Part One

 

Espion

 

 

Chapter 1

      “What’s going on, Jenni?” Spencer Dansworth asked me, as I got out of my car. His brown hair was spikey and his deep cobalt eyes stared down at me over a straight nose. I stuck my necklace back under my shirt. Its familiar coolness settled on my chest. I don’t know how I got it and Caleb, my older brother, refused to tell me. The bronze pendant that had strange lettering burned into the back and the engraving of an elm tree with an arrow through it on the front had always given me a sense of safety. I never took it off. Not even to sleep. Spencer had asked me about it once. I shrugged and pushed him into the sand box. We were eleven.

 Spencer was my best—and only—friend. None of the other kids at school were quite comfortable with me because I was…different. It wasn’t my appearance that scared people. I looked pretty normal. My thick, wavy, mouse brown hair hung past my shoulders and it had natural blonde and red highlights in it. My olive complexion and rosy cheeks weren’t horrid. I even had straight teeth—thank you, braces! My eyes were the most distinguishable feature, though. They were dark steel blue with a white, jagged line around the pupil, like electric blue eyes. It was a mystery to me how this occurred. I had never seen any eyes like them and I was proud of that fact. But I’ve gone off on a tangent.

         I was always the strange one, insisting I could see things that no one else could see—not the mention my only guardian was my eighteen year old brother. I maintained that pixies were there. Caleb always said that I just had a healthy imagination but no one really believed them. The neighbors called me a freak, not while Caleb was around of course, and told their children to stay away from me. Including Mrs. Dansworth. One day when I was seven, Spencer was hiding from his mom and wandered into our yard. He found me talking to the pixies.

         “Whatcha doin’?” he had asked. They had just visited Texas and he had somehow managed to pick a southern drawl. For a few weeks, at least.

         “I can’t tell you,” I replied. “Caleb says that I can’t tell anyone that I talk to the pixies.” Yes, I was a naïve and stupid child.

         “I don’t see no pixies,” Spencer mused. “Show me.” I had pointed them out to him and he gasped.

         “Do you see them?” I asked excitedly. He nodded and gave me a huge smile that lit up his young face. And I gained my first friend. That was eleven years ago. We’d gone through a lot together but we never grew apart. I had stopped seeing pixies as I grew older and by the time I was a senior in high school, they had all but faded from my memory. Kids at school still called me freak whenever Spencer wasn’t around because everyone was scared of him after he had broken Carl Handel’s nose. He deserved it, I promise. No one calls Spencer Dansworth’s best friend a female dog.

         “Hello,” Spencer said, pulling on the tail of my French braid. “Earth to Jennessa. Are you in there?”

         “Sorry, just reminiscing,” I said with a smile.

         “It’s the last day of senior year,” he told me, as if I didn’t already know that. “Stick with the present. It’s the only one we got.”

         “Thank you, Spencer,” I said dryly. “Your wisdom always astounds me.”

         “Come on, Jenni,” he laughed. “Live a little.”

         “I do!” I protested.

         He smirked. “Come with me to the Radley’s tonight, then.” The Radley’s was a “haunted” house in the middle of nowhere. The wrought-iron fence loomed ominously over anyone who approached it. Spencer and I were always fascinated by it. We read To Kill a Mockingbird together in seventh grade and we jokingly named the house Radley Place.

         “You know your mother would kill me,” I said. Yes, you heard correctly. His mother would kill me. She believed that everything Spencer did wrong was because of me. More accurately, she thought I enchanted him somehow. Yeah, she was crazy.

         “I told her I was going to Reid’s for a really late party and that I’d probably just stay there for the night,” he smiled.

         “Isn’t Reid in Asia with his dad?”

         “Yep.”

         “What will I tell Caleb?” I inquired, humoring him.

         “That you’re having a sleep over with me,” he winked. I gave him my trademark death glare.

