere either. The only thing I spied was my fake-date whose face appeared fearfully stricken with worry.

  “Shiloh, listen to me . . . There’s NO SNOW.” Mike shook his head and slapped his hands on his legs. “You’re drunk!”

  I immediately turned in a huff and stormed off. “I know what I saw . . . and I’M NOT DRUNK!” I called back as I hurried towards the brown and gold gymnasium doors. Mike caught up with me just as I was about to enter the building. He placed his hands over mine, pressing them against the door handle.

  “Don’t run off, Shiloh. You have to stay focused. My mom is on the other side of this door. If she finds out that her underage son stole his dad’s whiskey and got his underage date drunk at a school dance, I won’t have to worry about the school suspending me. I’ll be at McDowell County Hospital having her foot removed from my ass! Then, when I finally get out of the hospital, she’ll take that Camaro she allowed my father to buy me and run over me with it — for humiliating her!”

  I glared back at him. “I told you, Mike. I’m not drunk! I’ve gotten a buzz off a few beers before, and I know what it feels like. This is different!” As mad as I was at him for not listening to me, I took pleasure in the fact that there was someone Mike Riverside feared more than anything—his mother—and with good reason.

  Mike released my hand and leaned closer. “We’ll see. But remember, Miss Honor Roll, you’ll be in as much trouble as I will. Tell me, Shi? Do they list suspended for drunkenness at a school function as an ‘achievement’ or under ‘extracurricular activities’ on a transcript?”

  Talk about a cold slap of reality. Something like that would look pretty damning if it found its way into my school records, but there’s one tiny fact he’s forgetting… I’M NOT DRUNK!

  Though Mike was standing right in front of me, I leaned closer. “Open. The. Door. NOW!” I grumbled, hoping my neurotic date had heard me this time — loud & clear.

  “FINE!” he barked back, looking as jittery as a cornered mouse.

  Mike grabbed hold of the handle straightaway, but oddly enough, the same door that had always been painted in our brown & gold school colors started to mysteriously turn red — right before my disbelieving eyes. Baffled by the door’s inconceivable color change, I turned towards Mike, who was
staring back at me with a foreboding look on his face. Once I’d realized he was probably standing there thinking I was about to do something stupid, I shot him a glare and turned to face the entrance. I started to head inside when a couple of gold crepe streamers floated out the door, forcing me to take pause.

  “Any day now,” Mike scoffed.

  Disgusted, I attempted my entry again just as another long streamer flew out the door. However this one swiftly changed into something else—A RATTLESNAKE—and it looked even more menacing than the one at Ms. Sutherland’s house! Startled, I gasped and deftly ducked out of its path. Hunched on the ground, I whipped around to see nothing more than a scrap piece of streamer lying on the concrete walkway.

  My mouth fell open as I stared at the harmless wad of crepe paper. WHAT THE HECK?

  Mike hastily snatched my arm and pulled me into the gym. “Come on, Honor Roll. I don’t think it got you,” he cracked.

  My head remained turned, never breaking eye contact with the gold streamer as we entered the building. Didn’t he SEE that thing? He sure didn’t act like it…

  Still locked in a haze of confusion, Mike guided me through a maze of decorations and numerous couples standing around. I twitched every time a streamer scraped my arm. He gave me a firm nudge and pointed to a set of wooden doors that led to the gym floor.

  “Time to put your game face on, Shi,” Mike advised. His mom, Elisa Riverside, was standing there greeting all the students before they entered the gym.

  “Come here,” Mike ordered and pulled me towards him — in fact, a little too close for my comfort. I shoved him away without hesitating.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I grilled, brow arched.

  “Relax. I’m trying to smell you . . . your breath,” he clarified, “to see if you smell like an Irish pub.”

  That sounded reasonable. I did just throw back a whole flask of whiskey. It had to have left some sort of scent, though I couldn’t smell anything. Like a bloodhound, Mike inhaled a deep breath from where he stood to see if he detected anything. Then he leaned closer and hovered in front of my mouth while he took a few more inconspicuous sniffs. I was feeling extremely uneasy about his actions. There were too many people staring at us. It sure-fire looked like Mike Riverside was trying to kiss his girlfriend’s sister.

  “Hurry up,” I whispered.

