Reveal (Cryptid Tales) (5 page)

“
I hang out there occasionally, on campus I mean. My mom’s a psychology professor.” I hand him the bag, I did a nice job if I do say so myself.

“
Thanks,” he says as he lifts the bag. He smiles at me. “Looks nice.”

“
You know, I do pretty well in my Calc class. I could help you out.”

He looks at me earnestly, “You mean it?”

“
Yeah, why not? I mean I don’t have anything else to do tonight and I’m here another two hours.”

“
That’d be great!” He looks down at his shoes, his dark bangs falling in his face. “I don’t have any money to pay you though.”

I can see his cheeks becoming red.

“
It’s no problem. I’d just like to hang out with you.” I’m shocked at my own honesty. “I mean someone. It’d just be nice to not be alone tonight.” Now I’m the one looking at my shoes, hoping he’s ignored my slip up.

“
You’re awesome.” He extends his free hand, “I’m Hugh by the way.”

I shake it and immediately feel a spark between us. I can’t believe I’m actually touching him. I introduce myself with just one word, “Shay.”

He smiles back at me. His eyes are definitely green. After a minute passes Hugh removes his hand from mine.

“
I’ll be right back,” he says and goes to get what I assume is a book out of his car. I walk to the storage room to grab another stool for him to sit on. I can’t believe he’s staying here with me alone, all evening.

When he enters the store again he has his book bag. He drops it on the counter with a thud.

“
Whoa, how many books do you have in there?” I ask pointing to the brown leather bag.

“
Well I’m taking six classes. I’m on a scholarship specifically for Native American kids, but it’s only for three years. So I have to finish my degree by then.”

“
Oh cool, what are you going for?” I want to know as much about him as possible.

“
Business Management, but I really like Psychology and Genealogy. What classes did you say your mom taught?”

“
A lot of them, pretty much all the introductory classes. Plus a few higher ones for some of the seniors.”

“
What’s her name?”

“
Dr. Tafford, both my parents hold doctorates, just not the medical kind.” I don’t know what is making me tell him everything about my life, I just feel like he’s so safe, there’s something so trusting about those amazing eyes.

“
Oh yeah, I have her for Psych 102. She’s pretty cool. Gives us extensions and stuff all the time.”

I laugh, “Yeah she’s known for that. Which means I won’t see her for about three days at the end of the semester when everybody turns all their stuff in.”

He smirks, “I guess I never thought about it like that. So about my Calculus…”

We work on problems for the next two hours. He basically has the concept by the time we finish. It’s past nine and I close blinds and count the money in the drawer. We really aren’t doing very well. Hopefully the profits we earned at Christmas this past year will hold us over until the summer sales.

Hugh is reading over the notes I wrote for him to help him with the more advanced formulas.

He closes his notebook and says, “You know you’re a pretty good teacher. Maybe we could do this again sometime.” He winks at me. It’s cheesy, but cute. He shoves his book and notebook back in the bag.

He comes around the counter with his bag slung over his shoulder. He takes my hand and writes his number on it with a blue pen.

“
For my beautiful teacher, thanks for your help. Call me.” He kisses me on the cheek before he walks out.

I stand there blankly staring at his back. He is so gorgeous and it appears he actually likes me. I’m dumbfounded.

“
Yeah, see ya,” I say waving lazily as the bell chimes one last time.

I spend the next few weeks on campus looking for Tall, Dark and Handsome, but to no avail. We’ve texted back and forth but it’s been totally platonic, no mention of the kiss on the cheek which practically made me melt. I’ve been neglecting Liv and she’s starting to notice. It’s Monday morning and in English she confronts me about not texting her back last night.

“
I talked to Eddie about getting together and you didn’t even respond! I made a total fool of myself. Where have you been?”

She has a right to be upset. I’ve been so absent lately. I sit in the library on campus most of the time, waiting for a glimpse at Hugh, neglecting my phone because it has to be on silent in there. On the plus side my grades are better than ever before if that’s even possible. Maybe it’s just given me time to refocus.

“
I’m so sorry Liv, what happened?” I ask. It’s odd that he would just pack up and leave.

“
He said he took an internship in Washington state and doesn’t want me to tarnish his reputation. Can you imagine?” I kind of thought this might happen but of course I agree with her.

“
How rude, I am so sorry Liv. Is he done? I see he’s not here.” Did she really scare him away?

She sighs, “His time here ended last week. I asked you to come to his going away party after school, but you never showed. Whatever I’m so over it.”

“
What an asshole. Sorry about not texting you.”

“
I get it. I just hate one way conversations, ya know?” she says, starting to relax.

“
I do. I’m sorry.”

My mind is still focused on fixing my relationship with Liv when Mr. Thomas returns to Beowolf. I immediately tune him out as usual.

The rest of the day goes by blandly as many of my high school days usually do. Olivia decides she’d rather stay on campus today then go to the college because it’s miserable outside. We’re in the library watching the rain come down in sheets when the announcement comes on that all sports practices are cancelled for the day. I decide to head home while Olivia says she’s going to stay and finish her chemistry lab. I invite her over for a movie on Thursday, saying she can sleepover too. She agrees whole heartedly and I think our friendship is back on track. Chad gets a ride home with his friends anyway, so I’m free to go home and curl up with some coffee and a good book. I wave goodbye to Liv and head for the car. Luckily I brought a hoodie today. I put it on, pull the hood up around my face and run through the rain to my car. It seems I was somewhat successful at staying dry when I get in the car, though the parts of my long dark hair that were hanging out have quickly become soaked. I pull the mass of hair behind my head in a knot and drive home. This is one nasty storm. The lightning makes me think I should have stayed at school to ride it out.