“I’ll slap you so hard your grandchildren’s teeth will rattle.” He just laughed and slung an arm around my shoulders. Spencer knew that Caleb could—and would—eat him for breakfast if he ever found out that in the summer, we occasionally ended up falling asleep next to each other at midnight. I could just imagine it. Caleb finding us and ripping Spencer apart limb by limb. That’s Caleb for you. Our parents died when I was just a baby and he’d been taking care of me ever since. I suppose that gave him some excuse to be so overprotective, but sometimes he went a little overboard. Like the time he took me out of school during a large thunderstorm because he was scared the building would be struck by lightning.

Anyway, Spencer did not want to have a show down against my brother which is why he kept quiet and followed me to my locker as we walked into the school. This place was the weirdest building ever. All the lockers were located at the center of the school in a pentagon shaped Common Area, or Commons. This is where everyone hung out before and after school. On either side were the main wings, the A wing and the E wing. Why there was no B through D wings would forever stayed shrouded in mystery.

         “When will you stop denying the deep-rooted attraction you have for me?” Spencer asked, lightly kicking my locker door.

         I snorted. “When I stop watching the Lord of the Rings.” Yeah, I’m a nerd and proud of it. Spencer placed a hand on his heart in mock despair.

         “You wound me, fair lady,” he said dramatically. “Come on. It’ll be fun. We can just hang out in Radley Place like old times.”

         “Spence, we haven’t been there since we were ten,” I told him. “The building is probably falling down. And what happened to living in the present?”

         “Fine, let’s make a bet,” he said, ignoring my sarcasm. “If I can get Meaghan Rowan to agree to come with us, you have to go.” Meaghan Rowan was the most stuck-up, conceited, rude, bossy, and just plain mean girl in school. Her idea of a good time was tormenting people who didn’t fit in. Aka, me. She tolerated Spencer because he was the best swimmer on the swim team and she loved jocks. There was no way that she was going to agree.

         “Deal,” I said.

         “I’ll be back soon,” he grinned. I just shook my head and rummaged through my almost empty locker. Senior year hadn’t been horrible but I have to admit that I wasn’t sad to go. As much as I loved Caleb, I couldn’t wait to leave this place. I had always been a freak there and I wanted to go somewhere that I was seen as normal. I didn’t care about special or loved. Just normal. The bell rang and I sighed again. Finals. I hated finals with a passion.

         “Hey Jenni,” a voice said from behind me. Not many people knew my name, so I was suspicious.

“Hi,” I said cautiously as I turn around. Walter Newman from my AP English Class was standing there. His pudgy face and puppy dog eyes covered by bulky glasses made him look younger. His greasy blonde hair was parted right down the middle and his acne was acting up again.

“Do you want to go out on a date with me tonight?” he asked a big smile on his face.

“Jenni has plans tonight,” Spencer said. “Sorry, Walter.” He slung his arm around my shoulder for the second time. I fought the urge to shrug it off. It would just make him laugh and continue to annoy me.

“No way,” I turned on him. “You got her to come?”

Spencer just laughed.  “I’ll be picking you up at seven. Wear comfy clothes.” He walked away and I shook my head.

“Are you two dating?” Walter demanded.

“What?” I asked. “No. He’s just my best friend.”

“Then why are you going on a date with him?” Walter questioned.

I sighed. “It’s not a date. We’re just having a little celebration in honor of graduation. It’s a small gathering.”

“It sounds like a date to me,” Walter pouted.

“I’m sorry, but it really isn’t any of your business,” I said, losing my patience. “I’ve got to go to class. Bye, Walter.” I walked around the corner only to run into my long time crush, Peter Lowell.

“Whoa there,” he chuckled, green eyes sparkling. I’ve always had a thing for green eyes. I don’t know why.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, horrified. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“It’s fine,” he assured me. “You’re…Jennessa Bradbury, right?”

I beamed. “That’s me. Um, try not to believe everything you hear. I’m only slightly eccentric, not insane.” He laughed, a full rich sound. I almost melted where I stood.

“I like you, Jennessa,” he told me. “You have a sense of humor.”

“Thank you,” I smiled. “All my friends call me Jenni, though.” Or at least they would if I had any friends, I thought and laughed silently at my unintentional Disney quoting.

“Jenni it is then,” he said. “How have I managed to not meet you before this? We have a few classes together, don’t we?”