  As he lingered around my lips, I noticed Tia Bentley pointing us out to her boyfriend, Chris Bell, one of Mike’s teammates. The more looks we got, the more frazzled my nerves felt. It seemed like it was taking an eternity. The next thing I knew, Mike started descending inch-by-inch down my neck. I stepped back right before he reached my bosom.

  “Do you smell anything?” I grumbled under my breath.

  Mike gazed into my eyes, almost like he was in a trance. “Yeah,” he replied in a slow, strange voice. “Um, I smell . . . you.”

  Oddly, Mike’s bewildered stare had shifted into a weird sort of aching-look. I snapped my fingers in front of his face. “Anything ELSE?”

  Mike looked down at the floor and then shifted his gaze back to me. “Nothing. I can’t smell an ounce of alcohol on you . . . not anywhere,” he mumbled.

  “That’s a relief,” I sighed. The closer we moved towards the entrance, the more I began to wonder why I didn’t reek of liquor. I didn’t smell like it, and I certainly didn’t feel the slightest bit drunk.

  Maybe it wasn’t liquor at all? But if it wasn’t whiskey, then what the heck did I drink? And why am I “seeing things” that aren’t there? Or are they? I hadn’t connected those dots. I figured it was simply one more crazy thing to add to my list, which seemed to be growing at an alarming rate.

  Mike squeezed my hand to get my attention. We were next in line to enter, and there was his mother, Elisa Riverside, looking quite the epitome of style herself. I wasn’t a fashion guru like Katie, but I did know Chanel when I saw it. Her classic, ivory-colored bouclé chenille suit hugged every curve of her svelte figure while all those swanky, strategically placed double-C golden closures screamed, “Kiss my buttons!” She didn’t look her age (not by her face anyway), though her hair was another story. Elisa Riverside’s sleek, shoulder-length black tresses were subtly kissed with several bluish-gray strands that honestly appeared rather striking. I’d heard that she originally hailed from somewhere in Massachusetts. Mike’s father had met her on one of his business trips to Boston. They married, and she moved to Welch within a few months, so the story goes (and yes, Mike came along five months later). Regardless of her small-town surroundings now, Elisa Riverside exuded sophistication. Normally I wasn’t the least bit intimidated by someone like that, but tonight was a different story. I was already unhinged from the imaginary streamer-snake incident, and I could have sworn that I’d seen it snowing outside. I’d also begun to wrap my head around the idea that I may not be drunk, but I quite possibly could have been drugged. I just hoped my condition wouldn’t be that obvious.

  Elisa Riverside hugged Mike and then turned to me with a glowing smile. “Oh, darling. She is so lovely. What’s your name, dear? Michael didn’t tell me who he was bringing.”

  I’ve lived in this town for eighteen daggone years as of tomorrow and seen Mrs. Riverside at countless town and school functions (not to mention, at every company picnic and Christmas party since I was five), but clearly she didn’t recognize me.

  Offended and yet slightly flattered, I replied, “Shiloh Wa—”

  Mike interrupted, “Washington . . . Shyla Washington.”

  My mouth cracked open, feeling just as stunned as I was ticked. What’s wrong with my name? (Ironic, me asking that question) I have to admit that “Shyla” doesn’t remind me of Shiloh Ridge, but “Washington”?

  “She’s a senior at St. Richards Prep in Huntington,” Mike added and squeezed my hand, blatantly signaling for me to comply with his fabrication. “We met online.”

  “Well, I think you have the most beautiful date here, darling,” Elisa Riverside bragged. “The two of you make a charming couple.”

  I looked over at Mike, who was beaming from his mother’s praises. I could have thrown up in my own mouth right now.

  Elisa Riverside leaned into her son’s ear. “See, everything worked out for the best,” she whispered, though not nearly quiet enough. “Now aren’t you glad you didn’t have to bring that classless little tramp you’ve been running around with?”

  And there it was — a typical case of wealthy parents thinking no one is good enough for their son. Mike gulped so hard I thought he’d swallowed his tongue. He didn’t know what to say, especially when he noticed me glaring at him all pissy-eyed, waiting for his response. Granted, Chloe had always been a little brat to me, but she was still my kin.

