She Smells the Dead (11 page)

“No, we did not share a tent,” I answered, “though we did kiss a few times.”

“Yuki, what were you thinking? You should have shared a tent with Calvin. This was your big chance to bring out his protective side. You two could have cuddled together while he protected you from the scary monsters outside the tent,” Emma insisted.

Protect me from scary monsters
outside
the tent? She really had no idea.

“Maybe next time,” I said noncommittally while shrugging my shoulders. “It’s not like the only time we’ll ever go to Wo… Woods Camp,” I stuttered.
Crap
. That was close. I was going to have to be more careful around Emma. I nearly let the wolf out of the bag.

“Well, are you guys going to try that séance thing again?” Emma asked, “I could come over after school today.” She looked hopeful but I quickly dashed the idea.

“Sorry, I’m still having those headaches,” I answered lamely, “and I promised Cal I wouldn’t try the Ouija board again until I was at full strength.”

“Oh hon, I didn’t know you were still having those,” Emma said, “I have a really good recipe for headache ease tea.” Emma grabbed her books from her locker, looking thoughtful. “It tastes horrible,” she admitted, “but it really works. I’ll bring some over after dinner tonight.”

Right then the last bell rang and we started to head towards the parking lot exit.

“Promise to drink it if I brew some up?” Emma asked.

“O.k. but it better not taste like that Echinacea tincture you made me try last month,” I said with a shudder, “that stuff was pure evil.”

At the time, Emma had told me to drink the Echinacea tincture to avoid coming down with an end of the summer cold.
I’d rather get sick
.

“You’re right. That one left me feeling like I had fur on my tongue,” Emma admitted. “Which would be a shame if you and Calvin were kissing.” She said the last with a wink and headed to her car.

I was so not looking forward to drinking her tea. I was beginning to rethink sharing our wolf secret with Emma. I felt bad keeping something from my best friend. Calvin was having trouble keeping the truth from Emma as well. Neither one of us was good at telling lies. It would be easier if we didn’t have to sneak around behind her back.
Plus, then I wouldn’t have to drink her tea
.

Chapter 33

At the end of the school week, Calvin and I drove to his dad’s workshop where we had planned to meet Simon. Calvin had been working with Simon every day after school, but I hadn’t seen Simon since Wolf Camp. I was nervous about seeing him again. There was something about Simon that made me uncomfortable. He was just so wild around the edges. I had witnessed some wolfish behavior around some of the others at camp, but with Simon I always felt like his wolf spirit was waiting just below the surface. More than once I glanced at Simon from the corner of my eye and could have sworn I saw a huge silver wolf over his shoulder. When I would try to look directly at it, the wolf would disappear. I never knew for sure if it was just my imagination, but it made me feel like someone else was in the room with us, watching me. It kind of gave me the creeps.

I drew strength from Calvin, and holding hands, we entered the cabin. It hadn’t changed much since I had last visited. Simon obviously didn’t have plans on staying here once our training was finished.
Fine by me
.

Simon, not getting up, waved us to sit. “Ah, my favorite spirit touched girl,” Simon said with a flourish, “come to bring the light into the darkness of my day.”

He was trying to be charming, but Simon’s words struck too close to what I had been told about my duty to help lost souls find light in the darkness. I immediately thought of Jackson’s ghost no doubt hovering nearby
. I will help you find the river of light Jackson
.
I promise
.

“Can I offer you the last bite?” Simon asked.

I looked down to realize he had been eating when we arrived. Exactly
what
he was eating I didn’t want to know. Whatever he was eating, it was bloody and therefore very, very disgusting. Simon knew I was a vegetarian, so I had to wonder if this was just another one of his tests. He seemed to enjoy making me uncomfortable.

“Which one of you is eating that anyway, you or your wolf?” I asked.

I hadn’t meant to sound so bold and I realized belatedly that it was actually a pretty rude thing to ask. Simon didn’t look bothered by the question.
He was probably expecting it and I walked right into his trap
. I was beginning to get a headache. Verbal sparring with Simon always seemed to give me a headache. I might have to drink Emma’s headache ease tea again.
No, not that
.
Anything but that
.