I shrugged. “Spence and I hide in the library.”

“Who’s Spence?” he asked.

“He’s my best friend,” I answered. “Oh, he’s going to kill me if I’m late to P.E. Goodbye.”

“I’m headed that way,” Peter said. “I’ll walk you there.”

“Thanks,” I told him with a smile. “So I’ve seen you play football a few times. Do you do anything else?”

“I really like the guitar,” he answered. “What about you?”

“Do you want the short list or the long list?” I asked, laughing nervously.

“Long,” he smiled.

“I play soccer, softball, the piano and the violin, and I sing,” I told him, blushing. Darn my incapability to hide my embarrassment. Peter gave a low whistle.

“How do you have time for school?” he asked.

“I don’t,” I replied. “I’m a straight B student.”

“Aren’t you in my AP Calculus class?” he inquired. “You have a B in that class?”

I nodded. “I’m in all AP classes. Except history. There was a misunderstanding sophomore year and I was stuck in the normal class forever more.”

“What was the misunderstanding?”

I smirked. “Mrs. Wyatt didn’t like that I had an opinion that I didn’t mind sharing and by extension, didn’t like me.” He laughed again and he told me his own Mrs. Wyatt horror story. Everyone seemed to have one. Mine was probably biased by my hatred of her outlines, but hey. I was a teenager; it was what we did. Then we were at the gym and he couldn’t stay to talk.

“Find me at lunch,” he said. “We can continue talking there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I smiled and walked into the gym just as the bell rang.

“Who were you talking to?” Spencer asked me when I sat on the ground by him.

“Peter Lowell,” I told him. “I’m talking to him at lunch.”

“Does the invite include me?” Spencer inquired, eyebrow raised.

“If it didn’t, it does now,” I smiled. Spencer and I were a package deal. End of story. “Now tell me how you managed to Meaghan to come to the Radley’s.”

“I told her how beautiful she was.” I snorted lightly. It wasn’t a lie. Meaghan had straight black hair and forest green eyes that were framed by long lashes. She had a cute little button nose and perfect, pearly white teeth. I couldn’t stand the sight of her.

“Tell me how you really convinced her,” I ordered, as Coach Tanner attempted in vain to get the rowdy seniors to calm down.

“I asked her out on a date with all her friends around,” Spencer grinned. “She couldn’t say ‘no’ and keep her spotless reputation.”

“You’re evil,” I said, shaking my head. “So does she know that I’m going to be there?”

“I’m planning on telling her at lunch about the whole thing,” he shrugged. “She can back out if she wants. The bet said that I just had to get her to agree. She never actually had to come.”

“You’re evil,” I repeated. “Don’t go into politics. They don’t need any help twisting words.”

“That’s my, Nessa” Spencer joked, using his childhood nickname for me, “always insulting someone.”

“Not true!” I protested. “I’m nice to teachers.”

“You’re nice to teachers when they’re around,” Spencer corrected with his signature grin.

“Shut up,” I said and nudged him with my shoulder. He just laughed and played with a strand of my hair that had fallen out of the braid. Had it been anyone than Spencer, I probably would have already broken their hand. But it was Spencer. We’d been close for so long that it was almost like we were brother and sister. Spencer liked to joke that I was secretly in love with him and then I would have to explain my “pessimistic, spinsterish” conviction—his words, not mine. I personally believed that it is physically, mentally, and emotionally impossible for high school students to feel true, pure love. Lust, totally. I saw it in the hallways every day. People at that age are just not mature enough to truly feel deep, lasting love. There are, of course, exceptions but I’ve yet to see one normal teenage couple last past high school and through college.

“So, do you want food at our little gathering?” Spencer asked, interrupting my train of thought.

“Wouldn’t be a party without food,” I replied.

“Very true,” Spencer said.

“What will we be doing?” I asked quietly while Coach Tanner passed by us.

“Just the normal, everyday things we usually do,” he smirked.

“Are you really making me read scary stories in a haunted house?” I whined. “You have the mind of an eight year old.”

He laughed. “Jenni, you know me too well. I’ll always be a five year old at heart. I’m going to be a doddering old man who finger-paints.”