  I suppressed all traces of my laid-back West Virginia dialect and then called my finest uppity-accent to arms. After all, I apparently attended an exclusive, private high school in a much bigger city, so I had to put forth my best efforts to keep up his ruse. I felt it was the very least a fake-date could do.

  “He is, Mrs. Riverside!” I interjected, sounding all bubbly. “We’ve been having the most divine time. Your son is so fortunate to have you for a mother.” I batted my eyes over to Mike, who was starting to break out into a cold sweat. “I just wish I had a mother half as wonderful as you.”

  I thought quietly, Maybe Mike and I have more in common than I thought? I bet we could sell Charlotte and Elisa as a set…

  We were being motioned forward by one of the teachers. “It was a pleasure to meet you,” I called back to her. “And I promise, as long as we’re together, I’ll make sure girls like that Chloe Wallace keep their trashy little paws off him.” Mike was tugging on my arm, but I jerked out of his grasp and leaned closer to Mrs. Riverside.

  “They’re always looking to land someone rich by getting knocked-up. You know how hard it is to plan for a shotgun wedding,” I whispered and threw her a sly wi
nk. I could tell I’d struck a little pay-dirt by the tense glaze shellacking her eyes.

  Mike yanked me towards the entrance. “We’re holding up the line, Shyla. Come on,” he urged, desperate to shut me up.

  I smiled at him and then discreetly pressed the sole of my shoe down on his foot. I whirled back towards his mother. “If you ask me, whether they get married or not, they’re still bastards.” I turned away from a stunned Elisa Riverside and gave Mike a quick nod.

  “Trust me. That wasn’t the whiskey talking,” I grunted as we entered the gym.

  Serves her right, I thought. And I couldn’t have cared less if Mike was mad or not. If he felt anything, it should have been ashamed.

  “I’m sorry, Shiloh. That’s how she is. No one’s ever good enough, and no one meets her expectations. But I was surprised . . . ”

  “About what?” I questioned, heavy on the snarky. “That she didn’t recognize me as one of those gold-digging Wallace-girls?”

  “No. I was surprised that she seemed to like you. She’s never acted like that before, not towards any girl I’ve ever introduced to her.”

  We eventually found ourselves standing in front of a sweeping brown and gold fabric-draped archway where our principal was announcing the attending couples names. Arm in arm, we passed through the showy canopy. My senses stirred as I drank in the impressive transformation of our run-of-the-mill gymnasium. Tons of balloons blanketed all the surrounding walls while miles of crepe streamers fanned throughout the entire space in perfectly positioned patterns. Miniature white lights adorned anything that was standing still, adding classy hints of radiance everywhere. All the tables were elegantly topped in white linens edged with brown and gold satin trim, and each one of them boasted a festive floral centerpiece that coordinated with our school’s colors flawlessly. And then for a finishing decorative touch, various Homecoming-themed accents had been strategically placed around the gym that featured spirit banners, pompoms, and of course, plenty of footballs.

  I tilted my head towards the ceiling, my eyes following the myriad of colorful spotlights that were flashing randomly in the air. A large mirrored disco ball was hanging over the center of the dance floor and flooding the room with swirling specks of light. My ears vibrated to the beat of Lady Gaga’s latest song as we walked down a short run of steps. It looked like almost the entire Senior and Junior classes were in attendance — all of them dancing, sitting and chatting, or making-out in the dimly lit corners of the gym.

  My eyes may have been solely focusing on the stirring ambience of the lively scene, however, I quickly noticed that everyone else’s seemed oddly more fixated on me. A crowd of Mike’s teammates started swarming around us once we had reached the bottom of the steps.

  “Is that YOU, Shiloh?” almost every one of them asked.

  I simply nodded and kept awkwardly quiet. Several of his buddies even made a few less-than-discreet lewd gestures, giving Mike their personal stamps of approval.

  I let out a ruffled sigh. Jerks. Their dates kept telling me how nice I looked. Some were so shocked they couldn’t believe it was really me. By the way they were acting, I figured it wouldn’t be long before one of the sheer-disbelievers demanded I whip out my school I.D. to back up my verbal replies with some physical proof. Flattery aside, it just got me thinking, Exactly how crappy do they think I look any other time?

