The Shade Riders and the Dreadful Ghosts (10 page)

“That can’t be true,” Takeesha said when she
was done, then rolled under the blankets and didn’t say another
word. Nova had a gut feeling she shouldn’t have told her but did
she listen? No. Nova pulled the covers up over herself and lay with
her back to her friend. After a minute, she realized that Takeesha
didn’t sound doubtful. She sounded a little… jealous. But if she
was, What could Nova do about it? First it was Shade, then the farm
she was lucky enough to live on – they’d been jumped ahead on the
waiting list, most likely because Nova’s mom was a vet. Now it was
a clash woman who wanted to be Nova’s friend and give her cool
stuff. But even if she couldn’t do anything about it, Nova worried
about the beating her friendship with Takeesha was taking. Nova
rolled over, heaved a huge sigh, and fell into a fitful sleep.

"I'm a true sorceress, Nova. My name is
Leandra Contrast. I can go back and forth between the Lower
Echelons and the Upper Echelons and the nine segmented ports, using
the rainbow portal. The Idealites, who are Neanderthals, live
here.” Leandra pointed to three burly, lank-haired men that stood
quietly behind her. “They’ve always existed using the true magic.
It's up to you to fight for the Lower Echelon people as their
representative. A special heroine has to come forth and defeat the
greedy Idealites."

"Nooo!"

Nova threw the blankets aside and sat up. She
was breathing fast and dripping sweat, which rolled down her back
and chest. How could she be a heroine? She was only eleven, for
chaos’s sake.

Nova lay awake, waiting for her heart to slow
down and listening for Takeesha's snoring. Good, she didn't wake
her up.

It was still dark outside the window. Nova's
new watch said 6:10 am.

The watch. Did it have anything with the
incredibly vivid dream she’d just had? Should she get rid of the
watch? Maybe Leandra wouldn’t bother her anymore.

Nova switched on her bedside light, grabbed a
library book about mythology and tried to open it, but it was stuck
again. One or two pages ripped when she tried again, then she
decided not to force it. She was about to throw the book across the
room-- when Nova remembered it was a library book. Now she had to
lug these books back to school without getting anything worthwhile
from them. Wasn’t that the story of her life?

“Oh, morning,” Takeesha said rubbing her eyes
and sitting up.

"Girls,” her mother called from the kitchen.
“Scott. Breakfast."

Nova’s mom made French toast and offered
orange juice to everyone. As they ate, Mom announced she needed
everyone's help moving Chocolate and Shade into the far
pasture.

Mom told them her plan as she dug around in
the bottom of the closet, every once in a while sticking her head
out to talk. She finally found two pairs of leather gloves, which
she handed to Scott and Nova.

As they paraded to the barn, all Nova could
think about was Chocolate trying to bite her the last time she’d
messed with Shade. Mom easily slid Chocolate’s door open and gave
her some grain at the outset without getting bitten. Nova and
Takeesha turned to each other and smiled.

“Wow, Mom, how do you always manage to do
that?” Nova asked.

Grinning, Mom closed the door so the horse
could munch for a while. She grabbed Blue Belle’s collar. “Scott,
here, take her and tie her up, so she doesn’t get hurt.”

Scott grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled.
Belle struggled into the other part of the barn dragging her back
feet.

Scott came back.

“Remember,” her mother said, “Chocolate will
try to escape with her filly, and catching her would be almost
impossible. She will try to get to the far pasture with the other
horses anyway she can, even if she hurts herself and the baby by
wrapping herself up in barbed wire. The grain is there to keep her
head near the front of the stall, near the door.”

Then quick as a whip Mom opened the stall
door and clipped on two lead ropes to Chocolate's halter. Not
expecting such speed, Chocolate looked at Nova, confused at what
Mom had done. Nova and Takeesha laughed. Mom wiped grain and saliva
off her arms using a quick swipe of her hands.

The lead ropes dangled onto the straw covered
floor outside the stall. Scott held the door closed as far as
possible. Meanwhile, Shade stood next to her mother's flank.
Chocolate was eating fast and exhaling angrily blowing grain dust
out of the bucket that hung on the wall next to the door.