“Only if you promise to paint a picture of my dogs.” I was a dog person. I didn’t like cats…or people, so I was going to become the first dog lady in history. I’m sure there were others but I’m going to be the only one who gets remembered.

         “We could just hang out and talk like we normally do,” Spencer suggested.

         “And what happens if by some phenomenon Meaghan comes too?” I questioned.

         “Then she wants to know more about us,” he said. Then added after seeing my look, “Or to torment us. Either one.”

         “I don’t know,” I said reluctantly. “I just have a bad feeling.”

         “What sort of bad feeling?” Spencer inquired worriedly. My “bad feelings” tended to be correct. There was this one time when we were about eight and we were playing hide and seek in the dark. After a few minutes, I felt something watching us. We ran inside as fast as we could. Two minutes later our neighbor shot a mountain lion that was right where we were standing.

         “I just feel a sort of…pull in the pit of my stomach,” I said. “I always have but this time it’s stronger. There’s something else too. I feel like something is going to happen. Something big.”

         “That doesn’t sound bad,” Spencer said. “If anything, it sounds like a good idea to go. ‘Something big’ sounds interesting.”

         I sighed. “I’ll go but I’m bringing my pepper spray. Just in case.”

         “This day just gets better and better,” Spencer smiled. “What’s your last final?”

         “I already did it online.”

         “Perfect,” he exclaimed. “I have free period that hour. Let’s go to Oscar’s.” Oscar’s Diner is an old sixties-themed restaurant where Spencer and I hung out on Fridays. We went there so often that a college girl named Shay was always our waitress and we always got the same table. Shay was sort of a friend but I didn’t really see her except for on Fridays.

         “I have no money,” I told him.

         “I’ll pay,” Spencer told me.

         “Spence,” I whined.

         “Please, Nessa," he pleaded, using his pouty face. “Please.” I groaned and he beamed, knowing he had won. 

         “I hate you,” I growled and blew some of my bangs out of my eyes.

         “I know you do,” he laughed. “Come on. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.” The bell rang just then and I rolled my eyes but followed him out of the gym.

 

2: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

         “I’m stuffed,” I moaned as we walked out of Oscar’s.

         “Come back soon, guys!” Shay called after us. We waved back at her and then got into Spencer’s car. The drive was silent most of the way back home. Spencer turned off the radio and pulled over.

         “Are you ready to talk about it yet?” he asked.

         “No,” I said, staring out of the window. Tears came to my eyes and I angrily brushed them away. Spencer noticed

         “I’m so sorry, Nessa,” he whispered and pulled me into a hug. I buried my face in his shirt. He stroked my hair while I cried. The sky outside turned dark with storm clouds and rain pattered on the windshield. Every time I cried, it rained. Spencer and I were used to it by now.

         “I just thought he was different,” I confessed, voice muffled, “but he’s just like all the rest of them.” Lunch hadn’t gone exactly as planned. It started off fine. Spencer and I met up and Peter found me quickly. He had shown me where to sit and even pulled my chair out for me. I was giddy. This was the kindest that anyone had ever treated me. Then it started to spiral downward. Peter’s football buddies grabbed Spencer’s arms and held him back while Peter and Valerie Sky poured their food on my head. Soon, I was covered in noodles, spaghetti sauce, apple sauce, and carrots. Then they had taken a picture and posted it online titled, “The Lunch-room Freak.” I was their senior prank and they had already made sure no teachers were around to witness it. Not that a teacher would have done anything.

         “You deserve so much better than him,” Spencer murmured into my now food-free hair. Then he chuckled. “Although, I was surprised that you actually hit him. Usually when things like this happen, you just walk away.”

         “It was the last day of senior year,” I smiled weakly. “I was living a little.”

Spencer laughed. “If punching a jerk in the mouth is living a little, then I don’t want to know what living a lot is. Although it was worth it to see him whimpering like the dog he is.”

“Did you ever get the chance to talk to Meaghan?” I asked, changing the subject and pulling away. He started the car and got back onto the road.