  With her crown wedged front and center in a poof of red hair, Kara Leighton pushed her way through the crowd, headed straight for Mike. In an attempt to snag his attention, she pressed her breasts (which were falling out of her red sequined dress) against his chest and supplied him a provocative peck & squeeze. Hands down, it had to be the most desperate and deliberate display I’d seen from her yet.

  “Now I know you’re not going to refuse the Homecoming Queen a dance, are you?” Kara posed as she ran her fingertips all along the edges of his crisp white bowtie.

  Though I found her brazen performance downright amusing, I felt bad for Ty. WHY? Why is he dating her? I still didn’t get it.

  Mike removed her hands from his chest. “Maybe later, Kara. I just got here with Shiloh. You know — my date.”

  “Shi’s not really your date,” Kara laughed and threw in a dismissive wave. “She won’t mind.”

  I tried to contain my giggles as I maneuvered behind her.

  “Where is she anyway?” Kara asked. “Did she bring some books and run over to a table to study?”

  She was laughing pretty hard at her own joke but soon noticed that no one else around her had even cracked a smile. I tapped her on the shoulder. As she turned around, I rallied my demurest of looks and stretched my lips into a smile.

  “Hi, Kara,” I said sweetly with a few bats of my eyes and a cutesy little twist.

  “SHI? Is that . . . YOU?” Kara choked out in a gasp. Clearly she was shocked, but something else became much more apparent as I watched her wide-eyes narrow into a pair of twitchy slits. As shiny as what that garish red-sequined dress was, all I could see staring back at me was the color green.

  “In the flesh,” I replied as I slowly raised my arms and commenced with a showy twirl. I figured a little fun was in order. Payback for all the times she had stuck me with her messes at the Drive-In.

  Kara looked over at Mike, who I could tell hadn’t taken his eyes off me (which I still found bizarre). Then she straightened her crown in a huff and mobilized a smirk so catty I would swear it practically hissed and screamed, “Meow”.

  “It was really nice of Mike to bring you to the dance. You’ve never been to any school dances, have you?” Kara probed.

  “No,” I replied curtly, waiting to see where she was going with her question. Oh yeah, I could smell it.

  “Well, it was very considerate. You never told me that you liked dances, Shi. If I’d known, I could’ve found SOMEONE all these years to take you to at least one of them. I wouldn’t know myself, but I’m sure it must be awful sitting at home every weekend — all by yourself.” She turned to Mike and added, “That was really charitable of you.”

  The expression on my face remained consciously still while I listened to the sound of several “ooooo’s” echoing through the crowd of classmates gathered around us. I stared back at the prissy little bitch, mentally noting that she looked like a shiny pageant-reject turned hooker, what with all those blinding red sequins blazing. Not to mention, the tacky tiara sparkling around a bad, brassy dye-job.

  “Kara, now that is a beautiful, bright dress.” I circled her and looked all around the bottom of it, squinting my eyes. “Where on earth do you have it plugged in?” Several chuckles ensued around our now heated huddle.

  Kara tightened her smug smile. “Well, I’ve been told that I really light up a room,” she smirked, aiming for unfazed. Then with a dramatic flick of her hair, she spun around and left me staring at the back of her head, ending what I predicted was Round One for the evening.

  Head shaking, I stood there for a moment, watching her fiddle with her crown while she randomly waved to classmates calling out congratulations to her, left and right. Her Highness was really full of herself this evening, playing her attention-hungry role to a T with the phoniest of smiles plastered on her face. My gaze soon fell upon a festive bouquet full of various fall flowers lying in the bend of Kara’s arm. I found myself strangely fixated on it, unable to look away for some unknown reason. While the group of couples lingered around us, my ears began muffling out the sounds of their chitchat. Then suddenly the lively room became still, almost lifeless. Now, the only sounds I heard were the somber strikes of a piano playing somewhere off in the distance. A lavender spider mum caught my eye. I reached over and pulled the frilly flower out of what now appeared to be a large floral arrangement that sat atop a marble pedestal. The lights around me were shining brightly, like the warm sun during the middle of the day. Even stranger, I noticed a medley of colors flickering and dancing on my hand like a k
aleidoscope. I pulled the mum closer and twisted it under my chin for a moment. The flower’s petals felt soothing as I twirled its stem, allowing their tips to gently caress my skin. Then from out of nowhere, a growing sense of anguish started to churn inside me, unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It felt like my heart was being slowly ripped from my chest and my stomach ached with a horrid feeling of emptiness.

