Page 2 of The Secrets of Parkerville Series - Book 2 - Golden Shackles

  The Baker Sisters

  It was nearly midnight, as the girls started getting sleepy, when two strange looking figures made their way down the sidewalk of Honeysuckle.

  They were dressed in long red velvet capes, with the hoods pulled tight around their faces, against the late autumn wind. They saw lights on in the Davis’ living room and stopped for a moment, to rethink their decision to venture any farther.

  “Well, we’ve come this far, right?” Bernadette asked cheerfully.

  “Yes, and we’re going to go through with it. We’re going to have a little fun with the rest of the girls,” Rose answered.

  “Yeah, and you’re going to start by having fun with us, by giving us a big kiss!” Will and Freddie jumped out of the nearby bushes, right in front of the Baker sisters, startling them. They both jumped back and were about to turn and run.

  “Oh, no, you don’t!” The boys shouted and grabbed each one around the waist, bringing their faces closer to their own.

  Will knocked the hood back on Rose and was about to give her a big kiss, when he saw her face. His eyes widened in complete terror, as he yelled and took off down the sidewalk.

  Freddie laughed at Will and yelled after him, “Hey, got cold feet, pal?” Freddie then pushed the hood back on Bernadette saying, “I’m a strong man and I can take anything you got, girl.”

  Bernadette started laughing uncontrollably and planted a big kiss on Freddie’s forehead. “Well, that’s about all I have to give tonight, cutie.”

  Unlike Will, Freddie just stood there as the women rushed past him up the sidewalk and to the front door of the Davis’ house.

  Will was hiding in the bushes, up along the sidewalk, and came back out as soon as the women were gone. He walked up to Freddie and waved a hand in front of his face, but Freddie still didn’t budge. Finally, Will took Freddie by the shoulders and shook him.

  Freddie looked at Will and said, “It just was never meant to be, Will.”

  “What was never meant to be?”

  “Me and a good looking girl . . . never! All I’m gonna get in this life is leftovers. That’s all I’ll ever get,” Freddie said, staring straight ahead in a somber voice.

  “Oh, come on, Freddie, let’s go home, I am really bummed out. This night just sucks, that’s all.”

  Will put his arm around Freddie’s shoulder and practically dragged him back up the sidewalk toward home.

  ***

  Skye was reluctant to open the front door when she heard the knocks. It was very late and some of the girls were already asleep. She peaked through the side curtain, and when she saw who it was, she smiled and opened the door wide.

  “Bernadette, Rose, come on in,” Skye said excitedly. “What on earth brings you out this late at night?”

  “Hello, Skye dear, thank you so much for rescuing us!” Rose said breathlessly and rushed past Skye.

  “Rescuing you?” Skye looked surprised at both women.

  “No, not really, Rosy takes everything out of context. We were rushed by two . . . well; let’s just say zealous young men. Oh, my, their hormones were just raging and they took one look at us and just lost all of their senses,” Bernadette giggled and rushed in after Rose.

  “Well, I’ll tell you, if we had stayed outside your door a moment longer, we would not be here to tell the tale!” Rose said clutching at her heart.

  The rest of the girls were awake now and standing in the doorway of the living room, in awe of these two older women, who never venture out of their house.

  “Will and Freddie?” Cassie and Carol Jean said at the same time.

  “Wow, they both must be in a state of shock!” Sylvia smirked.

  “Well, girls, let’s start the fun. My sister and I are here to cap off the evening with a ghost story.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Skye sounded doubtful.

  “Yes, oh, yes, let’s have a ghost story. It’s what this party needs,” Sylvia and the rest of the girls squealed.

  “Oh, come on, Skye, this could be fun. Let them tell one.” Cassie laughed.

  “Okay, let’s all get comfortable.” Skye started to lead the sisters into the living room, but they breezed past the girls with their capes floating and took seats on the sofa across from the fireplace.

  “This is one of the scariest ghost stories you will ever hear, so if you’re faint of heart or skittish, you might as well leave now,” Rose warned.

  “Oh, for pete’s sake, Rosy, don’t say things like that. It’s just a fun ghost story. Girls, gather ‘round.” Bernadette held out her arms and motioned for the girls to come closer.

  Rose folded her arms and sat down on the sofa, acting indignant. “I was just trying to set the mood.”

  Malcolm Beech, A Ghost Story

  “This is the story of a man named Malcolm Beech,” Bernadette started.

  Rose continued, “Malcolm Beech lived in this area over 100 years ago and he was a man not to be trifled with.”

  Rose looked at Bernadette to see if she wished to continue, but Bernadette had now settled herself comfortably on the couch and looked at Rose in anticipation. So Rose continued.

  “When our forefathers bought this land and prepared to settle here with their wives and children, there were quite a few young single women who came along. A house was built just for them and another for the single men.”

  “Those houses were torn down a long time ago and the Parkerville Hotel was built for our new single men and ladies, who came to live here . . . especially children,” Bernadette broke in, “but I imagine you already know that.”

  “I’m sure they do, Bernadette,” Rose shook her head and gave her sister a frown, “now let me continue.

  Malcolm lived in a rundown barn on the land the early settlers thought was abandoned. As the men went to tear down the barn, they were surprised to find a very angry Malcolm sleeping in some hay. They thought he was a tramp, just someone who was passing through, but when he picked up a pitchfork and told them to get off his land, they regrouped and decided to try to reason with him.

  They told him the land actually belonged to the settlers now, and they were going to build a town, naming it Parkerville. They showed Malcolm the land purchase from the governors of Marshall City, but that wasn’t enough. He still yelled at them to get off his land.

  Just when they were about to give up and just stay clear of the barn, Malcolm came into the new town to take a look around. He stood in the center and yelled . . .”

  “I’m Malcolm Beech. I’m fifty years old and I’m here to take a bride,” Bernadette broke in with a raspy, scary voice.”

  Rose let out a sigh, but continued. “Basically, you could smell Malcolm before seeing him. He was wearing an old pair of overalls and a shirt, which at one time might have been blue, and some non-descript shoes, no socks, and a weathered old hat. The bill was bent up in the front. If Malcolm was fifty, you couldn’t tell from his face. His face, like his hat, was weathered and his expression was always mean.

  When anyone would see him strolling into town, they would shout out, Get out of here, you dirty, smelly old man.” And he would reply . . .”

  “I ain’t leavin’ till I find me a bride!” Bernadette stood up and yelled back.

  All the girls laughed and Rose cringed a little, but knew there was no stopping Bernadette, so she continued.

  “The men gathered around Malcolm and asked him to leave, but he stubbornly refused, and once again threatened them with his pitchfork. But a brave young man named Liam O’Brien stood up to him saying, ‘I’ve had enough of your ill temper. You need to get out of our town.’ Then he pushed him.

  Malcolm narrowed his eyes at Liam and stuck the pitchfork in his foot. Liam screamed in agony and fell to the ground. One of the other men grabbed Malcolm’s pitchfork and yelled at him to get out, or they’d take him t
o Marshall City and have him thrown in jail.

  Just then, a young woman named Lily came running out of the single women’s house and rushed to Liam’s side. She was a beautiful sight, with long red hair and searing green eyes. She was engaged to Liam.

  Malcolm yelled out she’ll do, and ignored the threats of the men. He grabbed Lily’s hand and started to walk away, with her screaming and trying to get away from him. The men started after him to stop him, then, a lot of things started to happen at once.

  The other young women rushed out to save Lily, bringing with them rolling pins, pans, bottles; anything they could get their hands on. It was a violent turn of events that day.

  They beat Malcolm to the edge of his life. The men had to push the young women away from him, to save him, and keep them from committing murder.

  Malcolm, beaten and bleeding from his head to his feet crawled to a nearby bench, and pulled himself up onto it. He took a filthy old hanky from his pocket and wiped the blood from his face.

  ‘All I wanted was a bride, a bride of my own,’ he called out in a whisper.

  One of the young women walked over to him and he flinched, as she glared down at him and said, ‘If you want a bride that bad, then why don’t you clean yourself up? Take a bath, shave, put on some clean clothes and act decent for heavens sake. What woman would want something as filthy and disagreeable as you?’

  He glared back at her, then got up off the bench and limped out of town.

  After that, every night for weeks, Malcolm came back to town and stood in front of the ladies’ house.” Rose looked over at Bernadette. “He would yell out . . .”

  “My name is Malcolm Beech. I’m fifty years old and I need a bride.” After Bernadette said her line, she bowed and took her seat.

  “The girls began to notice, as they looked out from their windows, that Malcolm was slowly changing. The first night he came back, he was wearing a new hat. The second night, he had shaved. The third night, he wore a new shirt, and so on. Finally, standing before the house was a perfectly cleaned-up Malcolm; however, his attitude had not changed. Malcolm Beech was still an angry, disagreeable man,” Rose continued.

  Liam O’Brien came limping toward him, and once again, told him to get out of town. All of the girls came out of the house and gathered around him, more or less to protect Liam. Lily approached Malcolm and told him he would never find a bride there and he should just give up and go home.

  He glared at Lily and said, ‘But I did this all for you.’ Lily stared straight back at him and said it didn’t matter. She was in love with Liam and always would be.’

  Malcolm didn’t care. He told her he needed a wife; any wife would do, to take care of him since he was getting older.

  All the young women in town began to yell at him at once, but Lily was the closest and she spat at him, ‘Why you lazy, miserable old man! That’s all you want a woman for? Is that all your mother was worth to you? Someone to cook your meals, clean your house, and do your filthy laundry?’”

  Rose stopped, needing a drink of water, as she was really getting into the story and her voice was giving out a little.

  Bernadette stood up to take over. “Well, at this point Malcolm just yelled, so what, as all the girls rushed over to him and pushed him down. Boy was he mad! He got up and said, ‘You’ll all regret doing this to me. You’ll all be very sorry,’ as he pointed a finger at Lily, and walked out of town.” Bernadette clapped her hands and sat down, with a big smile on her face.

  “Is that it?” Skye asked.

  “Heavens no,” Rose took over. We have lots more to tell you. Anyway, they thought they’d seen the last of Malcolm Beech, but they were wrong. The next night he came back again and stood in front of the women’s house and said . . .”

  Bernadette stood up again, “My name is Malcolm Beech and I want a bride!” she started to laugh and put her hand over her mouth, “Oops, I said it wrong.”

  “That’s okay, dear; you’re doing a splendid job. Now where was I? Oh yes, one of the girls called out, ‘Oh no, he’s back!’ Then all of the girls gathered once again at their windows, to look down on him.

  He came every night after that and everyone in town stared out their windows at him, but no one approached him.

  Finally, Liam and six of the men decided to put an end to all of his shenanigans. They formed a sort of posse and rode out to Malcolm’s place to have it out with him. As they got closer and closer to his barn, they could all smell something terrible.

  They thought Malcolm was back to his dirty old self, but when Liam knocked on the barn door, no one answered.

  Finally, with the help of two other men, they pushed the barn door open and the smell nearly knocked them down. They put scarves over their faces and walked in.

  There, hanging from the rafters, was what was left of Malcolm Beech.”

  The girls in the room sighed, as Bernadette let out a little giggle and yelled out, oh my, he’s killed himself.” She smiled at the girls and then looked at Rose. “Go on, dear.”

  Rose was becoming a little flustered, but returned to her story. “Malcolm looked like he’d been there for quite a while, which frightened the men. How could this be possible? He was standing in town just the other night.

  The men were silent for a moment, as all of them tried to figure this one out. There was absolutely no wind that day, but eerily, they heard the sound of the rope twisting on the rafter. Malcolm’s body turned toward them and his face glared down at them.”

  The Peach sisters gasped and hugged one another.

  Rose continued, “It only took a moment for one of them to turn and run out of the barn, soon after, the rest followed. They got on their horses and rode out as fast as their horses could take them.

  Liam went into Marshall City that day and told the sheriff what they’d found. The sheriff told him he would have some men go out and take care of the body.

  Everything was quiet in Parkerville for about a month. Everyone was relieved Malcolm no longer came asking for a bride. Then, one night around midnight, Malcolm’s familiar voice could be heard outside.”

  “My name is Malcolm Beech, I am fifty years old and I want a bride,” Bernadette yelled out, standing up again. She tried to make her voice as scary as she could.

  “The girls huddled together, not daring to go near a window to look down at the angry specter,” Rose began again, but using a lower voice. “The ghost of Malcolm Beech came every night without fail and every night, after saying what he had to say, he would vaporize.

  Finally, the sheriff came into Parkerville to talk with the men. He went straight to Liam and said, ‘Well, Mr. O’Brien, I want you to know, I had to go out there myself and take care of the dirty deed. My men went to take down his body but were scared off by something. They wouldn’t talk about it. Now, I have one question to ask all of you men. Which one of you killed Malcolm Beech?’”

  Rose bent forward, glaring at the girls. She stood up and raised her hands up in the air. “What did he mean by that? Well, let me explain. How could a man hang himself, if his hands are tied behind his back?

  Liam was the one who spoke up. ‘No one here killed Malcolm Beech. Look, Sheriff, if there’s one thing I know for sure, we’re a peace-loving town. Malcolm was the one causing all of the trouble. He’s gone, now things should quiet back down.’

  The Sheriff nodded at Liam’s remark and added, ‘Well, now, you can tear down that old barn out there, I guess. Malcolm didn’t have any kin that I know of. He was just too mean and ornery for anyone to want to get that close to him.’

  All the men thanked the sheriff, but no one wanted to take down the barn. It could rot and fall down, for all they cared.

  The sheriff got back on his horse saying he would still have to look into this. Malcolm had a lot of enemies and he would try to find out what really happened. He rode away and things did quiet down for a spell. The seasons came and went and the town grew with marriages and children. Then, one day Lily O’B
rien was shopping in their new millinery store with some of her friends, when she happened to look out the window. Across the street from the shop she thought she saw Malcolm Beech, standing there staring at her. She sucked in her breath and put her hand to her throat. She turned to tell one of her friends, but when she looked again, he was gone.

  Her friends wondered what was wrong and Lily told them she thought see saw Malcolm Beech.

  At the sound of his name, her friends hurried to the window, but there was nothing there, however, when they turned around, they all gasped. An old weathered, beaten filthy hat lay among the brand new flowery, ribbon-strewn hats on the counter.

  The store clerk placed a handkerchief on the bill of the hat, picked it up with her thumb and forefinger, and threw it out the door of the shop. No one knew where it came from and the girls hurried out of the store, scattering to their nearby homes.

  Time and time again, someone would report seeing Malcolm Beech glaring at them, any time of the day or night, but it was always during the summer when he would appear.”

  By this time, the Baker sisters had the girls huddled together at their feet waiting for what would happen next. None of them wanted to go out into the kitchen to get a snack, they were too afraid.

  “Skye, dear, I fear my throat is dry again. Could I please have a cup of tea?” Rose asked.

  “Oh, of course, Cassie, Carol Jean, let’s go make some tea.”

  Carol Jean got up, and followed Skye and Cassie into the kitchen, as they started to prepare the tea.

  “Wow, this is a really good ghost story, but they made it up, don’t you think?” Skye asked.

  “I’m not so sure,” Cassie answered.

  Then they both turned to Carol Jean. “You’ve lived here all of your life, Carol Jean, have you ever heard of this Malcolm Beech guy before?”

  But just as Carol Jean was about to answer, someone was turning the knob on the back door.

  All three girls held their breath, as Skye picked up a nearby log next to the fireplace and held it in her hands as protection.

  “My, my you girls still up?” Sara asked surprised.

  “Yes, the Baker sisters joined us just as the slumber party was winding down. They’re telling us a ghost story now,” Skye laughed.

  “Oh, really? Sara said, “Maybe I’ll just sit in and listen.”

  “Yes, come on, we’ve made them some tea,” Cassie said.

  The sisters were happy to see Sara, and after sipping their tea, continued with their story.

  “Some years later, Malcolm’s barn was burned down and the land was cleared. A young man and bride built a house there and started clearing the land to plant corn. For two years, all went well for the young couple. The girl was to have her first child, and was busy one day baking and cleaning, when she heard a strange sound coming from the attic.

  She’d just finished getting her husband some lunch, when he came through the door. He sat down to eat, and then stopped with fork in his hand.

  “What’s that sound?” He asked his wife.

  “I don’t know, but I’ve been hearing it too,” she answered him.

  “Well, I’m going to find out,” he said getting up from the table.

  They both started up the stairs to the second floor, and the man pulled down the ladder leading to the attic. He and his wife carefully made their way up to the dark still room; all was quiet. The man lit a lantern that was close by, as the wife carefully wondered about the room. Then, they heard it again, but much louder. Something was swinging on the rafters and a horrible odor started to overwhelm them.

  Just then, the wife felt something touching the back of her neck.

  When the man lifted the lantern, hanging on the rafters, was the grizzly specter of Malcolm Beech, his dirty boots touching the back of the woman’s neck.

  The woman screamed at the sight and the man backed up against the wall of the attic.

  “Get out of my barn!” Malcolm yelled, as his murderous dead eyes looked down on them.

  They both scrambled down the ladder and ran out of the house leaving everything behind.

  The man hooked up his horses and wagon, and they were gone . . . never to come back.

  ***

  Bernadette nodded to Sara, as she crept up behind Skye, and with both hands, touched the back of Skyes neck.

  Skye screamed, and then all the girls screamed, pulling their blankets over their heads

  “Aunt Sara!” Skye yelled out, but then had to stifle a giggle.

  “Now, that’s a ghost story.” Sara smiled at all the girls.

  “So, is it true?” Cassie asked.

  “Who knows, but the house still stands to this day and nobody goes near it. It’s a shame because it’s a pretty house.

  “Oh, you’re just kidding us,” Carol Jean said unbelieving.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Rose said.

  “So, girls, how did you like our ghost story?” Bernadette asked.

  “Oh, we loved it. It was great!” Paula gushed. “The other girls left way too soon.”

  “Well, we’re just so glad we could add a little something to your slumber party.” Bernadette smiled, very happy to be accepted.

  Timeless Dreams

  It was Monday morning and Skye was having a fitful sleep. At first she was in a garden, where she was lying on the cool green grass looking up at an azure sky. Crystal clouds floated by and she giggled, as she reached up and tried to pluck one. Unable to squeeze a marshmallow cloud, she picked a dandelion instead, softly blowing its white fluff away in a delicate breeze. No important decisions had to be made. No one’s life depended on what kind of a mood she was in.

  It was wonderful just to lie there, watching the clouds with visions of Julie and the children racing across her mind like a ticker tape. She smiled as she remembered pushing the girls on the old tire Stan hung up on a tree, jumping into haystacks, and swimming in the pond on a hot summer’s day. She remembered the whimsical magic of making mud pies with 5-year-old Jill and piling little stones on top for decoration. She had enjoyed her time on the farm and was glad she experienced it all. These were her memories, really good memories, and nothing could take them away.

  All at once the clouds were gone, and in their place, were floating faces. She stared in wonder at first, curious, and then furious that they had intruded upon her ethereal dream.

  Go away this minute. Give me back my fluffy clouds!

  But the faces only came closer and closer. They circled her head, one face after another, turning and twisting, their eyes piercing through her mind. She could hear them, though their lips weren’t moving. Over and over they said, “Time is not yours to keep, time is not yours to keep.”

  Why isn’t it? Skye asked, in her sleep.

  Very slowly, as she started to awaken, the faces began to smear, as rain started falling in the garden. They were washed away as she slowly opened her eyes.

  Hum, first a mysterious poem shows up in my book and now it’s in my dreams? I wish I knew what’s going on.

  Skye came down the stairs to breakfast and slid into her chair. Sara was standing at the stove with her old housecoat and slippers on, and handed her a cup of decaf coffee with some cream.

  “Oh, thanks, I can use it, even though it doesn’t exactly wake me up like Julie’s coffee used to; it still tastes warm and good.” Skye sipped the warm brew with her eyes closed.

  “Could you do me a favor after school today, sweetie?” Sara asked, as she handed Skye some scrambled eggs and toast.

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “Stop in at Pennypacker’s and see if he’s gotten any spice cookies in yet?”

  “Umm, I love those with a hot cup of apple cider!” Skye mumbled with a piece of toast in her mouth.

  “Okay, good idea, bring home some more apple cider and we’ll heat it up. I used to make it myself, but i
t’s just gotten so hard to do everything to make autumn warm and cozy. I wish I had more time.”

  “That reminds me, I had the weirdest dream. I was lying in a garden, really enjoying myself, and these faces hovered around me, telling me time is not mine to keep. What do you make of that?”

  Sara had her back turned to Skye, standing at the sink.

  “Gee, Kiddo, I’ve had some weird dreams myself. I’ve had some dreams that would make your hair standup. I wouldn’t make too much of it . . . it’s just a dream, that’s all. Now don’t forget the cider and cookies, okay? I’ve got to get some clothes on and go over to the church,” Sara said, as she left the kitchen to go upstairs.

  Skye gulped down her breakfast and headed out the door, calling goodbye over her shoulder.

  Sara went up to her room and closed her door. She leaned against it for a second, a little ruffled by Skye’s dream.

  “Oh, good grief, Sara,” she said out loud. “You’re as bad as she is. It was just a dream, not a sign. It’s way too soon, for pete’s sake.”

  She started to walk to her closet, but then had a second thought. What if Cassie had the same dream? I’d better call Marion.

  ***

  Cassie entered the kitchen, trying to stifle a huge yawn. Marion had just walked into the kitchen, after hanging up the phone. She sat down at the table.

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yeah, I guess, but I’ve been having the strangest dreams. They seemed to start right before the slumber party. I don’t know why, but I have a lot of trouble coming out of them.”

  “Dreams, what kind of dreams,” Marion asked, sipping her cup of coffee, remembering her conversation with Sara.

  “Oh, I don’t know just silly stuff. Gosh, I’m really going to be late, so I’d better take off.”

  “That’s okay, I’ll drive you. We’ve got a few minutes.” Marion stared at her, forcing an answer.

  “Well, I’m running after this girl. I can’t see her face, but she has this shiny thing in her hand and I have to take it away from her. I don’t know why, but I know it’s really important. Then everything changes and I’m on the path to the old library, and all the trees and vines are grabbing me, trying to pull me toward the fountain.”

  “So, you don’t recognize this girl?” Marion asked, wide-eyed. “Have you seen her around town? And what about the library; have you talked to that ghost in your dream?”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t remember. I know things are happening, but I can’t make sense of it. There was a guy there, trying to pull me away from the trees and vines. He looked a little like George Harrison from the Beatles, but with a beard, and he wore a hat like a gangster would wear. Isn’t that weird?” Cassie said, laughing out loud.

  “Yes, a little weird, but can’t you remember anything else?”

  “Nope, it’s all hazy now. Oh, I really have to get to school.”

  “Okay, we can talk on the way. We’d better get going.”

  Just as they started toward the door, the phone rang.

  “Hello,” Marion said into the phone. “Oh no, hang on, I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone and started out the door again.

  “Sorry, sweetie, that was Loretta Parker. Her maid is sick and she has company coming any minute and she’s in frenzy. She doesn’t know how to make coffee. Can you believe that? Anyway, you’ll have to hurry, if you want to get to school on time.”

  Cassie started down the sidewalk, walking as fast as she could to meet up with Skye. She was on Pansy Lane, when a familiar cloud started to form in front of her.

  Oh, no, here we go again.

  The same old woman formed within the cloud and smiled down at Cassie.

  “You’re getting closer to finding me, dear, remember your dreams. The clues are in there.”

  Cassie was frozen in her tracks.

  I should be used to this by now. Who is this woman and why does she want me to find her?

  “Hey there, Cassie, you’re going to be late for school, you know,” Will called out as he and Freddie walked toward her, but Cassie didn’t have time for their games.

  “Yes, I know, so please leave me alone . . . okay?”

  “Well, we might and we might not. I’m just not sure.” It was Freddie’s turn to respond.

  “Oh, great,” Cassie sighed, as she prepared for a fight.

  “Don’t worry, darlin’, I’m coming to your rescue,” Joshua yelled out, as he sped down the lane on his bike.

  “Wow, I’m so glad to see you. I don’t have time to play their silly games today.”

  “That’s okay, jump up on the bar and I’ll drive you to school.”

  “I don’t think I can. I’ve never done that before.”

  “You’ll be fine. I won’t let go of you.”

  Cassie jumped up onto the bike and held onto the handlebars, as Joshua mostly held on to Cassie.

  “Awe, we never have any fun, let’s go fishing.” Will said to Freddie and they both turned around and headed for Penny Pot Creek.

  “Are you going to be late for work, if you take me to school?”

  “Yeah, but this is definitely worth it.”

  They arrived at school with little time to spare. Cassie hopped off the bike and gave Joshua a kiss, before she ran up the school steps. The first bell was just going off, as she ran to her locker.

  “Cassie, hurry, and why are you so late?” Skye asked, closing her locker. “I was afraid something was wrong.”

  “I know, I know . . . I just can’t seem to wake up in the mornings anymore.” Cassie hurriedly opened her locker and removed her books, just as the second bell went off.

  “See you after homeroom,” the girls said at the same time, as they went their separate ways.

  ***

  The day flew by quickly, with the girls chattering at lunch period and between classes, but neither girl shared their dream.

  After school, Skye stopped by Pennypacker’s and picked up the cider and cookies. Carol Jean trailed along, with nothing better to do. Cassie had told Skye she was going to check on something, but would catch up with them later.

  I wonder what Cassie’s up to. Skye thought to herself. I should have told her about my dream, but I don’t want her to think I’m always so dramatic. No, it was just a dream . . . that’s all.

  Carol Jean and Skye walked home together, with Carol Jean chattering away about Thanksgiving coming in a few weeks. Skye listened now and then but guiltily blocked a lot of the conversation out. They said they’re goodbyes and each turned into their respective driveways.

  Skye called out to her aunt as she entered the kitchen. She put the cider in the refrigerator and cookies in the cupboard. She took a quick peek into the hallway, but her aunt was nowhere to be found, so she went up to her room. She had homework to do, but just collapsed onto her bed, looking up at her ceiling. Within seconds she was asleep.

  She was lying in the garden again, clouds drifting peacefully by. This time she decided to count them instead of catch them. Her dark, shimmering hair made a halo around her head as she pointed a finger at one of the clouds.

  “It looks like someone is peeking out from the other side,” she giggled. “Come out, come out and show yourself. I demand it! I am the Princess of the gardens today and I insist.” Then she let her hand fall to the ground and she closed her eyes and smiled.

  “Well, here I am, your ladyship,” she heard a smooth voice utter. Startled, she opened her eyes and looked toward her right. A beautiful young man was staring at her, one knee bent, the other touching the soft grass. He was dressed rather gallantly, wearing a shirt with long billowy sleeves, opened at the neck with black riding pants. His black leather boots reached just below his knees. He had black wavy hair, with one curl caught by a breeze, softly waving in front of his forehead. His eyes were blue and he was gazing at her in the most casual wa
y.

  Good grief, Skye thought to herself, I’m in a Jane Austin novel.

  “So, who are you? She asked.

  “Well, if you’re the Princess of the Gardens, I must be your Prince,” he smiled at her.

  “You’re not dressed as a prince.”

  “Ah, then I must be your servant.”

  “Alright then, what shall you do for me today?” Skye asked primly.

  “A good servant would tell you all of the secrets of the garden, would he not?”

  Skye turned onto her right side, with her elbow poised in the grass, cupping her head with her hand. She looked at him excitedly. “Secrets . . . would you really tell me all of the secrets?”

  “I would have to now, wouldn’t I, being a good servant.”

  “Well, I don’t exactly know what to ask and it would help to know your name?”

  “My name is Sir August. Will that help?” He stood and bowed before her.

  “Yes, that’s very good, Sir August.” Skye rose from the ground and held out her hand before him. He took her hand and kissed it.

  “And I am Princess Skye,” she said, looking up into his dreamy blue eyes.

  “Oh, I know your name, my princess. I have always known your name. It was foretold of your arrival many years ago. We have been waiting for you.

  “Oh?” Skye looked a bit perturbed. “Who else is waiting for me?”

  “Everyone and anyone of importance,” he said, holding out his arm. He then asked, “May I escort you around the garden?”

  “Um, yes, that would be nice.” Skye took his proffered arm and together they strolled along the garden toward the pillars.

  When they came closer, four rather large garden gnomes stepped out.

  “You may go no further,” one of them said.

  “You cannot stop us,” Sir August responded, “I am with the Princess.”

  “I’ve never seen these gnomes before!” Skye said, startled.

  “We’ve always been here and we are here to guard the pillars,” a gnome replied.

  “Oh, good grief, this isn’t fun anymore.”

  “Now, now,” Sir August said, looking down into Skye’s eyes. “Don’t be upset, Princess Skye, there’s much more to see on the other side of the garden and I promised to tell you its secrets.”

  Skye could not take her eyes off Sir August, as she continued to look deeply into his eyes, until she lost all thoughts of secrets and gnomes.

  He leaned down closer to her face. “You’re really very charming, Princess Skye.” Sir August once again took Skye’s arm, and they turned and walked back around to the other side.

  “Alright, now tell me all of the secrets that you know.”

  “I will tell you only one today, my Princess.”

  They reached a gazebo and he ushered her in. She sat down upon a white, wrought iron bench. He sat opposite to her and took both of her hands in his.

  Looking deeply into her eyes he said, “The first secret is, there are four of you, not two.”

  “That sounds like a riddle, not a secret. Is that all?” Skye pursed her lips at him.

