Solstice - Of The Heart (10 page)

“Well, she obviously has
needs.”

“Cherrie!”

“What? We can’t talk about your
mom?”

“Not in that way, so please
don’t.”

“I won’t if you give up the gooey
stuff on Aaron.”

“We talked. That’s all.”

“Did you tell him about your
theory?”

“What theory?”

“That he’s a super being, a
Leprechaun.”

“I didn’t say Leprechaun, I said
Lemurian.”

“Whatever. What’d he say?”

“That’s not something we
discussed.”

“You didn’t talk about
Shasta?”

“Yes, we did.” I pulled the beanie
from my head. “We talked about wave-clouds.”

As I said this I pointed to the design
on the hat.

Cherrie looked skeptical.
“Wave-clouds?”

“Yes. Aaron said they’re rare and
they’re caused by two different layers of air moving at different
speeds and in opposite directions which cause friction.”

“That’s it? You guys just talked about
hats and wave clouds. Nothing else?”

It wasn’t like Cherrie to probe so
deep, especially on something so trivial. Her intensity started to
bother me.

“What’s up, Cherrie? Why the
drill?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thought you might
want to share.”

“You’re acting strange, even by your
standards.”

“How so?”

“For one, you’re out of bed before
ten. You never come over here and you show up at my door drilling
me like a detective in the hunt for a murder suspect.”

“Just thought you’d like to have some
girl talk after your,” Cherrie held up two fingers on each hand and
clutched them, “date with the golden god-man.”

“Wasn’t a date. This couldn’t have
waited until lunch?”

“Not going to school
today.”

“That mean you’re not coming over for
lunch?”

“No, I got some things I have to take
care of.”

“Like what?”

“Things.”

“Oh, I see. I should share, but you
don’t have to.”

“You know what? You’re being a
witch.”

“Well, what’d you expect? Waking me up
this early in the morning?”

“Well you didn’t stop in last night
like you promised.”

“I don’t remember telling you I
would.”

Cherrie got up and poured another cup
of coffee. “Doesn’t matter.” She sat back down. “I’m just concerned
for you is all.”

“Why?”

“This infatuation with the
Delmons.”

“You mean because I like
Aaron.”

“You don’t know what you’re getting
yourself into.”

“I think that’s what so exciting about
new relationships, don’t you? The getting to know each other. It’s
energizing. You should try it.”

“I’m not talking about your love
affair with him.”

I looked at my watch. It was getting
late. If I didn’t hurry I’d be late for school. But Cherrie had me
on the hook.

“Then what are you talking
about?”

“Leprechauns.”

I let out a giggle.

Cherrie’s face didn’t
budge.

“You’re serious, aren’t you? You think
he’s a Lemurian.”

“I’m not saying he is. I’m not saying
he isn’t. What I am saying is, the Delmons are a weird bunch and
you would do good to steer clear.”

I sat back in my chair. I was going to
be late for school, but school could wait. I needed some answers.
It appeared Cherrie was about to deliver them.

“So you agree, Aaron pulled the
Lincoln off the side of the mountain and saved our
lives.”

Cherrie set her coffee mug down. “What
exactly do you know about the Lemurians?”

I had to think about that one for a
minute. I had ingested so much information over the course of the
last few days it was all balled up in my head.

“Well, from what I’ve read they were
an ancient race. Their continent sunk and most of them
died.”

“You got that part right. But do you
know why their continent sunk?”

I shrugged. Was I supposed
to?”

“Because the Lemurians were
anarchists.”

“I don’t remember reading anything
about that.”

“You wouldn’t because it’s not
written. It’s told.”

“By who?”

“My grandfather, for one.”

“So how did them being anarchists
cause their continent to sink?”

“They were at war.”

“With who?”

“Atlantis.”

I nodded as it came clear to me. “The
other ancient civilization.”

“Yes. And the Lemurians were
defeated.”

“But some escaped.”

“We believe so.”

“We?”

Cherrie looked a bit flustered, but I
couldn’t tell if it was due to the conversation or the three cups
of coffee.

“We,” she said, “meaning those who
tell the story.”

“So,” I said getting up while checking
my watch again, “you think if Aaron is a descendent of Lemuria he
is going to try and do what? Overthrow the government?”

Cherrie let out a laugh. “Not at all.
You know of their powers.”

“What I read, yes.”

“And what you think you
saw?”

“Oh, you mean the,” I tapped my
forehead, “bulge.”

“And the strength to lift a
car.”

“I didn’t say he lifted the
car.”

“Look Julis, I just want you to be
cautious is all.”

I checked my watch again.
It was half past eight. “I’m late for school.” I grabbed my beanie,
jacket, and back pack.

Cherrie got up. “I’ll drive
you.”

“That’s okay. By the time you have
that clunker warmed up I’ll be there. If I hurry I can make second
period.”

Cherrie blocked the door. She took me
by the shoulders and held me steady. We locked eyes.

“Julis,” she said, “if nothing else I
want you to remember one thing...”

“And that is?”

“…
according to the story tellers, Lemurians require mass amounts
of energy at critical times. I’m not talking about gasoline or
electricity here. I’m talking about the human aura, human
energy.
Our
energy.”

“Can we have this conversation later?”
I made a point of checking my watch. “I’m going to be
late.”

Cherrie let me go. “Sure. Come by when
you get home.”