  Abruptly, the soft and solemn sounds of the piano music came to a halt. The next thing I heard was a female’s voice yelling at me.

  “Excuse me!” Kara snapped and snatched the spider mum out of my hand. “What do you think you’re doing to my bouquet?”

  I stared back her, utterly confused. WHAT just happened? The bright lights had faded, and the baffling dream-like image was gone. Now, the only thing that lay before my eyes was a very ticked-off redhead, waving a bunch of flowers in my face.

  Mike quickly pulled me off to the side. “So? Do you still feel like singing your, ‘I’m not drunk’ tune?” he posed.

  I snapped out of my daze and jerked my arm from his grasp. “I’m not drunk,” I mumbled under my breath, even though I wasn’t quite a hundred percent sure myself. It appeared that I’d experienced some sort of freakish vision. But oddly, the horrible feeling that lingered in the pit of my stomach was still there. It wasn’t a physical pain, more like an emotional one, as if my body was being engulfed by waves of agonizing sorrow and despair.

  “Who’s DRUNK?” Kara belted out as she pushed her way over to us. Mike glared at Kara and shushed her immediately. That only fueled the Homecoming queen’s curiosity. She pointed to me. “SHI? Shi’s drunk? You’re kidding?” Kara chortled.

  “Not so freakin’ loud, Kara!” Mike scolded.

  “Sorry,” Kara insisted as she tried to muffle her laughter. “I’m just shocked that the biggest goody-goody in our class is lit!” With that said, the little witch started cracking up again.

  I ignored her, mainly because I was too busy trying to catch my breath from the suffocating feeling of sadness rising from my gut. I pressed on my belly and took a few deep breaths while Kara and Mike eyed me nervously.

  “You’re gonna be sick, aren’t you?” they both asked, almost like they already knew the answer. Mike seemed genuinely concerned. Kara’s only sympathetic gesture was to put her hand up to her mouth. She just looked queasy.

  “NO!” I snapped and straightened my stance.

  The pain was swiftly intensifying, which sent my eyes scanning around the gym, desperately searching for an exit.

  “Excuse me,” I blurted as I pushed past them in a hurry, headed for the nearest ladies room.

  To my disappointment, Coach Hayes was standing in front of the door I needed to pass through. He was one of the chaperones working the exits, looking for any kind of suspicious activities. The egotistical coach didn’t seem too interested in the comings and goings of any students at the moment. He was too busy admiring that diamond-studded trinket of his, obviously reminiscing about the good ole days before his steroid-bust.

  I attempted to rush past him, lowering my head to avoid any sort of eye contact. Coach Hayes snapped out of his daydream and threw his hand in front of the door.

  “Not so fast, young lady. I have to stop all the students coming in and out of the halls to check for drugs and alcohol.”

  “I’m just going to the ladies room,” I replied, my head still down.

  “Oh, you came here with Mike. You’re his date,” Coach Hayes confirmed. “Boy, you two make a good lookin’ couple. What’s your name, honey?”

  You’ve got to be freakin’ kiddin’ me, I thought as I raised my head. Once his eyes focused in on my face, I knew the exact second he recognized who I was.

  “Wallace? Shiloh Wallace? Is that YOU?”

  “Can I go now?” I snapped as I glared back at him. He stepped out of my way not a swift second later.

  “Did you remember to thank your mother for me?” he called out abruptly as I pushed open one of the doors.

  I stopped and gave the metal push bar a tight squeeze (though in my mind, it was his neck). “No,” I replied as I whipped around. “I didn’t get a chance. She’s been in and out of the house so much lately. If she’s not over at Mr. Anderson’s feeling which of his vegetables are the firmest, then she’s having Mr. Mayfield snake her pipes. But I promise, if I don’t catch up with her, I’ll have MY FATHER relay the message. Will that suit ya?”

  To my delight, the loudmouth coach seemed to be at a loss for words while he wrestled with an unnerving case of the jitters.

  I stormed into the hall. That should give him something to really worry about!