  “That’s all I will tell you today.”

  “Oh,” Skye said, as she started to get up from the bench.

  He took her by her shoulders and looked earnestly into her eyes.

  “You can trust me, your highness, that’s all I can tell you, but it’s very important.”

  Then, out of the blue, he leaned down and very gently brushed her lips with his.

  She reached up to put her arms around his neck, but the next thing she knew, she was clutching her pillow.

  “Skye, Skye, are you up there? I just got home. Are you doing your homework?” Her aunt called from the bottom of the stairs.

  “Yes, I thought I’d get it done early,” Skye yelled back.

  “I’m going to start dinner, now. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

  “Yeah, okay, fine,” Skye answered. She opened her notebook and started to write down figures, and then she turned the page and started to draw a face . . . his face. She captured his eyes and his wonderful tousled hair. She drew and drew until she felt she had him the way he appeared in her dream. She put her pencil down for a moment and started to think, Should I tell Cassie about this? No, I think I’ll wait a bit. She closed her notebook and pressed her hand over it. “You’re all mine, Sir August, if only in my dreams.”

  Autumn Leaves

  The wind was blowing leaves in little whirlwinds in front of Skye and Cassie, as they walked along Lily Street clutching their books to their chests. It was Friday afternoon and school was out. A man took a moment from raking leaves to smile and wave at the girls, as they walked by and turned down High School Lane.

  “So, what are we doing this weekend?” Skye asked casually.

  “Not much, but I’ll try and come up with something.”

  “Okay . . . will it have anything to do with Chris, or good heavens, Joshua? You really do enjoy torturing Chris, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I do . . . it’s what I live for. By the way, what are your plans?”

  “Well, first of all, I plan on making breakfast for my aunt tomorrow morning and then help her rake leaves. Maybe Todd will drop by and help and . . .”

  “Oh, yeah, maybe Todd will drop by and help? You know he will. As soon as you walk out the door with a rake in your hand, half the guys in Parkerville will turn up. Of course, Todd will be swinging his rake at their heads.”

  “Okay, yeah, I can see that, but I’m sure there’ll be tons of guys at your house, too.

  “No, not really, I don’t have that problem. Peter Parker and Louie Mateo hang around a lot, to my disgust, but they’re friends of Chris and live on our street. I do have a couple of guys from school who like to walk with me sometimes, but that’s about it. Most of the guys are too scared to walk down Maple Avenue, since they’re a little intimidated by Chris and Pete. Of course, I do like upsetting Chris’ little world, when I get a chance.”

  “You’re way to mean to that boy and it must be hard for him seeing you having fun with Joshua.”

  “Oh, and what about you and Michael? And don’t tell me you’re not interested, because I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

  “Okay, I’m attracted to Michael. In fact, I think he’s a doll! But that’s just between you and me! You can’t tell a living soul!”

  “I promise, honest, but tell me more; do you think Michael even suspects?”

  The girls were now strolling down Hedge Lane, known for its tall hedges and occasional private bench, making it a secluded and quiet walk home. No one would have the audacity to eavesdrop on another’s conversation, but someone was raking leaves on the other side of the hedge and stopped when he heard voices. Michael was doing his good deed for the day, when he heard Skye and Cassie bring up his name.

  Skye looked left and right, trying to be as secretive as possible, keeping her voice so low that Michael had to practically lean into the hedge to hear.

  With a huge sigh, Skye began to tell all to Cassie.

  “Well, the truth is, the first time I saw Michael in H’our Burgers, I nearly fainted. I got these weird stomach flutters and when my aunt told me he was also one of the nicest guys in Parkerville, well, that just about did it. It was really hard for me, since I had already met Todd, and my heart just raced when I first saw him kind of like when Chad first kissed me. I guess I’ll never see him again, so, like you, I’m really attracted to two guys right now, Todd and Michael.

  They continued their conversation, as they walked down the sidewalk, as Michael leaned on his rake with a big grin on his face.

  “Oh, I just love the smells of fall, don’t you?” The girls were nearing the corner of Honeysuckle and Cedar, where they would go their separate ways.

  Cassie took in a deep breath and sighed

  “It’s my favorite time of year. I’m actually going to enjoy raking leaves.
Maybe we’ll rake up a big pile and jump into them!”

  “Skye, really? That’s so . . . childish!” Cassie laughed, “But my friends and I used to take a rake and make floor plans out of the leaves. We would try to make the biggest, most complicated house. Gosh, it was fun being a little kid.”

  Both girls broke out laughing again, as hurried footsteps came up behind them.

  They turned cautiously to see both Todd and Chris gaining on them.

  “Hey, are we interrupting anything?” Chris yelled.

  “No, we’re just talking about raking leaves and jumping in them.” Cassie laughed, feeling her bracelet buzzing.

  “A little old for that, don’t you think?” Chris said with a smirk.

  “Well, I guess we know who we won’t invite . . . right, Skye? Todd laughed.”

  “Absolutely, those who don’t have a childlike sense of adventure will not be invited!”

  “Hey, I’m a child at heart; you know I’ll be there.”

  “Oh, Todd, you’re such a wuss,” Chris broke in. “Give me a break, if Skye wanted you to jump off the roof of her house, you’d bring a cape with a big S on it. You’re so . . . obvious.”

  “I may be obvious, but I’m not stupid. See you guys later.”

  The couples reached Honeysuckle and they paired off in different directions. Todd offered to carry Skye’s books and he could be heard saying, as loud as possible, “By the way, Skye, just how high is your roof?”

  Cassie smiled after them, with Chris awkwardly walking beside her.

  “So, what do you think about those two?” Cassie asked.

  “Oh, he’s got it bad. I’ve never seen Todd act this way. She’s got that poor sap wrapped around her little finger.”

  ***

  Todd and Skye walked and talked, with Skye being the quieter one. This bothered Todd, so he brought up the Harvest Dance.

  “Um,” Skye began, “did you go last year when you were a senior?”

  “Well, sure, I’ve gone every year since I started junior high school . . . why?”

  “No reason. So, who did you take to the dance last year?”

  “Oh . . . um, well, let me think. I think it was . . . no, it was probably . . . no. You know, I really don’t remember. Does it matter?”

  “No, I just wondered,” Skye said softly, as her bracelet tightened on her wrist. She knew he wasn’t telling her the truth. They had reached Skye’s house and Todd reluctantly gave Skye back her books, after he kissed her goodbye.

  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

  “Sure, I’ll be home. Skye hurried up the stairs and into the house.

  As Todd walked through his front door, he felt a little guilty that he didn’t tell Skye who he took to the Harvest Dance last year. He figured she’d find out soon enough anyway. And besides, what did he have to feel guilty about? He didn’t even know Skye last year!

  ***

  Chris and Cassie were walking along, mostly talking about the colder weather and how drab the trees were going to look without their leaves. Chris had his hands in his pockets, as Cassie had her arms wrapped around her books.

  “So, is everything okay with us?”

  “Yeah, as long as we keep our conversations away from Joshua and Amanda,” Cassie began, “it’s just so much fun fighting about those two.”

  “Well, I’m happy you’ve been entertained,” Chris answered with a grin. “I just don’t know what to do with you. You can make me so angry at times, but then . . .”

  “But then?” Cassie reached over, slipping her hand under his arm and smiled up at him.

  Chris stared down into her soft pale eyes. “Yeah, but then I realize I could never stay mad at you. Hey, the Wild Wild West is on tonight. Let’s make a date to meet in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn.”

  “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I love that show! Maybe we can reserve the den and keep Geri out.” Cassie grinned up at Chris, “You know that Jim West is really cool.”

  “Yeah, he is, but I’m not worried, I’ll just keep reminding you who’s real and who isn’t.” Chris leaned down and gave her a kiss.

  Cassie giggled, “You know, I might need to be reminded a lot, Artemus is a cutie pie, too.”

  Raking Day

  Saturday finally dawned, as Skye stretched and yawned before looking at her clock. “Six o’clock, I know I can sleep later than this. What is the matter with me? It’s Saturday morning and I’m wide-awake, this has to stop! Oh, well . . . I’m up.”

  She put on her robe and slippers, and headed downstairs. She found her aunt sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in her hand. She smiled at Skye.

  “Well, good morning, sweetie! Why am I not surprised to see you up this early on a Saturday morning?” Sara said, getting up to get Skye a cup.

  “Oh, I don’t know, I just think there’s so much to do every single day here and it’s just too much for me to waste sleeping away in bed.” Skye took the cup offered and poured herself some coffee.

  “Today, I’m making breakfast for my wonderful aunt and then I’m going to help her rake leaves. How does that sound?”

  “Sounds like a plan, missy. I’ll go up and take my shower, and get dressed. I expect to come down to a piping hot breakfast fit for a . . . well . . . an aunt.”

  “You got it!” Skye sat her coffee down and started to get out the pots and pans.

  ***

  After the breakfast dishes were washed and put away, Skye and Sara headed outside.

  “Wait a second, Skye; it’s a little chilly and windy today. You go get your jacket and I’ll get the rakes out of the shed.”

  Sara stopped for a moment when Skye walked back through the door. Just for that one second she reminded her of her daughter, Laura. Skye was so much like her in many ways. It was wonderful having her there, almost like having her daughter back. Sara gave Skye a hug and they started raking, talking, and having a great time.

  “We need a plan, sweetie, why don’t you start at the edge of the driveway and I’ll start raking on the other side. Then we’ll meet in the middle?”

  “Sounds good to me.” Skye took her rake and walked over to the edge of the driveway and started raking.

  Seeing the women out, Homer came over with a rake in his hand. Todd, of course, showed up, just as Michael walked up the driveway with a big grin, asking if he could help.

  “Don’t you have your own lawn to rake?” Todd grumbled.

  “Nope, did it yesterday. I’m as free as a bird.”

  Just as Todd was about to tell him there were enough people raking the Davis’ yard, Sara smiled and spoke up.

  “Come on, Michael, the more the merrier. Remember, we can’t leave any leaves on the ground, cause if we do, the Deckers won’t come.”

  Skye looked questioningly at her aunt. “Okay, what are the Deckers?”

  But before Sara could give her answer, Mr. Figg showed up, much to her delight. He pulled into the driveway with his truck and pulled out his own rake.

  “Well, now,” Sara laughed, “I wouldn’t be surprised if a Keeper or two showed up, to help rake up my little yard.”

  As they began to work, a gust of wind came up and blew the pile of leaves into a swirl. It was beautiful. The trees branches swayed and hundreds more leaves came tumbling down.

  Skye threw down her rake and twirled around in the wind with her arms spread out, her eyes closed, and her face turned skyward. Her hair blew out all around her. Todd and Michael held their breath and watched. Homer just stared in awe. Gerald and Sara smiled at the innocent, childlike sight before them.

  When the wind calmed down, Skye stopped and took a deep breath.

  “Oh, I just love the smells of fall.” She picked up her rake and was ha
rdly aware of the stares still emanating from the devoted threesome. “Wow, looks like we better start all over again. Maybe we should start burning them. What do you think, Aunt Sara?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry, it’ll die down soon,” Mr. Figg assured her. “Most of the leaves are gone from all the trees. That’s the only reason it’s a little windy today. We needed it.”

  “Okay boys, let’s start raking. Make two big piles and when the time is just right, we’ll light ‘em up!” Mr. Figg took charge of the situation and Sara was grateful.

  Sara and Skye went to sit on the porch steps. It seemed there were too many rakes going and Mr. Figg was in charge.

  Sara yelled, “Who wants hot cider?” and got a loud me from everyone, so she and Skye went inside to heat up some cider.

  They all joined Sara and Skye on the front porch, as they brought out a tray and served all their helpers. It was early afternoon, when they sipped their drinks and waited for the wind to die down.

  ***

  On the northern side of town, the Keaton’s were also hard at work raking leaves, as well as the rest of the neighborhood.

  “Will you just look at the Parker’s lawn? Every leaf accounted for and piled high, just waiting to be burned. I guess if you have enough money, you can pay someone to do all your work for you,” Marion said steaming, as she pushed a few leaves along. They must have had them work all night, so the rest of us would look bad this morning.”

  “Now, honey, you say that same thing every year. We Keaton’s love Raking Day, don’t we, kids? We wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Justin smiled at Chris and Geri, who were still sitting on the front porch. “Come on, now, your rakes are leaning against the side of the house. Oh, and we bought a new one for you, Cassie. It has your name on it.”

  Cassie was leaning against the door, taking it all in, when she heard Justin’s remark.

  “You bought a rake with my name on it? Why would you do such a thing?”

  “Good grief, Cassie, we all have our own rakes; didn’t you have one in the city? Raking Day is special,” Geri chimed in.

  “Yeah, really special,” Chris added with a laugh. “Come on, Cassie, we can rake out back.”

  “Remember now, you have to get all the leaves out of the pool, too,” Justin yelled after them.

  “Why all this fuss about raking leaves,” Cassie asked, a little confused? “My dad used to pay some kid to rake them into the street, so the street cleaners would wash them away in a day or so.”

  Chris looked dumbfounded at Cassie for a moment and then broke out laughing. “You’re kidding with me, aren’t you? You can come up with some of the funniest things. Who in their right mind would rake leaves into the street? I don’t think the Deckers would like that very much. I’ll have to tell that one to Todd, he’ll get a big kick out of it.”

  Cassie watched Chris laugh his way into the back yard, not understanding what the joke was about.

  “Who are the Deckers, Chris? Are they those snooty people three houses down, with the house that looks like an office building?”

  “No, of course not,” Chris laughed, and then stopped, realizing that Cassie wasn’t kidding. “Cassie, are you serious? You don’t know who the Deckers are?

  “No, I’ve never heard of them before.”

  “Whoa, this is really weird, but I guess things are different in the city. Chris broke into a huge smile. “You’re gonna love the Deckers.”

  ***

  At the Davis house, it was time to pile up the leaves. Sara went to her shed and pulled out a translucent sheet. As they fanned it out to put on the ground, little sparks of color danced around it. Once on the ground, they all proceeded to rake leaves onto it. The boys each took a corner and carried it into the driveway. Mr. Figg had moved his truck into the street.

  The last pile of leaves stood in the center of the yard in front of the porch steps. Just as they were about to start raking, Skye stopped them.

  “No, wait!” she yelled. I’ve just got to do this! She ran up onto the porch, took aim, and leaped into the pile of leaves, spreading them everywhere.

  Michael threw down his rake and ran up on the porch steps, leaping into them as well. Together he and Skye threw up their arms spreading leaves all over.

  Homer just kind of grinned and leaned up against a tree.

  If looks could kill, Michael’s body would be lying at Todd's feet. He smiled at the idea of Michael being out of the way, once and for all, but Skye took it as a sign that Todd wanted to be a part of the fun.

  “Hey, come on, you guys, join in the fun!” Skye pleaded.

  Skye and Michael finished raking another pile of leaves, as Michael called out, all set.”

  The boys looked at each other, but Homer shook his head and continued to watch.

  Todd, on the other hand, walked over to the pile of leaves, shoved Michael out of the way, and picked up Skye.

  He was headed for the porch steps, when Skye yelled, "Todd, that wasn't necessary! And by the way, put me down!"

  Todd just shrugged as he reached the top of the stairs. "He was in my way."

  Together he and Skye jumped into the leaves, but the effect was not the same. Skye sensed trouble and decided it was time to get serious, so she picked up the rake and started raking leaves toward the driveway.

  Michael walked over to Todd and confronted him. "What's your problem, Kane?"

  "You're my problem. Why don't you take a hint and leave?"

  "I don't see Skye asking me to and you sure aren't the boss of anyone around here, in fact, why don't you leave?"

  "Nope; because this is my territory punk, not yours!" Todd reminded him.

  Sara wanted Gerald to put a stop to it, but Gerald thought the whole thing was funny and just kept raking.

  "Your territory? I don’t see your name on anything here, or did you go around marking it like a dog.”

  "That's it, Michael, you’re a dead man!"

  Todd lunged at Michael, knocking him to the ground. The two of them started punching and kicking one another, fists were flailing as they rolled on the ground, with the leaves flying around.

   At this point, the closer neighbors had stopped their raking and stood enjoying the fistfight between the boys. Some walked across the street for a closer look.

  Sara yelled, "Boys, please, stop it . . . stop it now!"

  Skye walked over to the porch steps and sat down with a sigh and a good grief.

  Gerald walked into the fray of twisting and turning bodies on the ground, trying to pull them apart.

  No one heard the sound of running behind them. They were all so caught up with the fight. Gerald didn't know what hit him, when a huge arm came out of nowhere, lifting him off the wrestling boys.

  Michael was on top of Todd and he was just about to land a punch, when someone grabbed his punching arm and jerked him off Todd.

  "Don't you dare hurt my man . . . don't you dare! If any of his vital parts are damaged, I'll cream the lot of you. This is your fault, missy, and you’re gonna pay for it. And don't think I'm gonna forget this, Homer, you’re just as bad."

  "What the heck did I do?" Homer asked, a little scared and bewildered.

  Marabelle was hovering over Todd, brushing leaves and dirt off of his shirt.

  "Are you alright, sweetie? Don't you worry, I'm here now and I'll take care of you."

  "Marabelle, get off me!" Todd yelled and scrambled to his feet. "I can take care of myself. Get away from me!” Todd yelled and then turned his attention to Sara. “I'm sorry, Mrs. Davis, I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I guess I'll just leave."

  Skye had gone to Michael, who was lying on the ground where Marabelle tossed him. He was rubbing his arm and shaking his head, trying to get the image of Marabelle out of his mind.

  Todd turned to see Skye at Michael’s side and said, "This isn't over, Mich
ael, not by a long shot."

  "That's right, and I'll see to it that no one lays a hand on you ever again, sweetie," Marabelle promised.

  "Oh, for Pete’s sake . . . go home!" Todd yelled over his shoulder at Marabelle, as he continued down the sidewalk.

  "I'm just glad I could help. I'll always be there for you, sweetheart," Marabelle yelled back, as she watched Todd walk away. She turned to the rest who were left in the Davis front yard and said, "Heed my warning!"

  Homer walked over, grabbed his sister's arm, and dragged her away before she could say another word. But as he was leaving, he turned and said over his shoulder, "This was really fun, let's get together again sometime. See ya."

  Skye helped Michael to his feet. "So, are you okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little dirty . . . nothing a shower won't fix. Hey, Skye, I'm sorry, too."

  "You didn't start it, Michael, Todd did.

  "Guess my Irish temper got away from me,” Michael confessed.

  "Well, it sounds to me like Todd's gonna hold a grudge, maybe Mr. Figg can drive you home," Sara looked at Gerald hopefully.

  "Hey, sure, that's no problem, Michael. Let's get these leaves finished and I'll drive us all over to H'ours. We can get something to eat," Mr. Figg offered.

  "Sounds good, now let's get this done so we can have a little fun! I know, let’s all go up to Tickle Pine Mountain. I haven’t done that in years. I think Skye should see it,” Sara added.

  With the four of them raking, they finished the yard in no time. After all the leaves were on the sheet, Mr. Figg told everyone to stand back as he reached into his pockets for matches and colors.

  He lit each pile of leaves and gave each person a packet of colors, which were designated for the Davis clan. They each threw their packet at the same time, causing the flames to change colors as they slowly rose into the atmosphere sparkling, twisting, and intertwining like bright colorful ribbons.

  The neighbors on Sara’s street followed suit, adding their packets of colors. It was magical.

  ***

  At the Keaton’s house, Geri had climbed the big maple tree in the front yard, to pull off the last stubborn red leaf.

  “Here it comes, Daddy. Should I go check the backyard and see if all the leaves are down? I doubt if Mr. & Mrs. Cuddles are doing a very good job back there,” Geri said, as she started to climb down the tree and looked up. “Oh, no, the colors are starting!”

  “Here, Geri, let me help you down,” Justin said, as she dropped to the ground. “Go around back and make sure those two are about done, so we can start our own colors going up.” Justin looked toward the south of town. “Looks like Sara and the Kane’s are already lighting up.

  Chris was in the backyard, filling up the last bag with leaves, as Cassie sat on the swing, twirling a couple of leaves between her fingers.

  “I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such beautiful leaves before. Nearly everyone is perfect. It’s almost a shame to burn them.”

  “But we have to,” Geri shouted as she ran up to Cassie, “every last one!” Geri tried to grab the leaves out of Cassie’s hands.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Cassie laughed, “I’m keeping these two.”

  “Chris, tell her to give me the leaves. We have to burn them. Look, the colors are going up.”

  Cassie stood up and looked around to see beautiful fall colors rising in the air all over Parkerville. “Wow, what’s going on?”

  “It’s the burning of the leaves,” Chris explained, “we send the colors back up to heaven, so all those who have gone before can enjoy Raking Day with us.” He lifted the last bag onto the wheelbarrow. “Come on, we have to get these to the driveway, so we can start burning.”

  Cassie followed Chris and Geri to the front yard, reeling from the spectacle all around her. “Oh, look at all the gold glittering in the Parker’s smoke.”

  “Yeah, they’re a bunch of show-offs,” Geri said as she wrinkled up her nose.

  “Now, Geri, our colors are just as nice,” Marion, said, as she motioned everyone to come closer.

  “But, Mommy, Cassie has a couple of leaves she won’t put in the fire and I bet she didn’t even do any raking.”

  “Sure she did, “Chris said smiling. “She raked for a whole 2 or 3 minutes, before deciding to hold a contest to find the prettiest leaf in the yard.”

  “Yeah and here are the two runner’s up,” Cassie laughed, as she held up the two remaining contestants.

  “Mom, that’s not fair! We’re all supposed to share the work and we have to burn all the leaves.” Geri ran toward Cassie to try to snatch the leaves one more time.

  “Geri, stop it!” Justin stepped in. “If Cassie wants to keep a couple of leaves, she can.”

  “No, she can’t!” Geri fired back.

  “Yes, she can,” Justin, said softly, giving her a stern look.

  “Of course, she can,” Marion laughed, pulling Geri aside. “Remember what we told you about Cassie?” Marion whispered. “We have to treat her special.”

  Geri looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry, Mom, I guess I forgot. We don’t want to make the Keepers angry.”

 

  ***

  Over at Sara’s house, Mr. Figg took charge.

  “Okay, let’s jump in my truck and head up to Tickle Pine. Skye, would you and Michael mind riding in the back?”

  “Heck, no, that sounds like fun. Come on, Michael.”

  Michael helped Skye up into the back of the truck, as Sara and Mr. Figg hopped into the front, then they were off.

  There were lots of others up on Tickle Pine enjoying the view below. The four of them found a spot and got out of the truck. They walked to the edge of a rock formation and watched the fantastic colors go up.

  “What a beautiful way to say goodbye to summer. This is all so neat. I just love it!” Skye smiled contentedly.

  Michael took advantage of Skye’s good mood and nervously put his arm around her. The tingling of her bracelet was strong, as she hid her right hand under her jacket. She smiled to herself and continued to look straight ahead.

  With a warm feeling running all through her, Skye looked up into the sky to watch all the colors float up. It was like watching the fireworks at Bright Springs after the huge picnic they held each year. But this was different. All of a sudden, as she watched the sky streaming with colors, something strange started to happen. The colors turned into letters. Her eyes started to burn as she watched the letters form a sentence.

  Time is not yours to keep.

  “Do you see that?” Skye turned to Michael.

  Michael commented, with his eyes skyward, “Yeah, it’s breathtaking. I’m so glad I can share it with you.” Michael didn’t have a clue Skye was seeing something he couldn’t.

  Sara was pointing and laughing with Mr. Figg, so obviously she didn’t see it either.

  Skye took her eyes away from the words and shook her head. When she looked up again, they were gone.

  Gina

  Skye seemed quiet and distant at school. She seemed to be in her own little world. She wanted to mention her dream to Cassie, which she couldn’t seem to shake off, but she wanted to savor it a little longer.

  After school the threesome walked to the square, as Cassie waited until Skye and Carol Jean started for home, down their respective path. She stayed behind, curious about the old library and decided to continue her investigation.

  She walked up to the clock tower a little fearful, since she was alone this time, wishing she had told Skye about the dreams she was starting to have. She let out a sigh and began to walk around the tower.

  “Hi, there,” a voice rang out behind her. “I’m a little lost and I need some help. Could you help me, please?”

 
Cassie spun around, a little rattled by the interruption. “Where did you come from?”

  “I was right here, behind the bench. Didn’t you see me?”

  “I guess I didn’t,” Cassie said slowly, still a little confused.

  “Well, can you please help me? I’m new here and I just need some directions.”

  “I don’t know. I’m fairly new here myself, but I’ll try. Who are you looking for?”

  “It’s not a who, it’s a place. I’m supposed to be staying at the Parkerville Inn. I was told to meet someone at the clock tower, but I guess it isn’t you.”

  “You guessed right, since I’m pretty sure it isn’t me.”

  The girl standing in front of Cassie had her hair pulled up into two ponytails, high on the top of her head. She wore a short-sleeved, lime tee shirt with the words, Sock it to me! in bright pink letters; over a pair of red pedal pushers.

  Cassie was a little shocked at the girl’s outfit. “What does that mean?” Cassie asked, as she pointed to her shirt. “And aren’t you cold? I doubt if it’s over 40 degrees out here. A little cold for short sleeves, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, I know; I’m about to freeze my . . . ah, sorry. I didn’t think to bring a jacket.”

  “Hey, Gina, I’m over here. What are you doin’?” A strange man yelled out, as he got out of his car.

  “Oops, that must be my ride. Sorry I bothered you.”

  With that, the strange girl ran over to a rather rough looking man and got into his car.

  Cassie watched as they sped away from the square.

  “What’s wrong with you, Gina? You weren’t supposed to talk to nobody, and what the hell are you wearing? I told you 1965.” He pointed at her shirt, “That show didn’t even start yet. I told you to look it up, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, yeah, well, I didn’t have a lot of time. She didn’t know what it meant, anyway, so what’s the diff? Just get me the hell out of here and find me some warm clothes . . . from the right year this time?”

  Cassie was still staring in the direction of the car, as it sped away. Wow, that was weird, she thought to herself as she started around the tower, again. As she neared the path, which would take her to the library, she saw a man in a fedora hat and trench coat, leaning against the tower. There seemed to be a fog around him, as she stopped suddenly, feeling some déjà vu.

  He was lighting up a cigarette, under the brim of his hat, as he looked over at her.

  “Don’t be afraid, sweetheart, I’m not gonna hurt ya. I’ve been waiting’ here to talk to ya.”

  Cassie was too afraid to speak, let alone run away, but as she watched this strange man, her bracelet started to buzz.

  It’s okay, a familiar voice said in her mind. He needs your help, Cassie. Bring him to the library and I’ll help you both.

  The man in the trench coat turned toward Cassie. “You’re one of those special girls, aren’t ya?”

  “I don’t know . . . what do you mean?” Cassie stammered.

  “Sorry, I guess I’m gettin’ ahead of myself. My name’s Joey . . . Joey Cheats.”

  Joey Cheats

  Cassie had to take a step back. “Did you say Joey Cheats?”

  “Yeah, that’s me,” Joey said, as smoke encircled his head. “How’d you know?”

  “I read a newspaper article you wrote. It was really weird. It was about a place called New City. Did you make that up, cause it sounded really strange.”

  Joey threw his cigarette down, smashing it with his shoe, as he walked toward her. She still couldn’t see his face, since the brim of his hat was pulled down. Suddenly a light came on behind Cassie, lighting up the path. Cassie looked over her shoulder and saw a street lamp, which had appeared out of nowhere.

  “Whoa, how’d you do that?” Joey asked, as he lifted his hat.

  He was older than Cassie thought he would be, possibly in his late forties. He had a mustache, and his hair was a dark brown with the beginning of gray in his sideburns, but it was his eyes that she couldn’t help noticing. They were bright blue and seemed to penetrate right through her. There was also something very familiar about him.

  “That was Nelson the ghost, not me,” Cassie began. “He likes to play little games, so it seems. In fact when Skye and I first met him he told us his name was Elwood P. Dowd.”

  “A ghost? You did say ghost, kid, didn’t ya, or am I dreamin’ this?”

  “No, you’re not dreaming, but I know the feeling. He wants me to take you to the library.”

  Joey just stared at Cassie for a moment. “Okay, let’s go. We don’t want to upset Nelson . . . the ghost.”

  Cassie led the way around the clock tower, until they came to the Willow’s Way sign. “We have to go down this path.”

  “Hey, wait a minute. I’ve been around this clock tower twice and there wasn’t any path. So what’s goin’ on?”

  “Do you really have to ask?” Cassie said, turning to face Joey. “This town is very weird. Lots of strange stuff happens around here all the time.” Then she grinned. “You’re not afraid, are you?”

  “Afraid, are you kiddin’ me? I’m Joey Cheats! I’m not afraid of nothin’.”

  “Good, then let’s get going.”

  Cassie started down the path, as Joey pulled his hat back down over his eyes and followed her. When they came to the terra cotta bricks, Joey knelt down and examined a few.

  “Oh, yeah, I know what these are. You see these family crests, they represent the 12 original families who came back and settled here.”

  “They came back . . . from where?”

  “Oh, you don’t know,” Joey said, standing up and scratching his beard. “Well maybe I’d better shut my trap, at least until we talk to this ghost of yours.”

  They continued on until they came to the big willow tree. The door swung open, before they had a chance to open it.

  “Ready or not, here we go,” Cassie laughed nervously, as she walked up the steps.

  Nelson was sitting behind the counter, as he had before, and welcomed the strange duo.