“Yes,” he answered. “She said she wanted to come anyway. I was shocked that she didn’t plan anything that happened at lunch. She actually told me to tell you that she was sorry that happened.”

“Well, now I’m shocked,” I said. “I never knew she had it in her.”

“I don’t think she’s the real leader of that little group of hers,” Spencer mused. “Maybe she’s different than the rest of them.”

“We’ll see,” I said hesitantly. Trust and I had never been on the best of terms. My house came into view and I took a minute to admire it. I lived in the middle of nowhere and I loved it. I had fifteen acres of land to play around in as a child. The nearest neighbors were a hundred yards down the road on either side. I really did enjoy my solitude.

“Tonight at seven,” Spencer said, as he stopped. “Make up some excuse.”

“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes and climbed out of his car.

“Jenni, is that you?” Caleb called when I got into the house.

“Yeah,” I yelled back and threw my backpack on the ground.

“Rough day at school?” he asked, picking up on my mood.

“That’s one way to put it,” I replied. “Just the usual stuff.”

“Hey, kiddo,” my sister-in-law, Wren, greets me. I loved Wren. She was a sweetheart and she was good for Caleb. They got married a few years back and I was ecstatic to finally have a sister. “Why is there a spaghetti noodle in your hair?” I quickly got it out and threw in the garbage but it was too late.

“Spaghetti?” Caleb repeated, gray eyes flashing. “They put food on you again, didn’t they? Ugh! I could just…Argh!”

“Calm down, baby,” Wren said, placing a hand over his. “As angry as it makes me, she never has to see them again. Her and Spence will go to Penn State and stay with my aunt Myrtle like they planned. I doubt anyone out here really wants to go to Pennsylvania just to torment Jenni.”

“I hope you’re right,” Caleb growled. “My girl’s better than all of the rest of them anyway. Speaking of my girl, where is my girl’s car?”

“Spencer took me out to Oscar’s, so I left it at school,” I answered. “He’s coming back at seven to bring me over to the school. Then I’m having a sleep over at Meaghan Rowan’s house. If that’s alright with you.”

“I thought you didn’t like Meaghan,” Caleb said, eyeing my suspiciously.

“She’s okay,” I told him. “She offered and I didn’t want to turn her down. I’ll be home by ten tomorrow morning.”

“Let her go, Caleb,” Wren said. “It’s her first sleep over.” That sounds so pathetic. Eighteen years old and never had a slumber party.

“Fine,” Caleb sighed. “But I expect you back here by ten on the dot.”

“Thanks, Caleb,” I smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Wren.” I gave her a hug somewhat awkwardly because of her rounded belly and ran up to my room. What did you pack for a fake sleepover? I grabbed my backpack and emptied of everything but my emergency flashlight and pepper spray. Essentials got stuffed into it instead: an extra change of clothes, pajamas, toothbrush, comb, ect. Once I was done, I settled down on my teddy bear and book strewn bed. My squishy soccer pillow was in reach, so I grabbed it and turned on my TV. The beginning credits of Ever After came on. I loved this movie so much. Spencer always told me that I reminded him of Danielle. I’ve personally never been able to see it. As much as I loved the movie, I’d seen it so many times and I was so tired that I fell asleep.

In my dream, I was running faster than I had ever run before. I didn’t know what I was running from but I knew that I had to get away. The pain in my foot caught my attention. I was galloping barefoot, through a dense forest. To make it worse, I seemed to be in a thin green dress that ended above my knees. A branch snagged in my hair, pulling it out of the ponytail. I kept running, heart beating wildly.

“Yes, keep running,” a smooth voice whispered in my ear. “It makes the chase so much more interesting.” I gasped and stumbled slightly, not quite falling. The voice chuckled and I felt cold fingers curl around my ankle. I slammed down hard and felt the breath leave my lungs. I couldn’t see but I could feel someone getting closer.

“Well, well, well,” the voice said. “So the little deer just couldn’t run anymore. How terribly disappointing. Look at me, my sweet, so I can see those famous eyes.” I had no choice but to comply. I could see nothing but a pair of deep steely eyes. “Ahh,” the voice exclaimed. “There they are. Well, I’ve been waiting a long time for you, my sweet. Do hurry. I shall be waiting.”