Eating that last bite of meat, Simon licked his bloody lips. He hesitated at the edge of his mouth where the corner of his lip was bisected by his scar. Then he slowly licked the shiny skin and smiled at me. The act was both sensual and disgusting. Leave it to Simon to find another reason for me to never eat meat. I felt my stomach churn and hoped I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being sick.
Deep breaths Yuki
.

Setting his dish aside, Simon rested his elbows on the table and became very still, as though he was paying attention to something that only he could hear.

“Calvin’s wolf spirit says that you are most open in your dreams, but he hasn’t been able to contact you in the waking world,” Simon said.

I nodded wondering what else Cal’s wolf spirit was telling him.

“He also says that in time he will become your shield and Calvin will be the sword that you wield against the darkness,” Simon said. “Together, you will be the flame to lead the lost souls to the light. But first you must listen to your teacher.” I wondered if Simon added that last bit himself.

“What do I need to do?” I asked. I hadn’t pictured myself as a warrior before, but the image was definitely cool.
Scary but cool
.

“First you must become one with the land. You must learn to reach out and feel the earth and nurture its children,” Simon said grandly.

That sounded very cool.

“Your first lesson begins with these,” Simon said, and handed me a packet of seeds.

I looked back at him blankly. “Seeds?” I managed to ask. I was totally confused.

“Come this way,” Simon said, standing and walking to the door.

Calvin and I followed him outside behind the cabin. I looked over at Cal, but he looked just as confused as I did.
What was I getting myself into
?

Chapter 34

“Here is your first task,” Simon said, “to work the land and nurture the life of the seeds in your hand.” Simon waved his hand over a brown patch of dirt behind the cabin.

He wanted me to plant a garden?
He had to be kidding
.

Grabbing a trowel from a bucket full of gardening tools, Cal stepped forward. “I’ll help you Yuki,” he said.

“No Calvin, you will not,” said Simon looking deadly serious. “This is part of Yuki’s training and so for today she will work the land by herself.”

I still had no idea what he was trying to do. “Uh, Simon could you maybe clarify what I’m supposed to be doing here?” I asked.

Simon met my eyes and it was all I could do not to flinch.

“You are going to till this soil and plant those seeds with your bare hands,” Simon ordered.

My bare hands
? This just keeps getting worse.

“While you do this, you are going to reach out and listen to the land and if you are lucky the land will tell you her secrets,” Simon said. “Learn to listen to the land and you will be one step closer to listening to Calvin’s wolf spirit,” Simon added, “and to hearing the call of your spirit guide.”

My spirit guide
?

“Do you mean my spirit animal?” I asked. I was really confused now.

“Your animal totem will be your guide,” Simon said, “listen to her wisdom if you wish to survive Samhain, when the dead walk the earth.”

I shivered. So I was going to get dirty and hope my spirit animal would send me some kind of sign? I wasn’t feeling very confident about Samhain. I looked to Calvin but he just shrugged.

“Sorry Yuki, I’ll be back at the main house if you need a ride home later,” Cal said.

I faced the patch of dirt, and kneeling down, I began to dig. “I think I’d rather drink a gallon of Emma’s tea than do this,” I grumbled.

Simon tipped his head back and let forth a belly laugh. I had forgotten about his heightened wolf hearing.
I’m beginning to hate you old man
.

Chapter 35

Cal was as good as his word and drove me home that evening. I was sweaty and covered with dirt, so we skipped our usual cuddle time in the truck. After a shower, and what felt like hours of scrubbing my hands with a nail brush and soap, I threw myself on my bed and groaned. Muscles ached that I didn’t even know I had before today. I wasn’t sure what today’s assignment had to do with communicating with my spirit animal, but I was determined not to let Simon win. If this was another one of his tests, then I would just go along with it for now. I sank blissfully into the covers and drifted off to sleep.

