The Light Tamer (15 page)

“I’m Jeremiah, everyone here knows me as Jer. Well, earlier this summer, my dog was hit by a car. It wasn’t horrible, but it did break his leg. The bone was sticking out and I don’t know why I did it, but I put my hands over him and I felt power reaching out to him. My eyes were closed at first, the blood and all was making me a little sick. I open them and can see light glowing from my hand. I thought my eyes were seeing things, but it was real. Before we arrived at the animal hospital he was completely healed. I couldn’t explain it then and I’m not certain that I can now. You’re saying we can heal with our hands?” He asks.

I watch as he flips his brown hair to the side so he can see. “Yeah, like that. We’re all healers of some sort. Our destiny has been set, now we grow from it. We can’t grow if the creator of the
Dark Ones
is out there. “Some of us are destined to be doctors, psychologists, social workers, healers of some sort. Jer, after you healed your dog, what happened? I mean like, did it make you want to grow up and be a veterinarian?”

He blushed for a nano-second. “Yeah, I guess it did. I’ve healed a couple of the pets in the neighborhood.”

Everyone whispered to each other, but they all agreed they too felt the pull to healing. “I know Caleb apprised you to the
Dark Ones
, I’m going to tell you how to charge yourself up. Before freaking out, it’s painless. Mr. Gabe and Ms. Gayle are passing out flashlights for everyone. We’ve already added the batteries and they are good to go. The flashlights have an L.E.D. bulb in them.
Dark Ones
can’t steal that type of light.” Murmurs from the teachers and a couple of the older kids could be heard. “You need to keep one on you at all times. Caleb and I are bound together. When I was young, I’d come here to visit Ms. Gayle. We’d go to the beach with Caleb and his mom. One time, I was pulled under by the current. I was scared like nobody’s business. Caleb pulled me out and revived me. When you have a life changing event, it will bind you to another. I didn’t understand why he wanted to be near me all the time. I mean seriously, we were kids and he wanted to touch me constantly.” I look over at Caleb and he smiles at me, giving me a quick head nod. “When he lost his protection of his mother last summer, his body started to mourn the loss of his mom and me because they didn’t know where I was. As Fate would have it, we were brought back together a few weeks ago. I can’t begin to explain what it’s like. To me, it’s like two puzzle pieces brought together in a perfect fit. He is like oxygen to my lungs.”

“Like the feeling of being home,” Caleb says out loud.

“It’s like the feeling you get when you step into a hot-tub and you feel the warm water enveloping your skin,” a girl in the back of the room says. She turns to the guy that’s with her and she elbows him and I see her mouth
well it is
. He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

Good, that means we aren’t the only two of the bound at school. “What’s your name?”

“Jasmine and this is Clark, we’re both seniors this year,” Jasmine says. She looks Hispanic with her beautifully tanned skin. I didn’t hear a hint of an accent in her voice, like a girl I knew in New York named Jasmine, she had attitude.

“Nice to meet you Jasmine,” I say. Caleb gives them a head nod. I didn’t peg him as a guy that did the bad boy head nod, hmmm. I watch as she scoots her chair a little closer to him and leans into his body as he puts his arm around her. I know that feeling…comfort. “Okay, our first test is going to be simple.” Mr. Gabe wheels in a board with light bulbs all over it. It resembled one of those pegboards at a fair with balloons that you throw a dart at. Caleb flips the switch he has in his hand and the board lights up, practically blinding us all. Sighs and moans of comfort ring out in the room. Everyone seemed to appreciate the light. Caleb turned it off. I look over at Amber to see if she is basking in the light and notice she isn’t smiling.
What’s wrong with Amber?

“She’s pouting because I wouldn’t let her flip the switch,” Caleb whispers in my ear.

“Yeah, I see that,” I murmur. “Hey everyone, what did it feel like?”

A heavy set guy raises his hand. “I felt alive, especially with so many people here. It was like our energy multiplied,” he said. Grandma and I look around as we hear the rumble of murmurs throughout the room.