  Joey stared at Nelson and then looked around. “So where’s the ghost.”

  “Right here,” he said, as he changed into a more solid image of himself.

  Joey stared at him for a moment and fainted dead away.

  Cassie was swabbing Joey’s forehead with a damp cloth, as he started to wake up.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word,” Cassie said with a grin.

  Joey jumped up off the floor, “Holey moly, what was that? Was that the ghost?”

  “Yup, that’s him.”

  “You know, you could have warned me,” Joey said, as he hit his hat against his leg.

  Cassie just laughed.

  “So, this doesn’t bother you?” Joey asked, his face starting to flush. “Where’d he go?”

  “I’m right here, Coop.”

  Joey slowly turned his head. Standing next to him was a familiar looking, twenty-year old ghost.

  “Nelson, is that you? Oh gees, you mean your dead?”

  “Yes, dear friend, I died a long time ago, but I’m held here until certain events take place.”

  Both men started to laugh. Joey tried to put his arm around Nelson’s shoulders, but his arm fell right through him.

  “Gees, Nelson, I forgot you’re dead. This is really creepin’ me out. So what’s it like being dead?”

  “It’s not so bad, but I wouldn’t want you to try it anytime soon.”

  “Enough of this,” Cassie yelled, losing her patience. “One of you needs to tell me what’s going on.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Nelson, said, “I never intended to make you mad. I was just playing with you a little.”

  “Yeah, this is my old buddy, Nelson,” Joey said, with a smile. “We used to hang out together . . . when he was alive, that is. Elwood P. Dowd . . . now that was a good one,” Joey laughed and tried to hit Nelson on the back again, wi
th no avail. “Hey, Cassie, Jimmy Stewart played Harvey in the movie. Ever see it?”

  “Wait a minute, how could you have known Nelson when he was alive?” Cassie asked narrowing her eyes at both of them.

  “Wow kid, you don’t miss a thing. I gotta watch what I say around you from now on.” Joey said a little uneasy.

  “We know each other. That’s all you really have to know.” Nelson said.

  “Okay, for now. And yes, I’ve seen that movie and I loved it. So, what are we doing here and who are you, Joey? Or is it Coop?”

  “My name is really Joey Cooper, but my professional name is Joey Cheats. It sounds more like a gangster, don’t you think? Joey Cooper sounds like a wimp.”

  “Oh, great, you’re a gangster . . . that’s wonderful! And he’s a ghost and your old friend. Yeah, I think I’ve got it now.”

  “Okay,” Nelson started, “I’ll tell you why I called you both here. Coop, your little sister, Gina, is here and she’s going to cause a lot of trouble. Something has to be done.”

  “Yeah, I know, but she doesn’t know I’m here,” Joey said through his teeth, tipping his head toward Cassie and widened his eyes. “Not everyone knows about this.”

  “Excuse me, but I can hear you,” Cassie said standing up. “Tell me what’s going on or I’m out of here.”

  “Okay, sugar, okay. Just hold on to your britches. I’ve got two sisters, you see, one’s named Marion and the other’s Gina. Marion and Gina were supposed to come back together in 1945, but Gina tricked us and she didn’t go with Marion. Then Gina reset the timer for 1965, so she would arrive today, and Marion doesn’t know what’s goin’ on.” Joey looked at Cassie, nodding his head, “Now do you understand?”

  Nelson let out a sigh. “A little too much information, don’t you think, Coop?”

  Cassie sat back down and cupped her head in her hands, trying to clear her mind, and after a few moments, she looked back up.

  “So you’re telling me that you’re Marion Keaton’s brother, and the girl I met earlier at the square, is your younger sister. I’m guessing that, since some guy picked her up and called her Gina. Am I getting close?”

  “Bingo!” Nelson said, and then flew up to the ceiling.

  “Okay, Nelson, you gotta stop doing that. I told you it’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.” Joey then turned to Cassie, “So how do you know Marion?”

  “I live with Marion and her family, and I took a little peek at her yearbook. I remember she was Marion Cooper.”

  “Wow, you’re a smart little tomato.”

  “Thanks, but she’s also the only Marion in Parkerville. It wasn’t that hard to figure out, but I saw a photo of you and your sisters a few days ago on Marion’s desk. You were all about the same age, but your ages kept changing. So how is this possible?”

  Joey looked a little nervous. “Yeah, kid . . . well, I can explain that, but it’s not that important right now. There’s a lot of stuff you don’t know about, sugar, but we’ll clue you in as we go.” Joey took off his hat and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. “By the way, did you say why you’re living with Mare?”

  “My dad was friends with Mr. Keaton, when they were in college, and I came to live here . . . after my parents died.”

  “Hey, kid, I’m sorry. You got a bum deal. Maybe I knew your dad. What’s his name?”

  “John Evans. Did you know him?”

  “No, doll, don’t think so. It doesn’t sound familiar. You know you can’t tell Mare I’m here. I’ve got some things to do first. And more important, you can’t tell her Gina showed up today. Once I get everything in place, I’ll go see her myself.”

  “So why am I here? What am I supposed to do?” Cassie asked a little frustrated.

  “Your job is to make friends with Gina,” Nelson chimed in. “Someone needs to keep an eye on her, and she won’t suspect you. Just befriend her at school and keep her in your sights, but don’t ever allow her to come home with you or Skye. She can’t be trusted.”

  “So who’s Sky,” Joey said with a sly smile, “is he your guy? Hey, I made a rhyme.”

  Nelson couldn’t help but laugh, but Cassie just glared back at him.

  “No, Skye’s a girl and she’s my best friend. Can I tell her about this?”

  Both men answered in unison, with Nelson saying yes, as Joey said no.

  “Joey,” Nelson started to explain, “Skye is a lot like Cassie, if you know what I mean, and she needs to know everything that Cassie knows.”

  “Oh, yeah, I get it. Okay, sugar, you can go ahead and tell Skye.”

  “Wonderful,” was all Cassie could reply.

  Joey Meets Joshua

  Cassie and Joey were walking up Pansy Lane, toward Honeysuckle. Cassie was bursting with questions, but not sure what to ask first.

  “Okay, now you can tell me why you are so much older than Gina?”

  “It’s a little hard to explain, sweetheart, but it’s all about a time machine.”

  “Oh, right! Don’t we all have one?” Cassie said, getting frustrated. “And did the time machine bring you here to stay at the Parkerville Hotel?”

  “Hell . . . I mean, heck no. I’m not even supposed to be here. Sorry, doll, I gotta watch my yap. I’m not used to being around kiddos, I mean young people, like you. You know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean, but you don’t have to be nervous around me. I’ve heard my share of cuss words, but I do appreciate your candor. Oh, and you can call me Cassie.”

  “Yeah, okay, thanks. So, Cassie, what do you think of this place?”

  “It’s hard to say, I haven’t been here very long, but it’s certainly been an experience. Are you going to walk me home?”

  “Sorry, kiddo, I can’t take that chance.” He pulled a gold ticket out of his pocket. “I got me a pass and I’ve got a friend in Marshall City who’s helping me. Can’t tell you his name, but he’s a good friend. We’ve been communicating for a long time and I’ve been waitin’ for this timeframe for years.”

  “This timeframe . . . people coming back, from 1945 . . . what’s all this about?” Cassie wanted to know.

  “Can’t tell you right now, doll, cause there’s too much goin’ on and I don’t want you gettin’ caught up in it. I need you to be dumb for a while. That works the best, don’t you think?”

  Cassie let out a sigh. “I guess, but will you answer a few of my questions?”

  “All in good time, sugar. Hey, look! There’s someone leaning against that street light up there. Do you see him?”

  “Yeah,” Cassie smiled as she looked up at Joey, “that’s Joshua.”

  “Oh, yeah, I knew there’d be a boyfriend somewhere. Joshua who? I need a last name, doll.”

  “It’s Edwards. Do you know the Edwards?”

  Joey reached into the inside pocket of his trench coat and pulled out a notebook. He rifled through it, until he found what he wanted.

  “Okay, here it is, Jim and Eddie Edwards. Hmm, looks like Jim’s been a bad boy, but this could work.” He put the notebook back into his pocket and looked down at Cassie. “Do you trust him? I mean, this Joshua kid.”

  “Yeah, of course I do. Why?”

  “I need another friend, that’s all. Just be cool and follow my lead . . . got it?”

  As Joey and Cassie got closer, Joshua stood up straight and pushed his hat further back on his head.

  “You see that, sugar?” Joey whispered. “He’s puffin’ up to challenge me. He’s telling me to watch my step. I’d say you’ve got him right where you want him, doll.”

  Cassie couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re really something else, Joey Cheats.”

  “Cassie,” Joshua yelled out. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, Joshua, I’m fine. I want you to meet someone.”

  “Hey, Josh, glad to meet ya,” Joey yelled out as he walked up to Joshua, extending his hand. “My name’s Joey. Cassie here’s been bending my ear about
you, saying lots of nice stuff. I couldn’t get her to stop yappin’ about you. She says you’re trustworthy, honest, and a really great guy, so that’s good enough for me.”

  Joshua smiled and let down his guard, shaking Joey’s hand.

  “But I’ve got one little problem, Josh, and I might need your help. Can you keep a secret?”

  “Sure, I guess. What’s your problem?” Joshua made his move and stood next to Cassie, putting his arm around her.

  “You see, I’m a reporter with the Daily Gazette and I’m here incognito. You know what I mean, right? I’m working on a big story over in Marshall City, but I need a place to hide out. Don’t worry, I’ve got a pass, so I’m on the straight and narrow, but no one can know I’m here. I can’t take a chance at losing my cover, you see? That’s why I chose Parkerville. No one would look for me here. Get it?”

  “Oh, yeah, I see. How can I help?” Joshua looked down at Cassie and smiled.

  “Hey, that’s swell! You’re a regular guy. I knew it the minute I saw you. Anyway, can you set me up in an old barn or shed, somewhere nobody would look?”

  “Well, there’s an old barn on the lower part of our property. It’s pretty beat up, so no one ever uses it.” Joshua stopped for a moment. “No, it’s in really bad shape, though. I don’t think you’d want to stay there. A cold front’s starting’ to come in and you’d probably freeze to death. Why don’t you stay in town? We have a real nice hotel. You could make up a name.

  “No, I thought about that, but it’d be too dangerous. If some sap fingers me, it’s all over and I really need this gig. So why don’t you take Cassie home and I’ll wait for you up on Oak. Take your time; I’m not in a hurry.”

  With that said, Joey took off whistling up the street, leaving the couple on their own.

  “Wow, what’s up with that guy? He sure talks funny,” Joshua said, watching Joey walk away.

  “I don’t know, but he seems nice. How bad is that barn? Do you think he can stay in it?”

  “It’s bad. I’ll show it to him, but I doubt if he’ll want to sleep in it,” Joshua said shaking his head. All of a sudden he stopped in his tracks. “Hey, you know what, I just remembered something. Matt and I built a little clubhouse, out on the southern edge of our apple orchard. There’s even a little gas heater in it and a cot. That might work!”

  Joshua looked back at Joey, who was about to disappear from view.

  “Cassie, I came by to see if you are going to the Harvest Dance on Saturday night.” Joshua glanced back up the road; “I just want you to save a couple of dances for me. So what do you think?”

  “Yeah, it sounds good to me, but . . .”

  “Great, I’ll call you after dinner.” Joshua gave Cassie a quick kiss and ran after Joey.

  Cassie started down Maple Avenue, her mind reeling from everything she heard at the old library and walked right past Chris in a daze.

  “You okay? You look a little upset,” Chris said, walking up behind her. He had seen Cassie talking to the stranger and Joshua.

  “Oh no, I’m fine,” Cassie said, putting on a happier face. “Just deep in thought, I guess.”

  “So . . . who was that guy you and Josh were talking to?”

  “Oh, that guy? He’s just some sightseer. He showed me his pass . . . like I could care less, and then he asked Joshua which way he should go to see some of the local farms. He wanted to take some photos. I guess he’s just some tourist.” Cassie shrugged her shoulders and continued walking, hoping Chris would follow.

  “Oh,” Chris said, looking back as Joshua disappeared around the bend in the road. “So what did Joshua want?”

  Cassie breathed a little easier. “Oh, he just wants to dance with me on Saturday.”

  Chris drew out a long breath. “I guess if you want to dance with that big jerk, it’s none of my business, but how could you let that farmer kiss you. It seems like you’re ready to kiss just about anyone who asks.”

  Cassie kept walking, with a big smile on her face.

  “Well, to tell the truth, some of them don’t ask.”

  Gina Starts School

  Gina was walking around in circles in her hotel room. She was nervous about starting Parkerville High, since she had never really gone to school before. She took different classes as a child, but never had to follow a formal academic program. This was all new to her and she was beginning to panic.

  She heard a knock at her door, but she didn’t answer it. After a few moments, the knocking began again, but a lot harder.

  “Hey, Gina, it’s time to go. Let me in or I’ll break down the door.”

  “Okay, okay, I’m coming.” She unlocked the door and stood back as Rafe tore through the room.

  “What’s wrong with you, Gina, do you think I like making a spectacle of myself? I can’t let anyone notice me, you know that.”

  “Well, I can’t, either. How am I going to blend in, when I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “This was all your idea. It’s a little late now to change your mind.”

  Gina walked over to the bed and sat down, putting her head in her hands. “I guess I wasn’t thinking straight. I just wanted to do my thing and leave. I didn’t count on it being so complicated.”

  “What’s the problem? You’re a teenager, they’re teenagers, no one’s gonna even bother with you. Who in the world notices what kids do? They’re not even considered people, yet.”

  “Thanks a lot, but its different here, Rafe. They have families and everything.” Gina got up and walked to the window. “I’m almost out of supplies. What am I going to eat and drink at this school? Is the water safe? What if I get sick?” Gina turned to Rafe and yelled, “Did you think about all of this before we came here?”

  “Yeah, Gina, it’s all safe. They have the same water and food we have.”

  “What about that burger bar everyone talks about? I can’t eat . . . flesh.”

  “It’s not called flesh, its meat, but they’re not really eating meat, either. It’s the same food we eat. Get it! They have to act like it’s the same stuff they ate in the 60’s. They don’t want anybody suspecting anything. Of course the veggies and growing stuff is okay. It’s grown on our own property and the milk, bread, and stuff like that is brought in, but it’s all processed before it gets here.” Rafe was beginning to get anxious. “Come on, Gina, we’re gonna be late. We can talk about this stuff some other time. You’re gonna be just fine.”

  ***

  Cassie was seated at her desk, talking to Carston, when Gina nervously walked into her homeroom. She handed her paperwork to Miss Sweet and stood looking down at her feet.

  “Class, we have another new student today. Her name is Ginger Conner. I hope you will all make her feel welcome and help her to fit in.”

  Gina walked to the only open desk in the room, behind Cassie. She couldn’t help but catch Cassie’s eyes, as she passed by.

  Cassie turned around to welcome Ginger to their class, but Gina was looking down at the papers on her desk. Cassie noticed the necklace dangling from her neck, which had a pendulum with the initials G.C. framed with odd-looking stones.

  Hmm, Cassie thought to herself, she’s not using her real name. I’ll have to be careful.

  Once homeroom was over, Cassie stood up and faced Gina.

  “Hi, Ginger, what’s your first class? Maybe we can walk together.”

  “Oh, yeah, I think its Science,” Gina replied, fumbling with her schedule.

  “Great, that’s my first class, too. Carston and I would be happy to show you the way.”

  The threesome walked through the crowded hallway, as Carston smiled the whole way. He was walking between two beautiful girls and was enjoying every moment. Cassie was the only one talking; trying to put Gina at ease, but Gina never opened her mouth.

  After class, a few Royals decided to introduce themselves to Gina and she seemed to
fit right in with them, relieved to be away from Cassie.

  Oh, boy, this is going to be hard, Cassie thought to herself, as she walked behind them to her next class. I’ve got to find a way to become friends with her. It would have been easier, if she weren’t so pretty.

  ***

  It was lunchtime and Cassie sat down with Skye, who was busy chatting to Carol Jean about a phone conversation she had with Todd. Cassie kept looking over toward the Royals’ table, wondering how she could befriend Gina.

  “So, Ginger, how long have you been in Parkerville? I thought I saw you with some man near the fountain yesterday,” Linda asked with a smile. “Don’t worry, we know you’re a walk-in, but you can’t mention it to anyone else, especially Cassie or Skye. They’re outsiders.”

  “Yeah,” Paula began. “Stick with us and you won’t go wrong. We’ll teach you the ropes.”

  “Come on, Ginger, I’ll show you how to go through the lunch line,” Cindy Parker offered, getting up. “Don’t worry; the food is safe, if you know what I mean.”

  The girls filled their trays and returned to their table.

  “So,” Gina began, hesitantly, “you seem to know a lot about me. Who told you?”

  “I’m the guilty one,” Linda admitted. “Mom tells me everything, since our family is one of the more important families in town.”

  “Oh, I see, well then, I guess I’m in the right group,” Gina said with a little smile. “I will certainly count on you guys to teach me what I need to know.”

  “Well,” Vicki spoke up, “the most important thing coming up is the Harvest Dance. It’s this weekend and we dress to impress. You dig?”

  Gina looked a little stunned, “Yeah, I dig, but I’ll need to buy something to wear.”

  The girls were silent for a moment, and then the girls broke out laughing.

  “Don’t sweat it,” Linda took over, “we’re going to the Boutique right after school and get you glammed up.”

  “It sounds . . . copasetic!” Gina blushed, trying to remember her sixties’ slang.

  The girls were laughing so hard, everyone in the lunchroom looked in their direction.

  “Oh, you are so funny. We haven’t had a walk-in for a long time, especially someone our age,” Cindy broke in, “We’re just kidding around with you. You can talk any way you want.”

  “Oh, good, I don’t think I could keep up with you girls, if I don’t know what you’re talking about. But, I’m definitely up for a dance. So, is it just for kids our age?”

  “Heavens no,” Linda began, “everyone in town shows up, even our parents. We also have our bonfire after, where we get changed into our cheerleading outfits. It’s a blast and you’ll have fun. You can sit on the platform with us, as were leading the cheers. Oh, do you want to try out?”

  “Sure, but I have a lot to learn right now. Damn, I’m going to have to study my ass off to keep up.”

  Vicki sprayed her milk, as she started to laugh again.

  “Okay, sweetie, I know you came from a rough place, but we have to watch our mouths around here.”

  “Sorry,” Gina blushed, “I’ll try to remember. I’ll be more careful.”

  Gina gingerly cut her food and tried to swallow, not quite sure what she was eating. She also knew she couldn’t hang out with the Royals at the dance, since she couldn’t afford to have Marion see her, at least not until she finished her mission.

  The Teen Shop

  Cassie, Skye, and Carol Jean were walking to school together the day before the big dance.

  “So, what are we going to be looking for at the Teen Shop after school?”

  “I was thinking of a sweater and skirt outfit or maybe a cute wool jumper with a turtle neck sweater,” Skye said. “Oh, I can’t wait to try them on. I saw a dark pink turtleneck top, with a teal and pink jumper. I think it was wool. Anyway, you’re not supposed to get too dressed up; although, my aunt wants me to check out a pink dress she saw with a lace collar.

  “Well, Skye, I know this is a casual dance, but I’ve got my heart set on wearing a little turquoise dress I bought at the Boutique with Mrs. Keaton. You know, she nearly fainted when she first saw it, and I have to admit, I look great in it! It has long sleeves, but I’ll still need a sweater or jacket to wear over it. I also need shoes and a few accessories. As for the bonfire after, I’ll just bring along a pair of slacks and sweater to change into.”

  “Look,” Carol Jean said, “I really want to go with you after school, but my mom is so practical. She’ll say I already have something to wear. She’s not going to go for anything new.”

  “Well, don’t you worry about that, I’ll call my aunt at lunch and have her talk to your mom. She’ll set it all up . . . you’ll see. You have to come with us, girl!” Skye patted Carol Jean on the back.

  ***

  School on Friday afternoon, before the Harvest Dance, is always a challenge for the teachers at Parkerville High. They realize it’s useless to try and keep the kids in tow. Cassie, Skye, and Michael were laughing in the back of the library, during study hall, along with all the other students. Miss Hatfield had given up trying to keep the kids quiet.

  “Michael, James, and Harold, would you boys please help me move some of these old library books to the storage room? I realize none of you are really using this time to study, so you may as well help me with something a little more productive. Everyone else can sit still and try to talk quietly.”

  The three chosen boys groaned as they made their way to the front of the room. Once Michael was gone, Skye asked Cassie to follow her to a more private part of the library.

  “So, what’s up?” Cassie started.

  “Well, we haven’t had a chance to talk about what happened to Aunt Sara and Mrs. Keaton, the evening they disappeared at the clock tower.”

  “I know; I’ve been going crazy thinking about it. Was your aunt okay?”

  “Yeah, but it was really strange. I ran into the kitchen looking for her, and at first, I didn’t see any sign of her. Then, I saw something strange on the kitchen table . . . a pink, dusty handprint. I walked over to examine it, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw my aunt in the hallway facing the paneling. She ran her finger along the panel, and it opened! She went through it and I didn’t see her again for a long time. When she finally did appear again, she was standing over me telling me dinner was ready.

  “What do you mean standing over you?”

  “Well, I guess I fell asleep sitting at the picnic table. I didn’t know how much time passed, but there she was like nothing had happened. I must have been out for a as, because it was starting to get dark and she had time to fix dinner.”

  “So, did you ask her about the secret door in the hallway?”

  “No, I didn’t. I wanted to, but I just couldn’t. If there really is something mysterious going on, I want her to trust me; otherwise, maybe the whole thing is innocent and we’re making a big fuss over nothing?”

  “Yeah, sure, pink smoke and secret panels . . . nothing strange about that! You know, I think the Royals were looking for your aunt’s secret room and I think we let the cat out of the bag. We were stupid to be talking about it.”

  “I think you’re right. I remember Paula, Vicki, and Mayla coming in behind us and they probably heard everything we were saying.”

  “Yeah, but there’s not a lot we can do about it now. When I got home, Mrs. Keaton was in the study, with pink and purple dust all through her hair. Oh, you should have seen it. Her hair was all puffed out all over her head and she was really embarrassed, then she ran out of the room. There was purple smoke lingering on the ceiling, and everything in the room smelled like peppermint.

  “You’re teasing me . . . aren’t you?”

  “No, but that wasn’t even the best part,” Cassie said, getting a little excited. “I asked my bracel
et to help me find something in the den, and it did.” Cassie pretended to pet her bracelet. “This pretty baby is going to be a great help around here.”

  The last bell of the day started to ring; signifying school finally was over for the day. The girls grabbed their things and rushed to their lockers. They would find time to talk later, but it was time to go shopping!

  ***

  At the Teen Shop, Skye went right to the rail of clothes, where a pretty blue jumper was hanging. She pulled it out and held it up to get a better look.

  “Ooh, Cassie, this is really cute.”

  “Skye, don’t you think you’d look better in a really cute dress, like this one?” Cassie held up the cutest, navy blue, low belted dress. It had long sleeves with white cuffs and a white collar.

  “Oh, that is cute let me see!” Skye went over and held up the dress, opposite the jumper.

  “Skye, that jumper is something you could wear to school. Don’t you want to wear something a little more special?”

  Skye bit her lower lip, trying to decide. She held up the dress, then the jumper. She walked over to the sweaters and picked up a pink and blue sweater, which matched the jumper. “Oh, decisions, I just don’t know.”

  Meanwhile, Carol Jean was looking at a plaid wool skirt and sweater outfit, very typical of Carol Jean. She held it up against herself, looked into the nearest mirror and smiled in satisfaction. Cassie happened to look over at her and yelled “no!”

  “Carol Jean, Cassie’s right, this is a special dance. It requires something different from what we wear to school. Come on, let’s look for something else.” Skye took both outfits and handed them to Cassie, as she shook her head and put them back on the rail.

  “Here, how about this?” Carol Jean pulled out a simple gray dress with a black belt at the waist.

  “Oh, yes, that says . . . I’m boring and don’t want anyone asking me to dance,” Cassie said sarcastically.

  “No, I think it says . . . I’m an old maid and want to remain that way,” Skye laughed.

  “Well, I think it says . . . this is about all I can afford and something my mother would approve of,” Carol Jean said in a sick tone.

  “Okay, wait a minute. Let’s look over here at the cuter dress section. There’s got to be something that says . . . hey look at me, let’s dance the night away!” Skye grabbed Carol Jean’s arm and led her away.

  Cassie put the gray dress back on the rack and walked over to a rack of sweaters. As she pulled out a belted sweater jacket, she saw an arm come out of one of the rooms, placing the same gray dress on a hook in front of her dressing room.

  “Can I get that for you in a different size?” the salesgirl asked as she stood in front of the dressing room.

  “No, no, that won’t be necessary,” a voice, replied.

  Cassie smiled and went to find Skye and Carol Jean.

  “Now this is adorable!” Skye said, as she pulled out a brilliant blue dress with long tapered sleeves. It was a little reminiscent of the flapper era with a dropped waist, and maybe just a little too short for what Carol Jean was used to wearing. It was perfect for the dance!

  “Here, Carol Jean, try it on and I’ll try on mine.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, I don’t think my mother would approve.” Then she looked at the price! “Whoa, I know she won’t approve. This is way too expensive!” Carol Jean winced.

  “It will be perfect with a cute pair of tights!” Skye promised.

  “Nylons!” Cassie countered. “What’s with you and tights?”

  “Tights are in; my gosh, haven’t you watched Gidget? It’s like the greatest show and Gidget very seldom wears nylons. She wears tights and she’s got the cutest clothes on TV!”

  “Yes, Skye, I’ve seen the show and it’s really cute, but she’s also a surfer! Where’s the nearest beach around here?”

  “You don’t have to live around a beach to look cool.”

  “Okay, girls, calm down, I’ll try the dress on!” Carol Jean broke in, heading for a dressing room.

  Skye and Cassie just smiled.

  “Okay, I’m going to try these on. I won’t be long,” Skye said, as she walked back to find a dressing room. She couldn’t help but notice the gray dress hanging outside one of the rooms.

  The door swung open and Christine Scott came out of the dressing room. Christine was a big girl and the biggest teacher’s pet in the whole school. With her father being the principal, and her mother on the school board, Christine got anything she wanted. She had two dresses hung over her arm, but left the gray dress where it was.

  Cassie decided to walk over to one of the coat racks. She still wasn’t sure what to wear over her new dress, which she bought at the Boutique with Mrs. Keaton and Geri. She started to look through a rack of jackets, when Ruth Ann appeared out of nowhere. Cassie hid behind the coats, not wanting to be seen, as Ruth Ann grabbed three dresses off a rack, showed them to the salesgirl, and proceeded to walk past the room vacated by Christine. As she passed the empty room, the gray dress disappeared.

  Cassie was curious now, standing at the counter. She was looking through a box of wrist scarves, trying to find one that would match her dress, all the as keeping her eye on Ruth Ann’s dressing room.

  Skye and Carol Jean came out and showed off their dresses.

  "You look absolutely great!" Skye remarked to Carol Jean. "I'm not used to seeing you in such bright colors. This dress was made for you. You've got to get it."

  "Yes, well, I'm not used to seeing me this way, either. I'm not sure I can get used to it."

  "It's just for one night and it looks like a feel good dress. Didn't you ever have an outfit you loved wearing?"

  "I never have. I’ve always had sensible clothes. You know, I do feel good in this dress, but it's just so expensive. My mom is going to flip."

  "Wait right here, I want to make a phone call." Skye walked over to the sales girl and asked to use the store phone.

  Carol Jean couldn't stop looking at herself in the mirror. She turned this way and that, looking at herself over her shoulder. She almost did a little dance.

  "Now, that's definitely you!” Cassie remarked.

  "Yeah, I really like it, but I don't think my mom's going to go for it."

  “What if I pay half? I can afford it and I really want to help you out. Your mother won’t know how much it was, but she will be happy it wasn’t what she was expecting.

  “I don’t know, Cassie, she might figure it out and be embarrassed.”

  "Hey, you better take that dress off," Skye said, as she approached Carol Jean.

  "I know. I was just going back into the dressing room. I'm going to look for something a little more wallflower.” Carol Jean slumped her shoulders and turned to go.

  "No, I meant you better take it off, so the sales girl can wrap it up for you. It's all yours!" Skye smiled.

  "What do you mean, it's all mine? My mother will say we can't afford this dress. My mom will kill me."

  "No, she won't! I just talked to my aunt and she said she called your mom earlier today. Your mom said you could buy a nice party dress for the dance. Isn’t that cool or what?"

  Carol Jean just stared at Skye in amazement. "You did that for me, just on account of a dress?"

  "Your mom wants you to look nice and sometimes it just takes a little push from an outside source. My sister taught me that. Oh, and she said to tell you just to charge it.” Skye smiled.

  Cassie smiled and took Carol Jean’s hand. You really need a nice pair of party shoes and some nylons, or tights, and a couple of wrist scarves. Then you need a nice cover-up. Please let me buy those for you, please?"

  "Somebody catch me ‘cause I think I'm going to faint. Come on, I've got more shopping to do." Carol Jean turned around a few more times, as she watched herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe this dream of a dress was going to be hers.

  After Skye and Carol Jean were back
to their dressing rooms, Cassie hurried back to her coat rack. Ruth Ann came out and was putting back the three dresses.

  “Oh, well, nothing seems to fit,” she yelled over to Sue, who had been sitting by the door.