I was on a sun baked plain of dry grasses and dusty soil.
Was I dreaming again
? I looked for Calvin’s wolf spirit, turning is a complete circle, but he was nowhere to be seen. The ground suddenly shook and I fell to my knees. As my hands touched the dry dirt, I suddenly felt
connected
to something, or someone, almost as though they were calling out to me. A large shiny carapace then appeared, rising up from a hole in the earth. A huge scarab stood before me moving its arms in a strange motion while spinning something between what I guessed were its hands.

“I am busy little one,” the scarab’s voice echoed in my head. “Why have you called upon me?”

Had I somehow called my spirit animal by working with the soil in Simon’s garden?

“Uh, sorry about that,” I said. “I’m not sure how this works yet.”

“Yes little one, you are still young,” the scarab said, “and have yet to learn the way to walk the world of dreams and darkness. Call for me again when you have learned the way of such things.”

The whole time the scarab was speaking its hands never ceased their strange movement and a sphere was growing between them.

“Wait, I think I need your help now,” I said. “I don’t know how to call on the wolf spirit who is supposed to shield me and I’ve been told that in a month I’ll be attacked by spirits of the dead.”

The scarab turned its head to the side. Was it looking at me? It was hard to tell.

“It is true that the spirits of the dead plague those like you once their power has awakened,” the scarab’s words echoed. “If the night the dead walk your world is nearing, then head my words. Drum a beat to gain your wolf’s attention. Focus your thoughts on what you require of him and continue to lead him with your drumming. If the situation is urgent, then drum the beat with your feet as you dance. Lead your wolf to your side, then become the flickering flame that leads the spirits of the dead out of darkness.”

The sphere that the scarab had been spinning was now larger than her. I realized suddenly that it was a huge ball of manure. She then bowed to me and turned facing the horizon. The sun had begun to set as we had talked and she started rolling her ball of manure towards the setting sun, her silhouette black against a rose colored sky.
A dung beetle sunset
. I never imaged that such a thing could be so beautiful.

Chapter 36

After two weekends of training with Simon, three if you count the first weekend at Wolf Camp, he decided that I was ready to attempt communicating with Jackson Green. I had never forgotten about Jackson, his vinegar smell was hard to ignore, but I had promised Cal that I wouldn’t reach out to Jackson’s ghost until Cal and I were both ready.

Calvin was making progress speaking with his wolf spirit. They didn’t really speak yet in words, but they could pass feelings along to one another and occasionally Calvin could focus his intention to make a request.

I was learning how to focus on the location of spirits of the dead, so that I could pinpoint Jackson’s location rather than a vague smell impression. I had also learned to reach out to Calvin’s wolf spirit. This was really difficult and it didn’t help that my concentration was shattered around Cal. It was hard for me to block out Calvin’s face, voice, and smell and focus on touching his wolf spirit.

It was also difficult for me to get over my shyness about dancing in front of other people, especially Cal. I would have been fine on a dance floor filled with other dancers, or heck if there had at least been music to dance to. When calling spirit, however, I had learned that I had to provide the beat. I would be calling Calvin’s wolf spirit to me and though slapping my hands together would occasionally catch its attention, we had discovered through trial and error that dancing was the most reliable method. My spirit animal had been right. Dancing created a much stronger link to Cal’s wolf spirit.
I would just have to learn to get over the embarrassment
.

Calvin and I had finally made progress though and Simon said that we needed to practice against a potential threat. He didn’t need to remind us that we had to be ready to face multiple threats very, very soon. Samhain was only a month away. That was something never far from our minds.

I remembered Emma being with us the first time we tried my Ouija board way of communicating with Jackson’s ghost. I felt a twinge of regret that she couldn’t be with us now. I hoped that we could confide in Emma some time soon. Until then it was just me and Cal…and Simon. Simon was here to watch, though Calvin assured me that if something started to go wrong Simon could provide emergency backup. I was going to be dealing with only one lost soul, so I wasn’t worried about whether Simon
could
provide assistance but whether or not he
would
. He had some strange ideas about how to define a learning experience. Hopefully he wouldn’t think that letting part of my own spirit essence slip away into the light was just an acceptable way to learn a lesson.