Mirror in the Forest: Book One (35 page)

“We just couldn’t agree on a few projects at school,” Jessica choked out after a moment.

Mark almost sighed. He knew she was lying to him, and he hated it. He was usually not very tolerant of liars, but for some reason, Jessica Winters kept drawing him back in time after time. He wanted to get angry with her, but couldn’t.

“Also, she thinks I am trying to get revenge on those girls that I play with,” Jessica finally said.

Mark studied Jessica’s face, and he knew this time it was not a lie. He felt the tension leave him a little.

“Well, are you?” Mark asked, taking another sip of his milkshake.

He knew that Jessica had enough of the girls who had bullied her for so long.

“Well, you know it is more for my parents than anything, but in a way, yes, I am proving to people that I am not a pushover anymore,” she explained.

Mark thought for a moment, and decided that answer was good enough for him. He knew he had to be imagining things at the game tonight, and tried once more to block it from his mind.

He smiled at Jessica and said, “Jessica, you have nothing to prove to anyone besides yourself, even your parents.”

“I know, but I did want this,” she answered. Mark could see she was lost in some memories. For some reason, he felt what she just said had a double meaning.

They talked for a long while, before he finally took her home for the night.

Mark had to fight the urge to take her to his house again, and make sweet love to her, but he held back. The reason was, because he was still on edge.

Jessica no longer heard the crowd surrounding her. The gymnasium was booming from the winning team. However, Jessica was not on the winning team.  

It was now three weeks later, and this last game would have put Leon Crossing High in the championships, but it did not happen. It was not to be when Jessica missed the last basket as the clock ran out. It would have tied the teams, and forced overtime, but it did not happen.  

The ball bounced in front of her, but she could only gaze at it. People began to run around her to get to the winning team that she was not a part of.

She turned to her right, and could see the sneer on Kelly Martin’s face as she walked off the court. Kelly had missed the pass, but Jessica had been able to recover the ball. It started a chain of events where Kelly and Jessica’s other teammates did not defend her. Jessica made the last desperate attempt to make the shot, but missed. The buzzer sounded, and that was the end of the game.

Jessica knew it was on purpose, and Kelly had deliberately thrown the game with Jessica’s other teammates.

Jessica felt arms around her shoulders, and an encouraging talk in her ear from her coach Mr. Cranston, but she could not hear him. She could only just stare at her former teammates with disbelief, and felt the rage building within her.

Jessica knew she had that win, and she knew they should have been celebrating right now instead of going home as the losing team. Yes, they were on the opposing team’s turf, but she had it, she knew she did.  

The yells, the screams, the music, and the celebrating continued around her, but she blocked them out.

Her coach led her over to the bench, and sat her down. He was practically in her face, yelling over the crowd, but she did not hear one word that came out of his mouth. His arm went around her shoulders in comfort and reassurance, but Jessica still ignored him as she wiped her face with her towel. She just nodded to him absentmindedly when he continued to talk to her.

She began to wonder if he knew. If he knew that Kelly had thrown the game, but from the emotions on his face, he had no idea. Jessica focused on a few words, and then turned her head away in shame.

She fought with every fiber of her being not to cry. She turned around to see the disappointed faces of her hometown residents and classmates beginning to leave the opposing team’s gym.

She could not see her parents, but she did see Tessa, and after all of these weeks, Tessa showed her best friend some emotion. The look of sympathy ran across her features. She knew…..

Jessica was handed a bottle of water, and took a big gulp. Her surroundings began to focus again. Jessica turned to see Kelly talking to the other girls. She turned and sneered again, but then ignored Jessica’s stare.

The rage within her made Jessica twist the towel tightly. She almost stood and attacked Kelly, but for some reason she knew she would not have to do a thing. No, she would not have to do anything. Kelly would be taken care of.

Jessica sat there for a few more moments, and took a few deep breaths. She felt a figure standing in front of her. Jessica looked up to see Kelly standing above her.