  Cassie walked out from behind the coat rack with a little black suede coat. She went up to a mirror to try it on, keeping her eye on the girls.

  Sue looked over at Cassie and smiled, as Ruth Ann grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the shop. Cassie walked over to the door and watched them walk down the street. Sue looked back nervously at Cassie, as the girls started running. The hem of Ruth Ann’s flowered dress was bouncing up and down, revealing a gray dress underneath.

  Getting Ready

  Saturday morning dawned crisp and clear. Skye was up in her room, trying to figure out just how to fix her hair. It was so long. She piled it high on her head and then frowned, too old. Then she brought it down and separated it into ponytails. At this, she stuck her tongue out at herself, too childish.

  She let go and her hair cascaded down and around her shoulders, as she jumped up from her chair and went to her closet to look at her new outfits. Which one, she contemplated. She took out the navy dress and twirled around in it, then holding it to herself, glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

  Back on her sister’s farm, after she had created an outfit at the sewing machine, she’d try it on for her sister, but her sister was always very critical. She would say things like, “Oh, Skye, I wish I had the money to just take you to a store and buy you a decent outfit.” Skye always took this as an insult and seldom showed off her work after that.

  “Oh, well,” she said, placing the dress back in her closet. “I’ll go down and see what Aunt Sara’s up to, or hopefully, what she’s not up to.”

  Sara was just finishing the vacuuming, with rollers in her hair. She was bending over, picking up some fluff off the carpet, when two pink fluffy slippers appeared in front of her.

  “Ready for breakfast, kiddo?”

  “I sure am. Would you like me to start some eggs?”

  “I already have them in the frying pan ready to go. Just give me a minute to put the vacuum away.”

  Sitting at the breakfast table, enjoying each other’s company, Skye’s thoughts were on the pink, dusty handprint in the hallway, but couldn’t imagine her aunt doing anything mysterious or sneaky.

  “Did you get some of those petty pants you were talking about?”

  “Yes, they’re so cute; I can’t wait to wear them. They’re so much nicer than wearing a slip. By the way, how about letting me fix your hair?”

  “Oh, sweetie, there’s not much you can do with it. I wear it up now and then, just for something different. But I usually just stick a rubber band around it, so it’s out of my way.

  “Well, did you ever think of getting it cut? Like a Jackie Kennedy look?”

  “No, I’ll leave that look for half the women in Parkerville. And besides, your Uncle Tommy liked it long. You don’t think I’m too thin, do you?”

  “No not at all. You’ve got the perfect shape. If I remember right, my mom had the same kind of figure . . . kind of long-waisted.”

  “Yeah, we did have similar figures,” Sara smiled. “Tell you what, you put the dishes in the sink and I’ll take my shower and wash my hair. After that, if you can think of a new style for me, just go for it!” Sara laughed as she got up from the table.

  “Oh, this is going to be fun.” Skye grabbed the dishes and headed for the sink.

  ***

  At the Keaton’s house, Cassie walked out of her bathroom, wearing a pink terrycloth robe. She picked up her canvas bag and began to pack a pair of black slacks, a burgundy mohair sweater, and a pair of socks and sneakers, for the bonfire after the dance.

  She walked over to her bed and plugged in her hairdryer. After carefully placing the blue vinyl cap over her big pink rollers, she settled back on her pillow. She then got comfortable and began to read her favorite 16 Magazine. The hum of the dryer drowned out all the sounds of the outside world.

  Chris was in his room above the garage, trying to decide what to wear.

  “She’s gonna get all dress up, I just know it,” he said to himself. He pulled out his blue sports coat, but decided against it. He rifled through his sweaters and madras shirts. He pulled out his tan and blue tweed jacket, but worried it would be too warm for the dance.

  “Damn it! Just pick something,” he berated himself. He finally pulled out a dark blue shirt and a white, v-neck sweater with a navy trim.

  Geri was pulling out just about everything she owned and laying it on her bed. This was her first pre-teen dance and she was excited. She decided she needed help, so she went down the hall and knocked on Cassie’s door. There was no answer. She ran down the stairs and yelled for her mom . . . again, no answer.

  Marion was sitting in the backyard, watching the sparrows enjoying their bird feeder. Justin was seated beside her, enjoying the solitude.

  “I guess we should be getting ready to go,” Justin said, as he made a feeble attempt to straighten up in his chair.

  “Oh, not yet, honey, I just want to enjoy this peace and quiet for a few more minutes.”

  “What the heck are you doing?” Geri shouted, as she ran out the side door. “I couldn’t find you.” Tears were running down her face. “I don’t know what to wear, and my hair needs to be fixed. Why aren’t you helping me?” This last part she yelled.

  “Looks like our little vacation is over,” Justin said with a laugh.

  Marion relinquished her seat, smiled a half-hearted smile, and put her hand on his shoulder as she walked past.

  Chris was dressed and combing his hair, as he took painstaking care in the creation of his hairstyle. He checked it from all angles to make sure it was perfect. After he was sure no hair was out of place, he splashed on some cologne and made his way to the house.

  He walked down the hallway and went to the full-length mirror, to take one more look. He decided to unbutton the top button of his shirt and made sure his belt buckle was slightly on his left side. He checked his hair one more time, before turning toward the staircase.

  Cassie was wearing her new turquoise dress and brushing out her hair, when Geri entered her room.

  “So, what do you think?” Geri asked as she turned slowly around. She was wearing a pink gingham chemise, with a dropped waist, belted in white, with a big white bow in the back. She was wearing pink ballerina flats with white tights. Her long, curly hair hung down to her waist; held back by a wide, white headband.

  “You look absolutely adorable,” Cassie said, as she walked over to get a better look. “Did you do this all by yourself?”

  “Well, yeah, I picked out everything. It’s not like I needed anyone to help me. I’m grown up now and can take care of myself.

  “Really?”

  “Well, Mom insisted on doing my hair, but I didn’t really need her. I just didn’t want to hurt her feelings.” Geri walked over to the mirror on Cassie’s wall and smiled at herself. “Sorry, Cassie, but I’ve gotta go.” She ran over to the door, “Daddy hasn’t seen my new dress yet.”

  Cassie went back to her dressing table and started to tease her hair. After she smoothed it down, she pulled the sides back and held it all in place with a turquoise barrette, centered in the back of her head. The rest of her hair hung down in a soft flip. She pulled out the black sweater jacket and black clutch she purchased that afternoon and slipped into her black, patent leather sling-back heels.

  “Oh no!” Cassie said out loud. She had almost forgotten her wrist scarf. “I’ve never worn my emotions on my sleeve, and I’m certainly not starting now. Chris can’t see this stupid bracelet changing colors all night long.”

  She pulled a black and turquoise wrist scarf over her bracelet, stood back, and admired herself in the full-length mirror. She waved her hand around, try
ing to see if the bracelet could be seen. “This horrible shackle is such an invasion of my privacy!”

  “Hey, I’m sorry, but the door was open. I just wanted to see if you were ready," Chris said, leaning against the doorjamb. "I guess I should have knocked.” He straightened up and grinned. “You look great!”

  “Why, thank you, Chris, you don’t look too bad yourself.”

  ***

  Back at the Davis house, Skye and Sara were upstairs getting ready. Skye was excited about her new clothes and was about to try them on for her aunt, when the phone rang. Sara picked it up . . . it was Julie. She talked to her for a couple of minutes, and then called to Skye to pick it up in her room.

  “Hi sis how’s everything? How are the kids?”

  Julie chatted away about the girls and Stan, and of course the mother-in-law who came to stay and stay and stay.

  Skye knew where this was going. Julie was feeling melancholy and needed her little sister to tell her how pretty and what a good mom she was.

  “Julie, I miss you, Stan, and the kids so much. I don’t know how you do it. You’re so pretty and you’re like the best mom in the whole world. Now, you know Mrs. Ford will only be there as long as she thinks you need her. Once the baby comes, and she sees how good you are at handling everything, she’ll go back home.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Oh, Skye, I miss you, too. But, I know you’re where you should be. I just need to hear your voice once in a while. Oh, I have to go, sweetie. Jill is crying over something and I’d better go check. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Bye, Sis . . . love you and tell the girls I said tootles.”

  Julie laughed at this. “I will . . . bye.”

  Skye hung up the princess phone by her bed, sitting there in her bra and her new petty pants. She really missed Julie and the girls and she was lost in thought when her aunt walked in.

  “So, what’s up with Julie? Is she doing okay? Don’t tell me she wants you back, cause she can’t have you. You’ve got way too many social engagements coming up, young lady. Not to mention, you promised to do a Cinderella on me. You know, make me presentable for tonight’s big event. I was kind of looking forward to that. Have you changed your mind?”

  “Julie’s fine, just feeling sorry for herself . . . that’s all. But, I do miss them all.”

  Skye’s longing for her sister and nieces, died off when she looked at her aunt, who had cold cream all over her face and some of her hair was popping through the rollers.

  “Well, I’m only half dressed. I’ll finish dressing and then I’ll do something really outrageous with that hair of yours!”

  “You’re more than welcome, sweetie, but please go easy on the outrageous part.

  The Kane Family

  Things weren’t going very well at the Kane house.

  “I’m not going! Nothing looks right on me. I’m just not going to go. You all go without me.” Margie Kane had tried on every dress she owned and decided that nothing looked good on her.

  “Oh, brother, here we go again,” Bud, sighed.

  “I heard that!” Margie yelled from the bedroom.

  Bud slowly climbed the stairs, as if he was headed for the hangman’s noose.

  “Honey, why don’t you just put on that pretty blue dress you wear to church?”

  “Okay, honey, which blue dress? I own about ten blue dresses,” she spat in a sarcastic tone.

  “Um, well, it’s got kind of a collar and a belt, and it has these like puffy sleeves? Bud was talking softly, but cautiously.

  “Um, well, that just about describes all my dresses! They all have collars, belts, and sleeves! You aren’t helping, Bud!”

  Just then, Todd poked his head into his mom and dad’s bedroom.

  “Hey, Mom, why don’t you wear that navy blue dress with the white collar and red belt? You can wear that red sweater with it. That looks really good on you. Oh, and I like that red scarf you put on around the collar. It brings out your eyes.” With that he walked on by and continued down the stairs.

  Bud stood there dumbfounded. Then he watched as Margie went to her closet. She took out the navy blue dress and the red sweater, and thoughtfully held it up to herself.

  “Huh, he’s right! I’ll wear this. Go back downstairs, Bud, I’ll be down in minute.” She was humming as she started to get dressed.

  Bud walked out of the room and down the stairs, as he approached his son.

  “How did you do that? How did you know about the dress and sweater, and the scarf, for pete’s sake?”

  “Simple, Dad, I notice women . . . even mom. She shines in that outfit and I know she feels good in it. Dark blue is one of her favorite colors to wear. It’s flattering. Dad, the way to get along with women is to watch and listen. Always, watch and listen.”

  “Why, thank you, Todd, you just taught your old man a valuable lesson. I owe you!” Bud walked out the back door to wait for his family.

  Teddy came bounding down the stairs wearing black pants and a madras shirt. He looked pretty neat for a kid.

  “Hey, Ted, you don’t look half bad. Who are you trying to impress? It wouldn’t be Geri Keaton now, would it?”

  “Oh, give me a break! I don’t even want to go to this stupid dance. Mom’s making me go. And as for you, who are you trying to be tonight, Todd? Captain Nemo? I mean; did you just get into port? Where’s your captain’s hat with the anchor on it?”

  Todd was wearing a navy blue blazer with a white turtleneck sweater and navy pants. He thought he looked pretty sharp. Now, after Teddy’s rotten little remark, he wasn’t so sure.

  “Look, you little punk, I gave you a compliment . . . what’s your problem? Why are you so down on my clothes?”

  “I’m just trying to help you, not to make a fool of yourself. I mean, you’re not Napoleon Solo or 007, ya know.”

  “Oh, all right, you little runt! I’ll change!” Todd puffed his way upstairs, thoroughly fed up with Teddy’s insults.

  He came back down later wearing the same pants but was now wearing a navy sweater instead.

  He walked by Teddy, glared at him, and continued out the door.

  Despite the scowl on Todd’s face, he did look handsome. Margie and Teddy came out, and the Kane family joined the others heading for the gym.

  Joshua Stays Home

  Chores were being finished up at the Edward’s farm, as Joshua walked up the porch steps and removed his muddy boots, before pulling on the handle of the screen door.

  “You muck out that stable yet, like I asked you, boy?” Jim Edward’s asked, as he walked across the floor to meet Joshua.

  “Yes, sir, it’s all done.” Joshua turned to hang up his hat. “If you don’t mind, I need to go get cleaned up for the dance tonight. It’s gettin’ close to 6:00 p.m. and I haven’t even started to get ready.”

  “Well, son, I’m sorry to ruin your plans, but Mabel is getting ready to have her calf. We farmers don’t always have the luxury of attending dances during times like this.”

  “But, Jim, it’s the Harvest Dance.” Edith softly commented as she walked into the living room, drying her hands with her apron.

  “So what do you want me to do, Edie? I need help, I’m sorry, but with Matt getting married, I need Joshua here tonight to help me. Matt was going to help me, but his fiancé had other plans for him.”

  “But, Jim . . .”

  “There’s no but’s about it!” Jim said, with his back to his wife as he walked over to Joshua. “Get a drink if you need one then come out to the barn.”

  Joshua flinched as the door slammed shut behind him.

  “Its okay, Mom, I don’t mind helping, but don’t let Zach miss out on this dance. I’ve been to lots of dances, but he hasn’t.”

  Edith walked over to her son and hugged him.

  “I know you were looking forward to
this dance, hon. I’m sorry you have to stay here and work.”

  “It’s okay. I’m a man now and need to act like one . . . at least sometimes.” Joshua grinned at his mom. “Fighting with Chris, and half of Parkerville, trying to dance with Cassie, isn’t really my style. I’ll be seeing Miss Evans on my own terms. You can bet the farm on that.”

  “Well, I’ll make sure the Henderson’s come by and pick up Zach on their way to the dance. I think their little Rachel has a crush on him.”

  “Yeah, and he knows it, too. Don’t tease him about it, Mom, or he won’t go.”

  “Don’t worry; your mother’s not so old she can’t remember being a teenager. I won’t tell him who’s picking him up, but I know he’s excited to go. I don’t think he’ll turn down the ride, but he’ll be upset about you.”

  “I’ll run up right now and tell him I can’t take him, but we need at least one Edward’s boy at that dance . . . and it’s got to be him.

  The Harvest Dance

  Skye came down the stairs looking happy and ready to have a little fun. She had on her navy blue dress and Mary Jane shoes, with her hair tied back with a matching ribbon.

  She had teased her aunt’s hair in the front and brushed it back, giving it height. Then her long hair was piled into a French twist, with dangling curls on either side of her neck and a dangling curl on the left side of her face. To finish the effect, Skye planted a pretty velvet bow on the inside of the twist.

  There was a fog of hair spray encircling Sara, as she sat in front of her bedroom vanity mirror. Even the dye of her hair couldn’t hide the fact that she looked exactly like her sister, Dottie.

  Skye stood back to admire her creation when it hit her like a ton of bricks. “Wow, do you look like my mom!”

  “Well . . . we are twins.”

  Sara stood in front of the hallway mirror and stared at herself. She couldn’t believe the transformation, and at this point, wasn’t sure it was such a good idea.

  “Aunt Sara, you look beautiful. Oh, wait, I forgot something.” Skye ran back upstairs.

  As Sara waited, there was a knock at the back door.

  “Hey, I thought we were going to meet at the dance?” Sara looked questioningly at a very stylish Gerald Figg.

  “Um, first of all, you look fantastic! And second, it seemed kind of silly to be waiting around, since I had to go right by your house anyway.”

  “Now, I think we both know you didn’t really have to go by my house.”

  At that point Skye bounded down the stairs, almost taking two at a time. She was carrying her old round, blue ballerina case.

  “I almost forgot the bonfire tonight, so I packed a change of clothes. Okay, now I’m ready!”

  “Skye, we need to get you another bag, that one has seen its day. How old is it? Oh, and is Todd picking you up?”

  “Hello, Mr. Figg, uh . . . no, Aunt Sara, I’m meeting him at the dance. And my dad gave me this case when I started taking ballet lessons. I love it! And it’s still in perfectly good shape!”

  “Okay, the case stays and Todd’s meeting you there, but we need to get going.”

  ***

  When Sara and her group opened the double doors to the gymnasium, they all smiled in delight.

  “Oh, look, they’ve done a great job decorating. I can’t believe it’s a gym,” Sara remarked.

  On either side of the gym doors were cornstalks, with pumpkins gathered around them. Hardy mums were placed in and around the stalks to give it the perfect atmosphere of autumn. Whoever had the task of decorating with the cornstalks took it to heart, because they carefully unfolded some field corn to let the yellow come through. Everyone was delighted with the results.

  They walked across the gym to meet some others who were already there. Skye watched the door in anticipation of Todd, and of course Cassie, to make their entrance.

  She smiled at the other girls who waved and giggled as they walked by. Some just looked at Skye and snubbed her. It didn’t bother her; she knew who her friends were and who weren’t. She turned to have a word with her aunt, when the Fludge family walked in.

  No one could miss Marabelle and Homer. Marabelle had on a red and white checked blouse, with a pair of overalls and a big straw hat. She walked straight across the gym to a startled Skye and said, “And what are you dressed for? This is a Harvest dance,” she said slowly. “You’re supposed to dress like a farmer. Get it? Bringin’ in the harvest and all that?” She trudged away shaking her head. She looked back at Skye and said, “What a little dimwit!”

  Skye just stood there . . . amazed. No one else in the room was dressed like the Fludge’s and they didn’t seem to notice.

  “Skye, never mind Marabelle, she’s just a little bit off. About ten years ago, we dressed up like that just for fun. But we never did it again. You just have to remember that the Fludge’s dance to a different drummer; actually, sometimes I think they ought to just shoot that drummer!” Sara said, laughing out loud.

  As Skye turned back to the doors, Todd and his family walked in. Todd saw Skye and immediately headed across the room. Just as he reached her, Marabelle jumped right in between them.

  “Hi, Todd, you look tuff! How do you like my outfit?”

  “Oh, hi, Marabelle,” Todd said in a sarcastic voice, “yeah, nice outfit.”

  “Ya see, you little ditz. I know how to dress to please a man!” Marabelle turned to glare at Skye.

  Skye just rolled her eyes and looked past them to see Cassie and the Keaton’s walking through the door.

  “Marabelle, would you please excuse us, I need a word with Skye?” Todd begged.

  “Why sure, sweetie, no sweat; I’ll be back, though. I want a dance with you tonight, big boy.” Marabelle swaggered, snapping her fingers at Skye as she left.

  “I’m not going to let her bother me. I’m going to have a great time, no matter how many Marabelle’s are out there tonight!” Skye exclaimed.

  “Well, I’m glad to hear it! Give me your hand and I won’t let go of it all night!”

  “I don’t know, big boy, there might be someone out there who could pull us apart, and I’m not planning on breaking anything tonight. I’ll just be gracious and let her have you,” Skye joked.

  Todd just gave her a sick look, as they walked over to the Keaton’s.

  Cassie and Chris were joking around, as Geri stood frozen in fear.

  “Hey, there’s Skye and Todd,” Cassie said as she started to walk toward them, but Geri grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let go.

  “Don’t leave me,” Geri begged. “I don’t see any of my friends. Gosh, the gym looks really scary.”

  “That’s okay, shrimp,” Chris said, putting himself between the girls. “Walk over with us. It’ll give you a chance to scope the scene.”

  Halfway across the gym, three squealing girls came running over and dragged Geri away.

  Cassie walked up to Skye and the girls hugged, and then started complimenting each other on how they looked.

  Across the way in the bleachers, Luanne Root was sitting with her parents. She was wearing a plain brown, shirtwaist dress, with her hair pulled back tied at the nape of her neck. She wasn’t as imposing here at the dance, as she is at the burger bar. In fact, Skye noticed she was sitting slightly off from her parents, as if she didn’t want anyone to know they were related. They were dressed equally plain, neither one speaking to one another.

  Skye was about to turn her attention elsewhere, when she noticed a rise in Luanne’s posture. Michael had walked into the gym with his family, and Skye could not help but notice a glow on Luanne’s face when she saw him.

  “Well,” Skye said out loud.

  “Well what?” Cassie returned.

  “I think Luanne has a crush on Michael, but we can talk about it later. Oh, look, here comes Carol Jean!”

  Carol Jean made her entrance at the door, l
ooking awkward for a moment and desperately looking for her two cohorts, but Skye and Cassie spotted her first.

  “Carol Jean, over here!” they both yelled.

  Carol Jean made her way across the floor, with a few eyes watching her. She had on her electric blue dress, with matching heels. Her hair was half down, half up, and a matching ribbon was tied into her curled ponytail in the back, and she was actually wearing a little makeup. Her cheeks were blushed, her eyelashes looked curled, and she was wearing mascara. She looked very pretty. This was a Carol Jean no one had ever seen before.

  “Carol Jean, you look fabulous!” Cassie said.

  “Yeah, Carol Jean, you really do!” Skye smiled.

  “Excuse me, but I don’t think we’ve met,” Chris said, walking over to Carol Jean. “Will someone please introduce me to this exquisite beauty standing here?”

  “Oh, Chris, stop kidding around. It’s me . . . really. Oh, come on, you knew it was me.” Carol Jean pushed Chris, blushing and giggling. “Do you really think I look okay? My mom helped me a little. Oh, I’m so glad I came now. I feel so pretty.” Carol Jean smiled a huge smile.

  Will, who was busy at the food table grabbing a drink, turned around and almost dropped his plate when he saw Carol Jean.

  “Is that who I think it is?” he asked Freddie. Freddie followed his gaze and caught sight of Skye and Cassie, standing around some girl in a bright blue dress.

  “Who?” Freddie questioned.

  “There, in that blue dress. Is that, Carol Jean?” Will’s eyes widened as he looked at her.

  “Yeah, I guess so. It doesn’t exactly look like the Carol Jean we know, though, does it?” Freddie asked taking a sip of his drink.

  “Man, she looks really good all decked out,” Will said, in awe and not able to take his eyes off her.

  “Come on, Will, no big deal, right? Besides, you hate Carol Jean . . . and we can’t really see her, remember? She’s invisible!” Freddie slapped Will the back, as he started off toward the bleachers, with a comatose Will following, still staring at Carol Jean.

  “Hey, I think we need to go powder our noses,” Cassie reflected, as she watched a dumbstruck Will stumble across the gym floor. They were just about to walk away, when there seemed to be a little bit of a commotion at the gym entrance.

  “Oh, would you look who the cat dragged in!” Chris exclaimed in total surprise.

  Robin Matthews

  Todd looked past Chris and stared open-mouthed at the girl who just walked into the gym. Forgetting everyone around him, he walked toward her as she started toward him. They met in the middle of the dance floor.

  “Robin! Where did you come from? I mean; it’s been almost a year. You look great!”

  “Thanks, Todd, you look pretty good yourself. We just came for the dance, but we’re a little late. My mom wanted to visit her sister, so she got a pass for me, too.” Robin’s voice was smooth as silk.

  Cassie turned away from the sight of Todd and the new girl, and focused her attention on Chris.

  “Who’s that girl?” Cassie asked innocently.

  Chris, remembering who he was standing with, looked from Cassie to Skye, as his face turned a deep red.

  “Oh, she’s just some old . . . well . . . she’s just a girl who used to kind of live here,” Chris stumbled out.

  Robin was a sight to behold. She had a porcelain complexion, long dark red hair, and beautiful green eyes. She was wearing a green mohair sweater with a plaid kilt and she carried herself like a model. She seemed to glide everywhere she walked.

  “Wow, she’s really pretty,” Skye said.

  “If you like redheads,” Cassie countered.

  “Looks like Todd does,” Skye countered back.

  Meanwhile, the music had begun and Todd was slow dancing with Robin.

  Michael, who was drinking it all in, was elated and started toward Skye, when Miss Jones appeared out of nowhere and approached the girls.

  “Could one or two of you girls go down to the cafeteria kitchen and get some more glasses? You’ll find some on trays there on the tables. A couple of trays should be fine.”

  “Sure,” Skye volunteered.

  “Sorry,” Cassie said, a little embarrassed, but I really need to use the lav.

  Carol Jean said she’d help Skye and go along, since there really wasn’t anything else to do.

  “So, Robin’s back!” Carol Jean practically spat her name.

  Skye’s eyes brightened, as she figured she’d get the lowdown on this girl.

  “Who is she, I mean, it looks like she and Todd were together at one time.”

  “Her name is Robin Matthews and she’s a big pain in the neck. Always acting so coy . . . so innocent. Good Grief, are boys that dumb that they can’t see through her?”

  “Carol Jean, she can’t be all that bad, can she?”

  “She had Todd, Pete, and most of the boys in the senior and junior class wrapped around her little finger. There wasn’t one guy in this town that wasn’t falling all over himself, whenever she left her house. Except for Chris, of course, he was just as crazy for her best friend, Amanda. Those two redheads ruled P’ville High last year. The senior girl’s borrowed the motto, Better Dead than Red.”

  “Oh,” was all Skye could say.

  They reached the cafeteria kitchen. Skye flicked on the lights and just out of the corner of her eye, as they went through the swinging doors, she thought she saw someone duck behind one of the big refrigerators.

  “Did you see that?”

  “See what?” Carol Jean answered, as she walked over to the long stainless steel table and picked up one of the glasses to examine it. “They call these glasses clean?” she smirked, “Oh, well, let’s get back to the dance. I guess they’re clean enough for us.” Carol Jean picked up a tray and started out the doors.

  “I’m right behind you,” Skye said as she walked over to the table, after scoping out the kitchen. Her wrist scarf caught the edge of the table, pulling it away from her bracelet. She started to pick up the tray, when her bracelet started glowing a bright white. It was so bright it could have lit the room all by itself.

  “Whoa, what’s going on?” She put the tray back down and called out for Carol Jean, but Carol Jean had already left.

  Again, she thought she saw someone out of the corner of her eye at the end of the kitchen. She felt someone’s presence and it made her angry they wouldn’t speak up.

  “Alright, who’s there? Come out right now or you’re going to be in a lot of trouble. I know you’re there. I saw you!”

  At that point, a soft voice could be heard, as the intruder made himself known. “You saw me?”

  “Yes, I saw you. Now come out before you get yourself in trouble. Why are you hiding in here? I mean, who are you afraid of . . . some bully?”

  “No, not some bully,” the voice said quietly.

  “Well, whoever you are, you don’t have to hide.” Skye said impatiently.

  Finally, at the far end of the kitchen, the shadow immerged and came to stand at the end of the table. It was a young, handsome man, not much older than Skye.

  Skye’s bracelet was glowing so bright; she grabbed her wrist scarf and pulled it back over her bracelet. She was startled by the appearance of the young man, who seemed so sad and yet very curious.

  “Can you see me?” he asked once again in a soft tone.

  “Of course, I can see you, that’s silly.”

  “Well no, not so silly,” he said as he started coming toward her.

  Skye stared wide-eyed, as she watched him approach her. She started backing up toward the doors. “So, what’s your name?”

  “Jackson,” the boy replied, in a faint ghostly whisper that seemed to echo throughout the room.

  Just then, Marabelle entered the kitchen with a loud bang.

  “What’s taking you so long, you little dingbat. They’ve been waiting for those glasses forever. Get some giddy-up in
your git-a-long.”

  Skye continued watching something Marabelle apparently couldn’t see. She waved a hand in front of Skye’s face, but got no reaction.

  “You’re a real loser, buttercup,” Marabelle said, as she picked up the tray of glasses and headed out the doors, laughing.

  Wide-eyed at the sudden intrusion of someone he’d seen before, but could never understand, he immediately turned and ran back to his corner. “Who was that? I don’t like her, and she’s very scary,” Jackson said from his little dark corner. “And how come you can see me, when most people can’t.” Now he sounded like a frightened child.

  Shaking, Skye stood where she was and started talking to herself. You’re fine, Skye, you didn’t see anything. It’s just your imagination and you do have a wild imagination. You just needed something to take your mind off Todd and . . .

  “Skye?” Cassie said as she touched Skye’s arm.

  Skye nearly jumped out of her skin. She closed her eyes in total relief, knowing Cassie was in the room. She didn’t know what to think or what to believe.

  “What in the world is wrong? Did Marabelle do something to you? She looked very smug, when I passed her in the hall.”

  “It wasn’t Marabelle, no . . . it doesn’t matter. Come on; let’s get back to the gym.” Skye started for the doors.

  “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened in here. What on earth did she say?” Cassie followed Skye’s gaze. “And who’s that in the corner. Hey, you! Who are you hiding from? Marabelle? I can’t say I blame you.”

  “You can see him, too?” Skye said, astonished.

  Cassie stared at Skye for a second. “What do you mean . . . can I see him, too? Who is he?” Cassie turned toward the dark corner of the kitchen again. “So, who are you? Come on out, Marabelle’s gone. Believe me, her bite is worse than her bark, but we’ll protect you . . . just come on out.”

  “Cassie, you don’t want to ask him to come out. You really don’t.”

  “Why not, hey, if you’re afraid of someone, you need to let us know.”

  “I’m not afraid,” Jackson said softly, “but you might be.”

  Cassie looked at Skye questioning. “Why on earth would we be afraid? Come on, we need to get these glasses upstairs.”