As I walked down the road I looked
over my shoulder. I saw Cherrie heading home, but with an eye
peeled toward me. Suddenly I felt the chill of the drizzly morning
along with her cold stare. I pulled the collar up on my jacket and
the beanie down to my eyes. I could smell Aaron.

My heart warmed.

8 LIVE PIG

As I entered the school grounds, I
heard the bell for the end of first period. Bernard stood out
front, picking up the before-school-in-session trash. He carried a
pail and one of those trash grabbers, which clicked every time he
snapped up garbage from the ground. There was a bit of a melody to
the way his keys jangled and the synchronization of the snapping of
the trash picker. He stepped out in front of me as I walked up the
sidewalk.

“Good morning, Miss Grant.”

“Hi, Mr.Delmon.”

I made an attempt to step around
Bernard.

He stepped in front of me and cut me
off.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask you if
you were okay,” Bernard said.

I tried another end around.

He blocked it by poking his trash
picker at a gun wrapper.

“You know. Up at Shasta. When you
drove off the road. I was concerned you might have been
hurt.”

Yeah. Sure.

“Oh, no. I’m okay. We’re
okay.”

“Good thing you were driving Garl’s
Lincoln. You could back right out of there, huh?”

I could tell by his eyes he was
searching for something far more different than what he voiced. He
was testing me to see if I knew Aaron had helped us. After seeing
Bernard’s reaction to Aaron’s action I thought it best to play
dumb.

“Yes. The car’s like a tank, big motor
and all. We were fortunate it pulled us out of the
ditch.”

I heard the school warning bell go
off.

“Sorry, Mr. Delmon. I’m late for
class.”

Bernard withdrew the trash picker. He
waved it at the front doors. “Of course. Sorry to have kept you.
Go. Have a nice day.”

“I made my move for the
door.”

“Oh, one more thing, Miss
Grant.”

“Yes?”

“That day I had you cleaning lockers
you by chance didn’t take anything out of them, did
you?”

I was stunned to the point I almost
couldn’t answer.

“Absolutely not! Why would
I?”

“Didn’t think you would. Just that one
of the students is complaining they’re missing their Ipod. A few
other things have gone lost also. You know these teenagers. Always
losing their stuff.” Bernard held up his trash picker. It clutched
a ball point pen. “See. Always losing things. You have a good
day.”

“You too.”

I didn’t know what that was all about.
But I didn’t like it. I hadn’t stolen anything in my entire life.
Well, I take that back.

There was the time we were in
Minnesota and my parents took me on a day trip to the head-waters
of the Mississippi River. We walked across the mighty Mississippi
(thrill!) and then while roaming through the gift shop I took a
liking to this Indian girl doll. I walked out of the store without
paying for it. I was only six, but I still remember the
embarrassment of being marched back into the store and having to
turn the doll back over to the store clerk. I never walked out of a
store without paying for something again, even if it was but a
stick of gum.

Steal? Bernard was barking up the
wrong tree. Or was he? Was he barking or growling—warning me of
dire repercussions should I continue on the path of building a
relationship with Aaron. I felt something sinister about Bernard,
in a very subtle sort of way.

Jason ran up beside me as I worked my
way through the masses toward Spanish Class.

“Different hat,” he said.

I remembered I still had the maroon,
wave-cloud beanie on. I also remembered the rule of no hats to be
worn in class. I pulled it from my head and carried it into the
classroom. I’m sure, as usual, my hair looked frightful. It didn’t
help seeing the three drama queens, Charleen, Sandra, and Brittany,
perky and perfectly groomed, already seated with pens and paper in
hand. Did they not ever go anywhere without each other?

I suspected not.

I was beginning to feel like the bum
who was always late for the party. I needed to go shopping, get
some new clothes. Maybe get a haircut or have it styled. None of
that seemed appealing. I was who I was. “A natural beauty,” as my
father use to say, “born from the earth.” I was blessed with black,
thick hair, brown eyes, good complexion, and an okay body. What
more could a boy want?

Jason and I took a seat as
the final bell sounded. I smiled at Jason knowing he saved me
embarrassment at the whim of Mr. Albom, who not only expected you
to be seated on time, but to have your “books, eyes, and ears open
and ready to receive instruction”

Jason and I hustled to meet his
directive.

Tuesday wore on slowly, of course.
When you’re in a hurry to get somewhere, time, almost always, seems
to slow to a crawl. I was saved from having to dress for my third
period class, Phys Ed. Indoor hockey isn’t my specialty. Guess
that’s not a bad thing for a Minnesota girl to admit since the
North Stars (hockey team) vacated Minnesota some years ago and are
now the Dallas Stars.

Ms. Wroblewski, my teacher, pulled me
aside and handed me a note. I was to report to the front office. It
didn’t take much guessing as to why I was being summoned. Mr.
Roberts, the attendance monitor, met me at the door.

“Miss Grant, I see you were absent
from first period class.”

“Yes, sorry.”

“Do you have a note from your
mother?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“She was out of town last
night.”

“Why were you late for
school?”

At this point I thought I would have
been better off to have played hooky and missed the entire day. But
I was reminded why I hadn’t stayed home and played sick. I didn’t
want to miss seeing Aaron in Biology.

“I overslept.”

I gave him the best excuse I could
think of.