A Way (The Voyagers Book 1) (14 page)

CHAPTER 27

She dreamt about him again that night.  The boy with the dark hair, always walking ten steps in front of her.  She would try to catch up, her outstretched hand reaching to touch his, so she could get his attention.  If she could just see his eyes.  It was always the same. The more she tried to reach him, the farther away he would get; until he disappeared and she was left spinning in circles, trying to see where he went.  Jessie woke up consumed in sadness; the dream floated away with the sleep she blinked from her eyes.  She was startled to bring something back from this one that she hadn’t before.  She reached for the notebook she kept on the table, beside her bed, and wrote the name that had whispered off her lips before she woke up.  She read it out loud. 

“Dex.” 

The name sent an unidentified sensation down her spine.   She laid back on her pillow, searching her thoughts for something that was not close enough for her to get a hold on, like the boy in her reoccurring dream.  Her eyes opened again when she heard a light knock on her bedroom door and it cracked open.

“Time to get up sleepy head,” her mother urged.  “You won’t have time for breakfast before school if you don’t hurry.” 

Jessie didn’t have to be reminded that her mother thought breakfast was the most important meal of the day; one that she would gladly skip for an extra minute of sleep.

Remembering what day it was, Jessie asked, “Is it ok if I look through your jewelry box before I leave?  I need something that goes with my new top, to wear to the dance tonight.”

A quick look, of what Jessie perceived to be fear, crossed her mother’s delicate features. It was the same look she had seen the day before, when she made Jessie promise not to swim to the island.

“Sure,” she answered, a smile erasing the look.  She was gone before Jessie could ask if anything was wrong. 

Jessie closed the notebook that was still open on her lap. The dream evaporated, like dew in the morning sun.

*******

“What’s that?”  Becky asked.  “I’ve never noticed you wear that before.”  She motioned towards the necklace hanging around Jessie’s neck.  Jessie moved her hand up and lightly touched it.

“I found it with my mom’s jewelry this morning.  She said I could look for something to wear to the dance tonight.”  She brought her chin in tight and looked down to see it.  “It’s pretty, right?  I like the color.”

“Sure,” Becky shrugged. “Come on, we’re going to be late for class.”

It amused Jessie that Becky was the one reminding her that class was about to start, when she was the reason they were late most of the time.  Jessie let the necklace settle back into the hollow between her collar bones, grabbed the books she would need for that morning’s classes, and shut her locker door.

“So ‘Will 2’ told my Will that tonight is going to be, like, a date for you guys.  That’s exciting.” 

This time it was Jessie that lifted her shoulders in an - I guess so - shrug.  “Sure, it’ll be fun.  He seems nice.” 

She needed the time off, from some of the strange occurrences that had tracked into her dreams, over the last twenty four hours.  The feeling like she was being watched had followed her from the lake, and was now sneaking around the corners of the school.

Jessie questioned Sammy again that morning, about the boy she insisted she had seen on the island.  She waited until they were on the school bus, so their conversation wouldn’t be over heard by either of their parents.  Her sister had looked off into the distance and given her a few vague answers.  It nagged at Jessie.  She noticed movement in the shadows also, but Sammy was so sure that there had been a boy. A dark haired boy that they both knew. 

Becky smiled, and Jessie snapped back into reality, “and if you guys hit it off, we can double date.”  

They entered their first class of the day, as the teacher was going through attendance.  He frowned at them when they took their seats.  Jessie opened her notebook and pulled out her homework to pass to the front of the room.  As she fumbled around trying to find it, a loose sheet escaped, floated slowly to the floor and landed upside down, between her desk and Becky’s.  Becky leaned over to grab it, almost upending her chair, and flipped the paper over to have look.  Jessie snatched it out of her hand, quickly, almost tearing it in half. 

“Hey, geez Jessie. What’s so important?” Becky sounded hurt. The look on her face said otherwise.

“It’s nothing,” Jessie lied. 