  “Okay, but I warned you.” He said.

  Then, Jackson walked toward the girls, his body walking right through the steel table.

  “Whoa there, I don’t like this.” Cassie said quietly.

  Jackson backed away from the table and went back to his corner.

  “Oh, alright, let’s go back to the gym,” Skye said softly. “We’re needed there.”

  “Yeah, I’m with you, but did he really walk through steel, or am I hallucinating?” Cassie asked, her eyes staring at the table.

  “Yep, I’m afraid he did,” Skye said.

  Cassie picked up a tray of glasses and nearly ran toward the door. “Are you coming?”

  Skye started to back out of the kitchen, continually watching the dark corner. But not another word was heard. She thought she detected a very soft sigh, but she ignored it and followed Cassie out into the hallway.

  As soon as they were gone, Jackson peered out from his corner.

  “They saw me! After all these years, someone actually saw me and heard me. This must be a sign I’m going to get some help.” Then, back into the corner he went . . . to wait.

  As the girls walked across the gym, Skye could see Todd was still taken with the redhead. He was sitting on the bottom row of the bleachers, engrossed in every word she said.

  “Are you okay?” Cassie asked as she followed Skye to the edge of the dance floor.

  Skye pulled up her wrist scarf and noticed her bracelet was back to normal, just as Michael walked up and asked her for the next dance. Skye smiled and said sure, but her mind was far away.

  As soon as Michael started dancing with Skye, he noticed something was wrong.

  “You’re as white as a sheet, Skye. See a ghost or something?” he laughed.

  Skye’s eyes widened at his joke. She looked into his eyes and said, “No, I’m fine. Just a little nervous, I guess. Why did you say that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know; you just looked at little awe struck.”

  “Sorry, Michael, I don’t mean to be a drag, but it’s been a strange dance so far.”

  “No sweat, I’m fine. In fact, I’m the luckiest guy here tonight.” Michael seemed to hold her even tighter now.

  A slow dance was playing, with Johnny Mathis singing Chances Are. Michael was holding Skye in his arms, as they glided across the gym floor. Skye was relieved to be in someone’s strong arms, even if it wasn’t Todd. She laid her head against Michael’s chest and he was in seventh heaven. He danced her across the gym, and when the music stopped, he put his finger under her chin to lift her face to his, and gently kissed her.

  Gina was hiding up in the bleachers. She was wearing a wig and glasses, so no one would recognize her. She was only there to get a glimpse of her sister, since she planned to secretly follow her home. The dance had been a complete bore, until she saw Michael. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him, but when he asked Skye to dance and kissed her, she felt a storm gathering inside.

  “Todd? Are you listening? Todd?”

  Robin was no longer the focus of Todd’s attention. He was also watching when Michael danced Skye across the gym floor and gently kissed her. Anger surged through him like he’d never known before. He was on his feet and across the room in seconds. He approached Michael and Skye, standing in front of them with his hands on his hips, glaring at them.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Fitzgerald?” Todd’s voice was low and menacing.

  Michael looked triumphantly into Todd’s eyes. “I’m dancing with Skye . . . Kane! It seems you’ve had better things to do, since you got here. This is Skye’s first dance here and I didn’t want her to feel left out. Why don’t you go back to Robin?”

  Todd looked awkward at this confrontation, as he turned his attention to Skye.

  “Look, I’m sorry, Skye . . . really, I am. Robin’s an old friend and I haven’t seen her since she moved away and well . . .”

  “No big deal, Todd. Come on, Michael; let’s go get some punch or something.” Skye took Michael’s hand and walked off.

  Michael threw Todd a big grin, but Todd just shook his head as he watched them go.

  “Way to go, big brother, you’ve been a real idiot tonight. You know that, don’t you?” Teddy smirked as he walked past.

  Todd looked back at Robin, who was now sitting with Amanda. Both seemed to be catching up on all the gossip, as Pete and a few of his friends, all wearing their letter jackets, and sat waiting for one of the girls to throw them a bone.

  “Yeah, I’m a real big idiot . . . the biggest,” Todd said, as he walked toward Chris and Cassie.

  Sara was sitting with her friends around the food tables, as Mr. Figg got up to check out the delicacies of the baked section. Michael walked Skye over to sit with her aunt, as he went to get her some punch.

  “So how’s it going, sweetie? I see Robin’s back. She caused a lot of chaos when she lived here,” Sara sighed.

  “Well, I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never met her and no one has introduced me. Maybe we can have a little talk when we get home.”

  “Honey, you can talk to me about anything.” Sara tapped Skye’s knee in a co-conspirators way and winked, “Absolutely anything!”

  Skye just sighed and looked over at Todd, whose eyes hadn’t left her since she walked away with Michael.

  “You know, it’s not the night I hoped it would be,” Skye lamented.

  “It’s not over yet; hey, give the night a chance. There’s still the bonfire. Everyone’s looking forward to that, and don’t forget, I’ve got your bag right here next to me.”

  Michael came back with the drinks. He handed one to Skye and asked her if she wanted to go sit on the bleachers. As they walked across the
gym, Luanne and Gina kept their eyes fixed on Michael.

  On the other side of the gym, Chris and Cassie were having a great time together. Cassie was trying to teach Chris some of her calypso moves, as Chris deliberately got all the steps wrong. They were laughing and hanging on to each other when Todd arrived, but when the dancing started again, he was left by himself.

  This wasn’t what he had in mind at all. He was miserable. How could he have been so stupid? He walked over to the food table and half-heartedly grabbed a plate, and piled some food on it. Mr. Figg walked over to him.

  “How’s it going, Todd?”

  “It’s rotten Mr. Figg; absolutely rotten.”

  “Come now, Todd, look around you. This place is filled with beautiful young ladies. You’ve got your pick of them.”

  “All but one, maybe . . . well, no make that two.” Todd watched as Chris and Cassie danced.

  Skye sipped her drink and watched as Mr. Figg and Todd talked. She made idle conversation with Michael, but her mind was everywhere else. Finally, Skye got up and excused herself to go to the restroom.

  Todd walked over to Chris and Cassie, once their dance was over.

  “Hey, Chris, can we go outside and talk. I’ve got to talk to someone.”

  “Sure,” Chris said slowly and cautiously. He looked over at Cassie to see how she would respond.

  “Go ahead, Chris, it looks like Todd needs to talk. I’m sure I can find someone to keep me busy.” Cassie smiled and winked at Chris, as she walked toward the bleachers.

  “This better be good, pal,” Chris said as the two young men walked across the gym, “I didn’t like that look in her eyes.”

  ***

  Cassie spotted Carston sitting alone on the bleachers. She climbed up to where he was seated and sat down next to him.

  “So, why aren’t you down there dancing, Carston? You look terribly lonely up here.”

  “Oh no, I’m admiring the dancing from afar. Some of those kids are really talented. As for me, I don’t have a melodious cell in my whole body.”

  “Umm, I see, in other words, you don’t know how to dance . . . right?”

  Carston couldn’t help but laugh, “Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. I don’t know my left from my right, but I certainly enjoy watching you. Go back down there and have some fun. I’m having an amazing time as a spectator.”

  “Oh, Carston, where’s the fun in that? Come on. You just need to learn a few basic steps . . . that’s all.”

  As Carston and Cassie made their way back down the steps of the bleachers, Ruth Ann and Sue were pushing their way up. Ruth Ann was hitting her bracelet with her free hand, looking back at Sue.

  “I was that close to the man I love and this stupid bracelet still isn’t changing colors. I think I’ll turn it in for a new one. This one’s a piece of junk.”

  “But, Ruthie, I did see it turn blue when Chris brushed by you,” Sue mentioned. “Actually, it was almost purple. Now what do you think about that?”

  Ruth Ann blushed. “Well, I guess it means this stupid bracelet really does work, but please don’t tell anyone, since everyone will make fun of me.”

  “Oh, Ruthie, I’d never tell.”

  Then Ruth Ann looked up and saw Cassie and Carston. “Well, hi there, Cassie. You know, Joshua decided not to come tonight. I think he’s getting tired of you.”

  Cassie couldn’t help but blush a little, which only made her mad. She looked Ruth Ann in the eye, raised her eyebrow and said, “Nice dress.”

  Ruth Ann was taken by surprise and nearly fell back on poor Sue, allowing Cassie and Carston to squeeze past them.

  “Why’d she say that?” Ruth Ann questioned. Now it was Ruth Ann who was blushing. “Do you think she knows about the dress?”

  When Cassie and Carston arrived on the gym floor, a slow dance was playing. Cassie put Carston’s arms around her waist and put both of her arms around his neck.

  “Just feel the music and take little steps,” Cassie gently instructed.

  Carston hadn’t felt this much fear in his entire life. He took a little step and Cassie followed. He took another and tried to sway a little. Cassie followed beautifully.

  “Hey, this isn’t so bad,” Carston, said softly, as Cassie looked up at him and smiled. She put her head on his chest and they slowly danced in a little circle.

  Geri’s First Dance

  Geri, Amy, and a few other girls were seated at the bottom of the bleachers, picking out the boys they really wanted to dance with.

  “What’s wrong with those boys over there? They’re just standing around talking and peeking over at us. Why don’t they come over and ask us to dance,” Geri asked, a little frustrated.

  “Well, once this stupid slow dance is over, we can dance by ourselves,” Amy said a little belligerently. “We don’t need those stupid boys to dance with us.”

  Geri sat back and stared at Amy.

  “Are you crazy? I’m in Junior High now and I’m going to dance with a boy, whether he likes it or not!”

  Geri stood up and walked directly toward Teddy Kane. He was talking to his friend Alex, but could see Geri coming toward him out of the corner of his eye. Panic started to shoot down his back, so he started to push Alex and pretended to fight with him.

  Geri frowned at him, swished her hair, and headed in the direction of Zach Edwards. Zach was sitting next to Rachel, who was talking a mile a minute, much to his displeasure. Geri stood directly in front of Zach and asked him to dance.

  “You can’t ask Zach to dance,” Rachel growled. “He’s with me.”

  Geri didn’t falter. “Please, Zach, I really want to dance with you.”

  Zach looked at Geri with a beaming smile on his face.

  “Sure, I’ll dance with you.” He put his hand on Rachel’s. “You don’t really mind, do you, Rachel?”

  “Well, I guess it’s alright.” Rachel felt her face burning. “But don’t be gone too long, and remember, you came with me.”

  Geri and Zach stood on the gym floor, staring at each other, not knowing what to do. To their delight, the next song was I’m Telling You Now, by Freddie and the Dreamers. Geri put her arms straight out, as she kicked, and began doing The Freddie. Zach started laughing and joined in.

  Justin and Marion were standing by the punchbowl, when Marion spotted Geri dancing with Zach.

  “Oh look Justin, Geri’s dancing with a boy.” Marion leaned forward to get a better look. “Well, I think that’s dancing, but aren’t they adorable?”

  “Yeah, adorable, but who’s she dancing with?”

  “I don’t know. He doesn’t look familiar, so he must be related to the Parker’s. I heard they requested some passes for two of their nephews to visit for a couple of weeks. Yeah, that must be who he is. He certainly is a handsome boy.”

  Marion glanced over at the refreshment stand and saw Margie talking to Loretta Parker. This was her opportunity to ask about the boy who was dancing with her daughter. She carefully made her way through the throng of kids kicking their legs and swinging their arms.

  “Well, there you are, Margie, I’ve been looking all over for you,” Marion lied as she looked straight at Loretta. “And Loretta, you look like you’re having fun.”

  The three women engaged in idle conversation as another song started to play. It was a slow song and a stranger tapped Geri on the shoulder.

  “Hey, sweet thing, let’s dance.”

  Geri was taken by surprise, as the boy pulled her onto the dance floor. Zach started to intercede, when an older boy stood in front of him.

  “Where do you think you’re going, twerp?”

  “I’m goin’ after my girl; what’s it to you?”

  Bradley Parker laughed. “Well, it means a lot to me, since that’s my brother and he wants to dance with her.” He gave Zach a push and told him to go sit back down in the peanut gallery.

/>   Zach wasn’t about to be deterred and just as he started to clench his fists, Randy Hardy pulled him away.

  “Why’d you do that,” Zach cried out, as he tried to get away.

  “That’s one of those Parker brats and he ain’t worth gettin’ kicked out of here for. He’s just visitin’ for a while, with his rotten little brother, and they’ll be gone before you know it. That kid’s been askin’ all the girls to dance. It don’t mean nothin’. Josh would kill me if I let you get kicked out of your first real dance. Just sit tight and wait it out.”

  Marion had her back to the dance floor and asked Loretta if it was her nephew, who was dancing with Geri.

  “Why, yes it is,” Loretta said, leaning to the side to get a better look. “Gabriel is quite the ladies’ man. It’s so cute to see the younger generation growing up so fast. You know, Marion, my Pete’s getting a little crush on that girl who is staying with you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t ask permission to take her out to dinner soon. I really should invite her over to a sit-down dinner first, especially since she’s an outsider. My husband has assured me she came from Parkerville stock, but you can’t be too careful, you know.”

  Marion opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Margie took over for her. “Why, yes she did. Her family moved away years ago and owned one of the biggest pig farms in all of Arkansas.”

  Loretta raised her hand to her chest, as Marion and Margie walked away, trying not to burst out laughing.

  “Oh, Margie,” Marion finally laughed out, “we’re never going to be invited to any more of her infamous bridge parties.”

  “Well, you can thank me for that later. Listen, they’re starting to play something from our era. Let’s dance.”

  The Andrew Sisters were belting out, The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, as the two women started to jitterbug. Many of the other men and woman started to dance, as the younger group laughed and tried to dance along. Sara and a couple of their other friends met up with Marion and Margie. They all reverted back to their teenage years and danced the next couple of songs. Justin and Budd watched from the sidelines.

  “You know, Budd, those women have a special bond. I see the same thing happening with Cassie, Skye, and Carol Jean. I wonder why we men don’t bond like that.”

  “I don’t know, but if you’re trying to ask me to dance, forget it! You’re not my type.”

  Cassie and Skye were doing their best jitterbug, when Skye finally played out.

  “Cassie, we’ve got to talk. We need to discuss what happened in the cafeteria.”

  “Sure,” Cassie said breathlessly, “Let’s go.”

  The girls walked over to a quiet corner of the gym to talk.

  ***

  Todd and Chris were outside, trying to have their own conversation. Todd was pacing back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the gym, not saying a word.

  “Look, you wanted to talk. So talk!” Chris said impatiently.

  “Alright, if you don’t have anything to say, I’m going back in. This is a valuable waste of my time. Come on, pal, what’s up?”

  “I’m a big idiot, just one big idiot!” Todd practically shouted.

  “Okay, no argument here. You’re an idiot. That’s hardly big news.”

  “No, I’m not kidding. I may have lost Skye tonight to that idiot, Michael.”

  “Oh, I see, another idiot comes to light. Boy, Skye sure is lucky! She’s got two big idiots after her!”

  “Chris! Would you quit making fun of this whole thing? It’s not funny. What should I do?”

  “Go apologize, for Pete’s sake. Skye’s an understanding girl; she’ll forgive you. I wouldn’t, but she probably will. So what’s the big deal? You made a fool of yourself when Robin lived here and you made another fool of yourself when she came back tonight. Look, I caught on to their games a long time ago. She and Amanda thought they had us wrapped around their little fingers. Amanda still thinks I’m going to marry her one day. They’re crazy; and get it through your head; Robin only loves Robin. I thought you understood that when she left. We had that talk, remember?”

  “Well, let’s just say I have a bad memory. As soon as she walked into the gym, all those feelings came back. But when I saw Skye dancing with Michael, and him kissing her, well Robin no longer existed. I wanted to punch him out,” Todd said with gritted teeth.

  “Just tell Skye that, she’ll understand.” Chris almost believed it himself.

  “Yeah, I can talk to her. She really understands and she knows how I feel about her. She’s nothing like Robin, she’s, great!” Todd stood in front of Chris determined to win Skye back, or at least show her how he feels, by sticking by her side the rest of the night.

  “Hey, pal, are we done out here? I’m losing valuable time and I don’t like leaving Cassie all by herself in there.”

  “She’s not by herself.” Todd smiled.

  “Yeah, exactly, now let’s go back in!”

  Todd and Chris scanned the gym for the girls, and watched as Skye and Cassie walked over to the corner of the gym and sat down.

  “Um, is something private going on over there? I’d sure like to be a fly on the wall.” Chris grinned.

  “They’re probably talking about me and what a jerk I am.”

  “You know, not everything is about you. What an ego! They’re probably talking about what a good dancer I am. Did you ever think about that? She’s seen my moves now, so she’s got to be pretty impressed.”

  ***

  Skye made sure no one was within hearing distance. “Just listen and don’t say anything until I’m done. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Cassie agreed slowly.

  “That guy down there isn’t normal. I mean; he’s different. Oh, shoot, I think he’s a ghost.” This last part, Skye whispered.

  Cassie paused for a moment. “Oh, yeah, what a surprise! This place just gets better and better.”

  “He walked through the steel table, you saw that.” Skye said her eyes looked like saucers.

  "I know, but nothing seems to surprise me anymore. Maybe we can we find a way to help him?”

  “I think we can, but Chris and Todd are looking at us. At least the redhead is gone. Come on, they’re starting to play Hang on Sloopy and I want to line dance.”

  The boys watched as Skye and Cassie joined the dance line. The disc jockey was calling out and everyone was in perfect step. The older groups sitting around were very happy to be entertained.

  “That Cassie is something else,” Chris grumbled, “she doesn’t seem to miss me at all!”

  “She just has fun wherever she goes, that’s all. She’s cool.”

  Both Todd and Chris went to join in the line. Todd glanced over at Skye, who completely ignored him, or so he thought.

  ***

  Sitting on the bleachers, Ron Andrews could not take his eyes off Carol Jean. Ron was a quiet guy, not shy, just quiet. He studied things before he took any action . . . a habit that drove everyone crazy, but he liked to think it was systematic. He wasn’t the best looking guy at school. His black-framed glasses hid warm, intelligent blue eyes. He didn’t really need glasses, he had perfect vision, but he wanted to look more intelligent, to set himself apart from the others. He had a lot of respect for Carston Forrester and tried to emulate him.

  He’d known Carol Jean all of his life and never really had anything to say to her; however, upon observing her more closely, this was a Carol Jean he’d never really seen before.

  She glided over to the food table with a tray full of glasses, and almost made it without dropping any, but just as she put the tray down, one glass slipped off and broke on the floor.

  Ron was off his seat and running across the gym to her aid. To Carol Jean’s surprise, he was at her side bending down to help her pick up the broken glass.

  ??
?Butter fingers, huh?” was all he had the courage to say.

  “What’s it to you?” Carol Jean spat back at him.

  They picked up the pieces and put them on a paper plate. Ron took them and threw them in the trash container. When he turned back to Carol Jean, she was just about to go sit in the bleachers, so he hurried after her. Undeterred by her sarcasm, he smiled at her and asked, “Hey, want to dance or something?”

  “What’s gotten into you?” she replied, not trusting him.

  “I just asked if you want to dance, that’s all. They’re playing Johnny Mathis’ A Certain Smile.”

  “Sure, okay, if you really mean it,” Carol Jean shrugged.

  Ron took Carol Jean into his arms and gracefully danced her across the gym floor.

  “Hmm, you smell nice what’s that you’re wearing?” Ron asked his head close to her hair.

  “It’s a perfume Skye wears and she loaned me some. Thanks . . . I guess,” Carol Jean said with a shy smile. “You know, Ron, I didn’t know you could dance.” Her head was now close to his chest.

  “Yeah well, there are a lot of things you don’t know about me and vice versa.” Ron answered.

  “Well this is one of those things I’m glad I found out about, but why did you ask me?” Carol Jean looked up at him when she asked this.

  “I guess there just wasn’t anyone I wanted to dance with before.” Ron said smiling at her.

  The two of them continued to glide across the gym, totally unaware of all the stares they were getting, especially from Will, who was up in the bleachers watching everything, as Freddie chatted away and laughed at everyone.

  “Your hand is really small and warm.” Ron said.

  “Thanks.” she replied, not knowing exactly what to say.

  All of a sudden, they were in a far corner of the gym and the music had stopped. Ron looked down into Carol Jean’s eyes and she looked up at him. He leaned down and softly brushed her lips with his. He kissed her gently and Carol Jean thought she would faint.

  When their lips tenderly parted, she touched her fingers to her lips, as if she wanted to capture the warm moment she felt all over her body, then Ron brought his fingers up to her lips. It was the sweetest moment in both of their lives.

  As they stood looking into each other’s eyes, overwhelmed by the new feelings neither one had ever felt before, one of Ron’s friends walked over to them, ending their magic moment.

  “Hey, Ron, what the heck are you doing with Carol Jean?” he asked.

   “Dancing, you idiot, what else?”

  “Well, I think I’d better go now,” Carol Jean whispered, and then she ran across the gym floor to the girl’s lav.

  Once inside, she leaned up against the door. “Wow, just for a moment, I was someone else. I was someone pretty and someone wonderful wanted to dance with me. Just for a moment, I wasn’t dumb old Carol Jean,” she said through her tears.

  ***

  Stu was one of Ron’s science friends. He was a big guy with messy hair and baggy clothes, and his glasses were real. They read science books together and did experiments, very little else. Stu didn’t have much to do with girls, and girls really didn’t want anything to do with him, so he had no idea what Ron was up to.

  “You big stupid . . .” Ron began to yell at Stu. “Why did you have to do that . . . stupid, stupid idiot?” Ron stomped across the floor and out of the gym.

  Chris passed Ron and just caught the tail end of Ron’s exasperation.

  “Good grief, the gym is just filled with idiots tonight!” Chris chuckled.

  Stu watched Ron leave the gym and didn’t have a clue as to why he was mad. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the bleachers.

  Meanwhile the music had changed to a fast tune and everyone was dancing and having a good time.

  Ruth Ann was really having fun line dancing. She and Sue were getting silly and making their turns harder and faster, causing Ruth Ann to slip and fall, dominoing all the kids from where she fell to the end of the line. Sue rushed over to help her friend up.

  “Oh, no, Ruthie, your pretty new dress is ripped.”

  It seemed that Ruth Ann’s heel was caught in the hem of the dress, tearing a huge hole at the bottom. Most of the kids started laughing and making fun of her, so Freddie decided he would have some fun.

  “You know, Ruthie, you should try to steal a better quality dress the next time, you big fat ditz,” Freddie yelled out laughing.

  “Better yet, you should steal some of that Metrical and go on a diet. You could certainly use that more than another ugly dress,” Will chimed in.

  The laughter was getting out of hand and Ruth Ann was having a hard time getting on her feet.

  “Stop it! Stop it right now,” Cassie yelled, before any of the adults had a chance to speak. “You’re hurting her feelings you big bully!”

  Justin, Budd, and a few other men, rushed over to help the poor girl up, as most of the kids ran outside to the bonfire, still laughing.

  Ruth Ann was crying and made her way to the bleachers. Cassie walked over to her to try and help.

  “You told them, didn’t you? You think you’re so hot, with your long blond hair and skinny body. Well, I hate you!” Ruth Ann cried, as she put her head in her hands.

  Cassie sat down next to her and asked everyone to leave them alone. Soon the crowd of people thinned out and Cassie put her arm around Ruth Ann’s shoulders.

  “I didn’t tell anyone, Ruth Ann. Not even Skye. And I certainly wouldn’t have told those two losers over there. I don’t know how they found out. I know you don’t like me, Ruth Ann, and I do understand why. I wasn’t that nice to you in the train station, but I was really sick to my stomach and I should have said something sooner.”

  Ruth Ann sat up slowly and looked Cassie in the eye. “You didn’t tell? You swear, you didn’t tell.”

  “I swear, Ruth Ann, why would I?”

  “And you were sick in the train station?”

  “Yeah, I got really motion sick on that train.”

  Ruth Ann started to perk up. “You were sick as a dog and you had to meet the Keaton’s that way? Did you heave in the car?”

  “No, I didn’t, but it was really close. I actually let out a burp, though. Good grief, I was so embarrassed.”

  Ruth Ann smiled and got up. “Well, we really don’t know each other, and I never really hated you . . . but it was close.” Ruth Ann motioned to Sue and the two girls left.

  Skye walked over, after Ruth Ann was gone. “What was that all about?”

  “Oh, nothing, just a secret Ruth Ann and I have. Come on, let’s get to the bonfire.”

  The Bonfire

  Cassie walked directly toward Chris, with Skye following her at her side, not wanting to even look at Todd.

  “So, what’s up?” Chris asked, feeling a little awkward, but dying of curiosity.

  “We’re going to the locker room to change for the bonfire. Just thought we’d let you know,” Cassie said with a cocky look in her eye. “Come on, Skye.”

  Skye followed Cassie and never once looked back at Todd, who longingly looked after her.

  Todd couldn’t take it any longer. He quickly caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm.

  “So, that’s it? This is how it ends? I make one little mistake and it’s over between you and I. well, don’t keep me hanging on. Just tell it like it is, Skye. Are we through or not?

  Skye looked straight at Todd with fire in her eyes.

  “First of all, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve been telling me about this dance ever since I came here. You said we’d have such a great time. You came. I came. You saw some redheaded, Ann Margaret-type, and that was it. Off you went. You know, Todd I think you’re a real jerk; I don’t play mind games. I’m mad at you, I mean I am really pissed off, and whether or not we’re over, doesn’t depend entirely
on me. Get it?”

  With that, Skye turned on her heel and joined Cassie, as they both headed for the girls locker room.

  “Whoa, I guess she told you, pal,” Chris said.

  “Yeah, she sure did.” A red faced Todd said, sticking his hands in his pockets as other kids laughed at the tongue lashing he just got.

  Chris just rolled his eyes at Todd and said, “Come on, let’s get ready.”

  Skids and pallets were piled high in the middle of the track field, as a crowd of kids gathered around singing and laughing. There was a feeling of enthusiasm and unbelievable energy throughout the crowd.

  The older generation smiled indulgently at their offspring and began to settle in the nearby bleachers. Gerald joined Sara, after retrieving a blanket he'd brought for the two of them. Quite a few eyes watched as he carefully laid the blanket down on the bleachers for them both.

  "I don’t understand what’s going on with those two," Justin remarked to Marion, as he sat down next to her.

  “There’s nothing going on, Justin, I assure you. They’re just two old friends keeping each other company, nothing more.”

  “Well, they do look awfully cozy.” Justin put his arm around Marion and gave her a hug.

  "Yeah, I could go for some of that, too. What do you say, sweetheart?" Bud said, as he joined his wife.

  Margie and Marion smiled at one another, as they resumed their sentinel over their kids.

  Cassie and Skye raced across the field, as Carol Jean walked behind. She was dreaming about Ron, when someone lumbered behind her and purposely knocked her over.

  "Hey, C.J.?” Marabelle smirked.

  "It would be you! Why can’t you just leave me alone?

  "They don't know about you, do they? Those two little worthless do-gooders!"

  Carol Jean straightened up and glared at her, then she started running, leaving Marabelle far behind, with a big grin on her face.

  When the girls reached the circle, they were about to light the bonfire. A water truck was parked nearby, just in case the fire got out of control.

  Skye looked around for Carol Jean, when she suddenly realized Carol Jean was standing right behind her.

  “Wow, I didn’t even see you come up behind me, anyway, let’s find a place to sit.”

  Todd and Chris walked toward the girls. Todd's aim was toward Skye, but at the last minute, someone tugged on his arm and drew him away in the opposite direction.

  Before he knew what was happening, a giggling Robin and Amanda were pulling him toward their little group, on the other side of the circle.

  "Wait a minute. Hey, hold on . . . stop it! You're pulling me the wrong way . . . stop!"

  "Oh, no, we're pulling you the right way, honey. You're mine tonight," Robin cooed.

  Todd looked over at Skye, who had turned and watched the whole maneuver. She just turned back to watch the fire, as Michael started toward her.

  Todd was angry now. "No . . . stop this!" He shouted at a startled Robin and shook his arm free of her grip and stood glaring down at her.

  "We've been through for a long time, Robin. You don't live here anymore, and you made it pretty clear that you didn’t want to live here. You had other things on your mind, and I wasn't one of them. You didn't want anything to do with the rules here, or our way of life. So, as you put it to me when you left . . . get a life!"

  Todd stomped off to the other side of the bonfire, leaving a wide-eyed Robin to stare after him.

  "Guess he told you, reds," Marabelle sniped, as she walked past Robin.

  Robin stopped for a moment, trying to remember who she was.

  “Oh, I remember who you are, big foot, but I think you need to go back to your cage. Why did they even let you out? I’m sure your parents wish you’d run away and never come back. So, do us all a favor, and seriously . . . get lost!”

  Marabelle, who was speechless for once in her life, turned and stared at Robin with her mouth open. She just couldn’t think of anything meaner to say back to her.

  “Robin turned on her heel and walked back with her friends, who were patting her on the back saying, “Way to go.”

  Marabelle watched the girls walk away, then turned with her head down and walked to the bleachers, where she sat down by herself.

  With all the singing and cheering going on, Skye had no idea Todd had come up and was standing in back of her. Michael was by her side and everyone had gathered in a circle around the bonfire, holding hands and singing.

  Geri and her friends were on the opposite side of the bonfire. Geri was standing next to Zach when she anxiously looked up at her mom. Marion gave her a smile, waved, and nodded her approval, as Geri beamed a smile back.