“Jenni,” Caleb called and I flailed, falling out of bed. “Get up! Spencer is here.”

“I’m coming,” I shouted back, groaning as I sat up.

“Did you fall on the floor again?”

“…No…” He laughed and I found myself chuckling. I tossed my hair, which had somehow fallen out of its braid, into a ponytail, and grabbed my already packed backpack.

“Bye guys!” I shouted as I ran out the door. Spencer was waiting in his car.

“You fell asleep while watching Ever After again, didn’t you?” he accused.

“Shut up,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I was tired. Are we picking up Meaghan?”

Spencer nodded. “Then we’re going to the store to get snacks. I’ve already got blankets and stuff in the trunk.”

“How long have you been planning this?” I asked through narrowed eyes.

“Since last…year,” he admitted. “Not the whole Meaghan thing, but I missed hanging out at the Radley’s. Can you deny that some our best childhood memories are in that place?”

“I can’t deny that,” I said, “but do you remember why that place gave us such good memories?”

“Of course,” Spencer snorted. “It was because of the pixies we played with.”

“Don’t say that too loudly,” I said sarcastically. “No need for both of us to be freaks.”

“You are not a freak, Jenni!” he exclaimed and hit the steering wheel. “Don’t let anyone tell you differently.” It was strange to see him so worked up. Sure, he didn’t appreciate people calling me a freak but he’d simply punched them and moved on. He’s never gotten truly emotional about it.

“Spencer,” I said calmly. “I see things that aren’t there and I talk to imaginary people. That’s what I call freaky but I never said it was a bad thing.” He smiled and took my hand. We drove in silence until we reached to richer part of town.

“This is it,” he said, stopping in front of a giant three-story house with pillars. It was so ostentatious that I almost had to cover my eyes for fear of blindness.

“Then you better go knock on the door,” I told him and he grinned sheepishly. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “What?”

“She told her parents that she was having a sleep over at your house, so they’ll be expecting you,” he informed me.

I groaned. “Get in the back and lay on the floor, so they think it’s just me.” He nodded and quickly climbed back there. With a sigh, I stepped out of the car and made my way to the front door.  Taking a deep breath to gather my courage, I knocked on the showy door.

“Yes?” a plump, old woman asked when she opened the door. I put on my best smile that I saved for Caleb and Spencer.

“I’m Jennessa Bradbury,” I said. “I’m here to pick up Meaghan.” The old woman smiled and opened the door wider,

“Please come in,” she told me. “I’m the housekeeper, Mrs. Jones.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I replied.

She chuckled. “That’s why I answer the door. Let me go get Meaghan for you.”

“Thank you,” I said and waited patiently for Meaghan.

“Who are you?” a voice demanded. I looked up to see a beautiful woman in a shimmery green cocktail dress standing on the stairs.

“I’m Meaghan’s…friend,” I replied, hoping she didn’t notice my hesitation. “She’s coming over to my house tonight.”

“Oh yes,” Mrs. Rowan—at least, I thought she was Mrs. Rowan—drawled. “I must say that you’re much different from the other little friends she brings over. Not a single piercing, highlight, or nose job. It’s quite refreshing.”

“Thank you?” I said. I was assuming it was a compliment.

“Gale, who’s this?” an older man with a neatly trimmed beard asked.

“This is one of Meaghan’s friends, Nigel,” she answered. “Her name is…” She looked to me, apparently remembering that I hadn’t given her my name. And my prayers of anonymity were thrown out the window.

“I’m Jennessa Bradbury,” I informed them, hoping they wouldn’t recognize the name.

“The Jennessa Bradbury?” Mr. Rowan inquired. “You seem perfectly normal to me.” I winced slightly. So they had heard of me.

“Dear,” Mrs. Rowan scolded. “What he’s trying to say is that Meaghan’s posse enjoys telling anyone who will listen about ‘Crazy Jennessa Bradbury.’”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re even more dimwitted than I thought if that’s all they can come up with. I would have used words like unstable, unhinged, insane, or mentally deficient.”

“So you are crazy?” Mr. Rowan asked jokingly.