  There weren’t too many people on this side of the building, just a few students returning to the gym. When I passed by a janitorial closet, I heard a few noises coming from behind the closed door. It sounded like things crashing to the floor, followed by a few intense muffled grunts. Eyes rolling, I kept on my present course towards the ladies room, which was just up ahead on the right.

  Several girls were strolling out as I entered. All of them asked, “Shiloh, is that YOU?” I ignored their questions as I rudely darted through them and then bolted into the nearest empty stall.

  I locked myself inside and tried to catch my breath. The wretched feeling in my gut was beginning to subside, but I still felt like a tightly bound bundle of nerves and well on my way to light-headed.

  What the Hell was in that bottle?!? I should’ve known better than to drink anything like that! Ugh… Especially if it came from Lazarus Xcavare!

  Just as soon as I’d calmed down enough, I pushed open the door and exited the stall. There, under the harsh fluorescent lights of the ladies room, an idea took form.

  Maybe I should check my motor skills, just to see how bad off I am? I started thinking about all those cop reality shows Daddy and I had watched in the past. That’s what I need… A field sobriety test.

  I threw my clutch on a shelf underneath one of the mirrors and then turned my attention to the tiles covering the floor. I found a starting point and proceeded to follow one of the long grout lines that extended all the way to the other side of the room. Even in stiletto heels—which I was in no way accustomed to—I didn’t stumble or stagger one bit.

  Then I thought about all the other drills the officers would ask their suspects to perform. They always check how mentally alert they are with their ABC’s. I started reciting them forward and then backward. My shoulders rocked out a shrug. They sound fine to me…

  The sound of a toilet flushing sent me grabbing my chest in a jump. Haley Hicks came bolting out of a stall not a second later. She hurried to the sink, washed & dried her hands, and then quickly blew past me. Haley opened the door and paused just long enough to turn back and shoot me a “you are so weird” look.

  I thought I was alone in here. Oh well… That’ll be a good one to pass around.

  I walked over to one of the sinks and stared into the mirror. There’s that touch your nose thing. Focusing on my reflection, I swiftly lifted my right hand and then with the most accurate precision it landed perfectly on the tip of my nose. I tried my other hand, which passed my test with just as many flying colors…possibly more. My hand-eye coordination seemed perfectly fine.

  I reached for the soap, head shaking. Drunk, unlikely… Crazy, probably.

  I gave Katie’s work a quick check in the mirror as I washed and dried my hands. Everything still looked intact, so there wasn’t any need to freshen up a thing. I started to grab my purse off the ledge under the mirror when I noticed my vision blurring. I wiped my eyes carefully and checked my reflection again. As I gazed into the mirror, an image of a woman began to emerge, but to my astonishment, it wasn’t me. It was the kind, old face of Beatrix Sutherland.

  While I stood there feeling inescapably mystified, my fingertips traced every line on her face. She was smiling and as always her chestnut-hued eyes were haphazard
ly shifting around without any sort of guidance. Several strands of silvery hair had fallen onto her forehead. I reached for the stragglers in an attempt to brush them back into place. Then from out of nowhere, a third-eye popped out to reveal itself abruptly — smack dab in the middle of her forehead! It was a blazing gold color, sparkling just as vibrantly as her little topaz and looking equally as glassy. It certainly wasn’t like her other two eyes. This one was contracting with the light and appeared to be focusing on me, following my every move. This eye wasn’t blind at all.

  Aghast from the startling sight, I accidentally stumbled backward and crashed into the stalls. The vision of Beatrix Sutherland began to fade and by the time I ran back to the mirror it had completely vanished. My image was the only thing left in its reflection. I grabbed hold of the wall-hung sink as I slid down to the floor, tears welling in my eyes.

  “WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME?” I cried out fearfully. Am I crazy? Do I have some sort of freakin’ chemical imbalance? If that’s the case, there’ll be no college for me. The only institution I’ll be attending won’t be one of higher learning — that’s for sure! Then an overwhelming rush of fear had my mind scrambling for any traces of mental illness in our family.

  I flinched at the creaking sound of the bathroom door opening. Some girls were walking in giggling, so I promptly sprang up, dabbed my eyes with a tissue, grabbed my clutch, and then dashed into the hall.