  The Royals and the rest of the cheerleaders came running across the field in their cheerleading uniforms and varsity sweaters, doing cartwheels and flips. A platform in front of the bleachers had been built for them to perform. Peter Parker and a few of the other alumni football players jumped up on the platform, to help call out some cheers.

  Cassie and Skye joined in the cheering as Skye took a step back and bumped into Todd. “Oh, sorry, I had no idea you were behind me.”

  “No problem, I just wanted to see the fire with you, whether I stood beside you or in back of you.”

  “Well, I thought for a second you were kidnapped for the night.”

  “Look, I’ve already made one stupid mistake tonight. I don’t intend to make any more, at least not where you’re concerned . . . believe me,” Todd replied.

  “Oh, look, here come Todd’s rescuers again. This should be interesting,” Michael said with a grin.

  Robin and her little cohorts puffed their way up to Todd, with Robin’s eyes blazing at Skye.

  “You know, girl, Todd and I were a couple long before you ever set foot in this town. He’s my man, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll just keep moving along.

  Skye just looked at her for a second and said, “Robin is it? Look, I don’t even know you. It’s funny, though, from a distance you almost look intelligent. Besides, I always thought if you give your best to someone, and it’s just not enough, then that they’re not worth your time. So if Todd is your man, you can have him if that’s what he wants.”

  “Whoa, was that supposed to be something thought provoking or inspirational?” Robin broke in. “Is it supposed to bring a tear to my eye? Well I have news for you, you little . . .”

  “Excuse me, but you don’t even know me. Why are you coming at me like this? Like I said, if Todd wants you, he can have you. I won’t even stand in your way. Hey, I just met the guy, so what’s your problem?”

  “Well, great, that’s fine with me. If you won’t fight for him, then I guess I win,” Robin said smugly.

  No one noticed a crowd had gathered around them and everyone was listening to everything Skye and Robin were saying to each other. Freddie and Will had whispered to the kids around the bonfire that there was going to be a big catfight between Robin and Skye.

  Up in the bleachers Sara was becoming very concerned with what was going on around her niece.

  “Oh, Gerald, do you think we’d better go down and see what’s going on?”

  “It’s okay, Sara, Todd will handle anything that has to do with that Robin girl,” Margie reassured her.

  During the entire discussion of Todd’s future, he had stepped back to watch how the girls handled the situation. In a way, he was flattered that two girls were fighting over him, or so he thought. Chris went to stand by him and was shocked at Skye’s last statement.

  “You’re losing, buddy, and to the wrong girl. You’d better do something fast.”

  “Look, this has got to stop, Robin, are you saying you’re moving back to Parkerville?” Todd asked warily.

  Robin looked startled. “No, of course not; like I would ever want to live here again and be shackled like a prisoner! This place is barbaric.”

  “Then what is this all about? What is your problem?”

 
“I just don’t like to lose . . . to anyone, on anything,” Robin spat.

  “Well, guess what, you lose, on all counts. Even if you did move back here, I wouldn’t want anything to do with a self-centered little snot like you. I can’t believe I was actually glad to see you tonight. I must have been crazy. You aren’t half the woman Skye is. Now get lost.”

  A small cheer went up after Todd dished Robin. A lot of other kids would have liked to have said the same things to her, but never had the nerve.

  The band started playing and the rallying began again, as Todd slid in between Skye and Cassie.

  Skye just rolled her eyes and looked heavenward.

  Robin started to stomp off, noticing that her little group was not joining her.

  “Well, what’s the matter with you guys? Come on.”

  “I think we’re better off staying clear of you, Robin. You don’t live here anymore . . . we do, and we don’t need the other kids coming down on us after you’re gone,” Amanda stated, with the other girls murmuring their agreement.

  “Amanda, we’re friends, how could you treat me like this?”

  “We only seem to be friends when you come back for a visit. I never hear from you any other time. What do you expect?”

  “Oh, so that’s how it is . . . is it? Well, fine, I don’t need you or this stupid town. I’m leaving,”

  She marched off across the track field and headed toward her mother.

  “Well, I guess that’s that. Robin’s angry and she seems to be leaving the field. So I guess all is well.” Sara relaxed.

  “Oh, sweetie, I told you my Todd would work it all out, now didn’t I.” Margie beamed.

  But Todd wasn’t feeling so great, down on the field.

  “You know, you’re really something Skye, but some of those things you said really stung,” Todd lamented.

  “You deserved them,” Michael broke in.

  “Michael, who asked you? I wasn’t talking to you. Can I get a moment with Skye here, please? I mean, don’t you have somewhere else you have to be, like inside that cannon they’re about to ignite?”

  Ignoring Todd completely, Michael turned to Skye.

  “Hey, they’re serving hot apple cider . . . want some?”

  “Yeah, I’d love some, thanks.” Skye still hadn’t acknowledged Todd’s presence, as Michael took off.

  “Are you ever going to speak to me again?” Todd pleaded.

  “Do you think you’re worth it?” Skye answered still looking straight ahead.

  “No, I’m not worth it. I don’t deserve a second chance, but I’d sure like one,” Todd said quietly.

  Cassie was listening to the whole conversation, despite all the singing and shouting. She walked behind Skye and nudged her, at this last plea from Todd.

  “Oh, okay, you get one more chance, but if any more redheads appear around here, that’s it! Skye paused. “And let’s get one thing straight, Michael’s my friend, too. So you better just get used to it,” Skye shouted above the singing.

  “Okay, but I don’t have to like it!” Todd shouted back. He grabbed Skye’s hand and everyone started swaying and singing to the Parkerville Alma Mater.

  Michael came back with hot apple cider in both hands, once again ignoring Todd, as he offered Skye a cup.

  “Thanks, Michael,” Skye said, taking a sip. “Umm, that’s really good. It really warms me up.”

  “Best thing for a warm . . . forgiving heart,” Michael said, practically seething at Todd.

  Todd dropped Skye’s other hand and started yelling and singing with the rest of the group, ignoring Michael.

  The last song was sung around the bonfire and things were settling down. Some of the elders were getting up and sleepily heading for home. The kids, who had circled the fire, started drifting off into their own little circles. Blankets were spread on the ground; close enough to the fire to still stay warm.

  Michael’s sister ran up to him, begging for some apple cider, so he reluctantly agreed to go with her. As he walked away, he turned back to see Todd smiling.

  Marabelle’s Big Secret

  Cassie, Chris, Skye, and Todd sat cross-legged together on their blanket. 

  Skye looked over at Marabelle, who was sitting alone on the bleachers.

  "Todd, that day at the picnic, when Marabelle pushed me in the creek, there was talk about someone letting her out. What was that all about? Who let her out . . . and where? I couldn’t help but hear Robin mention it again tonight.

  Todd looked over at Chris, as they were both reluctant to talk about it, but Cassie prompted it further.

  "Oh, come on, guys, what happened? I think we deserve to know just who or what we're dealing with." 

  "Well," Todd started, "it happened a little over four years ago. The town was gathered up at the top of Tickle Pine, overlooking the entire valley. It was a dedication to the pond down below. Everyone was there, even the Baker sisters and their mother. Anyway, old Mrs. Fludge, who had to be around ninety, was sitting in her wheelchair, listening to the dedication. She was kind of an old crab and very ill tempered. She kept interrupting to add her two cents and it was really getting on everyone's nerves.

  Now mind you, this happened so fast, no one is really sure to this day who was at fault. Marabelle was thirteen-year’s old and was heard to say, 'Oh, shut up, Granny' and kicked the wheelchair.

  The wheelchair, with old Mrs. Fludge, went flying down the hill toward the pond. We all chased after it, all but Marabelle, who just stood at the top of the hill with a shocked look on her face. When it reached the bottom, the wheelchair hit a huge rock and poor old Mrs. Fludge went flying out of her wheelchair into the pond. 

  "Todd Kane! That's an awful story and I don't believe a word of it," Skye said, pushing him. 

  "Oh, but it's true,” Chris took over. “All of us were there. When they finally pulled her out of the pond, she was still alive. Mr. Fludge was holding her, as she pointed a bony finger toward Marabelle, who had finally walked down the hill.

  “You,” she said, “you’re a devil and you're out of my will!” And with that, she died. Marabelle just stood there, staring straight ahead, and she never shed a tear.”

  “It's true, I swear,” Todd said. “Ask your Aunt Sara. Actually, we’re not supposed to speak of this, but they came and took Marabelle away to some secret place. She was gone for two years . . . two wonderful, peaceful years. End of story,” Todd started to put his arm around Skye’s shoulders.

  Teddy ran up to Todd, ruining the moment.

  “Todd, come on. Dad’s back went out again. He sat on the bleachers too long and now he’s stiff. Mom says you gotta come help get him down from the bleachers.”

  Todd let out a loud sigh and stood up slowly. He didn’t want to leave Skye, but knew he had to help his dad. Skye decided to end his misery.

  “Go on, Todd, your dad needs you. If you’re not too long, I’ll wait for you.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it, Kane; I’ll be glad to walk Skye home.” Michael had just come up in back of them.

  “Don’t go anywhere.” Todd pointed at Skye. “I mean it. I’ll be back in a flash,” he said, as he slowly backed away.

  They all watched Todd, as he turned around a couple of times, reluctantly making his way to the bleachers.

  Skye sighed and watched as a triumphant Michael sat down on the blanket next her. He was about to put his arm around her, when a group of young men walked up behind them singing loudly and a little off-key.

  "We’re roaring Parkerville Panthers

  So stand up and cheer.

  That’s the name the other team fears

  We’re going to make this a winning day

  And there’s nothing anyone else can say

  One cent, two cents, three cents a dollar

  All for Parkerville stand up and holler!”

 


 

  At least a dozen young men were walking toward Michael, Chris, and the girls; chanting the school cheer, as Chris jumped up and let out a blood-curdling yell. The men started whooping and hollering, as Chris joined in and grabbed a reluctant Michael to go along with him. They all took off for the next blanket to repeat the cheer and add to their entourage. The pained expression on Michael’s face made both Cassie and Skye laugh.

  "What was that?" Skye asked, following the young men with her eyes.

  "Just a bunch of crazy guys having some fun," Cassie said laughing. "You know this has been such an unbelievable couple of months. When Mr. Keaton invited me to come here, I had my misgivings, but now that I'm here . . . I feel like I really belong. It’s like I was always supposed to come here." Cassie paused, studying Skye's face. “You know what I mean?"

  “Yeah, I do. I was just about to say the same thing. It's like we were meant to come here and meet one another.”

  “Exactly . . . I think we were, Skye, but I think there’s more to it than that. I feel like I’m changing. I haven’t had any allergies since I arrived and I’m usually a mess this time of year. It’s like the air is cleaner and things are really different here.”

  “I know what you mean. I haven’t told anyone this, so don’t laugh or tell anyone, but I’m starting to feel other people’s feelings. What I mean is, when I stepped back and bumped into Todd, I felt his pain and frustration. Then, when he took my hand, after we made up, I felt he was happy again, but still a little scared. I also can feel Aunt Sara’s feelings when she hugs me. I know she’s keeping secrets from me. So, do you think something’s wrong with me?”

  “No not really. The other day I was thinking about Joshua, and I swear I was standing next to his house, watching him in the field working. I could smell the farm smells and feel the sun on my skin. As soon as I realized what happened, I was back in my room. Do you think it’s this town or are we going crazy?”

  Skye let out a big sigh of relief. “Oh, Cassie, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who thinks that, but then, I’ve never seen a ghost before . . . let alone two.”

  “Make that three for me.”

  Skye laughed a little and gave Cassie a hug. “But what about Chris and Todd, do you think we came here to meet them? Maybe even marry them some day?"

  “I don't know. In a way, I hope so, but then again, maybe we've just been given a second chance. If I had stayed in the city, I would have married some cardboard copy of my parents. I don't think I would have been very happy. I really miss my mom and dad, but being here is magic. Whether I marry Chris, Joshua, or some other great guy; I know this is where I belong. I just have to be able to out run Will and Freddie."

  “Oh, and don't forget Homer," Skye laughed. "Wow, Cassie, a couple of months ago, I was almost resigned to the fact that I would marry Mac, now I have a whole new life ahead of me. It's a great feeling."

  Cassie and Skye watched as the guys continued their fun collecting friends and singing their school song over and over. The girls picked up the blanket and walked toward the bleachers. 

  “Look at them waiting for us," Skye said as she pointed out her aunt and the Keaton’s, standing at the bottom of the bleachers. "I don’t think we have anything to worry about."

  Cassie smiled back at Skye. "To tell you the truth, I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings."

  “Why don’t you turn around and see what the night still has in store for you,” an angry Robin growled behind them.

  The girls turned in astonishment to see Robin standing right behind them, with her hands on her hips, glaring at them. In the background, Robin’s aunt was hurrying out onto the field yelling, “Robin, no! It’s time to go now, dear. Come on, you’re mother’s waiting and there’s nothing more for you here . . . so let’s go!”

  “I know who you are now, and you haven’t had the last word,” Robin said, glaring at Skye.

  “Oh, good grief . . . you’re back,” Cassie sighed.

  Sara and Gerald were dumbstruck to see Robin back on the field. “I should have known,” Sara, said softly, “I need to go out there, Skye can’t handle this, she won’t understand. You stay here, Gerald.”

  “Not on your life,” he said, following after her.

  “I just need to set a few things straight,” Robin began. “First of all, I may not live here anymore, but I was born here, and you will never really belong here. Not like us. Not like we are. It’s our town and always will be.” Robin glared at Skye, not taking her eyes off of her.

  “I was invited to live here by my aunt,” Skye started, “I think that’s good enough. I’ve made friends here and I intend to stay. I don’t know you, Robin, and I have no quarrel with you, at least not yet, so go home or just go away.” Skye turned away from her.

  Robin grabbed Skye’s arm and twisted it.

  With Robin’s touch on Skye’s arm, Skye could feel immense anger mixed with jealousy.

  Skye yelled out, but before she could do anything, Cassie stepped in and slapped Robin’s arm away from Skye, not understanding what was happening.

  “Stay out of this, blondie! This has nothing to do with you,” Robin shouted.

  “Skye, this is not worth our time. Let’s just leave,” Cassie yelled, trying to take Skye’s hand and draw her away, but Skye ignored Cassie and started toward Robin.

  “What are you, some kind of maniac? I don’t even know you, and you have the nerve to attack me! You want to get physical, you carrot-topped fruit cake?” Skye was facing Robin, with her fists clenched at her sides; her eyes were a dark turquoise and Skye’s bracelet was black, if anyone was looking.

  Robin stepped back away from Skye’s anger.

  “Look, you little intruder . . .” Robin started.

  “She’s not an intruder, Robin, she’s family . . . my family, and she belongs here . . . more than you do,” Sara interrupted.

  Todd ran up behind Sara, as Robin pointed her finger at him. “Stay out of this, Todd; it has nothing to do with you!”

  Everything around them seemed to stop. Kids, who had started to leave the field, were hurrying back, running across the field to see what all the commotion was about.

  Chris and Michael stopped their roustabouts with the others, to stand and stare at Robin, Skye, and Todd.

  “Why are you doing this, and what’s in it for you? Certainly not me,” Todd remarked in a frustrated voice.

  “Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” Robin smirked, “I told you, I don’t like to lose at anything, and I don’t like this little tramp showing me up. I always have the last word.”

  “Come on now, Robin, enough has been said. Watch yourself. It’s not worth it . . . really, it’s not, dear.” Robin’s aunt gave Sara a sad look and gently took Robin’s arm.

  “I’m not finished with you, not by a long shot. I’ll be back.” She lowered her eyes at Skye. “I will be back.”

  Skye raised her fist and pointed it at Robin’s face.

  “No, you won’t, not here, not in Parkerville; we’ll meet again though.”

  "Whoa, the little dimwit’s got nerve. Punch her in the face for me," Marabelle said, in a low voice behind them all.

  Then Robin turned on her heel and walked across the field with her aunt. Kids moved out of her way, as she walked between them. She glared at Amanda as she walked past her.

  Carol Jean stood with her eyes open wide and her mouth agape. She couldn’t believe anyone had bested and insulted Robin the Red. She definitely had a new hero.

  “Come on, Skye, let’s go home. I’m sorry this had to ruin your fun, honey,” Sara said, as she put her arm around her. The three of them, Gerald included, headed out toward the gate.

  Robin passed through the gate with her aunt, but paused a moment when she saw Michael leaning up against the fence.

  “You got something to say to me, Michael?”

  “Just that you’re messing with the wrong girl, Robin.”

  “We
’ll see,” Robin spat back.

  Gina strolled up to Michael and accidentally tripped, falling into him. He grabbed her around the waist to steady her.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Gina began. “I didn’t know we were supposed to change into comfortable clothes after the dance. Heels don’t work so well in gravel.”

  “Yeah, you can say that again. Um, I don’t think we’ve met . . . I’m Michael.”

  “I’m Ginger. I just got into town a couple of days ago. I don’t know anyone, but I thought I’d see what this dance was all about. It was nice. You’re a really smooth dancer," Gina said, as she put her hand on his chest.

  Michael couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement go through him. Little did he know, Gina had powers she was able to bring forth, due to the stones in the necklace she was wearing. She had her bracelet, but it wouldn’t be activated for a while. Once that happened, she would be unstoppable.

  “Can I walk you home, Ginger? It’s dark and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you.”

  “Oh, Mikey, that would be wonderful. You can call me Gin, if you want. I was hoping to find someone nice to talk to.”

  Michael beamed, as he took her hand, as all his feelings for Skye didn’t hurt quite so much now.

  Chris walked up behind Cassie and put his hand on her shoulder. “So, what’s going on with Skye and Robin?”

  Cassie shrugged her shoulder, to loosen his hand, and turned to face him.

  “Just go away, Chris. You and Todd are just pathetic and I'm going home.” 

  “What?” Chris yelled out, as she started across the field. “What did I do? I wasn’t even here. You can’t be mad at me; I didn’t do anything. Cassie, stop! I mean it! Cassie, come back here right now and talk to me!”

  Cassie was half way across the field, before Chris finally caught up to her.

  ***

  Everyone was back at home, and a little tired from dancing and having fun at the bonfire. The dance was over and Cassie wanted to know why Joshua didn’t show up, so she called him as soon as she entered her room. She knew it was late, but she couldn’t wait.

  Cookie answered and said she would have Joshua pick up the phone. Cassie waited nervously, wondering why Zach showed up alone. It wasn’t long before she heard his breathtaking voice say, “Hi, darlin’.”

  He explained his predicament and asked if they could go see a movie on Saturday. The Sound of Music was playing and Marion shouldn’t be upset with that. Cassie was thrilled and asked if it could be a double date, to include Skye and Michael. She wanted to go to Marshall City, but not really to see a movie. She said she’d explain everything when she saw him.

  Jackson’s Story

  Skye could not stop thinking about the encounter she’d had in the cafeteria. Even though Cassie knew he was there and talked to him, it didn’t keep her mind from racing and wanting somehow to help this lonely spirit. She knew Cassie had enough problems without adding this ghostly boy; however, she also didn’t like going to the school alone, before school started.

  So there they were; two detectives of Parkerville, avoiding Cinder and Blister at all costs. They held each other’s hand as they rushed down the street to the school building.

  When they reached the main doors, Skye half hoped they’d be locked, but when she pushed down on the door lever, it opened and they walked into a dark hallway.

  At the end and corner of every hallway, there was a dim little light at the top of the wall. After further examination, they realized it was a light at the top of the PA system. But it was enough light for them to carefully and quietly tiptoe down the halls to the cafeteria kitchen.

  Several times Skye thought she’d heard noises coming from different directions of the school. “This has got to be one of the stupidest things we’ve done yet.”

  “No, I think we’ve done dumber stuff,” Cassie whispered.

  When they came to the double doors of the cafeteria kitchen, they each looked at one another and took a deep breath, before they went through them.

  There was a light switch on the wall to the left of the door. Skye switched it on and the large white room, with stainless steel tables, came to life. A mountain of brown trays was neatly stacked near the register, ready for another day of hungry students.

  They looked around the room before they entered. Cassie looked over at the large refrigerator at the end of the kitchen, but she did not see the shadow of anyone hiding there.

  “Maybe he’s gone. Maybe it was all my imagination.” Skye said.

  “Well, it wasn’t my imagination, I saw him, too.” Cassie answered back.

  “You scared me!” A voice came from behind the other door.

  Both girls jumped back into the hallway, hitting the opposite wall.

  “Oh, I guess I scared you,” The voice said meekly.

  “You think?” Skye said rubbing her head.

  “Who are you?” Cassie asked exasperated.

  “My name’s Jackson Taylor. Don’t you remember me?”

  He started to come toward them, but Cassie held up her hand for him to stop. “Please, I need to take all of this in. You’re real, but you’re not real. Is that it? So, are you really a ghost? Well, of course you are . . . what am I thinking?”

  Jackson’s eyes narrowed. “I am not a ghost! I wish people would quit thinking that. I’ve tried to tell them, I’ve tried to leave here, I’ve tried to go home, I’ve tried everything for the past two years! Nothing works.”

  “Okay, calm down. If we can see through you, then why aren’t you a ghost? You’re not solid, like us.” Skye pointed out.

  “You people have no conception of what astral flight is all about. My best friend and I were really getting into it for a while. Yeah, my best friend! That’s a laugh. He’s the cause of all of this.”

  “Okay, why don’t we go into the kitchen and discuss this rationally and calmly.” Skye suggested.

  “Okay,” Jackson answered.

  “Well, you go first. Let’s get some chairs and sit down. Um, can you sit?” Skye asked.

  “I doubt it, since I can walk through them.”

  Skye and Cassie both grabbed a folding chair, leaning up against a wall, and sat down staring at a see-through, sad boy.

  The girls got comfortable and started to interview Jackson.

  “First of all, what did you mean when you said people are always thinking you’re a ghost? Have others been able to see and hear you?” Skye asked.

  “Well, Delta hears me, but she can’t see me,” Jackson answered.

  “Delta? Oh, you mean that nice lady that serves the food,” Cassie said, with a smile.

  “Oh, Delta, yes, she seems really nice. My Aunt Sara loves to cook and she’s always talking about recipes she gets from her.”

  Jackson continued. “She thinks she needs a head adjustment because of me! But, she talks to me; we talk every morning. I tell her when she needs to turn the hamburgers over, or when something looks like it’s going to burn. I can’t really help her, but I think maybe I’m company for her. And there’s a girl who looks toward me when she’s in line. I think she sees me, but when I move towards her, she either gets out of line, or pays really quickly and leaves without looking back.

  “Who is she?” Skye asked.

  “I don’t know, if you get in line today and she’s here, I’ll point her out to you.”

  “Okay,” Skye said. “You must really get lonely, except for Delta and now us. Is there anyone else you talk to?”

  “When the other kitchen helpers come, Delta doesn’t talk to me anymore. They can’t hear me or see me. I guess I understand.”

  “Alright, what’s your story?” Cassie asked.

  “Two years ago my best friend, Norman Caldwell, and I decided to try something different. We were tired of just coming out of our bodies and flying around the town, which finally got boring.
We could never really get full control of it. We could go to sleep then rise up from our bodies and look around. It was really neat. But, we could never connect and fly together. It was weird. Norm thought if we got our sleeping bags and camped out in the school yard, we could have fun flying around together.”

  “Okay, why didn’t you just invite him over to your house, like a sleepover? Why camping in the schoolyard? Sounds kind of strange to me,” Skye said.

  “Yeah, my parents couldn’t stand Norm and his parents. Well, let’s just say they’re kind of weird.”

  “So, what happened that night?” Cassie asked.

  “We were out there looking up at the stars. Man, there had to be millions of them.” Jackson looked up at the ceiling like he was looking up at stars. There was silence for a moment.

  “You’re getting off the subject,” Skye interrupted.

  “Oh, yeah . . . well anyway, we were looking up at the stars and Norm started asking me questions about Pam, my girlfriend. Well, she would have been my girlfriend. She knew I liked her and we talked now and then. I just didn’t have the nerve, anyway. Norm used to kid me about walking right up to her and telling her I liked her. Whoa, I couldn’t do that. I wished I could, I mean, I wished I had the nerve. Well, he said he could do it, no problem. I told him she doesn’t even like him. ‘I know,’ he said, ‘but if I looked like you, no problem.’”

  “I see, so that’s what happened?” Skye’s eyes lit up. “He talked you into switching bodies!”

  “Yeah! You got it. Man, you are really smart,” Jackson said, in awe of her.

  “Why on earth did you agree to that?” Cassie asked.

  “You still don’t understand? He was my best friend! We went through grade school together. We told each other . . . everything! He knew, he absolutely knew, how I felt about Pam. He knew,” Jackson said; running his hand through his hair, well, trying to.

  “He wanted her, too,” Cassie said quietly.

  “He never said that. He never said a word to me. And besides, she didn’t like him at all. She thought he was a big mouth and all he cared about was science. And, I have to say, Norm was not what you’d call a girl’s guy. He had a big nose that he even made fun of.”

  “So, why didn’t you take over his body?” Skye asked.

  “I tried and tried, but something stopped me from doing that. I still don’t know why and he won’t talk to me. I mean; the guy who looks like me won’t talk to me.”

  “Can he see you?” Skye asked.

  “I don’t think so. I don’t think he knows what happened to me, and he sure as heck doesn’t care!”

  “What happened to Norm’s body?” Cassie asked.

  “The next day his parents found him in his sleeping bag barely breathing. They rushed him to the hospital in Marshall City and he’s been in a coma ever since. But, that was two years ago. They’re bound to pull the plug on him and then that’s that. I’ll have to wonder the earth like this forever,” Jackson said hopelessly.

  “No, you won’t, we’re going to help you,” Skye said.

  Jackson looked at her and then his eyes widened. “Why is it you both can hear me and see me, when others can’t?”

  “I don’t know, but both of us can; in fact, there may be others that can, but just don’t know what to do about it. Maybe there’s a connection there. Who else saw you and heard you?” Cassie asked.

  “A very nice lady came by to talk to Delta one day. She was asking her about the potluck and could she have a recipe for something. She looked right at me and smiled. I said, can you see me, and she nodded.”

  “Do you remember her name?” Skye asked.

  “Mrs. Davis, I think. Delta really likes her and she’d do anything for her.”

  Skye slumped in her chair and just stared.

  Suddenly, Cassie heard someone coming down the hallway. Before either one of them could run or hide, Delta was at the cafeteria doors.

  “What the . . .” Delta exploded when she saw the lights on. What on earth are you two doing here this early in the morning?” Delta asked, her eyes darting back and forth between the two girls.

  “Just talking,” Skye admitted.

  “Oh, I see, you got up before dawn and sneaked into the cafeteria, so you could talk to each other. Is that right?” Delta said, narrowing her eyes at both girls.

  “No, we both got up early so we could talk to Jackson. We saw him here when we came to get more glasses for the Harvest Dance,” Cassie explained.

  Delta grabbed a chair and fell into it. “You both hear him, too?” She asked, clasping her hand to her chest.

  “Yes, we both see him and hear him,” Skye smiled as she said the words.

  “Oh my, I don’t really need all the details, girls. At least I’m not going crazy,” Delta smiled.

  “We’re going to help him,” Skye said, as she leaned secretively towards the cook. “You must have some powers of your own, since you’ve kept them a secret. You don’t have to do that anymore. Now there are at least four of us who know about Jackson.”

  “Four?” Delta asked, still clutching her heart.

  “Well, there’s you, me, Cassie, and my Aunt Sara,” Skye said. “And I suspect there are others, who just won’t come forward.”

  “So, your Aunt Sara sees and hears him, too?” Delta smiled. “Well, why can’t I see him?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe because, like you said, you were afraid you were losing your mind,” Cassie offered.

  Delta leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “Okay, Jackson, you little chatterbox, let me have it and I’ll try to see you.”

  “Good morning, Delta, how are you today. Are you ready to put some burgers on the grill?” Jackson asked.

  Delta slowly opened her eyes and thought she might have seen a shadowy form, but that was all.

  Don’t worry, he’ll get clearer, as you get used to the idea,” Cassie said hopefully.

  “We’ve got to go now, but I hope we helped at least a little,” Skye said.

  “You have no idea what it means to me that others can see and hear me,” Jackson said.

  “I’m glad I’m not the only one, and I’m not losing my mind after all.” Delta smiled.

  The two girls hurried out the door, as the sun was coming up.

  The Double Date

  It was Monday afternoon, after school, when Cassie told Skye to tell Carol Jean she was staying after school.

  “Just say I got detention. She’ll never suspect anything.”

  “Oh, Cassie, I’m having second thoughts about this double date. Why do I have to go with you and Joshua?”

  “Because Marion won’t be so worried, if you’re with me. Besides, Todd wouldn’t want to double date with Joshua going. I’m sure Michael doesn’t have a vendetta against him. Oh, come on, poor Michael never gets to be around you, since you’re always with Todd. Give the poor guy a break.”

  “Good grief, Cassie, what if he says no. I won’t be able to show my face at school.”

  Cassie laughed, “Oh yeah, he’s going to turn down a date with the amazing, Skye Mackenna. I don’t think so.”

  Skye was quiet for a few moments, than spoke up. “Well, okay, but I’m not crazy about this whole thing.”

  “Yes, you are, you’re very excited and can’t wait to go. And don’t worry; I won’t embarrass you. Oh, and did you find those pages for me?”

  “Yeah, I’ll bring them with me.”

  “Great!” Cassie said, as she took off to find Michael.