Before she left for school, she scribbled down the fragments of the dream; the parts that had remained stuck in her head ever since she opened her eyes that morning.  It lingered with her, while she ate her breakfast, showered and got dressed.  She hoped if she wrote it down, it would leave her alone. If nothing else, it could be a good start for a short story, she may have to write, for English, at some point that semester. 

“Is it a new story?” Becky asked.  “You know I like your stories.  Let me see it.”

“Ladies and Gentleman.” Their teacher had completed collecting all of the assignments and now expected everyone to pay attention.   Jessie, relieved to end the conversation, folded up the wayward, three ring paper, and slipped it into the back of her geography text book.  She didn’t notice that Becky was watching where she put it; her eyes cold.

CHAPTER 28

The day crawled by and Jessie was thankful that her last class of the day was a spare. This meant she wouldn’t have to be in a hurry to get to the diner, to start her shift.  She walked at a leisurely pace along the street, under a thick leaf canopy, inventorying some of the events of the last few days, like she was preparing to weave one of her tales. 

Her mother’s hesitation, when she asked to borrow a necklace, and the color that drained from her face when she showed her the piece she picked.  The hushed, short conversation she overheard her parents having before they gave her permission to take the car to the pond.  She had known it had been about the island.  Was there something out there they didn’t want her to see?  That brought her to the boy.  The one that Sammy was sure she spotted, watching them.  Had her little sister inherited her inconvenient imagination? 

There was an easy answer for all her misgivings.  The necklace that hung around her neck held sentimental value for her mother.  She was afraid her sometimes forgetful, always clumsy, daughter would lose it or damage it.  Her father still didn’t completely trust her taking the car alone; she was a new driver.  Sammy had seen the wind in the trees or a shadow passing over a rock.  All of these were perfectly tidy explanations. It unsettled her that her mind didn’t want to accept any of them.  Her thoughts returned to the dream and the name she recorded in her bedside book.  That was who Sammy had seen on the island.  The same boy that she reached for, but could never quite touch.  Dex.  She knew it was impossible, but it would make a good story.

Jessie heard the blaring horn before she saw the car; the abrasive sound, shaking her out of her daydream about her night dream.   She jumped back onto the curb, she had blindly stepped off, just as the car screeched to a halt.  The fire red car -
what an odd color
- she thought, was a convertible and obviously not from the small town.  The driver was a boy, slightly older than Jessie.  His hair one shade darker than her own.

“You should be more careful,” he offered this advice while flashing her a row of glowing white teeth. 

“You’re right.  Sorry.”  She couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were blue, like hers, and they softened when he saw that she was shaking.

“Don’t worry about it.  I was watching out for you.”  He winked and pulled the car away from the curb.

“Wait…”  Jessie called after him, but he had already turned the corner that would take him to Main Street.  She wanted to ask him if they had met before.  There was a resemblance in his face that she couldn’t quite place.  

She realized that she had been taking too much time to walk from school to the diner and quickened her step a little.  It was hot for the time of year it and she could feel perspiration dripping down her back. The clothes packed back pack she was carrying didn’t keep her from achieving a faster pace.  Jessie was glad she left most of her school books in her locker; it lightened her load.  She hadn’t meant to leave the text containing her scribblings about the previous night’s dream, but when she remembered it was too late to turn back.  They would be safe there for the weekend.  She wouldn’t need the notes before then, but it bugged her that it made her feel uneasy that she had forgotten them.

*******

As the lunch crowd subsided, the diner was emptying. Jessie was busy clearing the tables when its owner, Miss Allie, came marching through the front door, looking distracted.  She rarely left the diner during the day; Jessie was curious where she had went. Her mother often accused her of looking for a conspiracy that wasn’t there –‘your imagination will get you in trouble someday, Jessie,’- she would say. Her daughter was beginning to wonder if that may be an accurate premonition.  Miss Allie had probably been out getting some lunch to put some variety in her burger, fish n’ chips and apple pie diet.  Jessie started emptying the full tray of dirty dishes, onto the counter leading to the kitchen, when her boss approached her, smiling warmly.