Jessica knew her face began to turn red with fury, and tried to hold it together.

Kelly, in all of her smugness, leaned into Jessica and whispered in her ear, “If it had been Mandy, we would have won.”

Jessica suddenly stood and stared her down. Kelly smiled, and walked away.

Jessica glared at Kelly’s departing figure. You will get yours, she thought as she made fists with her hands. Yes, you will go down, Kelly.

Angrily, Jessica gathered her towels and water, and followed the rest of the team into the locker room.

The game had originally been scheduled for Friday night, however, because of playoff conflicts with the boys’ basketball team, they had to make the girls play really early Saturday morning for the opposing school.

They had at least an hour and a half ride home on the bus. Jessica had been disappointed that Mark couldn’t make it, but he could not switch with his deputy Paul, because of Paul’s kids’ activities. Jessica knew this would be the longest bus ride of her life, because she was required to ride with the rest of the team home.

Jessica didn’t say a word as the other girls whispered about her. The only one who showed her any compassion was Amber, so Jessica knew she would tell The Spirit of the Mirror to spare her.

Jessica felt deflated, and thought about how good the last three weeks had been going. This was the slap in the face she should have expected.

They had won three games, and this was the last one before the finals. They had been so close…..so close. Kelly had made sure it would be this game. Jessica just knew it.

Before she went into the locker room to get changed, Jessica was able to meet with her parents. They hugged her tightly, and told her how proud of her they were. They would talk to her more when she arrived home. Jessica wasn’t really listening to them. She had other plans on her mind.

The team walked into the locker room with Jessica lagging behind everyone else. The assistant coach was there, and tried to give words of encouragement, but Jessica didn’t hear a word she said. She just wanted to get this bus ride over with, and go home.

She thought of Mark, and she now wished he had been there. He was always such a positive person, despite the things he’s been through, and she would do anything to hear his voice right now.

Jessica changed into her clothes, and could hear the whispers around her. She didn’t even look up from her bag as she changed into her street clothes after a quick shower.

She robotically walked behind the other team as they made their way to the waiting bus. She looked up to see some stragglers from her town, and heard the applause, but Jessica still didn’t look up to acknowledge the crowd.

She climbed the steps, and fought back tears as she stared at the satisfied looks from the other girls.

Spotting an empty seat, Jessica threw her bag down, and sat by herself. She leaned her head against the window, and closed her eyes for a moment fighting back sobs that were threatening to come out.  

She rubbed her face to a few snickers, and turned to glare at the other girls, but was met with more sneers.

Finally, the coaches came onto the bus, and they were on their way. Not fast enough, Jessica thought.

The only ones who tried to talk to her were the coaches, and Jessica answered them politely, but then everything began to quiet down.

Jessica dared to turn around again, and could see that Amber was giving her sympathetic looks as the other girls spoke to each other.

She could hear the coaches talking about budgets for next year, and then everything began to fade as Jessica’s eyes began to droop.

After a little while, Jessica jerked awake and could see they were on the road next to the river that led back into Leon’s Crossing.

Jessica turned to see her other teammates had quieted down, and were half-asleep. Her coaches were dozing in their seats, and Jessica was glad for the silence of the rest of the ride.

Suddenly, a weird feeling overcame Jessica. She couldn’t explain what was happening. All she knew there was a strange feeling that seemed to take over the bus. She felt a little light headed, and sat straight up in the seat. She turned her head and watched as the river raged right below them on the road.

She started to wonder if she was still dreaming, and smacked her forehead, trying to shake the trance like state she suddenly found herself in.

Then, Jessica turned her head to her left, and looked up. Her mouth gaped as she spotted The Spirit of the Mirror standing before her.

The spirit put a reflective finger to his lips beckoning Jessica to keep quiet.

Jessica’s mouth kept opening and closing in amazement seeing the spirit on the bus with her.

Jessica turned to see the basketball team still quiet and peaceful in their seats.