  I wandered sluggishly back to the gym. The janitorial closet door opened and two adults emerged, adjusting their clothes. I thought they were teachers, but I didn’t even pause for a second to see exactly who they were. I couldn’t have cared less. How could I question the crazy acts of two random people, especially when my own sanity was in doubt?

  I pushed my way through the huddled mass of students that had gathered around a stage positioned in front of the dance floor, where Mr. Harless was preparing to announce the Homecoming King.

  I wonder who THAT will be…

  I drifted over to the punch bowl to grab a drink (that I ended up downing in one lengthy gulp). More couples were starting to swarm the refreshment table, which drove me straight to scanning the gym for a place to sit so I could gather my wits. I just wanted to be left alone — not to be bothered by anyone, anything, or any more crazy visions!

  As I maneuvered through the sea of tables, I spotted Kara Leighton standing beside our principal on the stage. Mr. Harless cleared his throat and announced, “This year’s Homecoming King is . . . none other than our own Golden Knights quarterback, Michael Riverside.”

  A ton of cheers erupted and a thunderous roar of claps filled the gymnasium. Surprise, surprise, I thought. Mike hopped up on the stage. He smiled, but oddly he didn’t look too eager to get his crown. He just stood there scanning the crowd and not paying a bit of attention to Kara.

  “Now,” Mr. Harless added, “It’s time for our queen and her newly crowned king to lead us off with a dance to a song by The Righteous Brothers, which has been played for this very occasion, every year since I was a senior here in 1965.”

  Kara had to practically drag Mike out to the middle of the dance floor. The lights dimmed and a single spotlight now illuminated the couple. She threw her arms around him as soon as the music began and eventually he began shuffling her across the floor, though still looking as reluctant as all get-out. He may not have been in the mood for dancing, but by her suggestive movements, she was and a whole lot more.

  Chloe will be pissed when she hears about this. My thoughts then turned to Ty as I watched Kara rubbing her hands all over Mike. For her to technically be his girlfriend or whatever, she sure is making a glaring spectacle of herself. I looked around the gym. By the way, where is—

  “You were right,” a familiar voice called out from behind me.

  I turned around thinking, Speak of the devil…

  “No one could ever miss you,” Ty said in a silken voice that tingled more than my ears.

  Rapt in breathless delight, I felt like I was back in my room looking at my own reflection for the first time, only this sight was way better. Handsome didn’t do him justice, not from the way he looked standing there in a tuxedo that draped his broad chest like a taut glove. My gaze fell on his piercing blue eyes. Stars couldn’t match their glow. His normally tussled hair was perfectly styled and gelled into place, and his face was so radiantly smooth and flawless, nothing remotely like earlier, when it was apparent that he’d forgotten to shave. I had an overwhelming urge to stroke my hand along every curve of it too. Right now, any care or crazy worry I’d had over the past few days completely disappeared. I thought, A sight this fine can’t be real, and I prayed it wasn’t another dream.

  I blushed when I realized how long I’d been staring at him (and hoped my mouth hadn’t been hanging open). Ty strolled over and took my hand. He glanced down at my wrist.

  “Was your date too cheap to spring for a corsage?” Ty asked. Any nervousness I’d felt when he touched my hand subsided after hearing his joke.

  “I told you. He’s not my date.” I nodded over to the dance floor. “Her Highness seems to be having a good time,” I noted uncomfortably.

  I turned back to see him removing his boutonnière from his lapel. He moved closer and tenderly swept a few strands of my golden locks behind my ear as he placed the delicate red rose in my hair.

  “Well, she’s not my queen,” Ty whispered as the tips of his fingers lightly grazed my neck. He found my hand and gave it a gentle tug as he motioned to me with his eyes. “Come on. I’m here to collect on that dance.”

  Needless to say, I was socks knocked off floored.

  Ty laid my clutch on a nearby table and started leading me towards the dance floor. I couldn’t stop trembling, not while he was stroking my hand so tenderly as we winded through the maze of tables and chairs. My heart felt all aflutter, and I just knew it was well on its way to rocketing straight through my chest. Mike and Kara were still the only ones out there. We would be the first to join them. Hand-in-hand, we strode onto the floor with the chorus of the melody drifting from the speakers all around.