“Not crazy,” I laughed, “just strange.”

“I think strange is just what Meaghan needs,” Mrs. Rowan beamed. “Alyssa and Brittany brought out the worst in her. I doubt we’ll have that problem with you.”

“Mom, Dad, are you talking about me again?” Meaghan asked, coming down the stairs. Her dark hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she had a small backpack that I assumed was filled with necessities.

“Oh course not, Meggie,” Mr. Rowan assured her with a wink. “Have fun, sweetie.” He kissed her forehead and gave her a quick hug. She blushed slightly and I chuckled quietly.

“Ready to go?” I asked. She nodded and we headed toward the door.

“Goodbye, girls,” Mrs. Rowan called to us. “It was nice to meet you, Jennessa.”

“Please, call me Jenni,” I told them with a smile. They nodded and waved as we walked out the door.

“I didn’t know you go by Jenni,” Meaghan mumbled, avoiding my eyes.

I chuckled. “Well, it’s a relatively new thing. My brother refused to call me Jenni for the longest time, so I was always Jennessa or Nessa. Then my little cousin came up with Jenni when he couldn’t say Jennessa.”

“Look Jenni, let’s just get this out of the way,” Meaghan said when we were right outside Spencer’s car. “I’m really sorry for the way I’ve treated you over the years. That’s not really who I am. I guess today at lunch just made me realize that.”

“Don’t worry,” I told her. “Believe it or not, you weren’t my biggest bully. There was this kid in eighth grade that used to tell me that I was such a freak that it’d be a service to the world if I just died. Luckily, he was expelled for drug use and I never saw him again.”

“They really were horrible to you, weren’t they?” Meaghan asked in disgust. Before I could respond, I saw Spencer’s head pop up from the back seat.

“Get in the car,” he ordered. “It’s cramped back here.” I rolled my eyes but got into the driver’s seat.

“Hi Meaghan,” Spencer greeted her happily.

“Hey,” she replied.

“Why do you have to be so tall?” I whined as I pulled the seat forward.

“Why do you have to be so short?” he countered. “Just drive away so I can sit up. Forget the snacks. Do you remember how to get to the Radley’s?” I snorted, not deeming his question worthy of a response. We drove in silence for the rest of way. It gave me time to think. Meaghan was a rich girl from a privileged home but she seemed to have kind, loving parents. Did she just feel like she had to be just like everyone else when they tormented me or was she really that kind of girl? I doubted I would get the chance to find out.

The Radley house came into sight. It was decrepit and obviously falling to pieces. I could hear the gentle gurgling of the river that flowed within the dense forest of willow trees that lied far behind the house as we strode up to the wrote-iron fence.

“Let’s go, kiddies,” Spencer said with his goofy smile and pushed open the gate. I rolled my eyes and strode past him. Meaghan followed me and Spencer closed the gate behind us. I led the way to the door and stopped in my tracks.

“Um, Spence?” I started. “Has that always been there?”

“What?” he asked and then saw what I was looking at. “Oh. No, that’s definitely new.” On the front door, a sign hung from the handle. It was written in charcoal by a shaky, hurried hand, as if the person didn’t have time to write it any better.

Follow the river and find...

The rest was smudged out but another thing caught my eye. At the bottom of the sign, the author had taken the time draw an elm tree with an arrow through it. I unconsciously gripped my necklace. It felt warm in my palm.

         “So what do we do?” I inquired, brushing the emblem with my fingertips.

         “We follow the river, of course,” Meaghan, surprisingly enough, said. Spencer and I stared at her. “What?” she asked and dropped her bag on the front porch. “I agreed to this so I could have an adventure and I plan on doing just that.” With that, she turned on her heel and started walking in the direction of the river. Spencer and I exchanged looks. I shrugged and dropped my stuff so I could catch up with Meaghan. Spencer groaned but joined me as we raced to recover lost ground.

