Talisman (32 page)

We heard Charlotte’s voice trailing down the hallway.  “What’s taking
SO LONG?
” my mother barked.

I took a deep breath to compose myself and collect m
y racing thoughts.  “Just go, Katie.  I need to handle this…
myself
.
”

Katie hugged me and then raised my chi
n up with her hand.  “I’m going to throw a few things in your bag, okay?”

I nodded inadvertently as she dawdled out of the closet.

Quickly, I collected all the envelopes Charlotte had mischievously hidden and placed the evidence behind my back.  Now that the initial wave of anger had passed, I was reminded of the burning pain encircling my neck, which was becoming unbearable at an alarming rate.

Charlotte entered the bedroom in a huff and demanded, “What are you two doing in here?”  Katie breezed
past my mother, ignoring her question and not even acknowledging her with the slightest look.  Charlotte’s gaze followed Katie as she disappeared down the hall.

“What’s your
little helper’s
problem?” she fired out.

My neck may have been killing me, but the rest of my body was numb.  My emotions were raw, almost primal.  They could only be settled by one thing — an answer to my only question —
WHY?

“Wait a second!”  Charlotte ran over to her dresser.  She started pilfering through her fragrances.  Charlotte raised her head and
began sniffing the air around her.  “Is that
PERFUME
I smell?” she roared.

I walked slowly over to the dresser.  Not even my stilettos made a sound.

“You have a lot of
nerve
, Shiloh!  I only let you in here to get that damn purse to shut your little friend up, and then you take something that doesn’t belong to you when you invade my bedroom!  Those are
MY THINGS!
   My private, personal things!   You obviously don’t have a clue about what
privacy
is!”

The sheer irony of her words forced me out my trance.  I tossed the envelopes on the dresser, right b
eside her precious fragrances.

“
So
,” I began gruffly, “Do you want to be the
pot
or the
kettle?
”

Charlotte’s mouth flew open.  She knew I’d stumbled upon
Charlotte’s Web of Deceit
.  Like a coward, she turned and headed straightaway for an escape.  I never thought I would ever grab someone with the amount of force that I used on her, but I gave her arm a tight squeeze and yanked her back to where she was originally standing, in front of the evidence.

Any ounce of fear she may
have had a moment ago subsided.  She raised her head to reveal a conceited smirk as she jerked her arm from my grasp.

“
WHY?
”  I slammed my hand down on the dresser, rattling everything on it.  “Tell me
why
you did this?  You know how important college is to me!  Why would
‘a mother’
…
EVER
do something like this to
their daughter?  TO THEIR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD?”

Her smirk turned into a horri
ble scowl.  Charlotte leaned closer. Her face was now merely inches from mine.

“I want you to listen to me closely, because I won’t waste my breath saying it again,”
Charlotte announced in a cold, bitter voice.  “I did it because I
honestly
don’t wish or want one good thing for you.  I
never
have — and I
NEVER, EVER
WILL!”
  The words that came out of her mouth were so sharp and frigid that I stared blankly at her for a moment, trying to see if the bitch actually had icicles dripping from her teeth.  To drive her point home, she flicked the oval locket that lay atop my fiery skin.  Shrewdly, she stepped back to assess the emotional damage from her cruel and cutting words.

And there it was —
my answer
.  I think deep down inside I’d always known how she
really
felt.  Her heartless behavior over the years was evidence enough, but hearing her true sentiments roll off her wicked tongue just validated it and oddly, was helping to set my feelings free, almost like a magical spell had been broken.  As heartbroken as what someone would think I would’ve been at this moment, strangely, “emotional” pain was the last thing on my mind.  I found myself focusing on the excruciating pain burning my skin, rather than the gouging my heart had just received.  The gold chain felt like a circle of fire engulfing my neck.  I stepped back to catch my breath as I began to break out into a feverish sweat.  I grasped the mahogany dresser and found myself kneeling down to brace myself, trying to block out the agonizing pain.  A revelation surfaced.  Everything in my life that was causing me pain had to go!

I
grabbed my little oval locket and gave it a hard yank.  I felt a small cut on the back of my neck as its chain snapped.  The pain around my neck was starting to subside, but in an odd twist, my hand started to feel warm.  I rose up and threw my treasured locket down on top of the envelopes.  It represented the idea that my mother had some shred of love in her heart for me.  Now that I knew it was only a far-fetched fantasy my mind had concocted — there was no need to fuel the delusion anymore.