  As Ty led me out to the center of the dance floor, he whispered, “Oh, there was something I forgot to tell you about Bea. Something some people might be surprised to know . . . ”

  As in-the-moment as what I was, I found myself even more intrigued by what he was about to reveal. “What’s that?” I asked.

  Ty gave my wrist a quick and guided jerk as he pulled me towards his chest. “She loves to give guys dancing lessons,” he grinned and started leading me around the floor.

  A rush of uncontrollable sensual energy flooded my senses while my body swayed in perfect sync with his. “Ms. Sutherland’s a good teacher,” I whispered. She really was. He had all the grace of a professional dancer and the moves as well. And I was sooo undeniably grateful for it too. After all, someone skilled enough had to keep this starry-eyed girl from floating off the daggone dance floor.

  “I think she misses dancing. So, some of the guys at the Helping Hands center oblige her.” His smile grew wider. “I’ll tell you what though, it’s really helped my game.”

  “How’s that?” I asked.

  Ty grinned. “It’s improved my dexterity.” My dashing partner proved his point when he swiftly extended his arm to fling me out to the side and then twirled me back into his chest. The next thing I knew, Ty was lowering me into a long, sultry dip.

  My head rolled back as my body lay suspended in his robust arms. If this was a dream, I didn’t want to wake up. The twinkling lights reflecting off the disco ball above captured my eyes. Soon I sensed the music fading as I watched the lights bouncing off its tiny mirrors. Then I found myself mesmerized by the mirrored sphere, helplessly fixated on it and inescapably stolen by its building radiance. The light started to become more intense, so brilliant that I could hardly look at it directly. I couldn’t even make out its shape anymore. My eyes squi
nted, trying to reclaim their focus. It appeared to have shifted from a sparkly ball into some sort of long, glowing rod.

  Whatever it was that now hung above me, it scintillated a beam of light that shone with a fervor I’d never witnessed ever before. Now it seemed to be hovering only a few feet away. I felt myself wanting to touch it, needing to possess it in some way. Impulsively, I stretched my hand closer to the gleaming object, desperately trying to grasp it. Then just before I could take hold of it, something abruptly halted my hand. I looked over to see what appeared to be a man’s hand wrapped around my wrist. A shiny band of hammered sliver rested on one of his fingers that held a purple crystal in its center. The gemstone on the ring was shining almost as vibrantly as the object above us. Straightaway, I felt my dangling body being jerked up from its horizontal position. There, standing in front of me now and holding me in his arms was none other than Mr. Beautiful Stranger himself, Tanner Grey.

  The light above us illuminated the professor’s gorgeous face like an angel. Awestruck, I looked deep into his eyes, his dazzling amethyst-hued eyes. My pulse quickened as my hand softly trailed his heavenly features. I caressed his chiseled jaw and then guided my fingers down to his chin with a purposeful sweep. His fierce grip tightened as he pulled me even closer to him. Gently, I brushed my fingertips across his perfect mouth, now feeling fully aroused and unshakably riveted. Even the air between us felt electric. Both our lips lingered for a moment, but before they could even touch, I noticed something on my fingers, something that appeared to be bright red and running down them. I pulled back my hand quickly. It was now streaking down my arm, and it was blood — my blood.

  Startled and painfully puzzled, I jerked away to get a closer look at my hand, only to realize that nothing was there anymore — not a single drop of blood anywhere. Once the loud music had alerted my ears, I realized I was back in the gym and standing in the middle of the dance floor…and not dancing with Professor Tanner Grey.

  A clueless look shadowed Ty’s handsome face. “Shiloh, what’s wrong?” he asked.

  I felt like I’d been woken from a dream with an ice-cold bucket of water. My body started to shake as I looked all around. Ty appeared almost as confused as I was. I couldn’t look him in the eyes, so I glanced up at he ceiling. My haze deepened when I noticed the sparkly disco ball. Even it had transformed back into its spherical shape.

  The vision seemed so real… I instantly felt trapped and unable to catch my breath, like I was being smothered by the hordes of other couples now dancing all around us.

  “Shi? Shiloh, What’s wrong?” Ty asked again.

  My eyes started to get misty. I couldn’t take these hallucinations anymore. I didn’t know what to say, so I did what any other frightened, crazy person would do — I ran straight off!

  Chapter 10