         “For a rich girl,” I said while gasping for air, “you walk fast.” She flashed me a rare smile and continued walking. After a few minutes, we were completely surrounded by green foliage. The river gushed next to us as we walked. Spencer pulled put his flashlight, so we could see more than just shapes and shadows. We walked for a while longer and I could feel the tension building with each step. It was like an already coiled snake, giving you no warning before it strikes quickly and silently. Suddenly, Spencer gasped.

         “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” he breathed, staring at the ground of the clearing. I looked down and saw a stone floor that had pearls embedded in the rock. The biggest pearl was about the size of my palm while the smallest was no bigger than my littlest fingernail. They were strewn about in an intricate pattern that looked like a water lily.

         “What is this place?” Meaghan said, looking around.

         “Please…help.” I heard a faint moan as quiet as the wind the rustled the leaves.

         “Who’s there?” Spencer demanded.

         “Over…here,” the voice called weakly. I saw, hidden in the shadows, a figure lying despondent among the willows. I rushed over to him and put his head in my lap. His white-blonde was stained red due to a gash on his head and his face had a grayish pallor. He didn’t look a day older than twenty. His chest rose and fell with every shallow breath but he wouldn’t open his eyes.  I grabbed a bottle of water from my backpack and carefully put it to his ashen lips.

         “Drink,” I urged. I felt the others behind me but this man looked like he was dying. He needed my attention more than they did.

         “Thank you,” he said, once I had pulled the bottle away. He opened his eyes and gasped when he saw me. “It’s you,” he whispered. “No. You shouldn’t be here.”

         “What happened to you?” I asked.

         “Limnal,” was all he said. I had no idea what that meant but I figured he didn’t need any added stress.

         “Let’s get you to a doctor,” I suggested. “Spence, care to help me? I’m need to call Caleb.”

         “I’ve got him,” he said. “Here, hold the flashlight and my knife.”

         “Why do you have a knife?”

         Spencer shrugged. “We were going into a forest at night. I’m paranoid.” I rolled my eyes but grabbed for the flashlight and knife. Spencer lifted the man up and acted as a crutch. I whipped out my phone and press my first speed dial.

“What’s wrong, Jenni?” Caleb demanded when he answers.

“Um…” I chuckled nervously but ended up telling him everything.

“Get away from there right now,” Caleb ordered. “Leave the man and run straight home. Bring the other two with you.”

“I can’t just leave him, Caleb,” I told him. “We’ll get him to the doctor and then we’ll come home.” I tripped over a loose rock and the knife fell from my hands, clanking against stone.

“What was that?” Caleb practically screamed.

“I just tripped and dropped Spencer’s knife.”

“Jennessa Arianne Bradbury, don’t you dare pick up that knife,” he yelled just as I reached down to pick it up. The blade had sprung open when it hit the ground.

         “Ow!” I exclaimed as the knife cut into my fingertip. One bright drop of blood hit the center pearl of the lily. It started to glow a deep blue and soon, the light spread to all the pearls.

         “Wha—what’s going on?” Meaghan asked, obviously frightened.

         “Jenni!” Caleb shouted but I dropped the phone when the stone’s started to glow.

         “No!” the man moaned upon seeing the blue light. “No, you mustn’t leave the Uplands.” But it was too late. I could feel the pull and all I cared about was the voice calling to me from below the surface. The wind blew fiercely, disturbing the quiet peace that was there before. I felt a hand take mine and I looked over to see Meaghan looking entranced by the blue glow. We shared a connection but we didn’t know what it was. The call of whatever was under the stone grew stronger and I fell to my knees.

         “Home,” I whispered. “I return home to my people.” I heard a low laugh on the wind but as the blue grew brighter, I couldn’t bring myself to dwell on it.

         “Get away Jenni away from the gate!” I vaguely heard the Caleb yelling at Spencer. Meaghan was still clutching my hand and I felt Spencer join me on the other side.

         “Move Jenni!” he shouted over the howling wind. I stared blankly back at him.

            “Limnal awaits his queen,” I told him as though that explained everything. In my mind, it did. Once I finished speaking the last word, the ground groaned and the glowing stone disappeared.  We were all swallowed by the earth without so much as a scream. The last thing I heard before letting the darkness overtake my senses was the undeniable laugh of someone who just had their every wish fall neatly into their lap.