  She wondered toward the practice fields, where there were multitudes of students practicing for band, soccer, football, and track. The cheerleaders were practicing, as lots of kids just sat in the bleachers watching.

  Cassie waited for another group of kids to walk by, so she could get to the bleachers unnoticed. She sat at the end of one of the rows and watched Michael practice.

  After a while, the coach gave the boys a w
ater break. At the water fountain, Michael looked up, Cassie waved at him and he ran toward her.

  “Hi, Cassie, is something wrong?” Michael asked, as he met her at end of the bleachers, a little out of breath.

  “Heck no, it’s something good. Can we talk for a minute? I know you’re practicing right now, but maybe later?”

  “Now’s okay, come walk with me back to the field.”

  Cassie eagerly climbed down from the bleachers and explained about her dilemma of wanting Skye to go with her on a double date.

  “Hey, I’ve never had a problem with Josh. He’s a pretty good athlete and I have a lot of respect for him. Yeah, I guess I can help you out, if Skye’s okay with it.”

  “Of course she is. I wouldn’t have asked you if she didn’t want to go with you. I’ll find out all the details from Joshua and get back to you. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Michael said, as he started to run back to the field, wondering why he agreed to go on a date with Skye.

  ***

  Cassie walked into the kitchen, as Marion was getting dinner ready.

  “So, what’s for dinner? It really smells good.”

  “I thought I’d make Irish stew. It’s been stewing most of the day, so it should be pretty good. Do you like stew?”

  “I love stew; it’s one of my favorite dishes.”

  Marion smiled and asked Cassie to sit down at the table.

  “Okay, what’s up?”

  Cassie laughed, as she sat down. “Well, Joshua asked me to go to a movie in Marshall City. It’s The Sound of Music. They have a bus ready to take everyone and it will be chaperoned. Skye and Michael are going, too, so would that be okay with you and Mr. Keaton?”

  “Sure, Cassie, we already know about the bus and I think it should be fine. You haven’t been to Marshall City on your own yet, have you?”

  “No, except for the train station, this will be my first time to really see the city.”

  “Well, the movie theater is in a fairly nice section of the city, but I wouldn’t want you girls to wander off. There are some really rough areas close by and I wouldn’t want you kids to get into any trouble.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Keaton, but don’t worry, we’ll be careful. Oh, can Skye spend the night? We can walk home together and talk about our double date.”

  “Sure, honey, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Great, now I need to go call Skye and make some plans. Thanks again.”

  Cassie walked into the den and shut the door, as she wanted some privacy.

  “Hi, Skye, can you talk?”

  “Yeah, Aunt Sara went outside for a while. She’s always planting or trimming something. So what did Mrs. Keaton say?”

  “It’s just too funny. They already knew about the movie and the bus. If there are any secrets in the town, they know all about them. She was fine with it, but she doesn’t want us to go any farther than the movie theater. I told her we’d behave.” Then Cassie whispered, “Did you get the addresses for the Evans’ you found in the phone book? Don’t forget them.”

  “I’ve already put them in my pocket book. Oh, and I found a couple of Emerson’s, too. Remember when Bernadette called you Cassie Emerson by mistake? Well, I had a really strong feeling I should write them down. But how are we going to find our way around?”

  “Oh, Joshua knows Marshall City really well. He’s going to point out different sites for us, from the bus.” Then she whispered again, “He has a map.”

  “So, you think someone might be listening.”

  “Yeah, I think so. Well, I need to call Joshua and see what time we need to be at the square to catch the bus.”

  Cassie hung up and quickly went to the door, opening it. Geri was standing in front of her, with a shocked look upon her face.

  “Oh, Cassie, you scared me. I didn’t know anyone was in there.”

  “I’m sorry, Geri, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just going to run upstairs to my bedroom. Sorry I startled you.”

  Cassie took off up the stairs, as Marion came around the corner.

  “Well? Are they planning anything?”

  “No, they just talked about meeting at the bus and going to the movie. I didn’t hear anything bad.”

  “That’s good. I didn’t think we had anything to worry about. But, thanks anyway, sweetie.”

  Geri followed her mother into the kitchen, as Cassie stood in her room giggling to herself.

  Off to the Movies

  Chris just stared at Cassie, as they ate breakfast. He was unnerved by the plans Cassie made with Joshua and Michael.

  “Todd doesn’t know anything about this, does he?”

  Cassie took a sip of her tea and leaned back in her chair.

  “Does Skye have to go through Todd, every time she leaves her house?”

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  Cassie let out a sigh, “Todd and Skye are not a couple. Yeah, they like each other, but no one’s wearing a ring. Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot you guys don’t go steady, you just get married.”

  Chris pushed his plate aside and stood up. “Well, I’ve got some things I have to do today. Have a nice time with the farmhand.”

  Cassie watched as Chris slammed his way out the door.

  “Don’t worry, Cassie, you can like anyone you want. Don’t let him bother you. He’s just a spoiled brat,” Geri said, as she gave Cassie a sly smile. “We girls have to stick together.”

  ***

  As Cassie walked down the street toward Honeysuckle, she could see Joshua waiting for her. He looked completely different. Gone was the straw hat and work clothes, and in their place, he wore a light brown, tweed sports jacket over dark brown slacks and his hair was combed back.

  “Wow, Joshua, you look great!”

  “Thanks, but I do know how to dab some water behind my ears, once in a while.”

  “Yeah . . . you look really great!”

  This was the first time Cassie could remember seeing Joshua actually blush.

  “What, no bike today? How are we going to get to the square?”

  Joshua put his arm around her shoulders and laughed, “I guess we’ll just have to walk, darlin’. I can’t believe I didn’t think about bringin’ some type of transportation. Next time, I’ll bring a carriage or get that old Conestoga wagon workin’ again.”

  Cassie stopped in her tracks. “There’s a Conestoga wagon? I haven’t seen it.”

  “Oh, yeah, it’s in a private park. Our original settlers used it, so it’s a part of our history. I’d be proud to show it to you. Maybe we can plan another date for next Saturday.” Joshua squeezed Cassie’s shoulders.

  As they approached the square, they could see a line of kids already starting to board the bus. Skye and Michael were seated on one of the benches talking and laughing together.

  “Hi, guys,” Cassie called out, as they walked up to the bench. “Are we excited about our little adventure today?”

  “I guess so,” Skye said sounding nervous.

  “It’s supposed to be a great movie,” Michael broke in. “I think you’ll really like it, Skye,”

  “Well, I’ve already . . .” Skye started.

  “So, let’s find some seats, okay?” Cassie jumped in, stopping Skye.

  They found two empty bench seats near the back of the bus, one in front of the other. Skye and Michael were in the seats in front of Cassie and Joshua.

  Cassie leaned forward and whispered, “Okay, Skye, let me see the names and addresses you wrote down.”

  Skye looked over at Michael, apologetically, then turned and handed Cassie the folded paper she retrieved from her purse.

  “What’s going on?” Michael whispered.

  “Okay, look, we didn’t mean to deceive you,” Skye started, also whispering, “but Cassie wants to try and find where her dad used
to live. She wants to see if she has any other relatives in Marshall City.” She paused a little. “We aren’t really going to the movies, Michael, I hope you don’t mind.”

  Michael stared at Skye for a moment, then a huge smiled came across his face. “So, we’re going to try and figure out the mystery?” Michael whispered back.

  Skye looked a little shocked. “You know there’s a mystery?”

  “Of course, everyone knows.”

  “What?” Skye said out loud, turning and looking at Cassie.

  “Shhh… Skye,” Cassie whispered, putting her finger up to her lips, “we can’t draw any attention. We’ll talk after we get off the bus, okay?”

  Skye slouched down in her seat and looked at Michael, “I’m so sorry I got you into this.”

  “It’s okay,” he whispered, “I’m just as curious as everyone else. No one really knows why Cassie is here. You’re related to Sara, no sweat, but Cassie? Who is she . . . really?”

  ***

  Joshua had circled two locations on his map, as the bus pulled up to the theater.

  “I’ve been to lots of places in Marshall City, but not sure if I’ve been down this street. We’ll have to get a taxi. I’ve got some money on me.”

  “No, Joshua, I have an allowance you wouldn’t believe, so I need to pay for all of this . . . not you. This money belonged to my parents, so it’s really them who are paying for the cab and movie, not me. If they had been honest with me from the start, I wouldn’t even be doing this.”

  Everyone got off the bus, as the chaperones made sure everyone entered the theater. Cassie slipped Joshua a $10 bill, so he could pay for the tickets.

  Once inside, the foursome walked over to one of the concession stands and waited, fortunately the area was crowded. With this many people milling about it would be easy to blend in and disappear from the chaperones.

  Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand appeared on Skye’s shoulder. She jumped and turned . . . it was Chad.

  “Chad! Oh, Chad, it’s so good to see you.” She put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. Chad looked over at Michael, and with a huge grin, hugging her back.

  “Friendly, isn’t she?” Michael grimaced.

  “Michael, I’m sorry, this is Chad. He’s from Bright Springs. You have no idea what it means to me to see a familiar face from home. And Chad, this is Michael; he’s from Parkerville. We’re kind of on a date.”

  “Well, not really on a date,” Michael added.

  Skye and Cassie both stared at Michael, speechless.

  “So, it’s not really a date; when did it become not really a date?” Skye asked a little confused.”

  “Hey, Cassie said it wasn’t really a date, date.” A red-faced Michael tried to explain.

  “Oh.” Skye said, rolling her eyes and then, glared at Cassie.

  “Well, I am on a date. Let me introduce you to Robin.” Chad turned to introduce an angry redhead standing next to him, ready to kill.

  “No, please don’t, Chad. We’ve already met and I really don’t want the anguish of meeting her again,” Robin seethed.

  “What? You two know each other?” Chad asked in amazement.

  At this point, Cassie, who was already uneasy over this sudden glitch, came forward and introduced herself to Chad.

  “Hi, Chad, I’m Cassie . . . Skye’s friend.”

  “Hey, and I’m Joshua, real nice to meet you Chad. You must be new to Marshall City?”

  “Yeah, we just moved here this past June. My dad got transferred.” Chad shook Joshua’s proffered hand.

  “Really? Your dad got transferred here? Mind if I ask where?” Joshua asked suspiciously.

  Cassie looked at Joshua in surprise. She’d never known him to be this nosey. But then, she didn’t really know him all that well.

  “Oh, sure, he worked at the bank in Bright Springs and they transferred him here to the Marshall City branch.”

  “Marshall City Bank doesn’t have a branch in Bright Springs,” Joshua said, looking intently at Chad.

  Chad looked surprised at this confrontation and didn’t know what to say.

  Suddenly, Joshua noticed all eyes were on him. He began to realize he was making a scene, with Cassie watching every move.

  “But what do I know about banks?” Joshua, let out a nervous laugh. “Maybe they changed hands or something. Heck, I don’t have enough money to put into a bank, anyhow.”

  Chad relaxed, not really understanding what had just transpired.

  Skye was a little surprised at the way the conversation was going. She wondered why Joshua was interrogating Chad . . . her sweet, innocent Chad.

  “Look, I don’t know anything about banks either, although my dad wants me to take a course in bank management in college. Right now, I’m just getting to know my way around Marshall City,” Chad added.

  “Can we go in and see the movie before it starts?” Robin said, glaring at Skye.

  “Sure, but look, can I speak to you for just one minute . . . privately?” Chad asked Skye.

  “Okay,” Skye said with a smile, looking at her friends. “I promise we won’t miss a minute of the movie.”

  Chad took Skye over to a secluded area of the theater.

  “Hey,” he whispered to her, “imagine us meeting like this? You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Do you think you could get away next Saturday? I’ll meet you here.”

  “Gee, I don’t know. It’s not really that easy for me. Cassie and I are kind of working things out in Parkerville. I wish I could confide in you, Chad . . . really, but it’s not a good time.”

  “Look,” Chad reached for Skye’s hand and accidentally pulled her wrist scarf away from her bracelet. In the process, he touched the bracelet, causing it to fall to the ground.

  Skye’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

  “Hey, I’m sorry.” Chad picked up the bracelet, and in a clumsy way, tried to put it back on, all the time pleading with Skye to meet him.

  Skye took the bracelet from him and put it in her purse, adjusting her wrist scarf to cover her bare wrist.

  “Come on, Skye, we haven’t seen each other since the last day of school. You’ve got to meet me.”

  “Sure, I’d love to,” Skye said, still in awe of what just happened.

  With a triumphant smile on his face, Chad took Skye back to the group, who were all waiting impatiently. He then took Robin’s hand and started for the auditorium doors.

  Robin looked back at Skye and mouthed to her, “You’re dead!” Then she smiled up at Chad, as they went in to get their seats.

  Skye gave Robin the biggest smile her mouth would allow her.

  Cassie looked around and noticed the chaperones had already gone into the theater, with only a few people still in the lobby. They then slipped out the side door.

  “Wow,” Michael began, “I’ve sneaked into a couple theaters before, but never out.”

  “Well, I guess I’m opening up a whole new life for you, Michael,” Skye sighed, “a life of crime.”

  “Come on, Skye, we have to get a cab,” Cassie interrupted, “Joshua knows where we’re going.”

  Joshua hailed a taxi and gave the driver the directions. Seating was a little tight, so Joshua sat next to the driver.

  “We’re trying to find someone, so can you please wait for us?” Cassie asked the driver.

  “Sure, I’d be happy to wait around. You do know I’m going to keep the meter running?”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything else . . . thanks.”

  They drove around the city for a while, and then pulled up in front of a little brick house. There were a couple of young boys playing in the yard, with their army trucks. An elderly man was sitting on a rocking chair on the porch.

  Cassie looked at Joshua and grimaced. “Oh, gosh, I’m a little nervous, can you go with me?”

  “Sure,” Joshua answered, getting out of the cab.”

  As th
e twosome started walking up the sidewalk toward the front door, the children stopped to watch.

  “Can I help you, young lady,” the elderly man asked.

  “Well, yes you can . . . I hope. I’m Cassie Evans and I’m trying to find my grandmother, Sandra Evans.”

  The old man scratched the side of his face as he looked down at the ground. “Well, I can’t remember a Sandra Evans, at least not anywhere around here. Are you sure she lives in Marshall City?”

  “Well, yes,” Cassie began again, “My dad lived in Marshall City. He grew up here.”

  The old man shook his head. “I’ve lived here all my life and the only other Evans in this town is my brother, George.”

  Then he took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Miss Evans, I haven’t introduced myself, I’m Gregory Evans. Those boys over there are my grandsons, Austin and Tyler. My brother and I had two daughters each, but no sons to pass on our name.”

  “Oh,” Cassie replied. “But I know he grew up here. He lived across the street from the Thompson’s and the Sinclair’s. Evelyn Sinclair was my mother’s best friend and she married Gus Thompson. Do those names sound familiar?”

  “Grandpa?” one of the boys yelled out.

  “Not now, Austin, I’m talking here.”

  “But, Grandpa?” the boy yelled out, putting his hands over his head.

  “I told you to stop interrupting, Austin. Adults are talking here, so wait until we’re finished.” He then looked at Cassie and apologized. “Sorry, but these kids don’t know when to be quiet.”

  Cassie looked over at Austin, who looked like he was going to explode, before she addressed the old man.

  “Mr. Evans, may I ask your grandson if he knows anything?”

  Mr. Evans laughed out loud, before turning toward his grandson, “Okay, Austin what do you have to say, boy?”

  Austin smiled broadly as he began to speak. “Well, Tyler and I live near 7th street, you know, over where that big church is. My friend Eric’s grandma lives about a block from me. His last name is Sinclair. Do you think that means anything?”

  Cassie just stared at the boy.

  “You know, that’s about the best information we’ve gotten all day,” Joshua began. “Wow, you’ve just about saved the day for us, Austin.” Joshua walked over and shook his hand.

  Cassie went over and thanked him, too. She also thanked Mr. Evans, as they went back to the taxicab.

  “Okay,” Cassie said as she got back into the taxi, “I think we have a pretty good tip. We need to go to 7th street.”

  “Do you know where on 7th street? That’s a pretty long street,” the driver noted.

  “Well, the little boy said it was near a big church.”

  “Oh, okay, I think I can find that. Do you have a name?”

  Cassie said Sinclair or Thompson, but then Skye spoke up and added Emerson.

  “Yes, try Emerson,” Cassie replied softly, as her bracelet was about to jump off her wrist.

  The driver looked back at Cassie.

  “Oh, I know Miss Emerson. We go to the same church. She lives with her mother and I pick them up sometimes. They don’t drive that much, anymore.”

  It wasn’t too long before they pulled up before a little white cottage, on the corner of a pretty, tree-lined street. For some reason, Cassie was getting a little sick to her stomach.

  “Oh, gosh, I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Yes, you can,” Skye said, taking her hand. “We’ll all be right here to help you. It is a little exciting, don’t you think?”

  Cassie didn’t answer, as she was again staring at the familiar face of an old woman, floating in the trees. The old woman was smiling and nodding her head, as she slowly melted away.

  ***

  The phone rang at the Keaton house. It was Sara calling.

  Marion answered it after the first ring. “Hello, Sara, is something wrong? You can tell me, I won’t be surprised.”

  “How did you know it was me? I even changed my ring.”

  “Oh, I can always tell when it’s you. So, what’s wrong?”

  “Good grief, Marion, why would something be wrong. They’re at the movies. They’re fine.”

  “I just don’t know. I’ve had a bad feeling ever since she left. I should have told her no.”

  “Now, Marion, they’re fine. Let’s go get something to eat. That might make the time go a little faster.”

  “Okay, but I might not be great company. I’m going to transfer the phone to my earpiece. I don’t want to miss any calls.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’d better do the same. Okay, we’ll meet in the square. I’ll be there in a jiff.”

  ***

  Cassie got out of the cab and looked back at Skye and Michael. Skye was squished up against Michael, who was squished up against the door. His arm was stretched out over the backseat of the cab. Skye had more room as soon as Cassie got out and she took a deep breath.

  “Gosh, Michael,” Cassie began, “I’m sorry there isn’t much room for all of us.

  “Oh, I’m fine,” he sighed.

  Joshua joined Cassie on the sidewalk, as they both leaned toward the taxi.

  “Are you coming?” Cassie asked.

  “Oh, are we there already,” Skye said sitting up. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Yeah, I could see that. Come on, you guys, I can’t do this by myself.”

  The foursome gathered in front of the house and started down the sidewalk. Cassie’s knees felt like rubber.

  “Cassie,” Joshua started, “let me do the talking this time. I think you’re a little too scared.”

  “Thanks, I think I am, too.”

  Joshua rang the doorbell, as they all waited. After a few minutes, he rang it again.

  “I don’t think anyone’s home, darlin’”

  “That’s strange. I thought for sure I was supposed to be here.”

  They all got back into the taxi and Cassie felt a little defeated.

  “You know,” the driver spoke up, “the older grandmother lives a few blocks away. Do you want to try her?”

  “You mean there’s another one?” Cassie asked excitedly.

  “Oh, yeah, she’s really old and she never leaves her house. I normally drop off the other ladies there on Sundays. I’ll bet she’s home.”

  “Here we go again,” Cassie laughed nervously. “Gosh, I hope someone is home.”

  After the taxi delivered them at the next house, the foursome again walked up to the door, as Joshua rang the doorbell. This time, they could hear someone walking inside. It wasn’t long before a woman answered the door.

  “Can I help you?” The woman asked who was wearing a nurse’s uniform.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Joshua said politely, reaching for his phantom hat. “If it’s not an imposition, we’d like to meet with the lady of the house.”

  “Oh, no, I’m sorry, she can’t have visitors. She’s very sick, I hope you understand.”

  The nurse began to close the door, when Cassie spoke up. “Please, I believe she’s been trying to contact me. I think I may be her granddaughter.”

  “No, dear, that’s not possible. She’s never mentioned you and if she had a granddaughter your age, she would have told me.”

  “Maybe not,” a feeble voice broke in.

  Everyone turned to see a frail, elderly woman leaning against the doorjamb in a white nightgown. She was very old, with a head full of thick white hair, but her smile seemed to radiate, giving her the appearance of a woman much younger than her 95 years.

  “It’s you!” Cassie blurted out. “I’ve seen you several times, but I thought I was going crazy.”

  The old woman smiled and started to slip to the floor, but Joshua was there to catch her.

  “Okay, Grammy, I need to get you back in bed.”

  The nurse chec
ked her patient and realized she needed to call an ambulance.

  “She doesn’t have much time, so you people need to leave right away,” the nurse replied, trying to force them out.

  Cassie was standing next to the bed, as she felt an impulse to put her hand over her grandmother’s forehead. After doing so, she felt a burst of energy leave her body. She started to faint, but Joshua caught her. He carried her to a loveseat in the corner of the room.

  The old woman opened her eyes. “Where is she? Where’s my granddaughter? I must speak to her . . . now!”

  Joshua was gently patting Cassie’s cheek, trying to revive her, and she slowly opened her eyes.

  “What happened? Why am I over here? I want to see my grandmother.” Cassie’s eyes were filling with tears.

  “I’m right here, my dear.”

  “You mustn’t wear yourself out, Dru,” the nurse chimed in, “I’ve sent for an ambulance. You need to go to the hospital and these people must leave . . . at once!”

  “I understand, Gladys, but allow my granddaughter to stay with me for little visit. We’ll be fine.”

  Gladys and Joshua left the room, as Drucilla Davis reached up and took Cassie’s hand.

  “We have a lot to discuss, my dear. Pull up that chair and we’ll begin.”

  The Impenetrable House

  The ambulance soon arrived, but when they went to the room, they couldn’t open the door.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Gladys yelled, as she tried to open the door herself. “This door doesn’t lock. Why can’t I open it? That little girl must have blocked it with something.” She was starting to get nervous, so she asked the boys to break down the door.

  “What?” both boys replied in unison, as they looked at one other.

  “Yes, the door. Break it down . . . now!”

  Joshua glanced over at the paramedics, but they just shrugged their shoulders. A big smile came across his face as he ran toward the door, leading with his right shoulder. He bounced off the door and fell to the floor, in total disbelief.

  Michael couldn’t help but laugh at Joshua, as he took his turn. The end result was the same. Both young men were spread-eagled out on the floor, reduced to rag dolls.

  Gladys looked eagerly at the paramedics, but they showed no interest in taking a turn, so she went outside and returned with an axe. She handed it to Joshua and told him to use it.

  Joshua took a deep breath and let it out. He walked up to the door and hit it as hard as he could, but it bounced off as if the door was made of rubber, sending him once again to the floor, with the axe skidding away from him.

  Joshua sat up laughing and pointed at Michael. “Take a shot at it, Mike, you know you want to.”

  “Okay, stand back everyone. I’m going to give it all I’ve got.” Michael assured everyone he had a good grip and jumped into the air, putting all his energy into the strike. Everyone flinched, as he also went flying back down on the floor.

  “What’s that door made of?” Joshua asked.

  “I thought it was just ordinary wood, but I guess I was wrong,” Gladys said, touching the door. “Well, I’m sure they heard all of that. Why hasn’t the girl opened the door?”

  Then Gladys remembered the windows.

  “Oh, of course, we can get in through one of the windows in her room. Why didn’t I think of that before,” Gladys reprimanded herself. “Come on, boys, and bring that axe.”

  Everyone followed Gladys, as she led them outside to the back of the house. There was a bay window on the side of the room and two regular windows on the north and south walls, as her room jutted out away from the rest of the house.

  The windows had been treated, so no one could see in, which also kept the inside cool and the light muted.

  “I know the windows are always locked, so you will have to break the glass. Please be very careful, though, we don’t want any stray glass hitting Mrs. Davis.

  A shocked Skye glanced at Michael, after hearing her aunt’s surname.

  “It’s a really common name, Skye, I doubt if you’re related.”

  Gladys handed the axe to Joshua and everyone else stepped back. First, he went up to the window to try and see anything on the inside, but he couldn’t see through the dense glass. Next, he tried knocking on the window, to get Cassie’s attention, but to no avail. Finally, he gingerly hit the glass with the axe. Nothing happened. He didn’t even leave a scratch. He hit it a little harder, as Gladys squealed, but the glass wouldn’t yield.

  Joshua turned toward the crowd of people watching him, as now the fire department had arrived along with a couple of police officers, not to mention a number of nosey neighbors. The paramedics had put in a call for help.

  “I can’t do this,” Joshua laughed. “I think this house is indestructible.” He motioned for Michael to take a turn, but he refused.

  “Give me the axe, son, this is a man’s job,” one of the firemen said, grinning at Joshua. “Everyone please stand back, I’m gonna take out this window.”

  He hit the window a few times, a little harder each time, but it was useless. He then tried hitting the windowsill below, but the wood wouldn’t give, either.

  “Okay, that does it. Now I’m mad!” He stood back, holding the axe like a baseball bat and swung it as hard as he could. The force of the axe hitting the window tripled in intensity, as the axe and the fireman flew backward against a big oak tree behind him. The axe hit the trunk of the tree and lodged into it about 5 inches, missing his ear by a thread.

  “What is this house made of?” One of the paramedics yelled.

  “So, what’s going on out here,” Cassie asked, as she walked up to Joshua. “Is the house on fire?”

  Everyone looked at Cassie, a little stunned, and then Gladys ordered the paramedics to go back into the house.

  “What going on, Joshua, why are you all out here?”

  “Well, let’s see. First, we tried to get into the bedroom, but you must have locked the door. Then we tried to break the door down, but that didn’t work, either. Now, we were trying to break one of the windows,” Joshua answered, looking bewildered.

  “Why didn’t you just knock on the door? I would have heard you.”

  “Cassie, we were hitting the door with an axe,” Michael took over. “Did you hear that?”

  “No, not at all,” then she laughed a little, “are you guys kidding around with me?”

  “Cassie, would we call the fire department and the police, if we were just kidding around with you?” Skye stepped in.

  “I guess not, but this doesn’t make any sense. I never heard anything unusual, when I was in the room.”

  As everyone started walking toward the front of the house, Cassie spoke up, “Come on, I want you to meet my great-great grandmother, Drusilla Davis. Can you even believe this?”

  Drusilla Davis

  Cassie led her friends toward the front door, but as they approached, the two police officers blocked them.

  “Excuse me, officer,” Cassie began, “Mrs. Davis is my grandmother. She actually sent for me to come see her.”

  “Well, it looks like you got your wish, but now she isn’t having any more visitors. You and your friends should just go on home now.”

  “But I told her I wanted to introduce my friends to her and she told me to go get them. Why, is there a problem?”

  “Well, it looks to me like you’re the problem, Miss. I have strict orders to keep you and your friends away from this house.” The police officer paused for a moment. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage?”

  This only made Joshua and Michael start snickering.

  “What exactly did we damage, officer? We only did what the nurse asked us to do,” Michael explained, trying to keep control.

  “That poor old woman in there is very sick and she doesn’t need all this commotion,” Gladys said, walking up to them. “I appreciate your tryin
g to help, but it’s time you all leave.” She handed Cassie a large envelope saying, “Mrs. Davis wanted me to give this to you, but please call the next time, before you come for a visit.”

  With that said, Gladys walked back into the house and closed the door, as the police officers held their ground.

  “Well, I guess we should go,” Cassie said, a little dazed, walking toward the taxi.

  This time, Joshua got in first, with Cassie in the middle of the backseat. He smiled at Michael, who just shrugged his shoulders.

  “So, where are we going now,” the cab driver asked.

  “Back to the theater, please.”

  The driver started the car and was about to turn around, when another car pulled up. They had to wait, as two older women got out of the car and started up the walkway to Mrs. Davis’ house.

  “I wonder who they are,” Cassie said, as she watched them go into the house.

  “You know, they look familiar to me,” Skye started. “Oh, yeah, they were on the bus with me. The younger one came and sat next to me, asking me questions.”

  “What did she ask you?” Cassie was getting anxious.

  “Gosh, I don’t remember. I know I mentioned my aunt, but she didn’t really say much. She did stare deeply into my eyes for some reason. Wait a minute, I remember what I said, I said I’m not the girl she was looking for. Why did I say that?” Skye puzzled.

  Michael looked back and gave Joshua a quizzical look. Joshua just smiled, knowing full well what the lady was looking for.

  ***

  The taxi pulled up to the theater, with about 30 minutes left till the end of the movie. The foursome got out of the taxi and ran to the theater. They showed their tickets and went inside. Joshua had asked his friend, Mary Ellen, to save them four seats at the edge of the back row, so they were able to slip into their seats, unnoticed.

  The Walk Home

  The foursome returned to their seats on the bus, as no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. Cassie leaned against Joshua in their seat. He silently put his arm around her, knowing full well she had a lot to think about.

  The bus returned to Parkerville and pulled up to the square, as the kids began to depart and go their separate ways. There was a horse-drawn wagon filled with hay, waiting for the majority of the kids.

  Cassie looked at the wagon and then glanced at Joshua, who was grinning at her.

  “Sorry, Joshua, I don’t think Mrs. Keaton would approve and I have a lot to work out in my mind . . . maybe some other time?”

  “Well, a guy can try, can’t he?” Joshua shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “I’m still gonna walk you home.”

  The foursome started down the street, as all of them were anxious to talk about Drucilla.

  “So, can you tell us anything about your new found grandmother?” Skye started.