The spirit then waved his hand in the air again, and Jessica was suddenly thrown against the seat as the bus began to swerve on the road.

If someone asked Jessica what happened next, Jessica could barely describe it.

The bus driver turned the steering wheel in surprise as the bus swerved again, tires skidding over the asphalt. “What the hell?”

Jessica could see him trying to get control of the wheel, however, he was failing miserably as the steering wheel seemed to take on a life of it’s own.

Jessica could see everyone was awake and alert now while the bus lost control. Screams and cries began to ring out around her. Jessica’s head slammed into the seat in front of her as the bus suddenly screeched to halt.

The bus driver cursed again, and yelled, “Hang on!”

All Jessica could feel was air surrounding her as the bus began to turn over. She could have sworn she then felt warm arms wrap around her in protection when the bus overturned once, and then again, and then another time. Metal folded into metal, making a weird scraping sound similar to opening a tin can.

She wanted to cover her ears as the screams, and grunts turned frightening from shock and despair. She could hear bodies hitting seats, the floor, and the ceiling while the bus turned over again.

Jessica was finally released from whatever it was that held her. The window next to her shattered, and she cried out in pain and surprise when glass began to tear at her skin, and fly everywhere with sickening cracks.

She thought she heard one last yelp when the bus finally stopped rolling. Then everything was silent.

Jessica was in an awkward position. That much she knew. Her eyes had been squeezed tightly shut when the bus was rolling over. She thought she heard a strange noise, but wasn’t sure.

Finally, she willed her eyes to open, frantically looking around. She was staring at the other side of the bus with the seats now above her. Her legs were up in the air, and her arm was awkwardly around something. She felt a strange liquid run down her arm. She was lying on something soft, but wasn’t sure what it was.

She glanced over her right arm, seeing it covered in cuts, with blood oozing from some of them. She finally began to turn, but heard a pained grumble beneath her.

She managed to sit up a little, and heard the groan again. She looked down to see the assistant coach beneath her.

Miss Edwards kept groaning in pain as Jessica moved around on top of her.

Jessica gasped when she realized that Miss Edwards’ face was covered in blood.

“Miss Edwards?” Jessica whispered. She began to wonder why she was whispering, but the silence was almost deafening.

Miss Edwards opened her eyes slightly, but winced. “Jessica, get help,” she managed before closing her eyes again.

Jessica nodded, knowing she would have to climb over Miss Edwards to straighten out. Jessica pulled on the seat above her as gently as she could as to not hurt Miss Edwards anymore than she had to.

Jessica was finally able to right herself, and she looked around the now silent, overturned bus, and gasped.

Limbs, and bodies were strewn everywhere, with no one moving except her. She turned to see the bus driver laying silent on his side in the driver’s seat. She hadn’t yet spotted Coach Cranston.

She frantically turned her head, looking for The Spirit of the Mirror, but did not see him any longer.

She hadn’t made another wish yet, and wondered why he did this to her whole team when she never asked for it. All she wanted was Kelly Martin to pay for what she did to Jessica today, and in the past, not this horror scene. Jessica began to feel tears well in her eyes, because no one was moving, and she thought she was the only one alive now.

The sound of her heart pounded in her ears, and she knew she that it was up to her to climb out of the bus and get help from the road. She hadn’t known how much traffic there had been so she wasn’t sure how long it would take to find help for the team.

Trying not to look at the quiet bodies surrounding her, Jessica gingerly made her way to the front of the bus. The windshields were shattered, and luckily they hadn’t rolled into the river, but they were right on the edge of it.

She grimaced when shards of sharp glass tore at her jeans, and jacket when she climbed out of the front of the bus. She was a foot deep in water, and her shoes splashed around the edge. Her breathing, and heart rate quieted enough she could hear the river roaring just in front of her.

She grabbed the edge of the bus to keep her balance, and walked around to the bottom of it.

She looked around, and then saw something that made her stomach churn, but a smile then started to curve her lips.