“
TAKE IT!
” I shouted.  “It means
NOTHING
TO ME!
  It’s just a broken promise of your love.  A constant reminder of broken promises and lies dangling from my neck like a noose!  But you know all about broken promises —
Don’t you, Charlotte?
  Or did the minister leave out
‘forsaking all others’
during your wedding vows?”

Charlotte eyes were blazing.  She started to spe
ak, but I quickly cut her off.

“
SHUT UP!
  You don’t get to say
anything
.  Not right now!  Just save it for my
‘special birthday dinner’
tomorrow night.”  I picked up all the manila envelopes and threw them in the air.  “Or better yet, you can spill it when we’re on our ‘trip’…
TOURING COLLEGES!
”

I gave my neck a quick rub
as I looked into the mirror above the dresser.  It felt amazingly better.  I was surprised there wasn’t even the hint of a rash, let alone any noticeable discoloration.  My skin felt great and most important, my mind felt clearer, especially after giving Charlotte an earful.  Now, I just had to work on my heart.

I pushed past her forcefully.  “Excuse me!” I called out.

Charlotte demanded, “Don’t you
dare
walk away from me!”

I swung around in the doorway.  “
I’m sorry
, but I’ve got a promise to keep.  We all know Mike can’t show up to the dance by himself.  Chloe
can’t
have that.”  I started to head down the hall,
however
the red-suited devil perched on my shoulder stopped me dead in my tracks and willingly routed me back to the bedroom.

“Oh,
and don’t worry, Charlotte. I’ll make sure Mike has…
a very good time
,” I vowed with a wink.

Charlotte’s
bottom lip dropped like a sack of wrenches. She charged towards me in a fit of rage, but unfortunately for her, I managed to slam the door shut and lock it before she could reach the threshold.  I jerked the tiny key out of the hole and hid it in a basket of magazines that sat under a nearby table.  I heard her cussing all the way down the hall.

I flew into the living ro
om and seized Mike’s arm.  “Let’s go,” I demanded as I pulled him towards the front door.

“Where’s Mom?” Chloe questioned.

I nodded my head towards the direction of the master bedroom.  Chloe charged back there like a flash of lightning.

Katie quickly caught up with us
outside and handed me the little black clutch.  “Here’s your purse.  I put a few things in it for you.  Are you
okay?
” she asked, stunned by my abrupt departure.

Samuel rushed over, looking even more bewildered. 
“What’s wrong, honey?  You seem upset.  What happened back there?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.  I have
to go!”
  I tried to make a dash for Mike’s Camaro, but Samuel stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“Did you and your mother get into a fight back there?” Samuel asked.  I turned my head to avoid any
damning eye contact.  “And where’s your little necklace that you love so much?” he continued to question.

Katie
looked at my neck.  “Yeah.  What hap—”

I interrupted both of their interrogations.  “I took it off,
OKAY?
” I snapped.  “It means
nothing
to me. 
Not anymore!
”

The sound of
Mike’s engine revving soon filled the awkward and silent lull floating around our huddle.  I looked at Samuel’s stunned expression and softened my tone.

“Katie will fill you in, Samuel.
  I’ll call you later, Katie.”

I
turned and staggered along the rocky gravel drive.  Mike had gotten back out of his car to open the passenger-door for me. I’d never seen him display this sort of gentleman-like decorum towards Chloe.  I shook my head and let out a laugh as I climbed into the shiny red muscle car.

Y
ou’ve got to be kiddin’!

I felt like a
caged tiger while I sat there, confined in the cramped interior of his car.  So many emotions were raging all at once, but “love” was certainly not one of them.  Charlotte had seen to that when she attempted to sabotage my plans for college.

I kicked the floorboard
and let out a grunt.
  No wonder I haven’t heard from any of the Universities I’ve sent applications.  They never left the damn house!

Mike opened his door and started to climb in the car.  Samuel detained Mike wi
th a simple tap on his shoulder and began “laying down the law” to “my date”.

“I don’t know what just happened in there, but I want to make something clear to you, young man.” Samuel instructed.  His voice was eerily thunderous and intimidating.  “You take care of Shiloh
…
Do you understand me?
”

Mike appeared skittish and very quiet.  Samuel’s “role” was starting to get on my nerves.  The only father I needed right now was my
real
one.  I looked through the driver-side window to see Samuel tormenting Mike with his most threatening stare.

“That’s enough, Samuel,” I called out.  “I’ll be
fine
.  I can take care of myself.  Get in the car, Mike!”  I slammed myself back against the soft black leather seat and impatiently stared straight ahead.