Mom slid the door open and disappeared into
the stall again. Nova held her breath. Mom put her right arm
through the nose pinch until it rested on her elbow. The vet
grabbed Chocolate's upper lip with her right hand and held on
tight. Nova saw the Dam’s ears go way back. She tossed her head up
and tried to bite Mom. Then she put her head way down to break
Mom's grip. But the vet was in control as long as she held
Chocolate’s sensitive nose. Mom slipped the nose pinch down her arm
and over her hand onto the horse’s nose. She pinched Chocolate’s
nose and twisted the rope tight around the long handle.

The mare reared up and kicked out her front
legs. Mom moved to the side of the horse.

“Are you sure that won’t hurt her Mom?” Nova
asked.

“The clamp won’t inflict any damage to her
nose. And it only hurts her if she fights it. That’s what it’s
for.” Mom pulled Chocolate out, and Shade followed behind acting
shy and scared. Wearing their gloves, Scott and Nova stood on
either side of Chocolate holding the lead ropes.

“Let’s go.” Mom led the way. They tromped out
a door on the side of the barn and down a thirty-yard rectangular
concrete slab. They traveled down a cement ramp to a sixty-by-sixty
yard slab of cement that ran in front of and under the dog
runs.

"Mom, what color would you say Shade is?”
Nova said. “Is she a dark gray? or a light black? I can’t tell.
She’s, like maybe, a chocolate color? Which is so clash."

"She’s liver... huh...chestnut with flaxen
mane and tail. Nova, grab more lead rope, yes that's good. If you
look at her face, she has a dish like a good Arabian horse should
have."

Nova could see when she looked at Shade’s
head from the side, her face was a little bit concaved like a
shallow dish. The nose wasn’t straight like on a quarter horse. She
was going to have to get used to seeing that.

“Nova, she’s going to…” said Scott with a
grunt as the horse tried to rear. “Pull down, Nova!”

The group left the cement slab and struggled
toward the driveway, where the tractor trail to the gate
started.

“Are you pulling down?” Nova said as she
pulled down with all her strength. If she wasn’t careful, the horse
might fall over on her. Takeesha grabbed some lead rope to help
Nova.

“Watch your feet, Takeesha,” Nova said,
“She’ll stomp on them if you give her a chance.”

Chocolate's head reared back, and her mother
lost her hold of the nose pinch though it remained attached to
Chocolate's nose. The horse shook her head, but the pinch stayed
on. Scott and Nova were still pulling the horse down as hard as
they could. In a few moments, Chocolate came back down on her own.
She looked tired. Mom took hold of the nose pinch again. She
squeezed it shut, regaining control. As soon as they started
walking toward the gate once more, Nova asked, "Is Shade going to
be unlucky Mom?" They left the driveway and started down the
tractor path to the gate.

"Nova, don't believe everything you see, hear
or read.”

"Why not?"

"I thought you wanted to be a leader."

“I do.

"Well then, you need to use your brain and
reason to think for yourself."

They were at the gate. Scott and Nova took
off the lead ropes first. Mom released Chocolate's nose and quickly
got on the safe side of the gate. As horse and filly galloped to
the back pasture, causing a huge dust cloud, Chocolate screamed for
the other horses repeatedly as though she lost them.

The thermometer read
seventy-nine degrees when Nova arrived at the bike rack for the
first day of finals at the Bardsville Jr. High School. Sweat ran
down her back as she swung a leg over her bike. She locked the bike
up and strolled inside. Students knocked on the decorative wood
strip, which ran along the wall outside each classroom for good
luck. Nova heard moaning and chains rattling down the hallway, but
saw no ghosts yet.

She dropped off the three library books and
searched for her friends. Brenda and Amanda were watching Nova and
whispered, giggling behind their hands. Nova was still trying to
imagine what they might be planning when she saw ghosts floating
down the hallway right toward her. She felt her hackles rise up,
and a feeling of deep despair overwhelm her. A cold shivering
replaced the heat from her body. She had to get out of there. Nova
turned the opposite direction, loped down a different hall and
caught up to Takeesha at the water fountain.

"Oh, that's nasty!" Takeesha spit out the
rusty water into the sink basin. "It actually tastes like blood
now.”

"Oh, it better not. I’m thirsty. Nova bent
down to take a sip. It was as bad as Takeesha said. “Pawh," Nova
spit into the basin too.

"Uh huh, I told you."