  “Sure, I know you’re all dying to know, so I’ll tell you a little bit of what I can remember. At first she just cried a little, since she was so overcome to finally meet me. Wow, can you imagine how I felt? Then she teased me about my name. She said my dad wanted to name me after her, but mom insisted on using her mother’s name, Alice, and his mother’s, Sandra, instead.” Cassie paused and looked up at Joshua. “Oh, I never told you my real name, did I? Well, it’s Allison Cassandra, but don’t go telling anyone else.” Then she looked a Michael, “That goes for you, too.”

  “Your secret’s safe with us, darlin’.”

  “It better be. Okay, where was I? Oh, yeah, then she told me she didn’t feel she was old enough to be a great-great-grandmother, and I have two other grandmothers. I’m pretty sure they were those two women we saw, when we were leaving.

  She said only my dad and I had the privilege of calling her Cissy. She kidded around and said I could just call her Cilly, if I wanted. It was so cute to hear her laugh, but I was so afraid she was getting too excited.

  She told me the whole story of my grandfather leaving Parkerville and changing his name to Evans. He got in trouble with the Keepers, I guess, so he had to get out of town. He didn’t want any connection to Parkerville, so he gave up his name. When my dad was born, they named him John Evans.”

  “Wow! That explains a lot. Do you know your mother’s maiden name?” Michael asked.

  Joshua seemed a little upset with Michael’s question and gave him a warning glance.

  “My mother’s maiden name was Logan. Gosh, I never thought to look up Logan in Marshall City, but I did recently find out she lived in Parkerville.” Cassie looked completely confused. “I hate that I don’t know anything about my own family.”

  “No Logan’s that I know of,” Joshua began “do you know any, Michael?”

  “Nope, can’t say I do. I guess if there were any, they must have left town.” Michael shrugged his shoulders and glanced back at Joshua.

  “But what about that envelope she gave you. Aren’t you going to open it,” Skye said, anxiously. “Aren’t you dying to see what’s in it?”

  “Yeah, but I want to open it in my room. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but a lot happened today and I want to savor this a little.”

  “I understand. Once it’s opened, all the excitement comes to an end. Oh, and I already saw the movie in Bright Springs, so I can tell my aunt how great it was.”

  “Yeah, and I can ask Geri and Amy if they want to go see it next week. I need to go back as soon as I can, so I’ll tell Geri how wonderful it was, and how much we loved it and want to see it again.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Skye said, as she and Cassie walked together down the street, with Joshua and Michael walking behind them, completely forgotten. “Okay, let’s try to come up with a really good plan.”

  “Well, before we come up with a plan for next Saturday, I need to talk to you . . . uh, privately.” Skye looked behind at Michael.

  “Okay,” Michael sighed, “we’ll stay behind as you two iron things out, but then I’ve got to get you home, Skye. Your aunt won’t think I’m the great guy I think I am.”

  “Thanks, Michael.”

  Joshua gave Cassie a wink and shoved his hands in his pockets, as he started talking to Michael about the upcoming Thanksgiving football game.

  “Okay, what is it?” Cassie asked, “Is it about that cute guy, Chad? I knew you were just dying to tell me about the little chat you two had.”

  “Well, yeah, it’s about him and not about him. Oh, I just don’t know how to explain this. I’ll just have to show you.”

  Making sure the boys were deep into their own world, Skye carefully removed her wrist scarf and revealed her bare wrist to Cassie.

  “Holy cow!” Cassie whispered, as her eyes widened in disbelief. “How did your bracelet come off?”

  “Shh,” Skye warned, “Michael and Joshua are right there. “I don’t know what happened. Chad bumped my wrist accidentally and the bracelet just fell off. He didn’t even realize what had happened. He picked it up and handed it back to me, so I just dropped it in my pocketbook. I was so stunned. I said I’d meet him next Saturday night at the theater. I need to know how he did that, but more importantly, I need to get it back on before anyone else finds out!”

  “Okay, calm down, just try to put it back on.”

  “I tried, but it wouldn’t click.” Skye took the bracelet out of her purse and tried it again, just to show Cassie, but this time it clicked on.

  “Well,” Cassie began, “maybe you needed to be in Parkerville to put it back on. This is really weird. It’s like the bracelet has a mind of its own.”

  “Yeah, but at least everything is back to normal. I felt so lonely without the bracelet. It sounds crazy, I know, but I couldn’t feel anyone’s feelings and I hated it.”

  “I know what you mean. I’d be lost without my bracelet now. It’s a part of who I really am. My life before just seemed so unimportant.”

  “Sorry to br
eak in," Michael called from behind them, "but I really need to get you home before your aunt sends out the hounds to find you.”

  Joshua laughed and shot a look at Michael. “Yeah, we need to get you both back home. It’s getting late.”

  “Oh, we didn’t tell you, Skye is sleeping over at my house tonight. We have lots to talk about.”

  One Blooming Mess

  The girls went up to Cassie’s room and Skye called her aunt to let her know they got back safely. There were so many questions in both girls’ minds.

  Cassie had put down some blankets and pillows, so they could sit on the floor with their cookies and milk, as listening to Cassie’s collection of the latest 45’s.

  “You’ve got some great records here. I don’t have half as many.”

  “Well, most of these I bought in the city, or were given to me by my many, many admirers.” Cassie laughed as she cranked up the volume on her portable record player. “We don’t want anyone eavesdropping on our conversation. We just can’t take a chance that someone may be listening. You know, I’ve noticed quite a few cameras around town watching us.”

  “You’re right, but I’ve seen one on my street on top of the lamp post across the street. I’ll bet money there’s one across the street from you, too.”

  “Yeah, I know. The funny thing is I forget it’s there most of the time. I guess they count on that.”

  The girls got comfortable and Cassie pulled out the envelope Drusilla gave her.

  “Okay, here we go.” She pulled out the contents and placed them on the rug. “Look at these photos. They’re really old. Cissy was so frail and I’m really concerned about her. She told me not to worry, since now that she’s found me, everything will be fine. I asked her about my seeing her face a few times and she just laughed and said, ‘Oh, I can do more than that. Just wait and see.’”

  “Gosh, I wonder what she meant by that?” Skye asked, looking through the photos. “Is this couple your mom and dad?”

  “Yeah, but they’re just teenagers. They look so young, but look at this really old one, there are lots of people in this photo. I wonder if they are all my family.” Cassie started to cry a little, but regained her composure. “I thought I was all alone.”

  “Cassie, we have to go back and see your other grandmothers. They can tell you if you have any other family in Marshall City. This is so exciting!”

  “Cassie picked up a fragile, brown envelope, sealed within a plastic bag. “She told me not to open the plastic bag, as she would let me know when it’s time.”

  “Wow, how mysterious is that. Oh, look there’s a box. Open that one next.”

  Cassie picked up the box and found a necklace inside.

  “May I see it?”

  “Sure, but be very careful. Cissy said it was given to her when she was fifteen, by her grandmother. She was told to wait to pass it down, until she was able to see me in her dreams.”

  “So, how would she know it would be you; I mean, why not one of her other granddaughters.”

  “I don’t know. She said she always knew deep inside who I was and how she would find me.”

  “That’s a really sweet story,” Skye said, as she put her hand on Cassie’s. “This necklace is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen stones like these.”

  “Me neither, but I’m putting it somewhere safe. She said it was very special and I would find out one day why it was given to me and when I can wear it.”

  Cassie put the box inside the large envelope, along with the photos. They began reading some of the letters and poetry her father had written. As they were laughing, and made fun of some of the letters, Geri knocked on the door. Cassie gathered up the letters and put them on her desk, before she opened the door.

  “Come in, Geri.”

  “So, whatcha doin?” Geri asked, sitting down on the bed.

  “Nothing, just listening to music and talking about boys,” Cassie replied.

  “I thought you might need something.”

  “No, Geri, we’re fine. I can’t think of anything . . . but thanks for asking.”

  “That’s okay, but if you need anything, just call me.”

  “We will, Geri. Thanks.”

  The girls waited for Geri to run back down the stairs, before one of them spoke up.

  “Okay, she can report to Marion that everything is fine,” Cassie said softly. “Now we need to discuss something really important. Do you remember that article I showed you at the slumber party? It mentioned Joey Cheats? Well, Joey is Marion’s brother and they also have a sister, named Gina.”

  Skye pretended to gasp, “Wow . . . I remember you telling me, but why do we care? Don’t they live in the city somewhere? I don’t think that’s a big deal.”

  “It is a big deal. I haven’t mentioned it, since we never seem to be alone, and I don’t know if those cameras have ears. But get this; Gina is still a teenager and Joey’s in his late thirties or early forties? I’m not good at guessing ages. I saw a photo of all of them together as teens in Marion’s secret room, and they all looked about a couple years apart. It was really crazy, since different photos kept coming up and they kept getting older, except for Gina. I thought she died or something. Marion has to be about 40 now, but how can they all be so older than one another?”

  Skye looked very confused. “I’m not really sure what you’re talking about, but you must have seen two people who just looked like them.”

  “No, I spoke to both of them, especially Joey. He’s really neat and Gina is the new girl at school, but she calls herself Ginger.”

  “Oh, yeah, I saw her in the hallway going to lunch. I thought she was related to one of the Royals.”

  “No, she’s here to make trouble. Nelson told me to befriend her and keep her away from Marion, but it’s not going to be easy.”

  “I’m sorry, but who is Nelson?”

  “Oh, gosh, I forgot. Remember Elwood the ghost?”

  “How could I ever forget?”

  “Well, his real name is Nelson. He was just playing with us. Elwood was that guy . . .”

  “Oh, yeah, from the movie Harvey, Skye broke in. I should have known that!” Skye just shook her head and reached over, touching Cassie’s hand. “Wow, I’m getting goose bumps. Everything you’re telling me is the truth. I can also feel you’re a little scared.”

  “A little scared, yeah, but mostly curious. Now, don’t yell or get mad, but we have to go to the library tonight.”

  To Cassie’s surprise, Skye calmly replied, “I had a feeling that was coming next. It’s not that I can read your mind, so much, but I can feel what you’re thinking and I know it’s going to be useless to argue with you.”

  ***

  The girls had no problem slipping out of the house. They turned off the record player around 9:00 p.m. and waited until midnight, before sneaking down the stairs. They wore dark jackets and tried to avoid the cameras they knew were about. They soon found their way to the town square and began to wander down the same path they had taken before, when they found the library.

  “I don’t like this, Cassie. We don’t know if anyone’s watching us or not. We could get into a lot of trouble being out this late at night,” Skye whispered.

  “It’s not night, it’s morning . . . very early in the morning, but we’re here now and we can’t turn back. You know that.”

  Cassie suddenly stopped in her tracks. “Whoa, did you see that?”

  Skye also stopped. Her voice was shaking. “Did you hear that scream?”

  The girls stood back to back, straining to see or hear what was hiding in the shadows.

  “Do you hear crickets?” Cassie whispered. “I haven’t heard any crickets since we got here and we didn’t have any in the city.”

  “It kind of sounds like crickets, but they don’t sound like Bright Springs’ crickets. It almost sounds like . . . high pitched giggles.”


  “You’re right! It does sound like something really small is laughing at us. Oh, gosh! Did you see that?”

  “Yeah, it looked like little puffs of colored smoke. They seem to be rolling around, all over the place. Is that what you see?”

  “Yeah, you can almost see through them,” Cassie said, squinting. “I think they’re making that noise, too, but I don’t know what’s making those other sounds.”

  Skye jumped, “Gees, what was that? I heard another scream or screech. I can’t really make it out. What’s going on?”

  “There are just too many weird things that don’t make any sense in this town,” Cassie whispered back.

  “I don’t know why we’re whispering, nobody’s up this time of morning,” Skye surmised, still whispering.

  “Oh, I don’t know, luv, I’m up and I’ve ‘eard every word you’ve said.”

  “Uh, Skye, what’s with the weird accent?”

  Skye stopped short in her tracks. Shaking, she grabbed Cassie’s wrist. “I didn’t say that!”

  “Course you didn’t, I did.”

  Standing right in front of them was one of the biggest dogs they’d ever seen and he was glaring at them.

  “And just what do you think you’re about now, luvs?” the dog asked.

  Huddled together, eyes wide, body’s both shaking uncontrollably, they stared disbelieving at the sight before them.

  “You’re . . . you’re a dog! How can you be talking?” Skye barely got the words out.

  “Well, actually, luv, I’m what you’d call a German shepherd, to be precise.”

  Both girls slowly started backing up the path as the dog approached them. Just as they were about to turn and take off running, he stopped and sat down.

  “Look, I’m not ‘ere to ‘arm or scare you two, I’m just doin’ me job and makin’ me rounds. You know you’re not supposed to be out this time of night, or mornin’, whatever you want to call it. It’s not safe. Now, I suggest you make it for ‘ome and when you get up in the morrow, this will all be just a dream . . . okay? You won’t remember me at all.”

  “No, it won’t be a dream and it isn’t okay!” Skye started, “What the heck is going on? We’re hearing strange sounds and puffs of smoke, not to mention a dog that speaks with a cockney accent, telling us what to do?” She was no longer afraid, as she started walking toward the dog. “Who or what are you, anyway?”

  “I’m Cinder. I’m in the shape of a dog, if you like. I’m not exactly a dog. I’m . . . well . . . look, I’m jist doin’ me job. Like I said, I’m not standin’ ‘ere all night messin’ about with the two of you! You are not allowed to be out and you must leave . . . now!”

  This time Cassie came forward. “No, we’re not leaving. Just do your job and leave us alone. I’m getting used to weird things in this town and I’m not going to let anything else get to me. So, you be off yourself, dog, or whatever you are.”

  “Oh, crikey, this is just one bloomin’ mess! If you two don’t go back to your ‘omes, I’m going to have to call out Blister, and believe me, you don’t want to meet ‘im.”

  “Too late, I’m him!” What’s going on here?”

  An even larger dog appeared behind Cinder and came forward. Skye and Cassie still stood where they were, but the sight of this one made them stiffen and step a bit closer to each other.

  “What’s this all about, Cinder?” Blister demanded.

  “These two ‘ave snuck out, sir. They don’t know the dangers out ‘ere at night. So what do we do?”

  “Go home!” Blister demanded, narrowing his eyes at both girls.

  “No!” The girls replied in unison.

  “Why not?”

  “Because we need to find out a few things and we need to go to the library,” Cassie started. “By the way, you’re the first dogs I’ve seen here. In fact, you’re the first animals I’ve seen in town since I’ve come here. No cats, no dogs, what’s with that?”

  The dogs looked at each other and then Blister replied. “We’re not exactly dogs, perse; we’re simply in the shape of dogs . . . guards, if you like.”

  “So why does he have a cockney accent?” Skye asked pointing at Cinder.

  “Well, the scientist who created Cinder was from England, simple as that. He also had a sense of humor. But all of this is getting us nowhere. You’ll have to find these things out another time. The library is closed this time of the night.” Blister was now getting impatient.

  “We don’t mean that library,” Cassie said, with a sly smile.

  “Oh,” Blister said, looking at Cinder.

  “Crikey, they mean . . .”

  “That one’s closed too. And how did you two know?” Blister narrowed his eyes at them and stepped a bit closer. “We know who you are now . . . both of you. It isn’t safe for either one of you to be out and now I’ll have to report this. Cinder, you walk this one home . . . now!”

  Cinder moved toward Cassie and nudged her. “On your way, luv.”

  Cassie backed away and looked at Skye. “But Skye is staying at my house tonight. Won’t that be strange, if she isn’t there in the morning?”

  “Not to worry, they’ll all know by mornin’, if they don’t already know.”

  “Go ahead, Cassie, I’m going home,” Skye relented.

  “I’ll accompany you.” Blister approached her.

  At the top of the path, the two girls walked with their escorts. It looked perfectly normal to see two girls walking alongside their pets, if this were a normal town. When the foursome reached their opposing lanes, Skye and Cassie each said their goodnights and went their separate ways.

  Blister continued to walk beside Skye. She wasn’t sure if she should say anything, but finally broke the silence.

  “I used to live on a farm with my sister and nieces. They have a dog; a Labrador named Smokey. We all love her. She’s wonderful, and well, I really miss her. Maybe sometime you could come and . . .”

  Blister stopped her immediately. “Look, I told you we’re not dogs, like run after things and fetch. We guard. We look after the town. That’s what we do. We’re not pets.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, okay, it was nice meeting you, I guess. Oh, you won’t have to report us, will you?” Skye looked at him hopefully.

  “It’s already done. I had nothing really to do with it and I don’t know what will happen. But you’re safe now . . . both of you. Now, go into your house and please don’t do this again.” With that Blister turned and walked away.

  Skye watched him pad up the sidewalk. At the corner, Blister met up with Cinder and together they walked toward the center of town.

  “That Cassie girl, she’s alright, she gave me a pat on the ‘ead she did.”

  “She what? Cinder, what gets into you? Have you no discipline or dignity?”

  “It was nice, awe right? It felt good that somebody cared and somebody touched me ‘ead in a friendly wye. Don’t you go tykin’ that away from me, Blister! I mean it.” Cinder practically snarled at his superior.

  “Oh, good grief.” Blister growled back.

  Skye Confronts Sara

  Sara was waiting for her niece when she entered the house. Skye marched past her and went straight into the kitchen and sat down. Sara followed and sat down opposite her. For a while, neither one spoke, each one waiting for the other to break the silence.

  “Want a cup of coffee or,” her aunt offered.

  “No.”

  “Want to talk?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Want to go to bed?”

  “Won’t be able to sleep.”

  “Alright, Skye, what do you want?”

  “Answers,” she replied, softly.

  “I’m not sure I have all the answers. Why don’t we discuss this in the morning?”

  “It is morning and there is no way I can sleep right now.”

  “Well then, let me make you that special drink and you’ll sleep like a
baby.

  “I’ll give you something sweet to drink and off to sleep you’ll go.”

  “That kind of drink? Are you kidding me?

  “My sister must have taught you that one? “

  “Yep, so it won’t work. I know all about that special drink you were going to make me? Mom made it for me when I was five.”

  “All right, Skye, what do you want to know?”

  “Okay, for starters, do you know about those dogs?”

  “Yes.”

  “What the heck are they?”

  “I’m sure they explained themselves. They’re guards,” Sara answered quietly.

  “Would they hurt anyone? I mean, if they were really angry?”

  “No, they can’t. They cannot hurt anyone who resides in this town. However, the collars around their necks are also cameras. It shows everything they see and it records their conversations, if they happen to encounter anyone. Anymore questions, dear?”

  “Who am I and what is my purpose in this town? Why can I feel things when I touch certain people? Why can I see and hear things other people can’t? And, who are you really?” Skye rushed this last question to Sara, thinking she could trip her up.

  “Well, to start with, you are Skye McKenna, daughter of Dottie McKenna, my sister. You’re here because I love you and want you here. I’m not sure what you mean by seeing and hearing things others can’t, but I’m your Aunt Sara. Any more questions?”

  “You missed one. Why can I feel things when I touch certain people . . . their sadness or their pain?” Skye searched Sara’s eyes for a real answer this time.

  “Your mother could do that. Not always, but sometimes when I was feeling really sad, she’d touch my arm to comfort me. She could feel what I was going through. We were very close, your mom and I.” Sara lowered her face to stare at her hands.

  “Can you do that, too? Can you feel what other people are feeling?”

  Sara looked at Skye with tears in her eyes and reached across the kitchen table, as she put her hand over Skye’s. “No, but if I could at this moment, it would probably break my heart.”

  Skye took her hand away from Sara. She got up from the table and walked toward the kitchen doorway. “I’m going to bed now. I’m tired.”

  “Any more questions?”

  “No, I really wouldn’t get any straight answers anyway . . . would I?” With that, she turned and went up the stairs. Sara could hear her bedroom door close.

  Sara sat at the table for a while longer.

  “Oh, Skye, you’re so angry. What am I going to do?” Sara whispered. Then she got up, walked to the kitchen doorway, turned off the lights and went upstairs to bed. Knowing, she wouldn’t be able to sleep, either.

  Cassie’s Interrogation

  It was a boring Sunday for the girls, as they were both grounded. They couldn’t really complain, since they had deliberately broken the rules.

  Justin was the one who spoke to Cassie. It was his responsibility to keep Cassie safe and he felt he had let her down.

  “We have Cinder and Blister on guard for a reason in this town. Yes, our town is quaint and beautiful during the day, but after midnight, strange things can and do occur, more often than we can foresee. You should know by now that our town is a little bit out of the ordinary.”

  “I knew that the day I got here,” Cassie replied, as she slid farther back into her chair.

  “No one is allowed out past midnight. No exceptions! All dates are over by 11:00 p.m. and everyone is supposed to be safe in their homes by 11:30,” Justin said with authority.

  Cassie was looking down at the floor, uncomfortable with this type of interrogation. “Well,” she started in a soft voice, “no one really told me that.”

  Justin sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

  “I would think there are things in life you would understand, without having to be told. What made you think we would approve of you and Skye being out past midnight?”

  “We should have known we weren’t supposed to be out after dark. It was a stupid thing to do. I guess we just thought everything would be fine, since no one else was out.”

  Justin looked straight at Cassie. “You have no idea how dangerous that was. I’m just grateful Cinder found the two of you when he did.”

  “I’m really sorry, Mr. Keaton, it won’t happen again.”

  Justin stared past Cassie for a moment. “We’ll let this go for now, but since I’m responsible for your safety, this can never happen again.”

  “I understand,” Cassie whispered, as she stood up to leave. “Will everyone at school know what we did?”

  “No, only the immediate families know when a child is reprimanded. The Keepers try to be discrete about this type of infraction. There’s no reason to broadcast misconduct.”

  “Well, that’s a relief, but can you tell me who these Keepers are? I keep hearing about them, but I’ve never seen one.”

  “It was decided a long time ago the Keepers would stay anonymous. It’s best for the town.”

  “Oh,” was all Cassie could reply, but her mind was reeling. “Can I go now?”

  Justin nodded, staring past her again. When she stood up, Justin sat up in his chair. “Okay, we’re done here. You can go, but you can’t leave the house. And please try to behave yourself.”

  ***

  Marion was in the kitchen going through her pantry. Cassie asked if she could help.

  “Well, I’m almost done. I can’t believe we’re out of so many things. I have to make a trip to get more groceries.” She stood up and walked over to the table. “So, you had your talk with Justin?”

  ”Yes, and it was very embarrassing. I don’t know why we snuck out like that. I guess we weren’t thinking.”

  Marion sat down and motioned for Cassie to take a seat.

  “Don’t pretend with me, saying you didn’t know what you were doing. I was your age once, and I know what’s going through your mind. The difference is, I knew about the town when I was your age, you don’t. If you’re not careful, you’re going to get hurt; or worse yet, married to someone you really don’t want to marry.”

  “I know, it was stupid, but there are so many things we want to find out. We were just going to find the library again.”

  “That library isn’t always going to be there, when you need it. If you have questions, talk to me.”

  “Okay, why aren’t there any animals in this town? I know there are animals out on the farms, but I haven’t seen one cat or real dog since I’ve been here.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I can answer that. There have never been animals in town, so I’ve never questioned it.” Marion looked down at her hands.

  “You don’t question these things? What about those round things that giggle and almost look transparent, as they go up and down the trees?”

  “Oh, the puffers? They clean up all the insects in our town, but we can’t figure out how they get in. The puffers were brought here for that very reason. We’re so grateful to have the Keepers, as they are always looking out for our safety.”

  Cassie looked confused by Mrs. Keaton’s answer.

  “So, who are the Keepers? Can you tell me that?”

  “The Keepers are the Keepers. They take care of us.”

  “I mean, who are they? Where do they live? What are their names?” Cassie was getting a little agitated.

  “You’ll be told all of that, after you are married, and your husband confides in you. It’s not my place to tell you.”

  Mrs. Keaton stood up, grabbed her purse, and started toward the door. “We’ll talk again, later. I have some shopping to do.” And with that said, she went out the door.

  The Infamous Letter

  “I got Geri so excited about The Sound of Music, she begged Marion to let her go see it on Saturday,” Cassie told Skye on the phone. “I had to promise
no boys . . . just Geri, Amy, you and I.”

  “Wow, that’s great!”

  “What about your aunt? Will she let you go?”

  “I’ve been really good all week. I even cleaned out two closets and the pantry. She’s a little curious as to why we want to go again, but I told her it was mostly for Geri and Amy. I even bought the album and was singing all the songs all week.”

  “Poor, Sara, but I’m glad it worked. So, have you heard from Chad?”

  “Yeah, he called me a couple of times this week.”

  “A couple of times?”

  “Okay, twice on Sunday and every day this week. Oh, gosh, I can’t wait to see him again.”

  “Does Todd know?”

  “I don’t think so. He’s been really nice to me this week. I think he’s more worried about Michael, which is funny. He knows Michael has a game on Saturday, so he feels I’m safe. He said he and Teddy are going fishing with their dad and I don’t think he knows about Chad living in Marshall City.”

  “Great, everything is coming together. Okay, we’ll catch the bus on Saturday morning and we’ll all go to the movie, but Chad will be waiting there, right? I don’t think the teenyboppers will say anything, since Joshua and Zach are also going to show up unexpected of course. I also know Zach will be bringing one of his friends for Amy. Everything should be perfect.”

  “Okay, now we just have to wait until Saturday. I don’t know how I’ll get through school two more days.”

  Skye got off the phone and leaned back into the chair. She had a gleam in her eye and a smile of satisfaction on her face.

  “Well, Mac, you’re not going to mess this one up for me,” she said out loud.

  “Mess what up?” Sara asked, standing in back of her.

  Skye thought for a moment, and then she sat up in the chair and confronted her aunt. “What I meant was, he’s not going to be there to mess up my plans for Saturday.”

  “Oh, I see, your plans to go with Cassie, Amy, and Geri to see The Sound of Music, yet again, or your plans to see Chad alone with no interruptions?” Sara smiled down at Skye.

  Skye slid back down into the chair.

  “Oh, come on, kiddo, I knew what you were up to all along. Good grief, the boy has called here almost every day this week. I trust you and I know Mac made it almost impossible for you to ever go on a date with anyone else. Just tell me, Skye, I’m not the ogre you make me out to be some times. I was a teenager once, many eons ago, but I understand.”

  “Oh, Aunt Sara, you really crack me up. I can’t believe you knew all along. It’s no fun trying to keep secrets from you.”

  Skye jumped up from the chair, hugged her aunt, and then ran upstairs to see what she was going to wear.

  “Yeah, well, it’s not always fun knowing so many secrets either, sweetie,” Sara said out loud, and then she threw the dishtowel over her shoulder and went into the kitchen.

  ***

  Saturday morning emerged bright and crisp. Geri had spent the night with Amy, and Cassie was waiting for them at the end of the driveway.

  “I can’t believe we’re going to the city by ourselves,” Amy gushed.

  “Yeah,” Geri agreed, “but I’m more surprised mom is letting us go. Cassie must have put a spell on her.”

  “Oh, no, don’t give away all my secrets,” Cassie sneered. “Just when I have them all in the palm of my hand.”

  They met up with Skye and found seats together on the bus. Cassie and Skye shared notes, as the bus headed for the city.

  The four girls walked up to the ticket window and Cassie paid for the tickets. She gave Geri some money for snacks and the younger girls took off. It wasn’t long before Zach and his friend, Eli, showed up with Joshua. Cassie stood at the back of the theater, trying to see where the girls were seated. Zach showed up behind her and pointed them out. The two boys headed down to surprise them.

  Cassie winked at Skye and finally walked out of the theater. Joshua helped Cassie into the cab of his dad’s truck and off they went.

  Joshua remembered the way to Drucilla’s house, but when they arrived, there was only an empty lot. The house was gone, except for the tree, which was still embedded with the hatchet. The odd thing was, there were numerous bushes and flowers flourishing throughout the lot, even where the house stood.

  Cassie and Joshua got out of the truck, as Cassie walked over to the edge of the lawn and knelt down, as she started to cry.

  “I was afraid she’d be gone.”

  Joshua knelt down beside her, with his hand on her back, waiting patiently. She put her hand into the grass, moving it as if she were petting an animal. Suddenly, she discovered a large cluster of 4-leaf clovers.

  “Joshua, look at this, I’ve never seen so many in one place. You may think I’m crazy, but I want to dig them up and take them home. I feel like I need them.”

  “If you want them, you’re gonna get them. I saw a little flower shop a couple of blocks from here. We’ll get those clovers potted and in your arms right away.”

  Cassie wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled up at Joshua.

  “I just don’t know what I’d do without you. You just seem to understand me more than anyone I’ve ever known.”

  Joshua leaned toward Cassie and kissed her tenderly.

  “Will you be okay? I won’t be too long.”

  “I’ll be fine. I just want to sit here for a few more minutes. Thank you for doing this for me.”

  Joshua went to his truck and drove off, as Cassie pulled out the envelope, encased in a plastic bag, from her purse. She had seen Cissy’s face one more time, as she woke up that morning. Cissy told her it was time and told her to come to visit her one last time.

  Cassie carefully opened the old envelope, but it nearly dissolved in her hand. She unfolded the letter and began to read.

  To my dear, precious Granddaughter,

  I knew it was going to take nearly a century to find you, but if you are indeed reading this, I’m so very grateful. By now we must have found one another and you know I’m not just any ordinary grandma.

  You are on a wonderful adventure, my dear, but you need some tools to keep you safe. I’ve given you two of the three, and you already had the first . . . animal, vegetable, and mineral. One of these will bring you love, one will give you faith, and the last is hope, but we all know that love is the greatest of all these gifts.

  You have all you need now. All the elements! It’s up to you to figure them out, my dear. There isn’t much time left.

  With all my love,

  Cissy