Mike slid inside,
looking a bit shaken.  Samuel tapped on the hood of the car and made his “I’m watching you” gesture, one last time.  For Mike to be such a young cocky jerk, he sure seemed rattled by a man well into his 50’s.

I snapped my fingers beside his head.
“Are you going to put this car in gear or
should I?
” I asked directly.

With a telling grin and a sly arch of his brow, Mike
took a hold of the gearshift and not a second later, we were bumping along the gravel drive.  I tilted my head towards the side-mirror to catch a glimpse of Katie and Samuel as we pulled onto the road.

I really shouldn’t have snapped at them like that.  After all,
“they” didn’t do anything
.  I stared aimlessly at the trees passing by as we zipped down the curvy road. 
Well, this evening has been “momentous” so far
…

As we hugged the road alongside Shiloh Ridge, an odd feeling came over me.  Maybe it was because of all the crazy things that
had happened over past few days (at the rate I was going, surely there would be more
“momentous”
things to come), or maybe it was because he was driving slower than I would’ve preferred along this creepy damn ridge!

“Speed up will you,” I demanded.  “I
um
, don’t want us to be
late
.”  With that, his sly grin stretched even wider as he punched the gas, and we shot down the mountain in record time.

Chapter  9  —  How About That Dance ?

My heart was still racing by the time
we’d reached the bottom of the mountain.  I tried to pass it off as Mike’s jerky high-speed drive, but I still found myself wound tighter than a banjo string, and I knew the real reason “why”.

Ugh!  I need to calm down
!
  But after considering who was sitting to my left — on top of every-
freaking
-thing else —
that
seemed like an unrealistic possibility!

The ride had been relatively quiet
so far (with the exception of Mike trying to pick a song).  I wasn’t the least bit interested in making any casual conversation with “my date” anyway.  I was content with quietly replaying the past few days over and over in my mind and brooding about how my simple “normal” life had taken a terrible turn for the worse…and it all started after having that godawful daggone dream!

I’d heard the thoughts of a strange man
in my head, as clear as a bell…I even doubted the blindness of a sweet old lady that I’d known for years who
just today
, had kept a gigantic rattlesnake from trying to have me for lunch…And that miraculous act paled in comparison to the falcon that had saved me from having my neck rung by an unimaginable cloud of evil black smoke the freakin’ day before…I’d swear Professor Tanner Grey was sort of stalking me…Apparently Charlotte had been screwing half of Welch behind my unsuspecting father’s back…My spoiled-brat-of-a-sister and witch-of-a-mother had conned me into going to the Homecoming dance with a jerk…And then to top it all off, I’d just found out that the bitch had purposely tried to wreck my college plans by sneaking out to the freaking mailbox and removing all of my applications before they were picked up by the daggone postman!

Who does that kind of crap to their
“own daughter”?  How did things get so DAMN SCREWY?

Mike waited for some cars to pass
before turning onto the highway.  I looked over at the mine.  It appeared to be abandoned, with the exception of my father’s navy blue truck sitting in the parking lot.  The little girl inside me needed her daddy, but he had absolutely no idea what had been going on with me.  I hadn’t divulged any of my problems to him because I figured he had enough on his own plate, what with the mine and his questionable job security.

I
tapped Mike’s arm and pointed to the mine.  “Daddy wants you to drop me off at the mine after the dance.  He’ll take me home.”

“I can take you home, Shiloh. 
It’s no trouble
.” Mike insisted, rather eagerly.  In fact, “eagerly enough” that I got a sneaky suspicion he may have
other reasons
for wanting to “take me home”.

Oh, pleazzze
, I thought as I propped my head up against the window.  “Daddy wants to see me all fixed up in the outfit he bought me.  You know…before I go home and take it off.”

Mike
appeared deep in thought as he sat there simply nodding, while a funny-looking grin curled the corners of his mouth.

Maybe I should have phrased that better?
 
I’d hate to read his mind and see what sick mental image he’s just conjured up in that perverted head of his
.

“Mike?  Did you hear me?” I
asked suspiciously.  He didn’t acknowledge my question.  I smacked his shoulder.  “
MIKE?
”

“Oh, yeah. 
Sure
,” Mike announced as he emerged from his daydream.  Unexpectedly, my delusional date threw the car into “park”.

“Why did you do that?” I
quizzed.

“I need to get something,
” Mike replied as he reached over, down towards the floorboard of my seat —
right between my legs
.  My hands flew up and blocked him before he could lean any further.

“What in the H
ell are you doing?” I demanded with a gruff glare.

“Sorry
…
Chill
,
okay?
” Mike laughed and threw his arms up in the air. “Could you reach under your seat for me? 
Please?
  There’s something under there I need.”