"Walk with me, Takeesha. The haunting better
not get any worse. I need to ace finals." Nova and Takeesha jogged
outside to get the water bottle on Nova’s bike. A drop of rain
splashed against Nova’s face then a drop ran down her cheek then
another and another. It felt good. She bent down, grabbed the
bottle, squirted some warm water in her mouth, and offered it to
Takeesha, who rinsed her mouth, spit, then squirted some more then
swallowed.

"Yeah, I need to get good grades too. You
know what I mean?"

Nova nodded. “Let’s go to English.”

Nova opened the doors of the school building
and stuck her head in to see if there were any ghosts. Her friend
was behind her and grabbed her arm as she waited for an “‘all
clear.’”

“Looks clear. No one is in the hall.”

They ran to class and sat down in the rickety
desks. It was still early, but Brenda and Amanda were at their
desks already too. Brenda had too much ink on her notebook as she
scribbled and scribbled. Nova wondered what horrible thing she was
writing—probably a curse or something against her.

“Hello, Nova no brains.” Brenda turned around
in her desk and grinned at Amanda sitting at the desk behind
Nova.

“Why do you have to be so ugly and stupid?
You really shouldn’t have any friends.”

Nova noticed Amanda whispering to Takeesha
and appraising her jewelry. Takeesha seemed to be melting as Amanda
complimented her on her necklaces and rings. Oh no. Was she going
to lose another friend to Brenda’s side?

“What are you looking over there for?” Brenda
said. “She’s not your best friend anymore. I’m going to make her
mine. She’s going to be my grunt, and what I says goes.”

Ms. Chilldress entered the room just as the
bell rang. She wrote the word “TEST” on the marker board. She
turned around and bent over her desk to pick up the test
papers.

Ms. Chilldress straightened and lifted her
chin to project her voice. "Thank you to the five of you who are
interested in the science fair. I wish more of you were
inspired."

In the back of the classroom, someone yelled,
"Losers!" Ms. Chilldress gave the student who said that a stern
look that made him blush and swallow. Nova smiled, and some kids
snickered.

"Hopefully, more of you will be in the Jr.
High science fair next year. Now, on to the final test," Ms.
Chilldress said. “Please remove any books or papers from your desk
and place them inside.”

The desks squeaked and thumped as the
students prepared.

Brenda passed back the test papers over her
shoulder to Nova and Amanda. It was in essay format. A lot of the
students chanted or rubbed trolls or rabbits’ feet over the test
for good luck. She rolled her eyes. Nova was going to try to ace
the test without being superstitious.

After half an hour, Ms. Chilldress stood up.
“Time’s up.”

Some students were writing as fast as
possible.

"Pupils, no more writing." Ms. Chilldress
stood near the front desk and started to collect the papers the
students brought forth. The bell rang.

A blood- curdling scream split the air.
Outside the classroom door was an executioner ghost piling large
boulders on top of a young girl ghost crushing the life out of
her.

The victim passed out. Her body was splayed
over a roughly

cut-out rectangular slab or rock with her
arms and legs tied to the four corners. The executioner ghost
laughed as he lay down

more and more rocks that he plucked out of
thin air. “If a dead

person sees someone,” the executioner said,
“you will be next.”

A boy with black hair to his shoulders
vomited white, yellow, and brown breakfast in the hallway. Little
clumps of unidentified food inched its way toward Nova and
Takeesha. They frowned as they tried not to step in it. Nova
shuddered. Maybe she shouldn’t be superstitious. The ghost’s eyes,
however, looked right through her, and that was enough to send a
shiver up her spine.

Takeesha ran to her next class: Home Skills.
Nova watched her slip on the tile as she took the corner. Nova
tried to erase the thought out of her head of the girl getting
crushed by rocks as she ambled toward the study hall room. She
planned to spend some time on her American History notes, but the
vision was still in her mind.

Suddenly, Nova shuffled right through a ghost
in the hallway. Her curls stood on end. She could feel the static
electric shock. The feeling of dread almost knocked her to her
knees. Sweat oozed through her pores - until she was drenched. Nova
looked back and saw a girl her age tied to a thick tree trunk with
a pile of burning sticks surrounding her feet. The smell of burnt
flesh and hair gagged her. Covering her mouth, Nova turned away and
began stumbling down the hallway. Then her watch began to vibrate,
and the red crystal face lit up. A live eye with a blue pupil
peered out of it, and Nova heard a voice with a New Zealand
accent.