A girl in a floral sundress and flip flops jumped up and said that it made her feel happy.

Grandma crosses the room and eyes the group slowly. “Can I get everyone’s attention please? I know that everything sounds fun and exciting, but I need you to pay attention to what I’m about to tell you.” She reaches in her pocket and pulls out one of the flashlights. “This little thing here will be a necessity for you to carry with you at all times. So, if I’m in the Wal-Marts and I see you and ask for your flashlight, you’ll pull it out of your pocket and show me. I’m sure we still have doubters in the room. If you’re one of those, raise your hand now.” We all look around the room and notice one hand go up. The girl is dressed in a pair of red shorts and a white spaghetti strapped top. The Freckle fairy had speckled freckles all over her face and shoulders.

She looks innocent enough,
I think.

She straightens out her shorts as she stands up. “Are you all listening to yourselves? Seriously, this guy tells us about the light flingers and everyone is automatically cool with it? Give me a damn break,” she fumes and crosses her chunky arms over her chest. “For all you know, they drugged us and are about to sell us on the black market as sex slaves. Get over it,” she says to the room.

“Annie, that is your name right? Good for you for figuring us all out. Since you feel that way, why were you the first one to dance in the light? You can’t figure it out can you? Sit down and listen to what Ms. Gayle has to say,” Gabe says.

Oh look at him being all manly up there. I guess that’s where Caleb gets it from. Swooning
. I look up to see Caleb grinning at me.
Crap
.

Grandma grins knowingly at me before continuing on. “Annie, I’m over it, are you? We had an electrician here for most of the afternoon to wire us up for the next demonstration. We’re going to go into the back yard. I’d like Clark and Jasmine to be the head of group one, which is the girls. Group two will be headed up by Amber.
Good thing she’s putting Amber with the guys, she might hurt a girl.
Split up and head to the back yard. We’ll be out there in a couple of minutes. Right as she says that, the doorbell chimes start going off.

Are we missing anyone
? Caleb looks at me and shakes his head back and forth. Gabe opens the door and we hear murmured whispers. His dad is usually overly nice but I get a vibe of irritation. Caleb leans in to me and whispers that he’ll be right back.

Two months ago I was sitting in my Computer Science class and talking with Jersey when she told me about the time her and Jimmy Johnson made out. I actually remember being literally jealous of not kissing the kissing slut of the school. I wonder what Caleb would think if I upload the picture of us horseback riding as my profile pic on Facebook. I bet Jersey would drool all over her keyboard if she saw a picture of Caleb. What in the world is going on to take them so long?

Caleb crosses the room staring intently at me.
Are
you mad at me? You look mad
.

“No, of course I’m not mad at you, c’mere” he says. The next thing I know he is kissing me. The taste of Dr. Pepper lingering on his tongue, and then I realize what he is doing.

A drunk Otto is on the porch telling Gabe that he is in love with Amber and needs to know where she is. Caleb tries to explain to him that they are having a family gathering and it isn’t the right time.
Light Tamers
are essentially family now right? They argue for a couple of minutes until another guy walks up. He isn’t a SLIder, he does go to our school though. Caleb mentally prays that he doesn’t recognize any of the cars up and down the street. He locks eyes with the guy and tries to force his thoughts to him. Pleading with his eyes to take Otto and leave. Oddly, that is exactly what he decided to do. Otto badgered Caleb until he realizes it wasn’t getting him anywhere. Finally, they decide to leave. His dad checked to make sure the guy hadn’t been drinking before shooing them away. They watched as the Dodge Charger drove past the house and they heard the faint noise of his car driving away.

Caleb pulls away and his tingle still rested on my lip.
Hell! What are we going to do
?

“We only have a week and a half left, so we have to hope this all goes to plan. I’ll get things started outside, you take Amber and fill her in,” Caleb said and gave me a quick pop on the butt.

Just wait, one day when you least expect it…you’ll get your butt smacked by me
.

“I’ll be anxiously waiting,” he says with a grin.