I rolled my eyes
as I felt underneath the seat.  They soon narrowed when my hands located the object.  I didn’t have to see it to know what it was.  I shook my head and pulled out the container.  I held up the ornate whisky flask and sneered.

“Really, Mike.
This
is what you ‘
need’?
”

“I brought it because I
wanted
to catch a little buzz, but I think you’re the one who
needs it
,” Mike replied confidently, “…to take the edge off of whatever just happened back there.”

I laughed.  “You think liquor
solves
problems?”

Mike looked genuinely concerned.  “
No
…But it’s been my experience that it sure can make you forget about them for a while.”

I had to admit his offer sounded very tempting, and I needed to relax.  Everyone and everything around me had
my nerves tied up in knots.

“Just take a sip or two. 
I promise
.  I won’t let you get hammered.  I’d hate for your Dad to kick my ass when I drop you off tonight.”

This was a si
de of Mike that I hadn’t seen before, but I remained skeptical. 
Is he trying to genuinely console me or does he just want to get me drunk?

“I
swear
,” Mike vowed and raised his hand like a Boy Scout.  “We’ll just have a few sips before the dance, and then I’ll leave it in the car.  Shiloh, my mom’s a chaperone.  I can’t show up drunk to the dance — especially with
her
there.  I may act like I don’t give a crap most of the time, but I’m not crazy.”

With that taken into account,
I found myself seriously starting to mull over the idea while I inspected the elaborate container.  The intriguing bottle wasn’t made of glass. It was actually an opulent bronze flask featuring a label that had been carved straight into its metal and hand-painted in various eye-catching colors.  It read:

Emerald
Eyes
Whiskey

Instead of a plastic lid, a striking bronze topper embedded with a sparkly green crystal lay at its top, sealing its contents.  It was really dazzling — too fancy to be just a cap for a bottle of whiskey and decorative enough to make a piece of jewelry out of it.

“Where did you get this?” I asked curiously.

Mike had a sneaky grin on his face.  “Actually, one of the guys from Xcavare dropped it by the house today, as a gift for my father.  He wasn’t home, so the guy left it with me.”

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

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

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

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

Now normally I would
never
submit to peer pressure.  However, as bad as what things had gotten over the past few days, I rationalized there was honestly no way they could possibly get any worse if I happened to catch a buzz.

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

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

Mike’s cell phone rang.  He started talking to someone
in a very hushed manner.  It was obviously Kara. 
Poor Tyler
, I thought as I took another swig. 
He deserves better than that little slut
.

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

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

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

As soon as I handed him the flask, he threw it up to his mouth.  I flinched and waited for his
predictable
response.

“Son-of-a-
BITCH!
” Mike cried out within seconds and swiftly looked over at me. “You drank the WHOLE
FREAKIN’
THING!”  Truthfully, he looked more shocked than angry.

I was appalled after hearing Mike’s confirmation.  “
Well…
”

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

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

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

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

“Mike, are you sure there was even alcohol in it?” I asked doubtfully.

Mike tossed the empty flask under his seat and hopped out the car.  “I wouldn’t know, Shiloh. 
I didn’t get to taste it!
”  He walked around to my side and opened the door.  “Come on.  I’ll have to baby-sit you for the evening.”

A blast of cold air hit me when I took Mike’s hand
as he helped me out of the car.  I’d left in such a hurry that I forgot to grab a coat.  I shivered as I looked up at the dark, starless sky.  To my sheer surprise, a flake of snow drifted down and landed on my shoulder.  It was the first snow of the season.  The first snow was always the most exciting, like getting a visit from a long, lost relative.  However, a few weeks of steady “visiting” left you wishing that they would go away — and not return for another year.

“I didn’t know it was
suppose to snow tonight,” I said aloud, still amazed.  I held my hands out to catch a few more falling snowflakes.  It was really starting to come down.

Mike seemed puzzled as he looked up at the sky and then all around.  He took
a hold of my hands and looked straight into my eyes.

“Shiloh
…
it’s not
.  It’s not snowing.  What are you talking about?” Mike quizzed skeptically.

I
jerked my hands away and looked at him like he was crazy.  “The snow that’s coming down,” I replied as I pointed up to the puffy grey clouds.  My joyful expression hardened.  Suddenly, I realized there weren’t any puffy clouds and not a speck of snow to be found.

Where did it go?
  I wondered as I desperately searched all around for the glistening white flakes.  Strangely, they weren’t there anymore.  The only thing I saw was Mike, who looked worried.