“Hi Jessie, how’s your second day?” 

Miss Allie looked pointedly at the white skirt she was wearing.  The garment had already acquired a ketchup stain, during the short time since her shift had started. Jessie thought she was about to be reprimanded about her messiness, but instead Miss Allie helped with the cutlery, that was close to slipping off the high stack of plates.

“I think it’s going good, ma’am.  A few of my friends are coming in before the dance tonight, so I thought I could try waiting on them.  Make it my first table?”  Jessie raised her eyebrows in question.

“Right, the dance. I forgot that was tonight.  That’s a good idea, it’s probably going to be a busy weekend. No one likes to cook in this heat and we’ll need all the waitresses we can get.” 

Jessie had been shadowing one of the more experienced employees, Dana.  She had overheard the end of their conversation when she joined them with a full tray of her own.

“What do you think, Dana?  Is she ready to take a few tables on her own?” Miss Allie asked the question, like Jessie wasn’t standing right there, listening.

“Sure she is, it’s not rocket science.”  Jessie grinned at her, Dana returned a knowing look.  No one wanted to spend their entire shift cleaning up the mess the customer’s left behind.  “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

The door of the restaurant swung open and the boy, that narrowly missed hitting Jessie on the street, walked through it.  She thought she saw the light drain from Miss Allie’s face, and a look of distain, but it evaporated, before Jessie could fully analysis it.  The expression reminded her of the one that her mother’s face had displayed that morning when she was standing in Jessie’s bedroom doorway.

“
Hello again, imagination.  What problem could her boss possibly have with this stranger?” 
Her inner voice, asked.

Jessie took the opportunity of a distracted Miss Allie to grab a menu, a pen, and head to the newcomer’s booth.  This single customer would be an easy start.  She rounded the front of the counter, when Miss Allie regained her composure and clinched her arm.  Her perfectly groomed nails dug painfully into the soft flesh on Jessie’s upper arm.  With her free hand, Miss Allie yanked the menu out of Jessie’s and in one swift movement, handed it to Dana.  Her eyes never left the customer. His eyes were looking in the other direction, staring out the window. 

“Let Dana take this one, Jessie.”  She released her arm, suddenly aware of the unintentional grip she had on it.  “You can help me finish up back here.”

Jessie peered at her with confusion splashed across her face.  Hadn’t she said, just moments ago, it was a good time for her to start serving patrons. 

“Ok, but wouldn’t it be better for me to start out slow?  What’s slower than one order?” Jessie asked.

“Dana’s got him.” Miss Allie stated firmly and gave her a ‘the subject is closed’ look.  “Won’t your friends be here soon?  We should get this done first.  I made some pies earlier that have cooled enough to be cut.  See, lots to do.” 

She headed towards the cash register, to ring in a couple that had finished the root beer floats they had been sipping on, since Jessie arrived.  A trail of sickly sweet perfume trailed behind her.

“You can run his food out to him, Jessie,” Dana said, handing the order ticket to the cook.  “I need to run and get a few groceries for my solo supper tonight, before the store closes.  I won’t have a chance after you leave for the dance.  Richie, is looking forward to it too.  Maybe you will see him there.”

Dana’s son went to Jessie’s high school, but he was two grades behind her. They didn’t have a friendship past politely acknowledging one another when the passed in the hall.

“Sure, ok, I can do that,” Jessie said, troubled, watching Miss Allie, watch the boy who was trying hard not to look at her.

“Dana,” Jessie lowered her voice to a whisper, “have you seen that guy before?”

Dana turned to look at him and studied his profile for a half second.  “Nope,” she answered, with conviction. “Funny though, he kinda looks like you.  You have the same eyes.”

Her co-worker’s attention was grabbed by a customer at the counter, signaling for her to fill up his recently emptied coffee mug.  Jessie looked again at the red convertible driving, sandy haired, tall stranger.  Dana was right, that was what she recognized in him, herself.