Driving is a nightmare and I’m not even going twenty- five. I can hardly see through the rain, but as my windshield wipers move as a fast as they can, I see something standing in the middle of the road. Or rather, someone. I hit the brakes because in this rain I can’t see the edges of the figure moving. I can’t see that she’s only energy, pure energy. As I screech to a halt my car slides and suddenly I’m sideways on a deserted road. When I get out to see if she’s OK or needs help, I realize she’s gone. I sit back down in the car, now totally drenched and shake my head, are my eyes playing tricks on me? And then I feel it, the same energy I felt a few weeks ago in my little Honda Civic. I turn my head to the right to see the blue eyed little girl sitting in the passenger’s seat staring right at me.

The air comes out of my lungs in a single whoosh. After taking a couple deep breaths I say, “You know, you really shouldn’t creep up on people like that Wendy.”

She smiles a toothy grin at me, “Sorry Shay. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just really needed to talk to you. I know how to find my father.”

I’m still driving at a crawling pace, but not to home, we’re headed back to the blue house.

“
So what exactly did this guy tell you again?” I ask her, I want to review this situation one more time.

She sighs, “Shay, we’ve been over this at least three times.”

“
Yes, but this all sounds a bit off to me.”

“
Ugh fine. The ghost, a dark haired man, he said I could get my dad back and that he is probably looking for me right now. We just have to get some other ghosts to help me to look for him. That’s where you come in; you’re like a ghost magnet. If you think about him enough he might come to us, or at least other ghosts who know him will come to you and then we can get information about him from them.”

“
And you’re sure all I have to do is think about him?” We’re almost to the house now. I can see where we broke through the trees last time. The ground cover hasn’t had time to grow back yet. Mud is splashing up on my tires; my car is going to need a serious bath after this little adventure.

“
Well there is one more thing.”

Uh-oh, what I feel coming can’t be good. I knew it was important to have her repeat the instructions.

“
And that is…” I prompt her, we’re at the house now and I put the car in park but leave it running because I’m still damp and freezing. I appreciate the heat blowing on me, warming me slowly. “You have to drop a little blood on his grave.”

“
I have to do WHAT?!?” Suddenly the air blowing on me feels too hot. I need to get out of this car, I go to open the door when I realize it’s still pouring outside and I really don’t want to get soaked again. I close the door and instead I close my eyes and lean my forehead against the cold window. I turn off the heat immediately using the dial. “Take deep breaths,” I tell myself aloud. “Try not to pass out.”

When I was three I broke my leg in a sledding accident. It was just Dad and I; we were at this huge hill by his work. Well huge for a three year old. We had one of those discs that go super fast when you don’t weigh a lot. My dad gave me a push, never realizing I would move as fast as I did. I was so happy screaming and laughing as I went down that hill. I never saw that fence coming and when I ran into it, I didn’t feel a thing. I just remember hearing the screaming, it was my own voice, but I didn’t feel like it was coming out of my body. I opened my eyes briefly to see my left leg totally gnarled up next to my body. My dark red blood soaking the freshly laid snow that had silenced my footsteps just seconds before. The rust taste filled my mouth and as I panicked, I saw my dad’s horrified face. I see his face every time I see or hear about blood now. It makes me feel like my whole body is about to cave into itself. The pain from my broken leg was nothing compared to the look on his face; that look has haunted me ever since. It impacts me every time. I once passed out in elementary school when Olivia scraped her knee. I actually cried last time I got a paper cut and I’m eighteen freaking years old, an adult, I mean really?

I turn back to Wendy, she’s looking at her hands laying in her lap.

She mumbles, “Shay, please help me.” Then she slowly turns to look at me with those big blue eyes.

What can I do? I have to suck it up and help this little ghost; why else would I have this ability?

I sigh and as I suck a deep breath back in I make a decision, “Ok Wendy, let’s do this.” I’m surprised at how confident I sound.

We get out of the car and I run to the house to try to stay semi-dry while Wendy floats around looking for her father’s grave. She thinks it’s near the lake so she’s headed that way, though I can hardly make out her semi-translucent figure through this rain. I walk through the front door of the blue house and decide I might as well look around. I enter in a hallway with a seating area to the right and a dining room to the left. It appears as though a chandelier fell through the floor in the dining room at some point so I avoid the dark open space left behind. It looks as though it could suck me into it. Instead I walk to the back of the house and find myself in a huge kitchen. It goes the entire length of the back of the house. The pantry alone is as big as my bathroom at home. Come to think of it, this house is at least twice the size of mine. I start exploring the cupboards, who knows what I’ll find in them or what I am looking for, but the opening and shutting of the doors is calming me. I find some old vintage tins when Wendy shows up. She has an apprehensive smile on her face, “found it” is all she says and I know it’s time to go to work.

We walk out of the back door of the house or what’s left of it. A screen door blocks most of the doorway and I have to give it a good shove to get it open. Wendy hardly notices it as she floats right through the screen. I notice the rain has lightened up significantly as I put up my hood. It’s more of a drizzle now, which I really appreciate. Wendy moves in front of me, leading me to her father’s burial site. We move toward the lake across the wet, slippery grass. I notice a half sunk wooden rowboat tied to a fairly stable looking dock.