Ugh, I’m so damn mentally clumsy, I can’t even think tough.

“Nope, you aren’t tough.”

I ran outside to grab Amber, telling Jasmine to take her place. We sit in the bathroom so I can tell her about Otto. As I tell her the story, she flips out. Her arms start flailing around and her voice got louder and louder as she talked. Talk, probably isn’t the word I’d use.

“That dumb-ass. Who does he think he is, coming to Caleb’s house when it is obvious they have company? I am ready for this to be over. The nerve of him,” Amber fussed.

“I wanted you to know, but we have to get back outside. Don’t stress, I’m here for you. Come on.”

“Stressed, who me? Whatever, I’m cool,” she says and brushes off her shoulders.

A teacher by the name of Melissa Murdock went out to her car and brought back a pet crate of some sort. She was a large woman, yet she moved with grace and authority. She’s dressed in a trendy maxi dress with a matching wrap in her hair. She looks high maintenance as my dad would say. She fumbles with the cage door and finally she pulls out a little black Pomeranian. From the girl side of the room an echo of ahhhs and ooos were heard. She set the little dog on the ground and for a moment he looks okay, until she calls for him to come to her. He takes his front legs and uses all of his strength to drag himself across the grass to his owner.

“He had an allergic reaction to his vaccine and his rear legs haven’t worked in almost a year.” Her words came across with a small hilt to her voice.

Oh, he’s so cute. One day Caleb and I are going to get a little dog. Oh poo I thought that around him.

“Jessie, I want you to come over here,” Grandma says. I take a deep breath and stand in front of everyone
. I’m a New Yorker with a funny accent and the ability to turn off street lights. They are going to think I’m dumb. I bet the hater girl is already thinking up jokes to say about my boobs. They probably wonder what Caleb sees in me. Shut up brain! Stop the commentary
! “Caleb, turn on the lights. Jessie, I want you to sit on the ground with the dog. Put your hands on him and feel the power of the light flow through you.”

I sit down in front of the little dog. His hair is all fluffed up and his big brown eyes are staring me down. He gave me a little warning bark as I reach over to pet him. Mrs. Murdock whispered to him that he’s fine and he’ll get a cookie in just a minute. I close my eyes concentrate on the dog. The lights were sending ripples of energy all around me. Not only in me, but around me. I could smell the energy. I lean forward over him and whisper over and over
it’s okay, you’re going to be okay
. A promise is only a promise, until you bring it to fruition. I gently massaged his neck and ran my hands over his spine. In a moment of true and honest oneness with the world, light shot from my hand into the dog. I fall over onto my back. I didn’t black out, but I can’t stand up either. As I mentally count, I feel the weight of the little dog move and heard the crowd gasp. He stood on my chest, no small feat and licked my face energetically. I wrap my arms around him and sit back up. Mrs. Murdock tosses a little ball across the yard and the petite dog chased it as if nothing had ever happened. His owner was sobbing and saying how she had tried so many times to heal him and it didn’t work.

I stand up on shaky legs.
Caleb, I don’t feel so well. I need you. Come hold my hand please. I feel like I’m about to faint.

“Dad, will you flip the switch. She needs to energize, hurry!” Caleb yelled out to his dad.

Caleb wraps his arms around me from behind. I feel the curve of my butt touching his thighs. His chin rests on my shoulder and he whispers sweet things to me. It takes all of my self-control to not pull him across the yard and make out with him in the moon flowers. The rush of blood to my cheeks and brain literally make me swoon.
You’re going to pay for this
.

“I can’t wait,” he whispers back. “Have I told you how irresistible you are in that top? Your endowment is very much appreciated.”

I take a deep breath and feel my breast heave up.

“Yeah, see when you do things like that…it kinda makes me a boob guy. Just sayin,” he says and shrugs his shoulders.

I take my foot and stomp on his toes with my heel.

“You don’t want me to like your…girls?”

“Girls, seriously? You didn’t just go there,” I say, a little louder than I intended.